In loving memory of

Mark Barry 1978 - 2021

Robert McEwan 1949 - 2020

ALBUM TITLE & INFO

‘The Writing’s on the Wall’ is a self-produced DIY album made in my apartment in New Westminster, and the album cover is shot in the Gastown area of Vancouver (British Columbia, Canada). The songs deal with subjects including love, loss and addiction. The title of the album comes from the seventh track and was chosen due to the song's lyrical and thematic attributes. ‘The Writing’s on the Wall’ is a metaphor for those moments in life when a crossroad is reached and you are faced with making life-changing decisions. These sorts of decisions have played a big part in my life and in turn, have greatly influenced my songwriting, this is represented in the album as a whole with several of the songs featuring catalytic situations which in turn led to my own writing on the wall moments.


INFLUECES

I was listening to a lot of The Beatles during the writing of the album, in particular the Let it be album, which became a prominent influence in the music. I was also making an effort to listen to as much new music of various genres as possible which was extremely beneficial to the creative process and approach. The themes and lyrics of the songs all come from personal experiences.


THE WRITING’S ON THE WALL REPRISE

The final track of the album entitled ‘The Writing’s on the Wall (reprise)’ is comprised of musical elements from the title track ‘The Writing’s on the Wall’ along with vocal samples of friends and family saying ‘The Writing’s on the Wall’ in various languages. The vocal samples were sent to me by mobile phone voice messages and converted to WAV files before being placed into the song. The song represents inclusivity, multiculturalism, and promotes the concept that although we all at some point have to make big decisions in our lives -- ‘writing on the wall moments’ -- we are not alone.

All contributors to this track are listed in the album credits.


EQUIPMENT

Microphones and accessories:

Rode NT1-A condenser microphone
Shure SM57 dynamic microphone
Rode Pop Shield
Divine RF 10 reflection filter
AKG K240 MKII (headphones)

Software and hardware:

DAW: Avid Pro Tools Express
Avid Fast Track Duo audio interface
Novation Launchkey Mini (midi keyboard)
PRESONUS ERIS 4.5 studio monitor (pair)

Guitars:

Hagstrom Ultra Swede ESN single cut electric guitar
Freshman FA400D Dreadnaught acoustic guitar

If anyone would like any information about the plugins that were used – feel free to contact me.