EP Recap

Can't Take My Maniac Off You...

Studio Blog #4 Good Vibes

Studio Blog #3 Bang Bang

Studio Blog 2 -Shawn Slashing

Studio Blog #1

Flights Are Booked My Friend...

JAKE!

dispatch from a presumed ghost

Jake and I have spent the last month and a half finishing writing and working on our first release. It does seem that while on the same continent, this blog as our primary means of communication ceases to hold relevance to our collaboration. Sorry to neglect those of you who were following. We can promise that any neglect was for the greater good. We have but a bit more tracking to do (live strings, horns, and some drums and vocals) before we can uncloak the real Maniac jams.
It may come as a disappointment to some, and a relief to others, that covering Taylor Swift songs has also paled in comparison to playing our own freshness, so please do check back here for updates on the real Maniac, knowing that we will be neglecting covers in favor of originals for months to come. If you've not downloaded the covers, and you want to own them, get them now. They well may vanish.
More from me and Jake very soon.

-Shawn

The Island

Jake?

I got crunk in my trunk

"Born to Party in the USA" -Miley Cyrus vs. Bruce Springsteen by Maniac

Download the track FREE here:



-Shawn and Jake

Billy Ray may be God... but who's the Boss?

I feel a mashup coming on....
just sent you some tracks Jake.

Shawn

Miley Cyrus?

This Week's #1

-S

Bzzzzzzzzzzzz

Hi All,

If you have internetting skillz and are ever bored, please help us post our weekly covers around the net? There are a million places the songs (or word of them) can be sent/posted, since the originals are unavoidable, really--
start where?
your facebook
facebook of the covered band/singer
facebook of bands that you think our jam sounds kinda like
facebook fansites of all of the above
ditto of all above for myspace
ditto of all above for blogs (search hypem.com to find relevant blogs)
lastfm sites
absolutepunk.net, and the like
twitter
etc

thanks a million

our constant links are
http://1thisweek.blogspot.com/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Maniac/100472002738
http://maniac.bandcamp.com/
http://www.myspace.com/mmmaniac

Shawn and Jake

You Belong With Me; Taylor Swift cover by Maniac

We tried something new this week and recorded live into quicktime, and mixed together the audio and video from the 6 takes. With the Australian and American musicians submitting footage separately, we really had no idea how the song would come together until we saw the final product. In order of appearance, from top left, Jake Grigg, Kick, Shawn Harris, Wolfgang A. Fatso, the Artist*, and Shaky.

Meet Maniac II

Jake, I've been recruiting, and through grueling tryouts, have found these musicians to fill out the Maniac roster.

Here I am, in a shirt I bought off a mannequin the other day--


On Keys and Guitar is Wolfgang Amadeus Fatso


And on the bass is the Artist, who goes simply by the symbol



The Taylor Swift cover is ALMOST done--
should be up tomorrow.
Shawn

Shawn and co,

OK, so the first guy is me, Hi.

The second guy is one of our 'percussionists' who goes by the name of 'Kick'. His influences are Tribal, Atlantic, Mess.

The third guy's name is 'Shaky'. He is a hopeless romantic and he plays 'The Orange'.

I'm looking forward to meeting our new American band mates....

JG

Meet Maniac

Jake, I thought we should introduce our other band members. Why don't you introduce?



Me and the other Americans are doing a video shoot today for our Taylor Swift cover.
-Shawn

Suggestions Requested...

-Shawn

The Future

BEAT AGAIN BY JLS COVER

AND STARRING COUNT DRUNKULA AND THE HAIRY GODMOTHER:

To Shawn, from your hairy godmother.

A contrary vibe, perhaps?

-S

A Sneaky Snippet...

www.myspace.com/mmmaniac

The JLS Vibe

Shawn,

I think I have the vibe... Maybe?

JG

Instrumentation

-S

Beat Again

BLACK EYED PEAS "I GOTTA FEELING" COVER

Download free-- the link will just prompt you for your email address so that we can send you a heads up when our record comes out.


Couldn't resist:

Jake- The Black Eyed Peas aren't moving from #1 in the US or Australia, so for next week's cover, looks like we're going to the UK's charts for a group I've never heard of, called JLS?! haha.
-Shawn

No Rest For The Wicked

Hi,

For those of you that don't know, the first few times when Shawn came over to Australia to start writing with me for 'Maniac', we camped out in this tiny little studio for weeks at a time, recording, dancing and hardly sleeping. When we did finally get some sleep, we slept in the corner of the room on the thinly carpeted floor. Then when he was here last time, we upgraded by purchasing some mattresses... Looks like I'm back to sleeping on the floor. Ha

JG

P.S The song will be up in a day or two!!!

I got a little bit carried away when I was programing the drums

Hi Shawn,

I started to put some of the percussion together for this cover, but as you can see, I got a little bit carried away.
Don't ask me why or what I was wearing, because I can't answer that.

Any way I have finished most of the drums, and I just emailed them to you.

JG

Black Eyed Peas Huh?

You're a Maniac Shawn...

JG

Jake, how bout this?

-Shawn