New Song: The First Time

So, marg and I are going to be new parents soon. We recently had the big ~20 week ultrasound (actually, it was 12 minutes; I know because they gave us a DVD movie of the event, if you can believe that) where they count and measure the parts and tell us it's a girl!

A few days later we're sitting in the front room with our good friend Taki, who's visiting from Cincinnati. marg demands I play a song. Generally the stuff I make up on the spot tends to be silly and topical, and this one is no exception.

I should note that right about now is when the ears are fully functional.

The First Time <--get the .mp3 here!
(c) 2008 words and music by Mark and Margaret Frey

The first time that baby heard electric guitar
mommy was sitting on the couch, not very far
--not far from the amp, so Daddy didn't turn it up loud
but he jammed on three chords like he was playing to a sellout crowd

The first time that baby heard electric guitar

The first time that baby heard thundering bass
the notes just seemed to come from all over the place
'cause those waves were bigger by far than baby's little head
so directional cues from the sound could not be read

The first time that baby heard thundering bass

The first time baby heard the pounding of drums
they were digital fakes played by Daddy with his fingers and thumbs
but baby didn't mind--the beat was simple and strong
it made her want to kick and kick and kick and kick all night long

The first time that baby heard the pounding of drums

The first time baby heard Hammond B-3
it was gratuitous solo time
gratuitous solo time...

The first time baby heard the band bring it down
she thought that maybe the Universe had up and run out of town
but with a kick and a wail they brought it all back up again
and baby, she liked it
yeah baby, she liked it

The first time that baby heard electric guitar

New Song: The First Time

New Song: Old Crow

Hey there!

This week's offering is a song inspired by an awesome mural done by Joanna Angie, an artist friend of ours in Buffalo. Marg used to work for Joanna at the Buffalo Arts Studio. The mural in question takes up a part of the wall leading up to BAS, which is in the Tri-Main building. The Tri-Main building used to be a wiper blade factory, among other things.

Old Crow (click for .mp3)
words and music (c) Mark Frey 2008

Old crow
pinned to the wall with bristles and oil
wishing she could fly
only wishing she could fly

one eye blind
sun in retreat, dark corners grow
lurking under a purple sky
cinema sunset purple sky

bathed in a strange light
strange electric light

Sterile charm
no hint of disease or decay
perfect perch on the desert rim
what a view from the desert rim

bathed in a strange light
strange electric light

Fixed eyes keep order
moment to moment, space into space
when night comes they soar from this place
room to fly and winds to race

Old crow
pinned to the wall with bristles and oil
only wishing she could fly
still wishing she could fly

bathed in a strange light
strange electric light

New Song: Jumping off the Wire

Hey, a few hours early!

Jumping off the wire

(c) 2008 Mark Frey

Sometimes enough is enough
but that's never been true with you
face to the wind, laughing as it stings
thirsty for all tomorrow brings

You're always jumping off the wire
losing your balance so cheerfully
and all I can do is watch you
dive into the fire

The road is open and calling
and you answer with a wild smile
we may never pass this way again
so you charge right into the lion's den

You're always jumping off the wire
losing your balance so gracefully
and all I can do is watch you
dive into the fire

I'm always telling you to slow down
save yourself for the days to come
but maybe that's only jealousy
maybe I always wanted to be

Jumping off the wire
losing my balance so carefully
but all I can do is watch you
dive into the fire

You're always jumping off the wire
losing your balance so perfectly
and all I can do is watch you
dive into the fire

In those cases!

Nothing like a bad translation to brighten your day. Found this one when I was putting away the folder with our car's warranty stuff in it.

There's actually something poetic about it to my ear. I wonder if the French version is as charmingly odd?

A different kind of Rock

For Labor Day, marg & I rented a cottage in Missouri with some friends. Did some eating, did some gaming, did some hiking.

I particularly liked Elephant Rocks State Park, which does indeed rock.

Lucky for me the 1st was Monday; four more days until the next tune is due! See y'all on Sunday.

New Song: Collapse

This is a first draft of a song marg and I are working on together. She wrote the words and sang. We may do some rearranging later, but here's what we have today!

It's about how, over the course of your life, the millions of potential avenues your existence could take start to whittle down to the thread you actually do follow. It doesn't treat with the other side of the equation, the opening of new doors when old ones close, but then sometimes simple and gloomy is fun.

Collapse
Words and music (c) 2008 Marg and Mark Frey

some other lover, job or cover, an appointment missed
right turn instead of left
a pill not taken, letter sent, the knife that slipped
companion never met

unheeded choices left along the way
like so much highway trash
flying so fast you can't see the dreams
mixed with the roadkill and cigarettes

(chorus)
the closer you are to what you'll be
the further from what could have been
you could regret that things turned out differently,
but some roads are better left for dead

stalking away through the storm
instead of turning back to explain
possibilities collapsing they can’t all come true
one devours the next

(chorus)

mettle tested, conflicts bested, open up the box
living an educated guess
how many moments wasted focused on the little things
for an illusion of control

(chorus)
(chorus)

Vacation delay

Just got back in town from a few days off. New song is recorded except for the vocal, which I foolishly thought could get finished tonight.

Ha. Exhausted. Voice shot.

Going to pull the vacation card on this one and delay two days; I'll post on Tuesday this week instead of tonight.

Special Edition Penalty Cover Tune Week!

This week's song is, just for giggles, a cover version. And it's super lo-fi! I just set up one mic and played and sang until I had a take that I was happy with. Since I'm neither a great guitar player nor a highly accurate singer, that means you're getting a raw, 'warts and all' performance. I hear that's all the rage these days. It's supposed to be more energetic or something.

I played this one at Halloween two years ago to an amused reception. Since some of the fun is the dawning realization as you figure out what song it is, I'm just naming the file by today's date. I suppose you may not recognize it if you were not listening to music in 1985. If so, sorry about that.

Get the mp3 here!