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Posted by on Apr 25, 2013 in Recordings |

Laundromat

I wrote this song during a long weekend visit with an old and dear friend in Coupeville, Washington. We did laundry, and then went for a walk. I vividly remember the day, the view out over Puget Sound, the texture and color of the grass we were walking on. Somehow, suddenly, this melody was going through my head and I started to dance and sing it. Words came soon after. Priceless.

This performance is from a couple of weeks ago at Sacred Grounds in SF. The full show can be found on Mr. Natural’s channel on YouTube.

 

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Posted by on Apr 23, 2013 in Recordings |

Bug Zapper

More fun with the Q2HD. Bug Zapper is a co-write with my friend Scott Bryson. I’ve reworked it endlessly, and this is where it sits right now. For years, there’s been a major II chord in the chorus, clinging like the kitten in the “Hang in there, Baby” poster. I finally got over it and went to good old V-IV-I.

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Posted by on Apr 23, 2013 in Recordings |

New Videos: Breakup Songs, Real Girl

A few days ago I got myself a Zoom Q2HD recorder. It’s a good stereo sound recorder with fixed-focus HD video, great for quick ‘n’ dirty live recording.

I cracked it out right away, and recorded a couple of living room videos, one in San Francisco and one in Shell Beach. Here they are. Hope you enjoy them!

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Posted by on Apr 16, 2013 in Recordings |

The Flying Dream CD

In the late 90’s and early 00’s, I recorded a number of song demos for promotion to music publishers. Around ’02, I compiled the recordings into a CD, Flying Dream.

I’ve burned, sold and given away hundreds of these CDs over the years. Last year, I decided it was time to give my poor CD burner a break and release Flying Dream for real. I asked my friend Cher Odum if she would do the cover art. Cher has known and loved my music for a long time (I gave her one of the first ones ten years ago). She was inspired, and spent two days painting a beautiful cover in her unique style.

FD Art

I’m proud to announce that Flying Dream is now available in physical form from CD Baby, and as a digital download from iTunes, Amazon, and the rest of the usual suspects. All the sites have previews so you can hear before you buy. The 13 songs are available separately too.

A few highlights:

  • Flying Dream is four part a cappella harmony, with me singing all the parts.
  • Driving is inspired by my many beautiful trips to Whidbey Island in Washington State and has a rare electric guitar solo.
  • The Cove is my love song for the beaches of California’s Central Coast, and for one beach in particular, and for my dear friends who love it too.

Snooze Alarm, It’s Your Fault, I Could Fall In Love With You … each song has its own flavor and personality. I recorded all the instruments and parts, mostly in my little guest house in San Luis Obispo.

Songs are bookmarks that open our memories to particular pages, as effectively as the scent of a madeleine cookie. Many times, over the years, someone has told me of their experience with one of these songs, how they cried or were influenced, how it marked a page. Every once in a while someone asks me if I’ll burn another one because they wore the old one out. Mighty gratifying. I hope you get a chance to hear it too, and that it brings you joy.

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Posted by on Apr 2, 2013 in Recordings |

A Performance Video

 

Mr. Natural, by the great R. Crumb

Mr. Natural, by the great R. Crumb

Sacred Grounds Cafe in the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood has had an open mic of some sort since the late 60’s. In its current incarnation, it’s hosted, every Thursday, by local music teacher and multi-instrumentalist Mr. Natural, who thoroughly looks the part!

There’s a fun crowd of regulars and it’s a warm, accepting and inviting atmosphere. Every level of player shows up, from first-time-on-stage virgins (who are greeted with great enthusiasm) to seasoned veterans.

Every week, there’s a featured performer who gets to play a 45-minute set. Mr. Natural records a video of every show, and posts it to YouTube on his channel.

I played the feature this past March 7. I extracted my set from the full video and posted it on my own channel.

It’s a good way to inaugurate my Performance Video page. Enjoy!

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