Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member and legendary Byrds guitarist Roger McGuinn is inviting Kompoz members to collaborate! Download his unreleased original vocal and instrument tracks for his in-progress recording of "Take This Hammer". Record your own instrument work, remix the song, or sing with Roger. Add bass, drums, keyboards and more -- or propose a totally new direction. Be creative. The best new collaboration will be featured on Roger's site, FolkDen.com. The top three compositions will win great prizes from Cakewalk, PreSonus, and Kompoz.com.
Since 1995, on the first of each month, Roger has posted a new song on FolkDen.com, releasing each under the Creative Commons. While on a recent cruise aboard the Crystal Serenity, he cranked up Pro Tools on his laptop and recorded the unreleased tracks offered up for this contest. Help Roger finish the song for FolkDen.
The top three songs will be burned to a one-of-a-kind collector CD, which will be autographed by Roger and released only to the Kompoz collaborators contributing to the winning songs. One winning song will be included on FolkDen.com, joining the ranks of giants like Pete Seeger, Joan Baez, Judy Collins, and Odetta. Winners will also be eligible for prizes from Cakewalk, PreSonus, and Kompoz, including a PreSonus FaderPort USB DAW Controller, Cakewalk Rapture, an Apple iPod Touch, and Kompoz t-shirts (as seen here).
This is very cool. 8 miles high-cool, actually. An old hero of mine :).
Rock On
B
Mon, Sep 7, 2009 @
08:02 AM CDT
Is there a set tempo for Roger's tracks? I just listened and I can't really make out if it is played to a click or not. It would help to know.
I am planning on replacing the voice and the guitar as my main direction. My initial idea is to have Ozzy Osbourne do the vocal (but with a slightly different text) and Dave Mustaine play guitar. I am planning to change the title ever so slightly too, I will call it Mega-Paranoid.
Damn I know I will win.
Rock On
B
Mon, Sep 7, 2009 @
08:06 AM CDT
Good ol' Jim McGuinn. Gotta get last night out of my head and focus. Then I'll feel a whole lot better...Is there an echo in here?
Mon, Sep 7, 2009 @
08:27 AM CDT
Oh its McGuinn? I thought it was "Mick When".
I spent last night getting a stay of execution for Skippy. Who knows how long it'll hold out.
Mon, Sep 7, 2009 @
08:28 AM CDT
It is - in fact - "McGuinn & McGuire still a'gettin' higher, in LA, you know where that's at"-McGuinn, none other.
Mon, Sep 7, 2009 @
08:31 AM CDT
And no one's gettin fat....
Mon, Sep 7, 2009 @
08:31 AM CDT
'cept Mama Cass
Mon, Sep 7, 2009 @
08:36 AM CDT
Wasn't John Sebastian available??? Coulda done a re-make to "Welcome Back" Viva La SweatHOGS!
Mon, Sep 7, 2009 @
09:00 AM CDT
oooo, ooooo, ooooo.
Take Travolta, give him to the bastion?
Mon, Sep 7, 2009 @
09:04 AM CDT
Up your nose with a rubber hose
Mon, Sep 7, 2009 @
10:52 AM CDT
I get the feeling that i have to enter to hear the tracks. It'd be nice if I could hear a rough mix before I enter the contest, as then i could make a better choice as to whether I'd like to enter or not. can this be done?
am i right in thinking that this is his cover of an Alan Lomax collected original - the wikipedia entry link you posted takes me to the prison song 'take this hammer'?
i know you have worked hard to get this going raf, Roger McGuinn is probably the biggest coup so far, and i realise i may sound a bit like a stick in the mud, but are there other announcements regarding the site? - you mentioned other things to look forward to aswell -i was under the impression there'd be other things alongside this and i was looking forward to hearing about them.
Mon, Sep 7, 2009 @
11:33 AM CDT
@Ben, Before you can download the tracks, you do have to agree to the terms and conditions of the contest. But you don't have to "enter".
Yes, I have some other BIG site changes (not related to any contest) to be announced probably in about two weeks. Stay tuned!
Mon, Sep 7, 2009 @
12:16 PM CDT
Folk Den is a very kool site. Right up my alley (down my alley you wouldn't wanna go). Haven't gotten to the kontest yet, I have to spend a few days checking out the Den's stuff, it's a uke players dream.
Mon, Sep 7, 2009 @
12:20 PM CDT
thanks raf, that helped alot.
go for it Lonnie you dirty old lowdown alley kat!
Mon, Sep 7, 2009 @
04:18 PM CDT
Great job Raf!!
Mon, Sep 7, 2009 @
09:02 PM CDT
@bjorn I found the beatSSSS! Yeah! But it's a secret.
Tue, Sep 8, 2009 @
06:52 AM CDT
I guess I am back to Bjorn's question is there a tempo for these tracks?
Tue, Sep 8, 2009 @
06:58 AM CDT
it doesn't really follow one. the sync beats are only for sync. Then it's something around 145.2 bpm but it floats.
Tue, Sep 8, 2009 @
07:19 AM CDT
Right, it floats.
Fri, Oct 2, 2009 @
06:40 PM CDT
I was trying to do something with this but became utterly frustrated with the Roger's timing fluctuations. Apparently others have had similar problems. It does make it rather difficult to do anything other than strum and hum along.
Fri, Oct 2, 2009 @
07:47 PM CDT
Slice him up, that was the only way I found to get a decent timing to be able to do anything with it. There are basically (the way I see it) two options:
1. Follow Roger and play some vanilla-flavored folk guitar or other not-too-accentuated instrument
2. Make Roger follow whatever wicked idea you have by (respectfully and taking in consideration his legend status of course) chopping him into little pieces and inserting them in a more solid rhythm.
Number 2 is my preference :). Roger's guitar track is very hard to use.
Rock On
B
Sat, Oct 3, 2009 @
03:01 PM CDT
That reminds me of me of one my favorite songs as a teen... One of these days I'm going to cut you into little pieces.
I will give that a try Bjorn, Thanks for the advice!
Sat, Oct 3, 2009 @
05:29 PM CDT
And don't forget the previous contest winner... I mean why he won.
