March 12, 2015 - My Happy Trip To Vancouver - Part 2 - Where I get Rhythm and start to introduce you to some songs

Throughout my stay in Vancouver I was lucky to stay at my old pal Keith Rose's place, a house I had lived in before; this gave me a good base for all the nostalgia I was feeling.  Yet another lucky perk was that I was sharing a flat with David MacAnulty; not only is David an excellent drummer, but he is also a real live Brewmeister who was happy to bring some of his work home with him. David and Keith have performed together for years in bands such as Roots Roundup, The Hardrock Miners, and The Royal Grand Prix, they were also the original Lougan Brothers. Together they are a seasoned rhythm section and a pretty entertaining couple of sorts.  Keith is an eternal teenager who has always infused my music with an energy I find impossible to capture on my own and David is a solid drummer and native Motherwellian who brings a no nonsense approach to rehearsing and performing and I don't think he has ever been any younger than 65 his entire life.  This was kinda like being in a band with Carrot Top (I know Keith prefers Don Rickles but Carrot Top fits my narrative better) and Henny Youngman - let the hijinx commence. As we were all 3 living in the same house, we had lots of opportunity to hash out many of Paul's arrangement ideas and to develop some other ideas based on Keith's and David's input before sitting down to record some demos. 

I sure love what other people bring to my songs - playing in a band gives me an opportunity to enjoy the talent of those around me, it also makes me hear new things in the songs that I've been carrying around with me. 

Okay then, the songs.  Some folks feel that art should speak for itself, that the artist's intent or interpretation are not only irrelevant to but, moreso, get in the way of the audience's experience. While I agree that the audience should be given the opportunity to experience and interpret art without additional input from the artist, my experience of art has always been enhanced by knowing the artist's perspective and biography. Sometimes I've gained greater respect for artists and their work and other times additional insights have made me uncomfortable with a work of art or its maker; either way my experience is enriched.  So, at the risk of making you feel uncomfortable:  

Sail Away
(You can hear me perform a version of this live and unplugged on the Satan's Cabaret Podcast in my January 29, 2015 blog)  

It's been 14 mornings on the kitchen floor
You'd think by now I'd know what I did the night before
But the kicks and the wince, the drugs and the kicks
Come down with the weight of the guilt that I'll wash away
When I get down to the water

You can let yourself run fast and loose like the Grievous Angel's wild goose
And let love hurt you every day
Or you can lay down in the bathtub with the fat man blues and sail away

I'm always leaving behind what I'd like to hold
The same old story in the rear view mirror on that same old open road
And the lips that I'll miss, the words and the kiss
Her voice a distant melody that I'll wash away
When I get down to the water

You can let yourself run fast and loose like the Grievous Angel's wild goose
And let love hurt you every day
Or you can lay down in the bathtub with the fat man blues and sail away

So here's to 14 mornings on the kitchen floor
Here's to the same old story in the rear view mirror on that same old open road
Here's to the friends that have been, the good times and sins
The bruise of a heart on my sleeve that I'll wash away
When I get down to the water

You can let yourself run fast and loose like the Grievous Angel's wild goose
And let love hurt you every day
Or you can lay down in the bathtub with the fat man blues and sail away

This song was written with two of my favourite songwriters and performers in mind - Lowell George and Gram Parsons - and muses on the lifestyles that killed them far too early in their lives.  I wrote this when I got to thinking about my own lifestyle and about being careful what I wished for.  Is burning out unavoidable in some cases? Can measured passion still be passionate?

I have once again used the Golden Progression for this song - 2 free passes to any one show I play to the first person who can identify in a message to this site my 2 other songs that exploit this progression (a prize worth potentially in excess of $10.00).

I will introduce you to Emily in about a week's time.

Leave a comment