[The Zodiac: Cosmic Sounds]

Just curious----did you get your name from the lyrics of "Cancer, The Moon Child" on the 1967 album The Zodiac: Cosmic Sounds?   

We sure did!

Just so everyone knows, the album is available on CD and download from www.thelunarlaugh.com

Thank you!

Hello,
Singer/songwriter and long-time forum member Jared Lekites here to tell you about my latest project. For the past year, my friend Connor Anderson and I have been working on an album under the banner of The Lunar Laugh. We started a successful Kickstarter to fund it and now it's finally time for the unveiling. "Apollo" was produced with notable singer/songwriter Graham Colton and features very melodic 60s and 70s inspired pop/rock.

We are now taking physical and digital pre orders on our bandcamp page. You get the title track immediately upon ordering.

The cover artwork was beautifully designed by Steve Stanley from Now Sounds.

Here's a clip of The Lunar Laugh (consisting of Connor Anderson and myself) performing S&G's The Sound of Silence. This particular clip was filmed during our second set of the evening while things were winding down.

The Lunar Laugh - The Sound of Silence (Simon & Garfunkel cover): https://youtu.be/xQsD0q7V6oc

Our own album of original material is due out next month!

Thank you! Most of the vocals were doubled but the mixing engineer toned it down just a tad and we all liked the outcome.

My first two releases, Looking For Diamonds and Star Map both used delay, reverb, and double or triple tracking on just about every song.

Hello again, friends. I am happy to announce the release of two brand new songs. These are going to be featured in an upcoming indie movie called "You're Killing Me" that I also scored.
The tracks feature the very talented Adam Marsland on several instruments and backing vocals.

Whatever profit I make off of this release is going to be used to help fund my new album project with my new group, The Lunar Laugh. Thus, this may be the last time I put out something under my own name for a while.

Both songs are available in multiple download formats on my bandcamp page.

They will also soon be live on CD Baby, iTunes, Amazon, and Spotify among others. Hope that you can take a listen and post what you think in this thread.

Catch a wave, my friends!
Jared

9/30/95 Prado Regional Park, Chino, CA

Well I need to get my hands on a copy of this if it is out there, as this was my very first Beach Boys concert.

Seems like it's had some modern overdubs (drum fills) but that is definitely Mike Love circa 1970 on lead vocals.

Hey everyone.

To celebrate the New Year, the entire Star Map album is available for download for just 2 US dollars. Limited time only!

http://jaredlekites.bandcamp.com/releases

- Extremely ridiculously looking Linda Ronstadt with braids/pigtails & country-styled dress. Jolly ridiculous, I dare say!

More like mariachi style, as it was filmed backstage at one of her Spanish language concerts.

I've kind of 'rediscovered' "Keeping The Summer Alive" after realizing that the new Brian Wilson: Songwriter 1969-1982 documentary overlooks it entirely. I was quite surprised when there was no mention of "Goin' On" which I think of as the high point of the low point of The Beach Boys career. But then again, they also failed to mention the disco-fied remake of "Here Comes The Night" on "L.A Light Album" (perhaps to afford the subject of their documentary a little bit of dignity... then again perhaps not).

Examining the KTSA album, I'd rate it about the same as I would "L.A." which would be about a 3.5-4 out of 10 (a '2' on this 1-5 scale). I think if you take the really good songs off of L.A and combine them with the really good songs off of KTSA, you'd have yourself quite a groovy Beach Boys album with strong contributions from each of the members of the group.

Then you can take the leftovers from each and bury them in the backyard next to your expired pet hamster.  

This sucks.

Joking of course.   
Great stuff. Good one.

Gibson acoustics get better and better over time as long as they're cared for.

I have heard older Martin's that don't have the so called "magic spot" in the sound that Gibson's have.

I bought a few songs off your album some days ago Jared - makes for very cool listening!  Too Far Gone and the two versions of Star Map are my favourites.

Just out of curiosity - to me, your songs have a cool retro-sounding and fuzzy, low-fi kind of sound. Is that intentional or more to do with limitations in your recording set-up? I like the sound a lot but was just wondering how much you'd gone for that approach on purpose?

Thanks very much! I am glad you are enjoying them.

It's more or less a mix of both. While some of it was made on digital multi-track or edited with software, most of it was recorded using vintage tape machines from various decades. The slapback echo was created using a Webcor tape recorder head from the late 50s. The reverb was created by using natural rooms. The drums were recorded with only one or two mics at a time.

There was definitely an effort put forth to create that vintage sound though.

As promised, here's my track-by-track review:

Overture - Great way to kick things off. Nice keyboard work that evokes Ray Manzerak's style at points. Leads nicely into...
So Long - Nice and upbeat tune with catchy melody. The ritard towards the end makes for a great musical turn. Definitely Smile-esque in instrumentation. Lyrically, it reminds me of The Beach Boys Love You or Sweet Insanity/Wilson-Paley era Brian.
Into Thin Air - Dreamy tune. I especially like the vocalizing and the variation on the theme towards the end.
Half Asleep - As I have stated before, this reminds me of Friends-era Brian Wilson waltz tunes.
1000 Words - One of my favorites on here. Terrific keyboard groove and the synths add a nice touch.
Moonlit Lake - I think this just might be my favorite. The best instrumental work on the album, in my opinion, is on this track.
Open The Windows - Nice little ditty. Upbeat, kind of reminds me of The Stampeders' "Sweet City Woman" or something by Three Dog Night.
Everybody's Doing It - Heavy, man.
Our Brother's Keeper - Spacey and somewhat detached until the harmonies come in and bring it all home. I dig the refrain and acoustic solo especially.
Doesn't She Know - This one has an almost spooky air about it, musically. Almost like listening to the sessions from around the time Smile had fallen apart. Chills down the spine.
Lonely World - Your vocals sound great stacked. This track showcases that well.
We're There Again - Go out with a bang, so to speak. I think this is a terrific way to close the album.

All in all, it's a good listen. Brian fans are sure to dig it. I'm impressed that this is coming from a 15 year old. My belief in the generations after mine has been somewhat restored. I thank you.

Coo album, Mike. You should be proud of yourself.

I did this back in late 2008/early 2009 when I was starting the sessions for my first EP, "Looking For Diamonds". In essence, this is just me testing out some recording equipment and techniques. It wasn't included on the EP as first released but it is now available exclusively on my BandCamp page as a free bonus track on "Looking For Diamonds".

I really liked this tune and I tried to make my own rootsy arrangement of it. I still don't think it can touch Brian and Lindsey's finished product, but as one of the deeper tracks in the Wilson catalog, I am glad I got a chance to cover it.

Listen closely for a guest appearance from my dog, Windy, on the quiet bit before the final chorus kicks in. She started barking once I began the vocal take. Naturally, I found this amusing given all the legend surrounding Brian's inspiration for "Good Vibrations" as well as the ending of the Pet Sounds album, so I left it in.

http://jaredlekites.bandcamp.com/track/he-couldnt-get-his-poor-old-body-to-move

Nice job. This is such a fun song to do with just an acoustic and this captures that well.

I did my own cover of this a few years ago. It started out as just fun but I went a bit overboard, so to speak.

http://soundclick.com/share.cfm?id=9078565

I'll listen tonight, ill do a track by track

(return the favor on the fourth?)

Thanks for the very nice comments.
I will be sure to get a track-by-track for your new release. I am working on Independence Day but I'll get to it as soon as I can.
Funny (to me, anyway) that you picked up so much Beach Boys influence throughout. I guess they're fairly omnipresent even when I don't intend for them to be.

Most of 'If You Ain't Lonely' was born out of improvisation. I wanted a nice rocker to break things up a bit so I just came up with some chords and started singing lyrics off the top of my head. A few overdubs later and it was done.

I should add that, as per usual, I would love to hear your feedback, if any.

"Half Asleep" sounds like it has roots in a great Brian Wilson-esque waltz circa 1968. Cool chord changes happening in there. I agree that "So Long" has a nice, catchy hook. And "Lonely World" has that kind of Friends vibe to it, too. Nice harmony stacks on that one.

As someone who's recorded the majority of his work in small home studios, I find the more you do, the easier and better sounding it gets. Compression and EQ are great for making vocals stand out more, especially if your mic choices are limited.

All that really matters is staying close to whatever your true vision for the music is... don't get too distracted with the technical aspect of it. Seems like you're doing fine with what you have, thus far. Looking forward to hearing more!

Quick tidbit:

I was actually at this show. Parking was a nightmare... $15.00 dollars for normal parking and $20.00 for VIP... as if the tickets weren't already expensive enough.
Anyway, after the show let out, my freind and I decided to wade out the traffic and sat on my car watching all the fans drive by. Eventually, we had striken up a long conversation with another concert-goer (Beach Boys fans are quite approachable, huh?) and out of the blue, a woman appearing to be in her mid to late 60s comes running up to us to let her know that it was HER green bra that had been thrown up on stage that night. Judging by the way her shirt was fitting her, I took her word as truth.

Al's reaction to the bra was quite priceless; somehow both amused and disgusted.

Hi all. It's been a while since I last checked in here, but since then, I have completed my first full-length album Star Map. There's a lot of Beach Boys influence, particularly in the title track, but I think there's a lot more of me in here than anything I have done in the past.

Stream the whole album for free or downloaded any format at BandCamp:
http://jaredlekites.bandcamp.com/album/star-map

More info on my music, further reviews, videos and pics can be found on my official press kit site:
http://www.jivewired.com/jaredlekites

If you would like a physical copy of Star Map, feel free to message me on here and I'll fill you in on details.
You can also find it on iTunes, if you prefer downloading directly to your smartphone or device.

Happy listening!
Jared

EDIT:
Here are some of the reviews Star Map has received so far:

Jared writes songs that are covered with pure magic. Can we put it in the top ranks of the heirs of the great poet, Brian Wilson’s Pet Sounds? Yes, we CAN, definitely... “Too Far Gone” has a melody in the verse straight out of The Beach Boys’ Today!, and The tremendous uptempo beat requires the listener to hit the replay button with no Resistance. The title track displays staggering genius in its structural, sensational and sudden changes of weather and climate. Jared lays out timeless fairy tales for teenagers and that, to paraphrase the natural synthesis of ‘Teenage symphonies to God ‘, makes “Rainy Day” and the moving “For Lack Of A Better Heart” my personal favorites on the entire disc… Star Map, as far as I'm concerned, is the best album of 2012 in the ‘Wilsonesque’ category and, perhaps, the best ever to date.
 

Twenty years ago the Beach Boys seemed consigned to the oldies rack yet today their sound is experiencing the type of revolution that the Beatles have inspired since their inception. It’s taken pop a while to catch up with Brian Wilson style music because it’s more complex than certain Beatles riffs. Count Oklahoma’s Jared Lekites as one of the cannier innovators in this tradition. “Too Far Gone” has the ear-worm form of The Knickerbockers meet the Beach Boys while “Star Map” is a more overt tribute, beginning as acoustic West Coast folk/rock before shifting up into pure surf. ”Nepenthe” is an XTC-like melody with a sweet bridge and Lekites’ guitar recalls Curtains 4 You’s liquid lead guitarist ”Along the Lives of Love” dips into John Prine/Leonard Cohen territory and Lekites brings a touch of Tulsa twang to such songs as “If You Aint Lonely” and “For Lack of a Better Heart.” “Girl Don’t Tell Me” melds Hollies and Beach Boys and is as good as Jeff Foskett’s “Through My Window.” Which makes it as good as any number of Beach Boys songs. Four stars.

Lekites has certainly perfected the 1960s California retro-pop sound. Star Map is a lesson in poignant and majestic melodies which makes for a quick listen. That is to say, there is nothing on this CD that weighs it down. Even Along The Lines Of Love, which clocks in at over five minutes, comes nowhere near the over-extended-my-stay stage. Frankly, it's the best song on this disc, and Lekites avoids redundant chorus structure and the ever-repetitive fade out, common mistakes among other artists who attempt to pen pop standards that exceed the industry-standard 3m 30s time frame for this genre. In my opinion, Lekites is Brian Wilson light, or maybe even Brian Wilson incarnate, at least as far as style and substance is concerned, if not song writing ability, and this song best exemplifies that revelation. I know that's a strong declaration. Lekites lives up to that promise.

It's totally excusable to ape Brian Wilson when you're aping him THIS WELL. [Star Map Part Two] is imaginative, compositionally brilliant, and executed perfectly...and all in a little bedroom studio. Jared's music helps me realize what's possible in terms of making music completely independently. Brilliance will always come through, even without record labels, mainstream radio or any of that biz.

"Too Far Gone", with some nice harmonies from K.C. Clifford, is a pop delight with that California sound, while "Star Map" wouldn't sound out of place on Brian Wilson's "Smile". "Along the Lines of Love" is a gorgeous piano-based ballad, "For Lack of a Better Heart" reminds me of an old Joe South tune, and "Girl Don't Tell Me" makes nice use of Laurie Biagini on vocals to sound like a lost 60s classic.

Having lived in Oklahoma for nearly a decade now, I met up with Greg once or twice at Beach Boys shows. As many have already said, he was a tremendous fan of The Beach Boys and was very eager and excited when it came to discussing anything about them at any time. His enthusiasm was undeniable and if you hung around with him, he made it his duty to ensure you were having as good of a time as legally possible. He had plenty of stories to share and he almost seemed determined to give everyone he met a Beach Boys bootleg of some form ("Jared, have you heard them at Carnegie Hall? No? Well here you go..."). If he was at all "suffering" from any type of "problem", he sure didn't let on about it very much. He was "fun, fun fun" all the way (even after Daddy took the T-Bird away). I remember the first concert I met him at. He bought me a beer. I was only 17. He offered me several after that but I could hardly hold down the first. I hadn't seen him in the past few years and his passing comes as a sad surprise to me. But in my mind, he's up there with Dennis Wilson having a blast.

Greg was truly one of a kind. I'll miss him a lot.
Catch a wave, my friend.

Couldn't a dentist or anything having to do with paying for a clean, white smile be considered a "smile shop"?

Just a random thought.