OMG it's December !

Time is flying by so fast!
I am in the middle of a few music projects right now and working on a new music video!
So, stay tuned!

busy busy

I have been so busy today that I forgot to blog on here!
What did I do today... my god... WHAT DIDN'T I DO?

1. new photo shoot.
2. made turkey salad, turkey rice soup and tossed salad.
3. mixing down the new song
4. worked out at the gym
5. pimped myspace

that's a productive day, i think,

ta da!

New Photos - Hot off the press !

The Performer

A little song I worked on a few years back. This is my performer's make up box.

Back To Work !

Alright, Intuitions has partied enough for Thanksgivng. It's time to get back to work!

Happy Thanksgiving!

It's 5 am... I need to go to bed, but I am here- listening to pieces of Intuitions new song. I tend to jump ahead of myself and master pieces of the song before the other parts are done. I'm weird like that. I get impatient and want results fast.

Tonight was easy- I finally got the microphone hooked up perfectly- the settings were all there and it just "went great". I have all the lead vocals done. I am going to drop all those voices/lead into my program- rough mix it- then throw that mix back onto my zip disk to finish up the backing vocals (which will layer 6 or more vocals together). I am hoping to mega fill this song with voice.

I have some issues with the song itself. Meaning- it needs some instrumentation added. That is the fun part. I love adding music and layering up sounds. It's sort of the final touch.

I listen to this song and I hear a very "retro" piece of work- which is cool- but I want to hear it with a house groove too- not sure on that yet- we will see- I'm happy with the pop sound it has-

There's a lot of feeling in the way it's performed- I sing quietly- then raise my voice a bit louder and sing- which has proven to be some what difficult with my buzzing microphone!

I don't think this microphone is going to hold up on another song. I've done so much work with it- but this is it......... the last song it will be able to handle.

Ok, happy turkey day!





I get to take a musical break today. Everyone have fun, don't eat too much !

Wednesday's Night Before Turkey Day Blog

Thanksgiving is supposed to be a time where we are thankful for the things we have in life. Right? Well, yes, I suppose you can eat until your stuffed silly too, but I am thankful for so many things- especially now, being a little older and a little smarter.

I have to say that this last recording project is just about killing me. I have never spent so much time and effort into recording. I have made sure that every aspect of this song is almost perfect!

I had a lot of trouble with this last song. I usually keep my cans on my head (my headphones) while recording vocals. I have found that my pitch is much more accurate when I take them off and listen in on one ear while I sing. This is a first for Intuitions! :) I have always recorded with them on. I had to go out and buy a new pair- I'm on a budget, but I had to go with Sony. I may return them, they are not very good. $20 cans... eh.. what can I expect?

Well, I am finishing up this song- hell or high waters. I have to. It's SO much work producing your own material, but I know that it will sound the way I want it when it's all said and done.

So, I hope everyone will have a great Thanksgiving. Tonight, I was driving back home from working out and I thought- you know- life is strange- we are all here- then we are gone. I've had 2 brothers die. A friend just passed away not too long ago... and the older I get- the more I see of death- it scares me- sort of. We are here- yet- sometimes we don't want to be... but if our precious life is threatened or taken away- we fight to live.

It brings me to a story when I was working... I met a lady (always meeting a lady lol) and her mother passed away- she was very sad about it- I could tell- she really missed her mom. I was thinking about this tonight- because I've celebrated so many Thanksgivings with my mom- years and years- We had houses full of people years ago- I remember sort of dreading it. But now, I really wish I had that- most of my family is dead, gone or I'm glad they are not around. (you get my drift). As I was saying- houses full of people and now just me and my mom. So, this thanksgiving is my giving thanks to my Mom this year. We have the biggest turkey and food on the table.

In the midst of all the work I am going through and the stress- Everything is holding up... and we're moving on... Somehow.

Recording Vocals

WOW. I forgot how hard it is to record your own vocals! I Generally like to get the first take on records, but that never seems to happen. There's always a spot where you say... "Oh.. I can sing that part better". Well... the song is coming out quite amazing. I spent four hours re-doing all the vocals again. I was very unhappy with my first take at it. I reset my compressor and changed some settings and... pure magic. I am using a MXL 2001 mic. It only cost $100,but I have used that baby to the max. There is something wrong with the microphone, I think, because I have a buzz at the connection. It seems to affect the sound- but it is not permanent- I got it sounding awesome tonight. I'm really glad because I just cannot afford another microphone at this point in the game. So, the song has all it's lead vocals done- which comes to 4 tracks of vocals- I am going to now bounce all the tracks from my BR-8 to my computer. From that point on I will continue to drop tracks into my Sony Acid program. Everything lines up perfectly. I just have to mix - then master- then it's done. I can't really put a time marker on things. I always make sure my material is as perfect as possible before I let it out into the world. So... when it's done... it will be done!!!

Monday's Blog

I really don't have anything new to say today! Still working on the same project. This weekend was pretty rough due to Thanksgiving coming up this Thursday. I will be finishing up the choir section on Intuitions' new song "Yesterday". I'm sort of mixing down the song, adding sounds, and correcting any type of vocal errors by re-singing parts over again (that's the fun part right!). Alright, everyone, see you later~!

Performing Live Through The Years

My God.... when I think back to all the places I have performed, I nearly gasp. I have sang at Big venues, small venues, sad venues... you name it, I have done it! I've done it for money, charity and auditioned a million times over for things. You never know what it's going to be like until you are there on stage performing. The most memorable gigs were when people were actually there! lol. I once remember being painted while I sang on stage... another time a sketch artist took his pencil to work (they were really nice etchings). I've met some really interesting people along they way. I remember some really terrible things that happened too. I was invited by some very suspicious people to a Battle of the Bands- (there were hardly any people at this bar). The bands were rock, I am obviously not Rock, but I was mooned by two very immature gentlemen. They didn't like my eurogroove. Whatever- the whole thing was stupid. Why battle, for what? There is no battle except the battle within ourselves when we seek that type of thing. So, I know where I belong and it's not a place to grace the walls of an empty bar. That whole thing is disgusting. I feel that my music is not something you find at your corner bar. I want to represent something intellectual and inspiring... not.. the typical crap.

So, I have a track that I'm finishing up in the studio- and probably a new music video to incorporate with the new song. That is what's so great about music and videos- you can go way beyond the bar. You can reach so many more people in the planet on the internet too. Why limit yourself to one thing? Why do what everyone else is doing? I have never quite adapted to that idea of being like everyone else. I just - am not like anyone else really.



I feel that the art of cinema is something that I really want to pursue further with music - not quite acting- but- very dramatic scenes and glimpses of dramatic pieces of work.





I love doing visual work- so this is something that I have in place alongside of the music I create.I love being able to express myself the way I want to... exactly.. visually- because I know what I want. Okay everyone, thanks for listening... yet another thought of the "struggling" musician. But- think about this... we're all struggling in some way... aren't we? We all have problems... burdens, achievements to be made....

Challenging Weekend

Well this weekend is tough. I have to go to a job and make money as well as do music. Life is not all fun and games right? It's always hard to do both things, but I am managing the whole project and getting by. Did I mention I have been working out in a gym 5 days week as well? MY GOD I'm seeing some muscle finally! lol Well anyways, music: Soon enough the new song "Yesterday" will be out on the market. I'm pretty excited about this song. Very retro and uplifting- I sort of have this burst of energy lately and in a more "positive" frame of mind. Well, that is today's blog! See you later.

"Yesterday"

I have spent a week putting together a new track. I wanted to take something old and merge it into something new. First let me say that the track is upbeat and happy. I am not one for making upbeat songs that are happy. But, I think that I've finally come to a place in my life where I am happy with the things I've created in art/music. I won't yet display the song lyrics as it's only a working title of the song. I can tell you that the song is multi-layered with probably 14 vocals. Alot of layering and alot of organization. It is a grand finale of color spectrums about the world I have come to know.

Well stay tuned it will be on here and myspace too!

Nature

Take A Day Out To Enjoy Nature

Photography as a hobby

Photography is my second love of art. I love experimenting with visionary images. My photography is a hobby- not a career that I pursue. If you would like to see some of my work, head over here:
My photography on Myspace

Variety of Songs I Make

These are just a few songs made available to download via Apple Itunes

Recording New Songs

It has been quite a process for me to sit down and create all these songs over the past 10 years. I am on -what I call- my last song. I don' t really know how many more songs I can do myself. This one is mainly vocal driven pop. The working title is "Yesterday". I haven't decided if there will be a music video attached to the song- we will see- there may be, there may not be. But please check out my music at http://www.chukalas.com The music is a mixture of pop/dance with hints of goth.

The "Cascades" Video

I love working with visual media. The following video I created is called "Cascades". I did the filming, editing, photography as well as the music, vocals and arrangements.

The music of Intuitions

Check out Intuitions music at:

www.chukalas.com