The Living Rockumentary

Particle board, particle board, made from wood scraps that fell on the floor.

Brian, I was surprised when Henning told me that it was me singing the harmonies in Uncomfortable- it sounded so much like Henning himself and the recording had taken place so many months before that re-listen that I had forgotten tracking it but I'm almost positive I didn't sing a note on Omnivore. Certainly I don't remember screaming. I know it's natural to credit the Mallcop!/Sycophant/What Makes You Think (I Care What You Think?), etc. yowler of yore with that bit but as Fogerty once sang, "It ain't me."

You know, I listened to the (unmastered) 4-song Chain CD many times in a row recently too, along with a few runs through the Nov. 1st Iron Horse show while out and about with Shelly this last weekend. Shelly kept apologizing, "You don't mind if we listen to it again, do you? I don't want to make you sick of it." Hells no, woman, I found it quite satisfying. She really digs it and is anxious for Ayla and Wichita et al to get on tape too. However, one thing I did notice that I should try to rectify with this new batch of recordings is that my own presence and idea input are severely minimal on those 4 songs. And it's not really an ego thing cause the songs sound great and don't need anything else, certainly not some excess added-on Tony stamp. But really, it's just the nature of some of the parts plus the way I approached recording back when we started. I only play that one rhythm guitar bit in One Lady and it was (rightfully) mixed down lower than Henning's guitar cause mine was on the downbeat. I also played maybe two basic guitar parts in Omnivore, which are also (again, rightfully) buried under Ken's and Henning's more interesting parts. It just seemed to me that SFTD was really still just a Henning-and-sidemen band at the time and so I didn't participate as much as I could have. And it's not that Henning excluded my ideas or anything- I just wasn't offering any because I didn't think they were necessary to make the songs sound great (and I was right). I figured Henning could easily come up with his own parts and they were his tunes anyway- I was just sort of featured a little since I was in the performing band but not really a collaborator. Remember this was way back last spring, early summer. It was over the summer and especially at the beginning of the fall that we really started to solidify as a band. We collaborated more, I was coming up with more ideas for songs, hell, I started to actually get to know Max as a person for the first time.

And I understand Henning's "hesitance" with this idea but I see the Chain CD as a bridge between the all-Henning first SFTD CD he recorded at Collingwood's and the tracks we will soon start recording so I've suggested having those 4 songs be their own thing, the Chain CD EP, if you will, and doing another album separately. There's certainly enough material and strong songs to fill another album without needing those 4 tunes and this one could be much more of a band effort. I realize that the other members participated more in these 4 songs than I did (Ken's all over these tracks and they wouldn't be anywhere as good without his ideas) and the stuff we added later in the fall (Martha background vocals, me being there for Ken's One Lady piano session and suggesting ideas on what he should play) was more of a joint effort but I also feel a tad distanced from the 4 songs also. Of course it may also be because this isn't Humbert anymore where nothing was tracked in my absence (except for those Abby Barlow cello parts on some of Ari's tunes but that's another story) and I sincerely have no problem with overdubs being thrown on whenever Henning gets an idea plus there's no way all of us, with our lives now, could be around for everything like when me, Hen and Ari were recording at Zing. And we're all endlessly creative individuals and someone needs to be the guiding force and final say and naturally that should be Henning. But what's my point exactly? Well, having listened to those 4 songs so many times this weekend in the car, I'm itching to record more and think these new efforts will represent the band well, even better than these last 4 songs. Play ball!