The truly exciting news is that my cd is now available at retail outlets all throughout Winnipeg.  I know, it doesn’t help those of you who live in other (warmer) parts of the world, but you guys can still buy via the website here!  If you do live in Winnipeg and don’t want to purchase through the website, you can now buy my cd at the following stores:

• McNally Robinson (Polo and Grant Park locations)
• The Light Bookstore  (on Pembina)
• Indigo Bookstore (Kenaston)
• CD Plus (Polo)
• Into The Music
• Music Trader
• Prairie Sky Books
• Mandarin International (at The Forks – Johnston Terminal)
• Chapters (in January)

Typically it’s being stocked in the Easy Listening or Local Music sections, though I did notice that McNally had put a few into Pop (?!?).  I don’t make as much on these consignment sales, but it does help to get the word out about my music, so if you’re looking for a cd, do go down to one of these places and pick it up!  They make excellent christmas gifts.

Also, look for the return of the MSMOTDs in the new year.

Have a happy holiday!

- Mons

Besides here on my website, the cds are starting to be available at retail outlets in Winnipeg and hopefully eventually through Canada and the USA.  I’m working on several distribution options.  I’ll be selling the MP3s from here as well as on iTunes etc.  In Winnipeg, you can now purchase the cd at The Light bookstore (Unit 17, 2077 Pembina, Winnipeg) and hopefully soon at Chapters bookstores. I’ll update as more places start carrying the cd.

I will be at a Christmas Craft Sale on Saturday the 28th of November selling/signing my cd and doing a few performances.  Here’s a bit more information about the sale (it’s at the Winnipeg Centre Vineyard on Main).  Stop by if you have a few minutes and say hello, pick up a cd and check out the other 50 artists and artisans who will be displaying and selling their fantastic work as well.

For more timely updates and information, follow me on twitter, or become a fan on facebook.

Hope to see you all there,

- Mons

I’m in the depths of the final preparations for my album release (October 31st!), but I thought I would throw up a short clip from one of the new songs on the album.  This is music inspired by a beautiful poem written by a friend of mine (which will be included in the cd insert actually).  This piece has actually changed a lot over the course of its short life.  It began as a pure piano piece and has since morphed into the much dreamier, more ambient piece I’ve posted here.  Hope you like it!

As always, you can hear more of my music (including other samples from the album) on my music page.

- Mons

Wow, It’s been over a month since I’ve updated the site!  If you’re reading this, then thank you for checking back every once in a while, despite my unforgivable inattention.  Well, hopefully a little forgivable actually, since the reason I have neglected to update the site is that I’ve been extremely busy working on my debut album!  The production/mastering process continues, but if all goes well it will all be finished for the end of the month, and I hope to have the music available for digital distribution several weeks after that (assuming it takes several weeks to get it added to iTunes/Amazon etc.)

Anyways, to give you an idea of what I’ve been working on, I’ve included the (beta) album version of Dandelion at the top of the post.  It represents what I’m doing with the album, which will be a mix of re-recorded/re-mastered existing material that you may have listened to before, and some new material that you have not.  The original version of Dandelion was only about 2 minutes long, and an incomplete vision of the song.  A sketch if you will, as are many of the bits and pieces I post online.  The album versions are the complete vision, and so Dandelion is re-imagined in its full 6-minute length with a lot of new material and revision of the old material.

Other songs which will appear on the album are redone versions of Angelus, Dancing in the Light, Silhouettes, Winter Melancholy, Simple Needs and a few others, with a bunch of new material to boot (which I may preview when the madness is done in early November).  Anyways, hope you like the new material that I have included here, and I’ll keep you posted on the album’s progress!  Twitter (@monstunes) is probably the best way of keeping track of updates and so forth regarding the album.

As always, you can hear more of my musical work on the My Music page.

Wish me luck!

- Mons

(If the embedded youtube clip isn’t working, you can watch it on vimeo: http://www.vimeo.com/6195295 )

As always, comments are welcome! This is my first attempt with the camera and basic video editing, so if something is off quality-wise or whatever, don’t hesitate to make a suggestion!

- Mons

When I announced that I would write a theme song for the winner of my Unnamed Melody Contest, I was intending to do a short, simple and memorable fanfare like the opening of the Superman Theme.  Sometimes I get carried away with my music though, and so instead I have produced was is probably my most elaborate song thus far in terms of orchestration.  Dancing in the Light (Doreen’s reward for naming the Unnamed Melody -> “Silhouettes”) is a 3.5 minute piece for Piano, Cello, Viola, Violin, Oboe, Clarinet and French Horn.

This is one of my rare happy pieces.  I figured it wouldn’t be nice to create a sad, melancholy theme song for someone, so this is the result, a lighter, more whimsical piece.  Someone compared it to music from a Disney movie, which is both high praise and appropriate I think (at least in terms of the feel, not necessarily the quality).  It’s meant to evoke dancing, twirling, freedom, romance, smiles, peace and joy.  As always, I’m interested to hear what imagery it creates for you!  It’s always different from my own, which is wonderful.

Beams of light illuminating the sanctuary of St. Peter's Basilica, taken on my trip through Rome.

I’ve actually learned a lot about my music production software while writing this piece.  I use Sonar Producer 8, which is a fantastic piece of software.  However, I realize that I’ve only scratched the surface of its capabilities.  For example, what have I been thinking not using the piano roll view?  It’s the easiest and most powerful way to edit MIDI data.  Previously, I had been using the staff view, hahaha.  I still have a long way to go in terms of learning proper orchestration and production/engineering, but I think this is an improvement.  I’ve been getting a lot of feedback from you guys via various methods and I can say that I really appreciate it all, praise and criticism alike.  They both help me grow as a writer/musician/producer.  If you have suggestions, please leave me a comment!

You can download the song here: Mons – Dancing in the Light (Doreen’s Theme).

As always, you can find more of my music on the My Music Page.

Hope you like it, and thanks Doreen for naming Silhouettes!

- Mons

Wow, the response to the contest to name “The Unnamed Melody” that I posted last week was much greater than I expected! I got a lot of emails and messages with suggestions along with the comments on the post itself. I’m really happy that the song was able to evoke such differing responses in listeners. So, thank you all for listening to my little song and participating in the contest!

I enjoyed reading all of the ideas, names and images that people conjured up from my music, and many of them were really fantastic. Unfortunately, I can only give the song one name so after a lot of deliberation and playing my song in repeat while reading the entries, I’ve chosen“Sillhouettes” as the new name for the previously unnamed melody.  I liked that it was short and simple, but also carried a lot of emotion behind it.  I also like that it still remains open for personal interpretation, so a listener can hear the song, read the title and still bring forth their own emotions and thoughts on what the song means.  I thought the story behind the name was really lovely too, capturing some of my own inspiration, so thanks Doreen for the great suggestion!  I owe you a theme song!

Due to the wonderful response to the song, I’ve also decided to do a second song for another winner.  I can’t name the song twice, but I can give an award for excellent participation and providing inspiration for future songs!  So, SharaLee, I’ll be doing a little song for you as well.  I’m going to choose one of your many excellent suggestions and use it as inspiration for the tune.

I’ll contact the winners and will post the songs (if they agree) on the site when they’re done!

Thanks again everyone for listening to my music and helping me choose a name.  Getting feedback like this is really inspirational and drives me to write more music.  Check back for more new music in the near future!

- Mons

Mons – Silhouettes

UPDATE: I’ve chosen “Sillhouettes” as the name for the previously “Unnamed Melody”.  Thanks Doreen and everyone else who gave suggestions and feedback!  See the full contest results here.

This is a song I wrote a week or two ago for piano, cello/viola and choir.  It’s a sad tune, something for which I seem to have a knack.  I have no idea why, to be honest.  A lot of my music comes to me from a place beyond my ken.  It arrives and I have no choice but to set it down as notes, music, recordings.  Like so much of my music, this one arrived in the depths of the night… Perhaps when my conscious mind is less able to prevent my subconscious from bridging the gap between the real world and the (my?) dream world.  My world of music.

A humble church on the Greek island of Santorini

The song still needs a lot of work.  Like other songs I’ve posted here, this is just an initial sketch.  The cello/viola part needs reworking, the choir might be replaced by a deeper-register cello, who knows.  So, constructive criticism is welcome!  I have no trouble coming up with melodies and harmonies, but engineering/producing my music is a real hurdle for me.  I can make music, but I struggle to make my music sound GOOD.  Like I am a poetry master, but I have trouble using a pencil.  Anyone know any good intro books on music production?

That brings me to The Contest!  As you can see, the song doesn’t have a name!  Whatever breaks through from my subconscious to give me melody occasionally does not at the same time provide a title for the tune.  So, I’m hoping that my music can inspire imagery in one of my listeners to the point that an appropriate name surfaces.  Give me your suggestions in the comments along with an explanation, and if one of the entries strikes my fancy, I’ll come up with a suitable reward.  Perhaps a little theme/fanfare for the winner?  Everyone should have their own mini theme, like television characters.  Something they can hum as they walk into a room.

So, check out the song and let me know your thoughts on an appropriate name!  Hope you like it.

As always, you can find more of my music on the My Music page.

- Mons

This is a Piano piece I recorded several years ago.  It, like the other “rambles” is an unplanned, unedited live performance (as is the bulk of my piano work).  This is a quieter, slower song than the previous songs that I’ve posted – the upbeat piano piece Good Morning and synth/drum-based Ramble (which really has yet to be properly named).  I think the original title of this song was “So Emo”, hahaha.  Anyways, I don’t like to go back and alter these pieces.  To me, they are more than merely songs and melodies to be perfected.  They are snapshots of my thoughts and emotions at the time of recording.  Changing them almost seems to me like drawing mustaches on high school photos.  I sit and play, and whatever is in my mind or heart flows out.  In that way, playing the piano is meditative and cathartic to me.  The fact that people seem to enjoy listening to my musical releases (pardon the pun) is icing on the cake.  I’ve always played primarily for myself, and likely always will.

The sleepy town of Biassa, Italy. I stayed here while exploring the Cinque Terre.

I am thinking of doing a summary post at the end of each month.  Sort of a roundup of the various things I’ve posted that month to make it easy for people to catch up on things that I missed.  I am also working on organizing and presenting my own music a bit better on the site.  Perhaps with links to all of my releases on the “About Me” page, or a distinct page for my music beyond just the search results for the “Mons’ Music” category.  If you have any ideas for the site, or things you would like to see improved, let me know in the comments!

Download Mons – Last Night.mp3

Thanks for listening!

- Mons

This is another very recent “Ramble” (ie: a live unplanned original performance), but unlike the last one which was synth and drums, this is done on the piano.  I think I was inspired in part by the freshness and beauty of morning sunlight streaming through a bedroom window; the little bits of dust illuminated in the beam of light, floating softly in the air.  Sometimes I have difficulty naming my songs, but this one came easily.

Sunrise over Santorini illuminates the cliffside villages, sprinkled like a dusting of white frosting on the volcanic rock.

You’ve probably been noticing that I’ve been accompaning the posts of my own music with fairly random pictures.  They’re all photos I’ve taken on my various trips (primarily from my trips to China and Europe/North Africa).  I received a lot of inspiration during those trips, so often the pictures are not quite as unrelated as they might seem.  Or maybe I just think they’re pretty and want to spice up the posts a bit, haha.

Let me know what you think of the music in the comments!

- Mons