Dan's Blogvent Calendar - December 12th

As a rule, I try to keep any piece of writing that isn't video game related off of Giant Bomb these days. This is a website about video games, after all, and I have a personal writer's blog for all that other stuff. Over the last couple of weeks, though, this self-imposed and horribly titled Blogvent thing has forced me to re-think that rule slightly. Results, it's fair to say, have been mixed. Yesterday's post, a tedious diatribe about the woes of writing Christmas cards, is one prime example of how not to write off-topic on a video game website. Hopefully today's post will make amends. It's not video game related, but hopefully it's still pretty cool.

Two years ago, not long after breaking up with my last girlfriend, I met up with an old school friend for dinner. We used to be in a band together back in school - nothing impressive, just a trio of teenagers with instruments and a modicum of talent that in no way matched our delusions of grandeur. Over what I still remember being the best roast pork dinner I've ever had, my friend offered me some advice on how to start fixing up my newly-broken heart. "Write about it," he said. "Write songs, if you can. Then we'll try and get the old band back together and do something with them."

So I did.

Through 2012 I gradually built up a lyrical repertoire of about twenty songs, most of them inspired by the three-year-relationship I'd come out of, partly hoping that getting those feelings down on paper might bring about a bit of cathartic release. When it became apparent that the old band wasn't getting back together on the back of this new material, I decided to go the rest of the way on my own too. I picked up a guitar at the beginning of this year and started learning - nothing complicated, just enough simple chord progressions to start putting songs together. By October I'd whittled down the running order to twelve tracks, all with fully composed musical accompaniment, and set about recording everything one instrument at a time.

The result, a full-length album I'm calling Project 17, is now almost finished. I have a few more tweaks to make, and some vocals I'm not happy with to re-record, but those issues aside it's pretty much good to go. And do you know what? I'm pretty damn proud of it. Sure, it's no Dark Side of the Moon or OK Computer, but for a one-guy-in-his-bedroom job, I think it's turned out alright. I'm hoping to have it out before year's end as a pay-what-you-want digital download on Bandcamp. Until then, I'm going to let Project 17 take that tentative first step into the waters of the internet right here on Giant Bomb. I've linked to The Wicker Man, one of the songs on the album, below (I wanted to embed it, but apparently Giant Bomb's 'insert HTML' button has disappeared). If you'd care to share any thoughts or constructive criticism, feel free. There probably won't be a sophomore album I can apply it to, but it's still good to get feedback.

The Wicker Man, by Dan Kempster

Thanks for reading (and listening) guys. Take care, and I'll see you around.

Dan

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Currently playing - The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds (3DS)