Advance copies of my demo CD will be available soon! In the meantime, here's a track by track breakdown of the 12 original songs:
1. Hey Amy - I wrote this for my sister, Amy. The song originated as a sort of new wave 80's pastiche but wound up like this. What sounds like a synth in the intro and chorus is actually a guitar.
2. Worth The Time - This is a real favorite of mine. Written at a time of great dispair but as you can hear I'm obviously enjoying myself. Listen to the bassline in the intro playing a variation on the vocal melody.
3. Collapse - An old song. Written for my band THE KIND in 1999 around the time of the Y2K scare. What sounds like negative thinking is actually optimism that the world would get better. Naive is'nt it? It should be. I wrote it when I was a child.
4. I Wish - This is me trying to be John Lennon. I had just gotten my first ukulele and wrote this in a day. I'm particularly proud of the bassline I composed for this.
5. Did'nt You Know - Great guitars on this (if I do say so myself). If George Harrison were alive he might consider litigation. One of my better guitar solos, with a nod to E.C.
6. Blues For Lily - Just a blues jam I knocked out in an afternoon, key of G, plenty of B.B. licks and my first bass solo. Just for fun, really. And to remind people that I can play the blues like a white boy from Worcester.
7. Missing - One of the better melodies I've written. Another old song. I wrote the lyrics one day back when I was working a day job. If I'd have spent more time working and less time writing suicide notes like this, I might still have a real job. I recorded a rough draft when I got home and made up the middle eight on the spot. Beatles influence is in here with the backing vocals and the guitar break.
8. The Time Is Right - This is my favorite set of lyrics I've written. I just love the meter and they flow nicely for me. Some good lines too. I wrote this after listening to the Jam's first album endlessly. The first draft was sung in a half-english accent, probably still there on this one. The middle eight is me trying to be Beck, believe it or not.
9. Your Only One - A love song. I think it's the only one I've ever been able to write. I would love to hear a country version of this.
10. Went To War - My political song. Sitting with my acoustic guitar and harmonica in front of the mic, trying to come up with something. I had the tv on muted and there were all these scenes from New Orleans and Katrina and I just hit record and made this up on the spot. I probably should have remade it but I like the honesty in this version, warts and all. Not great poetry but it's still relevent, I think.
11. Angel City - This is me trying doing an incredibly shameless Phil Spector ripoff. From the Be My Baby drum intro I just went with it as I always wanted to write my very own early 60's dancing/drive-in song. Wall Of Sound, man.
12. South By Southwest - I owe quite alot to Brian Wilson's influence here. Never mind the layered harmonies. The entire piece was composed in a 'modular' fashion. The same technique pioneered by Wilson for Good Vibrations and SMiLE. The parts were sewn together and it's intention is very cinematic. The fade out turned out to be my tribute to Phish.
All of the sounds were produced by me using various acoustic and electric guitars, an old Gibson bass, tenor and concert ukuleles, lots of percussion insturments and drum programming. This collection was put together because I keep getting asked for it. I call them 'demos' because that's just what they are: sketches of songs and ideas recorded at my leisure, at home. They were never meant to be heard by a wide audience but they do present an honest portrait of me practicing my hobby: songwriting.
Love and Mercy
AjC