NEWS

SOUND GROUND, THE CD

the plan was to start writing again in 2007, but three months went by before anything happened.  the first new song was, "time for the rhyme", ... it wasn't till mid-june that i had more time at home, and over a three week period wrote 10 more songs which became most of the new cd. i would finish each song and acquaint myself with it just enough to slam down the simplest demo. as soon as a new one was demoed, i would launch into the next new one.  i wanted to write 12 songs before knocking off, but i settled for 11....as soon as the 11th was demoed, i promptly began recording the whole batch. in most cases the recordings were built on real-time performances of the songs, me singing and playing either guitar or piano. the only two that weren't were started with drums. for various reasons two songs from the batch of eleven did not make it onto the project, and i included three older songs to round out the sequence and make it a 12-song disc. the three older tunes are mentioned as such in the following remarks.

showtime - the two things i recall wanting to do with this number were  1) come up with a somewhat thick, involved, busy/wacky background vocal arrangement that would launch from the top of the tune and stay till the end (i used four high-lighter pens to map out how to go about recording it all).  and, 2) be as relentless as possible with drumming home the message of the lyirc which is me generally layin' down how things would be if i were king of everything ... it's a stab at putting out the general rules of the feel-good basics in my kingdom for everyone to grok as they will. i don't mention the beheadings for animal cruelty but that's beside the point.  

you found the light - this is very much a, chin-up and ready to face the world with a smile, kind of dittie...it's just more of my best advice rolled-up and packaged in another style of song ... in my kingdom you might stumble onto weekly gatherings, and you might hear something not unlike this type of jubilation from the guy in charge, women falling down ... to me this recording smacks of my love of nrbq.  

sound ground - this was written in 1996 as part of another self-imposed excersice in writing.  in this case it was nine songs in three weeks while playing on u.s. army bases in germany. vinnie was our cabbie, sound man, and mr. advice/scoop on the inside scene guy.  this song looks at my first tough week over there, and of course in retrospect i remember the experience as mostly romantic and cool. as they say, at least i got a song out of it. and i have to admit, stevie wonder's "talking book", left a huge footprint in my head in terms of realizing i can go for creating whatever sort of feeling i want to create via the force of songwriting ... just do it ... it's always a leap ... and it followed that with transfering the mental vision i had for the song onto the canvas that is pro tools, i would again need to be willing to take a leap of faith that with each track i added, there would surface some kind of coherence i didn't see going in.  

time for the rhyme - this one was the first of the new batch, and as much as it meanders, it still sort of wrote itself.... i picked up my takamine, hit the top three strings one at a time open E - B - G, slammed into a B7 on the seventh fret (thought to myself, well that works, funny i never thought to play that riff before), and off i went ... i wanted each phrase to come as much off the top of my head as possible, and be as conversational as possible.  then based on that, i wanted the message of the lyric to remind the listener that it's not too late to act on whatever is on their secret lists.    

down like you - this was written around 1998.  i was waxing in the mellow r&b mode and wanted a lyric that spoke of heartache and lust .... good combo eh? ..... i was, and still am, a big beach boy fan, and i still catch myself treating my arrangements like i'm trying to recreate or pay homage to some aspect of the brian wilson vocal sound. i think the whole vocal thing has tremendous ability to get in there inside those humans unlike other musical expressions, and i enjoy the process of making sure my songs become themselves regarding the vocal thing. as easy as it is to overproduce in that way, i always try to add only what is asking to be added.    

grace of love - i wanted a song with this kind of groove, and i wanted to put it in an odd key (for me), so i strapped on my gut-string, played an e flat major seventh, and off i went again. the first line recalls my wife, laurie, and the first time she invited me to stay the nite.  from there i wanted to remember all the groovy stuff we've shared on the road of our relationship and time together .... it's another love song ... the last verse shifts into reflections of my observations of those who pass before us and how i've seen that magic can manifest from saddness/loss/tragedy. 

picture of you - i just wanted to rock, and laurie likes it best when i rock. i started singing everything off the top of my head, and decided to stick with that approach. thusly for me the song ends up being about a number of things/people, and about nothing and no one in particular.  depending on the rendering, i wanted the lyric to be able to be presented in a way that wouldn't necessarily summon up the contempt and wrath that my performance does here. i think it was jr. high when i was last able to scream my way through an entire set of music without needing the rest of the night off. nonetheless, it's fun and i do what i can.   

a day and a life - the impetus for this song was the thought that i wanted to address the simplicity and completeness of the 24 hr. cycle in song. due to the nature of the way i put this cd together, most of the songs really did write themselves. that said, i'm intrigued that i would have it in me to put something out there like this song in such a quick manner. i think i remember deciding that to have dramatically different sections (musically) would be nice, and giving into whatever that would mean to the telling of the story. and generally the songs on this project were written from a place of just  wanting to venture into any kind of new territory as a writer.   

can't stop that - this one was written sometime in the 80's ... perhaps one of my more straight forward songs, it's meant to be sung in the morning hour by the tribe as a way of directly reinvesting all members to their cause and unity ... otherwise, as we know, all hell breaks loose.

new dynamic - for this one i put myself in the shoes of a bernie maddoff (before i knew who he was). so we recount the follies of an unfortunate chap whose only chance for survival requires bailing on his family when the poop hit the fan.  he offsets the guilt by secretly building a bomb shelter right under their noses (haven't yet figured out how he pulls that off), leaving a key, and assuming such extreme measures are more and more the way of thinking in the many who are coming to embrace that sometimes if you talk nonsense long enough people go away .... everybody sing!!! ... i remember what kicked this one off was wanting to create something with the groove/rhythm of, "i am the walrus". i always loved ringo's medium-slow rock beats on record ... laid back, loose, yet deadly serious, powerful, and correct.    

secret song #4 - i listened to the audio book, 'the secret', and liked it enough to write them a theme song. we'll see what they think.  i really tried to get it out of my system without loosing my personal connection to it.  i felt so strongly this way that i titled the song as if i'd already written three about the same topic, and that maybe THIS ONE SHOULD BE THE LAST ALREADY!!! ... that said, i thoroughly enjoyed being reminded of the quantum physics of it all, and trying to pass along the positive impact the book left with me ... thank you, thank you, thank you ...