the best songwriting you've never heard
for the second installment of my video series, monday underground, i put images to one of the more entertaining monday songs: “another perfect day.” it’s a rare uplifter from my power pop phase, declaiming the truth of the eternal present.
Continue reading “monday underground #2: "another perfect day"”
i should probably apologize for releasing this before christmas. i had planned a cute holiday video, where i’d show ugly sweaters, fattening foods, and sleep-deprived kids. But as it developed, the message became darker, more cynical, and a whole lot funnier.
Continue reading “monday underground #1: "woe, woe, christmas cheer"”
i like to think of this as the best holiday song you’re never heard. it’s another chestnut from past holiday recordings, this time xmas 2005, cormac is 7 and maude is about to turn 4.
Continue reading “family closet #3: i’m staying up to see santa claus”
this is the tenth anniversary of cormac and maude’s version of “you’re a mean one, mr. grinch.” at the time, cormac was 6, and maude was just about to turn 3, making her the same age as cindy lou who. nowadays, cormac is driving and maude is turning thirteen. ahhhh old age…
Continue reading “the family closet #2: you’re a mean one, mr. grinch”
this is the final installment of the monday songs blog. in january i’ll be starting a new blog, planning to post a video each week. there’ll be some songwriting, for sure, but the format will be more open-ended, allowing for more experimental content and more of a narrative focus. hoping to make videos for a few of the “monday songs” in the process.
i wrote this song back in 1999, as part of a soundtrack to a movie i was writing called “danny’s inferno.” the screenplay was a loosely autobiographical collection of vignettes showcasing the pain, suffering, and surrealism inherent in trying to “make it” in the local bay area club scene.
it’s been forever since i’ve done a straight ahead music hall number, and since i’m winding things down, thought it would be fun to revisit the style.
i was working on this as a guide vocal for my daughter singing a song for my father’s 85th birthday.
it turned out pretty well, so i figured i’d share, to round out the cover effort with a standard.
i stole the way-behind-the-beat phrasing from peggy lee, a version my father shared with me some time back. i’m definitely going to work the shmultzy organ in the final version.
presenting the inaugural monday sound: the focus is more on production and sonic experimentation rather than straight ahead songwriting. there have been a number of similar experiments sprinkled in the monday song mix, but they’ve been outliers. the idea is to focus on sound first, meaning later. we’ll see where it leads…
this is the first monday song i ever wrote. of course, i didn’t know it at the time.