I’m building a guitar, and logging the progress on the 7th of each month. Here are Months: One and Two

Session Nine
We are not alone. Another luthier-in-the-making is in tonight. His name is Chris, and this is not his first guitar build, but the vigor with which he describes his relationship to music doesn’t give you that idea. He’s been to Nashville (a dream destination for myself) and has growing children, each inheriting their father’s music bug. He tells me this while finishing some unknown step on the newest addition to his family (of guitars), which is a lot further along than mine, but is really encouraging to know I’ll be there soon enough. I’m happily gluing in some Lining, or Kerfing, to the inside of the Body, leaving space for some supports to be later glued in. During the session Chris is calibrating the placement of the Bridge, and to get it correct they need to thread on one of the strings and pluck it. Trevor pauses, addressing Chris with gravitas …

“This is the first sound your guitar will make”

It was beautiful.

Session Ten
The session is filled with more Kerfing, this time to the other side of the Body. When we eventually sandwich the Body between the Face and Back, this Kerfing will be what they hold onto. We break the session in the middle to speak about faceplates and symbols. I need to decide which wood to have on the Headstock, and I can choose between Rosewood to match the neck, or Walnut to match the Back and Body. There’s also a choice of what to put on the Headstock, as there’s typically a symbol or brand name up there. We’ve also started talking about bad movies, and how much we enjoy them. I recommend “The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra”, both to Trevor and to you. We end the session by drilling and gluing side-dots into the neck.

Session Eleven
I avoid scoffing at people who name their cars, because I’m one of those people who names their Guitars. I’ve already got a name, which will be revealed at the end of the whole process. But the two weeks since the last Session has been filled with a lot of googling. It’s good that I’ve had a break, because I’m finally able to decide on the symbol that I want on the Headstock. The fact that I want Rosewood was decidedly simpler. When I get in, Trevor celebrates my decisions, noting that he’s not come across the combination of Black Fret-Dots and Rosewood Headstock. I’ve created a monster. But at least it’ll be unique.

Having finished the Kerfing, I glue in side supports and, once dried, attach a small piece of Kerfing overtop to continue the pattern. We also cut to rough size the Rosewood Headstock Faceplate, attaching it to the Head of the Neck.

I don’t call myself religious. I try to stay away from any debate about whole thing, really. And when I turn away from real world conversations, it’s commonly to computer games that I flee. So it’s surprising to find that one of my favourite songs from any video game is actually quite religious.

The Song(s)
Song: Baba Yetu
Artist: Christopher Tin, Soweto Gospel Choir
Album: Calling All Dawns - 2009 - Tin Works
Method of discovery: Playing ‘Civilization IV’

Research: Christopher Tin was a fan of Sid Meier’s Civilization series, where you are challenged to build a civilization that ‘stands the test of time’. At a reunion, Tin mentioned this to his former college roommate, now a game designer working on the latest instalment. Soren Johnson, the roommate, then asked Christopher to write a theme for the new game. But most of that you can find out on the wikipedia page. Christopher took ‘The Lord’s Prayer” (Our Father, who art in heaven etc.), translated it into Swahili, and backed it with Western Strings and an African influenced soundscape. Most of that I found out through various articles years after listening to it originally.

Personal thoughts: I could tell you about the multiple accolades this song has won, and the many praises it’s recieved from critics. OR … I could tell you that I would often load Civ-IV and simply let the song play out in the main menu. It’s such a beautiful composition. There is a thought that video game music is the perfect music to study to, because it’s designed to keep you motivated and engaged, without taking your attention. In this aspect Christopher has failed in the most spectacular way. Baba Yetu captured the feeling of building an empire, and it’s not accidental. I know not everyone is up for the theory, but the short version is: If there were seven steps on a staircase, this song goes from the bottom, jumps five steps, steps up once, then hops up to the top. This Journey of ascending key centres helps to give the song it’s triumphant quality at the end, and has the neat trick of feeling like returning to where it began, making the whole thing feel delightfully cyclical. It felt like you were achieving something just listening to this song. It’s one of my go-to pick me up songs, and I’ve listened to it enough times that I’ve actually begun to learn the lyrics on purpose so I don’t mangle them.

I’m learning a song in Swahili because it’s just that good

Theory: The main Chorus (Baba Yetu) follows a I-vi-IV-V, although the second time it’s transposed up by a fifth. The Verse cycles vi-IV-I-V twice before ending on a II to ease the transition into that transposition mentioned earlier. The Pre-Bridge enters a weird series of changes, that truly change the key center multiple times, but for the sake of ease, if it stuck in the preceeding choruses key, it would be bVII-I-ii-I-iv-III-bvi-bV. The Bridge itself modulates up a step, rounding the Verse chords in the new key before stepping through IV-vi three times and ending in V-bVI-bVII. After that it goes up one more time back to the original key.

Give it a go: if you’ve never played Civ-IV, and don’t listen to things in other languages

Give it a miss: If you’ve played so much Civ that Gandhi nuking you is no longer a surprise

[links]
Spotify: Baba Yetu, Christopher Tin, Tuesday Tunes
Wikipedia: Baba Yetu, Christopher Tin
Christopher Tin: Website

My Father writes weekly emails to the Whanau. For any current or future international readers, whanau is the Maori concept of family, including extended family not related by blood, or a group who come togther for a common cause. Whanau has been at the forefront of my mind lately.

Eleven days ago, our tiny nation was rocked by a terrorist. The slim silver lining of this awful cloud, is that in the wake of this absolute horror we’ve seen a beautiful mourning. A national and global outpouring of grief and togetherness. This blog isn’t built to tackle tragedy, politics, or be a soapbox for my feelings on the whole terrible ordeal. I know that music can help grief. So today’s songs are all about sharing love to all our Whanau.

Song The First
Song: Pulse
Artist: Melissa Etheridge
Album: Single - 2016 - M.E. Records
Method of discovery: Googling songs about tragedy.

Song The Second
Song: What The World Needs Now Is Love
Artist: Jackie DeShannon (written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David)
Album: This is Jackie DeShannon - 1965 - Imperial
Method of discovery: Honestly, “Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery”

Research: Etheridge penned ‘Pulse’ in response to a shooting in a club in Orlando in 2016. A Terrorist claimed the lives fo forty-nine people who just wanted to party. ‘What the world needs…’ is also related to the same tragedy. Sixty-Five broadway stars produced a version to commemorate the victims. The proceeds of both songs were sent to benefit the affected communities.

Theory: Just quickly today, because I want to focus on the Lyrics. Verses of ‘Pulse’ I-vi-IV-bVII, drop the third chord to cover the chorus. The bridge is I-iii-ii-IV-iv. ‘What the world needs…’ changes over iii-vi for the tagline and puts a few IV’s and V’s in the choruses. The verses change the key centre down a fifth and start on a iii before rounding a jazzy ii-V-I twice and ending with a rather odd VI-vii and heading back into the chorus, which goes up a full step for the third one, fading out against the iii-iv.

Personal thoughts: The lyrics of these songs have really cemented for me the only reasonable response to this sort of anguish. Support and love for the those affected. In this case, those affected are the community of Muslims, which is geographically within, and emotionally together with, a larger community of Kiwis. When my workmates attended a Mosque for the two minutes of silence, it was strengthening to see everyone mourn as one nation. It’s relieving to see the rules changing, and our leadership’s response. and it all really is encompassed by the messages of the songs. I think the songs are pretty good anyway, but if you don’t like them, please share their messages:

What the world needs now is love …
Love will always win
Underneath the skin
Everybody’s got a pulse

Give it a go: If you want to take a moment to reflect, and feel some feels.

Give it a miss: If you don’t feel in the mood for some reflection.

[links]
Spotify: Tuesday Tunes, Pulse, What the world needs now is love
Wikipedia: What the world needs now is Love, Austin Powers, Melissa Etheridge
Other: SongFacts

There’s a misconception about the Bass Guitar: it’s the easiest instrument to play. It stems from the assumption that you only hit a single note at a time. And when compared to the guitar, you have five less strings to concern yourself with. Compared to a piano, it doesn’t have 88 distinct keys. Compared to a bicycle, it doesn’t have wheels. It doesn’t take long to sound okay at playing Bass. But making Bass sound effortless takes a lot of effort. Keep that in mind as we listen to …

The Song(s)
Song: Mary
Artist: Ivory Hours
Album: Mary - 2014 - Unsigned
Method of discovery: Spotify Discover

Research: Ivory Hours are from London. Not that London. The London that’s in Canada (List of Londons in the links). Although it seems like they’ve now moved to Toronto. They have enjoyed some commercial success and have been able to share stages with several other Canadian Musicians. I’ve read their sound described as ethereal, which I agree with. It’s this ethereal quality, like a Siren convincing you toward the rocks, that allows them to get inside your head and hit you with ‘the feels’. This song is a perfect example.

Personal thoughts: This is one of those dangerous songs that is easy to hear, but tough to actually listen to. The familiar Drumline, the delay on the melodic guitar, the harmonies, and the Bass gluing it all together. Whoo boy! That Siren looks good. They sonically lull you into a false sense of security, too. The guitar drops out when the vocals come in, and comes back to embelish the gaps behind and between the lines. the the chorus comes, and hits with a wall of sound. But not for too long (that’s for later). Back to the comfy quiet quiet place for a second Verse. then again with the wall of sound, but this time it lasts until the very end.

The Lyrics tell the story of the eponymous Mary falling into a drug addled existence, and not even her closest friends can recognise her.

Mary felt a little low
Needed a pick me up
Mary tried a little Coke
Now she can’t get enough

That’s essentially the whole story right there. The rest of the lyrics paint consequences that flow from the start of the song. And the choruses plead with Mary to ‘come home’. The Bass, in my mind, is perfect. It’s unobstrusive, but interesting. Any less and the ear could become bored. Any more and it could take too much of a starring role. The one ‘in focus’ moment is at 1:20. It doesn’t hog a spotlight, it doesn’t even take a step forward. It simply reminds you to listen in as to the singer getting a litte more desperate. This desperation isn’t vocalised as much as it is supported by the structure and chords.

Theory: Like a coal company in the 1800’s, Mary relies on more minors than your average four-chord-song. Verses supplement the typical IV chord out of rotation, opting for I-iii-vi-V. It even stays on the vi longer before slipping through the V. This delays the typical resolution that you would get from evenly spaced chords. Then the chorus comes along with I-iii-vi-IV, avoiding the V entirely, starving us of that juicy resolution that is a V-I inside, or exiting, a chorus. The first time we hear the chorus, it’s only once: short and sweet. The second time we get a chorus twice as long as the first, and then the whole thing drives up another tone and goes around again, giving us fours times the original chorus. I imagine the singer driving round in a car trying to find Mary. This first chorus expresses the simple wish for her to return. But the second chorus repeats and gets more intense. The singer is pleading now, hoping to find her. The song finishes on the I. I hope that means she’s safe.

Give it a go: Two jumps in a week. I bet you think that’s pretty clever don’t you boy.

Give it a miss: Hey, Mickey, you’re so fine. You’re so fine you blow my mind!

[links]
Spotify: Mary, Ivory Hours, Tuesday Tunes
Ivory Hours: Website, Twitter, Instagram, Wikipedia
MISC: List of Londons

Things are best when they are Ripe. This week’s selection is no different. This is a short one, as I’m trying to get a few of these under my belt so that I’ve got breathing space to write more for when I eventually have time away. But here’s the good stuff

The Song(s)
Song: Downward
Artist: Ripe
Album: Joy in the Wild Unknown - 2018 - RIPE
Method of discovery: Spotify Discover

Research: Ripe is the name of several bands. There was a copenhagen based Metal band, an Alternative Australian band, and the ones that I’m talking about now: Boston based seven piece Funk/Pop band. They met at Berklee Scholl of Music, much like The Rescues and The Lonely Heartstring Band, and doubtless a million others I don’t know of. Look for both of those in the future. The seven pieces consist of the traditional rock set (Vocals, Guitar, Bass and Drums) but are rounded out by a second guitar, and a modest trumpet-&-Trombone brass section.

Personal thoughts: If you compare the latest album to their first foray it seems to be more focused and les frenetic. Ripe are one of those bands that you need to experience the fullness of their sound and persistent groove. By way of personal endorsement, I’ve favourited seven of their songs on spotify, and this particular one I heard about 10 hours ago for the first time. So if I can go from being a fan of the band to recommending you this song in particular, it speaks to the smooth of their groove.

Theory: This is a fairly straightforward song, musically the whole song sits on IV-I-vi-V except for the bridges, which meander around iii-vi-ii-V. The V chord ending both of these patterns, combined with the only I being in the third bar of the first pattern, lends the song it’s sense of movement and motion, which plays perfectly into the lyric …

This love keeps pulling me downward […] and I don’t mind the fall

Give it a go: If you don’t have enough Funk in your life

Give it a miss: If you’ve got a thing against brass

[links]
Spotify: Downward, Tuesday Tunes
Other Media: Website, Twitter, Instagram
Similar Articles: Live for Live Music, WGBH

I’m building a guitar, and logging the progress on the 7th of each month. Here is Month: One.

It was strange looking back on the accomplishments of the first month. So strange I went googling for quotes about progress. Most were about social progress, but this one stuck out.

True progress quietly and persistently moves along without notice.     

- St. Francis of Assisi

I’m tempted to put ‘ - Michael Scott’ below. The point is: January started with a decision, and ended with the Face, Back, Sides, Neck, and Fretboard all in recogniseable states. A lot happened, but i never felt like I was doing a lot. Part of the beauty of this course, outlined in part one, is the method Trevor uses. He doesn’t weigh you down with a seemingly endless laundry list of absolutely everything that needs to be done this in every session, including after care instructions. It’s only ever “Let’s focus on doing this job right" and when that job is complete, “Here’s what’s next”. You’ll rarely start a process you can’t finish in the time you’ve booked, which means every night has visible, measureable progress. It’s a great experience.

Session Five
First step is to cut to size some small wood strips, these will become the internal central brace and will strengthen the Back. Once to size, we flex metal rods to hold tension between the underside of the workbench and strips, which are glued ablong the back joint. It' doesn’t take long, and in the meantime Trevor sets a gas torch to heating a metal pipe. I’m mildly worried. But what follows is the coolest part of the process thus far: Side Bending.

The Sides are sprayed with water until soaked, then laid on the heated pipe. As the water evaporates from the wood, the fibres loosen, and you press down on both sides of the pipe to create the curves that form the body. It’s a slower process, and it takes most of the rest of the night. We’re constantly measuring and comparing the sides to the jig, and once it’s pretty much there, we clamp them together and leave it to dry into shape completely. We quickly route the sides of the neck and I retire, ecstatic with the night’s progress.

Session Six
With the Back brace from last week dried, we violently hack into it (with care, diligence and skill) making room for the horizontal braces that will sit perpendicular across the back. There’s a little bit of sizing and measurement, but most of this session is running the pieces across one large slice of sandpaper mounted on a concave dish. This is because the back and front will be slightly ‘dished’ out from the body, instead of perfectly parallel. Trevor assures me it will look normal. This time the flex rods push the Back into that dished shape, as they also apply tension to the glued in horizontal braces. There are a lot more flex rods on this one.

Session Seven
Tonight, I spend a long time sanding the sides. It could be done later, but is easier while the two halves are separate. Now that I’m not power mad by pushing wood into a hot metal pipe, I can see areas where I spent too long making a particular bend. Most of it sands out, so i’m not worried. Besides, according to Keanu Reeves in ‘The Replacements’, “Chicks dig scars”. At some point during this process we talk about how I’m not actually Human, but merely a conglomerate of pop-culture references. We glue the sides together using two blocks that Trevor prepared, and the session is rounded off by drilling some holes in the Fretboard and gluing into position the fret-dots. I’ve chosen black against the lighter Bubinga wood, and I’m happy with how it looks.

Session Eight
Using the ‘dished’ sandpaper from earlier in the blog, we sand the edges of the body, now one piece. This will mean they meet the dished Front and Back properly when it’s all put together. Imagine you have two levers, and as you pull one in, you push the other out. That’s what I’m doing, effectively rotating the sides at the ends. It makes my hips creak and belly jiggle; I’ve never felt more like a washing machine. Trevor calls this ‘doing the dishes’, and as an honorary Dad (eight niblings), I chuckle. To end the month, we put the Neck into a jig, route a dovetail joint in the end and glue the Fretboard to the Neck. Eventually the dovetail will be where the Neck meets the Body, but it’s easier to cut now. And now I may want to buy a router, also.

I mentioned it last week, there is now a playlist with every song from every Tuesday Tunes Blog, it’s called Tuesday Tunes on Spotify (because that’s my primary portal for music discovery since GrooveShark) and the link is nestled amongst the others at the end of this blog. As I continue to build the blog up I’ll add new songs to it. If you follow the playlist, you may even get a sneak preview into the songs i’ll be featuring in the upcoming blog.

For the sake of regularity, the 7th of each month will be the day Luthiery Log goes up. For those outside the know, I’m building a guitar, and Luthiery Log is where I chronicle my rise to power. So look forward to the 7th of each month.

I’m also looking to attend more gigs this year, having already been to the Auckland Folk Fest and Ninja Sex Party / TWRP. But I’m unsure how much value a post-mortem for gigs will be. Maybe I’ll try a couple and see if they feel good. Anyway, song time.

The Song(s)
Song: ‘The Cult of Dionysus’ and ‘NYC Girl’
Artist: The Orion Experience
Album: Cosmicandy - 2007 and ‘NYC Girl - EP’ - 2011, both released by ‘Sweet!’
Method of discovery: Spotify Discover thinking I’m a Hippie, then a Socialite

Research: Cathy Arnold, of PopMatters, described the debut album as follows:

Cosmicandy is an ice cold fruity cocktail in the middle of a summer heat wave.

I think that’s a fair description. The album invokes thoughts of music from the 70s with production values from the future. I had to go deep into google to find that quote too, as in, four pages deep. No one goes that deep anymore. There’s not much on the band that I could find beside the lead singer lending his name to the band, Orion Simprini, which sounds like a child mispronouncing Lion Symphony. Now I want to see one of those. They also put on a show with Costume Designer Andrea Hood, which looks like it was fun judging by Orion’s smile.

Dionysus is the Ancient Greek God of wine, theatre, fertility, and all around having-a-good-party-time. His Roman equivalent was Bacchus, and the Egyptian was Osiris. ‘The Cult of Dionysus’ embraces this attitude lyrically, wanting to rekindle the ‘lust for life’ by suggesting all sorts of drunken sexual activity. It’s not exactly a ‘new religion’, with Dionysian worship starting maybe as early as 1500 BC.

NYC Girl lists some of the places in New York that i’ve never been, but have seen represented in several movies and TV Shows: Brooklyn (Nine-Nine!), Queens (King of), Staten Island (The Other Guys), Harlem (Die Hard with a Vengeance) and the Lower East Side (Men in Black).

Personal thoughts:
Man, these are just boppy good times. There’s a bit of mythology, clever lyrics, great musical devices. This is just very well produced without being cookie-cutter radio pop music. No instrument feels out of place or wears out its welcome. The vocals blend together perfectly, and are tighter than Terry Crews’ Pecs.

Theory: ‘Dionysus’ centres around the persistent Bass and the metronomical drums, carrying the momentum everywhere except the bridge, and the chords are only structurally present. The Verses do hover around vi-I-IV-II for the verses, and are pretty stable with the changes. The chorus speeds up the changes with IV-iii-vi-I, only hitting the 1st and third chord the first time round, and concluding with V-II. The bridge is the solitary calming island in the pounding sea of the song, much more stable, hitting the three primary stable Chords first, cementing the key centre with IV-I-V-vi-III.

NYC is a slower feel, and though the Bass is still more active than only hitting root notes, this is much more a band ensemble, strings swelling in and out, the vocal line is backed up by the guitar harmonising the rhythym … rythm … [furious googling] … rhythm. It’s a rarer song that had the same progression for the Verses and Chorus (vi-iii-IV-ii-V). But don’t worry, the Pre-chorus that separates them provides more variety, first going through IV-I-III-vi-I, it starts the same, but ends the second time on the Dominant (IV-I-V-I-V), and the last time ending with a major/minor shift in the final two chords (IV-I-III-VI-[II-iv]), which gives the song momentum to head back to the chorus. The Bridge goes through IV-V-vi-I twice before finishing with IV-V-vi-II-iv-III, and the whole song ends on a downer of iv.

Give it a go: If you want to hear some new stuff that sounds like it’s turning 50.

Give it a miss: If your religion forbids the musical worship of false idols or lovely women.

[links]
Wikipedia: The Orion Experience, Dionysus
Spotify: The Cult of Dionysus, NYC Girl, Tuesday Tunes
Sources: Pop Matters Article, Andrea Hood
Socila Media: Twitter(The Orion Experience, Orion Simprini), Facebook
Other Music Links: Soundcloud, Bandcamp

I Make Ear Movies. It’s a statement that, although ponderous, holds water. The information about this week’s recommendation is sparse, but it seems to be on purpose, and this sentence defintely stuck out. FYI: I’m building a playlist of all of these songs (or those that are on Spotify) and I’ll be linking to it in next week’s Tuesday Tunes. On with the songs.

The Song(s)
Song: Lovetop & Chinatown
Artist: Starcadian
Album: Sunset Blood - 2013 - No Label (As far as I can tell)
Method of discovery: Spotify Discover

Research: Starcadian has most of this info on their official website, so I won’t go into too much detail here. The artist’s video played at SXSW, and he released Sunset Blood on Halloween 2013. The most interesting thing is “I Make Ear Movies” which is around his YouTube Channel, Bandcamp, and the chief statement on the Press part of his website. There is a degree of anonymity in his material, like the Finnish ‘Lordi’, or the Canadian ‘TWRP’, there isn’t a name behind the artist. The artist, simply, is.

Personal thoughts: I really engage with this type of showmanship. Some people prefer not to compromise their personal identity. They wear a hood or a mask, demon makeup, or dress like robots. For some, like Lordi, it’s part of the aesthetic, and part of the band’s story or lore. For Starcadian though, I feel it’s a lot simpler: The music is the focus. Enjoy this Ear Movie.

When I first heard Lovetop, that’s exactly what I did. I was at work and had headphones in to drown out the rest of the team, listening to my weekly Discover Playlist. Then Lovetop came on. The gradual introduction of the intruments got me. I was tapping my feet already. I looked at who this was, didn’t recognise them, the picture looked like the poster for the original Thing movie, but the sound was more like Tron. I couldn’t do anything but listen to the song. The pause prepped me, and the drum fill and sliding bass rush back into the whole soundscape killed me. I was smiling from ear-to-ear. I found a post-it, wrote the song’s name and slapped it on my nieghbour’s screen. In a few minutes we were talking about how ludicrously good the sound was.

From there I had to listen to the album, where I discovered Chinatown. The synthesized vocals don’t mask simplicity in Lyrics, with words between the songs like ‘indelible’, ‘harrowing’, and ‘entoptic’. I had to look up that last one (it means occuring or originating inside the eye). They aren’t terribly scientific, but they are a step above you’re typical ‘I-heard-it-on-the-pop-radio’ word list. There is clearly a lot of thought behind the music. That’s also clear in the chords below.

Theory: (Note, both songs are more Aeolian, but I’ve noted their Numerals as if from the Ionian)
Chinatown is the second song from the album, and begins with it’s relentless 96bpm thump-thump, a heartbeat for the song. The intro steps through vi - IV - I - V - II. That final Major 2nd chord gives real movement back toward the vi, and lends a dreamlike quality to the soundscape. The verses alternate vi - V, ending with a I - II before repeating, or moving to the Pre Chorus: V - vi - II, V - vi - IV, V - vi - II - iii - bVII. The final flat Major VII sticks arround a serves as a raising, and raised platform from which to dive intot he standard-by-comparison Chorus, which plays around: IV - vi - I - V. The Bridge makes an appearance twiddling around the typical IV - vi - IV - I - V. The chord use is fairly typical, but the few chords that are outside the key centre serve to strengthen the feeling of the song. It’s good work.

Lovetop is quite similar, though with less varitation from the key centre: Verses vi - IV , Chorus I - V - III - vi -I - III - IV, Bridge V - I - V - I - bVI - bIII - V, those flat Major chords in the bridge are a mini-modulation to a seperate key, but with such a quick song at 112bpm, it more ‘borrows’ the chords for a bit, so you don’t notice.

Give it a go: If you want to hear some Ear Movies

Give it a miss: If Daft Punk and 80’s Nostalgia are the opposite of what you are into

[links]
Websites: Starcadian, Bandcamp, Soundcloud, Twitter, Subreddit
Video: He^rt
Spotify: Chinatown, Lovetop

“It’s been …”. And anyone who can hear the riff already knows the band. Most people are familiar with “One Week”, and more modern players are likely experienced with “The Big Bang Theory Theme“ song. Barenaked Ladies have had, and continue to have, a crazy journey through the musical world. I guarantee they are more everywhere than you think. This is less about their commercial success, though, and more about a couple of favourites of mine.

I’ve also added a new section below called Theory. Here I’ll put those chord changes that were gumming up the research, so if you’ve not interested in playing the song/s, then you can skip it.

The Song(s)
Song: Falling for the First Time / When You Dream
Artist: Barenaked Ladies
Album: Maroon/Stunt - 2000/1998 - Reprise
Method of discovery: The Internet/My Brother’s CD Collection

Theory: Falling’s verses hover around a I-V-IV with the occasional vi thrown in. The riff before the title is a walking ii-iii-ii-I-V. The bridges (?) begin with “anyone perfect…” and follow a fairly energetic I-V-bVII-IV.
Dream is glacial by comparison. Flowing through I-V-IV again, this time hitting a ii-V during the Pre-chorus, only to resolve to a I-V during the chorus. The post-chorus drifts through ii-IV-I-V.

Research: Barenaked Ladies got their name from a boredom-inspired-off-the-cuff-fake-band-name-joke at a Bob Dylan concert. Adn that’s probably my favourite fact about them. I encourage anyone to read more about their humble beginnings on wikipedia, because there’s nothing that says “We are a professional band” like organising three practices and missing them all. Twice. Three years later they released the first indie tape to eventually go Platinum in Canada. They have featured in the news for being taken off a concert due to their name. They have become a spokesband for the environment. Last year they were inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. There is plenty out there about their varied success, and most can say it with more expertise than me. So if you are interested, seek them out.

Personal thoughts: You may have picked up that I’m addicted to lyrics. Falling for the first time is a beautiful celebration of failure, a story of a business-man who has coasted through life and is suddenly experiencing not winning. I love the self-doubt that creeps in during the bridges

Anyone perfect must be lying. Anything easy has it’s cost.

I can’t help but tap my feet when the song comes on, and it’s one of those songs that sustains it’s energy like someone forgot to let the pedal up on a piano. The piano in the song is the perfect expression of less-is-more, my favourite is the rising embellishment just after the 2 minute mark. The drums in the song are the perfect expression of more-is-also-more, my favourite is the Jungle-style Toms behind the bridges.

By comparison, ‘When you dream’ is more about the soundscape. A new father, or maybe a father again, watching his newborn son sleep. I’m not sure if I can adequately describe what I picture in my head when listening to this song, and I honestly tried for ages before giving up and writing this instead. But it’s a place of comfort, which is how the song makes me feel, despite the peculiar echoes and call outs to last week’s “Del Shannon’s Runaway”.

His fontanelle pulses with lives that he’s lived, and memories he’ll learn to ignore.

Give it a go: If all you’ve ever known from BNL is from TV or Radio

Give it a miss: If you’re already a Melvin. I invite you to Blame It On Me.

[links]
Website: Barenaked Ladies
Wikipedia: Barenaked Ladies, My memory of the booklet from Disc One
Spotify: Falling for the first time, When You Dream

I have inherited many things from my parents. All of my DNA, a quarter of my music taste, seven fourteenths of my humour, and 100% reason to remember the name. It was one of the years before entering high school that I began to browse the records and cds belonging to my folks. The radio was crackly and always played the same stuff, I didnt earn money so didnt have many CD's of my own, and the online streaming services of today were pipe dreams. I was searching for new music. I had already heard their vinyls: Neil Diamond, Billy Connolly, The Barron Knights, that one song by Napoleon the XIV "they're coming to take me away, ha ha."

So I made my way through their moderate collection of discs. I mostly enjoyed them, but I would always come back to a collection of songs from the 50's and 60's. It took me on a journey from 'Under The Boardwalk' to 'Up On The Roof', and upon returning home, 'She Cant Find Her Keys'. Also on that CD were ...

Larry - vi-V-IV-III

The Song(s)
Song: 'Runaway' & 'Hats off to Larry'
Artist: Del Shannon
Album: Both Singles, ’Runaway’ then from ‘Runaway with Del Shannon’ - 1961 - BigTop
Method of discovery: Parents’ CD Collection

Research:
Del Shannon was the stage name of Charles Westover, a Michigander/Michiginian born after the Banana Wars (1934), who was drafted around the Laotian Civil War (1954), and died before the Gulf War ended(1990). ‘Runaway” was his most successful hit, topping the charts in New Zealand, and also in little countries like America and the UK. It’s his most prolific song and has been covered by Bonnie Raitt, Avenged Sevenfold, Kasabian and Elvis uh-huh-huh Presley, to name a few. Shannon utilises the vi, V, IV and III7 of the Verse Key, and the I, vi, IV, V7 of the Chorus Key, with the III7 and V7 respectively being the same chord and serving as a medium through which he seamlessly transitions between the two keys. Essentially it goes from being A minor to A Major (relative to Capo).
The chord-work is similar in ’Hat’s Off to Larry’, recorded the same day as the former, but released later that same year. It peaked only in Canada, reaching number 2 in the NZ charts. We have good taste. Both songs feature the ‘Musitron’ solos of Max Crook who met Del Shannon who was actually Charles Westover when he was still Charlie Johnson of ‘Charlie Johnson and the Little Big Show Band’. Max Crook immediately[sic] changed his name to Maximillion. Crook made the Musitron by stealing parts of appliances from around his house, reel-to-reel tape machines and old amplifiers, plugging them all into a three octave Clavioline Keyboard/Precursor to Synthesizer. This is the strange sound that haunts circuses.

Personal thoughts:
Both songs are about break-ups, as so many many many songs are. I’m not sure if there ever was or ever will be a subject as endless as broken hearts. ‘Runaway’ concerns itself with a woman who has left and the felings of desertion the protagonist is left with. ‘Hat’s Off to Larry’ however, is a song that laughs in the face of a woman who left the protagonist for another man, who then in turn broke her heart. Together they form two sides of a coin: Heartache and Cruelty. When I was listening to these as a young man they were separated by several other songs, and even for players alive at the time there was at least a delay in the releases. But I can’t help but feel that ‘Runaway’ is the precursor to ‘Hat’s Off to Larry’. I’ll leave it to you to decide which other Del Shannon Song completes the Trilogy.

Give it a go: If you gots a hankerin for some 1960’s sound of the future, the Musitron.

Give it a miss: If you were more of a Mod anyway

[links]
Wikipedia: Del Shannon, Runaway, Hat’s Off to Larry, Max Crook, Musitron
Spotify: Del Shannon, Runaway, Hat’s Off to Larry
Website: Del Shannon

It was a hot day when I met Trevor Binford. I walked up outside his shop (Binford Luthiery) in Onehunga while he was doing some repairs on his car. We didn’t shake hands, his were covered in grease. Inside his shop I described that my steadfast Cort guitar had broken for a second time in the ten years I’d owned it, and although it was repaired, I was looking for a replacement for performances. I’d decided, in a fit of madness, that I would embark on the Guitar Buildshop course, in which Trevor guides you through building your own guitar. So after confirming an appointment, trading emails, and a suitable fistbump, I leave.

It would only be fair to say I was equal parts excited and terrified.

Session One
I turned up after work. We’re alone in the shop. Trevor confirms a few details from the emails we’ve traded, and then tells me his teaching style.
Step One: Describe. Trevor tells you the next step we’re going to take, any machines or material we’ll be using, and some pointers to keep in mind.
Step Two: Demonstrate. He performs the start of the task to give you a good visual indicator of what good technique, and result, looks like.
Step Three: Observe. He’ll watch you do the same.
Step Four: Run Away. Not completely, but once he’s confident in your ability, he’ll go work on some other task (usually a repair for someone else) and leave you to it.
At any point during any step you can ask questions, or double check what you’ve done.
The first task? Choose which two bits of Citka Spruce would become the face. There were four options in stock to choose from, each a bookended pair for symmetry. I learned about the merits of strength versus flexibility, the grain lines of the wood and the effect each would have on the sound. I chose the last pair based on the grain, both for the above and for aesthetic. He applauded my choice and said he would’ve made the same given the same options. Either I’m nailing this, or he has great customer service. We use a machine and a sanding block to square up the insides, then glue the pieces together, holding them all with clamps and weight.
Then he busts out some Bubinga which will become my future fretboard, and a crazy jig and reference board. We begin cutting holes for frets, which takes the rest of the session as we listen to Jonothan Coulton (my choice). I leave, less terrified, more excited.

Session Two
My Sides and Back have come in, and the Face is dry. There’s another person in tonight, sanding down their Neck. But before we get to that, more Fretholes required. I finish the fretboard, and we repeat the steps from last week for the Back. I decide to keep the white stripe in the Back, it’s not glue, it’s the heart of the Walnut tree that provided the wood. It’s left to set and we take the Face to the bandsaw. I sweat bullets as I’m cutting out the shape of my guitar, particularly around the cutway (not a standard option that Trevor offers, as it’s a bit more finnicky). I don’t lose any fingers.
The Neck follows. One solid piece of Mahogany that we cut at an angle to create the Head. A few more lops from the other end to create the part of the Neck that meets the Body. and the session finishes with a bit of sanding before the Neck pieces can be glued up.

Session Three
We’re alone again. The Back is dry, and is quickly cut out on the bandsaw. I now have a definite inside and outside surface on both the front and back. More importantly, I still have all eleven fingers. The joint surfaces on the Neck are sanded and glued, then stapled together, just to show it we mean business. During sanding we listen to Warren Zevon (Trevor’s Choice) and he is surprised when I recognise the singer. We become best friends (his words) over the lyrics and subtle guitar lines. Then we route the space for the Rosette, lay the Rosette, and route the Soundhole, all in the Face. He says we’re making really good progress.

Session Four
The Neck is dry, so I use a chisel to zip off the excess before running it through a series of machines to square up the sides and faces. Then we set up a router and bore into the solid, rich Mahogany to make room for the Truss Rod, the part which can bend the neck forward and backward to help control the Action over the Frets. The rest of the session is to use a thicknesser to lower the thickness (weirdly) of the Face, Back and both Sides. It’s a long process, and only toward the end do we realise there is no music. I become an annoying Millennial by grabbing a few last photos before ending my first month in the shop: One of all of the parts laid out, another of the parts in the cupboard below a more finished project.
The last depicts two madmen: one who decided this was a good idea, and the other who decided the same, except full time.

It was the early days of the internet. Youtube wasn’t a thing. Facebook hadn’t even begun to secret away peoples data. Someone had to tell me that Google was a great new search engine.

It was the before time, in the long long ago.

I had to wait for thirty minutes on a dial up connection for a flash video of about three minutes to load. It was painful, but incredibly worth it. My favourite haunt was albinoblacksheep.com, a website that is responsible for a lot of my formative humour. I watched Animutation become a thing, Fanimutation be deemed it’s lesser brother, a fight break out among the supporters of each, only to be settled when Colin Mochrie fought Jesus H. Christ. And I’m not making any of this up.

These two songs come from the heyday of internet animation.

The Song(s)
Song/s: ‘I’ve Got Some Falling To Do’ / ‘Geeks in Love’
Artist: Lemon Demon
Album/s: Hip to the Javabean / Damn Skippy - 2004 / 2005 - self published (I think)
Method of discovery: www.albinoblacksheep.com

Research:
Lemon Demon is Neil Cicierega’s most prolific musical outing, spanning nine albums released from 2003 to 2016 … so far. Not only that, but that Animutation stuff I mentioned at the top, he’s credited with popularising the art style. Oh, and hey, have you ever seen Potter Puppet Pals? Yeah, that’s him too. If you’ve ever heard or seen the “Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny”, Neil again. He’s a maniac. he’s been a staple of The FuMP (The Funny Music Project) for the last nine years (2019 still has some months left).

The other half of my nostalgia in these particular songs is the Animator, New Zealand grown Andrew Kepple, of “Too Much Spare Time” Animation. You know how I mentioned that battle of Mochrie vs Jesus, Kepple was the one to animate that whole saga. He also animated both of the songs here, links below. So the guy who animated these songs for the guy who sung them was the same guy who settled an internet argument started around an emerging internet artform the other guy popularized. Dizzy yet?

The songs themselves are crazier than either guy. ‘…Falling…’ centre’s it’s verses around vi-V-I-ii, substituting the minor ii for the more typical IV. Then the Key Modulates down a minor third. In the new Key Centre we start with a IV, transition through a Major III into a iv, a V, and finally land on the I. But before we get used to home, bIII, IV, bVII7, I, bIII, IV. Neil then whisks us around VI,I+,I,b-v-dim,IV,#V and I. I need a better way to notate this, Neil.

Geeks is .. simpler? vi, #Vaug, #IVdim7, IV, ii, III. Nope. Never mind. At least the chorus launches from the I-vi-#V-iv-V-I. It’s a little more normal. Then we go I-VII-bIII-V for fun.

Personal thoughts:
First and foremost, I fell in love with the strange lyrics of these songs. “…Falling…” embraces the mistake of falling out of an airplane to such a degree that you hang up your cellphone on Death. Sorry bro, I’d love to chill with you, but I’m going to continue falling. This is my life now. “Geeks” though, is among my favourites because of the shameless references in the Animation, and the underlying message of a couple strong enough to not need the approval of people who might put them down. Locking arms and skipping away into geekdom together.

Give it a go: If your life is not yet random enough, or if you could stand to be geekier.

Give it a miss: If you prefer songs that takes themselves seriously.

[links]
Wikipedia: Neil Cicierega, Animutation
Websites: Lemon Demon, AlbinoBlackSheep, KnowYourMeme/Animutation, The FuMP, BandCamp
Spotify: Lemon Demon, I’ve Got Some Falling To Do
Animations: Ultimate Showdown, Andrew Kepple, Geeks in Love, I’ve Got Some Falling To Do, Colin vs Jesus

It’s a divisive issue within music circles. Warren Zevon, depending on who you listen to, should, or should not be inducted into the Rock’N’Roll Hall of Fame. Either way it would be posthumous, as he sadly passed away in 2003. Supporters say there is no-one more worthy. Detractors acknowledge his talent as a wordsmith, but point out his status and attitude as “Mr. Bad Example”. I’ve heard him described as the ‘villian’ of the genre, and I think that’s apt. But there’s a particular villain that mirrors his journey. Does a villain belong in the Hall of Fame? I don’t know. But I do know I enjoy his songs.

The Song(s)
Song: Roland The Headless Thompson Gunner
Artist: Warren Zevon
Album: Excitable Boy - 1978 - Asylum
Method of discovery: My oldest brother’s CD Collection

Research:
It’s the second track on the album, following up the energetic “Johnny Strikes Up The Band”, just before the titular track, and two places ahead of his most famous song “Werewolves of London”. If you’ve not heard Werewolves, please, listen to it. You’ve probably already heard the piano bit. Trust me.
Roland was inspired by the mercenary history of David Lindell, whom he met in Spain over at least a bar, and likely a drink too. The story is ludicrous and poignant, and better absorbed by listening than can be described here. But a few tangential learnings I’ve had by researching this song are:
1. The Land of the Midnight Sun in the song refers to Norway, but it can also be a nickname for Alaska
2. Biafra was a seperatist state of Nigeria for ~3 Years in the late 60s. It’s conflict didn’t concern the Bantu or the Congolese, but the Igbo
3. The distance between Mombasa and Johannesburg is ~3670km
Musically the track is very stable, never varying from the I, IV, V or vi chords, but the piano, where Zevon seemed most at home, enriches the song better than a guitar could, I feel.

Personal thoughts:
If you like travelling, then Warren Zevon is your man. His lyrics take you to so many nations you’re going to need to renew your passport. This album and it’s relentless piano riffs, topped with Zevon’s signature vocals made me realise you didn’t need guitars and courtship to make good songs. It was also one of the more meaningful exposures I can remember to humour in music that wasn’t purely comedy or parody; this was it’s own breed of sardonic wit. The lines “On a dark and stormy day” and ”He didn’t say a word” are a perfect examples of this.
Zevon’s real world journey reminds me of Moloch the Mystic from Alan Moore & Dave Gibbons’ “Watchmen”. Both men are viewed as outsiders. Both are mediumly successful in their endeavours. Both ultimately fade out of public attention, but not for the few who know the truth about them.
I would say I know.

Give it a go: If you enjoy a song putting pictures in your head

Give it a miss: If you get annoyed by historical and cultural inaccuracies for the sake of rhyme

[links]
Spotify: Roland The Headless Thompson Gunner
Wikis: Warren Zevon, Roland…, Watchmen Wiki
Other Articles: The Curmudgeon, Intruder In The Dirt,

I like Space. I find the whole thing fascinating. Anyone who has enjoyed Star ‘x’ (where ‘x’ is could be Wars, Trek, or Lord), probably likes Space too, at least a little. Douglas Adams described Space best as “really big”, and Carl Sagan revelled in the fact we’d started to explore it. But when you compare how much Space we know there is against how much we’ve explored, it’s not even a contest. Space is too big. Similarly, when you compare how much I know about Space against how much I don’t, ignorance wins. I like Space, but I don’t know her personally.

Space and I are casual acquaintances.

There is one thing I found out about Space once, I can’t remember how. Something from a half-remembered conversation whilst glancing at Space across a crowded lounge at a house party in South Auckland, probably. It’s one of those facts that makes you go “huh. cool.” and then promptly disappears into the back of your mind like it’s being sucked into a Black Hole. But the fact waited, biding it’s time until it could use this song as a fuel source and propell itself onto a collision course with my chest.

The Song(s)
Song: Redshift
Artist: Darwin Deez
Album: Songs for Imaginative People - 2013 - Lucky Number
Method of discovery: Spotify Discover

Research: Darwin Deez is the name of The Band. Darwin Smith is the name of The Man. The Band is from New York City. The Man is from North Carolina. Darwin, the Australian city, does not feature further in this article. The self titled debut album was released in 2010 and initially gained attention in the UK. The band was featured on NME’s “Cool List” in the same year. Songs for Imaginative People was released in 2013. Between the two albums The Man also mixed together a full rap album from sampling 1971’s Gene Wilder lead “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” called ‘Wonky Beats’. Link Below.

Redshift’s lyrics talk of a breaking relationship using the metaphors and language of space and some more general scientific terms. The guitar during the verse orbits the binary system of IV6 and V6, serving to keep the song in motion and without resolution. It’s only when the ‘Big Bang’ of the chorus hits that we hear the solid I, IV & V carry the lines. But The Man, or The Band, made the decision to utilise the dual wormholes, iii & vi to navigate between the more stable (read: Major) chords.

Personal thoughts: This song was an Asteroid that I never saw coming. I initially was turned off by the 90’s modem-esque beginning. But the first lines hooked me with galaxies and science, prepped me just right with that small pause before the chorus. ‘Was there a big …’ Bang. Suddenly a wall of sound. The music echoes the lyrics. It also cleverly puts you into the protagonist shoes, after all who hasn’t looked back on a break-up and been able to now realise what the signs were. “How could you miss something so obvious?” But the real heartache is in the next line.

‘Did some explosion cause a Redshift?’

Redsfiht, or Redshift when I can type it correctly, is a phenomenon where light waves move to the red end of the visible spectrum when you observe an object which is either further away, or is moving further away. Please, correct my science if I’ve gotten it wrong. If the distance between our Sun and Earth was to increase, the Sun would ‘shift’ to the red end of light with that increase.

‘I would try anything this side of the milkyway,
To figure out why in the world you’re drifting away’

“HEADLINE: Man’s heart sniped by Asteroid.”
Who hurt you, Darwin? Do you need a hug? If anyone see’s Darwin from 2013, hug him.

Give it a go: If you are picked up by songs that make you feel down

Give it a miss: If there’s already too much science in your indie.

[links]
Websites: DarwinDeez.com, Wonky Beats
Spotify: Redshift
Wikipedia: Redshift, Darwin Deez

It was the first album I’d ever owned. A gift from my best friend because I said I’d liked one of the music videos I saw on the TV once. It was computer animated and looked awesome, and it broke my tiny country mind in the late 90s. Wailing synths and chugging electric guitars. The song spoke about video games and the sometimes inherent frustration they could lead to. The video included a freeze frame of Beelzebub, the Prince of Darkness as “Lucy”, leading a Giraffe, a Penguin, a Monkey and a Rabbit over a rainbow bridge.

It immediately spoke to my sensibilities.

If I owned an album before, it has been firmly usurped from my mind. Having three older brothers, this one was the first I recall being purely mine. There were many swears on the record, a fact which I hid from my deeply Anglican parents. If discovered, they might have taken it away, which made the album even more precious. I also felt a sort of second hand buyer’s remorse, so I endeavoured to enjoy every song as much as I could. This was difficult when it came to the titular track half way through the record. But I’m going to focus on the songs that bookend the album …

The Song(s)
Song: “I Like Your Old Stuff Better Than Your New Stuff” & “Just Another Beautiful Story”
Artist: Regurgitator
Album: UNIT - 1997 - Eastwest
Method of discovery: Gifted to me

Research:
Unit is the second album from Regurgitator, an amalgam of Alternative Rock, Electronica and Electropop, with other albums swinging around in Punk, Grunge, Alt-Hip-Hop and Rap-Rock. It won five ARIA awards the in 1998, including Best Album and Best Cover Art and and ended up going Triple Platinum in its homeland of Australia. It has featured in the 2010 book ‘100 best Australian Albums’, and in 2011 Triple J ranked it 10th in a similar list of their own.
”[…]Stuff” hangs around the IV and V, adding to the ethereal vocals and plead of the singer to get some sort of resolution, with the I coming in with the chorus, a simple, repetitive line which builds in a gradual crescendo to end the song.
”Just Another Beautiful Story” is another beast entirely, beginning with a lone Synth line, and then into another synth that for evokes more of a steam-machine vibe and always makes me loose the beat. The drums, bass and guitar make their entrances lightly, some orchestral strings in the background of the second verse, and then, the Trumpet solo over a counter melodic Trombone. Back to a rocky chorus and a re-entry of the persistent synth line which carries the song into the silent space of the end of the album. It’s a moving song that moves from the typical I-IV-V-vi Chords, navigates the less common III and bVII and throws in the pop-obtuse #V-Augmented. Not to mention the modulation up a half step for the solo and back for the final chorus. What even it this song?!

Personal thoughts:
The fact that the opener to a second album, vastly different in sonic quality to the first, is named “I Like Your Old Stuff Better Than Your New Stuff” is perfect. It both acknowledges that the soundscape will be different, and pre-empts inevitable fan commentary of the same nature. It’s a clever way to telegraph to listeners that the rest of the album is deliberate, and not a case of the band ‘losing their mojo’ or ‘selling out’ per se. It’s a statement that I feel has continued to pay dividends for all future albums, because as a fan I’m always excited to see what new, or familiar, direction the band has chosen to go this time.

“Just Another Beautiful Story” has a special meaning all to itself. It was full of the same simplistic observation of some of the other songs. The lyrics put in stark terms the perspective that “there ain’t no god”, and if anything, I was more afraid of my parents finding this than the swears. It outlines that it wouldn’t matter if we were to “…all die away…”, but that it’ll be okay if “…you’re holding my hand…” . The crux of the song for me is how I’ve always heard the second verse

“All that I am is a brain in a body,
Live till I die and then rot away, it’s a beautiful story”

(Despite half of the lyrics websites saying run instead of rot). Its bleak. Sure. But for me it has always been a liberating perspective: make the most of your time, and the most of the people around you. While you have time.

Give it a go: If you feel like something strange, or enjoy saying you are listening to award-winning albums

Give it a miss: If you don’t like swears, electronica, or grunge

[links]
Spotify: I Like your Old Stuff Better Than Your New Stuff, Just Another Beautiful Story
Wikipedia : Regurgitator, Unit Album
Band Website: Regurgitator
Similar Article: Polyester Genius

I liked him right away, but discovered Jonathan Coulton slowly. Probably at about the same rate as this 'weekly' blog. I could give a few reasons/excuses for such a time gap, but the fairest explanation is that I had a goal without a plan. Please excuse me for requiring further growth.

I’m fond of telling people I was a fan of Jonathan Coulton before I knew I was. But the most straightforward thing to do is present a timeline. First there was Portal (the Videogame), and at the end of it there’s a beautifully crafted song ‘Still Alive’ from the perspective of the antogonist of the game: GLaDOS. I loved that song. It was quirky and clever. Next came an animated TV Series about Game Programmers in the eighties called ‘Code Monkeys”. The theme was an eponymous ditty about a disillusioned game programmer, but only in writing this did I learn the show was named after the theme.

After singin’ the theme-tune, and jammin’ to the theme-tune I looked for some chords online and through an internet rabbit hole discovered that both of these songs were written by the same guy, but also that I really enjoyed the rest of his repertoire. I could go on about many of his songs at length, the year long project he did to write a song a week, his annual music show/cruise, that one song that seems really weird until you figure out (or read an article explaining ) that it’s meant to be Leonard Nimoy addressing Bigfoot.

Seriously.

But I’d like to present just one song that encapsulates the perfect balance that helped to inspire the name of my own album ‘Sweet, Sad and Silly’.

The Song
Song: The Future Soon
Artist: Jonathan Coulton
Album: Where Tradition Meets Tomorrow (EP) - 2004 - Self Published (I think)
Method of discovery: A Series of Tubes

Research: I can find little written on the actual composition of the song, but can say that it featured on the Lecture series ‘Little Gray Books’ in early 2003. From there Coulton was picked up to perform that song, and following an ethusiastic reception, several more songs for Pop!Tech 2003.

It’s now a staple of Coulton’s performances, and often signals the start of his set when he performs with Paul and Storm. The lyrics revolve around a young boy escaping the harsh realities of his unrequited love by fantasising about how powerful and influential he’ll be in the future, kind of an extended “Well you just wait, one day I'll be King of England”. And there are enough interesting chords in the verses for the chorus to rely on a I-V-vi-IV for the first bit and a nice ascending bassline for the second (although I play it descending). There’s even a sneaky modulation-and-back-again in the Bridge, which makes for a really interesting tonal shift to support the lyrics.

Personal thoughts: It’s hard to overstate my satisfaction. I’m just in love with this song. The Chorus perfectly walks the tightrope between Sweet and Sad, where a boy has such innocent confidence in his future potential he’ll even be able to mechanically correct his awkward humanity. The silly is more of a slow burn, developing through the narrative of an unintended robotic uprising, and lines with redundancies like “Building inventions in my space lab in space”.

It’s one of my go-to riffs when I pick up a guitar to check if it needs tuning, and I often end up playing the whole song as a result. Jonathan keeps the pace up in the song until the very end, strumming throughout, but I like performing a more theatrical version, pausing for Laura’s new look, slowing right down and finger-picking the final chorus. The 12-year old in me is angry, and the song is a heated response to the enciting incident, but by the end it’s more of a hope against his fading anger. But it’s ok, it’s gonna be the future soon.

Give it a go: If you like catchy tunes and songs with character development

Give it a miss: If you don’t enjoy Robots, Humour, or Puppies. There are no puppies in the song, but if you don’t like the first two you’re basically heartless.

[links]
Wikipedia: Jonathan Coulton, Code Monkeys
Websites: Jonathan Coulton.com,
Research Materials: JoCoPedia/TheFutureSoon

Its an almost gladitorial battle: the feeling I should blog regularly brandishing a spear and shield, versus my reluctance to post needlessly or without value proferring a net and trident. Social media and constant engagement are necessary evils these days, because if you arent continually shouting through the digital void at people then how can you remain relevant?

Well here is my attempt at balance; a truce between the gladiators.  Every Tuesday, I'll post less than 1,000 words about a song or two. Regular, short, and plenty of material to draw from. It might even add value if you discover some new songs or artists. Should be easy, right?

The Song(s)
Song: 'Soldier' & 'Hey! Sandy'
Artist: Harvey Andrews
Album: Writer of Songs - 1972 - Cube Records
Method of discovery: A single in my parents vinyl collection - ‘Soldier’ = side A.

Research: Both songs are inspired by death, which for the first one of these, is a somewhat morbid beginning.
‘Soldier’ was inspired by the sacrifice of British Sergeant Michael Willetts during the Northern Island Conflict, a.k.a. The Troubles. The overly simplistic version is that the Irish couldn’t agree on whether or not to be one Island or two Irelands. Willetts was among the first British Soldiers to die when a suitcase-bomb was thrown into the police station where he and his squad were placed. He ran toward the bomb and used his body to shield two adults and two children from the blast, which killed him.
’Hey! Sandy’ was penned to address the Kent State Shooting, and most directly Sandra Scheuer, a University student who was struck dead by a bullet aimed for the nearby protesters. Members of the Ohio National Guard fired sixty-seven rounds over thirteen seconds, killing four and injuring nine. The reason for the shots are unclear. This incident, along with others like it eventually fuelled further protests, student strikes, and even a regular rememberance by Sandra’s sorority.

Personal thoughts: When I was 5 I had memorised 'The Soldier' by playing it repetitively, which takes a lot of patience for a 5 year old operating a record player and any parents nearby (sorry Ma, sorry Pa). When I was 11 I entered a talent competition and won a jigsaw of an elephant by singing it acapella (I hadn't learnt guitar yet). When I worked at foodtown as a teen I sang this to keep sane while stacking yet another box of bananas.

It’s fair to say that ‘Soldier' is one of my all time favourite songs, but also the first favourite I can remember, which is why I saw fit to start here.

Sometime bewteen the Elephant and Bananas, I turned over the record with curious intent.  Although I and subsequently everyone else at home had heard it before, I really listened to 'Hey! Sandy' for the first time. I felt like I'd moved a precious artifact to discover another one beneath it. Now I had two songs to love.

The melody and story of 'Soldier' captured me as a kid, and the more I’ve grown the more I understand the lyrics. Its a typical folksy tune and uses standard I-IV-V chords to keep the song jangling along. ‘Hey! Sandy’ on the other hand begins with a quavery note sustained on a Double-Bass (I think) and gradually introduces Vocals, Guitar, Electric Guitar, and even a Bodhran (again, I think. It could be a ‘standard’ drum). With the inclusion of the ii chord, it sounds a bit darker, despite the similar subject matter.

Overall I think that these two songs helped to form a lot of my interest in Lyrics in particular. But at this stage, I feel I’m at least a little biased.

Give it a go: If you like folksy tunes, or have an interest in lyrics

Give it a miss: If you don’t find value in reflecting on politically-charged-death, or death-charged-politics

[links]
’Soldier’ on Spotify, Wikipedia. Michael Willetts. The Troubles.
’Hey! Sandy’ on Spotify, Sandra Lee Scheuer and Kent State Shootings on Wikipedia.
Harvey Andrews on Wikipedia

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I honestly can't remember a time without music. Photo by Klass Photography

Welcome to GeoffRoweMusic.com. It's about Geoff Rowe, and most directly, his Music. But you already knew that. So I figured this first post should be what you might not know about him, aside from my ability to switch perspective in the middle of his sentences. We are, after all, the same person.

I grew up on a small hobby farm near the Waikato River in New Zealand. Our family's home and annual road trips were full of singing, and being the youngest of four brothers I got the high parts. I honestly can't remember a time without music. So eventually I got into playing, first Piano, then Guitar, then dabbling in other instruments.

Then I began writing poetry, and it wasn't long until poems became lyrics. Eventually I began performing my music, and after high school decided to study Diplomas in Music Performance and Event Management.

If you've never listened to my songs before, click here! I've been described as singer/songwriter, lyrical pop/rock/folk. People who've heard my songs usually recommend "Tatooine". Let me know what you think of that, and the website.

If you'd like to get in touch, please do so!