Embryonic Ep 9

Songs are hard work, dammit. They just don’t happen. Any song starts with someone in a room with a guitar or a piano, a piece of paper, coffee, cigs, good dope, better booze and a dream, man. In episode nine of Embyronic, our testament to the demo, we play some amazing early sketches by your […]

Embryonic Ep 8

It’s very easy to believe that every song happened magically – like it fell from Heaven, a perfectly formed gem from the gods. This is what the people of Rock ‘n’ Roll would like you to believe. And, you know, sometime that does happen. But, most songs start out as just an idea in someone’s […]

Embryonic Ep 7

Rock and roll is work, dammit. Not every jam starts a fucking jam. All creative endeavors start in a more gelatinous form . . . In episode 7 of Embryonic, our testament to the demo, we look over the shoulders of giants and check out the songs you know by heart back when the writer […]

Embryonic Ep 6

Jimi Hendrix wrote “Purple Haze”. Was it always the great song it is now? um..Well..uh..maybe. Bob Dylan wrote “Ballad of a Thin Man”. Was it a stunning masterpiece from the first day? Uh..um, well,..it could’ve been. Be that as it may, lots of songs started life in a more simple version and needed to be […]

Embryonic Ep 5

Do you think songs just happen, man? Really? Seriously? No. They don’t. People slave over these things. We at the Balcony are very aware of the creative process (and how it’s a pain in the ass). So, we decided to do a show of nothing but demo versions of songs by all your favorite people. […]

Embryonic Ep 4

The lights are off, the groupies are all asleep . . . it’s time to pull out the pen and the acoustic guitar. All the songs you like don’t come out fully formed and finished, first you have to do a little thing call a demo. (How the hell else are you going to teach […]

Embryonic Ep 3

It’s time to go back . . . back . . . back. Back to the origin of a species. Back to the germ of new life. Back to the first note played by an acoustic guitar or piano that initiated the composition of a classic song. Well, with Episode 3 of our Embryonic show […]

Embryonic Ep 2

Which came first – the note or the staff? Was it thought before sound? Or, perhaps, cassette tape before vinyl? We attempt to answer those questions with our  look at the sketches that became masterpieces. It’s Embryonic Ep 2 and we listen to the songs you know before they became the songs you know by […]

Embryonic Ep 1

Rock and roll is hard work. Here are the first drafts of some tunes you may know. Sometimes the demo version is just as good as the finished one. Now shut up, tape is rolling. You like music, now buy it. From us. Click on this here link to check out the songs from this […]