The Escaping Society

HOUSE OF ABANDONED POOLS + CONSERVATORY OF MUSIC TES11 Hello Reader, The following is an excerpt from a Songwriting 101 course I am developing, though I believe the subject matter applies just as well to everyday life, no matter what your purpose is. Your thoughts and comments are encouraged and hoped for. Magic and Beauty — The Importance of Maintaining Your Childlike Sense of Awe and Wonder Why are you writing songs? What is it that draws you to such a monumental challenge? Maybe it's...

HOUSE OF ABANDONED POOLS + CONSERVATORY OF MUSIC TES10 Preview of Work in Progress for "My Unicorn" Maybe this won’t hold up, but I have to say: this album feels very different from anything I’ve done before. It feels like a bridge between Abandoned Pools and my work as a composer—something I’ve been naturally moving toward for a while now. So far, there are no drums, no bass, no electric guitars or synths—just a more stripped-back, orchestral approach. Here's an example from a song I’ve been...

HOUSE OF ABANDONED POOLS + CONSERVATORY OF MUSIC TES09 One Week Until the Official Launch... I’ll be hosting a live event on Tuesday, July 29th at 6pm PST to officially launch The Escaping Society.Huge thanks to everyone who’s already joined — it’s exciting to finally have a dedicated space where we can interact together. I’ve started posting in the AP Archives, and I’m currently working on a score reduction and analysis of a passage from John Williams’s E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial for The...

HOUSE OF ABANDONED POOLS + CONSERVATORY OF MUSIC ES08 Introducing The Escaping Society It started out with the question: what do you want the next 12 months to look like? For some time, I’ve envisioned establishing a conservatory—or perhaps a collective, depending on how one chooses to define it. That idea began to take clearer shape during the Zoom calls with backers of The Haunted House Kickstarter campaign. What became increasingly evident was that I was speaking with thoughtful...

ABANDONED POOLS + TOMMY WALTER + THE SCHOOL OF MUSIC TW07 Top 10 Favorite Jóhann Jóhannsson tracks Jóhann Jóhannsson should be a household name.Perhaps in a less dense, noise-filled era—and perhaps if we hadn’t lost him so early—more people would know his name. Maybe fewer would be invested in the dramatics of reality television and more would have taken the time to explore Jóhannsson’s work. Tragically, he died far too young. Had he been able to continue, he might have become more widely...

Abandoned pools + Tommy Walter + the School of Music TW06 AP6 Update More work in progress for the 6th album. Like other previews, the track you’re hearing is just a mockup. The strings aren't real, but a full string orchestra will be recorded for the final version. Late pledges are still available if you want to support the album on Kickstarter. Click here to contribute. How the Song Was Made: The Remedy The idea that you have to be in a “real” studio to make quality recordings definitely...

Abandoned pools, Tommy Walter + the School of Music TW05 Hello friends — There’s a lot in the works right now — and I’ve been building something special that I can’t wait to share with you soon. AP6: New Music in Progress Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at what I’ve been working on lately. The track you’re hearing is just a mockup for now — those aren’t real strings yet, but a full string orchestra will be recorded for the final version. I hope to post video of that recording session here....

Abandoned pools, Tommy Walter + the School of Music TW04 Hello, My Guitars and Basses + The Stories Behind Them I have more guitars than some, fewer than others. But what I do own I've kept for a long time. I don't tend to go crazy collecting them. Here are the guitars I own and the stories behind them. First up and the latest addition to my arsenal, a red 1970s... Gibson Marauder Gibson Marauder with the late, great Ollie, doing his best to keep that cable from flying away. I’m not exactly...

ABANDONED POOLS, TOMMY WALTER AND THE SCHOOL OF MUSIC TW03 Hello, A Thank You Gift The first studio version of 'Tighter Noose' was recorded at a friend’s studio in the Valley here in LA, sometime around 2003. It’s been up on my Bandcamp for a while now. What hasn’t been released—at least not officially—is the original demo version, recorded on a digital 8-track back in 1998. Written before Humanistic, the song didn’t find a permanent home until Armed to the Teeth was released in 2005. Perhaps...