NEW Demo Material (Ryan Christopher) Comments welcome... :)

[JourneySinger]

Hey All,

4 out of the 5 songs from my latest demo have been uploaded to my new Myspace site...

http://www.myspace.com/ryanchristopher726

Feel free to take a listen and let me know what you think... (Fyi - The mix is better when listening over a large stereo at high volume...)

Some background - The instrumental tracks are from the Radio Starz Journey Anthology - http://www.acekaraoke.com/srsz0614eg.html , so the quality on the instrumentals is not the best. As far as my vocals, they are not processed at all except for a small amounth of reverb... no chorus or other effects were used to 'cover up' any imperfections in my voice...

I hope you all enjoy it... please feel free to respond with your comments, suggestions, and constructive criticism...

[conversationpc]

Sounds pretty good dude. My only critique would be that it sounds like you're trying too hard to sing loud. Lay back on the vocals a little and they will sound good and smooth. Otherwise, that was pretty good.

[JourneySinger]

Sounds pretty good dude. My only critique would be that it sounds like you're trying too hard to sing loud. Lay back on the vocals a little and they will sound good and smooth. Otherwise, that was pretty good.

I told my Vocal Producer / Sound Engineer that my vocals were overpowering the instrumentals, but his take was that if I submit these tracks to Journey, that they will want to showcase my voice over the music in the background...

I'm thinking about recording these tracks again once my Journey tribute, Chain Reaction, is back in full swing. We recently had to replace our guitarist so we're working on putting the project back together... I truly think these tracks would sound phenomenal with 'live' musicians (especially those that have studied the songs) as it would add depth to them.

Thanks for the comment!

[FormerJrnyFan]

Sounds good to me!!

[JourneySinger]

Ouch! 135 views and only 3 comments...

Are the recordings THAT bad?

Just curious...

[Soto All The Way]

Ouch! 135 views and only 3 comments...

Are the recordings THAT bad?

Just curious...

What's the point dude....We've said you were OK before.....Nothing has changed. Realx.


e-

[T-Bone]

Your phrasing is a little different than the originals, but they all sound damn good. Maybe add a little reverb? Sounds like your singing over a karoake tape.

[G.I.Jim]

Ryan,

I think you have a great voice, but you lack a lot of vocal control. The vibrato in your voice is completely different than Perry's, and when you hit higher (or louder notes), your voice goes slightly out of pitch or gets "Wavey". I understand what you're trying to do, but honestly just don't think your voice is cut out for the Journey stuff.

I heard your Mr Mister song on your last post, and honestly I think you sounded a lot better doing that stuff! I know there's not a lot of desire out there to hear a Mr Mister band (as they had about 3 hits), but your voice sounded a lot better on that IMHO.

I think you need to stick to an original band, and do something that "fits" your vocals. Not trying to discourage you, but just being realistic. Again, I think you DO have a great voice though!

[garysings]

Dont listen to Jim, he is spoiled from listening to Jason K. You sound great man, remind me a lot of Augeris voice on nights he was on. You even hit the high E on the end of Separate Ways. So clean so sharp. Im so envious bro. You have a shot. You sound a lot like Augeri though. Not pitchy at all.

[AR]

Hearing a bit of an accent, or maybe it's the phrasing as someone has said. It's good though. Not good enough to get the Journey gig, but good.

You should have sang "Lame Reaction" as I suggested weeks ago - would have made you a star here.

[yulog]

Ryan,

I think you have a great voice, but you lack a lot of vocal control. The vibrato in your voice is completely different than Perry's, and when you hit higher (or louder notes), your voice goes slightly out of pitch or gets "Wavey". I understand what you're trying to do, but honestly just don't think your voice is cut out for the Journey stuff.

I heard your Mr Mister song on your last post, and honestly I think you sounded a lot better doing that stuff! I know there's not a lot of desire out there to hear a Mr Mister band (as they had about 3 hits), but your voice sounded a lot better on that IMHO.

I think you need to stick to an original band, and do something that "fits" your vocals. Not trying to discourage you, but just being realistic. Again, I think you DO have a great voice though!

They had three hits from 1 album 2 of them hit number 1,pretty impressive by anyones standards.

[Wheels Of Fyre]

Not at all a fan.

[JourneySinger]

Ouch! 135 views and only 3 comments...

Are the recordings THAT bad?

Just curious...

What's the point dude....We've said you were OK before.....Nothing has changed. Realx.


e-

Sorry if I offended... I was just curious what everyone thought about the new recordings so I could justify some of my feelings about them... that's all.

[JourneySinger]

Your phrasing is a little different than the originals, but they all sound damn good. Maybe add a little reverb? Sounds like your singing over a karoake tape.

Yup... it was a karaoke tape (CD)... and not much verb and no other effects. Next time I'll have a lot more songs prepared and it will be in front of my band's recordings instead of a CD.

[JourneySinger]

Ryan,

I think you have a great voice, but you lack a lot of vocal control. The vibrato in your voice is completely different than Perry's, and when you hit higher (or louder notes), your voice goes slightly out of pitch or gets "Wavey". I understand what you're trying to do, but honestly just don't think your voice is cut out for the Journey stuff.

I heard your Mr Mister song on your last post, and honestly I think you sounded a lot better doing that stuff! I know there's not a lot of desire out there to hear a Mr Mister band (as they had about 3 hits), but your voice sounded a lot better on that IMHO.

I think you need to stick to an original band, and do something that "fits" your vocals. Not trying to discourage you, but just being realistic. Again, I think you DO have a great voice though!

I appreciate the constructive criticism... I have a songwriter in Ohio that will be working with me on an original project but I don't think that project is melodic rock... it's more in the 'Metallica' vein. There is a lot of hardcore concepts out there since the world is in pretty bad shape.

Thanks again!

[JourneySinger]

Dont listen to Jim, he is spoiled from listening to Jason K. You sound great man, remind me a lot of Augeris voice on nights he was on. You even hit the high E on the end of Separate Ways. So clean so sharp. Im so envious bro. You have a shot. You sound a lot like Augeri though. Not pitchy at all.

Thanks Gary! I LOVE Journey and can't think of a better way to spend my time as a vocalist than singing some of the greatest melodic rock ever created... And I figure, if Hugo, Jeremey, and Juan can do it, why not?

Thanks again for the compliment!

[JourneySinger]

Hearing a bit of an accent, or maybe it's the phrasing as someone has said. It's good though. Not good enough to get the Journey gig, but good.

You should have sang "Lame Reaction" as I suggested weeks ago - would have made you a star here.

Thanks for the opinion...

As for 'Lame Reaction', if you remember, I'm holding out on making slanderous Journey recordings until I hear back from the band about the possibility of singing with them. It would be shooting myself in the foot by making a move like that, especially considering I still have a lot of respect for them (as far as their music goes) and I'm not one to fall prey to vicious rumors and heresay about the band and it's public relations or relationships with former band members.

[JourneySinger]

Not at all a fan.

You're a tough one to please Fyre... I'll keep trying...

[JourneySinger]

Ryan,

I think you have a great voice, but you lack a lot of vocal control. The vibrato in your voice is completely different than Perry's, and when you hit higher (or louder notes), your voice goes slightly out of pitch or gets "Wavey". I understand what you're trying to do, but honestly just don't think your voice is cut out for the Journey stuff.

I heard your Mr Mister song on your last post, and honestly I think you sounded a lot better doing that stuff! I know there's not a lot of desire out there to hear a Mr Mister band (as they had about 3 hits), but your voice sounded a lot better on that IMHO.

I think you need to stick to an original band, and do something that "fits" your vocals. Not trying to discourage you, but just being realistic. Again, I think you DO have a great voice though!

They had three hits from 1 album 2 of them hit number 1,pretty impressive by anyones standards.

I couldn't agree more... excellent band... But he's right about a Mr. Mister tribute... it wouldn't go very far, imho...

[ArnelRox]

Hi Ryan, I didn't catch the first time u asked about this but I had a listen now. First of all, u have a very nice voice. I like ur tone, it's very pleasant. I was very impressed to hear u sing these songs on pitch, not an easy feat by any means. It's interesting to listen to all the Journey tribute singers mentioned on this site. There are similarities. There are times I hear a little Hugo & a little Augeri in ur voice, especially on BGTY.

Now this is not meant to offend u, but ur at the very top of ur natural range on some of those high notes. U hit them on pitch, but I can hear a bit of straining to get up there. U lose some control at the top on some of those notes, I'm sure ur aware of that. While I'm sure some coaching & strength training could help w/that, I think u would be doing that lovely voice a huge disservice if u went out singing Journey songs 3-4 nites a week. I'd hate to see u wreck that natural talent. If I was Journey & looking for a singer who sounds as much like Perry as possible, u would not be my choice, sorry. While u sing those songs well, u don't sound like Perry at all to me. In fact, even less so than Augeri or Hugo.

I also listened to the Mr. Mister song & Oh Sherrie (ur video link is not working BTW). I can tell u worked really hard on ur voice before doing those new Journey demos so I hope what I just said won't bother u. Bravo to u for trying.

One other thing that hits me is that u have a very nice mid-range tone. Don't ignore that. Please keep singing. U would do really well heading an 80s cover band, doing lots of artists, not just Journey. I'd also like to hear u on some original stuff. Good luck.

[Wheels Of Fyre]

Not at all a fan.

You're a tough one to please Fyre... I'll keep trying...

I'm a pain in the ass!

Basically, the problem I have is the same I have with most singers covering songs: karaoke. Ultimately, it's T-U-F-F to NOT sound like karaoke when covering such well-known songs especially by such a recognizable voice.

What I'd like to hear is someone like yourself "who sounds like SP" sing a song in a way that makes me say, "Wow - he/she sounds great - they've kept the melody of the original song but have embellished it with their own voice and given it a new identity - they've revived it."

Or as they say on American Idol, "You did it, dawg! You made it your own!"

I'd rather hear someone stink it up trying to revive a song than someone trying to sound like the original singer. I think people ultimately want you to be you.

I'm always reminded of the children's poem: Row, row, row your boat - YOUR boat not somebody else's.

Off the soapbox!

[ArnelRox]

What I'd like to hear is someone like yourself "who sounds like SP" sing a song in a way that makes me say, "Wow - he/she sounds great - they've kept the melody of the original song but have embellished it with their own voice and given it a new identity - they've revived it."

Have u heard Jeff's solo version of Send Her My Love from Essential Ballads? That's exactly how I felt when I heard it. New, updated, very much his own. Love it.

(BTW John, did u watch AI this year? I felt Blake Lewis did that a LOT w/old songs. Esp. Bon Jovi.)

[Wheels Of Fyre]

What I'd like to hear is someone like yourself "who sounds like SP" sing a song in a way that makes me say, "Wow - he/she sounds great - they've kept the melody of the original song but have embellished it with their own voice and given it a new identity - they've revived it."

Have u heard Jeff's solo version of Send Her My Love from Essential Ballads? That's exactly how I felt when I heard it. New, updated, very much his own. Love it.

(BTW John, did u watch AI this year? I felt Blake Lewis did that a LOT w/old songs. Esp. Bon Jovi.)

I haven't heard JSS' version yet but I don't know that I've read a negative comment about it.

Blake definitely took risks. Some of them didn't work well BUT I respected the effort. Yeah - his Bon Jovi song was super cool! It really went through the roof.

[ArnelRox]

I haven't heard JSS' version yet but I don't know that I've read a negative comment about it.

Blake definitely took risks. Some of them didn't work well BUT I respected the effort. Yeah - his Bon Jovi song was super cool! It really went through the roof.

Jeff's SHML is on iTunes for $0.99! Very affordable.

I loved EVERYTHING Blake did. Heck I even liked his hip hop shit in the finale w/whatever that guy's name is & I HATE hip hop. Have u heard any of Blake's original music from before AI? Really really good stuff there. Looking forward to his album.

[JourneySinger]

Susie,

Thank you for your comments, suggestions and such... I like the way you went into detail as opposed to just telling me I'm great OR I suck... Now, onto my responses to your comments...

Hi Ryan, I didn't catch the first time u asked about this but I had a listen now. First of all, u have a very nice voice. I like ur tone, it's very pleasant. I was very impressed to hear u sing these songs on pitch, not an easy feat by any means. It's interesting to listen to all the Journey tribute singers mentioned on this site. There are similarities. There are times I hear a little Hugo & a little Augeri in ur voice, especially on BGTY.

That is definitely a compliment to hear that I can be compared (at times) to Augeri and Hugo...

Now this is not meant to offend u, but ur at the very top of ur natural range on some of those high notes. U hit them on pitch, but I can hear a bit of straining to get up there. U lose some control at the top on some of those notes, I'm sure ur aware of that. While I'm sure some coaching & strength training could help w/that, I think u would be doing that lovely voice a huge disservice if u went out singing Journey songs 3-4 nites a week. I'd hate to see u wreck that natural talent. If I was Journey & looking for a singer who sounds as much like Perry as possible, u would not be my choice, sorry. While u sing those songs well, u don't sound like Perry at all to me. In fact, even less so than Augeri or Hugo.

I'm actually very happy you brought this up... The recordings sound a lot more strained than my old recording of Separate Ways from a year ago... I think this may have happened during the mastering but I'll have to look into it... As for Journey looking for a Steve Perry sound-a-alike, I was hoping I wasn't the best choice. I like to blend some of Steve Perry's stylings into my music (since he was the greatest singer Journey had) but I want it to be different enough for people to recognize me. So, based on your comments, I hope I've done just that...

I also listened to the Mr. Mister song & Oh Sherrie (ur video link is not working BTW). I can tell u worked really hard on ur voice before doing those new Journey demos so I hope what I just said won't bother u. Bravo to u for trying.

I did work hard on the vocals but I still feel like I could have recorded a better rendition... especially with my band behind me. the strangest thing was, during recording, the instrumentals in my headphones were echoing horribly (something the engineer couldn't fix) so I had to do my best over that reverb crazy instrumental. In a normal studio (one I was paying for), these things would have been fixed prior to the lead vocals being recorded... I was not so fortunate there, although the entire recording process was free... I guess I can't complain!

One other thing that hits me is that u have a very nice mid-range tone. Don't ignore that. Please keep singing. U would do really well heading an 80s cover band, doing lots of artists, not just Journey. I'd also like to hear u on some original stuff. Good luck.

<Crossing fingers on the original stuff>

Thanks again for your post Susie!

[JourneySinger]

I haven't heard JSS' version yet but I don't know that I've read a negative comment about it.

Blake definitely took risks. Some of them didn't work well BUT I respected the effort. Yeah - his Bon Jovi song was super cool! It really went through the roof.

Jeff's SHML is on iTunes for $0.99! Very affordable.

I loved EVERYTHING Blake did. Heck I even liked his hip hop shit in the finale w/whatever that guy's name is & I HATE hip hop. Have u heard any of Blake's original music from before AI? Really really good stuff there. Looking forward to his album.

I AGREE 100% - as far as 'original' music goes... Blake is the man! Truly entertaining...

[ArnelRox]

Thank you for your comments, suggestions and such... I like the way you went into detail as opposed to just telling me I'm great OR I suck...

Thanks for taking it that way! Usually when I go into any detail on here, I get yelled at

As for Journey looking for a Steve Perry sound-a-alike, I was hoping I wasn't the best choice. I like to blend some of Steve Perry's stylings into my music (since he was the greatest singer Journey had) but I want it to be different enough for people to recognize me. So, based on your comments, I hope I've done just that...

Yes definitely. U did a good job of performing the songs as urself instead of just trying to sound like a Perry clone. If I was out for the nite & heard u sing this, I'd be up at the stage in awe! We all know that's not what Journey is looking for these days tho. Ugh!

Don't be so hard on urself Ryan! Please note I am way too chicken to put up clips of me singing. People here can be brutal as u know. Have u written anything original? That I'd love to hear.

[Liquid_Drummer]

Not bad at all man. I have covered Who's crying now myself and that song is no easy feat. If I had one suggestion to you it would be this. Sing a little more quietly and pace yourself becuase if you push that hard you wont last a show unles your cords are made of space age alloys. Smooth out the vibrato and you will be good to go.. I would say that Journey is a lost cause man and you have a good enough voice to do your own thing. Who cares who the hell sings for them now? Do you want to be the guy that played state fairs and church picnics with these washed up assholes ? They fuck singers man... Thats what they do. They will rip out your cords, shit on them after eating mexican food and send you packing. Knowing cain he will probably wipe his ass on your forehead on the way out..... Dont waste your talent on Journey because the Journey is over.

We used the same karoke track for Whos Cryin now ! Hehe its the best one I could find.

[G.I.Jim]

Not bad at all man. I have covered Who's crying now myself and that song is no easy feat. If I had one suggestion to you it would be this. Sing a little more quietly and pace yourself becuase if you push that hard you wont last a show unles your cords are made of space age alloys. Smooth out the vibrato and you will be good to go.. I would say that Journey is a lost cause man and you have a good enough voice to do your own thing. Who cares who the hell sings for them now? Do you want to be the guy that played state fairs and church picnics with these washed up assholes ? They fuck singers man... Thats what they do. They will rip out your cords, shit on them after eating mexican food and send you packing. Knowing cain he will probably wipe his ass on your forehead on the way out..... Dont waste your talent on Journey because the Journey is over.

We used the same karoke track for Whos Cryin now ! Hehe its the best one I could find.

Hey man,

You need to quit holding back and tell us how you really feel! I sense some hidden anger... just bubbling at the surface waiting to come out!

[Wheels Of Fyre]

I haven't heard JSS' version yet but I don't know that I've read a negative comment about it.

Blake definitely took risks. Some of them didn't work well BUT I respected the effort. Yeah - his Bon Jovi song was super cool! It really went through the roof.

Jeff's SHML is on iTunes for $0.99! Very affordable.

I loved EVERYTHING Blake did. Heck I even liked his hip hop shit in the finale w/whatever that guy's name is & I HATE hip hop. Have u heard any of Blake's original music from before AI? Really really good stuff there. Looking forward to his album.

I AGREE 100% - as far as 'original' music goes... Blake is the man! Truly entertaining...

Ironically his ability to entertain is what helped him get to the top 2 - and it also kept him from winning. The better singer won however he was the more talented.