From Audio
Song #24 – Pity Party (co-produced by Grey Revell)
What a busy stretch I’m going through. It would seem that I am behind on releasing songs for this project, but I have been actually getting ahead on the project by recording clusters of songs with people and planning recording sessions. It is out of necessity because my puppet opera 23 Psaegz is about to have our first performance with puppets. The puppets are very large things which people get inside of… a brand new artform for me to work in. So we’ve just been learning and coming up with our plans from scratch. It’s been difficult and rewarding. Many people have been putting in time to make this work. I feel so blessed. I’m thankful to my friend Grey Revell of Impermanence Studios in Belmont, NC for his production work on this track. He did a wonderful job both adding instruments to my original simple version and then mixing the whole thing into a cohesive sounding track. Hopefully he and I will be working together more in the future!!
PITY PARTY
Heart and body will bleed when I sit down and know the party is done
Hey we’ll scream out, the party leavings on the floor, I can’t take this anymore
Hey! come clean up what you’ve left behind
I’m not your mother, and I didn’t throw this party for your benefit
You’ve ruined it, make me sick
I’m not your mother, not your sister or your brother
We’re not even friends, why did you come in here again?
Alright, alright
The paper died, you take my pride slowly
You’ve taken all that you can from me
Now Go
I don’t want you here.
I’ll keep my pride
A revolution’s starting below
You were never meant to see it
The world is starting up
We’re standing up on our own
And there ain’t nothing you can do to stop it
Don’t get in our way, Don’t breathe in our space
You’ve done enough this time
This pity party’s over
Alright, alright
The paper died, you take my pride slowly
The paper died with human pride
Our wheels collide
I’m taking sides
Linking arms with what I know is right
And I’ll fight with my will
For the wings to take flight
For the answer inside
I’ll no longer hide
A revolution in the streets
In the market on our feet
A revolution overboard
Throw the monster to the dogs
A revolution in the streets
In the market on our feet
A revolution from within
Rip the monster from your skin
Alright, alright
The paper died, you take my pride slowly
The paper died with human pride
Our wheels collide
I’m taking sides
Linking arms with what I know is right
Don’t get in our way
Don’t breathe in our space
You’ve done enough this time
This pity party’s over
Song #23 – Maybe I Will
It seems every summer I say to myself, “This will be the summer I relax and enjoy nature and the weather etc etc”, and halfway through it I am hard at work again on some new project. Usually I’m frustrated at it because it’ll be booking work or online band promotion or whatever… the stuff independent musicians invariably have to take care of in our day to day lives. This year, it doesn’t feel so bad! I’m working on multiple projects, but they are mostly artistic in nature. We ARE planning a tour for September / October in EUROPE, but the stuff I’m mainly focused on is rehearsing my rock opera, my band, and building big puppets!! We are premiering my rock opera all three nights of the Purple Pig Music Festival in Naples, NY, August 28, 29 and 30th!! This is a massive undertaking with a big band and a bunch of puppets, something I’ve been working on for the past 8 years. It’s name is 23 Psaegz. The band was formed around this project.
Anyway, on to the 100songs project. It may look as if I’ve slowed down in putting the songs together for you all, but the fact is, we’ve been in Black Dog, a great studio here in Rochester, NY, recording 7 new songs for the project. In addition to that, there are producers from Belmont, North Carolina, New York City, and Brussels, Belgium working on tracks for this project. Some really exciting productions are coming out of these talented technicians!! Without further ado, I’d like to present a track recorded by yours truly and produced / mixed by Brian Speaker at SpeakerSonic Studio, Brooklyn, NY.
MAYBE I WILL – © ⓟ 2014 Seth Faergolzia, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
MAYBE I WILL
MAYBE I WON’T
PICK UP THE SUN WITH A LADLE MADE OF STARS
LIVE OUT MY DREAMS NO MATTER HOW BIG OR FAR THEY ARE
MOVE AND FOLLOW MY HEART, NO MATTER
NO MATTER WHERE I GO IT’S THE SAME
THEY CAN’T HOLD DOWN MY SOUL, NOT FOREVER
NO MATTER WHAT THEY DO I’LL REMAIN
MAYBE I WILL
MAYBE I WON’T
RIP A HOLE THROUGH THE FABRIC OF REALITY
MAYBE I WILL
MAYBE I WON’T
PICK UP A POSSE AND WE’LL FLY INTO A RAINBOW
MAYBE I CAN MAYBE I CAN’T
BUT IF I DON’T TRY WHAT WOULD BE THE POINT OF ME
MAYBE I WILL
MAYBE WE CAN
AT LEAST I’LL TRY AND JUMP INTO THE SKY AND SEE
MOVE AND FOLLOW MY HEART, NO MATTER
NO MATTER WHERE I GO IT’S THE SAME
THEY CAN’T HOLD DOWN MY SOUL, NOT FOREV ER
NO MATTER WHAT THEY DO I’LL REMAIN
1-2-3 INTO FOREVER
NO MATTER WHERE I GO I’LL REMAIN
THEY CAN’T HOLD DOWN MY SOUL, NOT A MINUTE LONGER
NO MATTER WHAT THEY TAKE I’LL RECLAIM
MAYBE I WILL MAYBE I WON’T
MAYBE I WILL MAYBE I WON’T
MAYBE I CAN, MAYBE I SHOULD
MAYBE THIS PLAN IS DEFINITELY GOOD
DEFINITELY DEFINITELY DEFINITELY GOOD
MOVE AND FOLLOW MY HEART, NO MATTER
NO MATTER WHERE I GO IT’S THE SAME
THEY CAN’T HOLD DOWN MY SOUL, NOT FOREVER
NO MATTER WHAT THEY DO I’LL REMAIN
1-2-3 INTO FOREVER
NO MATTER WHERE I GO I’LL REMAIN
THEY CAN’T HOLD DOWN MY SOUL, NOT A MINUTE LONGER
NO MATTER WHAT THEY TAKE I’LL RECLAIM
Song #22 – Baby Dinosaur
This is a song my daughter and I wrote together. She made up the lyrics, I made up the melody (although I think the melody was kind of made by both of us) so it’s kind of a children’s song! Friends have been telling me for years I should make an album for kids. This is the first track, and there should be a few more coming from this 100songs project… My friend Gil Mortio from Brussels, Belgium did the production, which means he did everything except for my voice and guitar… so many things! He’s the guy who helped produce “Oh Holy Crismas” a couple years back. He’s awesome and there will be at least two more productions by him coming in the future! Thanks Gil! What you did sounds amazing!!
Baby Dinosaur – © ⓟ 2014 Seth Faergolzia, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Baby Dinosaur
Baby T-rex
Baby girl T-rex dinosaur
Where is a mama mountain
There is a mama mountain
Where is a papa mountain
There is a papa mountain
He’s not a mountain but a dinosaur
She’s not a mountain but a dinosaur
Baby Dinosaur
Baby T-rex
Baby girl T-rex dinosaur
Baby is little
Mama and papa are big
1-2-3
Baby Dinosaur
Baby T-rex
Baby girl T-rex dinosaur
Wonder who made the mountains?
Dinosaurs
Once there was a story ’bout
Who can guess it?
Yes it was about a dinosaur
Baby Dinosaur
Baby T-rex
Baby girl T-rex dinosaur
Song #20 – Garbage Night
I originally set out to record this song because I thought it would be easy! Boy was I wrong. It’s been a very busy time here in my world because I’ve been adding band members to the 23 Psaegz lineup (trombone, trumpet, bass and a new drummer), so we’ve been doing extra rehearsals… I’ve also begun work on puppets for the rock opera and doing all my normal things like performing a few times a month regionally and hanging with my awesome daughter. She was a great help in this particular recording project. She and I enjoy going out on Wednesday nights here in Rochester looking for treasure in the garbage people put out. This song is about that. I’m a strong supporter of reusing and repurposing stuff. I’m not a fan of throwing things out and using things which can only be used once. So this is my trash anthem, haha. In preparing for the release of this song, I thought, perhaps I should use some instruments I’ve actually found in the garbage to accompany the song… you know, living by my word… anyway, my daughter helped me to sample a huge pile of metal percussion pieces I’ve collected over the years from old lamps, or pots and pans etc. We made a huge recording of samples then I sifted through it and made a virtual keyboard for triggering the samples. It took an extra week of work that I didn’t know would have to happen, so the song is late, but it’s done! I think you’ll enjoy it. I hope you’ll hear the metal pieces in there and even listen to the extra release I put on the site for the $7 subscription members of the metal percussion only version of the song. Enjoy!!!
Garbage Night – © ⓟ 2014 Seth Faergolzia, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
There’s one night a week in this town where I live
Where you can get the things you need without a dime to give
Garbage night
Garbage night
when people put the things you need out on the curb for free
It may take a month before you see it
Maybe just a day
But while you’re looking stay alert
You never know what you’ll find along the way
It may not fit or look so perfect
A coat of paint or a couple stitches do you
Can’t be choosy when you shop in refuse
Garbage night
Garbage night
when people put the things you need out on the curb for free
Garbage night
Garbage night
No need to buy it they’ve supplied it out on the street
When I was young I had tons of fun
Picking up electronics building my time machine
I plugged it in and off I went
It sent me exactly one second into the future
I declared, “It worked, it worked!”
But nobody believed me
They were jerks, jerks
I saw then that the trash was my only friend
Again and again the treasure’s right around the bend
Garbage night
Garbage night
when people put the things you need out on the curb for free
Garbage night
Garbage night
No need to buy it they’ve supplied it out on the street
If you decide to treasure hunt at night
I won’t mind
There’s plenty out here for our kind
But please be advised
Watch out for mean guys
Not to mention bedbugs
Cockroaches might eat your eyes
Garbage night
Garbage night
when people put the things you need out on the curb for free
Garbage night
Garbage night
No need to buy it they’ve supplied it out on the street
Garbage night
Treasure night
We will find the things we need and probably some others
Garbage night treasure
When people put the thing you need out on the street.
Extra for Song #20 – Garbage Night (Percussion-only version)
GARBAGE NIGHT (PERCUSSION-ONLY VERSION) – © ⓟ 2014 Seth Faergolzia, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
This is a track built entirely from cool pieces of metal which I’ve collected over the years. I am a strong believer in reusing what we have rather than creating more, in regards to keeping our environment in tact for the future of our race. Part of what I do in my daily life is to attempt to use less by collecting what others leave behind. I suppose that makes me sort of a scavenger, but I think it’s great! I have pretty much furnished my entire house with things I’ve found. There are things which were given to me and a couple things I’ve actually bought, but I generally only buy used things. blah blah blah.
I used all this percussion stuff from years of collection and finally made samples of them all. I will probably make the sample suite available to the public as well, following this project. My daughter helped me record all the little sounds which make up my collection. She and her best friend also did me the favor of singing backup on the chorus for the full song (which I’ll be posting in the next day or two)… I think they’re cute as cute can be. I had trouble not putting every little noise they made on this recording. Everything a little child does is pure gold!
I was listening back to this without vocals and without other instruments, and I just had to share it with you all. I just love the groove of it, and when you hear the song it goes with, you’ll be like, “how does that fit the song?” … but somehow it does. 🙂
Song #19 – Hi5
So, life happens. We cannot predict the occurrences in our lives, and though we may have realistic plans, it’s doubtless that things will interrupt these plans once in a while. This week’s song is not part of the #100songs project because I’ve had personal stuff to deal with, the main thing being that my 8 year old daughter has been suffering from a couple different ailments, and I’ve had to keep her home from school a few days this week. Family first, as they say. I’m blessed to have her in my life, and she’s a great kid. She was very understanding and even helped me a bit this week, but I still haven’t gotten anywhere near done with the song which I had set out to complete this week, “Garbage Night.” A lot of people at recent concerts have loved that song, so I really wanted to get it done so those people could listen to it. Alas! It will have to wait till next week. In searching for something to replace it, so I could at least make good on my song a week release promise, I discovered a handful of old 23 Psaegz songs which have not had their rightful release yet… They’re so old that we seldom play any of them, so I’m putting this one out. It’s called “Hi5”. It came from a misunderstanding between I and a friend that led to some negativity and turbulence (which is an unusual thing in my life. I try to get along with people and remain kind through all circumstances, which most times works fine.) I’m happy to say that this friend and I are getting along fine now! This song has a special place in my heart. I hope you will enjoy it! It was mixed by Matt Broadstone and performed by 23 Psaegz including Payton Marovich, Laura Lee Jones, Brett Gobe, Carla Bartow, Joyce Britton, Shaun Jones, Regina Huynh, Neeti Fidurko, and Shannon Scally in 2011.
High Five – © ⓟ 2014 Seth Faergolzia, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Opened the vent
An event for composing
Oh no, the anger, I’m sorry
It’s hard to see you as a real person
Oh no, not anger, I’m sorry
It’s hard to see you as a real person
This broken high five
You’re in there
I know you’re alive
Each broken high five
You’re in there
I know you’re alive
Get some wood glue
To clump the crack up
Glue together this broken five
We’ll slap our hands together
When it’s all over
Yeah it’s alright
Yeah it’s alright
You’re alive
You’ve just fallen down
Take some time
It will work it out
All in time
It will work it out
This broken high five
You’re in there
I know you’re alive
We’ll slap our hands together
When it’s all over
Yeah it’s alright
Yeah it’s alright
1-2-3-4-5…
(Improvised song part “Cloun Drip”)
A silly, blurry pic of the band that performed this song.
Song #17 – Hot Sh!t 4eva
Splendiferously bubbling heart goobers! It’s a great delight to finish this one. This started at a 23 Psaegz rehearsal sometime late last year. We were once a very large band, but in recent months we’ve been going through changes, sometimes smaller rehearsals have led to strange collaborations like this one. There were four of us, I think, Laura Lee Jones, Joseph Schmidlin, Brett Gobe, Reilly Cook and myself (though my memory imagines one more person there). We made this funny waltz in 7. If that weren’t strange enough, my friend Dan Sieradski of the Self Agency (without whom, this website would not exist) and I were having a conversation regarding the nature of hip hop. He said to me hip hop must be in 4/4 time. I challenged him and said that hip hop simply hasn’t had much stuff in odd time signatures, but it doesn’t HAVE to be in 4/4. He disagreed vehemently. I had to meet the challenge, and how better than with a waltz in 7?? This one is kind of a 7/4 waltz, well actually it’s in 7/8 at 78bpm, haha. I think I’ve risen to the challenge. Hopefully you all will agree. I think it’s worked out amazingly. Supreme inspiration comes from visiting unknown worlds. I hope you’ll enjoy it! There’s reference to a tape I made about 30 years ago with a friend, my first recorded compositions under the title, “Masters of the Universe.” I probably have the only surviving copy of that stuff (thankfully). I hope this one will put a smile on your face. My thoughts and prayers go out to the folks struggling in Baltimore and Nepal this week.
Hot Sh!t 4eva – © ⓟ 2014 Seth Faergolzia, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Hot Shit, foreva
Hot shit, oh! Alright
Hot Shit Foreva!
Woowoowoo
Hot Shit, yeah! Foreva!
Yeah yeah yeah
This is not hip-hop
Who let that beat drop?
Who dropped the beat?
That wasn’t me.
I been making music since I was 3
Writing rhymes since I’s a teen
Day of LL, Fatboys, Run DMC
Later Public Enemy
Recorded my first demo, “Masters of the Universe” in a karaoke mall booth
Hadn’t even got me last adult tooth yet
But that’s youth, Brett
They grab ahold and do without a clue.
Hot Shit, foreva
Hot shit, oh! Alright
Hot Shit Foreva!
Woowoowoo
Hot Shit, yeah! Foreva!
Yeah yeah yeah
Yeah Yeah
When I get an A for thinking
It’s not like I did anything
I was like, “Kafoolduboppylee duffle, Kafoolduboppylee duffle!”
I said, “Kafoolduboppylee duffle”
They said, “Hot Shit, Yeah”
I was like, “not hot yet”
I was just getting started
Building this mechanized heart of gold
Just wait till I’m old
That shit will unfold
Splendiferously bubbling with butterfly shoulders
and trousers of cloud unfurling
Like they plowed the sky with giant horse drawn jacuzzis on maximum spin
You win, my twin, let it begin, ain’t no sin, just dive in, let it begin
You win, my friend, let it begin, ain’t no sin, just dive in, let it begin, my friend
Hot Shit, foreva
Hot shit, oh! Alright
Hot Shit Foreva!
Woowoowoo
Hot Shit, yeah! Foreva!
Yeah yeah yeah
I’m seeing double
Troubled inside
Thoughts collide
a husband and bride
Full of narcissistic pride
how far is this ride?
I wanta get off
I hack and cough
I’m actin’ rough
I puff my chest and raise my shoulders up
I ain’t no pup, I am a dog
I poop a log
The Bane of Paul Bunyan
The rain that made you run in
The pain that put your thumb in
Your mouth is always running
But not a word of it is cunning
It’s like drool from a fool
Forming a pool atop the Bunyan Stool
I sometimes think it sounds like a muppet singing,
“Kafoolduboppylee duffle, Kafoolduboppylee duffle!”
Hot Shit, foreva
Hot shit, oh! Alright
Hot Shit Foreva!
Woowoowoo
Hot Shit, yeah! Foreva!
Yeah yeah yeah
Song #16 – I Want It Easy
I’m in the middle of organizing over 40 people for 3 different projects. I’m starting a choir, a wind/horn section for my band 23 Psaegz, and a crew of people to make and operate puppets for my rock opera performance this summer. A ton of work… so, I’m cheating a little this week and giving you guys a previously unreleased song, but it’s not part of the #100songs I wrote in the end of last year. I hope you will forgive me! I’m overwhelmed, but I still want to make good on my promise of a new song each week. This is one I recorded as part of my solo album, Doubting Won’t Do. I had to cut one song to make that album the right length… Here it is, complete with a piece of art by Adam Green, my good friend who generously donated some of his artwork to the album cover.
Song #15 – High Diver
Collaboration! So in the process of writing #100songs I took all sorts of routes to a finished work each day. This one was a collaboration of sorts. Laura Lee Jones offered me a packet of poems she had written as fodder for my process, and I accepted. I’ve always had trouble reading poetry even though I write quite a bit. I’m more of a fantasy / sci fi novel sorta guy… This process has helped me to dig pretty deeply into a poem that wasn’t my own. Laura is a great artist, whatever she sets her mind to. These lyrics inspired what I believe to be an awesome song… and it’s interesting that I did more vocal affectation with this one, I think because I didn’t have to focus on the personal meaning I was putting into it. I kept it simple with the production because the voices seemed enough. I hope you’ll enjoy this one as much as I do!
HIGH DIVER – © ⓟ 2014 Seth Faergolzia, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
LYRICS BY LAURA LEE JONES
first perched and stretched:
long arcs of the limbs extended
the the sudden jump
body folds into itself
into the shape
of an arrow head
into a fetal pose
toes pointed
spiraling plunging replacing air water
body eliminated
from its first version
somehow lost in a moment of weightless
space — released
becomes a polished stone
armed with the substance
of speed or the moving waves
somehow the proclivity of a dive
the long plummet somehow a bird and fish at once
Song #14 – Running Blood
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 – © ⓟ 2014 Seth Faergolzia, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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