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What do grandmothers eat? (Home Studio Recording, Spring 2006). In the US, many elders who lived through the Depression/ WWII era feel that, somehow, they "deserve" to eat wretched food. This is connected to the perception that being denied meat, in particular, for a few years out of the many decades they have now lived justifies eating everything in sight, as long as it is extremely bad for you. This is a lousy attitude when you consider the real suffering in Europe, for instance, during WWII and after. Sorry, but the pitiful sufferings of Americans at home just can't compare. Get over yourselves. That said, the subject is not treated serious here. Never fear! Once again I resort to a satiric raw sixties pop sensibility, what with the twinkling rock n' roll piano, the thinned out mildly distorted electric guitar, pulsing bass, a swell riff or two, and a great ending bit. (Yes, I love the Kinks.) Funny stuff but not destined for the new cd.
Elmer (ADAT-XT home recording Spring 2000). A memory from my formative years in Salem. Elmer was a creepy, mentally-challenged old man who lived at the end of Ashley's street. He'd be out wandering around very late at night, pausing behind parked cars, as if he had no idea he could just go around them. He had a bike he rode, or often pushed, everwhere, and, legendarily sharpened knives for a living. We nicknamed him "Remle," a backwards devil message kind of joke, and feigned a kind of insincere fear of him. Quite the topic of conversation in those days. Everything in the song is true. I recently did a quick remix of this song, making the classical guitar stand out in certain passages, and muting a fake distorted guitar sound from a synth. A different mix appeared either on an obscure magazine's cd or a very rare cassette compilation. I don't remember which and can't find either. Note the combination of Lowrey Organ rhythmn preset and real snare, the mountain of electric guitars, and a really nice middle bit ("back in the days....").
Charmion Chandler Cheese (2005-unmixed unfinished "live" studio track ). Vocal and Nylon String Guitar: Scott, Steel String Guitar: Jack Shannon. Another of my Edwardian era fictional stories. Was added to substantially for the new release, "A Song for me, A song for you." .
Did Your Daddy Play Football? (1992- from rare early cassette, It's More Than a Hobby). I consider this one a personal triumph: simple articulation of the hatred I had for all sports as a kid and the persecution I endured as a youngster. The tedious sameness of win and loss, the rules-playing, the uniformity, team spirit, ugh. Always hated that stuff. In my hometown, the title line was commonly heard. The hick accent that asks the question in the song-- that's just how you'd hear it out in public. The guitar, Yamaha organ and beatbox combo sounds pretty cool to me. You?
Did it Happen at the 7-11? (1992- from rare early cassette, It's More Than a Hobby). This is either about something Joey Cheatam and I did in junior high school, or just thought about doing: walking from his surburb down to the 7-11 in the hopes that we could make money like street musicians do in actual cities. The stunning electric guitar work is really me! Likely recorded using my Gibson SG and ye olde Fender Princeton amp. Interesting and hilarious details abound. Extreme repetition of the word "suburb" was on purpose.
Advice (1992- from rare early cassette, It's More Than a Hobby). The last song from our sojourn into the 4-track Tascam world of a bygone era, features me on the, er, drums..at least a snare, which sounds like it was muffled by a towel...just as well. More amazing electric guitar work on the SG. Another of my favorites. (Thanks to Dan Ream for digitizing these olde k-set songs on his lunch break.)
Water Plant (1999-with Jim Johns) Old pal Matt Chittum used to kid me that this song was on all of my cassettes. I did do many versions of it. It is my earliest song that I still like and remember how to play. My post-college band, The Apes of Wrath, played it at every gig. People even danced to it! Years after all that, Jim Johns, who drums on the For Those Who Like POP cd, and I had another go. New to the song in this version is the "McCartney country pop" bit toward the end. For some reason I wanted to attempt this number in an almost bossa nova feel. I love the doubled piano and flute sound in the middle. Possibly the best song ever written about a conspiracy theory and a public utllity. Recorded on an ADAT-XT.
Your Girlfriend (Advanced Demo from 1999). Recorded on my old ADAT-XT, this is as advanced as I got with that device. The song is a sort of Boyce and Hart type number, perfect for the Monkees, I think. Do you have their number? I'm quite proud of the organ and electric guitar beginning in verse two, and, of course the lyrics. Most sounds are from Wayne Pooley's Ensoniq SD-1, which he kindly lent to me for the better part of a decade. Others are welcome to try and top that by lending me useful gear for even longer.
The Man from Operations (Title track from cd-ep) A great song about working in retail and being constantly spied on and evaluated by morons. The title comes from a phrase I used to hear in Ukrops (Virginia-based grocery store chain) on the public address system: "would someone from operations please report to the front office." I have no idea what "operations" are in retail and I don't care. I'm very proud of this lyric. Curiously, much of the lead vocal is double-tracked falsetto! Basic tracks recorded "live" at our old house on Seddon Road in Richmond. Ashley Bell pounds the piano, Jim Johns drums, I played bass. Wayne Pooley helped with mic placement and set-up in the drum room. Recorded on the ADAT-XT
The Man from Operations Remix (2003 by Dave Winer) Years later, I was approached by Chicago mixing engineer and fan Dave Winer about doing a remix of the song. I said "hell, yes" and here is the result. Dave's remix includes, among other things, new recordings of horns and presents the listener with an undistorted bass.
Getting Involved (with Eletronico ca.2001-2002) Because we shared a record label in Japan (Vroom-Sound/Vivid Sound), I ended up electronically meeting Fumiyuki Sato and Tomoyuki Kawamari, the duo then known as Eletronico. They were eager to add some playing of their own and then mix a few songs. Fumiyuki can be heard on pedal steel guitar, a great choice of his, matching perfectly the 70's influences felt in the song. He also adds marimba in the middle. Yuko Honda of Petset can be heard faintly at the end singing along with me. This is a different version than is heard on "A Song for me, a song for you."
When I Don't Care (with Eletronico ca.2001-2002) Way more liberties were taken by the duo in adding to and mixing this song. Fumiyuki added a mountain of guitars, and pedal steel is heard again. The Tokyo electronica-style intro and middle are standout adaptations of this very basic song. The drum kit is actually a drum performance sample I purchased. I'm heard on keyboards, tambourine, and odd nylon guitar solo.
Bossa Brookmania (Instrumental ca. 2001). Recorded using the dreaded Digital Performer with some kind of mega-reverb DSP attached to the software's master fader. This reverb makes the percussion--a purchased performance sample--sound really echoey and old, as does the whole song. Nylon string guitar is "real." The piano and organ are MIDI tracks accessing multisamples of real vintage instruments. Wait. Didn't you want to know that? I love distorted organ, so the solo is the highlight for me. Anyway, the result is a dreamy, weird mess that is now on "A Song for me, a song for you."
Karen ( from the CD for those who like POP) This song has been, by the far, the most loved of my tunes so far. When the cd came out I heard it was even played in a bar/restaurant in my hometown, which impresses me more than being on the radio for some reason. The person the song is based on is real, but I won't divulge the name. It is not a love song, but rather, explores the character's various flaws. In 2005, I adapted it--deleting the instrumental sections--for nylon guitar and recorded it at WRIR radio for broadcast.
She Smiled At Me ( from the CD for those who like POP) I like this one even better. It's me doing a kind of Style Council r&b pop song on the classic theme of the shy guy wishing he had the moxie to ask for a fabulous girl's attentions. Ashley must've set up the drum machine. All else is me with Wayne's Ensoniq SD-1. I quite like the vocals and the horn parts.