Look Through My Window

Buy "Tumble" for $.49 - Offer ends tomorrow!

My band's *brand new* digital single...

1.17.2012: "Tumble"

Artwork for the new WORDS digital single, "Tumble"

So if you happened to read my blog entry from 11.26.11 ("In a former life...") you already know about my little journey connecting with the recorded music of my past, through the remastering of some of my band's old catalog. Soon after posting that entry I set up a bandcamp site so that people could hear some of the tracks, and even purchase them if they chose.

The holidays, not surprisingly, were a bit tough - it was our first Christmas since our mom's passing. One day I was just tinkering on the guitar (something I rarely do these days) and a tune emerged. I recorded some instrumentation with electronic drums, just for fun. A few days later I scribbled some lyrics and found a main melody for this song now called "Tumble", a new tune that I quite liked. I sent it to Matt to see what he thought, and asked if he would like to add some drums to the track. Within a few days Matt not only provided a solid drum track, but also some guitar work and lyrics that became the song's bridge (which he sings on the final recording).

So now Words have a brand new track up for sale at bandcamp.com. It all happened very fast!  One of the biggest pleasures of the process for me was collaborating with Matt again. We know each other musically, and we have a very comfortable energy whenever we write or record. "Tumble" is our first written collaboration since the 80's, and we're talking about possibilities for a new full-length project, but without any deadlines or pressures. I'm excited to see what emerges.

11:27 AM

2011: A Recap

(updated on 12/31/2011)

Well 2011, I can't say I'm gonna miss ya. This year has been a bitch, with a few moments of brightness thrown in here & there.  To read all about it, continue after the jump...

Top 20 Fanciest Songs of 2011

At this time, dearest readers, I present you with the big kahuna of lists, my Top 20 fave tunes of the past year (REVISED 12.30.2011):

20. "Contact High" - Love Jones (d)
19. "Are We Lovers or Are We Friends?" - Acid House Kings
18. "Rope" - Foo Fighters
17. "We Can Fly" - Yes
16. "Cold Feet" - Liam Finn
15. "Breathe Out, Breathe In" - The Zombies (d)
14. "Pumped Up Kicks" - Foster the People
13. "Sanctified" - fDeluxe
12. "Cauliflower (offend remix)" - dan le sac VS Scroobius Pip
11. "A Beautiful Life" - Donny & Marie Osmond (d)
10. "Stand" - Lenny Kravitz
9. "Babyfather" - Sade
8. "Forward to Love" - Ziggy Marley (d)
7. "Ghost on the Canvas" - Glen Campbell
6. "Girl Panic!" - Duran Duran
5. "Mine Smell Like Honey" - R.E.M.
4. "Blue Tip" - The Cars
3. "Funky But Chic" - New York Dolls
2. "What I Heard" - Blondie
1. "Anna Lee (sweetheart of the sun)" - The Bangles

NOTE: All songs except those marked with a (d) are currently available on VINYL.
UPDATE/CORRECTION: Ziggy Marley's Wild and Free album was released on vinyl in November, 2011.

2011 Best of Qtr IV

Here she is, my quarterly "best of" list, aka the 20 songs I've enjoyed most over the past three months (REVISED on 12.22.2011):

20. "Wall Street" - Van Dyke Parks
19. "Bad Girl" (d) - Eli "Paperboy" Reed
18. "House" - Ben Folds Five
17. "The Bare Necessities" (d) - Brian Wilson
16. "#Trendin'" (d) - The Original 7ven
15. "Sweet Christmas" (d) - Shonen Knife
14. "Turn 2 Dust (kevan frost mix)" (d) - Boy George
13. "Contact High"(d) - Love Jones
12. "Secret Weapon" - Annette
11. "Vega-Tables" (2011 SMiLE Sessions single mix) - The Beach Boys
10. "Body and Soul" - Tony Bennett & Amy Winehouse
9. "Leave a Light On" - Duran Duran
8. "A Beautiful Life" (d) - Donny & Marie Osmond
7. "She Walks the Night" - Matthew Sweet
6. "Pumped Up Kicks" - Foster the People
5. "You and I (we can conquer the world)" (d) - George Michael
4. "In My Arms" - Glen Campbell
3. "We All go Back To Where We Belong" (d)- R.E.M.
2. "I'll Never Be Through With You" (d) - The Bangles
1. "Good Vibrations" (2011 SMiLE Sessions version) - The Beach Boys

 Note: Tracks that are shamefully not available on the physical vinyl format are indicated with "(d)".

Remembering John today

New Ringo Starr vinyl: 1/31/2012

Titled simply "2012", this is Ringo's 2nd self-produced LP.
Street date: 1/31/2012.

Track listing:

1.     Anthem (Richard Starkey/Glen Ballard)

2.     Wings (Richard Starkey/Vince Poncia)

3.     Think It Over (Buddy Holly/Norman Perry)

4.     Samba (Richard Starkey/Van Dyke Parks)

5.     Rock Island Line (Arrangement by Richard Starkey)

6.     Step Lightly (Richard Starkey)

7.     Wonderful (Richard Starkey/Gary Nicholson)

8.     In Liverpool (Richard Starkey/Dave Stewart)

9.     Slow Down (Richard Starkey/Joe Walsh)

Worth noting: Two of the tracks are covers, while two others ("Wings" and "Step Lightly") are remakes of songs Ringo wrote & recorded in the 1970s.  Ringo's last release (also on vinyl) was quite good in my opinion, so I'm really looking forward to this one!  Ringo is far too often overlooked for his talents as a songwriter and singer. It also makes sense that he has talent as a producer -- he was a BEATLE for Godsakes. 

12.5.2011: Saditude

Today marks the 4th anniversary of my dad's passing. It's also the first year of recognizing this day without mom, who passed away earlier this year.  The first person I want to talk to today is mom because she was his life partner, the one who knew and missed him most. Having them both gone today makes the pain seem new again, if that makes sense.

So yeah, I feel an intense sadness this morning (at 4:00 am!), but also a remarkable sense of gratitude for having these two individuals for my parents. As I've gotten older I've been able to appreciate them for their humanness. Things that I might have considered shortcomings while they were alive are now just part of who they were.

In the case of my dad, I am able to embrace his triumph over the disease of alcoholism, which had beat him down more than once. Despite the challenges he worked the program and was able to live his last 20 or so years as a sober person. I doubt he viewed his sobriety the same way that I did, but I consider it to be the greatest gift he could have given his family. Through his sobriety we were able to become closer and recognize the love and appreciation we all had for our little family unit. My brother and I also learned from his example that money and wealth do not equal happiness; It's how you manage what you have that counts. Money is worthless if you end up sick just trying to make more of it.

So today's for you, dad. I hope you knew/know how much we love you and that we truly understand the sacrifices you made for us. Your life was not an easy one, but in the end I hope we were able to make it all worthwhile.

Peace.

Ten fave vinyl reissues of 2011

2011: A banner year for vinyl re-issues

1. Red Hot Chili Peppers - Blood Sugar Sex Magik (red vinyl 2LP)
2. Ben Folds Five (1995 self-titled LP)
3. The Monkees - HEAD Soundtrack (clear vinyl)
4. Loretta Lynn - Van Lear Rose
5. Sugar - Copper Blue
6. Paul McCartney - McCartney 2LP
7. Glassjaw - Worship & Tribute (white vinyl)
8. Journey - Greatest Hits 2 2LP
9. Paul McCartney - McCartney II 2LP
10. Go-Go's - Beauty and the Beat (pink vinyl)

WORDS officially on Bandcamp.com

In a former life...

***1987***

I don't write much here about my former career as a struggling, out-of-work musician, but lately I've been reflecting on some of the good times from my musical past. Sometimes I forget why I chose to move away from the dedication to my musical ambitions, and then I remember the reasons. The multitude of reasons.

For starters, I never really got on well with other musicians. In the early 90's I seemed to move from band to band, each band doing a number of gigs before self-imploding. It was disheartening because each band had its merits and its talented players (a select few of which I've maintained some contact with over the years).

I have nothing but the greatest admiration and respect for my few friends that have succeeded at sustaining a career in music. It takes some unique skills. One such skill: Being comfortable with ambiguity and a frequent lack of structure. Over the years I have learned that I am most UNcomfortable when there's an absence of structure (for anyone who's curious my Myers-Briggs is INTJ).

Another realization I've had recently is that the music biz of today is FAR different from the biz of the late 80's when I was learning the ropes and paying my dues. Frankly I never felt completely comfortable selling or promoting my own product. I think part of this comes from being Scandinavian/Minnesotan/raised Lutheran, an interesting combination that often mistakes self-confidence for bragging or cockiness, which is a very bad thing if you're a Scan-MN-Luth mix like I was.

***1988***

I was friends with the members of Words before learning to play, sing, or write. These folks (who happen to be musically inclined) are extended family, which probably explains why we gravitate together every few years to make new music. Since forming in 1986 we've written, recorded & self-produced four full-length cassettes, a CD, a 7" vinyl single, and (my personal favorite) a cover of "Yesterday's Hero" on Men In Plaid, an internationally distributed Bay City Rollers tribute CD that has gone into its 2nd printing on Bullseye Records of Canada.

As much of a thrill creating music has always been for me, I've found my professional niche in Higher Education, where I feel at home. I believe it's where I'm at my best. Working on my PhD, despite its occasional headaches, has been a fantastic opportunity. Turns out that I really get off from being in an intellectual environment, and that the satisfaction of creation is often the same whether it's a song or a research article. It's just the end product that is different.

A few weeks ago Leo and I did a massive re-arrangement of the upstairs floor of our house, and I discovered my old TASCAM Portastudio under the bed covered in a thick layer of dust. Since then I've been sifting through some not-so-dusty tapes (carefully stored away in our basement), shining up some old songs and posting them at my tumblr site.  Through this process I have made very nice peace with the musical past that is very much a part of who I am. I am extremely proud of the music that my mainstay band Words and I have created over the years. It's not all genius stuff, but that doesn't mean it lacks value. For me each song is like an audio time-capsule; the feeling of being transported to a different time via recorded music can be a very powerful thing.

I've provided a few links below in case you're interested in hearing some of the tracks I've posted recently. If you like what you hear, check back from time to time because I'll probably keep posting stuff, as long as this nostalgia trip maintains my interest. :)

Thank you for reading & listening!
xxxooo
JEFF

• "London Bridges" (Anderson/Van Slooten) by Words 
• "Struck Down" (Anderson/Van Slooten) by Words
• "No Big Deal" (Anderson/Van Slooten) by Words 
• "Here Comes the Sun"(Harrison) by Words 

RSD Black Friday

Three record stores today but only one RSD purchase. Granted, it was a good 'un, the Red Hot Chili Peppers' fantastic Blood Sugar Sex Magic. Still, having navigated between stores mostly by foot (holiday bus schedule don't you know), I was pretty godamn tired by the time I got home, and with no Beatles singles box. If there's a silver lining I guess I did get a helluva workout, so no worries about all those mashed potatoes from yesterday.

The 20 Fanciest LPs of 2011!

----2011----

1. The Beach Boys - The SMiLE Sessions
2. Glen Campbell - Ghost On The Canvas
3. Duran Duran - All You Need Is Now 
4. R.E.M. - Collapse Into Now
5. The Cars - Move Like This
6. Lenny Kravitz - Black & White America
7. Blondie - Panic of Girls
8. Yes - Fly From Here
9. Foo Fighters - Wasting Light
10. Beastie Boys - Hot Sauce Committee Part Two
11. New York Dolls - Dancing Backward in High Heels
12. Sloan - Double Cross
13. Acid House Kings - Music Is Better With You
14. Matthew Sweet - Modern Art
15. Liam Finn - Fomo
16. The Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger - La Carotte Bleue 
    
17. Paul McCartney's Ocean's Kingdom
18. Cut Copy - Zonoscope
19. The High Llamas - Talahomi Way
20. Radiohead - The King of Limbs

Honorable Mentions & Noteworthies:

• There were some fancy & super sweet re-issues this year worthy of praise, some of them on vinyl for the first time:
• Loretta Lynn - Van Lear Rose
• Deltron 3030 (Del tha Funkee Homosapien, Kid Koala, Dan the Automator)
• Journey - Greatest Hits vol. 2
• The Monkees HEAD on clear wax (only 500 pressed)
• Ben Folds Five's first LP
• Go-Go's Beauty & The Beat 30th anniversary on pink vinyl
• Paul McCartney McCartney & McCartney II Deluxe 2LP editions with extra tracks
• Glassjaw - Worship & Tribute on white vinyl 
• Sugar - Copper Blue
• The Bangles' Sweetheart of the Sun would probably battle Duran Duran for #3, had it been released on vinyl. It's a fantastic album - their best yet, IMO.
• I'm still keeping my fingers crossed for a vinyl version of Condensate by The Original 7ven (formerly The Time). When I spoke with Jellybean Johnson at September's fDeluxe show he seemed fairly certain that it would make it onto vinyl. It's a great album, and all great albums deserve to be on wax!

As always, feel free to post your faves of the past year.  Anything you think I missed?  Let me know!