Category: Music

Now that I have the bass part down and the song is falling into place, here are the lyrics to Black Swan. This song is almost of a type for me, with a sort or Steely-ELP groove and pre-postapocalyptic sentiment. But with that territory there’s a lot of room for interesting and create stuff. This one has been in the works for a long while and is shaping up to be one of my favorites. In any event, every album should have one or two big, heavy numbers, so this is one.

I was working on it on the piano today, and Michelle, who continues to hang out in the studio when she can, said, “These are the weirdest lyrics ever and they make no sense.” Jeannie, who usually pretty much ignores my creative efforts, was in earshot and said “Those are awesome lyrics. What is that?” So I guess you love it or you hate it.

…

Black Swan
John Szinger

Black swan – out of the blue sky
Snowblind the morning sun
Black swan – makes a big wave
Permanent change oh yeah it’s come

You know it killed the dinosaurs
You know it started World War Three
You know it messed up my computer
And took away my MTV
Over the event horizon
Lies a future you can’t see
Get ready – for the singularity

Black swan – no red light flashing
The needle runs right off the chart
Black swan – the damage done now
Too late to run too late to start

Today’s the day the wall comes down
Tonight’s the rise of the machine
Move me to a window seat
I’ll show you what I mean
Imagine no imagining
How bright the brave new world will be
Get ready – for the singularity

And as you learn the waves you ride
They carry you to the other side
But nothing ever really ends
Look out! Here come that change again

Black swan – the circle closing
Watching the watchmen watching you
Black swan – not fade away now
The other side is breaking thru

Today’s the day the wall comes down
Tonight’s the rise of the machine
Move me to a window seat
I’ll show you what I mean
Imagine no imagining
How white my shirts could be
Get ready – for the singularity

It seems like for quite a while there in the late winter I was feeling under the weather, but in the last few weeks as spring has arrived I’ve been feeling more myself again. The last few weekends we’ve been spending a lot of time outdoors, doing the spring cycle of work on the yard, house and cars. Last Saturday it was warm and sunny and we washed and waxed Jeannie’s car. This weekend it was too cold to do my car, so we took it to the car wash instead. The kids were thrilled. We’ve also done lots of weeding, trimming, lawn mowing, planting the garden, and putting down fertilizer and new mulch. Probably one more good session and the spring cycle is complete.

But the weather has been inconsistent, so we’ve been doing stuff indoors too. Last Sunday it was cold and rainy, and I was working in my studio with Michelle on her new song “Now”. She wanted to play the piano part on my new synth, so I had to do some re-patching. This led to all kinds of problems with wires, hum and noise, gear not working, and finally furniture breaking. Michelle was a great help dealing with that stuff, but we never got any recording done that day. That night I was working on laying down a bass part on Black Swan, but the groove was just not happening.

I decided I needed to tear down and rebuild my entire studio. The main motivation was the need to move my rack cabinet so I could access the back. This cabinet is basically an open shelf with some x-braces, one of which snapped. It used to hold our TV, until Jeannie got a new TV a few months back, and I swapped it for my old rack cabinet as the new TV stand. The thing is, there’s tons of wires, and I just lifted my rack onto the new cabinet, and ever since there’s been a hum and occasional noise in the system. In order to move the rack cabinet I needed to move my studio monitors too. One thing led to another, and it was pretty much a full day of moving furniture and plugging things back in. Michelle was very helpful again, and in the end I wound up with a freshly organized studio, free of hum. Plus the monitors are now centered on my computer where I do most of my actual mixing work, rather than mixer, which was the center when I fist set up the space years ago, In their new orientation the speakers sound better and fill up the room better too.

As for my bass, that needed some attention too. At one point I was thinking of giving up and shopping for a new bass, but then I figured if John Paul Jones and Joco Pastorious can get an amazing sound from a Fender, I should at least be able to get a decent sound. That’s the kind of sound I’ve been going for all along anyway. Plus my bass has always had good action, intonation and feel. I’d never taken apart a bass before, so I knew I was in for some fun. Among other problems, there was noise in the tone and volume controls, and the strings sounded really dead. Someone once told me you can boil bass strings to bring them back to life, so I thought I’d try it. Then I removed the pick guard to clean the volume and tone controls. I discovered that the nuts that held the potentiometers to the pick guard were made of plastic, and broken, and the knobs were just kinda floating in place. I cleaned the pots and used rubber bands to hold them in place temporarily. Today I went to the music store and got some replacement parts including metal nuts. Meanwhile last night I put everything back together and tried it out.

It was a world of difference. The strings were shiny and sounded amazing. Good bright attack and sustain. Also, cleaning the pots got rid of the noise problem. I was able to turn up the gain on my MBox and record a hotter signal too. So the result was excellent, and I now have the bass part down for Black Swan.

I’ve been continuing to jam with Erik every week or two. The whole winter has gone by and spring is here, and it’s sounding really good. I’ve definitely gotten better at singing, and at singing and playing piano at the same time. Every time we get together we do a few new songs. This week the list included The Battle of Evermore (since Erik had borrowed a mandolin), Kid Charlemagne, and Don’t Take Me Alive. Last time it was Just Like Starting Over and some others. We also have a set of songs that we’ve done enough to consider to be in regular rotation and gig-ready.

The best news is we also have six originals worked up, three of his and three of mine, with more in the pipeline. Originals take a while, and we’ve been pretty focused on it. Erik’s songs are Before the Fall, Time Passes By, and Snakes and Lairs. They’re all very good, taken from a Floyd/Genesis-esque concept album he’s writing. Mine are from the last two Buzzy Tonic records. We’re doing Get On Back 2 U, Ghost in the Machine, and Heat Wave. GOB2U and particularly Heat Wave are hard to play live, much harder than Erik’s songs, because they use weird jazz chords and I’m always doing little things with harmony and rhythm. GOB2U has a tricky middle section with a phase jam, while Heat Wave is very uptempo and in an odd meter (7/8), and I’m singing lead and covering the bass part with my left hand. In fact I had originally thought Heat Wave was too hard to try to do live, but Erik really liked the song and asked me to teach it to him. Now I’m a better musician now for having worked up this song. And it’s totally worth it, since it’s a great song.

Now we’re looking to start going to open mic jams as a duo, so watch for that soon. I still have it in my mind to try and add a rhythm section. I know some guys who play bass and drums, and we’ve had the bass player jam with Erik and me, and the drummer and bassist jam with me alone. But everyone is busy with everything else in our lives, so it’s been hard to get everyone together so far. It’s okay because it’s taken time to get this far with just the two of us. Everything is happening. Patience, precious.

Oh, and I’ve started working a new song in the studio, called Black Swan. It’s a longish, darkish, proggish Steely-Crimso kind of number. Liberal use of the jazz altered (7#9) chord. Some big bass parts. Looks like it’ll be about seven minutes long. It’ll be good to close out an album side. I also have a new partly written song called Your Dancing Shoes, that has a sort of classic soul/R&B vibe, maybe kinda Van Morrison.

Meanwhile, if you like lists as much as I do, you many enjoy this:

Originals we have down:

Get On Back 2 U – JS
Ghost in the Machine – JS
Heat Wave – JS
Before the Fall – EB
Time Passes By – EB
Snakes and Liars – EB

Covers we have down:

Breathe In the Air – Pink Floyd
Dig a Pony – Beatles
Watching the Wheels – John Lennon
Show Biz Kids – Steely Dan
Pretzel Logic – Steely Dan
Daddy Don’t Live In That New York City No More – Steely Dan
(What’s So Funny About) Peace Love and Understanding – Elvis Costello
Cheap Sunglasses – ZZ Top
Burnin’ For You – Blue Öyster Cult

More originals of mine that I’ve been practicing to teach Erik:

Making Miles – MS
Checker Cab – JS
Fine Red Wine – JS

Songs we’ve jammed once or more that sound pretty good:

Midnight Rider – Allman Bros. Band
Ain’t Wastin’ Time No More – Allman Bros. Band
I’m Bad I’m Nationwide – ZZ Top
Wild Horses – Rolling Stones
From Hank to Hendrix – Neil Young
Cinnamon Girl – Neil Young
Roadhouse Blues – The Doors
Spirit In The Night – Bruce Springsteen
Tenth Avenue Freeze Out – Bruce Springsteen
Subdivisions – Rush
Peace of Mind – Boston
Don’t Let Me Down – Beatles
One After 909 – Beatles
Strawberry Fields Forever – Beatles
Just Like Starting Over – Beatles
Take It Away – Paul McCartney
I Wish – Stevie Wonder
Pearl of the Quarter – Steely Dan
Kid Charlemagne – Steely Dan
Don’t Take Me Alive – Steely Dan
The Battle of Evermore – Led Zeppelin
Misty Mountain Hop – Led Zeppelin
The Rain Song – Led Zeppelin
Since I’ve Been Loving You – Led Zeppelin
Tiger in a Spotlight – ELP
Turn It On Again – Genesis

Last night I saw Van Halen at Madison Square Garden, and they were great. Played 20 or 30 Van Halen songs. All their radio hits, a bunch of deep tracks and a bunch of songs off their new record.

Performance-wise they were better than when I saw them in the ’80’s. That time they all looked totally wasted and tired, worn out from the road. This time they were sober and energetic. Plus they had David Lee Roth back in the band!

Eddie and Alex were both in top form, better than ever. Maybe even perfect. After all this time I’m amazed all over again at what an amazing guitarist Eddie is. (On my personal list he’s probably the best guitarist ever in the world, or maybe tied with Jimmy Page). He’s such an icon it’s almost easy to take his genius for granted, but to see him play live really reminds you. Just fantastic. He can sound like the whole album with just one guitar. Great use of space, voicings, and contrast in all his playing. Lots of subtle musicianship in there. And then of course all the over-the-top riffs, speed and seemingly effortless virtuosity. All the solos were spot on, and he put in little improvised embellishments all over the place. Yet somehow it all always supports the song. During his extended solo he did a one-handed tap thing while rocking the volume knob with the other. Great effect and I’ve never seen anyone do that before.

Alex is one of the most awesome and underrated drummers out there. Great sound, great time, great chops, great parts for the songs. He had an extended solo too, and the intro to Hot for Teacher alone was worth it.

David Lee Roth was good but not quite living up to the studio recordings (admittedly a near impossible task). He still has the range but is not screaming high notes all the time, and on some songs he was still finding his way towards perfecting a new delivery. I think this was the 2nd show of the tour. I’d like to see them after a month. He’s still got dancing and karate kicks, although maybe a bit less jumping. He seemed a bit stiff the first part of the show, and he was using a headset mic for some reason. (Jeannie says to me “doesn’t he know Madonna uses on of those because she lip syncs?”) Later on he switched to a handheld mic and the sound was better and he appeared more relaxed. Maybe he had trouble hearing himself. Who knows. Anyway there were definitely some great moments, especially in the second half, and often as not he really nailed it. In any event, he’s Diamond Dave!

Wolfgang held his own just fine, and his presence lent a Hot Tub Time Machine vibe to the whole show. He and Eddie hit most of the vocal harmonies spot on, but Wolfie was off once or twice.

The sound in the hall was great, and the mix was clean and clear. Eddie had ten Marshall stacks behind him, but I think most were props. Three had mics in front of them, and a couple of times he got up there and worked the feedback. Wolfgang had 8 bass cabinets but only 2 were mic’d. The only mics I could see on Alex’s kit were two overheads. If there were close mics they must’ve been underneath, or built into the drums. I’d love to know. The bass drums had closed front heads.

Opening act was Kool and the Gang, which was a pleasant surprise. Looks like they have all the original members. They sounded tight, with a big ol’ horn section, lots of solos, and all their funk-soul hits. They made a nice contrast to VH. I’ve met the trumpet player Michael Ray because back in the 90’s he led a Sun Ra influenced jazz band called the Kosmic Krew that included my friend Adam on keyboards. I’ve even been to his house in New Orleans. He had a most excellent Voodoo shrine. Very nice guy.

My kids’ school put on a musical show this weekend, and I played in the band. It was a lot of fun and another good opportunity to get involved and get to know more of the families as well as to make some music. The show included kids from first to eighth grade, and as the name implies, featured hits from the last decades of pop music. I thought it was a really well put together show, especially given the time constraint. The kids were at a mix of levels but there were quite a number of really good performers featured as soloists and in small groups, and the large group numbers gave everyone a chance to be a part of it.

I played pretty much an equal split of sax and keyboards. I got the set list a couple of weeks ago, but only got the music on Monday and had the first rehearsal Wednesday. So the music came together really fast. The band was led by Joanne B., teacher at the school and a classically trained pianist who also does church organ gigs. The drummer John and guitarist Mike were the same guys from the cabaret show last November.

Here’s a set list with commentary.

1940’s:
Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy – the show started out strong with three really talented singers from the 8th grade doing an Andrews Sister’s number. They really nailed it, with the harmonies, dancing, U.S.O. costumes and all. This was a fun one for me, since I got to open the show (tenor sax being the closest thing to a bugle available) and take a swing-style solo.

You Are My Sunshine – cute number for the little kids. Very sweet. I laid out.

1950’s:
Que Sera Sera – small group featuring some very good soloists on vocals. I laid out.

Yakety Yak – big group number. Great fun for me doing my King Curtis impression on the sax. Interestingly, this song and Boogie Woogie are both basically blues in C. We did an extended jam after each until the curtain opened again. Important to use genre-appropriate riffs and phrasing so as not to mash the two songs together.

1960’s:
Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head – big group; Michelle was part of this one. Burt Bacharach was indeed a philosopher of song. The band did a curtain jam on the coda, which was great fun. I remember as a kid that ending being the first thing I’d ever heard in an out time signature.

Walk Like a Man – small group number; the kid who sang the high part was really good. I played sax.

1970’s:
Let It Be – Michelle had a featured solo in this. She was very nervous about it ahead of time, but nailed it when the time came. This was my first keyboard song of the set, playing organ to back up the piano. Weird that a Beatles song would be in the 70’s, but there you go.

Thank You for the Music – the ABBA song performed by a group of girls from the middle grades. Nicely done. I laid out.

Dancing Queen – another ABBA number, performed by four girls from seventh grade, including Lizzy as featured soloist. They did quite well, especially the second show after the house adjusted the mics to pickup better. I played piano, basically backing up Joanne, using a Fender Rhodes sound and emphasizing the bass lines. I’d never studied this song before this week, but it’s really a gem of a pop number, with all kinds of great hooks woven in. I’m kind of fascinated by ABBA right now, how they out of nowhere (well, Sweden) and took over the pop music world and became one of the top five selling acts of all time.

Intermission
Pre-show, intermission and exit music included instrumental takes of Lady Madonna, Martha My Dear, Only the Good Die Young, and several other extemporaneous selections performed mainly by me and John. I seem to know lots of dark and down songs and had to scratch my head to recall upbeat and happy songs.

1980’s
Don’t Stop Believing – they did the Glee version which changed the key from E to G, which really confused Mike and me until we got used to it.

Uptown Girl – small group number. The boy who sang lead and the dancer who was the uptown girl were both really good. I played sax.

Footloose – big production number, including Lizzy. I played sax.

1990’s
You’ve Got a Friend In Me – little kids did this one. A great song which I already knew on piano (big Randy Neuman fan) but learned on sax.

MMMBop – Michelle was part of the group that did this one. It’s a simple song, but really at their level and delivered with great enthusiasm.

2000’s
Firework – Lizzy was in this number. Even though I admire Katy Perry’s fashion sense I can’t say I’m a really big fan of her voice or her music. Song-wise, this was just four-bar loop, something anyone could have thrown together in Garage Band in one evening. Still, the kids liked and it came across well.

Graduation (Friends Forever) – performed by the eighth graders. This was another musically simple number. I did the string section part on synthesizer, which rips off Pachabel’s Cannon quite directly. I was able to sneak in a bit of Whiter Shade of Pale.

I Gotta Feeling – everyone in band asked “The Beatles Song?” But that’s I’ve Got a Feeling. This was the Black Eyed Peas, another garage-band-loop kind of thing. And although the above two songs kinda grew on me, this one never did. Like the two previous two songs it has only one musical idea and is about too long by about two minutes. Luckily our arrangements for all of them were shortened. Joanne was a bit nervous for these last few songs because she likes to read the music and the amount of page turning was just ridiculous, not mention skipping over crossed out sections. I gave up and just jammed out. Anyway it was a good closer with all the kids on stage belting it out.

Okay here it is. A rough mix of the new Buzzy track Now and Forever. Enjoy!

If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you’ll know that Michelle has taken in interest in my home studio recordings and been working on ways to get into the act. She wrote a song a while back called Now and Forever for her mother. Very sweet. She came up with the lyric and melody and I liked it well enough to record, and helped her by adding chords and a piano part. Together we came up with an arrangement. It was Michelle’s idea to have a tambourine and have Lizzy play a flute solo, and to do the last chorus uptempo with a beat. We started recording it last fall before the Cabaret show and finished over Xmas vacation. I’ve been doing mixes the last couple of weeks and it’s nearly done. The only thing that’s been holding me up is blending the flute FX, but I think it’s pretty much there now. It’ll be ready in time for Jeannie’s birthday. So look for a posting of the audio file here soon.

This is the third song on my next album, whose working title is “Buzzy Third”. Michelle has another song in the works called “Now”. I have three more songs in the works, including a longish, prog-ish number that’s next. But with getting my new band off the ground I’m looking toward changing my approach to recording to be more live-in-the-studio. At the very least I’m working up the songs to play on piano and sing before I start in on recording them.

…

Now and Forever
Lyrics by Michelle Szinger
Music by Michelle Szinger and John Szinger

I’ve always loved you
And in my dreams
And forever and ever
I’ve always wanted your attention, yeah yeah yeah

Now, now and forever
I’ll be there for you if you need me
Now, now and forever
Now, now and forever
Now, now and forever

The wind blows one way
The earth turns one way
And forever and ever
I’ve always wanted to know why, yeah yeah yeah

Now, now and forever
I’ll be there for you if you need me
Now, now and forever
Now, now and forever
Now, now and forever
Yeah!