this music was created on the fly: a combination of expected and unexpected melodies and harmonies discovered within different musical contexts.
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monday underground #3: "lullaby (for m & w)"
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 that i considered putting us on a bedside table.
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monday underground #2: "another perfect day"
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.
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monday underground #1: "woe, woe, christmas cheer"
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.
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family closet #3: i’m staying up to see santa claus
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.
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the family closet #2: you’re a mean one, mr. grinch
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…
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monday song #100: up in the skies
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.
monday song #99: i’m not lonely
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.
monday song #98: when you’re gone
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 cover #3: (i’m afraid) the masquerade is over
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.