New CD in the making...

July update... new cd!!!

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 18:06:03 GMT

How’s everyone doing? I hope that you are all enjoying your summer!!!! I wanted to post a quick update of what’s going on with my music. First of all, HelenaMaria is doing well. Earlier this month, we finished up a bunch of shows but don’t have anything booked as a full band until the fall. The twins can still be found doing their acoustic duo shows in the meantime… check their website for details.

Next, I started recording the tracks for a new 5 song EP that I plan to release early next year. For the first time in a really long time, I used a new drummer, Leigh Winik from HM, to lay down the drum tracks. I don’t know if it was his drum kit or if the planets were all in alignment that day, but the drums sound huge and already pretty polished!!! The next step will be for me to take all of the drum tracks and import them into my ProTools rig at home and start laying down the rest of the guitars, bass, vocals and keys… this is going to take a long time!!! But it’s what I love to do so I’m looking forward to it!!!

Finally, I’ve been toying with the idea of playing another solo gig at some point soon. It might be in Philly instead of NYC, but I’m not sure yet. Either way, I’ll keep you all posted.
That’s about it… please remember that you can still download my recent solo cd, Carousel, at www.johnmendozamusic.com.

Thanks again for the support!!!
John

A quick mid-year update...

Sat, 10 May 2008 11:50:00 GMT

It's been a while since I've put an update in my blog... I thought that right now would be a good time to do so. Following the praise and positive feedback from Carousel, I started writing music for a new cd. The songs are somewhat similar to the songs on Carousel, but there are going to be some different types of songs as well. I've gone through a lot over the past 5 or 6 months and it's allowed me to express myself in new ways lyricially and musically. I'm pretty excited about the new songs!!!

I wanted to share one of the demos that I've been working on for one of the new songs. It's called "Your Eyes(Hazel Eyes)". I literally wrote it a few hours and I recorded it in a few hours. The performance isn't perfect, but I think it's a great start to what could be a great song. Right now, it's just a demo, but the final version will be on the new cd. You can hear it in my profile at:

www.myspace.com/johnmendozamusic

I’m going back into the studio this July with my drummer(Leigh Winik) to start work on a new 5 song EP. I’ve been going through a lot the first half of 2008 and it’s allowed me to write some pretty good songs. I can’t wait to share them with everyone.

Also, HelenaMaria is still in full stride. The girls are playing shows all of the time and the rest of us are going to be joining them for full band shows. To get all of the show details and info, make sure to check out:

www.myspace.com/johnmendozamusic

Hope to see you all soon!!! Thanks again for the support....

John

A new year.... a new cd... a new band... a bunch of shows!!!

Sat, 12 Jan 2008 21:20:43 GMT

Hello everyone!!! For the 4 or 5 people that actually read this... HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! HAHAHA... It's been a while since I've posted anything, but I wanted to give a quick rundown of what's going on with me. First of all, the new cd, Carousel, is done. I'm just waiting for my good buddy, Baimun, to finish the art work. Please remember that you'll be able to download the entire cd for free on www.johnmendozamusic.com. I'm so proud of this album and the songs that are on it. It was a fantastic journey to go through while I made the cd. I'll post another blog and a ton of bulletins when it's ready for download. So, let me tell you a bit about my new band, HelenaMaria. Blending pop, rock, and emotion, HelenaMaria's unique style is embellished with harmonies that define their sound. Although the girls may be identical in looks, skills on the piano, and guitar, they bring slightly disparate characteristics in voice and songwriting. Their cover is blown, however, when one girl picks up the guitar because Maria plays left-handed, and Helena plays right-handed. The twins use their close bond as an advantage when it comes to playing music. "Having a close connection with my sister allows us both to really portray our music because we can tap into each other's mind. That togetherness when we perform is so important because others can feel what we intended," Helena comments. Helena and Maria write songs to reflect a variety of feelings and topics. Maria explains: "Life experiences inspire me, but it's also observations of what others are going through, which could be completely irrelevant to my life, that somehow affect me, as well as my sister." Their songs reflect their emotional, creative, and playful sides while adding a distinct element of sophistication and maturity to each song. Although Helena and Maria may be young, they know what they are set out to do in life. Music is their energy; their passion; their release. A few months ago, I approached the two sisters about putting together a full 5 piece band to showcase their original music. After a few months of practicing, we're ready to perform and get these songs an even bigger following. Please check out the dates listed in my myspace profile(www.myspace.com/johnmendozamusic. We'd love to see you at the shows, especially at The Grape Street Pub(Feb 6th) and The Bitter End(March 1). Check out their music, it's pretty darn good!!!! www.myspace.com/helenamaria Hope to see you soon and keep on rockin!!! ERRR(that was kind of lame).

2007 Year in Review... Part 1

Tue, 25 Dec 2007 03:45:41 GMT

This is part 1 in my 2007 year in review... Thank you to everyone for your friendship and support!!! Looking forward to even better things in 2007!!!

2007 Year in Review... Part 2

Tue, 25 Dec 2007 03:42:45 GMT

Well, it's the end to another year. I put together a quick slideshow to show just some of the things that I did in 2007. I want to thank my friends and family for all of their support with my music... and my life!!!!

I love you all and I look forward to the many great things we will experience together in 2008...

Make sure to watch Part 1 first...this is Part 2... good times!!!!

it's been a hectic, but musical weekend for me!!!

Mon, 12 Nov 2007 09:49:05 GMT

Friday night, I went to Blackwood Recording to do some final tweaks to some songs for my new cd. Great news!!!! I only have 1 song left to work on and the cd will be done!!! I'm so excited...

Today(sunday) I went to practice with my new band, HelenaMaria. Two sisters that write and play their own music. They are so talented and I can't wait to see what happens with this music!!! Check out their site:

www.helenamaria.com

I give up... Bon Jovi concert review... 11.3.07 Newark, NJ

Sun, 04 Nov 2007 22:12:59 GMT

I normally don't post personnal things in the bloggy section of my website, but this experience was too good to not post about...

So Bon Jovi has a 10 night run at the new Prudential Center in Newark, NJ. Over the course of the 10 nights, they have different bands opening for them. Depending on what night you go to the concert, you would see a different opening act. The different opening acts are: My Chemical Romance, Daughtry, Gretchen Wilson, Big Head and Todd and All American Rejects. I saw Gretchen Wilson, but we'll get to that in a bit.

I took one of my best friend's, Dave, to the concert. He wasn't a huge Bon Jovi fan at all, but didn't want me to lose out in missing them in concert(my 8th time). Let's just say by the time we left the concert, he told me that his mindset about the band totally changed and gave them major props.

Anyway, the new Prudential Center was huge and really freakin nice. We got to the concert about 2 hours before the opening act went on. I thought there would be more traffic. I was so wrong.

Anyway, we just chilled and got some drinks, talked to a few people, blah blah blah. Gretchen Wilson started and I had no interest whatsoever. Towards the end of her set they played Barracuda by Heart. Holy shit!!! she totally nailed that song. We decided to go in and catch the end of her set... her band was tight, but I had no idea what any of her songs were. She has a great great voice though... really strong and great range.

When she was done, we waited for about a while and the lights went out. Bon Jovi came out and did an amazing f'in show!!!! Again, this was my 8th time to see them so I knew that they would be great, but wow... they played like they were havingthe times of their lives on stage. As always, I was expecting Jon's voice to be weak, but he was hitting notes that I've never heard him hit in concert before and he worked the crowd all night long.

A friend of mine(in the music business) told me that he didn't have any interest watching this show because it seemed like Ritchie's heart wasn't into it, but I called my friend after the show telling him that Ritchie played and sang like the badass that he is. His playing was off the hook... anyone who doesn't know what kind of monster Richie is live needs to watch the band live.

I couldn't tell exactly what Ritchie's set up was, but it seemed like he was playing out of a Marshall DSL halfstack of somekind. He played a great assortment of different guitars: Floyd Rose model, 2 or 3 different les paul's, a Gibson SG, different tele's and a really gorgeous Taylor 12 string for "Wanted".

The band played for almost 2 and a half hours... they didn't take any breaks except for their encore and the energy never dropped. Hands down, one of the best concerts I have been to in a long time...here's a setlist...

INTRO
LOST HIGHWAY
BAD NAME
RAISE YOUR HANDS
RUNAWAY
JUST OLDER
SUMMERTIME
WHOLE LOT OF LEAVIN'
YOU WANT TO MAKE A MEMORY
BLOOD ON BLOOD
BORN TO BE MY BABY
WE GOT IT GOIN' ON
IT'S MY LIFE
BAD MEDICINE
CAPT. CRASH AND THE BEAUTY QUEEN FROM MARS
THESE DAYS - RICHIE VOX
LAST MAN STANDING
LAY YOUR HANDS ON ME
HAVE A NICE DAY
LIVIN ON A PRAYER
WHO SAYS YOU CAN'T GO HOME

ENCORE:
SLEEP WHEN I'M DEAD
KEEP THE FAITH
WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE

Side note... when Jon held out the high G at the end of YOU WANT TO MAKE A MEMORY, I got chills. Damn, this band is great!!!

the new cd is almost done!!!

Fri, 19 Oct 2007 20:26:03 GMT

Well, the new cd is almost done!!! I have to rewrite one song and just mix 3 more. After that, it’s all about fine tweaking and then leaving it in the hands of Jaime at Blackwood to master!!! I’m working on some designs for a cd cover... btw, the cd is going to be called “Carousel”. It’s going to be a little busy for me the next month or so, but I’m up to the challenge.

Holy crap... I'll be 30 tomorrow.

Thu, 11 Oct 2007 22:53:39 GMT

AGGHHHH!!!!! I was thinking about this while I was showing this morning(no, I don’t have the video) and I can’t believe that tomorrow(Oct 12), I’ll be 30 years old. Holy shitballs!!!
I want to make my 30’s better than my 20’s… I’m smarter now and more experienced now and I think that I’ll do well and even better in my 30’s. So what has been notable for me in my 20’s:

- playing with the coolest bands I could have ever wanted to play with: Footsteps, Identity, The Azul Project, EPS(kind of, until they turned into a bunch of jerks… except Mike of course), and, more recently, as a solo artist

- travelling to far off places with these bands in places that I would have never gotten to see otherwise.

- buying my 1st and 2nd cars, buying my condo

- working at a bunch of different places, getting out of high level sales and realizing that there’s more to life than meeting a quota

- losing my virginity – 3 times!!!! (that was a joke)

- girlfriends, the loves of my life… first kisses, heart break and heart ache

- recording my 1st solo album and starting my 2nd solo album

There’s just too much to list. I’m happy for everything I have and I look forward in making better decisions in my life to enjoy the next 10 years… and beyond!!!

Thanks for reading!!!!

What a great day in the studio!!!

Mon, 17 Sep 2007 06:55:52 GMT

Today I went to Blackwood Recording Studios to mix two songs... Girl Next Door and Caurosel. Wow... these songs sound better than anything I thought I could ever work on. Just awesome sounding. You can check out the first mixes of these songs in my Site Wide Audio Player.

Enjoy!!!!

new studio... new mixes!!!

Mon, 10 Sep 2007 08:49:03 GMT

So tonight, after a wonderful day on the beach, I got to mix at a new studio. The song I decided to work on was Caurosel and it sounds fantastic!!! I was shocked.... we only worked on the tune for a few hours and it probably sounds better than anything that I have ever worked on!!!!

I really can't wait to get the rest of this cd done!!! It's going to be off the hizook!!!!!!

Tue, 28 Aug 2007 18:52:36 GMT

So this past weekend I went into the studio and spent a few hours mixing a song called “Blame You”. This is a song that I wrote which if kind of a modern day Beach Boys type pop/rock tune. Well, after a total of 4 hours mixing the song, we gave the mix a listen. I was horrified with the outcome and didn’t even know what to say to the engineer. The levels were all out of phase. (Here’s a side note: mixing a song is pretty difficult to do. You have to make sure that the individual levels of each instrument and eq’s sit well with each other. It can take a long time to mix a single song). Anyway, the mix was so bad that I didn’t even ask the engineer for a copy. He had been arranging some stuff in his studio which affected the sound that we heard everything in the room. The final mix was really muddy and lacked any kind of clarity. The mix was so bad that I didn’t even ask for a copy when I left. The only positive is that I’ve known the engineer for a long time and he told me that he wouldn’t charge me for the day because he was unhappy with the mix as well. I’m actually going to start mixing the rest of the cd at a new studio in South Jersey. The engineer at the new studio seems to have a bit more experience in mixing and is excited about the project as well. Don’t get me wrong, the original studio will always be my favorite place to go, but I’m thinking that right now, I need a change.

update on the new cd...

Fri, 20 Jul 2007 18:52:31 GMT

well, last weekend i completed the mixing for the first two songs for my new cd. they sound great and i can't wait to get the rest done. sadly, it's going to take a while... but it will be well worth it. anyway, i'm off now to San Diego for a family reunion!!! going to be fun!!!!

doing it for myself...

Thu, 05 Jul 2007 20:33:12 GMT

So this weekend, one of my friend asked me why I was putting out a 12 song album when most record companies don't really want to hear 12 songs on a demo. I told him that I wasn't putting out the album for labels to check out. Sure, it would be nice if something happened because of the cd, but I am really making this album for myself, my friends and family. If people buy it that would be great, but I am really doing this because it makes me happy as a song writer. I've become tired of the rat race, playing in bars and clubs and trying to put together(and keep together) bands to play shows. It gives me the most happiness just playing for myself, my friends and family. OK... just need to get that off my chest.

1st song is done!!!

Mon, 02 Jul 2007 20:55:10 GMT

It was a really busy weekend for me with my recording!!! On Friday night, I started mixing the opening track to my new album. I am doing the mixing at a studio called GreySkied Studios. The engineer, Doug Taylor, has known me for the past 5 years and helped in engineering/mixing my first solo album and the debut album of my last band, The Azul Project. I was happy to hear that he thinks that my song writing has really grown in the past few years and that my vocal performance was the best he has ever heard from me. That was a huge compliment!!!

Anyway, I had a great time working on the song and I think it sounds great. Only 11 more to go!!!

update on recording my cd

Thu, 28 Jun 2007 06:34:36 GMT

Well the cd is coming along a lot quicker than I expected. I'm about 3/4's done recording the final vocal tracks. The songs are sounding better than I could have ever imagined. I'm actually going to start mixing the first 3 songs this weekend. It's going to be fun!!!

update on cd recording

Thu, 14 Jun 2007 18:54:19 GMT

I wanted to give an update on the cd recording(for anyone who is actually reading this)… so far, I’ve laid down all of the bass tracks to the songs. Also, I’ve done most of the guitars and even some of the guitar solos. Finally, most of the keyboard stuff is done too. I’m way ahead of schedule, but I’m going to go back and scrutinize every single note that I played… just to make sure that everything gels properly. I’m still aiming for an October/November release… should be great!!! I have a show with Identity this weekend so I'm going to take a few days off from recording just to take a breather... I need it.

Playing with Identity... again!!!

Fri, 08 Jun 2007 21:55:04 GMT

A few weeks ago began another season of playing gigs with Identity(www.identityband.com). Like most shows with Identity, I never know what to expect. One night we can be playing at your local bar packed with a ton of fans dancing, drinking and having a great time... the next day can be a show at the Jersey Shore on the beach with thousands of spectors... the next day can be at a social function where the drums are being played by the other guitarist in the band and I'm left to handle both guitar parts.

These past few shows have been along the same lines. For example, my first show with them was at The Cup Entertainment Complex in Linden, NJ. The place was packed and just errupted when we began playing. The following day, we played a show in Delaware at the Grand Opera House. Amazing sound system, stage and energy from the band. Last weekend, we had a show in Cape May, NJ. The place didn't have the best sound system, but the crowd seemed to enjoy it and we had a fun time playing it.

I don't know how many shows I am going to get to play with the band for the next few months, but it's a wonderful departure from me doing my solo acts. If you haven't seen us play out, you should. It's always a great time!!!

New CD in the making...

Thu, 07 Jun 2007 18:33:04 GMT

On a rainy, humid day in June(June 3rd to be exact), I went with my good buddy, Gary Scheffler, to Optimus Recording Studios in Newtown Square, PA to begin working on my second cd. About 4 hours later we left the studio with the drum tracks done for 12 new songs. The 2 engineers marveled about Gary's ability to play in perfect time to the click track. Not only that, they were shocked that he was able to crank out so many songs in such little time. I was proud of him, but it didn't shock me because Gary is that good!!!

I'm pretty excited about this new album. I'm really stretching my abilities on this. Not only am I singing and playing guitar on it, but I am also playing bass and keys. Not only that, I am experimenting with different styles of music, not just the straight ahead rock that I have been working on. The music on this album is going to run the whole spectrum... from acoustic power ballads to over to the top rock anthems.

Not only that, this album will be showcasing talents from local rock celebrity Matt Santry, but also Grammy Award Winning Artist/Producer Anton Pukshanskyand accomplished guitarist Kage. Also, the album will be featuring a duet with Andrew Sanderson from local artist, Identity. And of course, from Identity, Gary Scheffler on drums.

While the album won't be done for a number of months, it'll be well worth the wait. You can count on that!!!