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NEWS

Sunday, October 13th, 2024

The last few years, with the building being sold where I had my studio, and no great place to set up, I haven't been able to accomplish much musically. I've been working a ton at my day job, and saving money - hoping to be able to rebuild again. It's taking far longer than I had planned, so I may end up having to just set up a tiny bedroom studio. I've worked that way in the past, so I guess I can return to that. I prefer to go up, up, up... but maybe down is ok sometimes too. I do have some concerns about the sound quality working in a small room, but I think if I invest in a massive amount of sound absorption and room treatment, I should be able to do something passable. In that case though, I'll probably end up having the final product mastered elsewhere at a professional mastering facility. That's ok. The Exchange in London did an awesome job with the first record, so maybe they'll end up working on the new Twilight Garden record.
 
As far as what the new record will become, I have some rough ideas, and a general feel that's beginning to come together... I'm not sure when it will be time to start working, but hopefully not too far in the future. I've discovered something about myself the last few years. When I'm not making music, my life just feels a lot more "empty". It's like I'm on the wrong path somehow... and my overall experience of life just feels off, and "wrong". Because of that, I know it's something I need to fight for - to keep things moving the right direction. I'm beginning to plan a way forward - no matter how difficult or humble it has to be. God willing, I'll be able to pull it all together again.
 
In addition to song ideas and feel, I've even begun thinking about the instruments and arrangements I want to use. I don't want to say too much about arrangements yet, but as far as instruments, I'd like to buy a few different pieces of equipment, and maybe sell a few of the older pieces. There are so many amazing keyboards available now that I think would be amazing - Korg Prologue, the Korg Arp 2600 reissues, the Waldorf Quantum mk2, the Moog One, Artruria Polybrute... some of these are pretty expensive. Maybe I can somehow afford one. We'll see. I always end up using a lot of software synths as well, so I'll have to check out the latest on those. My main guitar amp stopped working, so it will have to go to the shop, but I'd love to do more guitar work again. I do wish sometimes for a Marshall head - I like the Marshall high gain sounds... As far as studio gear, I'll probably sell some stuff. I'm not sure if I'll buy anything. I kind of like having a more minimal setup for that. I suppose I can always go to another studio for some of the recording if I want to use gear I don't own... I know a guy that has a great setup, so that may be helpful for some things.
 
Anyway, that's the latest. There's not really much "news", but you know where I'm at now at least. Looking forward to getting some kind of momentum going again. I've been in the doldrums long enough. I think it's almost time to start pushing forward again...
 
Love,
Todd

Monday, January 23rd, 2023

The first album "a world we pretend" is finally available for streaming! This is the original loud master that was done by Mike Marsh at The Exchange Mastering Studio in London. It's a little different sounding than the CDs that were released back in 2010 (just for the CDs, Mike had additionally made a quieter master at my request).

A World We Pretend by The Twilight Garden

Saturday, July 30th, 2022

I am really saddened to hear that Dave Heckman has passed on… Dave was the owner of The Twilight Garden's record label "Metropolis Records", and has been for as long as I've known him. I worked with him in while I was in Velvet Acid Christ, and later on he led me to Projekt Records with Sam Rosenthal… and eventually he ended up signing the Twilight Garden with Metropolis for the albums Hope, Reconcile, and Revelation … When we were on tour, we got to visit with him and Gail in San Francisco, which was really cool. I’m going to miss my conversations with him… he always had a lot of great insight on the industry and music in general…. This really bums me out. So sorry Gail, Colin, Nina, Metropolis crew, and all of those who knew him...
 
Dave Heckman photo 1Dave Heckman photo 2

Friday, May 6th, 2022

There isn't much happening with The Twilight Garden lately... A company bought the building where I had my studio, and they wanted the entire building to themselves, so we had to move out and I lost my studio space. I had to take my studio and put it into storage for the time being. I'm hoping to find a new space sometime soon, but as of yet, I haven't decided what I want to do. The very last project I did in the studio just recently (literally a couple days before I disassembled everything) was mixing a track for "The Siren Project" (Malgorzata Wacht and Alex Seminara). The song I mixed for them should be released sometime soon, so I'll keep you guys posted so you can check it out. In regard to that, back when I was touring with Velvet Acid Christ in 2014, we all got really sick (after the 1st round of west coast USA tours), and that illness somehow affected my right ear - and I lost part of my hearing. Over the years, my hearing in that ear has continued to detiorate... so I'm now almost completely deaf in the right ear. I'm not sure if I can continue doing good studio work for people because of it... BUT, I believe I was able to mix well for The Siren Project... but they were there as well... I guess they like the mixing I did. I think it turned out really good... but still, my hearing just isn't what it once was. I guess I'm getting older, so maybe it's just the natural progression of life... My hair is falling out too... heck, I'm almost 50 years old now. Time has gone by so fast it's hard to believe... life is short though - gotta make the best of the time we have here. I DO know that I've still got tons of ideas for songs and music in general... My creative spark is as bright as ever which is nice. I know that I really love songwriting, singing, and making music... So I'm guessing I'll eventually have another project in the works - hopefully sooner rather than later.
 
It's nice riding the wave when you're working on something new and exciting. I like keeping busy with projects - so hopefully I don't have to drift in the dolrums too long... but I know doldrums are part of life sometimes too. Well, until the next news... signing off with love,
- Todd

Monday, July 12th, 2021

I just saw a Facebook report that gives a breakdown of people who like the ttg page by location… I wouldn’t have expected it, but the top city for ttg likes right now is London in the UK... I haven’t performed over there yet. Maybe somehow someway someday… Anyway, I’m just surprised. I thought it would be somewhere in the United States since I've toured over here... Well, cool. I've got friends in the UK!

As far as other news... Looks like I AM going to have to move - probably really soon - including moving my studio setup. I wish I could be working on new music, but I can't seem to find a stable situation. I keep getting uprooted, which makes it difficult to focus. I hate interruptions when I'm working on a project. I may just have to adapt though and just work here and there when I can - and get used to the interruptions. I just hope it doesn't give things a fractured vision, but then, I guess even that will be a snapshot in time anyway, so it probably won't matter. I'm psyched to make music again though! Lately, I've been playing piano a ton... just playing and singing along. Maybe I'll consider integrating that into TTG somehow. Not sure how yet though. I do like doing synth work... and I also miss doing more extensive guitar work though too. It's too early to say what comes next yet though, and when I'm making an album, I try not to idealize it. It's better to just "discover it" when the right time comes.

Anyway, that's the news for now. I hope everyone is doing ok out there. I hope you're enjoying Revelation and the older TTG stuff. AHH! One more thing... I've had a few people contact me about re-releasing "a world we pretend". I actually have the original LOUD master that Mike Marsh at Exchange Mastering in London did back in 2010. I may go ahead and make arrangements to release it, since right now, you can't really stream that album anywhere (other than Streamrite). I suppose I should mention Streamrite as well... I haven't done anything with it. Support wasn't really there, which is a bummer, because I thought it would really help make the world a better place so artists could make actual money for their work. Trying to program it all though without any real support from users is tough to justify. I can't put years of development into something if it's just going to be dead end. What I would REALLY REALLY prefer, is that Apple Music AND/OR Spotify offer a "donate to artist" button for every artist on there... so we could give whatever amount we chose directly to said artist at any time. That really would help make the world a better place. Maybe one day they'll consider it, as the current streaming implementations depend so much on gigantic streaming numbers to generate a significant amount of money, that smaller artists can't make any real money. In the past, they could sell CDs, and if you sold a few hundred, or a few thousand, you'd be doing pretty good. These days, for most people, even 10,000 streams is probably going to pay less than $100. While that kind of math probably works fine for huge bands that get millions of streams, that's REALLY tough on smaller artists. A "donate to artist" button on all streaming platforms would be very cool.
 
Talk soon,
Todd

Friday, April 16th, 2021

Recently, I debated deleting the TTG Facebook page... as they only seem to show my posts when I pay them tons of money. I decided against it though, as some of you do use Facebook, and it's the easiest way for us to reach each other and communicate. I'm not trying to create barriers... just trying not to get too annoyed that my like counts really don't mean much. What matters to Facebook is my marketing $$. It's tough to justify paying much for marketing though when streaming revenue is so universally poor. Even in a world-wide market, I used to make more money selling CDs at local gigs in the 1990s than I make now in the internet age reaching the entire world. Anyway, I do this because I love making music... and because I enjoy entertaining people, and making songs for of all of you who listen. I "wish" I could make more money at it, but that seems to be a lingering afterimage from a world long past... C'est la vie.

Anyway, I haven't posted for a while, so I probably ought to say more. I've been really happy with how Revelation turned out... It seems to have been really well received - better than I was expecting actually. Since then, I've been working on upgrading my studio, and also testing past masters I've done - testing Revelation, and testing masters I've done for other people as well. I had a couple people tell me they had trouble understanding the words on Revelation. I was worried originally it had something to do with my mastering, but it turns out it's more related to my mixing style. I tend to just mix that way. Maybe it has something to do with my reluctance to treat myself like a vocal diva. I tend to bury the vocal just slightly in the music to create an immersing experience - vocals & music being equals, rather than just a diva vocal performance backed up by secondary music. That being said, I do like some songs by other artists that do feature the vocals a little more, so maybe I'll consider adopting a little more of that ethic at some point. Will see.

So two of the studio upgrades are complete (new converters)... BUT, there's a good chance I will have to move the entire studio again soon - probably sometime this summer. That sucks, because it's a MAJOR process, and it's expensive. Every change though can also be seen as an opportunity to move to the next step. I'm not sure how it's all going to land, but if possible, I'd like to try to use this chance to upgrade the studio even further - taking the acoustics to an even higher level!! Larger rooms tend to be better acoustically than smaller rooms due to the way they handle room modes, and although my room has been treated and tuned, it would be even easier to tweak/tune in a larger room. I'm hoping to be able to set up a bigger room and therefore reap that benefit in addition to any new room tweaking I can do. I have a lot more experience now - and a lot more acoustic treatment... and more knowledge. I've also spoken to several acoustic design companies about involvement, although that gets really pricey, so I'm not sure whether that's within reach. If not, I can still do what I've done in the past, but God willing, do it even better this next time. That's how I've learned in this life... experience, and very often failure, and then some more experience, and then some more failure, and just maybe, after even yet a little more experience and failure, I might see a little success here and there along the way. That goes for everything I do - songwriting, singing, arranging, mixing, mastering, etc... They're all just skills that can be learned if we're willing to work hard enough and persevere through the challenges.

Anyway, I hope you guys have been enjoying Revelation! I'll try to post more often here with news... Sorry it's been so long this last time.
 
-Todd

Friday, September 4th, 2020

Revelation is now available.

Revelation by The Twilight Garden

Happy listening on your favorite streaming platform!

Friday, August 21st, 2020

I have a HUGE announcement coming exactly two weeks from today (September 4th). It's huge because it will include multiple large announcements all at once. I've kept it secret even from close friends (I'm hoping it will be a pleasant surprise for them and I didn't want to ruin that)... Anyway, it's finally imminent.
 
- Todd Loomis

Saturday, March 21st, 2020

HUGE NEWS! Tom Hagerman's new record - NOW AVAILABLE!!! (PROJECT NAME: Post Truth Syrum - ALBUM NAME: Modern Victims). I was heavily involved with the making of this record - over many many years (mixing, mastering, and much recording), and it has finally been released!!! We started this thing a long time ago - maybe 2011? It's been an ongoing process with many musicians coming and going, recording different aspects of the project... I recorded many people in several different locations - including Kolio Plachkov of The Colorado Symphony Orchestra (French horn), Jeff Almond on guitar, and even Gordon Gano of The Violet Femmes who came here to Noise Radiation Studios to do vocals for track 5! :-) Yes, his voice really sounds like that - no FX - it's just him! He nailed his stuff immediately and effortlessly. Of course I recorded Tom also in a few locations as well. Tom and I had lots of fun cranking amps to the max, and experimenting with all kinds of crazy sounds, crazy effects, and creative techniques... Special thanks to my X Tina for putting up with all of our noise and craziness for the tracks we did in our basement back in the day. Anyway, many other people recorded their additions to this stuff in many other locations - in their homes, garages, etc. This thing is like a huge collage - it was a MASSIVE project. On one of the songs, we literally had something like 160 channels in the mixer!!! It was a massive undertaking, and I am psyched that it's now here. I'm really proud of the work we did. I mixed and mastered it at Noise Radiation Studios (Tom played a part in the mixing as well - he has a great ear for that stuff), and now... FINALLY, IT IS AVAILABLE!!! I'm psyched!!! This thing is really good - have a listen and enjoy!!! It's going to be released on Vinyl and CD in the near future, but it's available for streaming/download NOW! Here's the announcement in The Westword, along with the Bandcamp listening link. Thank you so much Tom for your friendship and for working with me over the years... I hope this thing does awesome. We finally made it! PSYCHED!!!:
 
WESTWORD ARTICLE: https://www.westword.com/music/tom-hagerman-of-devotchka-releases-surprise-album-with-post-truth-serum-11669261
 
Modern Victims - by Post Truth Syrum - now available on BANDCAMP

Friday, November 8th, 2019

The new record is pretty much finished, but I've run into some delays. Some stuff in my personal life has come up that cannot be avoided, so I'm having to put off the release for a little while until I'm prepared to focus on it 100%. Sorry, but I'm not sure how long yet... As soon as I have more information, I'll post again.

Saturday, September 28th, 2019

REVELATION IS DONE. Well... 99.9%...

All tracks are "provisionally" finished - mixed, mastered, everything. I'm going to take a few days to think and listen again on fresh ears, but tonight, I listened through the entire thing from beginning to end, and I believe it's finished. I don't want to give too much away, but to say this thing is epic is an understatement. It's a monstrosity... I think it's the most intense work I have ever done in my life. It's not for those who prefer 3 minute songs that is for sure... The running time is over an hour long. Many of the songs are down-tempo, and heavy... parts of it are extremely intense. I was in tears tonight as I listened through. So much has gone into this I just don't even know what to say. I hear so much life and love, pain and joy, so much of my heart and thought is in it... so many of my experiences have influenced it... and for those who know me closely, you know where much of it comes from. All of that is in this thing. When it's released, it's the end of an era for me. My heart has to do something different after this... I'm not sure yet how/if I'm going to perform some of these songs live, but I think it will make for some good shows... thoughts for another day I guess.

Anyway - here's what is left:

This thing is moving forward!
More soon.
 
-Todd
 
REVELATION - FINAL TRACK ORDER

Saturday, September 14th, 2019

Mastering is happening NOW (simultaneous with final mix adjustments). The first 3 tracks are TOTALLY finished - mixed, mastered, and ready for release. I've also settled on the final track order (99% sure now). I just finished putting all of the lyrics and CD booklet information into text files to send to the artist (to be announced very soon - and hopefully I can post a pic of the cover soon as well). I'm going to hold off for a few days before sending him all of the text - just so I can stew on it a little bit in case I want to change anything.

REVELATION
(final mixing/mastering happening now - final track order - 99% sure now) More soon!
 
-Todd

Thursday, September 5th, 2019

Focus is fate = FINISHED. That's it. All of the songs for the new album "Revelation" are complete. Next steps:
1) Any final mix tweaks
2) Mastering
3) Release
 

REVELATION
(Track order may still change slightly)

Saturday, August 31st, 2019

Songwriting is completed for the entire album! The title of the last song is "Focus is Fate" - and I still have to sing it, but the lyrics and music are DONE! Once the vocals are recorded, all that remains is final mix adjustments for whatever songs need it, and then mastering. Release time is approaching! :-)
 
-Todd

THE LATEST (track order not 100% sure yet):

Saturday, July 27th, 2019

"The Priorities of Love" == FINISHED!

This song was tough to finish - not the songwriting (the song was complete weeks ago), but just the arrangement and the mix. The original demo was kind of stripped down with these layered arpeggiated synths that continue throughout the song, and there is no snare drum for a lot of it... The first half of the song just uses a high hat as a snare. The minimal drum arrangement helps to put the focus squarely on the vocals and synth arps, which is good. I kept trying to add more though - to add more drum fills, or cymbals, or hits, or FX... or synth stabs, or anything, but this song absolutely refused to accept anything. I have literally gone through thousands and thousands of sounds, and I think I finally realized tonight that the song just needs to be a little bit stripped down. Anything I added just detracted from the arps and vocals, and they really are what carry the song. So I deleted all of the unnecessary junk. I didn't want the focus of the song being diluted. I finally settled on the arrangement, and tidied up the mix - and printed it tonight.

There is one song left to do, and the entire album is finished. More soon!
 
-Todd

THE LATEST:

Saturday, June 22nd, 2019

Awesome news! Song 9 is now called "The Priorities of Love". I've been working on it a lot over the last couple weeks... making tiny little steps of progress here and there... but today I had a creative breakthrough on it, and I spent all day in the studio working things out. All of the music and lyrics for it are DONE!! All that's left, is I have to sing, and then do the last little bit of mixing, and the song will be finished. I think I want to put it just after "Sundrops", so the tracklist continues to evolve:

THE LATEST:

Saturday, June 1st, 2019

"Rest in Peace" = DONE! Only two songs left!!

I'm psyched!! "Rest in Peace" was really hard to work on vocally... I couldn't get it to fall in place until TODAY! Back in early May, I had done a huge number of vocal takes, but none of them sounded good enough to me. Today I sang a few more takes - nothing great... and I just found myself feeling like the sound just sucks... So I started redoing the vocal effects and the mix... and I discovered a vocal effect that I really liked much better! I listened to my takes from today with the new effect, and they were good, but just "ok"... Then I went back to my favorite vocal take from early May, and ran it through this new effect, it suddenly everything just fell into place, and it sounds AMAZING now! I had thought it was the vocal performance falling short, but it was just the wrong sound... the vocal performance sounds awesome actually! Feeling kind of shocked... I was not expecting this. So anyway, I started tweaking the sound even more to improve it further... and then I started tweaking the mix - and the song is FINISHED!

The track order has changed a little - current tracklist:

May 12th, 2019

I took some time away from the studio so I haven’t accomplished much lately – I’ve been really tired and just persevering and waiting for a little more inspiration... I listened through all of the tracks just the other day, and I am debating cutting “The Sun Drops”. It’s 12 minutes long, and it’s the most miserable dirge I think I’ve ever written, and it just takes the energy out of the entire listening experience. By the end of that song, I just feel heavy and drained, and the other songs seem too far removed and it’s hard to get back to a good listening place... I haven’t decided yet for sure, but this is a real possibility.

I would like to get some momentum going and push through these last couple tracks and finish this thing up, but it just has been taking a long time. I don’t know why. I’ll keep pushing and persevering though... Maybe somehow I will finish it and you guys can finally hear what has been done. This album has been incredibly challenging for me to work on... A lot of it just comes from a really heavy place... A lot of it comes from the past - some of these tracks have been kicking around for many years now... there are times when I just want it done and I’m tempted to just to release it as is - even slightly unpolished... but I’ll figure out a way to just wait and persevere and do my best. It’s close... only 2 more songs to write, and 3 to sing...

Anyway, sorry I don’t have any more great news. My thoughts have been on the album, and I wish I could go faster sometimes, but I don’t know how to make it go any faster. I’m doing the best I can, which doesn’t seem to be much lately... but I know life works that way sometimes. Frustrating... well, pushing on... I’ll post as things proceed... however fast or slow.

Todd

Thursday, May 2nd, 2019 - 8:57PM

I spent time today getting the vocal production sounding right for "Rest in Peace". A few minutes ago I finished "trying" to sing it. I'm going to have to try another night. It's extremely difficult to sing. The verses have a really cool little lilting melody that kind of dances across the notes, and it has these weird little pitch bends throughout, and it's really hard to get them sounding right... and then the choruses explode into super intense vocals at maximum volume and high pitch... Overall, it's just difficult, and my voice is pretty much shot now... I'm going to have to try another day.

The production sounds pretty awesome though... These are probably some of the most intimate and detailed sounding vocals I've ever done. I may be able to even make it sound slightly better too with an adjustment I plan to make next time. Anyway... We have a huge job happening at work the next few days, so I'm skeptical that I'm going to get much done on it during that time, but basically it's close...

Current Tracklist:

Wednesday, May 1st, 2019 - 9:51PM

I just finished the lyrics for the next song. It’s called “Rest in Peace”... it’s now time to sing it... Once that is done, two songs left and “Revelation” is complete.

Saturday, April 21st, 2019 - 12:15AM

Ok here's the latest. I've spent the last couple weeks thinking on lyrics, and changing studio production methods a little bit (this will affect all of the remaining 3 songs). As of this evening, the music for song #8 is now completely done, and the song has now also been completely mixed, so it's sounding pretty amazing. It's ready for vocals (as soon as the lyrics are done). The vocal production is also mostly done... it's sounding as I'd like it to at the moment... Once the vocals are actually performed and recorded, the sound may change a little, and the mix may change a little, but basically, it's finished other than vocals/lyrics.
 
I have also gone through Song 9 and Song 10 and prepared them for work. The song files were actually old enough that some of the software synthesizers that I used when these songs were made had been lost on my computer... Also, some of the effects were no longer working, and some of the channel routings were all messed up. Everything is fixed now though, and the original sounds I wrote the music with are back, and intact. Both of the last two songs are now ready to work on also.
 
Really, the most challenging thing left is lyrics... Lyrics tend to take me a while. I write a lot of garbage sometimes before I find something good, so I end up having to trash lots of things. I wish I could do it faster, but it is what it is... I'm doing the best I know how to do to try and make things as good as I can, and it just takes time. Anyway, there are only these 3 songs left to do, and the album is finished. I've talked to a friend about the album cover artwork, but as of yet nothing is seriously in motion. I'm thinking on that now too though... It's time to get it moving along. I'm also "considering" shows. It's been so many years though since I've done that... I'm not sure if anyone remembers me... Will anyone come see The Twilight Garden live?
 
Anyway, I hope to have more information/news in the very near future! -Todd

Latest tracklist:

Thursday, April 11th, 2019 - 12:18AM

NEVER AND FOREVER = FINISHED. There are 3 songs left to do. More soon!

Updated tracklist:

Sunday, April 7th, 2019 - 12:32AM

I finished the final vocals for "never and forever" this evening. The vocals on this song took a really long time... as I mentioned before, the lyrics were really difficult to work with - and they took a long time before settling into the final form. In addition, it took forever to find the vocal FX and "sound" that I was looking for... but the good news is that I finally found it! - and I think the sounds is pretty spectacular... :-) That inspired the vocal performance, which was also really difficult to do, but not because of high notes or whatever - mainly just because it was tough to get each phrase sounding exactly like I wanted it to sound. I probably did more takes on this song than I have ever done on anything. The perfomance just kept developing and evolving until I could see exactly what it needed to become. It has the right "feel" now. I think it turned out pretty amazing. When it gets to the end of the song, and the very last line is sung, I find myself thinking every single time I hear it "WOW..... that sounds AWESOME!!!" :-) So psyched!!

Anyway, vocals are done for it... I've got a little bit of mixing to do on it still, but after that, it's totally done. Maybe I can finish it completely in the next few days? Will see... After that, only 3 more songs, and the album is complete. More soon.
 
-Todd

Friday, March 29th, 2019 - 11:35PM

I had previously thought the lyrics for "never and forever" were done, but as I started preparing to do the vocal, I realised they were not yet done. The words still needed some work... and I remember now - that song was excruciatingly painful writing the lyrics back about a year ago... It's one of those songs where I probably wrote 10 complete versions of lyrics and trashed them all, and then when I finally realized what the song had become, and had a rough draft that was workable, I spent huge amounts of time bashing my head against the wall editing and editing and editing again trying to achieve what the song required... and the lyrics never quite arrived where they needed to be - UNTIL NOW. I finished them TONIGHT. That's the good news. The bad news, is that the demo vocal I did for this song SUCKS... My performance is just awful on the demo. I am going to really have to up the ante if I'm going to be able to pull of this song vocally the way I think it needs to be. Anyway, it's time to sing. I'll try my best. I can't do it tonight though, but with any luck, very soon... The album inches closer to completion...

Sunday, March 24th, 2019 - 4:28PM

Just some notes about the new album "Revelation". It's progressing... but just so everyone knows where it came from... There are 10 songs on here. Most were "demos" that had been sketched out in probably 2013 or so for the intended next album to followup "Hope". 3 songs were actually completely done already - including vocals. A few of the songs were "mostly" done, and a few others were just a basic music backdrop. My life has been kind of crazy over the last 7 or 8 years... out of frustration or bitterness, or something else maybe, I had abandoned this album back in 2013 - I basically quit music at that time (other than just playing piano and singing on my own). Every once in a while as the years passed, I'd listen to one of these old demos and think that I probably should have just finished it all... and as the years continued to pass, I gradually became more and more resolute about going ahead and finishing it up. I hate leaving things unfinished - unless I truly intend to flush them down the toilet... and some of these songs are really good. It would be a shame to allow that to happen. So now, I'm now finally pushing into full music creation mode again - kind of like the old days on "a world we pretend" and "hope", or back when I was doing a lot of music with Velvet Acid Christ or The Farthest Shore. My creative energy apparently still exists... I guess it's like riding a bike - once you know it, it doesn't ever really die off. Maybe it's just a part of our who we are - I don't know. Anyway - some of these songs have been difficult to sing - some come from a pretty dark place where I was back then... and some are pushing forward into something new. The "beginning" musical ideas were all created back in 2013, but I'm having to write a bunch of new music to add new sections, and expand some of these into complete works. I'm also having to write lyrics for some of them. No matter I guess - the lyrical mind still seem to be in my head as well... Once I start trying to write, the engine creaks a little slowly for a while - with lots of bad ideas, and occasional good ones... but then it gradually begins moving forward, and it gets easier and easier as I begin to work those parts of my mind again. SO... now NEWS:

I had to do some additional mixing on "Sundrops" over the last few days, but it's now done. ONWARD. So I just looked at "Never and Forever". I guess I didn't realize how far along this one was already. Everything is completely done except the vocal. For some reason, I wrote the lyrics and did all of the music, and just didn't sing the vocal. The lyrics are interesting... a bit depressing actually. I debated changing them, but it is what it is... It's probably best to just stick with what was originally created. The good news is apparently I completely remember the entire vocal melody still. As soon as I heard the music and started reading through the lyrics while listening, the vocal melody was all right there in my mind - still intact, and just as it was when I wrote it. Amazing the way some things stay in our minds and some things don't. I think the vocals are probably going to be really hard to sing in this song... The verses are quiet and intimate, and the chorus vocals are high pitched and super high energy. I'm either going to have to track them separately (which I'd prefer NOT to do), or leave a huge amount of headroom on the recorder... or use massive vocal compression while tracking. Will see. Anyway, the album is inching toward completion...

This is the "tentative" track list (the order may change slightly still):

More soon!
 
- Todd

Tuesday, March 19th, 2019 - 12:04AM

I AM BACK FROM THE DEAD! Sundrops === DONE!!! And the sound??? Let's just say that between Sundrops and Revelation, either one of these tracks could possibly be the most powerful Twilight Garden song that I have ever written. I literally cannot believe what they have become and where this is all going... I just can't believe it. I was listening earlier, they just give me chills all over my body. Sundrops is filled with guitar - and the guitar is HUGE sounding. It sounds absolutely MASSIVE! I can't even explain how it came about... It's beyond me. All I know, is that I didn't die... I am still here... I AM BACK FROM THE DEAD!!!

Saturday, March 2nd, 2019

THE LYRICS FOR "SUNDROPS" ARE FINISHED! In addition to that, the entire song form is also DONE! The synthesizers, bass, and the drums are 95% finished... they just need a few little details/corrections/fills. Other than that, it's time to record guitar. Most of the guitar is already written - I just have to play it and record it well. Once the guitar is done, it's time to sing the vocal, and the song is finished! I believe this song is the most powerful thing I have ever written in my life... I am shocked to see what it has become... I knew it was going to be something special, but this is beyond what I had even imagined. It gives me chills like nothing I have ever experienced with my own music... Wish me luck as the last pieces fall into place.
 
-Todd

Saturday, February 23rd, 2019

Now that “Revelation” is done, I’m working on the lyrics for “Sun Drops”. It’s always challenging to get it where I want it to be. So far, my ideas seem too obvious to me – not subconscious enough or something. It always takes me a while to get the machine running - but it’s beginning to flow... I’m curious to see where it goes. The music for this song sounds so unbelievably beautiful to me... so far reaching... It doesn’t sound like anything I’ve ever done before... It’s super beautiful in a pretty spectacular way - super lush and really immersive... it sounds like dreams, and the lyrics need to reflect as such... Somehow, they will... just a matter of time... More soon!
 
-Todd

Saturday, February 16th, 2019

I just finished what I believe to be the final version of the title track for the new album "Revelation"...

Sunday, October 21st, 2018

I sang the lead vocal for "Revelation" a few weeks ago - so the vocals and lyrics are DONE. Since then, I've been slammed with a bunch of work at my day job, and also mastering work for people. I finally had some time though to get back to working on "Revelation" - and overall, I'm really happy with how it's coming together. I think it's probably 99% finished. I've been making lots of mix tweaks - that's what takes me so long. Writing songs goes a lot faster if the production isn't integrated into the songwriting process, but I do both at once, and sometimes I get bogged down with production. For example, any Cure fans out there? You know the song "Plainsong"? At the very beginning there are the chimes, and then there's that huge explosion of music coming in... and there's a crash symbol, and some kind of chimes mixed in there. The crash and chimes combine to sound so powerful... and they ring out for probably 5 seconds. It sounds amazing. When I work in The Twilight Garden, I'm always trying to create things that sound amazing to me. I can't copy The Cure or any of my other favorite bands - so I try to come up with sounds in my own way... but to create epic things like that just takes me a really long time. I'm not the best producer on earth by any means... So I sift through thousands and thousands of samples, and drum sounds, and synth sounds - endlessly looking for something to help build the transitions in the song exactly the way I want them to be. The "Song" Revelation is done... but this production work - sometimes it takes forever - because it's so tough to find sounds that are EXACTLY what is needed. The closer a song/production comes to completion, the more difficult it becomes to put something into it. On Saturday, I spent the entire day in the studio - probably 12-14 hours or so... I did nothing but work on mixing "Revelation", and I spent hours and hours sifting through sounds to try to pull the final production into shape. I'm struggling with crash symbols and effects at the moment. Anyway, I talked to a friend about it - he's going to have a listen and see if he's inspired to add anything. He's really super talented and has a great ear for percussion and that kind of thing. If it works out, great. If not, I'll finish it myself somehow. Either way, this song is VERY close to being done. I don't think it will be much longer now.

As far as everything else in life, I'm doing a little better lately. In my last post from August, I was feeling kind of down... In the springtime, my X moved out of the state and took my baby dogs with her, and it was really getting to me. The breakup with my X was tough (4 years ago), but I adapted over the years and found a way forward - and I am ok. The pups were one of my greatest sources of affection still though. I would visit them usually once per week - maybe every two weeks or so. Over the summer, without them there suddenly, I found myself in a void. They used to be so happy when I'd arrive... they'd run in circles around the house, and jump into my arms yelping... and they'd lick my face over and over... They'd really celebrate. It really made me feel so special and so appreciated. With dogs, that kind of thing seems so natural and so easy. I don't have kids, and they pretty much felt like my kids - or how I imagine I might feel with kids. My new life has to go on without them now though - they're gone, so I don't have a choice in the matter. I've been hanging close to my friends - and that's been a huge help. Thanks guys - and girls :-) I do have a tough time sometimes with intimate affection through people though - which is strange, because it's something I long for more than anything probably in life. I feel so shy though sometimes... I prefer life with close friends, and I prefer to be in an intimate relationship as opposed to single... but I don't want to just jump back into something if it's not with the right person - so I'm trying to be cautious and patient. Also, I know I'm not perfect either - finding someone who can tolerate me is quite a challenge in itself! Life is short though... and despite my music - despite how you might imagine me based on my songs, I absolutely prefer joy to gloom - and I prefer love to lovelessness. My music has tended to focus on the negative in the past. I think I found it easier to express something "powerful" when it involved heavier emotions, and so I'd focus on those things to spin out my lyrics. I'm not always like that though. I'm not some morbidly depressed guy by any means. I'm exciteable, hopeful, and filled with dreams and desire and passion and faith. I don't know where all of this is going, but it's looking like I'm on a pretty unique road. I'm gonna make the best of it. I think it's going to be a great road filled with excitement and fun and lots of blessings. I'm always trying to make something beautiful and memorable in this life - for myself because I love creating, but also for the people around me - fans, friends, family, or an intimate someone. Based on some of the messages I get from people, it seems I've succeeded at least a little in that way - however small - and that means something to me.

Well - I was just thinking I should share myself a little instead of disappearing for months on end. Hopefully next time I post I'll have a finished song and progress on some others. Wish me luck... thanks for caring and for reading all of this. Thanks for supporting me - and for supporting The Twilight Garden. I'm going to try to make it as awesome as I possibly can while I feel like I've still got something to give - and I've got a TON of ideas I want to get out there to share with people. If only I just had more time! - or if I could just work faster somehow! A friend is trying to convince me to do a VLOG - post "videos" of me talking - instead of just typing NEWS. What do you think? Should I make the next post a video? The idea makes me a little nervous though... :-) Have a great week everyone!
 
Love,
Todd
 
P.S. - CURRENT TRACK STATUS (in possible final order):

Sunday, August 26th, 2018

The last couple weeks, I've been really depressed for some reason - and I've barely been in the studio at all. Life has just changed so much in the last few years, and there have been some things in the last 6 months that have changed massively, and much of the light in my life disappeared. It's tought for me to make music when I feel down... When I'm creative, I'm creative out of inspiration - inspiration and excitement motivate me, and they end up leading where I go. For example, if I come up with a song I'm really excited about, that excitement will propel the work on the song. When I'm depressed, I can't get excited... everything sounds like garbage to me and I therefore have nothing to contribute - to a song, to a relationship, to the world or anything. That's one of the things I've been fighting against lately.

With that in mind, there have been little pieces of inspiration that will suddenly come out of the blue, so in little bursts of light, the creation of this album somehow proceeds. In the last 2 weeks, there have been very few - but just this morning, I had a realization that lead me to an inspiration. Song G is the one I'm working on lately - the title track. It's been haunting me - the one I've been trying to finish. In my inspiration this morning, I just made a couple more tweaks to the lyrics - and these tweaks have now propelled the song into the stratosphere of what it is supposed to become. I thought they were done before, but they weren't yet done. I truly believe that now, THEY ARE DONE. With that, I have some news. Song G is now called "Revelation" - and the upcoming album is now called "Revelation" as well. This song is going to push a lot of buttons. It's going to piss some people off - some may hate it... but I know it is going to reach a lot of people. I believe these are the best lyrics I have ever written. BOTH of the last two songs ("Revelation", and "The Sun Drops") have been the toughest lyrics of my life to write. "The Sun Drops" is about reaching probably the lowest place in my life - and "Revelation" is a path forward - the only path I can see now. I have been unable to find any other way.

Anyway, I still have to sing to "Revelation", so things can always change - anything could happen still. I could suddenly have another burst of inspiration and delete the song... or I could try to sing it and have a heart attack and die in the middle of the vocal. I'm not going to worry about it anymore... these news updates for you guys are really just my best "guess" at where things are, and where things are going. Nothing really matters until we actually get there does it? I can talk about mowing the lawn all I want, and I can mow one corner of it and admire how well I did that corner, but until the entire lawn is complete, it's really kind of laughable and premature to try to celebrate the accomplishment isn't it? It's just dust in the air - nothing real. YET. STAY TUNED.
 
-Todd

 
Todd Loomis of The Twilight Garden - approximately 2006
 

Sunday, August 19th, 2018

I avoided the studio for the last couple weeks. I'm not sure why - other than I felt "off" somehow mentally. I didn't really feel able to work at my best. Finally today, I somehow found some fire inside to get in there and get working again. I started working on Song G where I left off last time - vocal production and backing vocals. I did some basic backing vocals today - no big deal. Then I started working on the main vocal production sound I will be using when I track the lead vocals, and while doing that, I discovered I had to remix the whole song to be able to fit the vocals in the way I want them. I spent the entire evening mixing, and the song changed pretty significantly (but in a very good way). It sounds pretty awesome :-) I believe this pre-vocal mix is done now and it's ready. The vocal pre-production is also finished. IT IS TIME TO SING. I'm burnt tonight, so the final vocal performance will have to be another night - but everything is ready for what comes next.

I hope to have good news in the not too distant future... The muse is a strange thing though. Sometimes everything pours out instantly, and other times it's a dripping faucet. It is what it is - I don't really mind if it's fast or slow. It's more important to me that it feels right when it's done... that a song becomes what it should become. Sometimes that takes a lot of patience and a lot of perseverence. It will be worth it though. Some very special things are happening. This album is like a double edged sword - sharp, and it will cut it's way into the world to be hated or loved, ignored, or cherished, whatever - It will be something special to me at least. Once it's done, my work will be done and I can move on with my life to whatever comes next. This album has been hanging on to me - following me around like tape stuck on me or something... it didn't want to let go. I wanted to move forward - I wanted to find peace - and this album was pulling me back into the past. Thankfully it's finally coming together. Now, part of it is from the past, and part is from the present. It's a transitional album. That transition may or may not be reflected in the track order. I haven't decided yet. I'm tempted to just say screw the album flow, and just put everything in the order in which it was written. I'll think about it.

Well, that's enough rambling for tonight. I'm tired. Goodnight everyone - hopefully I'll have more to share soon.
-Todd

Saturday, August 4th, 2018

I worked today on the vocal part for "SONG G"... my vocal chords are completely wiped out. This is the most difficult of any TTG song vocally that I've ever done. The range is high, and the intensity is over the top - my voice can only sustain it for a short time. Also, the production is really difficult as well... I was able to build a sound that's close to what I want, but I'm going to have to refine it somehow - to make it better - more clear and a bit less harsh.

ALSO, I've had an idea for some backing vocal parts ever since the lyrics were completed, and I debated doing them first, but without the lead vocal, I wasn't sure exactly how I wanted to do them. Something good has come of today at least - I now have a true demo vocal recorded that goes through the whole song - with FX that are close to where they should be - so that means I can now build all of the backing vocals and other effects (so that's what comes next - before doing the true final lead vocal part). My voice is going to need some rest and time before being able to pull off the real lead, but if I can get all of the backing parts recorded and in order, and make sure they all sound awesome, then it should be all the more inspiring when I go to sing the final vocal. UGH... this song is BRUTAL, but it sounds incredible... 180bpm, high energy, epic strings, huge reverb, real bass guitar with distortion... fast drums with spastic fills. Wish me luck - this track has amazing potential I think. I just have to put in the time and work and not give up... If it turns out the way I want, then it has earned it's right to be the title track.

Oh yeah - one last bit - a friend of mine will likely be recording some vocal samples for this track - to complete the idea (I don't think it should be too tough). That won't happen until all of my vocal work is done though. There's still quite a bit to do, but things are moving forward - wish me luck!

More soon!
-Todd

Friday, August 3rd, 2018

I tried singing to song G - I think it's going to work, but the vocal parts needs further development, and I couldn't get the FX/sound into shape. I've been working on that, and working on how I want to perform the vocals. It might be tough to perform because it's very fast, and in a pretty high range. If I can get it down though, I think it should be pretty awesome! :-) ALSO, I started working on song J... I've been working on lyrics for it, and also working out the vocal melody/phrasing... The idea is beginning to come together, so I'm getting pretty excited about what this track will become. In my head at least, it sound AWESOME. I'm not sure yet, but there's a chance at least that Song J may end up being the opening track on the album. It's too early to be sure yet though. Hopefully I'll have more news in the very near future!
-Todd

These will likely be re-ordered for the album release:

Sunday, July 29th, 2018

I had a creative breakthrough last night - song G now has finished lyrics, and the music is done as well - I just have to sing it. The album now has a title, and this will be the title track.

Saturday, July 28th, 2018

SONG 4 (titled "The Sun Drops") = DONE.

This song was incredibly tough to finish. I kept trying to put more parts into it... kept trying to make mix adjustments. I didn't like anything that I was adding though... at the end of a month of trying new things, I stripped everything out of it and kept it super simple. It doesn't need any more. It NEEDS to be simple - this song demands it. This song came from a really tough place, and it was finished as such. It is 12 minutes & 12 seconds long... repetitive, atmospheric, heavy... It's done and over. It's time to move on.

These will likely be re-ordered for the album release:

THE OLD LIST FROM BACK IN APRIL SO YOU CAN SEE THE PROGRESS:

Song 1 (95% complete): The working title on this one is "black and blue". All of the music has been recorded... the lyrics are written and the vocals have been recorded. I want to change one small part of the lyric, so I have to re-sing one line, but other than that, this song is finished... This song is downtempo... very heavy in mood and tone.

Song 2 (85% complete): The working title on this one is "never and forever". The music on this one is done. I've been working out the lyrics on this one gradually - over the last few months. I believe the lyrics are now finally done as well. It is ready for vocals. I just need to sing it, and it's done. Downtempo - heavy in mood and tone...

Song 3 (95% complete): The working title on this one is "real life". All of the music has been recorded... the lyrics are written and the vocals have been recorded. I want to make a couple small mix adjustments, but other than that, this song is finished... This song is a bit lighter in tone and more accessible... medium tempo.

Song 4 (75% complete): No title yet - need to work on lyrics... 95% of the music is done and recorded. This song is very fast - 180 bpm - high energy and rocking... has real bass guitar... I like this one - feeling very excited for what it could become.

Song 5 (25% complete) - needs a lot of work - it's just a basic concept, but the main synth riffs are there... It's VERY beautiful - ultra atmospheric... peaceful. Sounds a tiny bit like Joy Division... very touching.

Song 6 (75% complete) - most of the music is done, and some demo lyrics are done. I'll probably rework the lyrics though - I'm not totally happy with them right now. Also, I'd like to refine the music a bit more... It has a really cool sounding chorus though. When the chorus synths come in, it really lights up the song - grinding bass and really swirly synth parts during that section.

Song 7 (25% complete) - cool synth riffs and hard hitting drums... the bass line is really cool in this one - the song needs developement though. Medium-fast tempo... danceable somewhat... It's not ready for lyrics yet...

Song 8 (25% complete) - fast aggressive electronic song - quick synth arps, and a really cool lead part... needs a lot of work though, but I'm excited about what this one will become. It's very catchy!

Song 9 (75% complete) - This song is the 12 minute long monstrosity I referred to earlier... It's nearing completion. I think I may have finished the lyrics tonight. I guess it's ready for vocals... I'd like to record a piano part and a big guitar solo thing in the outro - thinking on those parts now... This song may be the first or 2nd song to reach completion - possibly in the very near future. Song 10 might beat it to the finish line though... will see. The working title right now is "love and soul".

Song 10 (99% complete) - I think this one may be done, but I'm still thinking it over... Lyrics are done, vocals are recorded... all music is recorded - it's mixed, etc. It's medium tempo... very visual lyrics... beautiful and poetic. The music is weird - the synths pads have this strange grinding scraping character... It's a very cool track. I like it.

Sunday, June 24th, 2018

Vocals for song 4 == DONE. This song was one of the toughest songs for me to do vocals on that I can remember, but I think it turned out good. It's the first song I've done complete vocals for in The Twilight Garden since "Hope" was made in 2012. It was really tough - not because it was difficult to sing (maybe a little bit), but for a few other reasons... Out of the 10 songs I have demos for, 3 had final vocals already finished, and 6 had no vocals at all (just melodies in my head), but this track had a vocal demo that had been improvised when the original song was made. I thought the original vocal demo had amazing energy, but it was not intelligible... So I had to write lyrics, and then perform in a similar way to the original demo - with that same energy from 4 years ago. That's always difficult for me - to recreate the right vibe. I think I did it though... ALSO, I was able to salvage few of the lines from the original take in 2014 - so those pieces will make it into the final version. I'm glad... This song comes from a very difficult place for me. It's not flashy... not extraordinary or complicated... but I remember how I felt when I created it. It comes from a very dark place... In 2014, just after the west coast tour with Velvet Acid Christ / The Twilight Garden, I started having extreme dizziness that would not go away. For weeks, I could barely walk... and I was on the verge a panic attack constantly... and when the dizziness would get really bad, it would throw me into a full on panic attack - and I'd feel nothing but terror... but there was no escape. Nowhere I could run to - no doctors could fix me... nothing would help. This song was the only piece of music I made during this time - and the vocal demo was done then as well. It's powerful for me - because I know what I went through - the heartbreak and terror of that time - and I survived. I look back on it now, and I hear my life in this music - my energy - everything I am as a person - I hear that energy fighting with everything I had against something it seemed would crush me. This song feels like the pinnacle of a battle to me, and yet it's slow... atmospheric... repetitive and droning... If I didn't write about the experience here, you might never know otherwise.

Anyway, getting the vocal sound right was very difficult. Getting the lyrics right was very difficult as well - I probably wrote 10-15 versions of lyrics - editing them and reworking them, and trashing them and restarting, and pushing and pulling bits into shape until it finally came together... and the content of the lyrics is kind of a combination of everything that was happening. My wife of 14 years left unexpectedly in 2014. When I did this vocal, not only was I having the vertigo, but I knew something was wrong in the relationship. There were walls that would not come down, but I couldn't fix anything no matter how I tried... so I guess the it's a breakup song... It's about things falling apart - mixed in with all of the anxiety and fear that new and constant dizziness will add to life. This song will never be popular. I might never play it live... I don't know. It will probably matter to nobody but me... but for me it matters. It means I survived - not only the dizziness I was having, but the heartbreak that was coming as well (thank you God for somehow getting me through everything). It's not a victorious song - just the opposite actually, because most of the song is told from the perspective back then - as everything was falling apart. It's only victorious in that I finished it now afterward. I survived, and I finished it... and I'm moving on. I have tons of life and energy still left in me, so with this song, I let the past become the past. It's time to look to the future. 4 songs on the album are now done (well, this one almost). The next 6 have no vocals, lyrics, or vocal demos. That means everything now will be new - it's time to move forward. Thanks to everyone who was there for me during the tough times - even those who just showed me little kindnesses - that they cared - smiles and good conversations with acquaintances, friends, loved ones and family.

I'm going to try to finish up song #4 now - there's just the mixing, and maybe a little more synthesizer work and percussion work, but I don't expect anything super difficult. Hopefully in the near future, I will have another post with song #4 done, and info on song #5. MORE SOON!
 
-Todd

Thursday, June 21st, 2018

So the studio attempt for vocals on song #4 was a fail... couldn't get the sound I was looking for. I was feeling pretty disheartened afterward, so I took a break for a while to get away from the song and refresh my head... Just tonight, I decided to try in my own studio to get the vocal production sound right. I set things up in the way I typically do vocals... It sounded "ok", but didn't sound right for the song. I tried wiring in compression and an overdrive effect - in a few different orders. CLOSER... It still wasn't right though. I changed mics... closer. Changed mics again... VERY CLOSE NOW. I ended up rewiring the overdrive/compression/preamps again in a new order again and there it was! I think I finally have a sound that is good - one that should work for the final vocal. Unfortunately, doing all of the vocal production work, I completely exhausted my voice, and I can't sing anymore tonight... So the final vocal won't happen tonight. I think everything is ready to go though... everything is in place. When I'm ready, all I need to do is just go into the studio, and start recording. I just need to get in the right state of mind and be ready to pour it all out...

Monday, June 11th, 2018

3/10 tracks for the new album are done. I have a working title for the album, and a loose concept/idea for the artwork. I've browsed artwork, but haven't found the right piece yet that works with my idea. As far as the music/songs, I'm working on song #4. Song #4 has probably been the toughest one for me... it's so stripped down... it's not complex in comparison to other things I've done in the past - so it can't depend on flashiness to keep attention. The parts need to be done right to keep it from getting boring, and to make sure that everything in the vocal and music works the way it should - and that it can still be engaging - even if simple and very long (this track is 12 minutes long). It's the longest track on the album. I have no plans to do any others of that length. The music is probably 90% done. The lyrics are done. I'm working on the vocal production/effects now. Once I get it sounding right, I'll track the vocal. After that, I may try to add a guitar part or two, and maybe some simple sound effects... and then that's it. Hopefully I'll have more information in the not-too-distant future. More soon! -Todd

Saturday, June 2nd, 2018

HUGE NEWS! In addition to the one song that was just finished a few days ago, TWO MORE songs are now 100% COMPLETE = DONE!
 
3/10 ALBUM TRACKS ARE NOW 100% FINISHED - ON TO #4!!
1st to reach completion: black and blue
2nd: real life
3rd: start the dream
4th: ?
 
The way these came together: I tried making the mix adjustments I wanted on "real life", but I didn't like the sound of it... it changed the vibe of the track too much. I decided to mess around in mastering, and the track fell right into place... It sounds awesome. :-) After that, I looked at "start the dream"... the mix already sounded amazing... absolutely no need to mess with it any more. I just finished mastering it, so it is also DONE. This mix sounds HUGE... So psyched!!! Time to head back to the studio and start thinking about the next track.
 
More soon! -Todd

Thursday, May 31st, 2018

SONG 1 (black and blue) = COMPLETE!!!

THE ALBUM IS OFFICIALLY UNDERWAY! I am mastering as I go as well, so that track is 100% DONE.

It's time now to move on to the rest of the album. Hopefully now that the first song is totally complete, the rest of the songs will start to fall into place. I now have a working title for the album also. I don't want to share that yet though in case it changes, but I thought of it maybe a few weeks ago or so, and the title has stuck in my head since then, which is a good sign. I'm guessing there is a good chance it will stick. Also, I now have a loose concept for what I'm going to be looking for in the artwork - inspired by the working album title, and the overall vibe of the songs/music. There are 10 tracks still intended. The track order is yet undecided...

The next track I hope to work on is "Real Life" - which is already 95% complete. I need to make some mix adjustments to it, but all intended parts are already written and recorded. The lyrics and vocals also are already finished. Hopefully it will come together well... Onward...

The Twilight Garden Live at WGT Wave Gotik Treffen 2013 - image 03

Tuesday, May 15th, 2018

NEW ALBUM PROGRESS UPDATE:

I recorded a vocal part tonight for song1 (black and blue). It is now probably 97% complete. This is the first time I have done any vocal work for The Twilight Garden in almost 5 years... I was a bit nervous about it because of that. This song had most of the vocals done in 2013 or 2014, but there was one line in the lyric that always bugged me, and I intended to replace it. It was really tough to get the right energy and the right sound - because I had to match the sound from 5 years ago when I did the vocals. Tonight, just for a single vocal line, I think I did about 60 vocal takes before I was happy with my performance. It's perfect though - exactly as I intended - and so the lyric I didn't like has been replaced with a better one, and the song inches closer to completion. I spent a bunch of time last night mixing it... I also recorded a background percussion part this evening for it. I think this song may need a few samples and possibly another background percussion part - but then it will enter the final mixing stage, and it will be FINISHED. This will be the first song I have completed 100% for the new album, and also the first new song to reach completion for The Twilight Garden since 2012 (when I finished "Hope"). I'll let you know how it goes, but with any luck this song could be done within a few days. More soon.

Tuesday, April 3rd, 2018

NEW ALBUM PROGRESS UPDATE:

There are currently 10 songs in the works. They are listed below in the order in which they appear on my hard disk - the order is just alphabetical according to the folder names I'm using in the computer. Here is the latest:

Song 1 (95% complete): The working title on this one is "black and blue". All of the music has been recorded... the lyrics are written and the vocals have been recorded. I want to change one small part of the lyric, so I have to re-sing one line, but other than that, this song is finished... This song is downtempo... very heavy in mood and tone.

Song 2 (85% complete): The working title on this one is "never and forever". The music on this one is done. I've been working out the lyrics on this one gradually - over the last few months. I believe the lyrics are now finally done as well. It is ready for vocals. I just need to sing it, and it's done. Downtempo - heavy in mood and tone...

Song 3 (95% complete): The working title on this one is "real life". All of the music has been recorded... the lyrics are written and the vocals have been recorded. I want to make a couple small mix adjustments, but other than that, this song is finished... This song is a bit lighter in tone and more accessible... medium tempo.

Song 4 (75% complete): No title yet - need to work on lyrics... 95% of the music is done and recorded. This song is very fast - 180 bpm - high energy and rocking... has real bass guitar... I like this one - feeling very excited for what it could become.

Song 5 (25% complete) - needs a lot of work - it's just a basic concept, but the main synth riffs are there... It's VERY beautiful - ultra atmospheric... peaceful. Sounds a tiny bit like Joy Division... very touching.

Song 6 (75% complete) - most of the music is done, and some demo lyrics are done. I'll probably rework the lyrics though - I'm not totally happy with them right now. Also, I'd like to refine the music a bit more... It has a really cool sounding chorus though. When the chorus synths come in, it really lights up the song - grinding bass and really swirly synth parts during that section.

Song 7 (25% complete) - cool synth riffs and hard hitting drums... the bass line is really cool in this one - the song needs developement though. Medium-fast tempo... danceable somewhat... It's not ready for lyrics yet...

Song 8 (25% complete) - fast aggressive electronic song - quick synth arps, and a really cool lead part... needs a lot of work though, but I'm excited about what this one will become. It's very catchy!

Song 9 (75% complete) - This song is the 12 minute long monstrosity I referred to earlier... It's nearing completion. I think I may have finished the lyrics tonight. I guess it's ready for vocals... I'd like to record a piano part and a big guitar solo thing in the outro - thinking on those parts now... This song may be the first or 2nd song to reach completion - possibly in the very near future. Song 10 might beat it to the finish line though... will see. The working title right now is "love and soul".

Song 10 (99% complete) - I think this one may be done, but I'm still thinking it over... Lyrics are done, vocals are recorded... all music is recorded - it's mixed, etc. It's medium tempo... very visual lyrics... beautiful and poetic. The music is weird - the synths pads have this strange grinding scraping character... It's a very cool track. I like it.

Wednesday, March 7th, 2018

A couple things:
 
1) It looks like "A World We Pretend" is going to go out of print for a while... Projekt is cleaning house, and the album has sold most of what it's going to sell. Maybe at some point in the future I'll consider making it available again, but for now, it's done.
2) Regarding progress on the new album, I've only done a small amount of work on lyrics since the last announcement - although I've been trying to get the studio ready to do vocals. Hopefully in the near future it will be ready, and the lyrics will be finalized. Then I can continue moving forward. Not a lot to share tonight, but hopefully, more soon...

Tuesday, February 27th, 2018

Work on the new album is proceeding. There are currently 10 songs for it - not 9 as I previously thought. Lately, I've been working on two songs at once... I was in the studio all of yesterday evening working on these two. One of them was just a demo before - far from complete (one of the 30% songs mentioned below). That song is now probably 75% complete. The music for it is 95% done - it just needs lyrics, and I have already started on lyrics for it. This song is a monstrosity - different than anything I've ever done... epic, huge sounding, slow and atmospheric... it's like 12 1/2 minutes long... I started writing that one shortly after I first started having vertigo regularly. It comes from a pretty dark place, and it will be finished as such. It is not a hit - it will never be a hit... it's just about human experience - survival, fear... It's pretty heavy. The other song I've been working on has 95% of the music complete, and the lyrics are also 95% complete. It's medium tempo - atmospheric and poetic, but it rocks more - is very powerful and the end is really climatic. I like bringing things to a powerful climax, and this song does exactly that - working toward it gradually. Hopefully with any luck, I'll be able to do vocals for both of those tracks in the near future... and they will be DONE.
 
If I remember, I'll try to post a more accurate status update for each of the 10 songs soon so you can follow as things proceed. With any luck, I hope to have more news very soon!

Monday, January 29th, 2018

I posted on the TTG Facebook page asking people what they liked about The Twilight Garden... and after reading through all of your responses, I wanted to share some news. Here's my post from Facebook:
 
Thank you all for sharing... I want people to enjoy what I do, but unless I hear from people, I never really know if or how they enjoy it... I can make music alone for nobody if I want, but that seems selfish and self absorbed... it's an empty existence. I prefer to share my music with people - and I'm amazed and lucky that anyone in the world out there cares about what I'm doing or what I've done. Thank you all so much for that - for opening your hearts to me... I'm going to try with all that I have to do the same for you and open my heart to you as well...
 
With that in mind - I have some news! Over the last couple years, I've listened to the album that I was working on in 2014 (the followup to Hope)... but I never really looked through all of the the old folders in depth... until just a few days ago. I was searching through things to see EXACTLY what was there and what it would take to complete the album. I was surprised to discover that I actually wrote more material than I had previously thought. Apparently there were 8 songs! Kind of shocking to me I guess... 8 songs is pretty much enough for an album. With that, I've decided to try to finish up that album. Also, I wrote a 9th song about a month ago - it's pretty much done - I just have to sing the vocal... so the status on the next TTG album is as follows:
 
1 song is 100% done
 
2 songs are 95% done
 
2 songs are 75% done
 
4 songs are 30% done
 
I'm not sure how long it will take me to finish everything, but I want you to know that I intend to try to do this - starting pretty much now. I'll post either here or on the ttg website as things progress, and I'll post this message on the TTG website right now as well. Once again, thank you all so much for your feedback... I need it and appreciate it. I'll do my best to try to be as honest and expressive as I can be... even if it sometimes exposes my weaknesses... I guess art sometimes results in that whether I like it or not. I'll try to honor the energy and the sound that it seems you enjoy... I think there is some good music inside me still. Listening to some of these new songs gives me chills. I think that's a good sign.
 
With any luck, I will have more regular updates on The Twilight Garden moving into the future. Thank you for not forgetting about me - I know I pretty much disappeared for the last 5 years or so... so my voice may not be too loud lately, but I'm still here.
 
-Todd

Saturday, August 12th, 2017

I'm playing a piano / vocal concert @ The Mercury Cafe on September 15th, 2017. Doors open at 7:30 PM - the show is all ages, tickets are $10. GET TICKETS HERE!
 
Post Punk Flier

Tuesday, April 18th, 2017

I'm considering making music again. I have a few things I'd like to do first (an announcement may be forthcoming in the not too distant future), but with any luck, some new music could be on the horizon as well...

Wednesday, March 25th, 2015

A few months back, some things happened in my personal life that resulted in me having to move, and in addition, I no longer had a place to make music. I have found a solution, and with any luck I should have a studio space again in a few weeks. I wish I had more exciting news, but in regard to The Twilight Garden, that's the latest...

Monday, October 27th, 2014

Two things. First, there is a new album in the works. More soon on that. Second, Soundmirror66 has made a new video! Very cool... I don't know how or where he comes up with these graphics, but I like it. I didn't know he was going to do this, so it's a nice surprise. Many thanks! Anyway... Enjoy! :-)

Thursday, June 12th, 2014

A new album by "the twilight garden" is now in the making! The first song is done (well, a tiny bit of production still). The second and third songs are in the works! The Twilight Garden won't be playing any shows in 2014 (probably) so the focus can remain on the writing process... People have asked for snippets to hear. I might post something as the album gets a bit further along - more soon!

Monday, December 9th, 2013

TOURING COMPLETE! In 2013, The Twilight Garden toured as an opening act for Velvet Acid Christ. We played a total of 29 concerts. Here they are:
 
1) Denver, Colorado - Feb 9th, 2013 - Casselman's
2) Austin, Texas - Feb 15th, 2013 - Elysium
3) Phoenix, Arizona - Feb 18th, 2013 - Martini Ranch
4) San Diego, California - Feb 19th, 2013 - Brick by Brick
5) Hollywood, California - Feb 20th, 2013 - 3 Clubs - TTG ONLY
6) Los Angeles, California - Feb 22nd, 2013 - Das Bunker - VAC ONLY
7) San Francisco, California - Feb 24th, 2013 - DNA Lounge
8) Portland, Oregon - Feb 27th, 2013 - Ash Street Saloon
9) Seattle, Washington - March 1st, 2013 - The Highline
10) Salt Lake City, Utah - March 3rd, 2013 - Area 51
11) Leipzig, Germany - May 20th, 2013 - Altas Landenstradt - TTG ONLY
12) Leipzig, Germany - May 18th, 2013 - Agra Hall - VAC ONLY
13) Chicago, Illinois - Sept 25th, 2013 @ Bottom Lounge
14) Columbus, Ohio - Sept 27th, 2013 @ Skully's Music Diner
15) Detroit, Michigan - Sept 29th, 2013 @ Smalls
16) Ottowa, Ontario, Canada - Oct 1st, 2013 @ Zaphod Beeblebrox
17) Montreal, Quebec, Canada - Oct 2nd, 2013 @ Les Katacombes
18) New York City, New York - Oct 5th, 2013 @ Drom
19) Baltimore, Maryland - Oct 6th, 2013 @ Ottobar
20) Richmond, Virginia - Oct 8th, 2013 @ Fallout
21) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania - Oct 11th, 2013 @ The Rex Theater
22) Indianapolis, Indiana - Oct 12th, 2013 @ Birdy's
23) Nashville, Tennessee - Nov 11th, 2013 - The Rutledge
24) Charlotte, North Carolina - Nov 13th, 2013 - Amos' Southend
25) West Palm Beach, Florida - Nov 15th, 2013 - Respectable Street
26) Tampa, Florida - Nov 16th, 2013 - The Orpheum
27) New Orleans, Lousiana - Nov 18th, 2013 - Siberia
28) Austin, Texas - Nov 22nd, 2013 - Elysium
29) Oklahoma City, Oklahoma - Nov 23rd, 2013 - Voodoo Lounge

Saturday, November 9th, 2013

1) We are on tour! - VIEW TOUR DATES HERE!

2) New single "Reconcile" now available!

Reconcile by The Twilight Garden

3) Check out the new video for Falling Rain:

Wednesday, August 22nd, 2013

Hear the Velvet Acid Christ remix from the new single "Reconcile"!!! Here it is:

NEW SINGLE "RECONCILE" (release date TBA) - with remixes by Velvet Acid Christ, Toxic Coma, Amoryth, and Patrick Hogan of Synapse. Also includes a remastered version of "Reconcile", and some previously unreleased material by The Twilight Garden. Check it out:
 
Reconcile by The Twilight Garden
 
WE ARE TOURING AGAIN! DATES NOW ON THE TOUR PAGE!

Wednesday, May 22nd, 2013

The Wave Gotik Treffen 2013 in Leipzig, Germany was AMAZING!
The Twilight Garden Live at WGT Wave Gotik Treffen 2013 - image 03
 
Special thanks to Rose Mone for sending pictures (all pics here of The Twilight Garden). The trip was incredible. For anyone who hasn't yet attended, the Wave Gotik Treffen involves thousands upon thousands of gothic people gathering in the City of Leipzig. They come many different countries. I'm not positive, but I "heard" it is actually the largest gothic festival in the world. It's overwhelming - and so cool! Many of the people dress to their absolute best, and they look absolutely amazing. We were really happy to be there. We really enjoyed meeting and talking with many many people. We ate indian food almost every day... we walked around Leipzig and enjoyed the sights - the huge gothic crowd, the beautiful architecture, etc. We saw some incredible concerts... It was awesome! I have always wanted to see IAMX live, and I LOVED their show! They are amazing - do not miss them if you get a chance. Also, I thought KMFDM was incredible live. In addition, we went to see Hypnoskull at "Altes Landratsamt" on Friday (where we would be performing in TTG just a few days after). Hypnoskull put on an amazing show - the PA sounds amazing with powernoise - like it is on the edge of just exploding to pieces - very powerful and cool! The Birthday Massacre was great - very energetic and fun to watch. There were many more concerts we went to - so great! Anyway, check out the pictures below.
 
Todd Loomis, Bryan Erickson, and Chris Kutz performed in both The Twilight Garden AND Velvet Acid Christ. The Velvet Acid Christ show was first - here is the lineup: Live May 18th 2013 @ Agra Halle WGT 7:20 PM

1) Aslan Faction
2) Velvet Acid Christ
3) Suicide Commando
4) Leather Strip
5) IAMX
 
The Twilight Garden performed two days later. Here is the lineup: Live May 20th 2013 @ Altes Landratsamt WGT 6:30 PM 1) Burn
2) The Twilight Garden
3) The Blue Angel Lounge
4) Principe Valiente
5) I Like Trains
 
Here are some more pictures:
 
The Twilight Garden Live at WGT Wave Gotik Treffen 2013 - image 01
 
The Twilight Garden Live at WGT Wave Gotik Treffen 2013 - image 02
 
The Twilight Garden Live at WGT Wave Gotik Treffen 2013 - image 04
 
The Velvet Acid Christ show was HUGE! We had some gear problems at the beginning of the VAC show so we were delayed a bit and had to cut a few songs from the set. I thought we played well though and the crowd seemed to really enjoy the show... Check it out!:
 
Velvet Acid Christ Live at WGT Wave Gotik Treffen 2013 - image 01
 
Velvet Acid Christ Live at WGT Wave Gotik Treffen 2013 - image 02
 

May 13th, 2013

We leave in just a few days for Germany! We will be playing the Wave Gotik Treffen 2013 festival. Todd Loomis, Bryan Erickson, and Chris Kutz will be playing in both The Twilight Garden AND Velvet Acid Christ. View scheduling information. We are really excited to be travelling to Germany - and to be sharing the stage with some amazing bands. We hope to see you there!

March 12th, 2013

Thank you everyone who came out and supported our west coast tour!
Stay tuned - USA EAST COAST TOUR DATES TBA SOON
ALSO, in May 2013 we will be playing the Wave Gotik Treffen festival in Leipzig, Germany - View the tour page FOR MORE INFO...

January 9th, 2013

WE ARE TOURING! - VIEW THE TOUR PAGE FOR MORE INFO...
 
Also, if you haven't already picked up the new album "Hope", GO GET IT! :)

November 27th, 2012

New album "Hope" - NOW AVAILABLE

November 15th, 2012

The new album comes out in a week and a half. A tour is definitely happening now... shows will be announced very soon now... Please buy the new album to show your support. Thank you to everyone... I'm excited to see you on the road in your respective city!
 
ALSO,
 
The first album review of the new album Hope has just appeared (by Bryan Erickson of Velvet Acid Christ). I gave a copy to Bryan and he was kind enough to write about it on electricdethtripmedia (site closed as of ? date).

October 2nd, 2012

You can now hear samples of the new album "Hope" on the Metropolis website here: https://metropolis-records.com/product/11036/hope

September 3rd, 2012

The Twilight Garden Touring? - quite possibly in the not too distant future! I have made amends with Bryan Erickson from Velvet Acid Christ so we are now discussing the possibilities. I will likely play in Velvet Acid Christ as well during the tour. Currently, it looks like we will go south, then west to the Pacific coast, and all the way north up to Seattle. This is to be followed by an east coast tour a bit later... then possibly some cities in Canada, Mexico, and Europe. More detail soon!
 
Also, the new Velvet Acid Christ album entitled "Maldire" will be released about a week! I have been listening through it to get familiar with the songs. It sounds AWESOME... It's angry - very aggressive, very intense. I'm excited to play these songs live. Order his album - you will not regret it! - HERE: Metropolis Records

August 24, 2012

New album "Hope" to be released November 27th, 2012
NOW AVAILABLE FOR PREORDER HERE: Metropolis Records
 
Hope by The Twilight Garden

August 09, 2012

IT IS DONE! The new album is complete, and it has been sent off! The official release date will be announced in the very near future! More info very soon!

August 04, 2012

Song 11 of 12 mixed!!! Song 11 happens to be the title track of the album. It will appear in position 4 on the final product. Mixing is now beginning on song #12 (the opening track of the album).

August 02, 2012

Currently mixing song 10 of 12. Mastering will follow - then the album is DONE! It will be sent for duplication and I will await the release date which I will announce shortly thereafter. This is all going to happen very fast now...

July 07, 2012

All songs for the new album are now complete. Mixing and mastering will begin shortly!

July 04, 2012

Vocals for 2 of the 3 final songs for the new album? = DONE. Vocals for the last song? 1/2 done. I will give another try on the last song soon, then the album is complete and mixing & mastering will begin.

June 30, 2012

All songs for the new album = DONE (at least the songwriting portion). There will be 12 tracks. I have to sing vocals to 3 of them still... then I start final mixing & mastering. After what seems like forever, this new album is finally nearing completion.

May 13, 2012

BIG NEWS! The final song on the album is done! The songs are now entering the production stage (final overdubs, mixing, and then mastering). During this stage, I will be working with Chris Kutz (he will be playing drums on the album), and Patrick Hogan (Patrick will be helping with samples, and other various parts - guitar, synth, etc). Also, Tom Hagerman of Devotchka will be playing some string parts (violin, viola, possibly cello and/or other instruments). Chris and I are currently working out the final drum parts, and we should be ready to record very soon.
 
-Todd

February 26, 2012

After months of searching for the ideal art for this new album, I think I have finally found it!!! I am so excited! The new artist is insanely talented, and the new cover is going to be an incredible fit to the music! :) I am still in talks with him about the licensing now. I don't want to announce who it is until the album comes out, but I wanted to just share the update as things move forward... Things are getting close. More info soon on the progress of the new music!
 
-Todd

February 5, 2012

Today, Alyssa Gibson made some new banners for The Twilight Garden! :) Here's her link: @ Deviantart.com Find the new TTG banners on the home page by clicking the "HOME" link on the right - then scroll down. Progress on the new album? It is nearing completion... there are 2 more songs to do. Both are already in the works - one of them is nearly finished. Things are sounding really fantastic! I am starting to get really excited about everything on the horizon... More soon!

December 06, 2011

Tom Hagerman of Devotchka - solo album titled "Water Music". Please check out his music and if you like it, consider purchasing it. Tom is one of the most talented musicians I know... He's amazing - REALLY! - and you will very likely love it.
 
-Todd
 
Here is the link:
https://posttruthserum.bandcamp.com/album/water-music

December 4, 2011

Sideline Magazine is having their 2011 best band awards... If you like "The Twilight Garden", please consider voting for us in the "best band" category! Here is the link:
 
https://www.side-line.com
 
Thank you for the support!

December 3, 2011

   The new album is about half finished now - 5 songs are finished, and 2 more are in process. ALSO... A remix was done of the track "Dead Adults" from "a world we pretend". It is VERY club friendly... very electro & very danceable. More information coming soon regarding availability & credits on the remix. A lot is happening, and it will not be long now before all of this new material will be released. More soon!

OLDER NEWS:

1) There is now a page on Facebook for The Twilight Garden (it's also in the "Links" section here now as well)

2) Work on the new TTG album took a bit of a detour. I ended up taking a bunch of time off in order to mix and master music tracks for an indie film called "Where have all the mermaids gone". I'm not sure when/if it's going to be publicly released yet, but I'll post when I know more. The music was all done by "Tom Hagerman" from the band Devotchka. He is going to be releasing two solo CDs this winter - one of them will be all of the sound cues from the film - so I actually did a completely seperate mastering job for the solo disc. 28 tracks were mixed and mastered. We literally just finished! Anyway, it was a good experience and I think the tracks turned out really good. We're hoping to get more film work in the future... there is a potential film in mind! ;-) I will post more on that soon if it works out. Anyway, the film/solo cd is finally complete, so we're now focused on the new album for The Twilight Garden:

3) In regards to progress on the new album for The Twilight Garden, two songs are semi-finished. The reason I say "semi" finished? We're producing this album in a much different way than before. The songs are being written ahead of time, and the majority of the parts are being recorded immediately... but a bit of additional recording along with final mixing will happen when all of the songs are complete... There is a reason for this - which I will elaborate on at a later time. Both of the songs that are finished definitely sound like TTG, although, they have a different sound than "a world we pretend". I think maybe these are a bit "heavier" emotionally? Anyway... the production style is different as well. These tracks should sound amazing on a big PA/club system. They are not "typical" dance tracks by any means - but they should do well in the clubs because they should make the speaker system slam.

I'll post more as things progress... I'm sure it will be massively entertaining... (not)... but if you actually like our music, you'll probably glean something from this stuff...

Best wishes, Todd

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