"Granite Meadow"
A Few Thoughts on writing & Recording "Granite Meadow "
I was sitting in a meadow in Kings Canyon National Park and there was no one around. There were none of the sounds of the city or suburbs; no cars, no voices, no sirens, no leaf blowers. At first all I heard was silence. Next, I started to hear my own breathing. A short time later, I started to hear the music of the meadow. It was the sound of the wind moving through the tree branches. I tuned into the low hum of different insects flying around. And in the distance, I could hear several types of birds who were all conversing with each other. After some quiet contemplation, I looked up at the shear granite cliffs and outcroppings. The scope of geologic time hit me upside my head! I could actually feel both my relevance and irrelevance in the scope of life. I could feel the here and now but also clearly see that I was just passing through time. A blip on the radar of the mountains and meadow. Just like the insects, birds and the breeze.
When I got home I wrote this song on an acoustic guitar and voice. In it’s simplest form the song had a nice pure quality that I wanted to protect when I arranged it. But I also wanted to hear the colors that I saw in meadow and the mountains. For the recording, I decided to keep the verses sparse and build the color palette in the chorus. Tim Freund, who is my musical partner and drummer, worked with me to create a subtle drum groove that could add some soft rock feel to the arrangement. After some experimentation I decided the arrangement should develop very patiently. I introduced a soft but grooving bass line to start the chorus. I added in a Rhodes electric piano to add color to the sound palette. The piano part has a different rhythm that nestled into the groove very nicely. A few bars latter, I added in a shimmering electric guitar playing one long beautiful chord with tremolo. Then, as the electric guitar chord naturally faded I added in a subtle Hammond organ with a Leslie. Because that sound swirls, it gave me the wind texture I was looking for as well as a counter melody line. I arranged the turn out of the chorus with a crisscrossing harmony. The melody and harmonies engage above and below each other as they reach a dominant 7th chord which signifies a moment of change in the music. I decided it was best to end the song with just the acoustic guitar playing alone to signify the serenity of sitting in the meadow.
"Monique"
A few Thoughts on Writing & Recording "Monique"
"Monique", is a blend of singer-songwriter style with a touch of front porch blues & jazz-a-ma-tazz added in! This song was written and recorded in Leopard Lounge Studio. My longtime musical partner Tim Freund played drums and helped me with the lyrics.
As an artist, I am trying to create music that has an "original twist" on the familiar; both in sound & lyric. I enjoy writing songs about those difficult moments we all experience. I like to write about characters who find themselves in real life situations. If you've ever gotten mixed signals from someone you're dating, then “Monique” is a song you’ll relate to.
I used some "poetic license" when I wrote & sang this song in 1st person. The story and the characters in "Monique" are actually about a couple I knew. I am good friends with the guy and he would often confide in me about the challenges he faced while dating her. Some years later, his story has found its way into this song. I felt the song needed to be sung from his perspective so I take on his voice and tell his story as if it were my own.
Producing "Monique" was an opportunity for me to play several different instruments. The arrangement builds slowly, starting with just an acoustic guitar. I added in bass, then Tim's drums to give the song a slow groove. As the story unfolds I brought in some soft electric guitar, and the Hammond Organ to add richness. I wanted some build & punch to finish the bridge so I wrote & tracked 4 different horn parts to create the horn section. Later in the song, I wanted to let the music to be featured so I included soloing moments for the electric guitar and saxophone. I finished the arrangement off with some electric blues guitar riffing on the fade. All in all, the "Monique" creation process was fun and fulfilling for me.