Demo Talk Music Art - The Musical Project of an artist-entrepreneur
Hello,
#demoTalkMusicArt (DTMA) is the name of my musical project that aims to launch a EP available on the virtual market. I’m, Jeff Maheux, the lyrics and music composer.
My project includes 4 songs released as demo or instrumental versions in recent years for promotional and advertising purposes, but never been presented with the official lyrics and voices to the public.
In addition to the release of the EP, the mission of the Demo Talk Music Art project is to publish reports explaining the process of monetizing music in Quebec by publishing compositions on virtual purchasing platforms. Videos on the progress of each stage will be presented on the YouTube channel and on this blog! A true musico-novel!
The premiere of the Desert video on the YouTube channel launched the Demo Talk Music Art project on January 2, 2024. Since then, the 4 demos have their Video Teaser on the channel.
The official presentation
#demoTalkMusicArt includes 4 demo songs to be officially launched on virtual shopping platforms. It features 4 compositions, English pop rock, lyrics and music, by Jeff Maheux.
The demo versions are therefore brought back to the studio for a final, up-to-date production and the recording of vocals and harmonies.
Track 1: I Think About You
Track 2: Florinda
Track 3: Desert
Track 4: Men
Bio of Jeff Maheux
I'm Jeff, originally from Ancienne-Lorette, a webmaster specializing in digital marketing who composes songs, lyrics and music, since I graduated from CEGEP de Jonquière in 1997 – Arts and Technology of Media ATM, radio animation option in journalistic information and production (sound console op).
Wanting to improve my English, I moved to Montreal in 1998 in the English-speaking neighbourhoods and found a stable job. I started writing a diary in English, which included poems and song lyrics.
I then learned, already having a musical background in high school, how to compose music with my aunt's classical guitar and a keyboard by studying the tablatures I found on the Internet. That's how I met Angelo Labbate, who helped me understand how to dress up melodies, understand the basic structures of music, arrangements and harmonies, mixing and audio recording, and finally accompany my lyrics properly.
My debut in the studio
From week to week, I brought my compositions into the studio with Angelo to produce the musical frameworks of the songs. We worked one to two hours a week for a period of about 7 years until 2006.
There have been a total of about 25 recorded soundtracks of which the final listing of a first album, oriented Pop Rock on the theme of the early adult life of a gay man in society, is planned as follows: SRace, Mr. Hotwater, Credits, @TheCorner, August (One of These Night), Men, Poor King, Crumbs, I Think About You, Under The Clouds, Earthquake.
This project, which I call At The Corner, is destined to become an album. The musical tracks are completed and have aged well over time, wanting only basic elements in the musical composition. A band of 5 musicians; Drums, bass, classical, acoustic and electric guitars, and some midi elements (keyboards and strings) for light accompaniments, were the sound orientation from the very beginning of the project.
Musical Influences
My musical influences are the first 4 albums of Heart, Alanis Morrissette and the album Jagged Little Pill, that I looped during all my CEGEP years, the first two albums of the Pretenders and probably Sheryl Crow and Annie Lennox for their entire career and stage presence. I've been singing to Sheryl Crow regularly, to warm up my voice, ever since her first album. I would be her perfect back, if needed!!!
Follow the project on the YouTube Channel!
2024 #demoTalkMusicArt, the project
Over time, the songwriting side has become my favorite part of the music creation process. I'm not very scenic and I don't like to travel, due to my food allergies. I want to take the time to get to grips with the process of making your music known, while exploring the different options on the market, to guide my desire to launch my musical creations.
#demoTalkMusicArt will be my journey through the process of monetarizing music by presenting capsules on each stage of the marketing of 4 songs, taken from the recording period of At The Corner, which will be launched in the form of an EP.
Useful links
Website: www.jeffmaheux.com
Profile and bio: www.jeffmaheux.com/profile
Media - Press - Official images: www.jeffmaheux.com/media-en
Contact: www.jeffmaheux.com/contact-en
Social Media Links:
DTMA - Track by Track
Track 1 - I Think About You
What the hell happened in the Steak house yesterday?
Words and music by Jeff Maheux. Arrangement JMaheux and Angelo Labbate. Guitars ALabbate. Productions ©JM2001-24.
I Think About You, a fast-paced and 50's influenced play with a humorous text about a sexual alter ego. Just with this, you can guess who I'm talking about... The King! My father imitated him very well, by the way!
The music and lyrics evolved during the fall of 2001 and culminated in the recording and mixing of the music on November 22, 2001. The short tracks of the vocals and harmonies from the demo version were added a few years later to make the song part of the list of choice of the demo presentation service offering to artists and producers.
Thinking was a pleasure to record with Angelo. I remember coming back from the studio with a lot of enthusiasm as I reread my production diary. It's a song that puts you in a good mood and was composed for the stage. It's a great track to keep people standing and dancing!
This song offers a lot of interpretation possibilities. The intro has been used several times as music for announcements and advertisements of all kinds since 2018, the year the site launched jeffmaheux.com.
When my website was unveiled in 2018, I presented this demo, along with the Desert coin, which attracted a lot of requests and communications to be made. I must admit it made me panic a little bit and I wasn't well prepared. I then took an artist-entrepreneur course which allowed me to learn about the administrative side of the profession of self-employed songwriter and especially to spot scams of all kinds.
The vocal tracks in the sung version of the demo are rough tapes; Voices performed during studio work to indicate the peaks of the performance when recording the music, before recording the final vocals and harmonies. Over time, I started recording rough tape vocal tracks at the very beginning of the arrangement process demonstrating an idea of the melody and the moments to be highlighted in the song through effects or musical flights. I even keep them until mixing, because I don't work on my music continuously, but one or two hours a week. I was able to limit my time in the studio, which was often expensive.
DTMA will introduce the final piece with recordings of vocals and harmonies. I really like the lyrics of this one. Over time, I sing it in a more assertive way and added a story to introduce it, about a date in a 1950s style Steak House, like in the movie Back To The Future.
Track 2 - Florinda
The YouTube channel presents the Making of Florinda's cover!
Words and music by Jeff Maheux. Arrangement JMaheux and Angelo Labbate. Guitars ALabbate. Productions ©JM2005-24.
This music was composed for an agent looking for different styles to present to his male artist, lyricist. The first version, smooth, is edited as a simple pop rock progression. The arrangements are simple, and it can be used perfectly in 30-second radio format or muted in a 3-minute interview.
The pop version features a change of rhythm to the chorus and punchy pop arrangements. A brass section was added a few months later to be remixed, to provide more streaming options. DMTA will introduce the final piece with recordings of vocals and harmonies.
The current version of Florinda is the result of a mix of the pop instrumental version with the chorus of another song whose music I didn't like. In fact, I wondered for about ten years what I was going to do with Florinda's music. Several versions of lyrics existed before this final version in January 2024, so the word Florinda is not a first name, but the end of the first and the beginning of the second sentence of the chorus: ... bring the flow. Ring tha bells too...
Track 3 – Desert
The YouTube channel presents the video with Desert's words (demo).
Words and music by Jeff Maheux. Arrangement JMaheux and Angelo Labbate. Guitars ALabbate. Productions ©JM2000-23.
Desert, a piece written on March 1, 2002, on the bus going to the studio to record the vocals of this musical composition that I had been dragging around for several months. The musical scores being completed. I had the chorus area in mind (... and I would never have to suffer) without being able to put words into words. I would then jokingly hum this line while waiting to find the words for the song. The final text was written in the last 10 minutes of the journey when the bus was deserted.
The instrumental version was first presented to the public during the launch campaign of the jeffmaheux.com site in March 2018. Later this year, DTMA will present the final piece with voice and harmony recordings and new orchestration.
Nothing was touched up once recorded. I thought to myself, if Debbie Harry had laid down her extraordinary One Way to Another hidden in the bathroom at the last minute, my Desert would do the job for a demo.
Track 4 - Men
Men, composed as a child's lullaby when it was written in 1998 has now grown up.
Words and music by Jeff Maheux. Arrangement JMaheux and Angelo Labbate. Guitars ALabbate. Productions ©JM1998-23.
A composition of April 11, 1998. Originally a children's acoustic lullaby, arrangements and a drum + base composition was added later when I worked in the studio to produce an instrumental version of over 8 minutes to serve as a soundtrack in a student documentary in 2002. The classical guitar soundtrack was featured for commercials and was later used in 2005 as a soundtrack on a personal music video for Mother's Day. DTMA will present the final piece later this year, with recordings of vocals and harmonies.
The melody of the chorus comes from my invented hums since I was a child. It's a tune I've always hummed and always loops. It was one of the first compositions I made with a classical guitar when I learned to play after my CEGEP.
Conclusion
With the mic hook-ups stage successfully, sorting through the paperwork in the shoeboxes to untangle the lyrics and studio notes, and not forgetting the transfer of waves files from CDs to the computer system, I admit it's been a few years since the last tour of production of this musical material; in 2018.
And yes, when I first started, we used to post demos by mail on blank DCs that we quickly copied before deadlines. I still have several of these! Long live technology!
See you next time and thank you for reading and sharing! Rock On!
Best
Jeff
Other Blog tickets
The official visualiser with the lyrics of I Think About You are available now. Get to know the song.