Roseworks

As a solo self-produced artist and writer, streamlining the creative process is my first priority.  It's a non-stop evolution and each song is like a snap shot in time. This song is the first of it's kind for me. It's an ambient, downtempo, EDM remake of Letting the Cables Sleep by Bush. If you like it, share it.  If you love it, let me know.  If you hate it, try another...I have plenty to choose from and, like my moods, my sonic brushes come in many colors.  Thanks for listening.         

Click here to check out the rest of my music.

Photo by Hector Pulido
Design by Glen "Foo" Brown

Dig In

Dig in to the pain

The song is called Jamie, but her real name was Jennifer. She reminded me that things aren't always as perfect on the inside as they appear on the outside.  I thought she was beautiful.  She didn't think so.  Before she died she told me to write love songs because everyone wants to hear love songs. 


 

Just felt like sharing this tonight....

Guest appearances and co-hosts
Love and loss and letting go
Casting shadows and becoming ghosts
I alone remain, forever changed

Touched by the pale lights
Even as they fade
Eternally grateful through the tears and the pain
I alone remain, forever changed

The prophets stage calls the strong willed
Silent applause echoes through the hall of souls
Mystics make their way
Angels praise ignites the flame
Divine inspiration follows....

We are greater together than we are apart
I alone remain, here on the stage
Forever changed...
 

I think most of the time, people are doing the best they can with the skills and resources at their disposal.  Give them the benefit of the doubt, send a blessing, and keep walking...or in this case, growing.  Wrote a song about it.  Like to hear it? Here it go! :)  

Grow
By Buffy Rose
 
Never mind what people say                       
They may be cruel in every way                
Never mind the games they play                   
Stand up straight and walk away                 
 
Never lie to save face                          
Stand behind rules you embrace                  
Never hide when you’re afraid                     
Fight your fear with fists of faith             
 
        You’re a star you shine and glow              
        Sky above and earth below                   
        Keep on reaching - Don't let go             
        Grow, Grow                                      
        Grow                                        
 
Every time you step outside                     
Every sound every sight                         
Every thought you try to fight                  
Breathe it in and give it life                     
 
        You’re a star you shine and glow                  
        Sky above and earth below                    
        Keep on reaching - Don't let go             
        Grow, Grow                                  
        Grow                                        
 
                        Look inside
                        You’re free to fly  
                        Just open up the door               
                        Read the signs   
                       With an open mind 
                       Reach higher than before                  
 
You’re a star you shine and glow              
Sky above and earth below                   
Keep on reaching - Don't let go             
Grow, Grow                                   
Grow                                        
 
Never mind what people say
They may be cruel in every way
Never mind the games they play
Stand up straight and walk away
 
  
Copyright 2014 Buffy Rose / Zero Burn Records
www.buffyrose.com


 

If your heart has ever been broken, if you've ever questioned your faith in true love, if you've ever thought you might not never feel whole again, this song was inspired by you...and written for you.  Click here to listen to the instrumental.

BROKEN TOYS

B.O.Y.S. broken girls and boys
T.O.Y.S. breaking hearts like toys
Leaving cracks that run and break us down
Love has got us all strung out now

B.O.Y.S. broken hearts and minds
T.O.Y.S. lego walls inside
Empty spaces where we used to laugh
Pain replaces faded photographs
   
          And it's sad, but true
          We don the armor but we're already broken in two
          We treat the trauma but we're already bleeding through

B.O.Y.S. broken girls and boys
T.O.Y.S. breaking hearts like toys

Gestalt 101:  "But What Does It Sound Like?"  (CLICK HERE TO LISTEN)

"What kind of music do you write?" he asked.

I paused briefly considering the songs in my catalog, the lyrics in my book, the notes in my head, all songs past, present and future.

 "Well" I said, "it really depends on the song."  

This reply clearly didn't satisfy him, but through no fault of his own.  As human beings, our brains are naturally wired to organize information into categories so that we're not overwhelmed by life's many details (Gestalt 101).  

In fact, by insisting that you can not be categorized, (as artists so often do), you effectively banish yourself to the farthest reaches of fragmented gray matter in a persons brain, completely disconnected from any larger construct that a potential supporter can reference at a later time.  Personally, I prefer not to do that, but admittedly I find it more difficult to navigate this question as a writer / producer than as an artist. 

"But what does it sound like?" he asked.  I replied in the best way I knew how.  "When I write a song, it starts with a feeling or experience that preoccupies my mental space until it finally speaks to me in lyrics and melody.  Then, it's my job to figure out how to bring that song to life in my studio.  I'm a songwriter, so the genre is less important to me than the song itself."  

He nodded as he silently shuffled through his cerebral storage files.  I continued, "but when I write with the intention of performing a song myself, it's usually dark melodic driving power pop or rock with an electronic vibe...."

His eyes lit up.  Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding.  He found a category for me.  And before I could pipe in with a few artists he might know, like Muse, Christina Perri, Garbage, or Paramore, he triumphantly blurted out, "Like when a DJ collaborates with a rock band or a pop singer?  Like Zedd, or Skrillex or..."  

"Something like that."  I smiled.  I guess that's as good a category to be in as any other, and it certainly beats getting lost in the gray matter.  It's less important that he files me in exactly the right place, and more important that he files me somewhere he can find me later.  

CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT SONG CLIPS IN THE CATALOG AND LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK IT SOUNDS LIKE

 

Well, you just never know how and when inspiration will strike and this one has a great story.  From the relentless winter that set the stage providing blizzard after blizzard of inspiration, to the New Years Day conversation that kicked off the process and challenged me to set a specific lyric in a genre outside of my comfort zone (thank you!), to the self imposed deadline that forced me to push myself...to the multiple personality disorder I had to invoke in order to sing the vocal parts of what should be least 3 different artists LOL  Good times! 

It's still so early on in the game with this one,  I can't wait to see where it goes from here and couldn't resist sharing it in it's infancy.   

Next Steps:
1.  Dedicated vocal session to replace scratch tracks
2.  Drop in live percussion straight from Alejo Calderon at Chango Records in Bogota, Columbia!
3.  Revisit instrumental for final tweaks
4.  Export and send for pro mix and master 

Deadline:  3/23/14
Enjoy the preview!
 

One day all of the pieces will come together and the big picture will not be in front of me, but all around me.

Life is a song, and I am the engineer charged with mixing every component perfectly so that all of the emotions shine through - not just the pretty ones, but the dark ones too - because they're all part of the journey, and part of the song.  

This is a song -- a mix -- with more tracks than any mix I have ever known, and each one needs attention. If I look too long from a distance, I can easily become overwhelmed and discouraged, but if I focus on one track at a time I can make each one shine and the mix gets a little better each time.

The hardest part is deleting those sweet hooks that just can't seem to find a place in the sonic landscape. Sometimes that one decision is the difference between sonic confusion and beautiful clarity.  Sometimes one track in a million accidentally gets muted and I notice that it's gone.  I miss that one track...that one harmony...that one hook...that's when I know it's a keeper.  

One day it will all come together and the mix will not be in front of me...it will be all around me.