ScarabGator wrote:Man, has anyone ever told you that you have some Dennis DeYoung in your voice??? I'd like to hear you try some "Babe" or "Dont let it end", or "Come Sail Away".....
NealIsGod wrote:Yeah, I could definitely imagine you singing some Styx tunes. Good job, Rip!
Haha! What did I tell ya, NIG?
You know the funny thing... Michael Sweet was a very early influence, and I was surprised and honored when people back then used to tell me I reminded them of M.S. Then at some point the DDY comparisons began, and as I guess more people these days are familiar wiht Styx than Stryper, I get the DDY thing a lot. I've had to make peace with it because I was never a huge Styx fax, and never personally cared for DDY's voice. Then once, I saw a comment from another musician talking about Michael Sweet, and he said something like, "A little Dennis DeYoungish, but still a good voice". I though, oh well, if Michael Sweet gets that from time to time, maybe I don't mind so much. I've gotten a lot of requests to sing Styx songs, but have yet to do so. I think it will happen at some point.
Hey, check out this cool bit of DDY trivia -- I have a friend in Wisconsin, I think, from a very small town. Saw him in Nashville a few months ago and was asking him about his band there. He said there were very few musicians there, and they were one of the only bands around. But apparently DDY also lives (or lived) there, and he saw DDY come to one of his shows and sit in the audience one night! And this isn't a big local act... it's more like the only band in town...
How cool would that be?
Dang, along those lines, I had Thanksgiving with another musician friend whose brother played in a Zep tribute band called "Dazed and Confuzed" for a several years, and he mentioned that one time they were playing outside the Pyramid in Memphis before a Page/Plant show, and that Page and Plant came out to watch them for an hour, just sitting with the rest of the folks. Sweet! Hmm... I seem to have jacked my own thread now.
conversationpiece wrote:Sounds like you've got a good voice overall but there are definitely a few flat/sharp spots in there that could be cleared up with practice or voice lessons.
stevew2 wrote:Not bad, could use a little work, i heard Smokey Robertson in there
TVL wrote:..after 18 years? fantastic!.....you asked for critique so to be honest it is a little flat/sharp ..throat sound's a little tight..restricted...probably because your confidence has decreased after so long...when relaxed and you let out the emotion of the music I'm sure you'll be even better. Keep singing,,you have a really good voice.
Thank you all! The main issue I had last night was the hearing myself well enough in the headphones with the mix of the music. His home studio is in a small crowded room, but man, does he have some cool equipment packed in there. We were really in a hurry and barely dinked with my balance, but at one point I just put the headphones around my neck so I could hear myself better. I normally practice in my garage which has great natural reverb, and man, is it different than singing in a studio, but I'll have to get used to it if I want to continue.
I tell ya what's always been a problem for me, is oversinging and hurting my voice or being a tad off-key live when I can't hear myself in the monitor well enough. I just thought I sucked until I read interviews with both John Schlitt and Steve Augeri talking about how they had the same issue in the past, and Steve even said he had to learn what he needed and what to ask for. I'm really equipment stupid myself, and am having to learn if I ever want to do anything notable. Again, thanks for the honest criticism.
And TVL, you hit it right on the head... a little flat/sharp/restricted, and yes, low confidence is a factor. At this stage of my life I'm trying to learn to let loose, have fun, and not take myself so seriously. This was definitely a baby step in a musical direction, and I felt like a new daddy when I left (even if it wasn't a Gerber baby... haha!)
WickedGail wrote:Rip not bad my friend. Just remember NO ONE and I mean NO ONE could butcher Journey any worse that what the actual band is doing to it's self these days.......
Gail
Haha! Arnel can sing CIRCLES around Rip Rokken. I'm really looking forward to hearing him with the band.
Wally_Hatchet wrote:Damn RR, you have a really high vocal range. Impressed!
Not bad at all for a "quickie" recording. Would be good to add some reverb and delay to your vox.
Deb wrote:That was good Rip. Would love to hear "Honestly" you have the perfect tone for that one.
Thank you both! Wally, it gets even HIGHER!
And you pointed out something I noticed, and that I need to ask about. We spent a few minutes trying to find the right amount of reverb to add to the vocals, and when we were done it sounded pretty good (he was trying to match what was in the music itself so it didn't stick out too much). Once I got in my car and listened, it sounded like the reverb was gone, and the vocal volume was higher than I remembered. I wonder if the wrong thing got transferred to disc, and will ask about it. Either way, I'm hoping to clean up that track, because I'm far from happy with it as is, but as least wasn't too embarrassed to upload it.
Deb -- I've done "Honestly" several times and it goes over well for people familiar with the song. I'm looking forward to trying this in the studio, because it does seem to be a good match for my voice. Too bad there are only so many Stryper accompaniment songs, and I have that one, and "To Hell With The Devil"
I've done that one before, too! Haha.....
Peace, everyone, and hope you all are enjoying the holidays!
).
