I don't recall hearing the shaker before to be honest, but timing sounds better on this listen. Really great tune here.

Hello fella,
 
I'm listening through the cans, what I've noted is that the guitars kinda bounce from left to right and makes me a little dizzy, (there's a bit of electronic buzz on the left as well). I can't really make out what the bongos are doing, lose them, and perhaps some gentle snare work would help(brush sticks?) and the odd bass drum. The vocals sounds ace and I'm liking the melody. Keep working on it, it has the potential! :)

Nice atmospheric song Bob, acoustics sound good, very lush and spacious. Strings are well done too, they appear just at the right time. Got to agree with the consensus about the percussion, that's not doing anything for the song and is quite distracting. A kick, simple hi-hat and a well placed side stick is all this needs.

I am listening to mix #3 and if it was not for those bongo's it would be a good song but they are not letting it work for me, timing feels allover the place.  Sorry Bob.

Really good song, Bob.   Strong vocals.      But I gotta agree with the above - lose the bongos, their timing/accents is taking away from the feel.  But the right and left acoustics also need some tightening up in a few spots as well.   So I guess it's really all about making the timing more solid because otherwise you've got a strong, punchy mix of a cool song.
 

 

New Mix #4 - 11-8-15 (No AD/HD Percussion! LOL!)
 
Note: LOL, Finally took EVERYONE's advice and dumped my feeble attempts at bongos, congas, shakers, tambourines, sidesticks, etc.!  Also did a little more tweaking on the acoustic guitar timing, so I'm hoping that thanks to all your help, I was able to salvage this one, and I can get back to my usual hard rock and metal!  Whew!!!
 
Thanks again, everybody!
Bob

NOTE: Sorry for the late replies, guys, it's been two crazy weeks at my real life work!
 
jerrydf:
 
Hi, Jerry,
 
Thanks so much for checking out "One For The Road", and for your kind words!
 
I'm grateful for the Joe Walsh compliment because actually, when I was 13 years old, the fourth and fifth songs that I ever tried to sing in my life, with my first garage band, were "Funk #49" and "Walk Away" by The James Gang.  It sure seems that the early influences truly do last a lifetime!
 
Thanks again for your input, greatly appreciated!
 
Best Wishes,
Bob
====================================
 
Mesh:
 
Hey, Mesh,
 
Thanks a bunch, my friend, I truly appreciate you hanging in there with me on this one, and your excellent input and observations!
 
I totally dumped the bongos and dropped all my attempts at percussion for this one and went back to bare bones like it started out, and I think everybody was on the money about it being a distraction.
 
I always look forward to and greatly appreciate your ideas on my stuff.
 
Have a great weekend, buddy!
Bob
====================================
 
 
 
Zarrg71:
 
Hey, Ken,
 
Thanks, man, I really appreciate you coming back for a second listen and your good input!
 
Yep, much better without the shaker, bongos or congas!
 
I'm grateful for your input and support!
 
Best wishes for a Rockin' weekend!
Bob
====================================
 
Randy P:
 
Hey Randy,
 
LOL!!!  Okay, bro, even though I'm 6ft. - 210lbs., (and never in my life been referred to as "stout"), I'm crying "Uncle"!!!  Yep, the bongos, congas, shakers and any other form of my dumb ideas and attempts at percussion for this one have been totally eradicated!  And you were one thousand percent right from the start, and I owe you a nice steak dinner and a beer if I ever get back up to Cortland.
 
You might not remember, or maybe you missed it, but I mentioned in a reply to you a few years back, that when I was on the road with my band back in the '80s, I used to play at Night Owls in Cortland in 1983 and 1984.  Back then, it was a wild place full of rowdy dudes and drunk college chicks, and we had some good times up there!
 
Anyway, thanks for hanging in there with me to get this one straightened out, your input and advice have been invaluable, and I'm serious about that steak and beer if I ever start my Upstate NY "reminiscing tour"!
 
Have a great weekend, buddy!
Bob
=====================================
 
 
ohgrant:
 
Hey, Grant,
 
Thanks, buddy, I appreciate you coming back again to check out the new mix!
 
In Mix #4, which I just uploaded, I got rid of the bongos, too, and I did some dicing and slicing to further tweak the guitar timing.  I'm hoping it still sounds natural like two guys just playing acoustics in a coffee house in a back alley somewhere.
 
Thanks again for your input and support, and have a great weekend!
Bob
=====================================
 
gusrogers:
 
Hey, Gus,
 
Thanks a bunch for checking this out for me and your good input and words of encouragement!
 
Yep, the bongos are gone for good, and I did some splitting, slipping, sliding and nudging to tweak some of the timing anomalies, hopefully it's in a little better shape on Mix #4.
 
Greatly appreciate you stopping by and commenting, it's what makes this place such a valuable tool while working on this stuff!
 
Have a good one, buddy!
Bob
====================================
 
jamesg1213:
 
Hey, James,
 
How are you, brother?  Hope you're doing great!
 
Thanks so much for stopping by on this one and for your good observations and kind words!
 
LOL, Yes, Sir, I exhausted all my feeble attempts at stuffing every possible type of percussion into this one, and went back to basics with just guitar, vocals and a touch of strings.  I've never tried hand percussion on any of my stuff before (now I know why!), and I think a drum kit would overwhelm the song, so I'm back to the original stripped down version with only the strings for some texture.
 
Thanks again for giving this a listen, and all your help over the years, greatly appreciated!
 
Best Wishes,
Bob
===================================
 
Wookiee:
 
Hey, Wook,
 
Thanks for popping in on this one, my friend, and for your always good honest input!
 
The offending bongos have been removed, and I whole heartedly agree with everyone about the distraction they were causing to the overall timing.  LOL, I'm just one of those wackos that has to try, and then exhaust every single possibility before giving up on an idea, and sometimes I need to be whacked over the head with a lead pipe before quitting!   Either way, sometimes bare bones is just the way things are meant to be for a project, so back to basics for this one.
 
Thanks again for checking it out and your input, have a great weekend, Wook!
Bob
===================================
 
stevec:
 
Hi, Steve,
 
How are you, buddy?  Hope you're having a great weekend!
 
Thanks for giving this a listen and also for your observations, advice and encouragement!
 
I just uploaded Mix #4, without the bongos, and I also chopped up the acoustics and nudged around a few timing glitches, so I'm hoping there's major improvement overall.
 
I really appreciate you stopping by and offering your input and support, greatly appreciated, my friend!
 
Have a good one, Steve!
Bob
===================================

This sounds much better here, though it feels like it wants to burst into a bit of classic hard Bob rock to close it out.

Hey, Wook,
 
Thanks so much, buddy, I appreciate you coming back again for the new mix!
 
Hopefully just a couple minor touchups from here on for this one.  Thanks again for hanging in there with me!
 
Have a good one!
Bob