I finished a new song yesterday. It was especially satisfying because the missing pieces were all lyrics, pretty much. I was intimidated because I was extremely satisfied with the one verse I did have, one that came pretty effortlessly some months ago. What if I couldn’t match it in terms of quality? And wouldn’t concentrating specifically on that just produce something that sounded the very opposite of effortless (obviously)?
But no: On the way home, they just started tumbling out of me. The verbal conceit of the song could be replicated across the verses — I unlocked that much, and the rhymes just sort of hung themselves from there. And it was as effortless as could be hoped. And, as is often the case, sometimes those seemingly slight nuggets are the best.
But, you know. Give me a week and I’ll think it’s shite. Eh? Stay tuned for a demo version, maybe. This one’s for recording with Larry on drums and John on the bass, so there’s got to be a demo. Oh goodie.
Meanwhile, I did want to hep y’all to something. If you are not familiar with the podcast known as Coverville, you should make a point of doing so ASAP. It’s exactly what you’d think it is — a show chock full of cover songs, delivered at least twice a week. But aside from the music itself, what makes the show special is its host, Brian Ibbott. I find a lot of music podcasters to be cloyingly slick, but Brian seems like just a regular music geek, helming the show with real passion and personality.
Also, to be honest, dude has played me a couple times. Round about last fall, he spun my cover of Laura Brannigan’s “Gloria” (from Low Resolution). Then he was kind enough to invite me to participate in a Squeeze tribute he put together towards the end of last year. (I did “Goodbye Girl,” and it was hella fun to record.)
But the current and most exciting news in Coverville is the NEXT tribute Brian’s curating: The SPINAL TAP tribute. (Updates will be posted on this blog here.) Without thinking about it much (and since the Smithereens said they might do “Gimme Some Money”), I asked to do “Cups and Cakes.” I only vaguely remembered the song itself, more vividly recalling how funny it was in the movie, right?
Well, when I heard “Cups and Cakes” again a couple weeks ago, I was actually pretty dispirited, kinda wishing I’d picked another song. But then I basically toughed it out, figuring out the chords and the words. And when I started recording, weird vocal ideas came to me — harmonies and “whoa-oh-oh’s” — and I just rolled with it, and I ended up being extremely pleased with the results. Folks, I actually made the thing a little funky, and decidedly fun. I almost wish I could post it right now…but I defer to the Project, of course.
Meanwhile, I encourage you to stay tuned for updates, and to visit Coverville when you get a chance. Peace!
