Blue Mountain Chamber Players
10/29/11
Ford Auditorium @ Berry College
Rome, GA
Anything At All (written by me, string arrangement by Joe)
APL - guitar, vocals; Joe Lester - violin; Samantha Lester - viola
Sam and Joe put this one together with several of their associates. There were some duos and trios. This was my contribution. We've played this song a few times with Earhorn, and it was a super thrill to play it again with them. Here's the mp3 for you to download: http://snd.sc/v0RCu4
If there was anything at all that I had left to say to you, it would probably come off as some kind of inside joke. You see, I've kept my emotions pretty close at hand the last few years; and the wall has grown quite imposing.
It's just that there's this one little matter of having it all out in the open; and it was never very easy, even when it was just the two of us. But it seemed like you were always holding court for this or that one there, and how does one holding these words come forth?
There has never been a better time than right now (well, there was that one day); just a familiar voice remembering my name. Your number is right there, I could pick up the phone at any time. Is there anything at all that you'd believe?
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Open Mic, 10/25/11
333 On Broad
Rome, GA
"I wrote 63 songs this year. They're all about Joe. And I'm going to sing each and every one of them tonight."
Well, there are only four, and they're not about Joe, but the sentiment's the same. They're all relatively new, no band has played them, so I've included the lyrics.
Lions On The Lam
Here, in the jungle, lions -- there!
We could escape anywhere
Free as the north wind blowing through
I can’t believe I found you
Or that you found me -- wandering, lost
Tossed to the side -- hungry, ghost
I’ve heard the legends
I’ve had the dreamsYou, and now me
So it seems
Fire on the mountain -- home, almost
Wires strewn about -- signals crossed
Seen very clearly through the mist
It must be something like this
Dark, now the darkness -- home, safe, found
Start, it’s like this -- right here, now
So it begins
There is a way
Sleep, now awake
Into the day
Night's Watch (Holding Pattern)*
It's a rainy night in Georgia, and I wish you were here
One more night (like so many others) that's going nowhere
Too much excitement for one man to bear
Keeping the night's watch -- there are dragons out there
I hear the rumbling, hope that it's you
Turns out the thunder has brought no news
Bright-eyed wonder gives way to the blues
Standing in silence is the way that I choose
Fell into sleep, fell out again
So hard to keep, but what do I do with it then?
First thing this morning, a moment of Zen
Served with black coffee, a curious blend
The New One
Went back in time to find that one old song
Saw myself as I was then, sat down to play along
Suddenly, it seemed, (somehow) it seemed the same
She comes to me after all these years
Like it was yesterday, right before I disappeared
That one is gone, this one comes to stay
tear down the walls that surround us all
praise the moon, praise the sun
question yourself so the head is ruled by none
There was a word, it filled a space
And now the song is in its place
The strangest of gifts has been right here all this time
I come to her, and I give it my best
It's better than that, or anything else
Must have been the wind that's blowing my mind
the moonlight smiles on the palace we've built
this strange new world i've never seen
you made me your king, i made you my queen
After some time in the darkest of places
Here's a little light to read the story so far
What once was but a dream now stands before you in full bloom
I walk with her through shifting sands
And watch the sun go down again
A whisper speaks, and suddenly, the moon...
remember nights of starry skies
the campus green, the downtown bar
it comes from me to where you are
As For Me
Everybody's always somewhere else
"Hey, whatchadoin'? I'm so damn bored."
As for me, I'll always be right here
"Come back. Stay."
Everybody here's from somewhere else
Down to the ocean, wash it all away
As for me, everything comes from right here
Please, make yourself at home
And we'll laugh at the world when they tell us to stop
Who needs them anyway?
Everybody does what they say they won't do
The other shoe falls like rain
As for me, I'm still who you thought I would be
You can sleep, trusting the roof over your head
Everybody says "I love you"
It doesn't always mean what they think it means
As for me, it's so simple -- I'll say it again...
You can't be afraid if there's nothing to fear
What is fear anyway?
*debut performance
The host summed it up perfectly when I was done. The girls wanted to hear some dance music, so they were going to take a break from the open mic format. There were only three or four of us tonight. I usually stick around to play a second set, but tonight wasn't the night for that. Oh, and all lyrics and music are written and owned by me.
Rome, GA
"I wrote 63 songs this year. They're all about Joe. And I'm going to sing each and every one of them tonight."
Well, there are only four, and they're not about Joe, but the sentiment's the same. They're all relatively new, no band has played them, so I've included the lyrics.
Lions On The Lam
Here, in the jungle, lions -- there!
We could escape anywhere
Free as the north wind blowing through
I can’t believe I found you
Or that you found me -- wandering, lost
Tossed to the side -- hungry, ghost
I’ve heard the legends
I’ve had the dreamsYou, and now me
So it seems
Fire on the mountain -- home, almost
Wires strewn about -- signals crossed
Seen very clearly through the mist
It must be something like this
Dark, now the darkness -- home, safe, found
Start, it’s like this -- right here, now
So it begins
There is a way
Sleep, now awake
Into the day
Night's Watch (Holding Pattern)*
It's a rainy night in Georgia, and I wish you were here
One more night (like so many others) that's going nowhere
Too much excitement for one man to bear
Keeping the night's watch -- there are dragons out there
I hear the rumbling, hope that it's you
Turns out the thunder has brought no news
Bright-eyed wonder gives way to the blues
Standing in silence is the way that I choose
Fell into sleep, fell out again
So hard to keep, but what do I do with it then?
First thing this morning, a moment of Zen
Served with black coffee, a curious blend
The New One
Went back in time to find that one old song
Saw myself as I was then, sat down to play along
Suddenly, it seemed, (somehow) it seemed the same
She comes to me after all these years
Like it was yesterday, right before I disappeared
That one is gone, this one comes to stay
tear down the walls that surround us all
praise the moon, praise the sun
question yourself so the head is ruled by none
There was a word, it filled a space
And now the song is in its place
The strangest of gifts has been right here all this time
I come to her, and I give it my best
It's better than that, or anything else
Must have been the wind that's blowing my mind
the moonlight smiles on the palace we've built
this strange new world i've never seen
you made me your king, i made you my queen
After some time in the darkest of places
Here's a little light to read the story so far
What once was but a dream now stands before you in full bloom
I walk with her through shifting sands
And watch the sun go down again
A whisper speaks, and suddenly, the moon...
remember nights of starry skies
the campus green, the downtown bar
it comes from me to where you are
As For Me
Everybody's always somewhere else
"Hey, whatchadoin'? I'm so damn bored."
As for me, I'll always be right here
"Come back. Stay."
Everybody here's from somewhere else
Down to the ocean, wash it all away
As for me, everything comes from right here
Please, make yourself at home
And we'll laugh at the world when they tell us to stop
Who needs them anyway?
Everybody does what they say they won't do
The other shoe falls like rain
As for me, I'm still who you thought I would be
You can sleep, trusting the roof over your head
I still remember the dress that she wore
But I can't remember what happened before
But I can't remember what happened before
Everybody says "I love you"
It doesn't always mean what they think it means
As for me, it's so simple -- I'll say it again...
You can't be afraid if there's nothing to fear
What is fear anyway?
*debut performance
The host summed it up perfectly when I was done. The girls wanted to hear some dance music, so they were going to take a break from the open mic format. There were only three or four of us tonight. I usually stick around to play a second set, but tonight wasn't the night for that. Oh, and all lyrics and music are written and owned by me.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Open Mic, 10/18/11
10/18/11
333 On Broad
Rome, GA
I decided to debut a couple of songs. I put the final touches on "Lions" this afternoon. "As For Me" has been finished for a while, but it's hard to play the slow ones in front of an unfamiliar crowd. But, since most of 'em weren't there to hear original music anyway, I figured it was the perfect time to debut it.
I played first, six or seven people played after me (including the "comedian" from Lindale), then I played a few more.
A note on the recording: I've not been happy with the quality of the recordings this guy makes, and I asked him if his machine would record at a higher bitrate. He did it, but found the problem lay elsewhere. Unlistenable is the word I'll use.
I
Lions On The Lam*
Midnight Afternoon
As For Me*
The New One
II
The Road Goes On Forever
Pancho & Lefty
Amanda
The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face
Just Like A Woman
*debut performance
333 On Broad
Rome, GA
I decided to debut a couple of songs. I put the final touches on "Lions" this afternoon. "As For Me" has been finished for a while, but it's hard to play the slow ones in front of an unfamiliar crowd. But, since most of 'em weren't there to hear original music anyway, I figured it was the perfect time to debut it.
I played first, six or seven people played after me (including the "comedian" from Lindale), then I played a few more.
A note on the recording: I've not been happy with the quality of the recordings this guy makes, and I asked him if his machine would record at a higher bitrate. He did it, but found the problem lay elsewhere. Unlistenable is the word I'll use.
I
Lions On The Lam*
Midnight Afternoon
As For Me*
The New One
II
The Road Goes On Forever
Pancho & Lefty
Amanda
The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face
Just Like A Woman
*debut performance
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Sittin' In Again
10/15/2011
Moon Roof Bar
Rome, GA
Scott Thompson invited me to play during his break. This is pretty much how I got my job. The Rome Derby girls came up and packed the place. It was nuts. Nothin' like playin' to a packed house.
The Road Goes On Forever
Pancho & Lefty
Melissa
Romeo & Juliet
Just Like A Woman
Tangled Up In Blue
Moon Roof Bar
Rome, GA
Scott Thompson invited me to play during his break. This is pretty much how I got my job. The Rome Derby girls came up and packed the place. It was nuts. Nothin' like playin' to a packed house.
The Road Goes On Forever
Pancho & Lefty
Melissa
Romeo & Juliet
Just Like A Woman
Tangled Up In Blue
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