HADAL SHERPA Debut Album 2017 (instrumental progressive rock from Finland)

sherpa

New member
Hi there, we are Hadal Sherpa, a progressive instrumental rock band from Finland. We are about to release our debut album, it is now ready with mixing and now we are starting with mastering.

We are releasing a full sample track and a crowd fund campaign, so check it out here, we highly appreciate spreading the word:


https://igg.me/at/hadalsherpa
 

John Watt

Member
Please, can you translate your name for me?

I was thinking, okay, the eye is moving up and down,
and then I noticed the two human head shapes starting to move,
change colours, very nice, and I started thinking something.

I couldn't watch both figures at the same time,
and I was wondering if that is what the eye is all about,
which one to look at, even if the eye just looks one way.
 
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sherpa

New member
Please, can you translate your name for me?

I was thinking, okay, the eye is moving up and down,
and then I noticed the two human head shapes starting to move,
change colours, very nice, and I started thinking something.

I couldn't watch both figures at the same time,
and I was wondering if that is what the eye is all about,
which one to look at, even if the eye just looks one way.
Thanks for the comments on the video, we are happy to hear your thoughts about it! Our name refers to few places, like the depths of oceans. But there is probably not a good sounding translation for it, so let's not bring it too much to light and rather leave it open to interpretations...
 

John Watt

Member
sherpa, I'm not English, even if I can pass for American, here in Canada.

You should explain. You're not thinking global thoughts, with your attitude.
How can your name be just expressive, having a vague meaning, if any at all?
Listeners, here, viewers too, need a name to identify you, and identifying you,
means having some kind of identity.
Unless, you've got the kind of lead guitarist who walks offstage before he starts,
saying he doesn't feel like playing with you that day. I can understand that.

Let me explain what identity I see.

Your name, sherpa, is the name of a nationality, being a Sherpa.
They are the people who used to hike up Mount Everest, for the view and ceremonies,
before global warming made that the coldest place on earth.
Everyone in North America knows sherpas from all the National Geographic magazines,
and all the British Mount Everest stuff.
Don't forget, the first British man to climb Mount Everest was a hiker,
wearing hiking clothes, not having any oxygen, and he's famous famous famous.
That makes Mount Everest, and the Sherpa guides who now are there to save lives,
an emotional thing, considering the Rocky, Appalachian and Grand Teton mountain ranges all over here.

So I'm definitely not seeing anyone from Finland as being a Sherpa, unless you parents are and moved.

And that's just commenting on your name, not going on about Hadal Sherpa, that you won't explain.
For me, and that's having middle east customers, such as Lebanese, Iraqi and Irani, customers,
seeing Hadal reminds me right away of Halal, what is a clean way to kill animals to eat,
lots of Halal products being sold side by side with typical north american factory food.

So if there is room to see what you're not saying, it's the difference between Hadal and Halal.
In jokes, personal references, just what some names can be,
might be fun for you, for you as a band, and for you as locals in your own land,
but please, for the hope of any success outside of your native land,
think locally, but act globally, what was the huge catch-phrase over here, twenty years ago.

There are no Engs or Frens, England and France fighting the last hundred years war.
Scottish people invented the Holy Bible in English, and we are using that language,
meaning you are a global speaker, even if you're not thinking around the world.
I can say "Bay-an-uck-let", blessings on you, and as you could say,
"Agus oo hane a haritch", you as well my friend.

Don't be shy. Nobody gets in jokes, when it's a foreign culture making them,
even if you're in front of my face, sitting here, a two hour bike-hike from Niagara Falls,
the home, originator, and original content and code, for commercial hydro in all the world.
Jus'sayin'.

sure my little sherpa, sherpa, guide me up to your stars,
carry the water and pills and extra rope, so I'm the one forward.
hurry, my little sherpa, sherpa, when I'm up and can't get down,
because my crazy white man's feet, can't reach your hallowed ground.
Don't tell me, you fought off the British, until they hired some of you,
so they could start to climb your mountain, just because it was there.

That's what North Americans say, what the British and Americans say,
they climb Mount Everest, why, because it is there.
They also describe all the victims of vehicular homicide,
now the leading cause of death in the disUnited States, as also just being there.
Life, it's what you make it,
and for musicians, it's more about the music. Let's get into it, if you want to.

You say Finland, yes, fish, the ocean, not like my islander ancestors, even Hebredis Islands,
but over here it's been a glut of Beowulf and Grendel, lots of Danish and Vikings,
even huge TV series, having two DVD movies now with all that in it,
maybe even remembering Skaarsgard as director or actor....
You shouldn't be trying to have an "in joke" about your name,
you should have been trying to catch some wave action with all these Danes.

There weren't any lyrics or any font, of or by the band for the video,
so you're lucky I can't comment on anything the band is saying and not singing.
Maybe you are more about the notes and lyrics we don't use,
getting to be a trend around here, the space between the words,
even the space between the words we don't use... you need a cello for that,
and for you, bringing one up off the Lusitania would work the best.

And for me, admitting there is probably not a good sounding translation,
is reason enough to change it, as a new global identity.
Your previous output could be your, uh, underseas era.
 

sherpa

New member
In our band name "Hadal" refers to the deepest parts of the ocean, the Hadal Zone. "Sherpa" refers to the guides that will take you to those places, among others. There is no inside joke and we surely are not having a laugh at anyone. The forum member name "sherpa" is just a reference to our band. We have other songs on the album that are more "oceanic" than this one, so maybe the name works better when hearing them also.
 

bob32116

New member
Not bad, maybe a bit more metal than I usually like to listen to, but not bad. I suspect you have been listening to a bit of Opeth or maybe Porcupine Tree.

Incidentally I know the music is the important thing rather than the video, but I found that video really annoying and had to scroll it off the screen. I'd rather have no video at all, maybe just a still image, or else if you must have a video there should actually be things happening that are somewhat entertaining and a bit related to the music.
 
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John Watt

Member
When you say "oceanic" to me, I'm thinking underwater sounds, and waves of emotions, at the very least.
Let's not get into the rapture of the deep, oh yeah, snorkeling in Lake Erie.

If this was that show with the investors who look over the inventors and manufacturers,
I'd be saying, bob32116, I can see you're interested, but not enough to carry this investment alone.
I can see putting in, as long as they play one of my songs, and do a version with me singing.
And bob32116, you'd have to be the star in the video, I'm too old and don't want to get up onstage.

Hadal Sherpa! I'm back, almost in an instant, because, I thought of words for you.
You are saying the deepest part of the oceans, the Hadal. I never heard that word.
Over here, the deepest oceans are about the Titanic, found by a Mr. Ballard,
and his name is close to "ballast", what a boat is weighed down with.
The pulsing veins of the heads would look good as seaweed up around a sunken shipwreck.
It was a submersible from the "Woods Hole Institute" that was built and used to find it,
and "wood" and "woods" are big words to use to be poetic or suggestive.
Having a woody can be pitching a tent, or having a station wagon to put a surf board on the roof.

If you want to get into "Free Willy", that's up to you.
There were three Free Willys, and he's still out there,
unless he's hiding in the damp corner of a change room at Aqua World,
waiting for the sound-track recording to be over.
That's one mike he doesn't want to get in front of.
 
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sherpa

New member
We are pleased to tell you that the album mastering is now ready and we are really happy with it. We are going to release the CD anyway, regardless of how much money is raised, so don't be shy when selecting your perks. Also the T-shirt design is now ready, it looks like this:


mPXVwPV.jpg



https://igg.me/at/hadalsherpa
 

bob32116

New member
Clever design.

Ummm... I hope your actual music CDs don't have the hole way off centre like the one in that drawing. Might make them hard to play.
 

John Watt

Member
I'm seeing the t-shirt graphic first, and bob32116's comment second.
I agree with bob32116 when it comes to the center hole being off-centre,
but I like it, and for sure, I'm going to type and tell you why.

First of all, even if this graphic isn't as big as the t-shirt,
it has an optical illusion for me, seeing the disc and hands coming out at me.
Sure, the disc looks off-centre, only because it's not flat and one-dimensional in front of you,
but slanted, a nice mid-point between the "Hadal Sherpa" graphic and the hands.

I'm seeing the Hadal Sherpa eye, not the camera eye at the end of the line,
that first saw the Titanic, yeah, I hafta keep saying that, James Cameron being local.
But I'm also seeing the Hadal Sherpa eye being symbolized by the disc coming at you,
having an eye-like look to it, with more detail than the eye between the words.

Uh, I like hard to play, but I just like to play that way,
because it takes too much time to figure out other guitarists' hard to play parts.

Hadal Sherpa, or sherpa, whatever band member you are,
don't worry about the money.
Just think of the disc as where the band is at now, as a recording act,
and something to sell at your gigs, or walking down the street,
or busking, retailing on the side... yeah...

sherpa! If you ever want to visit Niagara Falls for some top waters,
you better hurry over, because there might not be that much water any more.
Donald Trump, and he's not presidential at all, just a business front for the Bush Republicans,
is now saying the United States needs to divert all the water to make new hydro,
and is saying Canada should help pay for a wall to divide the river above the Falls.
The new diversion has lowered it so much already, you can see the river bottom,
and see through the falls to the rocks behind them.
Birds, big seagulls, stand in the water below the American side,
and the rocks that looked like they were sticking up out of the water,
now look like they are sitting on the bottom, having shadows under them.

Here's a camera zoom to the bottom of the rainbow, on the American side.
Too bad it came out sideways here.

One more serious suggestion, for those unfamiliar with the Hadal Sherpa name.
In the graphic, the lettering does remind me of psychedelic L.A. rock posters,
even Jimi Hendrixs' "Are You Experienced", except for one thing,
and it's not about being just black and white. No, it's not.
The "S" for Sherpa isn't slanted like an "S", definitely not like the "S" across from it, eye left.
If you're just trying to balance the design, without losing the optical effect,
I'd be using the ordinary "S" shape, and let the bottom curve of the "S",
be like one of the veins or tendrils that you have for your video.
The different colours are on both sides of that eye.

It's not easy, trying to be a band nowadays.
When you make even a home-made YouTube video, never mind an album,
you're putting yourself up against everyone else there, all your stars and favorites,
and when you start to try and record yourself, or get yourself recorded,
that's all it is, a recording, something you're holding in your hand that you want to sell.
Don't let the oppressive celebrity of any kind of fame jam down on your band,
because it's just coming from the plastic and broadcasting business,
that I'm sure you don't own a part of.

All I have from the seventies are Kodak Instamatic photos that audience members gave me,
and some cassettes of friends jamming and bands I'm in playing.
Look at what you've got, a real CD, and a very nice t-shirt.
When the deeps get too old and become the creeps,
when sherpa is no longer climbing, but whining about his diaper,
having that t-shirt to wear, careful not to drool on it, will help you focus,
that's'a for sure.
And you don't have to read free old man talk, if you don't want to.

pic2.JPG
 

John Watt

Member
sherpa! Just to let you know, except for you, I saw "hadal" for the first time.
I was watching a deep seas nature documentary,
and that's what they called the deepest part of the ocean,
somewhere around China and Japan, nothing American about it.

I listened to the above link, but I'm not hot about serious listening online,
thinking it's too tiny a sound, and my computer speakers don't have powered bass,
more about hearing voices.
If you saw my YouTube videos, you would see me using them to mess around,
what I call jamming with my tiny tiny camera, more comedy than dramady.

Is English your first language?
Here's a photo I did before, showing what I'm using to finish my second guitar.
Some of it is GatorGrit sandpaper, from Finland. Have you ever used it?

hemi-demi-sanding.jpg
 
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sherpa

New member
^ I would recommend you to check out our campaign, the CD will sound better on your home stereo than on your computer speakers ;) I have not used that sandpaper, unfortunately.


So, five days left of our Indie GoGo campaign, please feel free to spread the word and participate! We are almost done with the album artwork, any day now the factory will start printing CD's and our campaign CD perk supporters are the first to receive it. Here is a preview of the outside art, where you can also see the song titles:

JTLORPO.jpg

 
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John Watt

Member
Hey sherpa! It looks like that reviewer was honest, and he really liked your music.
I really like the CD artwork, even if it's not animated like the video you showed before.
Something tells me your band won't need to hire a guide,
when your career begins to climb up to the heights.
 
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