This week’s song is a quiet and calming one. I’m happy when I’m able to write something like this; it brings me the same calm, and life has been hectic for me lately so it comes in handy! The instrument I’ve used came right after Christmas 2014. Laura’s mother had given her this chime thing for the holiday and Laura suggested I try writing something on it. Since I was about 90 songs into the 100songs project I was quite open to the idea of doing anything new. New instrument can sometimes mean a different sort of inspiration. This beaut came out of that effort. It’s always nice to spend time on a new instrument. You learn things about music in general. I try not to spread myself too thin with tons of different instruments, but it sure is nice to see what I can do with something unfamiliar. I hope you’ll enjoy this as much as I do!
Running blood, across generations
How our love crosses generations
Transcends time, pass from life to life
Family line, bloods entwine
Bloods entwine, mix from race to race
Bloods combine, blend from face to face
Every line is a joy to trace
Back over time, Bloods entwine
Combine with every race
Combine with every face
form from every face into one
If we can keep it in our heads
Then we can keep it in our hearts
And our mind will combine to one
We will return back to one
Don’t hurt your brother
He may one day help you out
Don’t harm your sister
She knows what your life’s about
Treat him kind, treat her kind
Treat them well, they’re your blood
Running blood
This one was a doozy. It actually still is a doozy, but in a different way. I’m starting to get into the material I haven’t gotten to work on previous to the recording project, so what I’m doing each week is to learn the song from the original sketch recording, getting it to performance level, then recording it in my studio. This one was different though; it had so many parts that to memorize it all in a matter of days was impossible so I recorded it section by section then edited it all together in the studio. A bit of cheating, but I really had no choice in the situation. This song is still a doozy because it is a part of my humor that not many people get to see (because, believe it or not, I am a bit shy until I get really comfortable around someone). I’m a little scared to release this one because of its irreverence and ridiculous stance, but I think it’s important because part of this project of writing #100songs involved writing whatever I felt at any moment then seeing it through to the end. I love this song, don’t get me wrong; I just worry that I might lose some subscribers because of the content! haha. That being said, have a listen and enjoy! Please commment and tell me what you think this story is about.
And when the world doesn’t care, oo, how does this affect me?
Bawk Bukawk
If I don’t care about the world it won’t attack again
I’m broke, it won’t attack
I’ve grown, I’m good to go, don’tcha know?
Headed to the Poconos for a swim in the snow
Feel the wind blow, Glowing from a trim to my fro
Oh no! Don’t throw that mohawk down
This town ain’t big enough for another shortly shorn bro with a frown
Don’t throw that mohawk down, don’t cut it down, no, bro
Wiccans are headed my way, the Wiccans are headed my way
Don’t know what I done but they after me!
Not really sure what I’ll say when they come up to me
Probably be like, “Hey, nice day, what’dya say?
Is it time that I pay? or am I craycray?”
Thinking this is the day that they came for me
My body will spray uncontrollably all over the place
Like a lawn blazer, a lawnblazer, now there’s a nice idea!
Believe it or not, Wiccans aren’t really evil like you think
They just wanna coexist and subsist on nuts and berries like the rest of us
If you put one of them next to a Christian or a Buddhist
And stripped them of their external layers
You’d find they were players, fucking players like the rest of us
If you get right down to it sharks just want to be loved
They didn’t choose the teeth they were given to chew
There was no choice in the chew
They didn’t choose those sharp fucking teeth to rip flesh with
There was no choice in the chew
So next time you go and judge a book by its cover
Just give it a hug and hope you don’t see blood
It’s always important to never remember
There was no choice in the chew
There was no choice in the chew, uh!
This one was pretty fun to write and has become a fan favorite even without the recording. People come up to me after shows quite often saying they loved that song Cowgirl. Haha. If they only knew. I actually just made this one up while driving around in the car with my daughter and Laura. I was joking around. My daughter kept on saying, “Cowboy!” but I insisted that I was a cowgirl, not a cowboy. I just recorded it onto my phone for the memory, but it stuck in my head so when I arrived home I started developing it. All the songs this month are loop songs, meaning I wrote them using a loop pedal. I have also kept to a “voice only” rule system, meaning I am only singing, but I’m using some effects and the loop pedal. The outcome is choral, a capella insanity! Once in a while there’s a song I don’t really care about at the start that through development becomes one of my favorites. This is one of those. It was just me goofing off, but it grew. I also have a nifty dance to this one. I’m hoping I can get together with some videographer friends of mine to make a dance video to this. I was thinking it’s about time I write my first line dance 😉
Recording and mixing live vocal looping is harder than one might think! Creating the sound of a live performance; it’s off the page…
One fifth through the project for this year! I’ve made good on my promise of a new recording every week. I hope you folks will spread the word. I’d like to keep this independent of other large money making subscription sites etc, but I need exposure. Here’s the video link if you’d like to help out by sharing: https://youtu.be/72Blw9SnU18
To the song! I’ve had an interesting time getting the sounds I want out of the loop pedal. From live to studio is no easy feat! I’m glad to say Row, Row, Row (aka Singing Through My Nose) feels good enough to put up this week. It’s taken on a slightly different life since, in the studio, I can easily add things. I did stay within the borders of “voice only” which means everything on this track is my voice, though there are effects on parts of it.
I’d like to especially thank Laura Lee Jones this week. She has been incredibly supportive through this process, which has not been easy.
I’m trying out Soundcloud this week for the project. Please let me know if it works ok for you. You can download the track up at the right hand corner of the player.
You name the date, I’ll name the place
You wear a hat, I’ll wear the face
And when you’re rowing, I’ll do the yelling
Row, Row, Row, Row
And when you’re yelling, I’ll do the rowing
Singing through my nose, you know how it goes
Wading through water and lillypads are tickling my toes
Never mind you what I said
Soon your eyes be turning red
from the books I told you
Thought you woulda knowed you
But I had to scold you for the hold you had around my neck
had your fingers wrapped around my neck
And there’s no excuse for what you did
But it is in my nature as a friend to forgive and forget
Forgive and forget
Just let it go, let it go, let it go
We all make mistakes, we are human made out of mistake
Just let it go, let it go and give ’em a break
Oh, my glory, this song is one of my life’s favorites. As soon as I wrote it, I knew we would be together for a long time… I wrote Rainy Morning as one of the very first songs of the #100songs project. It was on a beautiful early Autumn day after dropping my daughter off at school and walking home in a light misting rain. It was just a perfect and lovely morning. I walked in and picked up the pen and paper, wrote the words and went up to bed for a nap. After the nap I wrote the music to the lyrics. I didn’t think it was going to be good, and actually it didn’t even seem like a very good song as I was writing it, but when I reviewed it a day or two later I couldn’t stop playing it. It has been that way since.
I feel extremely lucky to have great musicians who surround me in my life. On this track I was blessed with the drumming of Dominic Marini (who I actually met at a show I was playing because he loved the song), the banjo playing of Shaun Jones (a member of Heck Yup and 23 Psaegz), and Michaele Lynne Jacot (a friend of 23 Psaegz tuba player Brett Gobe, and now a friend of mine as well!). The rest of the instruments and voices are mine, ha! Thank you all for subscribing. You’re helping me make dreams come true!
G C
Rainy days make the plants grow
G C
Make the soil fresh
C F C
Bring life forward
G C
Give me an excuse to nap
C F C Dmin G F
Gray cloudy morning, slow me down
C F C Dmin G F
Make me sleepy, let me rest
C F C Dmin G F
Give me calm, grow my spirit
C G C
I’m dry and home
C G C
I’m dry and home
C F
I’m dry and home
G C
Rainy days make the plants grow
G C
Make the soil fresh
C F C
Bring life forward
C F C
Bring life forward
C F C
Bring life forward!!!
C Emin Amin F
C Emin Amin F
Though sometimes it’s tough to feel down
Let the weather go and push me around
The sound of the gentle, lulling pitter patter
As the sum of all the single splatters
Lets my mind rest and disintegrate
For the rest of my morning
C F Amin F
All I do is, all I do is dream, dream, dream
C Emin Amin F
C Emin Amin F
Rainy morning, slow me down
Make me thoughtful, make me peaceful
Grow my spirit, make me thankful
I’m dry and home
C Emin Amin F
Rainy days make the plants grow
Make the soil fresh
Bring life upward
Give me an excuse to nap and dream
C Emin Amin F
Gray cloudy morning, slow me down
Make me sleepy
C Emin Amin F
The sound of your gentle, lulling pitter patter
As the sum of all the single splatters
Lets my mind rest and disintegrate
For the rest of my morning
C F Amin F
All I do is, all I do is dream, dream, dream
C Emin Amin F
All I wanna do is, all I wanna do is dream, dream, dream!
C Emin Amin F
Rainy morning, slow me down
Make me thoughtful, make me peaceful
Calm my spirit, make me thankful
I’m dry and home
Good day to you all! This is an exciting week for me. This song, Berlin, is one of my best compositions and has a very interesting story. The story is available to all subscribers “downloader” and beyond via mp3 download or streaming. To upgrade your subscription level go HERE.
During the 4 months of almost daily writing I did last year to come up with the #100songs, I went through multiple songwriting techniques. This one was by far the most comprehensive and involved process. I got up early in the morning and started walking with a pad of paper in my hands. I was setting out to write a song about Berlin. I wrote down every memory I could think of in that town I love so dearly. Some of these memories involved friends, others involved touring events. One memory, in particular, stuck out to me; it was the show we played at the House of World Cultures aka Haus der Kulturen der Welt. At that show, we made a new friend who invited us to play another show at the end of our tour at a church in Berlin called “theaterkapelle” Toward the end of the show, police came and shut us down, but we did an amazing thing and got the audience to go up on the stage and perform the Dufus song “Fire”. So I took all these ideas from the page and started writing poetry from the concepts as I wandered. After I had a good solid set of words to write my song, I took my phone and recorded myself singing these words. From that song, I went home, pulled out my guitar and put some chords behind the words. It was a very drawn out writing process, but I think you’ll be able to feel it from the composition, it is not your run of the mill “song”. It flows and bounces and twists and turns unpredictably, but it still feels cohesive! It’s one of my favorites.
In the song I also mention Down By the River because of the amazing time I had playing there. Every time I’ve performed in Berlin I have gotten to see awesome places, squats, great graffiti, and I’ve met some of the most beautiful people of my life there. My favorite squat venue is Schokoladen.
Backwards we walk like the ticking of a clock
Dmin
Into the past
Bb Dmin
To a city in my dreams
C
To Berlin
Dmin C
A hundred memories of Berlin
F
Not sure how I got there
Amin
With a guitar in my hand
Dmin C Amin Dmin
Suddenly greeted by new and friendly hands
F Dmin C
Smiling faces, helpful hands
Gmin
Made me feel at home
Dmin F
In the memory of Berlin
Bb F
In my memory of Berlin
F Dmin
They flew me to the river
Amin Dmin
With my band with my band
Amin Dmin
To the Spree to the Spree
Amin Dmin
Them and me them and me
F Dmin
Had us at the House of World Cultures
Amin Dmin
Our merry band, gave us food
Amin Dmin
Fed us well, gave us food
Dmin Amin Dmin
And at the house where culture showed its face to us that night
Amin Dmin Amin Dmin
A delight, a new friend and a show at the end
Amin Dmin Amin Dmin
In a church had a show, they were smoking in the church
Amin Dmin
they were smoking in the church
Amin Dmin
We were burning when the cops came
C-B-A-G-A
Burning when they came
Dmin F
They tried to shut, shut us down
Dmin F
Said we couldn’t make a sound
Amin Dmin
Or they’d steal ours, steal hours away
Dmin Bb7 Dmin Bb7
All we were, sharing joy
F-E-D-C-D F-E-Dmin
So we put it in the hands of our friendly hosts
Amin Dmin C Dmin
Let them sing let them boom
F-E-D-C- Dmin F
As we backed out of the room
Amin Dmin
To applause filled with smoke
Amin Dmin
As the rafters start to choke
Amin D-E-F-E-Dmin
It’s no joke, we were loco then!
Amin Dmin
Sharing sound, sharing laughter
Amin Dmin
Sharing drink, sharing night time
Bb7 F-E-D-C
Down By the River, where everyone lives on the top floor
F-E-D-C-E-D
Little tiny thrift stores
F-E-D-C-A F-E-C-A
Squats and graffiti making beauty
Dmin Gmin
Green faces, green spaces
Dmin C Dmin
Berlin, Berlin, Berlin!
Dufus on tour in 2007 (the tour mentioned in the song)
This is a special “extra” for all the “downloaders”, “hangerouters” and various “boomer” subscription levels. Thank you!
BERLIN STORY Download
Right-click and select “Save as…”
Great pleasure! This song took a ton of hours to complete. It’s the first of the 23 Psaegz songs that I’ve done as part of this song of the week project. It was written during the #100songs series, so it counts. I wrote “House Show” the morning after a sweet show in September with Diane Cluck and some other awesome artists including Ken’s Last Ever Radio Extravaganza and Cammy Enaharo. I’ve been running shows here at Whenland and also at Meddlesome Lab in Rochester for almost 7 years now. It’s almost always an inspirational and joyous time, so I decided to dedicate a song to the concept so that perhaps other people might experience its joys. Special thanks to all my bandmates from 23 Psaegz for their work on this one.
Still Buzzing from the show last night
C
seemed like everyone was there
G
music was awesome, all the artists rocked
C
then all the people disappeared in thin airG houseshow, houseshow
C
this is the place where I live
G houseshow, houseshow
C
there isn’t a cover and the people are loving
C
they all put a few bucks into the hat and that is that
C
the touring band gets a hand to the next show
C
and everyone walks home with a warm warm glow
G
been doing this for many years
C
inviting bands into my home
G
made new friends, seen old ones
C
all of these people who roamG houseshow, houseshow
C
this is the place that i live
G houseshow, houseshow
C
people from new york, italy and chicago
C
california, wisconsin, florida, new orleans
C
berlin, philadelphia, virginia, england and japan
C
baltimore, arizona, boston and paris
C
playing in my living room
C
sitting on my couch
C
eating at my table
C
in a living fableG C
G Bmin
this is so cool, houseshowG
what do you mean there’s no rules in this place?
C
what do you mean that i don’t have to pay?
G
what do you mean this is off of the grid?
C
what do you mean this sick band flipped my lid?
G
what do you mean that it’s perfectly free?
C
what do you mean that these people like me?
G
what do you mean that musicians can roam?
C
what do you mean that I’m finally home?
G
I’m at a houseshow, houseshow
C
In my little home town
G Houseshow, houseshow
C
I think I’m gonna put on one of my own
G houseshowhouseshow
C
I cannot believe this exists
G houseshowhouseshow
C (STOP!)
that’s it, I’m putting my name on the list
My oh my! This has been an awesome first month! I’m beaming from the amount of support I’ve gotten from you subscribers and the incredible work I’ve been able to do in my studio because of this support. This week’s song, Wiggle While You Walk, is by far my favorite of the month. It is the third installment from the 3 song series. I’m thinking of taking the three songs and doing a bit of a mash up with them at some point in the future too! Give it a listen, and don’t forget to download it too!! Thanks everyone!
So, I had a crazy week, flew down to NYC for a few days visiting friends, playing a show with Jeffrey Lewis and the Jrams and friends Toby Goodshank and Deenah Vollmer and their band LA Boobs. So I didn’t get to produce and mix part 3 of the 3 songs series I’m putting out this month. Luckily, I’ve got some stuff already completed from the months #100songs last year. This one is an unnamed project written for a potential TV commercial, haha. They asked for a marimba song. Not sure if I got the commercial or not, but at least I had fun writing this and wrote something quite unlike anything I’ve done in the past.
