Track Record – The Grateful Dead
Today’s Track Record covers the studio albums by The Grateful Dead.
Tagged: band
Everything and Nothing
“Everything and nothing” is my new favorite way to answer the question, “What’s going on?”
Good Lord, I’ve been totally avoiding my own site. I’ve been so busy I haven’t had time for updates. So I threw up a new theme design (hope you enjoy it) and said, “I’m going to write something, dammit.” So here we are.
Goodbye 2012
I want to have a quick look back at 2012. The band and I played many a gig, and many a GOOD gig! I have to not only thank the band members but also everyone who came to the shows and supported me. It really is the most important thing when playing a show. Playing to an empty room is no fun at all. Playing to a room full of people, familiar or otherwise, who are into it and singing your words back to you on cue is a euphoric experience that I can’t explain.
We had many great shows at places like Crossroads, Connolly’s, National Underground and wrapped up our year with a great gig at Maxwell’s in Hoboken. I’ve gone to many a show there and was thrilled to be able to be on that famous stage. Being from NJ, I think we take that place for granted a bit but there’s lots of great music history there and I’m glad to say I’ve played there. Thanks to my friends in Bradykynin for offering the slot to me.
This year I want to try and keep to at least one show a month, so I hope to see you out there. Our gig at Hat City Kitchen in January was AMAZING. So many great people and so much good energy. Thanks to our friends in Test Pattern for giving us a slot and recording the show. You can hear the audio bootleg here:
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SN-l3msgLRg
I think my biggest achievement in 2012 was The Code of the West. Writing and recording a concept album is a very ambitious feat and it is not easy to pull off. I’m used to working quickly but this record really forced me to slow down a bit. There was months of on and off research (most about the old west, guns, and so on) and there was a lot of writing before any notes were played. Taking this thing from concept to fleshing out the story alone was hard work. Then I had to actually record the music and hope that it all made some kind of sense.
While the songs still have that “demo” quality (it was all done in my garage) I have to say I’m proud of the whole thing and there are some very different and interesting things on there for me. I went into areas I didn’t know I could and came out a better musician. Please give it a full listen if you can and let me know if the story works for you.
We’re going to start breaking in some of these songs live very soon. The first will be “This Gun is Now My Life” and we’ll follow that up with some of the more rocking tunes like “On the Run” or perhaps “Keep on Moving West.” I’d really like to play the closer, “It’s Finally Time to Sleep” at some point also. Please give me some feedback when you can.
The Band
I’m happy to say that the band is doing well. When you’re a solo artist, it’s quite hard to find people willing to come in an be the backing band, especially when there’s little to no pay involved. I’m sure Lenny Kravitz or Bryan Adams can hire whoever they please. Lou Tambone has to take who he can get.
You have to find people who love music so much that they don’t really mind what they’re playing or why. They play because they love it. I was lucky enough to find a batch of musicians like this. For some odd reason, they are happy to come down and play my songs to people for next to nothing and I appreciate this immensely. So much so that I want to give individual shout outs to them.
STEVE SAVONA plays bass. I’ve known Steve for what has to be around 20 years now. He was the first person I asked to play and he agreed right away. I never, ever, have to worry about what he’s doing or how he’s playing things and he has a humble attitude that’s refreshing. He’s laid back, but tight and in the pocket. A pleasure to have next to me, even though he towers over me and makes me look even shorter. I’ll have to invest in some platform shoes, I guess.
DAVE WILSON plays lead guitar. I remember auditioning Dave. We were really going through the ringer auditioning guitarists and none of them were working out. I’d give them songs to learn and they would hardly bother with them. Dave was one of maybe two guys that actually listened to the songs and learned them. He came in prepared, played the songs, and left with a handshake. That’s pretty much how he got the gig. Plus he could play. He’s good-natured, easy to work with and very accommodating.
ROB SILVERMAN plays drums. Much like Dave, he was a drummer who came down prepared to play and knew the tunes well. I was pretty impressed at how he picked up on a lot of my little drumming quirks or chops and was able to repeat them. He’s a funny guy with many a story to tell. He puts in the time and it shows on stage. As busy as he is, he always finds the time to get to rehearsals and gigs. He smokes electric cigarettes, which to me is cooler than smoking real ones. Now I’ve said too much.
That’s the core band, but as you might know, sometimes LIFE happens and someone can’t make a show for whatever reason. Sometimes they’re away for work or on vacation. Sometimes there’s a family event. These folks are doing me a favor by playing in my band so I always tell them that family is first!
That said, I’ve started to try and make sure I have alternate players available so that when there’s a gig someone can’t make (or a last minute replacement is needed), I don’t have to cancel the show. Booking gigs is not a pleasurable experience for me so when I book them, I like to keep them.
As of now I have two alternates, one for bass and one for lead guitar. When there’s no drummer, we’ll just have to go without… or maybe I’ll play some live drums one day… who knows?
HANNAH HAREL plays the bass and is my good friend. We have played together in another band and had lots of fun. For some reason, she seems to really like playing my songs. I think something must be off in her head, but it works to my advantage so I go with it. When Steve can’t make it, she’s my go-to girl. You’ll see her in some of the youtube videos. I can’t say enough good things about her. We always have a good time.
ROB FERRARO plays lead guitar. He and drummer Rob Silverman, along with myself and another bass player named Anthony Capricuso are all in another original band called Radio Therapy. He’s going to be filling in for Dave at our NYC show on April 6th. This is a real sweetheart of a guy and once again, I’ve lucked out. He also played on the track “On the Run” from my Code of the West recording. He’s a great player.
I’m still auditioning keyboard players but I think I’m close to someone. Keyboard players are a tough breed! If I find one, you’re going to start seeing some cool stuff happening.
Music Stuff
I have all kinds of ideas. All the time. Getting those ideas to a place where you can see/hear them is a project unto itself. Some things make it, others don’t.
There will be new songs/music this year. I’m determined and have lots of drum tracks recorded. Once I have the drum tracks down, that’s usually a good indicator that the songs will actually happen. If I can eek four more drum tracks out, that’s enough for a new record and that will make me very happy. Stay tuned to the site and my Facebook page for updates on new music.
I’ve been seriously considering trying out this whole crowdfunding thing. Sites like Kickstarter and Indiegogo seem to be doing well for musicians. The only X Factor is people. Running one of these campaigns is like a part time job for a month. You really have to get behind it, make a video, plan out all kinds of rewards and make sure people know where every dollar is going. I’ve already done most of the work but I haven’t made a video.
Here’s my thinking. Right now, I have three “albums” of material that I’ve recorded mostly alone in my garage/home, playing all the instruments not counting the occasional guest spot (sax, steel guitar, lead guitar parts, etc.) All of these recordings have a home demo feel to them. I’d like to have an album available that is studio quality. I don’t expect people to shell out money for my current home recordings. They’re not sonically up to snuff and I don’t have the money to record in a real studio.
If I could raise some money through crowdfunding, I could cherry pick 10-12 songs from my first two albums and make a “real” album of studio quality songs that I feel good about handing out to people or selling on the internet or giving to clubs to get better gigs/time slots or selling at gigs, and so on. Since I could play music, I’ve always thought it would be a funny idea to make a first album and call it Greatest Hits. I have no idea why. When I started doing more recording at home, I broke that rule with Damaged Goods. However, those are really demo-like. This could be a real studio record and it would be my first solo one. So Lou Tambone’s Greatest Hits may see the light of day if this whole crowdfunding things works out. I’m still on the fence about starting it though. Part of me thinks, “What have you got to lose?” and part of me just wonders if it’s worth it. If no one donates, I’m back at the drawing board.
Please leave me some comments if you can. Have you done it? Would you do it? Have you donated to other people’s campaigns? Would you donate to mine? I’m considering it but not totally sold.
Previously, I mentioned another original band I’m in called Radio Therapy. It started off as a cover band but that quickly fell apart and we all decided that original music was where it’s at. Team leader Anthony brought in a bunch of his songs. I donated a few more. Rob F. gave us one finished song. The rest came out of joint writing sessions with the three of us. The songs are really good and we’re about ready to play live so look for updates to the Calendar here and on Facebook for the gigs.
***
Look, I could ramble on all day but I feel I’ve done my duty here. Thanks again for a great 2012. Hope to see you all at a gig in 2013. Please leave me some comments about whatever you want. I promise I’ll try to update more! See ya!
Two Shows: Crossroads in June, Connolly’s NYC in July.
I have two shows booked this summer, thus far.
The first is at one of my favorite venues – Crossroads in Garwood, NJ. This is a great place with good food and an all ages crowd so no need to find that babysitter.
We play from 8-9pm and my good friend Jill Cagney is playing before us from 7-8pm. So get there early and see her too. Rumor has it we’ll be “dueting” a song between our sets…
My July show is at a new venue (for me) called Connolly’s Klub 45 in New York City. I have heard nothing but good things about it so I’m quite excited to play that gig.
Make sure you see the Calendar for more info on these events. Check out my Facebook page (click like while you’re there) and you can join the events so I know you’re going.
See ya out there!
Every Song Tells A Story: Tonight I Ride
The Story
From my late teens to my mid-twenties, I was fairly busy in a musical sense. I was in a few bands (mostly on drums) and had begun to explore songwriting. At some point, life happened and more serious issues started to arise.
I had finished college with a degree in what Rutgers (the Newark campus) called “Theater Arts and Speech” which is a fancy way of saying “Communications” – and to boot, I had a specialization in TV Production. As you may well know, this degree will get you next to nowhere. It’s almost as good as a degree in music. 🙂 Unfortunately, it was the only thing that interested me at the time, outside of my first major which was Psychology. I was a lazy student and that major was way too much reading and writing. If I could go back, I would have stuck with it but alas, the past is gone.
Things were moving quickly and I soon realized that I would not be able to support a family while working in the wonderful world of retail, which is where I ran back to at full speed after realizing my college degree was pretty useless unless I wanted to intern (aka work for free) for a year or three somewhere in the hopes that it “might” lead to some kind of paying job. I had bills and other things to worry about.
So I went to a computer school, being already quite computer savvy, and started to make some life changes. Marriage, kids, and so on. Before I knew it, about 15 years had gone by and I was completely removed from the music scene. I had done absolutely nothing. No writing, no bands, no nothing and it was slowly eating away at me.
Eventually things settled down a bit and the itch became to annoying to ignore. Music is in me. It’s a part of me. When I’m not being musical somehow, I just don’t feel right. So I started to ease my way back into the scene. A cover band here, filling in for a friend on drums there, writing some new material, and so on. It was time to get back out there. I reconnected with a lot of my musician friends, some of whom were still playing, and they inspired me. I also met and networked with a whole host of new musician friends and that inspired me even more.
I decided it was time to start writing songs again. The next thing I knew I was staring at a bunch of lyrics, melodies and ideas. The song “Tonight I Ride” was one of the first of this new batch and it basically signaled how I felt at the time. I had been away far too long and it was time to come back.
“Tonight I Ride” is a song about returning to something. You can interpret it as returning to anything you like, but for me it was strictly about returning to music. I had been away so long that there were friends and new family members who had no idea that I could make music. When they eventually saw me play they were quite shocked. It was a fun feeling.
I promised myself when I wrote that song that I’d never take that huge break from music again. It became clear to me that there’s really no reason to. There’s always room for music.
The Recording
The first thing I remember about writing this song was the chorus. I had it clearly in my mind. I had the lyric and the melody/chords all in my head. From there it was a matter of just writing the rest of the song. I’m not sure where I heard the phrase “Tonight I Ride” but it must have gotten into my head at some point. I always picture some kind of Wagner-esque Viking on an armored horse marching into battle, but I digress.
After I had the chorus mapped out in my head, the next thing I thought about was the song’s opening drum beat. I could also hear that clearly in my head. All the lyrics flowed from there and then it was time to record. As usual, because I’m alone when I record, I tracked the drums first. I used that little beat I dreamed up and then just built upon it, bringing the dynamic up or down when needed.
I played it through on guitar just to make sure I had all the chords I needed and tracked the bass. I laid down some distorted guitars and a wobbly guitar solo which I’m not very proud of. I always figured the solos would be better when played live by more capable musicians.
The vocals were my first accidental experiment with double tracking. Many bands have done this. You basically sing in unison with yourself on another track. I didn’t really mean to do this. I did a vocal pass, and then did another on a different track because I wasn’t sure if I was going to keep the first one or not. During playback, I forgot to mute one of the vocal tracks and they both played through the monitors. I was about to mute one but listened a little longer and the sound began to grow on me. They’re not perfect vocal tracks but they sort of work so I kept the two in there. So if you’re listening to the song, you’ll hear me singing along with myself and the two takes sort of stray from each other a bit here and there. It’s a little weird but I can see the attraction and how it can be effective when done right.
Lots of times, when I’m writing songs I’m actually not near any instruments. It sounds odd but sometimes they just jump out at me and I have to quickly write stuff down or else it’s usually gone forever. So when it comes to what we call in rock music the “bridge” or sometimes the “middle eight”, I will sometimes say, “I’ll come up with something later.” Sometimes I’ll have lyrics for the bridge along with a vague melody but it’s pretty fluid. I remember not having lyrics or a melody for this bridge when I sat down to record.
While tracking the drums, I just played a bunch of random fills that felt right and then brought myself back to the chorus somehow. I listened to those drums a few times and they sounded a little raucous to me. I decided to forgo the lyrics and just try some guitar stuff instead. After experimenting with a few things I settled on the bridge you hear which is basically a series of “D” shape chords moving up the neck with an open D ringing above them. It reminds me slightly of The Who, which is why I kept it.
I was still not well-versed in the art of compression or mastering/mixing. I still don’t know if I am, actually. So all of the mixes from those early songs aren’t panned well (or at all). There isn’t a lot of “space” there. One of these days I’ll go back to those old tracks and do some remixing with some of the things I’ve learned since then. I think this song can sound a lot better with some TLC.
It was a quick job but the song is fun and I’m finally getting around to playing it in my live sets. The band seems to like it and it does make me feel a little wistful in many ways.
The Lyrics
All my life I’ve been waiting
All my life I’ve been saving up
All my life I’ve been holding back
But tonight I rideAll my life I’ve been hungry
All my life I’ve been ready
All my life I’ve been so determined
But tonight I rideTonight, tonight I ride
Perpetual motion is on my side
The links are broken, the chains are dead
I’ve got to move aheadAll my life I’ve been sitting
All my life I’ve been lying down
All my life I’ve been static
But tonight I rideI look at you and you’re flying
I look at you and you’re in the air
I look at you and I’m jealous
So tonight I rideTonight, tonight I ride
Perpetual motion is on my side
The cage is open, the bird is free
I’ve got to get release
I’ve got to know release
I need to be releasedTonight, tonight I ride
Perpetual motion is on my side
Unleashed and I won’t be denied – YeahTonight, tonight I ride
Perpetual motion is on my side
I’m strong and I won’t take my time
The world is mine tonight
Yeah it’s my prize tonight
Stay out of my way tonight, tonight, yeah tonightI ride tonight
Two Gigs: Crossroads (NJ) and National Underground (NYC)
I’ve added two gigs to the calendar, folks. I sure hope to see you there if you’re in the area.
December 2, 2011 will be at one of my favorite NJ venues, The Crossroads in Garwood, NJ. We go on at 8pm. Dave Wilson will be making his debut on lead guitar. Steve Savona is on bass and Rob Silverman will be on drums. It’s always a good time at Crossroads and the food is great so please come on down and have some fun with us.
January 20, 2012 will be my debut at NYC’s National Underground which is owned by brothers Joey and Gavin DeGraw. This is going to be another fun show because I’m sharing the bill with my good friend and musician, Jill Cagney! Jill goes on at 8pm and we go on at 9pm so come down early to catch Jill and then stay for me and the guys!
See the Calendar page for more info on the gigs or just give me a shout. Thanks!
Got Me A Rock And Roll Band, It’s A Free For All
Oh, that Nuge… always good for a quote.
It’s been an interesting couple of years to say the least. 2009 and 2010 found me writing two albums worth of material, plus what I call “pre-composing” two concept pieces of about 10 songs each. I call it pre-composing because those pieces exist only in my head except for the lyrics which are all written and complete.
Why did I do all this, you ask? To what end? Well, you didn’t ask but I’ll ask for you. I’ll even answer.
The goal for me is to play live. I enjoy it. Since I was a teen, I’ve always found it far more interesting to play original music than to be in a cover band. In fact, I hadn’t really tried being in a cover band until a few years ago. Here in New Jersey, there’s more money in doing that than with original songs. So after trying to maintain a cover band with me singing and playing guitar, which was fun but unfulfilling, I decided that I had to get back to original music. I still play drums with some other cover bands which is cool because I like the guys and the songs and it pays well. However, I’m very focused on original music. It’s just more interesting to me.
What I like about playing original music live is that there are no expectations. Even if people have heard your music, they’re not expecting it to sound a certain way. They are my songs and I can play them as I see fit. I’m not reproducing someone else’s sound or expected to hit Steve Perry’s high notes. I don’t sound like other people or sing like other people. I sound like me, like it or not. Playing covers is fun and it pays well, so at the end of the night you have some money which makes up for the unfulfillment. I need the money, but I also need to feel some musical/artistic integrity and satisfaction. It’s the same reason artists display their painted canvases on walls. Art should be shared. Keeping it to yourself is a little bit selfish, I say. A good piece of art or a good song can really make someone’s day, especially if they can identify with it on some level.
That’s not to say you can’t make money at all playing originals. If you can successfully draw a big crowd, you’ll do quite well. At the same time, there are places in the big cities you can play where you won’t even come close to getting paid until you bring over XX amount of people. They’ll keep 100% of the cover charges until there’s a big enough crowd. Some places will tell you up front that they just don’t pay at all. It’s really hard to draw a big crowd of people when you’re starting out or rebooting yourself so you suck it up. The only way to get bigger and better is to play out more and gain a following. To do that, you must have gigs. You must also have good songs. That’s all up to interpretation, I know, but they must at least be well-written and performed if you want anyone to pay attention to them. For me, it’s more important to get out there, play live, and share the music. If I can make a few bucks then I’m even happier.
What I guess I’m trying to say is that it’s a long haul from the garage to the stage and I’ve taken the time I’ve needed to write, record and prepare to take the songs out to clubs, bars, festivals, and whatever else. I am one guy, though. You can’t do this without a good band.
I had secured a lead guitarist and bassist a long while back. Finding a drummer was more challenging. There are a lot of people who like to call themselves drummers and many of them can even hack their way through cover bands just fine, but throw them into an original situation and you’ll instantly see the difference between drummers and what my lead guitar player calls “drum owners”. That said, I’m glad to say there’s finally a drummer in the mix and he’s both enthusiastic and can play well.
The drummer, in fact, was really the only thing holding up the process of booking gigs. I still want/need a keyboard player because some of the tracks are piano/organ driven and others have things like horns and synths in them. However, I do believe we can gig without the keys for now as long as the drums are there.
I won’t stop looking for keys though. It’s very important to me. Things like keys, horns, synths, and organs can really make a song stand out. I have a few songs that will sound quite different without keyboards and I’d rather play the songs with them than without them.
So now that there’s a core band, the songs are starting to sound better in a live scenario and I couldn’t be more thrilled. I always said that these songs would “pop” live. Just the fact that there are good musicians playing with me makes the songs better. Chris is an infinitely better guitarist than I am. The solos and lead work will be wild. Steve plays much better bass than I ever will. His fills blew me away at rehearsal. As for the drums, it’s pretty amazing to hear Rob be himself yet at the same time stay true to the drum parts that I played and the structure of the song. These guys are working hard not just for me, certainly not for money, definitely not for the chicks (well, maybe Rob is), but for the love of music and the love of playing original music live.
That’s where it’s at.
Now that our first official rehearsal is over and went quite well, I have some feelers out for gigs. I’m hoping that by Spring, we’ll be out there in full force, having some fun. If you’d like to book us, let me know.
You can (virtually) meet the band before the gigs if you like by looking them up on Google or The Facebook or whatever your flavor. The drummer is Rob Silverman. Steve Savona is on the bass. Chris Preston is on lead guitar. This is a multi-talented band with loads of experience behind them. Steve and Chris are also solo artists and everyone has a few projects going on. I’ve known Chris and Steve for years. We all worked together at a local mom-and-pop music store selling instruments. Chris and I were in a band back in the 90’s. Steve and I played the occasional acoustic gig. Rob is the new guy. We don’t know much about him yet but my extensive net of spies is currently investigating his past.
The band is solid.
The fun factor is dominant.
The gigs are coming.
Will you join us?
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