So, as usual these days for Roland/rehearsal recordings, I've been a total slacker as far as getting them together and making them presentable. This time, the victim was the joint Honey White-Neuro Farm jam session we had right after Christmas in Santa Barbara. It mostly involved Bill and I backing up Brian (vocals, guitar) and Rebekah (vocals, violin), acting as their rhythm section and playing whatever they needed us to.
That amounted to many more Neuro Farm songs than Honey White songs, but who's counting? Especially considering that we 1) were minus Bryn and I had a slight cold (and therefore in no position to sing), and 2) it was fun to basically invent rhythm parts on the spot for all the Neuro songs.
On top of that, Brian taught us to play another Neil Young song. We sort of turned "On the Beach" into a combination of Honey White's "Sweet Oblivion" (i.e. a long, twelve-bar-ish jam) and the sounds from side 2 of Camper Van Beethoven's classic 1989 album "Key Lime Pie" (stark, violin-fronted folk-rock). We also took a jammy stab at Phantogram's "When I'm Small" and several Honey White songs—but of the latter only "One Last Hallelujah" came anywhere near close to presentable.
The overall vibe was mellow, surreal, and slightly dark—though never cold—with occasional bright bursts of light and color. In a very general sense, that describes Brian's music to me, both in Honey White and what he makes with Rebekah in the Neuro Farm. We played about thirty songs over two days, but my picks are all from the second day (Dec. 27):
Setlist: Dreams - DC Dead - Violin Jam 1 - On The Beach - Invisible - One Thousand Years - Perfect Blue - Happy - Bubble - One Last Hallelujah - When I'm Small - All I Have - Violin Jam 2
Quick note about the "violin jams" - I didn't know if they had titles, so I didn't give them any, but to me the first one sounds very Camper Van Beethoven, and the second a dead ringer for "Desire"-era Dylan, like "One More Cup of Coffee." Very cool.
This was the second year in a row that we reconvened, in some form, to make music at the gallery after Christmas. Sounds like a holiday tradition to me. It was great to see Brian again and meet Rebekah for the first time. They make a great musical team and cute couple and we wish them all the best. Billy and Marika were their usual honorable and generous selves, too.
And then there was cruising through Santa Barbara for lunch with Brian at the wheel, blasting Rammstein all over upper State Street. You've never experienced S.B. until you've done the German Metal version of it. Yikes.
Well, Rammstein still helps me remember some basic German:
ReplyDeleteDu hast mich!
One conjugation of "haben" to remember that it's irregular, and a direct object too, which is in the accusative case.
Heh. I bet the Rammstein guys didn't realize their songs would help an American dude with his German grammar.
Also, the recordings sound great! I am totally going to learn "When I'm Small." I love that song.
Rammstein is great for helping learn German, that's actually why I started listening to them. The play on words with "Du hast mich" is that it is pronounced the same as "Du hasst mich". The first means "you have me", the second means "You hate me". Then they switch things around again and say "Du hast mich gefragt", which means "you asked me".
ReplyDeleteAnyways, thanks for taking the time to record and post the songs Keir! It was a blast seeing you and Bill, hopefully next time Bryn can be involved as well.
Also, the "Violin Jam 2" is an instrumental version of "Like a Hurricane" (Neil Young again), though you're right that it sounds a whole lot like "One More Cup of Coffee". Both are great songs, and Rebekah's playing fits in quite nicely.
Brian, I'm serious about "Key Lime Pie," man. That's a classic album.
ReplyDeleteAlso, what was the name of the classical piece we jammed on the first night? I feel like an idiot for not knowing it—it's so familiar!
As a student of citriculture, I feel compelled to point out that the so-called "Key Lime" is in reality none other than the Mexican Lime! The truth has been revealed and the lies perpetrated for too long have been unmasked by yours truly, a meddling kid! In honor of Naranjastan's glorious past and rapidly receding future, I would humbly request that you fine scholars compose a hymn to our Lisbon & Eureka lemons and Valencia & Washington Navel oranges. I thank you both with the sincerest gratitude of a fellow lover of fine music, for it has been found to aid the growth of plants to some degree. Clear sailing to you all. As you were, soldiers.
DeleteNice, Bri. German wordplay where I didn't expect to find any. Very cool.
ReplyDeleteI spent several happy years of my USAF career at Ramstein working on Super Sabres. Underpowered by modern standards, but there has never been a more beautiful fighter-bomber as far as I am concerned. Plus, those four harmonized M39's could cut damn near anything to pieces in a trice. I guess that alone reveals the sad fact that I'm truly older than dirt, or stronger than dirt like Ajax! "Stranded" is great, like the Savages' "Quiet Town", and almost as smooth, though I don't reckon it will bring back the Harvest Moon as seen from the original 1920's Dana Point pier. No matter, it's feel good music through and through.
ReplyDelete