B-Sides The Point

Gearedmah

WHY?

Gearedmah has been producing music since 2003-2004 when Sean Battle went solo with the double album release of "Musica Para Los Muertos" and "Graveyards Along the way". Since then, Gearedmah has self-released 6 other albums. In these early days, Gearedmah was using a rudimentary e-drum kit and a drum machine and VERY basic mixing techniques,
WHY?

Gearedmah has been producing music since 2003-2004 when Sean Battle went solo with the double album release of "Musica Para Los Muertos" and "Graveyards Along the way". Since then, Gearedmah has self-released 6 other albums. In these early days, Gearedmah was using a rudimentary e-drum kit and a drum machine and VERY basic mixing techniques, making music with whatever was available or affordable. The sounds of the drums in these recordings were dynamic and expressive (human, if you will, as they were played on an e-kit) but did NOT sound authentic. Had Gearedmah leaned into the electronic side, it may have sounded and worked better, but Sean was going for more of a "traditional rock band sound" and still holds out hope for forming a "regular band" of multi-instrumentalists.
In the near future from "Graveyards" and "Musica", everything would sonically change once Gearedmah began processing those MIDI drums through a new software called BFD, which made the electronic drums now sound like REAL DRUMS, because, fortunately, Sean had recorded not only the drum sounds from Drum machine/E-kit, but also the actual MIDI "strike notes". This means that YEARS later, the EXACT SAME PERFORMANCE can be reprocessed (as is being done now) through BFD to make those artificial drums sound completely natural and like the actual band that Sean had always hoped Gearedmah would eventually become.

With time, Sean's recording studio grew in equipment, skills, and software used to create this music. It has been a gentle arc of improvement over the last 20 years or so, and with the release of his last album, "Highly Derivative", in 2021 through Blue FX (and under the experienced supervision of Ian James), Sean Battle began to reflect on what got him to THAT POINT...the dream, now true, of being signed to a record label which is based out of Boston, MA, and so many miles away from his current home of Michigan.

As Sean dug through old songs in his recording workstation, he found himself cringing at the production quality compared to "newer tracks", so he started adding MODERN effects to the tracks and running the MIDI from the digital drum tracks through his current drum program and BAM...suddenly, several of the "old songs"?? Had NEW LIFE. He then began doing this to several songs he felt "got lost over the years" through the many album releases. Several previously unreleased tracks were done (or close enough to being done that they could be "wrapped up quickly") and the idea of putting out a "B-sides" album came to mind...and while there are plenty more songs to go, some are ear marked for albums yet to be released (like "As of Yet, Unnamed", "Sediment", and "The Ending Fits the Story")...

...but that's for the future...




WHY THESE? What's up with these SONGLES That's right...songs that are Singles?
What does all that babbling you do mean?


FIRST, don't talk to me like that, Self, you don't know me like that...and SECOND, I'd like to say, ANYONE is welcome to interpret my lyrics HOWEVER you want (I encourage it and I'd love to HEAR the interpretations). I honestly prefer to NOT tell what my songs are about as once you know, you can't NOT know...and sometimes it takes away from "personal meaning" one puts to it (sometimes even derived from misunderstanding the lyrics), but if you want MY "meanings" (if you read the lyric sheet, it's a lot of nonsense and rhymes with very few reasons), here are a few:
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Highly Derivative

Gearedmah

Recorded spring and early summer 2021. The seventh studio album from Gearedmah, but the first on Boston's Blue FX Records
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I’m the resident indie rock person at Blood Makes Noise so I was a little surprised to get this grungy metal album. It starts off like something you might have heard from Alice In Chains in 1993. By track 2 “I Know” they are already moving into Stone Temple Pilots and mid 90’s Alice In Chains. The name is ironic because I’d classify the start of this 10 song album as “Highly Derivative” but if you like 90’s stuff you can certainly find something to enjoy about this. By track 3 it seems we have again changed moods to sludgey folk. I’ll give them this, they are eclectic while keeping the album cohesive. Although I’m usually a mellow music person there is something about Gearedmah’s heavier stuff that resonates and might be the best stuff they do. On Broken Boughs it’s still very Alice In Chains but so what, Alice in Chains kicks ass especially their early stuff and this is in line with that. It’s weird but this band perfectly combines elements of Alice in Chains and Stone Temple Pilots to make this mish mosh of 90’s heavy rock that is solid. I think any 90’s fan of grunge could throw this on and be happy with the result.” - Sam Lowry

Blood Makes Noise

Gearedmah is the professional name of singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist producer and YouTuber Sean Battle. Although this is a new project, Sean is a veteran musician who has worked in numerous bands and recording projects over the years. His debut album “Highly Derivative” is scheduled to be released later this year on Blue Fx Records. Battle does his thing in Traverse City, Michigan but his sound is a direct descendant of the legendary early 1990’s Seattle scene. With the dark and dramatic imagery of Alice in Chains and the heavy, downtempo churn of Screaming Trees, Gearedmah’s music will strike a chord with true Grunge fans everywhere. Blue Fx recently introduced the project’s first song on their “Blue Fx Records Sampler Pack “I Know” is the debut single from Gearedmah, released worldwide to all major streaming services on May 13, 2021. The tune rolls on slow, powerful and heavy groove. Sean delivers a tale of unrequited love in low, dark tenor. As the bass and drums churn out some grunge gold, smoking psychedelic wah-wah guitar leads paint the periphery of the mix. It’s a great sound featuring some really nice playing. Check out “I Know” below. You can also hear the track on the Deep Indie Dive playlist. We had a chance to chat with Sean Battle about the past, present and future of his musical endeavors. Check out his answers to our 8 questions. And follow the links below to connect with the artist. Get on his socials and get in the loop on the debut Gearedmah album."” - Bob Smith

The Static Dive