Category Archives: music

I am a big Mark Ronson fan. I love how his music hits up against the modern sound and the classic sound (according to Ronson, in an interview about the recording process  in Tape Op magazine, it is all about the drums.) In this TED talk, Ronson talks about music sampling.

Sampling isn’t about “hijacking nostalgia wholesale,” says Mark Ronson. It’s about inserting yourself into the narrative of a song while also pushing that story forward.  — from TED site

And I noticed a TED talk playlist on remixing …

Peace (in the muse),
Kevin

(This is part of a series of posts about releasing some early music via Bandcamp.)

Our drummer, Bob, loves to play music, and he would love to write songs. So, he often sends out reams of lyrics (he’s the king of the double entendre) with hopes that one of us will work some of it into a song. This one — Flicking the Switch — began with a few verses from Bob, as I was working on a funk song for the band (Sofa Kings). In the end, about half the words are Bob’s and half are mine. It’s a love/lust song in which the relationship is clearly heading south, and the narrator is pleading for another chance. (He’s not going to get it.)

Our keyboard player, John, is the lead singer, and I was able to layer in some saxophone in the studio (I used a tenor and soprano) to create a pseudo horn section. Live, this song was a hit. The opening riff gives off the funk and when Bob kicked the beat, it got folks dancing. The studio version is fine but doesn’t quite capture the energy of performance.

Peace (in the funk),
Kevin

(This is part of a series of posts about releasing some early music via Bandcamp.)

There some songs where I hear the lyrics years later and I shake my head in agreement, wondering where in the world those words came from. Beacon in the Night is one of those songs. My friend, Don, is the lead singer on this one and my friend John wrote the music.

The words are all mine and I just love the turn of phrases that are in this one, capturing a real uncertainty of the world. It’s about the idea of finding faith in who you are, and with the person you want to be with, even with the criticism of others around you. The beacon is the idea that there are true lights shining. Finding those lights is what makes life important, and being the beacon for others is at the heart of a full life. I remember this was one of those songs where the words just came, flowed and spilled out, as if I were removed from the act of writing.

Don and I had some arguments over a line — I’m locked and loaded — which he did not want to sing because it sounded too military for him. I really wanted that line in there. Not just for the alliterative element, which is important, but because it symbolized strength and a willingness of the narrator to beat the odds. Don did sing it, reluctantly. I don’t often fight hard over phrases or words. I did on that one, although years later I am not sure why it was so important.

Soundwise, the piano (another John) really adds a layer to the song. It would not be the same without his keyboards because those notes fill in the gaps left by the guitars. On this version, my role is merely backup singer. I don’t think I played an instrument here but the song remains powerful for me, and it is one that I often pull out on my acoustic and play by myself.

Peace (in the light),
Kevin

(This is part of a series of posts about releasing some early music via Bandcamp.)

I’d be remiss not to mention that one of my guitar-playing friends, John Graiff, has also been one of my songwriting partners. He often supplies the riffs, and I then work with those riffs to add lyrics, and then together, we convene, argue and hammer out songs that whatever band we’re in then works on. Gravitational Pull is one of those songs that we wrote together.

Here, the music is almost entirely John. It’s based on a blues pattern, but he has an off-kilter rhythm to it that the drummer latched onto and drove home. I’m not sure where the idea for the song came from but the phrase of “gravitational pull” came early and I realized I could use a science theme to write about romance, as if the person is an object of such admiration and beauty that you just fall into their gravitational force field, whether you are ready or not. You know, love.

This one was always a blast to play live because it has a frantic pace to it. I’m not so sure we (Sofa Kings) nailed this song in the studio as best as we would have liked. It doesn’t always click right to me, as I listen years later. But you can’t help but feel the fun here.

Peace (in the pull),
Kevin

(This is part of a series of posts about releasing some early music via Bandcamp.)

Of all the songs on this album, Send Me out a Sign packs the most emotional punch for me. I wrote it during the heady days of courting my (now) wife. This was a songwriting phase where I was often writing three to four songs every single week, and using a little Tascam recorder to record demos. I first brought Send Me out a Sign to a friend, who played bass, and we did a version of the song. Later, I brought it to a new band I was in — Big Daddy Kiljoy — and when I played it for the band, you could see that everyone recognized it for a good song that we could work with. This version, recorded in a real studio, does a fair job of capturing our version, with a powerful harp solo and a nice easy groove.

There’s a certain feeling you get when you share a song that is close to your heart. On one hand, you don’t want to let it go. It’s so personal that it feels like a child that needs protecting. On the other hand, some songs come out nearly perfect (or so it seems) and the only way to breathe real life into it is to share it. I’ve been fortunate to be in bands where I can bring in songs that we will at least try (and we abandon as many as keep, it seems).

Send Me out a Sign is about waiting for that special person to know that the next stage of a relationship is ready and waiting, and that you are too. There’s a real uncertainty about where a relationship will go, and the song is positive and yet, there is a yearning to it, too. The Romeo/Juliet metaphor of standing under the window, waiting for a sign … that’s universal, right? This song reminds me of the strength of my marriage, and is a musical testament (sap alert) to love.

Peace (in the muse),
Kevin

Some of you know that I play and write music as a hobby. Over the years, with various bands and friends, I have recorded music here and there, and many of the tracks have sat electronically for years. Time to set them free and see if anyone likes them. Over the coming days and weeks, I am going to be reflecting and writing about the songs that I have recorded and sharing them out. I decided to use Bandcamp as a place to host and share, and maybe sell a few songs here and there. I have no expectations of striking it rich or anything, and any proceeds will get divided up with friends who helped make the music.

I’m playing an assortment of instruments here — some rhythm guitar, saxophones and even keyboards on some of the tracks.

You don’t need to buy the music to listen to the music. You can listen right from Bandcamp. If you like a track and buy it, I offer you deep appreciation. I chose songs from our recordings that I wrote, co-wrote and mostly sang lead on. A few songs have other bandmates singing, and I have noted that in the liner notes (such as they are).

Today, I want to share the entire album (see above) and in the days ahead, I will break it down track by track as best as I can remember about the writing and recording. As a sort of bonus sharing today, I also dug up an old video from my band, Sofa Kings, as we went into the studio. The sound is awful because it is a first generation Flip Camera (remember them?) and the microphone was tinny. But it captures some of what we were doing in the studio and a few of those tracks are in the Bandcamp collection.

Sofa Kings: in the studio from Mr. Hodgson on Vimeo.

Thanks for listening.
Peace (in the songs),
Kevin