It
is now available. An album with songs born up to three years ago is
being officially released into the wild. “Sweet Road to Ride” is an
eleven track sonic snapshot of late twenties life. It is a collection
of songs about love, the road, and the road into and out of love. The
cover picture of a ragged looking heart with a highway running right
down the middle of it was the perfect symbol for this album. If there
is an overarching theme to this recording it is one based around the
eternal rational thought vs emotion, heart vs mind struggle we all face
daily.
I
believe this album to be the strongest collection of tunes I’ve ever
recorded. From start to finish all of these songs stand very well on
their own, as well as fitting nicely as a part of the whole. For grins
I’ll give some track-by-track highlights and point out a couple of
things to listen for.
1.Here With Me
Walt
Wilkins and I wrote this song in his backyard this past spring. I got
the first line and hook for this tune in San Francisco two years ago.
The heart on the front of the album is exactly what this song is
about. My heart is for two things, my family and my music. The road
divides it.
2.While You Were Sleeping
A
song that I thought needed a twist. I started writing it but the
character was just too mean to leave her in the night, so I flipped the
script.
3.Great Divide
This
song is the first single, and one of my top three on the album. JB
laid down a deep groove and the song just pulses. The solo break
consists of about 4 guitar parts, some backwards cymbals, and a bowed
upright bass and it’s one of the prettiest spots on the album. We’ve
all been in the great divide trying to figure out whether our hearts or
brains are telling us the right thing to do.
4.Sunburn
Possibly
my favorite track on the album, this tune has high string guitar and
melotron on it. Abbey Road was one of the first albums I became cover
to cover familiar with when I was younger and it’s influences are all
over this tune. I love the changes, it was originally called Hi Bye
Again.
5.Over My Head
This
was one of the first songs I knew I’d have on this album; hooky, poppy,
and easy. People reacted well and it just had a nice groove.
6.Sometimes
The
chorus on this tune has two electric guitars, acoustic guitar, baritone
guitar, bass, and drums and it sounds like a waterbed. It’s a funky
little tune about being in love with some of my favorite production on
the album. The little sounds that sound like whale mating calls are a
Stratocaster and a wah wah pedal and a volume pedal played creatively.
Also listen for all the talking in the background, they call it
earphone candy.
7.Love Went Wrong
This
song was on my “Million Miles to Go” album and it really took on a
different feel as we’ve gigged it over the past few years so we decided
to cut it again. The percussion stuff that sounds like pots and
pans…it’s pots and pans. JB did some great percussion and piano work
on this tune.
8.Halfway There
This
is possibly the weirdest song on the record with the ska upbeat thing
at the top, but it passed muster and I think we got a pretty cool
version of it. It’s been going really well live.
9.They Ain’t Found Us Yet
So
I was watching the Darjeeling Limited and got this idea, emailed it to
Drew Kennedy, and voila…They Ain’t Found Us Yet. I have heard some
different speculation as to what folks think this song is about. Grady
asked if it was about the crowd at one sparsely attended show! I won’t
really say, because there are a few ideas in there. I usually write
pretty lyrically linear songs so one that just sounds cool is okay once
in a while.
10.Again
See
the cover. The heart comes in again. I love this life. I hate this
life. But I love it more than I hate it. I also love slow sad country
songs. I would never have written this song if I hadn’t done Robert
Earl Keen’s, “I Wonder Where My Baby Is Tonight” on the Steamboat
tribute a couple of years ago.
11.Watch Me Now
All
the harmonies were cut live, and we were all in the same room. The end
was edited of course because there are about 6 parts going on, but that
is my love for the Beach Boys coming to full light.
That’s it in a nutshell. I am really proud of this thing, and I hope you have as much fun listening as we had making it.
Josh