The Lonely Astronaut - March 25, 2012

Yes, Nanaimo is a hard, hard woman, but that's not going to stop me from heading to The Hub City next weekend to play a show at Crace Mountain.  This is a big show, the end of an era, as Superprince Adam and Superprincess Lyndsay move along to new frontiers.  Aaaaaargh!  Also on the bill, Black Valley Gospel with their infernal devil music, and I've got a sweet little combo together for the show featuring Rachelle Reath on violin and vox and Marek Tyler on the drums. 

At the end of our rehearsal on Saturday, we did a one take recording of our song The Lonely Astronaut.  In the great tradition of songs like Rocket Man and Space Oddity, the song uses outer space as a metaphor for loneliness and alienation, while making direct lyrical references to Hank Williams (hey music fans, spot the reference and win a surprise gift!) and The Five Man Electrical Band.  Below are links to our performance of the song, as well as to a larger orchestral version by The Euphorians, recorded live off the floor in   my basement by boy genius Mike Hall.

Here's our take from the rehearsal

click here: THE LONELY ASTRONAUT - THE EUPHORIANS

The Lonely Astronaut
The astronaut stands on the shores of an alien sea
believes he can hear the children laughing now with glee
But in the realm of irrational perception
he was once crowned national champion
while the commotion caused by his emotions
made him renowned in his hometown

When he left home he became well-known
for sporting a massive biblical beard
'til that fateful night he was trussed and sheared
by a drunken balladeer

It was then that he decided to travel to the stars
leave behind this world of buildings
pocketbooks and cars

In a world where the sky is green and the trees are blue
and there's no one for a trillion miles but you
it's wise to doublecheck your supplies
and remember
it takes gravity to cry

What a waste, what a waste
when your tears float into space
instead of falling
instead of falling down your face
what a waste, what a waste

Now Nature abhors a crybaby
as much as she abhors a vacuum
so astronauts you must not succumb
to the commotion of your emotions

I'm a stranger here on this place called Earth
and I was sent down here to discover my worth
I'm a stranger here on this place called Earth
and I was sent down here to discover my worth


The astronaut stands on the shores of an alien sea
believes he can hear the children laughing now with glee



and what the hell, here's Bowie doing Space Oddity

The Great Giffoni - Excerpts from a Magic Show - March 19, 2012

You know what?  A song a week is hard. Between settling on a song and finding time to do it, things can get tricky.  I could just whip off any old thing, but I want to make this good for me and hopefully for you.  This was an insane- ly busy weekend and part of the busy weekend was play- ing a show with The Great Giffoni on Sunday afternoon at the Art Gallery of Victoria. Employing savvy management of time & schedule, I decided to make the show my song of the week.  Every now and then, when he can't find someone better-looking and more talented, the mysterious master of magic, The Great Giffoni himself, calls upon me to provide the musical accompaniment for his illusionistic spectacle.  Ahhh, but who is this Great Giffoni you say?  Don't ask me!  For fear has sealed my lips!  All I can say is this:  The Great Giffoni has been confounding and confusing Vancouver Island audiences with his potent mix of illusion, theatrics, sleight of hand, comedy, and animal husbandry for a long, long, long time...................some say since  Time itself began.

Picture Above: Autumn's Cold Comfort Party  /  Picture Below: Mayne Fall Fair                                       

"But it's out of season!!!"

So here's a link to a video of excerpts from the show yesterday....magic, warts, and all

Weary Blues From Waitin' - Hank Williams - March 11, 2012

I went into a red wine frenzy Friday night, compulsively  throwing back glass after glass. I blame it on Betty-Ann and Rachelle...it was their good company and lively conversation that fueled me. My pennance Saturday: assembling furniture from the Brick for my mother-in-law, with a Depression-era fruit of the vine hangover.  I know how to have a good time on the weekend.  On the plus side....whilst in the height of red wine fever I decisively made up my mind it was time for some hardcore country on ye olde blog, and this classic Hank Williams song popped into my head.  I first heard it on a record I got in the '80's called The Collector's Hank Williams, Volume 1.  Art student, the '80's, I suppose I should have been listening to Joy Division and The Psychedelic Furs, but what the hell. I also had/have pre-recorded cassettes of Volumes 2 and 4.  They were an interesting blend of songs, stuff you wouldn't hear on your standard greatest hits collections, some Luke the Drifter material, and some raw demos.  Pretty sure there's an early Dogbreath Brothers recording of this gem too.....somewhere. 

Anyway here's a link to me performing Weary Blues From Waitin'

and here's a link to a pretty sweet version by the great Wanda Jackson

and, well, Hank himself

New Blues #2 - March 5, 2012

Saturday night I went to see Black Valley Gospel, David Chenery's most recent music project.  It was their cd release show and their shit is the good shit, so check it out  http://blackvalleygospel.bandcamp.com/album/black-valley-gospel

At the show Scott Dunlop asked me what song I was going to do for my blog this week and well to be honest, I had no idea, and told him so.  "When are you gonna cover a Dylan song?" he said and seeing as I had spontaneously played I Threw It All Away earlier that day  I told him that I might just take him up on it.  Well I tried. A few times, a few songs.  Wasn't happening, hungover (damn you Chenery and your devil music), wasn't feeling it.  Dylan's like that.  Sometimes you play it and it gets inside you and you're inside it and away you go - other times you feel like some lamely inadequate douchebag at a coffee shop open mike.  

So what's the next best thing?  How about a song I wrote last year during a heavy Basement Tapes listening phase.....New Blues #2. Influenced by, derivative of....somewhere in there.  It's a basic blues form with a yodel turnaround.  Ran the accordion and my vox through a big-ass guitar amp. 

Here it is

New Blues #2

I was waitin' for the rapture watchin' the big game

but Jesus went to Luxton so the rapture never came

Rapture dude said "did I say May, I meant October"

now the whole town is suffering from revelation phobia

The wise man built his house upon a rock

the foolish man built his house inside a clock

The hideous man gazes upon his reflection

I can smell his filthy haunches I can smell his dejection

he's been carvin' up the TV eatin' it for dinner

he should be gettin' fatter but his head is getting thinner

He got a time machine keeps track of the latest trends

he's got a rocket ship to visit his so called friends

I can't get no sleep, it's rainin in my bed

I need an umbrella to keep the dreams off my head

Thing I like about night is it ain't light

thing I like about day is it ain't night

Best things about trees is they don't walk

thing I like about stones is they don't talk

Structurally this song is also very similar (okay, virtually identical) to another song I wrote and recorded many years ago, Grey Yodel #3, found on the Hurtin' Dance Party cd.  This song also felt Dylan-ey to me and the Highway 61 aesthetic was on our minds when we recorded it.    You can listen to that song (and the rest of Hurtin Dance Party) here.  

 HURTIN' DANCE PARTY - Bandcamp

The musicians who play on it were taught the song that night, I think we did three takes.  They did a stellar job, and I believe the spontaneous nature of the session brought a great energy to the recording.  Tolan McNeil's guitar line is pure genius and Clay George lays down a rockin harp solo through an overdriven amp.  Also featured are Calvin Dick on drums and Clark Brendan on bass.  Scott Henderson was the recording engineer.

*****Star Date January 12, 2016
Somewhere along the way in a couple of years of rehearsing and recording the composition order of this New Blues series - there's eight of these nasty fuckers - got tangled.  This one, Yodel Blues, changed from #2 to #3.  So it goes.  I also recorded a version of it incorporating all the lyrics from the song Grey Yodel #3.  I'll post that soon....stay tuned!