I started this project hoping to write and record a new song every so often. It turned out to be a lot of work! And, like Dick Cheney, I had "other priorities." However, it's something I'd like to get back to sometime.
Fifth State Super Solid
A pretty chaotic instrumental. I may do a little tightening on it here and there in the next few days. Please send me any suggestions.
Two Lost Babes in the Woods, Whose Names I Don't Know
Sorry for the very long time between songs. I've had a ton of half finshed songs on the hard drive, and I finally pushed one through to completion. It's based on the first verse of a folk song from the English Country Songboook, but quickly diverges. And it presents the return of the accordion.
In on a Saturday
(Words by Melissa Demian) Last week I came up with a really Elvis-Costello-like tune and sent it to Melissa. She dutifully wrote some fitting and, of course, fantastic words! Then I changed the music. It's still pretty Elvis inspired, but hopefully a bit more original. Left to my own devices I extracted the song title from the lyrics. Apologies to Melissa if it's not appropriate.
Plow Straight remix
Hey, I just can't leave Plow Straight song alone! I made some minor changes for yet another remix. Click the link again and you'll get the new new version.
Plow Straight
For this I went to the English Country Songbook and stole a verse of trad stuff. The rest of the words I wrote, and the music of course, and gave it kind of a new direction. It used to be a song about extolling the virtues of the guy who plows the fields. Now it's about a guy who sublimates all his personal temptations into his work.
Lost At Sea
More nautical themes. The main riff was written by Robby and myself, playing together on the keyboard. I cleaned it up a bit and changed the tempo, but it's still Robby's playing on the high and low keyboard pulses. Well what can I say about words. I really try to give out something meaningful so I'm not just wasting everyone's time, but words are tough. This song is actually about something, but I think I'll leave it to listeners to enjoy or not. You'll know I really have something to say when I give you more than two verses... either that or Melissa's found a free moment.
The Night the Terra Went Down
A song about a shipwreck! There's accordion in there, doing the distorted guitar part this time. I don't play any guitar but I love that power chord sound, so lots of things stand in for it. I've been doing my best with the lyrics, but I must say it's tough and I may be tapped out soon. I need to put the lyricist to work -- Yes, there is a lyricist!
I'll Pretend by Numbers
At the last moment I lost my voice and couldn't sing. So assembling the words became kind of a salvage job, going through the scratch vocal junk I sang the previous week, and adding some whispers. I hope you appreciate that there's a theoretical limit on how good something like that can be, and hopefully I've at least approached it.
Ride 'em Cowboy
First song! And it's vaguely post-apocolyptic, I guess. It owes something to Planet of the Apes. I was determined to have an accordion solo no matter what, so it's debatable whether it's totally called for. Enjoy if you can!