archive blog 2014 - 2015
NEW ALBUM?
August 31, 2014
Yes! It's true! Last week Joe, Bob and I got together to start work on a new Parks & Recreation album. Joe and I have already started writing some songs. So far, each Parks & Recreation album explores three themes. How To Save The World was about escapism, failed relationships, and loneliness, for example. This next album will be no different. One of the themes we're exploring so far is travel, as I have two songs that have to do with being out in the larger world. On The Wet Streets Of Seville (Semana Santa) is about witnessing Easter Week in Spain, and Church Mosque Church Mosque Church Mosque Mosque is about being in Istanbul. It appears we're getting out of the suburbs. I wonder what other themes will emerge as we write new songs. Our goal is to get the songs done and head to the studio by the beginning of next year, after which we will do overdubs and then hand the tracks to Jarkko Heinio, our friend who mixed How To Save The World. Expect this album to have strings, horns, and everything else you would want from a Parks & Recreation album. As we make progress on the album, I'll be uploading demos, lyrics, films, and photographs. I hope you'll join us on this journey. More later! - Michael First Rehearsal - Roll On, Mighty Danube
ROLL ON, MIGHTY DANUBE
September 04, 2014
Hello, all. Our first rehearsal for the new album is on September 14th at Suburbia Studios in Portland. We're excited to get back into it. I have many new songs a-brewing. One of them, I'd like to tell you about now. I mentioned in my last post that one of the themes of this album will be about travel. In that vain, I came up with a song over the weekend called Roll On, Mighty Danube. At first, the song felt a little bit like a Nick Cave ballad, but then as I started to play it over and over again, it became almost a gospel folk song. As I was coming up with the lyrics, movies of driving around in Central Europe started playing in my mind and what do you think showed up in the films? Images of castles? Rolling green hills? Nope. Not in my films. I saw fast food joints and box stores! That's right, of all the beautiful things to see in Central Europe, my suburban subconscious focused on the urban sprawl. So the first verse I wrote came out:
Just about an hour from Budapest I counted 15 Burger Kings.
I was tempted to stop for a coke and a Whopper
And an order of onion rings.
(What do you think of the Stephen Merritt-esque rhyme "stop for" and "Whopper".) I know what you're thinking, but you can sense the irony in the lyric, right? Plus, I love the contrasting image of an enchanting, old world city like Budapest juxtaposed against the garish image of a Burger King. Two incompatible images mashed together. It's also kind of a self-depricating lyric, laughing at the American who stops in at Burger King when he visits an exotic place (Not that I would ever do that. Ahem.) Then, when the refrain comes in:
Roll on, mighty Danube, your waters run deep
Roll on, mighty Danube, your waters run deep
The irony really gets thick. It almost sounds like a spiritual. So on the album I'd like to have a choir of African American singers in the background, singing away like it's a Baptist church service. Almost a bit like Walk On The Wild Side, but with even more melismas and shouts of "Oh, yeah!" and clapping and such. We'll see how it goes. Maybe you can imagine it on this rough mix:
So it looks like the song is a simple verse with refrain narrative about driving along the Danube river and all the global chain American-style box stores, fast food joints, and strip malls along the way. So far, in addition to the Burger Kings, the song features an IKEA outside of Belgrade, a Hooters in Bucharest, McDonalds in Vukovar, and on and on.
It just wouldn't be a Parks & Recreation album without some mention of a strip mall, no matter what country you find it in, would it?
More later.
ON THE WET STREETS OF Seville
September 07, 2014
On The Wet Streets Of Seville is the first song I've finished for the new Parks & Recreation album. It's about Easter Week in southern Spain. I went for crisp imagery in this song. I tried to capture the feeling of slow motion as the parades of people oozed into the church carrying big floats on their shoulders. Here are the lyrics:
On the wet streets of Seville,
We were walking as if on air
Past the shops of memorabilia
When Jesus entered the square.
The paint on His body was peeling.
His face was the portrait of pain.
We’d never seen such depth of feeling
Until we came to southern Spain.
Trains of men in capirotes
Swinging crosses in a colorful line
Led Him slowly down the alleyways.
As trombones moaned and trumpets whined.
Wreaths of roses around his sandles.
Countless flames wriggling in the rain.
We’d never seen so many glittering candles
Until we came to southern Spain.
Here in Andalusia: Black bulls on the hills.
Jesus says, “Come lose yourself.” We will. We did.
The square filled up with people.
The cathedral doors were opened wide.
With the bells ringing out from the steeples
The parade all floated inside.
With their Savior on their shoulders.
They just flowed in like blood in a vein.
We’d never seen such passion smolder.
Until we came to Southern Spain.
Jesus entered the square.
Jesus entered the square.
Joe and I did some demo work on this song a while back.
Here is one of our earliest attempts to work the song out.
This version has no lyrics.
On The Wet Streets of Seville
Trombones moan and trumpets whine.
Here’s a rough demo with canned horn parts.
Church, Mosque, Church, Mosque, Church, mosque, Mosque
September 08, 2014
I finished the first draft of the lyrics for a song called Church, Mosque, Church, Mosque, Church, Mosque, Mosque, which is about traveling in Istanbul. The title is meant to be descriptive of the cityscape, which, when viewed from any vantage point, is pretty much that: spires of churches and domes and minarets of mosques piled all over the hills. I just wanted this song to be a rapid fire catalog of impressions and images, like you might get from a whirlwind walk through the city. What's the pinkish tinge you see all over? What's the pinkish tinge you see all over? So this song, in particular, at least in this draft, doesn't have any narrative direction. It's just a series of pictures. Is that fun to listen to? I mean, isn't that the musical equivalent of sitting around looking at someone's boring vacation photos? I want this song to convey my scattered impressions of the city, but I also want it to be clear to you what's happening and what I'm seeing. So I guess, yeah, this is a collection of vacation photos disguised as a song, hopefully without the boring part. Here is the lyric so far:
Church Mosque Church Mosque Church Mosque, Mosque, Döner place!
Church Mosque Church Mosque Church Mosque, Mosque, Döner place!
We’re standing on the border of Europe and Asia.
We’re standing with the tall grass at our feet.
There’s a castle on the hill, come on I’ll race ya!
I want to float on my back in the black Black Sea.
Church Mosque Church Mosque Church Mosque, Mosque, Döner place!
Church Mosque Church Mosque Church Mosque, Mosque, Döner place!
Hear the mewing of the stray cats under the tables.
Hear the moaning of the beggars in the alleyways.
Catch the calls from the stalls and the market stables.
Another prayer call crawls out over the bay.
Church Mosque Church Mosque Church Mosque, Mosque, Döner place!
Church Mosque Church Mosque Church Mosque, Mosque, Döner place!
See the multicolored glass dripping off of the ceiling
Onto the ladies saying prayers behind dark screens.
At the other end the men bend over the carpet.
Singing sweet supplications to the East.
Church Mosque Church Mosque Church Mosque, Mosque, Döner place!
Church Mosque Church Mosque Church Mosque, Mosque, Döner place!
Can you count all the ships slipping into the harbor?
What color crayon would you use to color the waves?
What’s the pinkish tinge you see all over?
Is this the spot where Trojan war once raged?
Church Mosque Church Mosque Church Mosque, Mosque, Döner place!
Church Mosque Church Mosque Church Mosque, Mosque, Döner place!
Here’s the room where the Sultan’s sons were strangled.
But not before they let them finish their tea.
From the palace where the walls sprawl at odd angles
You could almost throw a rock into the Marmara Sea.
Church Mosque Church Mosque Church Mosque, Mosque, Döner place!
Church Mosque Church Mosque Church Mosque, Mosque, Döner place!
I want to float on my back in the black Black Sea.
I want to float on my back in the black Black Sea.
So, reading it over, I can see some things I'd definitely like to fix. The line about the Sultan's sons comes from a story about how in order to avoid fighting over the line of succession, the Sultan had all of his sons who weren't his direct heir strangled. The sons were used to it. It became the culture of the palace. One is even reported to have casually asked, "Can I finish my tea before I'm strangled?" Although that's a good story, it's something I learned later, and it doesn't quite fall in line with the more descriptive passages in the song. Neither does the Trojan war line. Basically, I should change anything that makes the listener go "Wait, what?" and have to look something up on Wikipedia. I should just stick to what I saw, and try to transmit it to you so you can see it, too. I made a little demo of the song as well:
first rehearsal
September 14, 2014
Can you figure out where they hide the bodies?
We had a great first rehearsal at Suburbia Studios in SE Portland. The three of us gathered together in a room that looks nothing like a molester's basement. We had a great time together. We stepped smoothly into our familiar roles. I was the scatterbrained chords, melody, and lyrics man with pieces of songs that were waiting to be put together. Joe was the fierce and blunt arranger. Bob was the encyclopedia, with spot on knowledge of which bands we could emulate to get the right feel for particular songs, which was our focus for today. The songs we worked on were: Roll On, Mighty Danube Girls & Sweaters Church, Mosque, Church, Mosque, Church, Mosque, Mosque I Think We Just Lose Touch On The Wet Streets Of Sevilla So far, I'm excited that we already have an ecclectic mix of influences. We tried to make Roll On, Mighty Danube feel like The Band, Church, Mosque, Church, Mosque, Church, Mosque, Mosque feel like Sparks (via Green Day), Girls and Sweaters feel like Apples in Stereo, I Think We Just Lose Touch feel like ELO, and On The Wet Streets Of Sevilla feel like the Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds. Plus, we were already talking about strings, electronics, and other things we'd like to hear on the final album. Bob sets up his drums. Bob sets up his drums. So my homework now is to finish the lyrics on the songs we worked on today and to get some more songs together. We rehearse again in two weeks. More later.
The Bridge On The Canal
September 24, 2014
I have had this song going in my head for some time now. Sometimes you just get a line in your head and it goes around and around, but you can't think of anything to add to it and it doesn't move the story of the song in any direction, it just kind of loops in your brain. And then, there comes a moment, in the supermarket or in the car (usually when you're not expecting it) when you get the next line and the whole song opens up in your mind. Not the specific lyrics, but the whole shape of the song. Suddenly you know what the story will be about. You know how it's going to begin and how it's going to end. Filling in the details in between becomes the tricky part. So, here is the first draft of the opening of the song:
See the bridge arch over the canal.
Thousand-year-old stories of lovers and martyrs.
Our chapter begins here and now,
As the shuttle trundles up to the edge of the water.
Hand in hand I’m helping you down.
Your foot slips slightly but you quickly recover.
We go rubber necking around:
Arches, alleys, doorways and domes to discover
It's just the first chunk of the first draft, so don't panic. It'll all come out okay. I need something more specific in the last line. I want this song to be vividly descriptive. Filled with little insignificant moments, but with a mind toward the many moments that make up the history of places like this. Our characters pull up in a bus, they get off the bus, they adjust their backpacks or something, and venture forth. I want it to be similar in tone to Paul Simon's America. More later!
Rehearsal Two
October 07, 2014
The Sunday before last we got together at Joe's place to treat his wife and neighbors to our dulcet tones. While Bob's son Simon played video games in the next room, we set up in Joe's garage and did a little more work on six songs: Church, Mosque..., Roll On, Mighty Danube, I Think We Just Lose Touch, On The Wet Streets Of Sevilla, and a new song called The Bridge On The Canal. We were really excited about that one, even though it isn't finished. This was the first time Joe and Bob had heard it. The songs are still in their early stages. We need to decide on a feel for some of them and on others tighten the rhythm section. We recorded the songs so that we could get ideas about how to arrange them and think about what overdubs to put on. Right now they're really sparse and could use some different flavors and textures. My vocals are rough and out of tune. I made up tons of nonsense words on Girls and Sweaters because I don't have the lyrics finished yet. You can hear me mumbling nonsense. On Church, Mosque..., I can really hear that I need to simplify the lyrics I've written. At the tempo we're playing it, the syllables are all garbled. I think we probably should also change the key of the song because my voice is all over the place on the recording. Still, we love every minute of it. Writing songs is an amazing process! We discovered that Roll On, Mighty Danube has the same chord progression as a Velvet Underground song. On this version we tried to capture that feel. In the grand scheme of things, it was a great rehearsal. I learned a lot from listening to these recordings.
Girls & Sweaters
October 10, 2014
So, there is this guy, and he's a real womanizer, you know? He's the type of guy who has, like, a different girl every night. I mean it. For him, falling in love is a frightening prospect. That's what this song is about. It's kind of a romantic comedy in song form, if you will. © Logan - Dreamstime.com - businessman with a bra in his mouth © Logan - Dreamstime.com - businessman with a bra in his mouth In lieu of our rehearsal this Sunday, I wanted to finish the lyric. Here's the latest draft: He changes girls like you and I change sweaters He’s always on the lookout for somebody better. The girl of his dreams Is the girl of the moment ‘Till the moment passes. From California to North Carolina He’s got a photographic memory of every vagina That he’s ever touched. And every crotch has a notch On his bedside table. Oo, oo! What will he do When he falls in love? Oo oo! Will it be you That he’s dreaming of? I doubt it. He changes girls with every change of the season. The rest of us go shopping for the very same reason. He examines the racks, Wears them out, takes them back And then he just moves on. Right when you fall in love with him you’ll fall out of fashion. The first thirty days with him are bursting with passion, But on day thirty-one You’ll find a “Dear, Jane” Letter waiting on your pillow. Ah, ah! What’s going to happen When he falls in love? Ah, ah! Who will it happen To be that month? He changes girls like you and I change sweaters. He heats up and cools off in sync with the weather. He’s never alone, Yet he’s always alone No matter who he’s with From San Francisco to the New York Islands From the Cape of Good Hope to the Scottish Highlands Every girl From every part of the world Has fallen victim to him. There you go. A trivial little pop song. The world is full of them. What's one more?
Two in a Row
October 19, 2014
We got together this afternoon and cranked out some new songs. We worked on an 80s rocker a la Jessie's Girl called Jealous, a Francoise Hardy sounding number called When The Paris Moon Hits You, and a gospel-esque song that has no lyrics, but that ended up sounding like The Verve. So our album is already shaping up to have quite an eclectic mix of styles and influences. Me at the porn audition. Me at the porn audition. We like to challenge ourselves with different feels. Bob had fun working with some brushes and shakers instead of his drum kit on the Paris Moon song. He and Joe recorded some percussion over the demo recording. I practiced some different rhythm guitar styles, and even put a kind of noodly piano overdub onto Roll On, Mighty Danube, which we also spent some time fleshing out. Last week we made some pretty good recordings of our rehearsal. I particularly like this demo version of Girls & Sweaters. Although it isn't finished, it has a good feel. We also worked out We Were Standing On The Steps Of The Palace , for which we lifted the rhythm from Belle & Sebastian. It doesn't sound particularly tight here, and there are no lyrics yet except for the first two lines, but it gives you a nice idea of where we want to go with the song. And I also want to show you this version of On The Wet Streets Of Sevilla, which has a little piano overdub on top of it. This is a nice version as well. So there you have it. We already have 9 songs for our new album. 12 songs is a pretty good album length, and we still have a whole bunch of songs to learn, 12 more, actually. If we learn them all, we'll have 20 songs or so. Maybe this will be a double album. Why not? Anyway, more later.
The Steps of the Palace
November 17, 2014
I finished the lyric for We Were Standing On The Steps Of The Palace. This song, about being in Florence, Italy, was one of the trickiest ones to write. I'm not sure why. I think it's because many of these travel songs are snapshots, and not narratives, so the verses are episodic, but self-contained. Here they are: We were standing on the steps of the palace Feeling lost like Wonderland’s Alice. Chasing the white rabbit over a hill to the base of a tree. The rain was pouring on us in torrents, As we goggled at the skyline of Florence Watching Il Duomo floating slow-mo on a rooftop sea. We put off buying tickets to Rome. To promenade in this overblown home. The Tuscan sun warming our worn out bones. We were skipping through the Boboli Gardens Pissing tourists off and begging their pardon. When all of a sudden we discovered a statue of a crumbling head. Bacchus waved from the back of a tortoise. Perseus burst from the lake on his horse. “Isn’t Neptune the one having all of the fun in the fountain?” you said. All the gods were in the gardens that night. Watching we two lovers in flight. Peeking over hedges, making sure we were alright. The river looked smooth as a mirror. We couldn’t see the arched bridge any clearer, With it’s bulging shops looking ready to drop right off the side. A B.A.R. sign lit a statue of Jesus. Mother Mary figures tried to appease us. So many names so many gilded frames had us feeling fried. So we collapsed on the palace steps. Wondering what’s in store for us next. When white rabbit disappeared into his hole on the hill.
Hiatus
March 31, 2015
Forgive the lack of updates. I went traveling for the past couple of weeks. We're on a brief hiatus while Joe and his wife Sarah bring young Isaac Ballman into the world. What a treat it will be for the world to have another Ballman. In the meantime, I have been saddled with the task of writing the string arrangements for the album. I'll keep you posted on my progress. As soon as we get to rehearsing again, which will be in late April, the blog will simply overheat with all of the daily posts. Look forward to it! In the meantime, head over to www.successcomic.com to see the first installment of the musical comic I'm working on. It's in its prototype stages, but you can see where I'm going with it. More later!
New Album Underway!
July 06, 2015
Hello, everyone. This month we'll start rehearsals again for the new album. July 12th will be our first rehearsal and then we'll have two more before going into the studio. We're excited to get going on this album. As of now, the track list is:
On The Wet Streets Of Sevilla (Semana Santa)
Church, Mosque, Church, Mosque, Mosque, Church, Mosque
Girls & Sweaters
Roll On, Mighty Danube
We Were Standing On The Steps Of The Palace
I Think We Just Lose Touch
The Bridge On The Canal
When The Paris Moon Hits You
Jealous
Juliette
Love & War
Walk In Space
Heart In Your Hand
Every Road I Travel
Forgive Me For All My Sins (Light As A Feather)
All We Wanted Was A Bed
In The Event That I Lose You
Hello, Berlin
I know that song list doesn't mean much to you now, but trust me, this album will be chock full of smash hits! We'll keep you posted on developments. In the meantime, why don't you pop over to this link: www.successcomic.com, where you'll find the Reclinerland web comic Success well underway. More later!