Before we go any further, I feel it's necessary to point out that the songs on this page are not an accurate representation of my overall abilities or musical depth/range, if only because they're about 8 years old (with the exception of "Leaving Street" which was written & recorded in late 2001).
Most of the songs that have been featured on this page are from a record that was supposed to be released in 1998 called Demos & Whatnot, which contained 18 tracks of material I'd captured during the previous 2 years and was supposed to be the follow-up to my debut record, Raine(1997). Some of it was like the songs you hear here; others were live recordings, on-air performances, or bedroom demos that I liked enough not to change.
But right around the time I was going to release it, I began a project with my best friend J that quickly became Air This Side of Caution , the band I'm currently in. I didn't want to release a record and then not support it because I'd started a new band, so it was shelved.
Enter MySpace. Once I setup a page here, I had an outlet for these tunes, and I saw it mainly as a way for friends to hear stuff I had done in the past so they could critique it. But it's turned into something else, a beast with a mind of its own.
I have new material that just doesn't seem to fit ATSoC and I've begun recording some of it. I'll post it when it's complete.
And the rowers keep on rowing...and show no signs of slowing...do they know which way they're going?
Read on.
Music is my love: it's my first memory. I've been singing since before I could talk, the background vocals of Steely Dan's "Show Biz Kids" coming out as "Ox ages" instead of "Lost wages." I'll post the recording sometime.
Since then, I"ve been addicted. Maybe that word has the wrong connotations, but I'd say it's relatively accurate. What other intangible exists that can seemingly simultaneously elate and destroy? How many times have I found myself weeping, broken, defeated by the beauty and brillance of a new record I'm listening to (especially if I know the person) while at the same time feeling inspired, healed, and encouraged?
Point is, music is life, just like love: it's contradictory, impossible to explain, and totally completely necessary. Did you ever play that game when you're drunk or inebriated, "Which Sense Would I Give Up??" It's nearly impossible to decide. I know I couldn't give up my hearing. Or my sense of touch, since technology has enabled us to physically feel music as well as just hear it. And I'm not talking about "feel" like a musician would. I mean it in the most literal sense: there's a band from Wales called Mogwai who incorporates this idea about the physical nature of music and sound into their live show. They play so loud that people have been known to lose control of their bowels. Gross, but you get my point.
So if I ever was unable to experience music, I would miss it like the Earth would miss the Sun: it's a lifesource but not without its dangers. And by dangers I don't mean requiring Depends to attend a concert. I'm talking about the interaction between creator/performer and his or her end result. Like the sun, music has the power to burn and too much exposure can become cancerous.
What's telling about such a statement is that even though I know such things, I am prone to prolonged exposure, sans sunscreen. Sometimes I like to wear a ski mask, a bowtie, and a thong, but that's it. And that doesn't provide much protection, as one can imagine. That's the oxymoronic nature of being a musician and trying to create something that is worthwhile and true to yourself: you have to give up part of yourself along the way.
