31 Songs/31 Days; January 2013

“Know Me The Same”

I’ve always admired Margaret Lyons’ quick wit on the improv stage at the PIT.  She saw my Dracool show last year and liked my music and I mentioned that we should collaborate for this project.  So she brought her pink ukulele *and* a pink ukulele carrying case.  Classy lady.

And with that, a flourish.  Thanks for listening!  I’m really glad I did this year.  Overall, it was easier and, weirdly enough, this January was the most busy of the last four years.  Hope the rest of the year is great for you.  Time to clean my room.

Special thanks to Margaret Lyons, Adam Cohen, Lucas Kavner, Chris Roberti, Chris Manley and Geoff Grimwood.

“Mail Thyme”

There’s a bad edit but I gotta live with it ‘cause I’m LATE!  Gotta run.

“Losing My Grip”

I wish that my comrade in guitars Lucas Kavner could have joined me for this particular 31/31.  He’s one of the most talented persons I know.  We did one of my all time favorite songs for this project a few years ago called “Magazine.”  But he couldn’t come to the Lower East Side this go-round.  So I asked him for a title and he gave me back this one.  So, this is me punching through the wall and rocking out for my friend. 

“Powerballad”

The roadmap that lead to this song:

1. Pull out love letters from a failed relationship from 1996/1997.

2. Watch bits of the David Bowie doc “Cracked Actor” in which he cuts up bits of his diary and puts them together to form lyrics.

3. Pull out a diary from 2005 and begin to assemble random lyrics.

4. Remember how I spent this morning daydreaming about winning the lottery (as I do most days) and come to the conclusion that’s a bad thing.

All of these steps, somehow, lead to the creation of this song.

“The Big Headphones of Big Foot”

On Friday night my musical improv group hello got a suggestion of Big Foot.  I played a camper who’s about to perish and a mountain guide with a penchant for the plays of Arthur Miller.  This song was inspired by that show. 

“hello i’m falling in love with you”

I took this from a sketch I did during the summer of 2007 in Westport, NY.  I set up shop in front of an upright in the living room and improvised.  Today, I took it apart and changed up a few things.  It’s nice when an orphaned idea long-forgotten on a hard drive can be revived and realized.

“Sons of Essex”

I’ve lived on the Lower East Side in the same apartment for nine years.  It’s a great neighborhood although once upon a time in the late 80s and early 90s, it was a terrible neighborhood. Now and then you see vestiges of what was. It’s hard to believe people get nostalgic for that time but, then again, I didn’t live through it so who am I to judge?

I’ve lived with great roommates and Adam Cohen is no exception.  He’s a talented singer/songwriter/actor/handyman.  A week ago I asked him if he wanted to do a song and we came up with the title “Sons of Essex” which is the name of a new restaurant in the hood.

This song owes a heavy debt to one of my favorite Springsteen songs. 

“Hot Toddy Cold Cash”

Yes, I had too much fun recording this. Mi amigo Chris Manley gave me the title. Can’t help but smile anytime I’m around that guy. He’s a complete clown. Plus, it’s been so cold in NYC. I had to flip on the heat this morning. It smelled like hot dust. 

“And Precisely So”

Ripped right from the headline of the nytimes.com.  Super-long day.  Super-cold outside.  I’ll regroup tomorrow, maybe.

“The Man With Two Mouths”

I wish all my friends knew my pal Chris Roberti.  He’s just one of those guys everyone’s drawn to for so many reasons.  He’s been a big booster of this project so I asked him, in honor of our shared improv experiences, for a suggestion of a song title and he texted me this.  Thanks, Chris!

(Geez, if he doesn’t like this, I’m sunk.)

(P.S. He liked it!)

“Marshall’s Inferno”

This is something I woke up and wrote.  The lines at the end are from a zen koan.

“Wow Wow Willie Wow”

As a matter of fact, yes, I am a muppet.  This is my show.