thursday night (october 6, 2016) marks the official cd-release party for “up, up, and away.” i will be performing the entire album live, accompanying the feature length film i made, at the historic Grand Illusion cinema in north Seattle (7pm). “up, up, and away” is an old-fashioned concept album that describes the experience of a manic episode […]
Category Archives: monday song
final edit: “up, up, and away” – full movie
i’ve just completed the final edit of my feature-length video, “up, up, and away.” this project has been in the planning stages since 2011, and i’ve been actively working on it for most of the past year. i’m really excited about the results. the film captures the various emotional states that accompanied a manic episode […]
monday song #107: "happy ever after"
lyrics this week i’m wearing my influences on my sleeve. i started out with the beatles-esque chorus, which came to me while walking the dog one morning last week. the IV-I-V-I chord sequence also steals from my own “love song,” but the more simplistic melody reminds me of the mccartney throwaway “all together now.”
monday song #103: "the calm before"
lyrics an early 70s prozac vocal as the main character wrestles with some difficult insights and an attempt at feeling. not entirely certain what he thinks he “should” do. my guess is that a few drinks will undo the softness…
monday song #102: "the lonely boats"
lyrics a similar theme to last week’s entry. preparation for some kind of a journey, though not sure whether it is an inner or outer journey. a tidying up before moving on, perhaps. with the first few, i’m not setting a high bar, just want to get back in the habit of having an unfinished […]
monday underground #3: "lullaby (for m & w)"
lyrics i’ve had this idea for a few months, though i had pictured it all in front of a tree in the middle of some park. when it came down to it, the mechanics of doing this outside were prohibitive and pushed me in another direction. it was only after i had successfully cloned myself […]
monday song #98: when you’re gone
lyrics 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.
monday song #95: double nickels turns three dimes
lyrics “double nickels on the dime” by the minutemen is a favorite album of mine and was hugely influential back when i was first trying my hand at live music in the late eighties. you’ll have a hard time finding an album more energetic and original. the rare balance of vision and humility has always been […]
monday song #91: my color wheel
lyrics i started work on this as another two-part song, but the second i had two, there just had to be three. the harmonies reminded my of the boswell sisters, though they get funky here and there.
monday song #90: let’s put on a show
lyrics this one started out as another paul-and-linda harmony piece, and then i had the idea to have the choruses follow the evolution of the band. the last section is pretty rocking, if i do say so myself.