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Larry runs my mixes through the Turd Polisher 2000. Anti-suckification set to 11.

I can't believe I'm going through with this.

Labels: music

In a couple of weeks you will get to meet the new band.

Some hints, courtesy artists more wise than I:

Jed Davis

I decided to go with a band name for my next project, the essentially solo Congregation Of Vapors. Only problem was that "The Congregation Of Vapors" is a mile long and almost impossible to say. And you have to explain it, or else British people think it refers to farts. I've been in The Hanslick Rebellion for almost 15 years; I'm a little tired of explaining the meaning of band names (especially since I still have no idea what "The Hanslick Rebellion" actually means).

Jason Martin

Make up bands and science. Pretend to be each member of the band. This does not have to be based in plausibility. You can have cops parking in doughnut holes if you really want, but I would definitely not recommend that one. What if you were the shady character who plays bass in this band you just made up? How would they play? Maybe you're not even a human being. NOW how would you play?

Yeah, its hard. Time to practice not being you. This is to prepare for overdubs. If you are you each time you add an instrument to your piece, it's a bad piece.

Ralph Ellison

"Ah," I can hear you say, "so it was all a build-up to bore us with his buggy jiving. He only wanted us to listen to him rave!" But only partially true: Being invisible and without substance, a disembodied voice, as it were, what else could I do? What else but try to tell you what was really happening when your eyes were looking through? And it is this which frightens me:

Who knows but that, on the lower frequencies, I speak for you?

And speaking of low frequencies: we're mastering the record tomorrow with Larry. Wish us luck!

I busted out the Telecaster again to fill in on lead guitar for good ol' Mario Sevayega last night at Arlene's Grocery in NYC.

Bobbi Rae played the hell out of the drums.

Malcolm Gold (pictured above rockin' the iPhone) played the hell out of the bass.

Bryan Thomas frantically tried to catch up.

Over the course of the evening we laughed about Boondocks, Bernie Mac, getting stuck on the FDR ("You have no options"), and a million other things. Including ourselves.

Before the show we made an impromptu trip around the corner to the Living Room and stumbled onto Theresa Andersson's soul crushing set, which included this song. Just like that. 700,000 hits and climbing. Did I mention that it was soul crushing?

Also: Mario's cousin was in the house for our set. She was very sweet. In fact, everyone in Mario's crew last night was very cool.

Good times y'all.

Labels: live, music

Amy's back in town. Caroline and Sten oblige.



FLICKR: Photo Set | Slideshow

Labels: music, photos

... and a brief excursion out of the hole yesterday for some piano. Recorded on three tracks, but I'm only digging it on one. And so it goes.

I was mostly done with recording by Monday night. Since then I've just been just tweaking the mixes. The only delay on recording the piano was finding a moment for certain loud little girls to be out of the house. The clock was ticking: when opportunity finally knocked, I had only about 90 minutes to get it all set up and recorded. And so it goes.

When first conceived I thought sonically this collection of songs would have more of a hip-hop soundscape and sensibility, particularly after having my ass kicked by Meshell and Erykah's records this year. But in the end these tracks are more Telecaster driven, rounded out with bass guitar and the minimalist drum kit - more rock soul than soul rock. Go with what you know, I guess. And so it goes.

(I'm anticipating the moment when a real drummer will hear these tracks and politely inform me that they are a greater insult to drumming than any of the drum machine sequencing on the previous records.)

Deep thought

I sold, like, five copies of the last record. Does anyone out there have any idea why am I doing this again?

And so it goes.

1. Improv with Zoe

7-19-2008

Zoe ambushed me while I was trying to rehearse for the show in Washington Park with MotherJudge. So we started a little freestyling. No real words, just nonsense to support the melody. Cool for a while, but by the time I turned the recorder on to capture it, she was practically on to the next thing... as you can hear.

2. New York City

7-20-2008

The next day, Zoe left for a week-long trip to New York City with Grandma, Uncle Jason and Aunt Veronica.

3. Thinking onto Digital Paper

7-23-2008

Typos and all.

Originally I thought this song might be about the drummer on the new record, Cleopatra Jones, as an antagonist to Jennifer. Cleo gets a brief mention in the first song on the record, "Muse."

That thought didn't last long.

4. Backstory

• January: NYC. With Mooney, Oprah, Chaka and Meshell. And RedDot.


• February: The Documentary. Something possessed me to finally purchase the 18-hour, 8-DVD set of Ric Burns New York City documentary. And watch from start to finish.


• June: Passing Strange. With Stew and his/my life story. I'd wanted to see it ever since I heard it was coming to Broadway - managed to catch it just a few weeks before it closed. Sweet.


• Washington Park, Albany. With MotherJudge and Odetta.

5. Structure

1. VERSE: Baby Maya digs MotherJudge and Odetta.

2. CHORUS: But you're down in NYC. Without me.

3. VERSE: I could take you down to Broadway. Passing Strange/Stew offers better lessons than Camp Rock any day. Grab a mic and a cap and follow me if you can. Story of daddy's life - and yours before you've even lived it. Lived it. Visit. Dig it.

4. CHORUS: How you in NYC without me?

5. BRIDGE: City never sleeps but it sure gets dark.

[QUICK SOLO? CHORUS CHORDS? Maybe needed to break up all the damn singing. Allows performer and listener to catch a break from the last verse with ALL ITS DAMN WORDS.]

6. EXTENDED VERSE: Dark stories in NYC history.

7. CHORUS: I hope you dig the city without me, babe. I KNOW you'll dig the city without me, babe. YEAH: Keep it as positive as possible after coming out of the dark verse.

6. Lyrics

Your baby sister's chilling, MotherJudge is singing
Babylon and Revelation 17
Queen Odetta's Glory Hallelujah is
So serene...

But now you're in the city without me babe.
How you in the city without me babe?

We could have taken in a Broadway show as part of your visit
"Passing Strange," I know you'd dig it
It's your Daddy's life story - and yours
Before you've even lived it

But now you're in the city without me babe.
How you in the city without me babe?

Baby sister's digging music here in Washington Park [Washington Park]
New York City never sleeps but it sho gets dark [dark dark dark dark]
To do the right thang in this summer of Sam [Uncle Tom Sam Sam]
Grab a cap and mic and follow me if you can

Times Square lights are so pretty at night
But I'm telling you the city is dark inside
Cuz in the Seven-O the Five-O done 'broke a man down'
And a man with a wallet is taking 41 rounds
And the colored orphans and the mob they fled
And the Stonewall Girls are beat upside their heads
And the Triangle Shirt girls fall thud dead
And 3000 souls all fall thud dead
And two tall towers fall thud dead

And on a pile of ashes in a hole downtown
The megaphone man is dragging Liberty down

I hope you dig the city without me, babe.
I hope you dig the city without me, babe.
I hope you dig the city without me, babe.

I know you'll dig the city without me, babe.

7. Demo

Rough. Rough. Rough.

8. Get to Work

I'm happily rockin' the dinosaur digital workstation in an undisclosed location in Delmar. The recording is going more quickly than I'd imagined. I even came up with a brand new song this weekend - "City" - and start to finish, it's all done.

Did I mention that even with a faux kit I'm the world's worst drummer?

Of the 12 or so I've recorded, 7 make the cut. The new one bumped another track - zero sum game. A better song and a better fit - the lyrics link together tracks 2 and 7 quite nicely.

1. Muse
2. Lights
3. Sticky
4. Sam
5. Kick
6. City
7. MotherJudge

Short, you say?

I like to think it's efficient.

I'm looking to document the pre-recording creative process for "City" while it's still fresh in my mind. I'll post a rough timeline of how it came together just as soon as I can have my head surgically removed from my navel.

Here's a hint.

Labels: music