... 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.

Labels: 1369, music

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

Labels: 1369, music

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: 1369, music

Dig some live performance and discussion of new adventures in home studio recording 7 p.m. Friday (TONIGHT!) on WEXT 97.7's "Local 518" hour, hosted by the great Chris Wienk.

I'm splitting the hour with the bad-ass Ramblin Jug Stompers - so there's an actual reason to tune-in.

Show repeats Sunday at 11 am.

PS: Zoe's really digging NYC.



And Jason's got the proof.

Labels: live, music

1. A TELE FOR MOTHER



I played guitar last night for MotherJudge in a band that included Bob Buckley (bass), Sten Isachsen (mandolin) and Mitch Elrod (vox, acoustic guitar). I don't think I've had a chance to play guitar with a band like that since - a Middlebury reunion? Mid-nineties? The three guitar licks I know worked out okay, and served as only an occassional distraction from the awesomeness of Caroline and the rest of the band.

• REVIEW: A frail Odetta is strong, sure, confident

2. ODETTA: ROARING AND SOARING



We were in Washington Park, opening for the great Odetta. Who killed it. Frail and wheelchair-bound but positively glowing when she smiled and still fierce when she opened her mouth to sing - growling, roaring, whispering, soaring.

Glory Hallelujah, indeed.

• REVIEW: A frail Odetta is strong, sure, confident

3. GREEN ROOM MEMORIES

The last time I hung out with Odetta we were alone with Tommy Makem, Pete Seeger and his wife Toshi, catching up, sharing songs and talking about old times together.

Okay - this is a horrible attempt at name-dropping.

THEY were hanging out.

I was but a lowly PR assistant at WMHT, assigned to pick Odetta up from the airport for a taping of this show:



But I WAS in the room.

Just me and them.

Surreal.

Upon our arrival:

"Odetta," said Toshi Seeger, "I see you're accompanied by a handsome young man, as usual!"

As usual.

4. MUSIC FOR MAYA



This was Maya's first concert. Not a bad way to start out: Odetta and MotherJudge. With daddy noodling on guitar.

5. NAME-DROPPING

And speaking of "Maya" and name-dropping - about that car ride from the airport to the WMHT studios:

It was one of the most intense conversations of my life, which started with a discussion of classical music, as my radio was tuned to WMHT's FM station when Odetta sat down in the passenger seat.

At one point, she referenced a recent conversation with a friend of hers by saying, "I was talking to Maya the other day and..."

I assumed that she was talking about Maya Angelou, even though she hadn't used a last name, but she stopped herself mid-sentence and immediately apologized - unnecessarily, of course, but with sweetness, grace and humility.

"Oh my, that sounds pretentious doesn't it? It sounds like I'm name-dropping!"

Remember: This is the woman who literally inspired Bob Dylan to pick up the guitar.

And she's genuinely worried about coming off as a name-dropper.

While sitting in my car.

Surreal.

6. IN A HOLE IN THE GROUND SOMEWHERE IN DELMAR...

I have next week off and plan on heading into a certain basement bomb shelter/studio to do some recording. You've heard some of the demos but I'm fleshing 'em out, in some cases re-recording altogether.

From the dozen or so I've been working on I'm hearing 6 or 7 songs that make enough sense together sonically and thematically to... maybe... even... call... an... album.

Wish me luck.

7. LIVE ON WEXT FRIDAY at 7 p.m.



More on this quasi-album thing - and some live performance, too - will be revealed at 7 p.m. this Friday on WEXT 97.7's "Local 518" hour, hosted by the great Chris Wienk.

I'm splitting the hour with the bad-ass Ramblin Jug Stompers - so there's an actual reason to tune-in.

Show repeats Sunday at 11 am.

I'm out.

B.

UPDATE:

8. A LITTLE GIRL TAKES MANHATTAN

While Maya was enjoying Caroline and Odetta, her older sister Zoe escaped to Times Square with her uncle, her aunt, her grandma - and a favorite baby doll. She'll be hanging in NYC with them all week.

We miss her.

Labels: 1369, family, hiddencity, live, music, photos

Photo by Jason.

Thanks to all who came out to the Colony Cafe in Woodstock last night for an evening of musical mayhem with two geniuses named Brian Dewan and Jed Davis... plus little ol' me.

And thanks again to Brian and Jed for havin' me.

PS: Speaking of Woodstock, here's a little something from almost exactly 10 years ago:

Anymore | Download MP3 - 5MB


...Next day Tuesday open mic nite Woodstock Tinker Town.
Levon's setlist beneath the glass, it should be inspiration.
Applause is good tonite but soon it's gone, I'm all alone.
Driving back up 87. It's masturbation.

It's getting too late. I'm getting less alive.
It's getting too late. Tomorrow back to nine to five.

Tomorrow smothers.

What the hell'd I come here for?

I don't need to be here anymore.



Photo by Jed.

Labels: live, music