Dancing with the Moment – track by track

1. Song in the Night – The track sets up the LP, and provides the title line. The first song I ever wrote completely on guitar, and a rarity in that it turned out so much better than I even dared to envision. It features lots of harmonies, and a return to the kind of baroque, psychedelic sound we experimented with in the sixties. Solid backing on bass and drums from Tim Horrigan and Chris Blondale, respectively. Tasty flute and trombone parts in back. Apologies to John Keats.
2.  Open the Door – After I recorded ‘Song..’ I became a little freaked out, reluctant to begin writing something for fear it would be pedestrian. I was in the act of doing my morning pull-ups when the melody to the pre-chorus came to me in a flash. I’d been listening a lot to Pet Sounds, and the soaring quality of the line reflects that. It features sweet lyrics about being in the here and now and engaging life. ‘There’s such a world to share..’ 
3. Slo Mo Struttin’ – A lascivious shuffling funk. Feet do some walkin’ and libido does some talkin’. Here’s a tune in the tradition of ‘girl watching’ songs. Just pure fun! Lots of B3, harp, and bone over a killer drum track by Bryan Faragher.  Great scratch guitar work by Craig Copeland.
4. The Sad Man – Experimental. Three part harmony chant with falsetto lead. I actually wrote it on an Easter Day while vacuuming the living room to prepare for my son coming over with his girlfriend. The hum of the machine morphed into this song. By the time my chore was finished I’d pretty much completed the piece, including the lyrics. Do you think it might be wise to share some writer’s credit with the machine?

5. Due South on the Blue Line – This is an instrumental I wrote in October of 1963. I was sixteen and Kennedy was still                    President! I was also listening to a lot of jazz at the time and was drawn to the idiom’s almost hypnotic groove and sense            of motion.  I had also just gotten my driver’s license and was enjoying the new found freedom of breezing down the                        highway. Writing the song was a means of expressing these feeling in music. I used to perform this with my high school            combo, the Mark V. Simeon Pillich on Bass, and Chris Blondale on drums lay down a solid rhythm as trombone and                    amped chromatic harp double on the lead line. Memorable piano solo by Jane Getz.

6. Pacific Blue – A fond reminiscence of a day at the beach. The goal was to create such a strong atmosphere through the words and music that the listener feels they’re right there.  The Bryan Wilson influence is obvious but I believe it stands on its own. Harmonies, B3, jazzy chromatic harp solo on bridge. Great guitar work by Bob Gothar.

7. Crazy – A hard rocker. Originally recorded in 1989, but Bryan and I tweaked it, adding electronic drums, synth, and a red hot amped harmonica. My famous bass playing brother, Davey Faragher (Elvis Costello), plays on this, while brother, Jimmy, and sister, Pammy, sing the background parts.

8.  Fountain Cascade – An ambient piece which sonically weaves from the open air and into AM Radio -land.

9.  Fountain of Love – I look back on the doo wop era with real affection.  I was very young fan, and my age group is probably the last to have identified the genre as ‘our music’. To me it was beautiful music, created by talented artists (Mostly African -American and Italian). Yes, it’s a form that wears its heart on its sleeve – no whispered monotones of ironic angst to be found here – but oh can it ever deliver the goods emotionally. Fountain of Love stays true to the form, with lyrics built around a romantic metaphor. Vocal  responses from the cool female trio (Karen Whipple Schnurr, Donna Deussen, and Jody Mortara) enter to complement the lead. Intentionally wanting the  instrumental section to sound like a prom dance, I played the sax solo myself (No chance of my showing off on that axe), and backed it with a dreamy lap steel guitar.

10.  Too Much Pressure – A collaboration with Bryan and Alec Echevaria, a student of mine. Fast, J.B. funk tune. One can take in the lyric message or just move to the groove.  A one-man- band routine with my son, Bryan, adding the poppin’ drum layers. An exciting video of this is nearing completion, and will be out soon.

11. The Devil Wind Blues. A world weary soul faces his own mortality in the midst of a Santa Ana windstorm. The amped harmonica evokes smoke and flame, and the stinging guitar solo by Craig Copeland tells nothin’ but the truth. Fine backing from Pillich and Blondale on bass and drums.

12.  A Dry Spell Ends – Harmonica sends a plea to the sky, and muted cornets return a desolate answer as a dry wind blows in the background.   Then – ‘Ah!’ –  The heavens bestow rain.

12  Rainbow Pier – A kind of tone poem. Inspired by a dreamlike memory from childhood. Shades of Debussy, Ellington, and Stevie Wonder. Lovely siren voices supplied by Karen, Donna, and Jody sing their seductive call.