A Bit of Django (in June)

As a Father’s Day gift, I took my father to a jazz show last night in our small city, a culmination concert for what is known as Django In June. Now in its 21st year (I think), the event (at Smith College) features a week of classes and shows for those who take part, and then there are culminating concerts, one of which we attended last night and were blown away by the level of musicianship.

First up was Eva Slongo and Sam Farthing and two other musicians.

(Note: this is not performance from last night but a taste of her music)

Then, truly amazing, was Joscho Stephan, whose joy and skills had us rapt in amazement.

(Same note: This is not him, last night, but again, a taste of his virtuosity)

Peace (with some string picking),
Kevin

In The Slowdown (Album Release)

In The Slow Slowdown Album Cover

Last year, on this day, I released an album of nine original songs called Living In The Static. I decided to challenge myself to do the same again this year, and started this project in December with a new song that became the title track of today’s release on Bandcamp.

In The Slowdown‘s song lyrics somewhat capture the murky thoughts of night, and also of the world that we find ourselves living in. It’s spirit sort of moved beneath the other eight songs. The only song I had put out there already was Hoping And Praying Like Hell — a protest song that I wrote and recorded quickly during the early Musk-ridden days of this new/old president, and I put out while I was still angry about what was happening (no worries — the anger is still here).

The rest of the new album is a mix of inner thinking — me, wrestling a bit with myself, and also, reminding myself of the loves we have in our lives.

I recorded all the songs at my computer — with acoustic guitar and vocals live, but all else, played either with a keyboard trigger instrument I have or (in the case of drums) loops. Last year, I paid someone to master the tracks but didn’t this year (no reason but I do wish now that I could have easily evened out the overall volume of all of the tracks on the album).

Listen to In The Slowdown, if you are interested. It’s hosted at Bandcamp, but you can listen without purchasing anything. If you find anything interesting to your ears, then hey, that’s success for me.

Peace (and sound mind),
Kevin

Five Years On — Remembering In Song

I wrote and recorded this song in the days after everything shut down with Covid, five years to this very day (March 13, 2020 – it was a Friday, and I remember talking to my students at dismissal about this virus we had all started to hear about, and one student in particular was quite anxious about what he was hearing, and I was trying to keep him calm, and then we said goodbye as they left the building and we didn’t return to the classroom for the rest of the school year) and when I recorded the song on my laptop, I asked my talented wife to sing along with me. In the song lyrics, I was capturing the sense of quiet and that feeling of isolation — the pulling back from the world — from the shutdown. We then shared this song out to our family, school and friend communities as a musical connection. It’s odd to listen to it now, and think back on those days. Five years. Man.

Peace (in song),
Kevin

Protest Song: Hoping And Praying Like Hell

Here is a song of protest, for whatever it is worth these days. I wrote it one night, recorded it on my laptop the next day, and shared it with family and friends. It may become part of a future album of original songs I have been working on.

I share this this morning because the prompt for DS106 Daily Create is “dark” and things are getting pretty dark in my country right now.

I had this idea of turning the song into an animated text video, with phrases on the screen, but for now, that’s a lot of work and I put the idea on the back-burner.

Hoping And Praying Like Hell

I’ve been on the highway
thinking about the news
every moment of these dark days
come crashing on you

And I ain’t got tales to tell
No road to bring us back home
We’re all lost out here in the world
hoping and praying like hell

You could say I’m angry
at my country and friends
pick apart any moment
Is this how it ends?

And I ain’t got secrets to tell
No voice inside the storm
We’re all lost out here in the world
hoping and praying like hell

I’ve been thinking about the children
and what it means to be
growing up in this country
and thinking you’re still free

What words might ring like bell
to bring us a call for change?
We’re all lost out here in the world
hoping and praying like hell

Peace (in the distance),
Kevin