• Songs
  • The Way I Feel (Updated Mix - 2/11/2017)
2017/01/16 18:50:36
dcumpian
This song was written by Craig Wilkins, known on these parts as CSW.
 
He contacted me a few months ago about collaborating on this song.  I agreed and he sent me his vocal, distorted guitar, acoustic rhythm guitar and bass tracks, as well as a placeholder drum track he had created using MDrummer. To this, I added piano, synth bass, acoustic picked guitar, clean electric guitar, a couple of synth tracks and an orchestral arrangement. I also replaced the drum track and added some percussion, then mixed all of the tracks into this:
 
https://dancumpian.bandcamp.com/track/the-way-i-feel
 
Hope you enjoy the listen and any feedback is always appreciated!
 
Note: The 2/11/2017 mix update changed overall drum levels, dried up the tom ringing (it was too much and causing a buildup), cleahned up the vocal FX to sound more natural, tweaked the bass level during the chorus and, finally, made some EQ/level changes to the guitars during the chorus. The overall goal was to add some "beef" to the mix.
 
Regards,
Dan
 
2017/01/16 19:45:46
CSW
Hi Goup..... Robin here.  Describing "W" brings forth feelings of anxiety because she was so unique
I feel I can never quite do her justice in the eyes of people who have never met her.  Anyone who knew her story was 
impressed by this woman's amazing ability to overcome adversity without collateral damage to her soul.  In short her mother was a heroin addict 
that pimped her out to men in exchange for drugs from the time she was 6 years old to 13. She was raped and beaten by her step brothers as well. 
Her father, the only one who would have protected her, died. Her mother overdosed when she was 13. And she was finally remanded to her paternal grandmother.
She had a genius IQ, she was talented and artistic. She was an old soul. She attempted suicide twice before her mother died. Both times I found her at school and called for help. 
 
The second time she finally told me what was going on and i took her to the school guidance counselor and the state was in the process of getting her case built to 
remove her. It was at that time her mother o.d.'d so there was nothing to fight anymore. Prior to that both of her older step brothers were also removed from her life. 
One by overdose and the other by prison where he was beaten to death.  "W" had a strong constitution within her to survive. Both psychologically and physically.  
She was not only strong emotionally but also very compassionate, wise and unbelievably positive. She feared nothing. 
 
Her husband and her started dating in high school and remarried each other three times throughout the years. They were inseparable and functioned like one person.  Early in their marriage when she found 
out the step brother who raped her, fathered a child that was in the court system, she and her husband took out loans to hire lawyers to adopt the little girl who they raised 
as their own. In "W's" mind this was a way to reverse the curse set upon her family.  She wanted to take this child out of a certain horrific future. Her and her daughter 
remained the closest a mother and daughter can be and because even after a year, her dad ("W's" Husband) is still falling apart without her and she has to run the business 
they built, had to handle all the memorial arrangements... everything. At 29 years old she's taken on her mother's incredible strength to survive and push through. 
But her husband is still crushed over the loss.
 
The space around "W" was a truthful, real and amazing place to be. Not only did she overcome the struggles of tragedy beating upon her, but she and her husband had become millionaires with property investing, she was an executive at Sirius Radio and a program director for one of the most celebrated networks on the west coast of Florida. She could do everything at once it seemed. She worked hard but always seemed to be on an adventure. Everyone who met her immediate knew she was something special even though they knew nothing about the horrors she overcame. she was not able to have children herself due to the physical scarring of what happened to her. But she advocated and helped people find children to adopt. She was also a brilliant writer... and at 40 she took up things like motor cross, skydiving, cross country skiing, kick boxing and painting to name a few... She was hilarious and the most entertaining person to be around. If angry she could reduce the smartest person to a pile of speechless mush in moments. But somehow managed to maintain their affection and gain even more respect.  She began fighting Lymphoma in 2010, and went all over the world getting treatments. She overcame the cancer, but her heart became so weak she finally passed away during a nap last year while they were fixing up a new property they obtained.  Since then there has been a wake of unshakable sadness her husband cannot escape.  She had a big all encompassing presence which is why her death was hard to accept for those who loved her.  She was the most unique person anyone who met her... ever met.   And I'm not even scratching the surface of this paragon.  Thanks for asking. [image]data:image/png;base64,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[/image]
 
Her are a few of her quotes:  "You have to harness life and make it your slave, because it isn't waiting for you in the car while you put your lipstick on"  she also said the reason nothing got to her was because "Reaction is the sincerest form of control, and winning means no one is going to have control".   There are so many.  She wasn't afraid to say ANYTHING. And she could... and always got away with it. Because she was always fair and always right.
 
The reason this song, which could never capture the magnitude of "W" is so important to Craig as the writer is because "W" absolutely LOVED his music and had him on her headphones playing in her ears all the time on her playlist. Including when they found her. Our compassion to honor the incredible void felt by her husband, and those who also have experienced significant loss is what drives the motivation for this little song embracing a giant part of life we all share at some point or another.   
2017/01/16 22:52:20
Rimshot
It's a great piece. Congrats to you both. Touching story. Thanks for sharing.
2017/01/17 12:15:16
synkrotron
Hi Dan,
 
You have done a great job with this piece, for sure.
 
By the sounds of it, you also had a great starting point.
 
A great song
 
cheers
 
andy
2017/01/17 13:19:12
dcumpian
Rimshot
It's a great piece. Congrats to you both. Touching story. Thanks for sharing.




Thank you Jimmy! It is a powerful story, for sure.
 
Regards,
Dan
2017/01/17 13:48:03
daryl1968
Good stuff Dan and nice song Craig.
2017/01/17 14:52:39
markno999
Great track.... song, performance, and production. 
 
2017/01/17 18:53:51
dcumpian
synkrotron
Hi Dan,
 
You have done a great job with this piece, for sure.
 
By the sounds of it, you also had a great starting point.
 
A great song
 
cheers
 
andy




Thanks Andy! I thought so too...it was a fun project!
 
Regards,
Dan
2017/01/17 22:27:09
Lynn
Spot on!  What a punch this makes.  Performances and production are top notch, and the songwriting is classic.  Congratulations all the way around, guys.
2017/01/18 08:27:10
dcumpian
daryl1968
Good stuff Dan and nice song Craig.



Thanks Daryl! I appreciate the comments!
 
Regards,
Dan
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