Catch 22 (Reflections)

 2022 Started playing to a large festive indoor crowd. Something unheard of the past few years. But then I was thrust into the bleak winter slowly getting back to normal playing wise. I got COVID by the end of January I recovered very quickly, and was back at it a week later.

Valentines Day was on a Monday. Super Bowl Sunday was the night before. I booked a Grand Suite at the Hotel Northampton, so I could wake up on Valentines Day with a hot tub, two balcony porches and all of Northampton surrounding us outside.

                                       

April was about family, as my girlfriend's dad passed away, and we flew down to Florida for a memorial dinner in Fort Meyers. We rented a U-Haul to bring back a few family belongings, and visited Saint Augustine on the way back. I had never been to Fort Meyers, and I'm sad to see the damage from the recent Hurricane that struck the area. Just as I was getting to know the place and have it be a part of my life. It won't stop me from coming back, but the next visit will be just as sad as the last.

In June, I took Amy's two kids up to New Hampshire and stayed in an old house near the boardwalk at Lake Winnipesaukee. A throwback to my childhood.

Summer is flying by at a massive pace. I get a guitar gig in Brattleboro playing Beatles songs for Rock Voices. Then We get to see Elvis Costello and Nick Lowe at the Pines Theater, which was an amazing show. A few weeks later, we would be on the same stage playing a Janes Addiction tribute for a tribute concert benefitting the Northampton Arts Council.

Fall was in full swing, and we took a road trip to North Carolina, where Amy and I performed an alumni event at Greensboro College. We stopped in Chincoteague, VA on the way back.

Not long after playing the part of Janes Addiction, we got to see the real band play in Boston (opening for Smashing Pumpkins). We found a hotel right on top of the TD Garden.

Halloween had its usual craziness, and we managed to land a fun gig as a duo playing at Six Flags in Agawam. One of the last outdoor shows of the year.

Winter closes in, and the club gigs just keep on happening. So many weddings that got put off due to COVID and so many fundraisers and private events. All of it came rushing back in at once. 

Hey! Bring it on, it's been three years after all!

Brewfest. Mohegan Sun.

The Big E

Mystic

Avery Point. Groton

The Pavilion. Olde Lyme.

Crystal Bees. Southington

The year winds down. and a few more holiday parties fill out the schedule.

Saint Clements Castle. Portland.

 

Shadows (and Light)

 I wrote a bunch of original songs over the past 10 years, as part of home studio projects. But then home ended up moving, and I ended up having to start over at a great deal of things. But I managed to write several new originals (in varying styles) which I am now recording in a basement with a drum kit, some cool guitars and small amps.

The demos I had put together were under the title "Shadows". I was suggesting that this was only a vague glimpse at what the songs could later become.

 A clearer picture has emerged, now that the songs are being filled out with bass, drums and electric guitars. A glimpse into the subject matter of the songs reveals a little more about how the last few years have gone, and what was on my mind.

"12 Miles" is a love song about how I would drive from my house to my girlfriend's house. "12 Miles, 3 Exits and 17 minute drive". 

Smithereens covering "Need You Now".

"A Good Life" is a tribute to my Dad and my Grandfather. "He was listening to Jazz until the midnight Hour. Grandma had some smokes and a whiskey sour". 

Ryan Adams (back when people still liked him) or The Eagles (before Hotel California).

"Purple Heart Town" is a fictional song I made up after seeing a sign in Greenfield that said "Purple Heart Town" - It made me think about how many towns probably have a veteran who was bestowed such a medal. My guess is a lot. It became a very deep subject for me to delve into. 

Steve Earle meets John Doe at a truck stop diner in Roswell, New Mexico.

"Complicated Love" was a song I made up on the fly, and is about how things can be... complicated" The term is thrown about as a relationship status. But what does it mean? It means different things to different people. To me, it's about something that takes time, thought and consideration. 

John Hiatt in the "Drivers Seat". 

"Mean Old World" was going to be called "Gas Station Girl" but I completely changed the subject matter, and with good reason. I didn't want it to be about a person. Originally a Tom Petty tribute - It ended up being an homage to... 

Led Zeppelin... with a Bo Diddley beat.

On the other hand, "Unfriended" is definitely about a person. Although it could be about any person with social issues. Rockabilly Boogie. Snotty vocals and heavy guitars. 

Bobby Bare JR with The Beat Farmers.

"Bottle Redemption Song" (a dobro-laced acoustic number) and "Unfriended" are both the most Blues-inspired songs I came up with. "The jig is up, my ass is out, just like empty bottles of porter and stout" sounds like the stale smell of sadness.

(Tom Waits and the ghost of Jerry Jeff helped me out with that one)

Writers Gotta Write

 During the height of the Pandemic, my girlfriend and I were shut in and bored, when we came along a songwriting challenge. We were supposed to put out an albums' worth of original material in one month. we wrote enough material, but I wasn't able to complete the project in time. I had a few good reasons. One was my computer went into a coma.

I had previously used Pro Tools as a recording platform on an ancient iMac. For 20 years, I was able to make what I thought were acceptable studio recordings, and over time, I got pretty good at recording everything including drums (although I'm not a very good drummer). But the old iMac finally ran out of room to run, and O had to learn another program after two decades...

I recently started coming to grips with Audacity, and after a few frustrating attempts, have finally started to slowly figure out, nearly two years later.

    Now those 10 songs are being pieced together and sound like a kick ass Rock band.