¡Feliz Año Nuevo!

6:30am...

wake up

yoga for an hour

hike in the mist to the highest peak in the Santa Cruz Mountains

cold on the summit

coyotes eat the scraps from lunch and are thankful

proud buck with fawn smile at us

lonely bobcat follows from behind

amazing

...cheers!

Betty Lou

My parents, fortunately, have always been more than a little on the "arty" side. When it came to music... strains of Miles, Stravinsky, Monk, Duke, Ella, Muddy Waters, Ray Charles, Sarah Vaughn, Lead Belly, Mary Lou Williams, Rolling Stones and Beatles were abundantly heard and forever burned into my consciousness before adolescence.

My father, in particular, gave me a true appreciation for country & bluegrass. On my tenth birthday, we went to see Bill Monroe and Doc Watson at the Grand Ole Opry. At 11 years, on a family ski trip to Utah, I first heard the laid back sound of Don Williams and was immediately hooked. Even Eric Clapton paid homage to him on "Lay Down Sally", which is a direct descendent of Don's style.

A few years back, I decided to pay my own tribute to Don Williams and wrote a song inspired by him. When the tune was finished, I gathered my bandmates together, including Chris Haugen, dusted off my pedal steel guitar and went into the studio record it.

If you listen to the musical break, Chris plays the first solo on dobro and I play the second bit on electric guitar. I love writing this type of stuff and wonder if maybe there was a missed career opportunity in Nashville? Who knows...

Listen to Betty Lou.

(eyeneer music publishing/BMI ©2004/2006)

Flashback: That's The Way (Part 2)

Epilogue

Sometime in the late 90's, my song writing had taken a different turn. I started approaching the process of writing music and lyrics in an entirely new way - also began writing music almost exclusively on piano. Rather than run from my influences, I started to embrace them and found a whole new path open. "That's The Way" is one of those transition songs and it accurately reflects everything from my world at that time.

Writing while on the road has always worked well for me, so when I returned to the States in August of 2001, I had over 20 new songs. Unfortunately, the events of September 2001 prompted me to find the missing words to "That's The Way" (which if you listen closely, the middle instrumental part is nicked from a Bach fugue).

While it's mostly optimistic in nature, there is a lugubrious side to it which is amplified by the Mellotron violins that I play . The song was recorded in late 2001 and mixed in early 2002. It's always a crowning achievement to get your creations on tape and this is one that came out better than expected and says everything it needs to say.

Listen to That's The Way.

(eyeneer music publishing ©2002/2006)

Flashback: That's The Way (Part 1)

Prelude

Journal excerpt:
Sikkim, India - April 18, 2001

Spent another morning at the chaat house down the road eating masala dosa and chatting with the proprietor, Sonam. I have a bit of altitude cough and he hands me a big bag of cloves, telling me to suck on a small pinch 3 to 4 times per day. Sonam's an ayurvedic healer in his spare time and seems to have encyclopedic knowledge on the subject. It's only been half a day and my cough is under control and getting better!

I have a great view of the Eastern Himalaya range. Mount Kanchenjunga, which stands at 8534 metres, doubles as a Sikkimese protective deity. She stares at me every morning in stern mastery with all of her majestic beauty, demanding my attention and rightly so.

Enjoying Sikkim thoroughly - it's yet another jewel in India's rich and diverse tapesty. Security is tight due to this being a very sensitive boder area (Nepal, Tibet, Bhutan), so I have to renew my visa every 7 days and carry papers with me at all times. The people are kind and very soulful.

Playing a lot of music here and working on a new song in my room. A young girl, Dawa, approaches me in front of my guest house with a big smile to tell me that her family has enjoyed listening to me play music. She tells me that her parents actually dance and that it makes everyone in her family happy when I play. Perhaps one of the most incredible complements I could ever hope to receive...

It must be the altitude, but I am playing this tune over and over. I can't get it out of my head:

That's the way
Baby that's the way of the world now
Yes it is
That's the way it is

It ain't no game
We're living it every day now
Win or lose
Either way
It's the way it is today

Still trying to sort out the words and have to craft a middle part to tie it all together. This place has given me faith in how cool humanity can ultimately be. From the moment I stepped foot into town, I have been bowled over.

Decided to head over to Dharamsala next week to see Dan, Zoe & Tashi. Dan & I have been in contact via email since I arrived in India a month ago and now I get to see those guys for the first time since we met up in London about 10 months ago... mi Madre de dios!!

About a girl

Once the visual muse calls, it becomes challenging to turn it off. That's what happened the entire weekend...

Did some large-scale pieces - 36" x 48" [ink & color wash] and a few 11" x 16" [ink & pencil]. Most of the work is whimsical in nature and I can walk away from the weekend a happy camper.

Curiousity triggers my subconscious

I continually think of things in terms of "visual interpretation". Sketching has always been a centerfuge for a lot of my creative expression - thousands of drawings later I am more amused than ever. Although ideally I would love to paint every image that I draw, it's not entirely realistic given my schedule. Still, the art of drawing is an amazing voyage into the subconscious and an intrepid process of discovery.

Experience

where do we go from here?
maybe take it to who knows where
the future is now i swear
then again in this love we share...
experience

love comes to those
who give it up most
and those who don't wager lose
believe it or not
you get what you got
so bring it on home to you

darling, where do we go from here?
maybe take it to who knows where
the future is now i swear
then again in this love we share...
experience

friends come and go
life is a show
someday we'll walk on air
believe it or not
you get what you got
so bring it on home from there

darling, where do we go from here?
maybe take it to who knows where
the future is now i swear
then again in this love we share ...
experience

it's pure experience
it's pure experience
it's pure experience

Listen to Experience.

(eyeneer music publishing ©2005)

She’s got great skin…

Saw the movie “The Queen” this week. I am a sucker for bio movies – having just finished writing my second biographical screenplay (or what I like to call "revisionist history").

Anyway, Helen Mirren’s performance was superbly done and she was 100% convincing of the real article. Suddenly I began thinking about Queen Elizabeth II's skin.

I got to meet HM Queen Elizabeth II & HRH Prince Philip, The Duke Of Edinburgh - back in 2002 during their Golden Jubilee visit to Victoria, BC. Under rather absurd circumstances, I was invited to the Royal event at Victoria's beautiful Town Hall. The Queen’s rather friendly “secret service” gave us the 411 on Royal protocol (i.e. do not turn your back, do not speak unless spoken to, etc.).


The Royals arrived and toured the building, then spent some time surveying the art. The Queen signed the Town Charter and then somewhat casually mingled with the guests. As Queen Elizabeth II approached me, she asked where I was from. When I told her that I was from California, HM replied, “Oh, it’s so lovely." She asked about my work and I told her that I was into entertainment and technology. The Queen nodded and appeared to smile ever so slightly.

I shook her glove as she extended it to me and looked into her eyes. Her demeanor was very pleasant, although she did seem a little bit in auto-pilot mode. Prince Philip followed closely behind, locked his stern eyes into mine - surveying me as though I were of Ragamuffin stock, and then shook my hand with a grip that would have made Bubbles proud. The Queen has lovely skin.

When inspiration strikes...

Back in the early part of the new millennium, my friends Dan & Erma hosted a massive house party in Mill Valley called "First Friday". Random musicians would show up with their respective instruments and play until the wee hours of the dawn. There was never a shortage of dancers to sway & swoon to the infectious melodies and improvisational grooves.

"First Friday" eventually became far too massive of an event to host the hordes of ecclectic folks that showed up every month. So, Dan & Erma decided to take the party "pro" and went on to create their own musical space; the wonderful Larkspur Cafe Theatre.

In a fit of inspiration, following a legendary "First Friday" jam session that lasted until the break of dawn, I went home to write and record a song based upon the evening's adventures. The ensuing song, like most that I write, came pouring out of me like gin from a still. I called it, humbly enough, “Friday Night Shuffle”.

I rang my friend (and fellow Shanghai Noodle Factory drummer) Vince Littleton to tell him that he was needed. He came over the next day, set his drums up in the living room, and proceeded to add a human rhythmic touch. While perfecting his drum part, he kept poor George Lucas' son (to whom he was giving drum lessons to at the time) waiting.

Inspired by this growing infernal racket of a creation, I called up Bobby Strickland - horn player extraordinaire - to gather a proper horn section together. I wrote the horn parts in about 10 minutes and we then laid it down on the tape. I sang & played guitars and Hammond B3 (conveniently located in my living room). Fellow Shanghai Noodle Factory bass player, Mike Sugar, sang the background vocals along with me.

Richard Fischer mixed the track at "In The Pocket" up in Forestville the following week. The result is what we call "cheesy inspiration". Wish you were there...

Enough gab, now it's time to listen to the song: Friday Night Shuffle.

(eyeneer music publishing ©2005)