Internet Ensemble Band
"Where our homes are our the recording studio and the Internet is our production median"
"This is where creativity takes place while having some fun" --- jkh
"As usual, music heals …" --- Roy Andrade (Reeltime Travelers)
What is this IEB
Simply put, a band that is assembled together digitally across the country or the world for that matter.
My plan, is to have lots of fun playing our instruments and/or singing together from our homes. Not in "Reeltime" yet, but for now just having a "Goodtime".
We will come together to create music as a group by recording our individual parts and uploading our files to an FTP server. The files will than be assembled together by an experienced technician.
One by one we build our music, one track at a time in our homes.
I want this project to offer the opportunity for people at any level of musical experience with their instruments or with singing to feel comfortable in giving it a try.
As the project progresses, & there are enough people, some may decide to move into a subset of the original group. This is fine with me. The possibilities of what can happen in this project, stretches as far as you can dream.
I plan on starting this project out with a detailed step by step approach of winging it.
I hope that everyone will step forward with a recording that they have done so that we can get ideas of how to move forward in the project.
If you have ever listened to a song where one instrument starts alone, and than another comes in, and a little later another, and than maybe a vocal begins, this is kind of how I envision we build our first song. I'm sure it will be a process of trial and error.
My name is John Hotze and my email address is: johnhotze@sbcglobal.net. I am here to help find answers to your questions and solutions for your technical problems.
As the group develops, I think a by product or benefit will be that many of us can help each other out with suggestions for lesson materials, purchasing instruments, accessories, and equipment.
If there are any professionals reading this and would care to take part in this project, I'm sure it would be beneficial and educational for all participants. You could remain anonymous if you desire to. This site is meant for enjoyment, education, and promotion of a genre of music such as John Hartford loved and played. It is not meant and never will be meant for making a financial profit, although I believe everyone who utilizes this site will profit.
Now that I am further along in this project, I thought it would be helpful to create a Project Guide that could be studied and used as a reference. It probably would be helpful to print it.
Here is a list of songs with MP3 files to listen to and play or sing with as a reference. This list is wide open for more ideas & suggestions.
Reeltime Travelers - Cluck Old Hen - lyrics
Reeltime Travelers - Bye & Bye
John Hartford - Aereotakes - Dig A Hole - typical of John's musical roots
John Hartford - Aereotakes - Doin' My Time
John Hartford - Aereotakes - Howard Hughes Blues
John Hartford - Aereotakes - Keep On Truckin'
John Hartford - Aereotakes - Where The Old Red River Flows
John Hartford - BMG-Camden - Radio John - In Tall Buildings
John Hartford - Goin' Back To Dixie - lyrics
John Hartford - The Girl I Left Behind
John Hartford - The Boys From North Carolina
John Hartford - Bring Your Clothes Back Home
John Hartford -Where Does An Old Time River Man Go
MP3 files developed by participants of IEB
I will convert sample files that are left on the FTP server to MP3's and post them here.
Remember, we are winging it and nothing is set in concrete. A decision at some point in time will be made as to which of the files will be the "Live" one we are building on. Others may be left here for examples.
5 - Borrello - Dixie - second take
6 - Borrello-Hotze - Dixie compilation - Borrello (lead vocal & mandolin)/ Hotze (harmony & guitar) - It's really rough, but hey, were about 600 miles apart and this is our first try. Borrello's file came to me as a mp3-96k, I recorded my tracks in Multiquence, adjusted amplitude in Goldwave, adjusted timeline in Multiquence and saved a flattened file in wav format. Transcribed wav file to mp3 with Goldwave.
Ensemble needs
We could use some fiddle players and a bass or two.
I think down the line we can use some cloggers on some tunes. Cloggers showed up as being misspelled but the suggestion the computer came up with was floggers. I don't think we need any floggers at the present time, but check back later. Perhaps after our first couple of tunes are put into circulation, there may be some folks that suggest some be used.
Latest notes
Dobro's, washboards, mouth harps, other mouth sounds, jugs and harmonica's are welcome to join the band.
Please send some samples if you can duplicate John's sounds he does on "Don't Leave Your Records In The Sun" and "The Washing Machine Song".
Some applause and a few hoots & hollers from family and/or friends while recording are allowed.
Q & A
I would like your names, what you play, and where you're located. I think it would also be nice to have a photo just to help us get to know each other better.
Who needs some technical help? Please don't be afraid to ask.
Who is ready to start recording something?
Present members
John Hotze - johnhotze@sbcglobal.net
Mike Borrello - riveroftar@juno.com
The Internet Ensemble Band
John Hotze - St. Louis, Mo Mike Borrello - Grand Rapids, Mi
guitar & banjo (soon) guitar, banjo, & mandolin