Refuge

Welcome Back!

I am pleased to announce that we are back and ready to rock! With a fresh start we are half way into the creation of our second album with some really exciting new tracks, so this fall keep up with our tour schedule and find out new and exciting information through our blog and newly designed website! There will be a lot more of information on the way but now we are going to jump back into our blog and next up is “Refuge.”

Initially “Refuge” created some confusion with respect to the title of the song “Refuge” and its chorus “Refugee”. The basic idea behind this song was to refer to our home on Earth as a refuge and humanity as the refugees. The song explores all of the diverse landscapes the plant has to offer and give thanks for what we (humanity) have been provided. So in the song we travel to the top of the highest mountains, swim to the depths of the deepest oceans and walk thousands of miles just to experience everything the world has to offer and give thanks.

“Refuge” is a great rock song that inspires us to travel the world and experience all we can but is also a message to all humanity to remember we have a responsibility to our home and to install hope in us all for a long and health future in all four corners of our world. The last line of the song suggests this point ever so gently.

We hope you enjoy!

Refuge:

I jumped from the ice swam into the fire
Yeah I climbed the mountains of your design
I dove to the depths of the deepest seas to tell you I am yours
I am your refugee
I walked through the desert a thousand miles
To drink from the river that runs wild
To fall off the edge of eternity and tell you I am yours
I am your refugee
Time stands still when you’re with me
Will always fell this endless need
You are the ground beneath my feet
Nourish the body
Plant some trees
In the air I breathe
I am yours
I am your refugee
I jumped from the ice swam into the fire
Yeah I climbed the mountains of your design
I dove to the depths of the deepest seas to tell you I am yours
I am your refugee
You set me free
I will always be
But I am melting away like the ice

Valence

Welcome back! This week we are going to dive head first into the inspiration behind the song “Valence.”

All three of us would agree that this song was one of the most difficult songs to produce; however, it would also be the song that gave US our first indication that together we have a strong writing connection.

Writing the music for “Valence” was painstakingly hard. We spent months and months working on and reinventing the song. At one point the chorus sounded like a 1970’s disco pop song. We built it up, stripped it down and built it back up again trying to find where the song lived. We all knew that we were onto a great song that we haven’t uncovered yet.

“Valence” was the second song we worked on together after “Heaven Undone.” Our writing circle consisted of Dan playing an acoustic guitar, Austin singing out-loud and Peter on percussion, which usually included an egg or single drum. We worked effortlessly trying to find the melody we all knew was hidden within the music. We reached a point of frustration many times.

On two occasions Dan and Austin felt that the idea should be abandoned temporarily and reopened at a later time. Peter was a pillar and kept us at it. It was not until Peter brought his bass to rehearsal that we struck and broke down a major wall in the songs development.

The bass guitar assumed the melody of the song and then it all came together. We were so focused on the guitar carrying the songs melody and that prevented the melody from defining itself. Once Peter started playing the bass the melody just jumped out just as it sounds on the album. After months of work we had successfully found the melody we all came to love in the song “Valence”.

The breakthrough helped to strengthen our writing process and unified US and our music. It was at this time we also found our name as Union Soundtrack: a union of three individuals who together create the musical soundtrack of that union. “Valence” gave us the opportunity to struggle together and strengthened our writing abilities as a group.

The term “Valence” is a chemistry term that refers to the capacity of an element or radical to combine with another to form molecules. The term is also used in psychology to describe the degree of attraction or aversion that an individual feels toward a specific object or event (WNWCD). We found this a very fitting title for our song as it pertains to the joining of three individuals (atoms) into one much larger molecule: Union Soundtrack.

Valence – Union Soundtrack

You‘ll have me reach across this shore
A thousand times, but you’ll want more
I’m reaching out and no
I’m way to cold
I’m chemical
So close your eyes, I’ll blow your mind
A wandering spirit trapped in time
Who you are decays
And now you are,
Scared enough to run

Our hand are reaching out for more
Hands of faith, I’ve touched them all
Reaching out and know I can’t let go
Can’t let go of these chains that bind me down
Bound in language, dumb by sound
Who we are decays
And now we are,
Scared enough to run

I won’t desert you
Valence
In its self
I won’t let you go
Valence
In its self

Scared enough to run
I am
Scared enough to run
You are
Scared enough to run
I am
Scared enough to run


Reference:
Webster’s New World College Dictionary (WNWCD). 2020. Wiley Publishing Inc. Cleveland, Ohio. From: http://www.yourdictionary.com/valence. Accessed May 17, 2010.

Remember December

Welcome to our fourth blog installment where we will discuss some of the inspiration and ideas behind the song "Remember December." I want to thank Elizabeth for suggesting this song as part of our nine week blog project where we outline the ideas behind each of the songs on our debut album.

The music for "Remember December" was originally conceived during the writing of the song "Valence" which we will cover next week. Dan began looking into alternative approaches to his guitar lines and stumbled onto the melody that became the opening verse of "Remember December." As soon as Dan started to play the new riff Austin jumped in right away and began singing the chorus you hear in the song now. Although there was much more work to be done, it was clear that this new melody was distinct enough to be a song on its own. We banked the idea and continued working on our EP (2008) that included our first three releases “Heaven Undone,” “Valence” and “Ivy”. Once the first three songs were recorded we were then able to focus on new material.

It was clear from the very beginning that “Remember December” was going to be a special song. The guitar and vocal melodies generated such an intimate atmosphere that we often found ourselves discussing the songs potential. “Remember December” is a unique song on our album and contains a great message.

Remember December

You catch a train in December
To leave this frozen town behind
And navigate to the city
Where at night the stars come alive

Are we crazy, taking chances?
Open up your eyes
Were at the station family is waving, time to say goodbye.

I believe in the world outside your door, and I believe it holds everything you’ve longed for
A generation of sitting and waiting
Time for something new

You Fall in love in September
You fall like the leaves from the trees so slow
And settle in for the winter
In a town where the stars come alive

Are we crazy taking chances?
Open up your eyes
Family’s waiting anxious and pacing for a brand new life.

I believe in the world outside your door, and I believe it holds everything you’ve longed for
A generation of sitting and waiting
Something more to find
I believe it’s time, open up your eyes
I believe in you
I do





The initial purpose behind the song was to highlight two seasons winter and fall. We also wanted to create a journey, in which the listener could view the imagery contained in the song. The more we focused on these ideas the lyrics began to take on a life of their own and in doing so we had created an inspiring story of taking chances and new beginnings. The first verse begins in December with the character leaving a small town to take a chance on life in the city. The second verse ends with the character returning to the small town in September and settling in for the winter. We love the subtlety between these two verses and if you count the months yourself you may also understand why the family is so anxious in the second pre-chorus!

Hope you enjoyed this week’s entry. Next week we will discuss the inspiration behind the song “Valence”.

Stay tuned.
Union Soundtrack

Cosmos Girl

Cosmos Girl

Welcome back to our third blog installment where we have discussed some of the inspiration and ideas behind our songs “Heaven Undone” and “Cordillera.” In our first blog post we talked about how our song “Heaven Undone” was strongly influenced by water. We really wanted to create a song that sounded like the Ocean and had a fluid sound. Our second blog on our song “Cordillera” was about the rock in The Canadian Rockies! Now we are entering into new territory with the song “Cosmos Girl” where we take you to the moon and back.

The music for “Cosmos Girl” was first conceived three years prior to its release in 2009. Peter and Dan had been working on the musical parts for several years and were slowly perfecting the roots / folksy feel of the song. It was not until Union Soundtrack had recorded their first EP that the music for what was to become “Cosmos Girl” was unveiled to Austin. Once Austin had a chance to work with the music it was only a short time before “Cosmos Girl” was born. The love song about a girl on the moon just wrote its self and the original music remained unchanged. We all found “Cosmos Girl” to be such a neat song with a unique bridge and swinging melody that seemed to defy gravity. It really is a pleasure to play and we all love the quirky nature of the song and it is one everyone can sing along too.

Cosmos Girl – Union Soundtrack (2009)

The girl on the moon, surrounded by shooting stars, views the earth far below.
On a pale and lonely night a boy solemnly roams and looks up into the night, tonight.
Two worlds collide when the two of them lock eyes through a high powered telescope.
There is no atmosphere in space as the boy’s heart starts to race as he soars towards the girl on the moon.

I fell in love in outer space no gravity
I feel in love in outer space no gravity
I fell in love in outer space no gravity
So how could I fall so deep?
Well this love, ya this is love, Woo hoo.

I fell in love in outer space no gravity
Well I feel in love in outer space no gravity
I fell in love in outer space no gravity
I fell in love in outer space no gravity
I feel in love
Will you fall in love with me?

The song has been a favorite of many of our closest friends and has had mixed reviews from people that hear it. It is common for people who hear the song once to dismiss it because of its non-traditional structure; however, we have also found that once the song is heard a second time people really seem to get into it and are shortly singing along. We hope you enjoy our tribute to the moon and let go of your grip on gravity and come join US in outer space.

Cordillera

Welcome to the second installment of our nine week project where we will outline the ideas and inspiration behind each song on our self titled debut album. Last week we divulged some of the details that brought US together, the concept of incorporating natural imagery in our music and the inspiration behind our song “Heaven Undone.” This week we are very excited to talk about the title song on our album “Cordillera” and to set up the discussion we will first define the term:

Cordillera: (from old Spanish cordilla, “cord,” or “little rope”), a system of mountain ranges that often consist of a number of more or less parallel chains. Cordilleras are an extensive feature in the Americas and Eurasia. In North America the Rocky Mountains, the Sierra Nevadas, and the mountains between them are collectively known as the Cordilleras, and the entire area has been termed the Cordilleran region. –Encyclopedia Britannica.

Our song “Cordillera” is a tribute to the awesomeness of the Canadian Rocky Mountains. The song is designed to bring the listener along on a journey through the steep valleys all the way up to the top of the mountain peaks where you can almost kiss the stars. We wanted to write a song that would capture the essence of these majestic mountains and convey that spirit back into the listening world.


Cordillera Lyrics:

Come back, come back to reality
Up high on mountain peaks
Come along tell me what you want to do
Without you I’m incomplete

The road, it’s long and steep
In the valleys below come with me

Too long
Too long I’ve been away too long
Drowning in urban seas
Get back, get back to where your heart belongs
“The Canadian Rockies”

The road, it’s long and steep
In the valleys below
Come with me…and kiss the stars

Come back, come back to reality
Up high on mountain peaks
Come along tell me what you want to do
Without you I’m incomplete

The road it’s long and steep
In the valleys below come with me


The song “Cordillera” was originally called “The Canadian Rockies” in its infancy. We had recorded a demo of the song, without lyrics, for preproduction purposes that we submitted as a candidate for the new CBC Hockey Night in Canada theme contest. We still have the certificate from the CBC thanking US for submitting. It was not until we had finished the final recording of the song that we decided to call it “Cordillera.”

The best part of writing “Cordillera” was that the song just came out naturally and required little tweaking during production. We just enjoyed the energy so much that we wanted to capture the innocence of the song so we decided to keep it as raw as it was the first time we played it. We wanted to write a rock song about the Rockies and we hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Heaven Undone

Welcome to the beginning of a nine week blog project. For the next nine weeks we will be detailing the ideas and inspiration behind each song on our debut album. The first song we choose to unveil is “Heaven Undone” for two reasons: 1.) we have a recent video of US performing the song live on our website and 2.) It is the first song we produced together as Union Soundtrack. You could even say that this song is what brought US together in the first place; but, to get into that we must go back to the beginning.

Peter Vruwink and Daniel Carlson have been playing together for the past 16 years and have been a part of two commercially successful bands “Tractor Boy” (1994) and “Will Minor” (2002). In the year 2004, Peter and Dan started a side project and began co-writing music. It was not until 2007 that they felt that the music had evolved enough to expand and began looking for a singer. In recent years, Austin Schumacher was also involved in a successful group called “Darwin’s Engine” (2001) and had befriended Peter and Dan at one of the many shows they played together.

It was not until Dan had seen Austin in a local Safeway that the thought of contacting Austin as a potential candidate occurred to him. Not even a month had passed and Austin was at the rehearsal space, listing to the material Peter and Dan had developed over the past few years. One song in particular struck Austin as special; the raw sound of what was soon to become “Heaven Undone.” The Trio worked effortlessly to peel back the layers of the song and to uncover the melody and rhythm that was hidden inside the raw recording of the song.

From a guitarists’ perspective Dan was quoted to say: “The guitar riffs were always there, the trick for me was to get out of the way and let the music blossom. First impressions are always the best approach for me to take when writing. Clear the path and try not to get in the songs way.” Peter also took a new approach to his drumming technique by restraining himself as a drummer and letting the beat carry the song along. When asked how he felt about the song Peter said that Heaven Undone was his favorite song on the album. The song was like a chameleon, there were times you could see it and other times it just disappeared. The magic of the song was learning to let the song reveal itself and that’s how we knew that we had a special gift for creating music together. Austin just dove in singing with no fear. “I could feel the magic in the music, there was so much melody in Dan’s guitar that I could not help myself but to abandon my inhibitions and let it out.”

Now let US talk about the inspiration behind the song “Heaven Undone.”

Heaven Undone

You move like a tidal wave
I get washed away
In the swell of your wake
Now I’m lost at sea
How can this be?

When I hold my breath and wait
Under the sea
So high, the sky
I’m on my knees
Rowing away

You move like a tidal wave…
Now you’re moving me
Into deeper sea
I fall overboard
And I know for sure

If I hold my breath and wait
Under the sea
So high, the sky
I’m on my knees

What you couldn’t have
You took away
And that is more than I can sail
Oh rain it down on me
Because you are, heaven come undone
You are heaven come undone

The inspiration behind “Heaven Undone” is elemental water. We wanted to create a song that would feel, sound and move like water. It was during the process of writing the first three songs that we began to develop our ideas based on natural elements and imagery. We decided to develop a sort of concept album that would play tribute to our surrounding environment. Heaven Undone was a pillar that had allowed US to drive our music in this direction. Heaven Undone is a song of awakening. It is a second chance at experiencing the beauty of truth.

Let US know what “Heaven Undone” means to you by responding to our blog and check back next week as we will outline the creative inspiration behind the song “Cordillera.”

A great new blog idea occured to me just now!

Well our show was great! We had a great time playing and we didn't want to stop. If you were unable to make the show we recorded a video of US preforming "Heaven Undone"
Check it out on You Tube here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tGgWQ3Om2g

We also played three new songs that have me really excited. We are currently working on a second concept album that will have an urban feel. By that I mean that the music will have a harder edge to it and perhaps be less forgiving that our first album

Over the next nine weeks I will be blogging about the motivation and themes drawn by each of our songs from our debut album. Each week I will focus my blog on one of our songs and give you a detailed outline of the meaning we find in the song that may not be obvious to the listener.

The first song I will focus on will be "Heaven Undone" because we have great video footage from our most recent show.

See you next week,
Union Soundtrack

Back Home

Band rehearsal today! I am Looking forward to it as it will be our last before our debut gig on April 01, 2010. Just had a look at some of Tom Jackson's U-tube videos and we are going to try to incorporate some of his ideas into our live show. EMOTIONAL ATTACHMENT!!

Speaking of emotional, I left my job in northern Alberta to pursue a career that is closer to home. The graveyard shift does not work for me.

I started to play the guitar last night and found it amazing how fast my fingers softened while away. Time to build up the calluses on my fingers.

Cheers,
Austin

Union Soundtrack Covers?

Hello again,

Dan and I are wondering about lining up some cover songs to include in our sets. Some of the tunes we have thought of doing include: Fleetwood Mac's "You can go your own way", The Tragically Hip's "Gift Shop", and Coldplay's "God put a smile on your face". I would like to ask you what you think would make a great cover and what do you think of our choices?

Cheers,
Austin

CBC Radio 3 is super cool

What would I do without CBC Radio 3? I am so isolated with the exception of great music. As you may already know I am stuck in northern Alberta supervising a land reclamation project wth nothing but my radio and computer to keep me company. For the past few months I have tuned to radio 3 online and strongly recommend you do too. Some of the greatest artists nation wide 24/7 online and on SIRIUS Satellite 86. How about you tell me what do you do to stay entertained day or night?

Cheers,
Austin

Greetings from US

This is so great, my first blog. Let me tell you a little about myself. My name is Austin Schumacher and I am in a Canadian indie band called Union Soundtrack. We are a new band that has released our first self titled album in 2009. I encourage you to check it out. I am a recent environment and conservation science graduate from the University of Alberta and I am currently working a graveyard shift so I suppose this blog could be my new best friend. I am looking to meet other Canadian indie bands and friends to share information with regarding the indie music scene in Canada. Add me if you are interested in establishing a new contact or friend!

Cheers,
Austin
Union Soundtrack.com