The Seven of clubs came about because this weekend was really great, the weather was great, and I was feeling good. So I wrote this nonsense as an attempt to describe it.
May 26, 2009
Seven of Clubs: Remember The Sound
May 11, 2009
Five of Clubs: Bad Day/Song
Last Monday I had a bad day. Things we just not going right for me. I’ll spare you the details, but suffice to say I was in a rotten mood. I started this song that Monday night and was going to make a bad day song or bad song day or some kind of bad durge. The bad day continued right into the night and I had a problem with my computer and I had to stop recording. Ugh.
So, I finished the song today, Sunday, and since that badday Monday, I have had a few much better days and I was not in such a bad mood anymore. So, this song is what happens when you start it on a bad day and finish it on a good day.
This song is influenced by a bad day, Steve Reich, and Jim O’Rourke.
May 3, 2009
Four of Clubs: Two Days After A Day At Coney Island
Two days after we visited Coney Island I created this song. There isn’t much to say about it except for: acoustic guitar and mass feedback.
April 22, 2009
Two of Clubs: Let It Rain
Here is the Two of Clubs. It’s late, I know. This is because our apartment was broken into over the weekend while I was in Boston and Hillary was also out of town. I meant to record this song, which was already written (I finished the lyrics in Boston) on Sunday when I got home but I had to deal with the aftermath of the burglary. The Police came, then the Detectives, and finally the officers that took fingerprints. It was an action-packed evening, that’s for sure.
It seems that the subject of this song was eerily appropriate. The basic idea is that sometimes, when we are in a situation that we can’t change, we need to not worry about what’s already happened and concentrate on what we can do now and in the future to make things better. I didn’t know that this would apply to one’s apartment being burglarized. But I guess it can apply to that too.
April 13, 2009
Ace of Clubs: A Proposal
Over the weekend I asked my girlfriend the question. Yes, the question. I wrote this song on the Monday before last weekend and had a plan for the way it was going to happen. It didn’t happen exactly like this because it was raining and I couldn’t bring her up to the roof. But it’s basically right.
She said yes.
April 10, 2009
Joker: Sneak Preview
Here is a sneak-preview of this week’s song. It’s gonna rock. I bet you can’t wait until you hear it. Well, get going, already!
March 29, 2009
Queen of Spades: Darn These Walls
Here is another acoustic guitar based instrumental. I like the drone music. I added a few more ambient parts on top of the two acoustic guitar parts with electric guitar and a bunch of effects. One ambient track is a cymbal with the mic real close.
The name is derived from the “soundproof” walls that we have at the space. That premise (promise) is false. It’s hard to record an acoustic guitar in a room next to one of the louder bands around. They were covering a Pavement song for some of the time, so I have to give points to that. So, with those points, they are at negative 25. I just gotta live with it. Serendipitously, they ended a song right after I had ended mine so there was a little bow tied on the end of that noise gift.
March 8, 2009
Nine of Spades: Road Song in the Key of We
Nine of Spades is a road song. Road trips are awesome and I wish I was able to take more of them. I still haven’t done a cross-country drive and I really want to do it someday. There is so much to see and do basically anywhere you go. So, that’s what this is about. I did this at home with the acoustic guitar and reason drums. I finished the vocals at the space this weekend.
Now, I’m gonna get in a zip car and go to Long Island.
February 22, 2009
Seven of Spades: O Captain
The Seven of Spades is a song I wrote to a poem by Walt Whitman. A collection called “Leaves of Grass” contains this poem. It’s a bit like what Billy Bragg and Wilco did to Woody Guthrie lyrics except that this poem was published and wasn’t intended to be lyrics (as far as I know).
I did this at home with the acoustic guitar.
February 8, 2009
Five of Spades
The Five of Spades is an instrumental track. It’s mostly an acoustic guitar piece but I’ve added a bunch more acoustic and electric guitar tracks near the end. This is getting closer to being something that I actually would like to listen to myself. If that sounds weird, I understand. I really like droning and repetitive acoustic guitar stuff. And, while I don’t have the skills that I love in John Fahey, Elizabeth Cotten and Doug Keith and nor am I playing in that fingerpicking style, I really like where this is going.