Hey Soul Mates,
man, do I love my bandmates, cousin.
They are the best. We had a productive rehearsal tonight. Even though we are all battling through bowling injuries and fatigue from the week in general. We are very excited about playing for you this coming weekend. Our last show was very uptempo. This next one, we'll be doing quite a few of our ballads, our slow jams. While we normally do one slow song per set, we'll play at least 2 on Saturday. Ladies...
Lately, I've been listening to a lot of Steely Dan. Perfect driving music late at night, but also perfectly good for walking around North Hollywood in the a.m. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed their music and how much of it was unfamiliar to me. There are lots of groups/artists out there that I really admire, but don't necessarily incorporate into my own music. Steely Dan gets pretty funky on occasion. Their playing is just inspiring. And Don Fagen's lyrics bear repeat listenings. "Peg," "Reeling In The Years" & "Deacon Blues" have always been among my favorites. But now that I've discovered some of the album tracks, I've been wearing out "Pretzel Logic," "Bad Sneakers" and "Any Major Dude Will Tell You." A Decade Of Steely Dan was one of the earliest CD's I bought. And my buddy Mike gave me Fagen's solo masterpiece The Nightfly one Christmas. When I was in college, I would listen to Are You Experienced? to get through all nighters. But, in the daylight (oddly enough), The Nightfly would put me in daydream mode.
Fagen & Becker (Steely Dan)
The Dan made it back into the news in a big way the last 5 years when they accomplished two odd-defying feats. First, they made a reunion album called Two Against Nature and managed to walk away with Grammy's big prize. Risen from the ashes. That was bested by their horribly comedic campaign to be selected for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. They were the first major act to actively seek election and succeed. Where others have whined, Steely Dan simply lampooned. You can still see their letters to the Rock cognoscenti and decision makers on their website.
This reintroduction to their stuff began when my friend Dr. Rahuna and I were talking about "My Old School" and how brilliant it is. Maybe this will lead you to Steely Dan or to remembering them. Their music immediately takes me back to childhood in the 70's and FM radio, star-filled late night drives in the family car and summers in the Midwest. I didn't understand what the Dan was on about, I just knew it was great music. Now I listen to it and marvel: how did these two white dudes sound so jazzy and make pop singles at the same time?
That's for them to know and for us to find out.
Love, Power, Peace.
man, do I love my bandmates, cousin.
They are the best. We had a productive rehearsal tonight. Even though we are all battling through bowling injuries and fatigue from the week in general. We are very excited about playing for you this coming weekend. Our last show was very uptempo. This next one, we'll be doing quite a few of our ballads, our slow jams. While we normally do one slow song per set, we'll play at least 2 on Saturday. Ladies...
Lately, I've been listening to a lot of Steely Dan. Perfect driving music late at night, but also perfectly good for walking around North Hollywood in the a.m. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed their music and how much of it was unfamiliar to me. There are lots of groups/artists out there that I really admire, but don't necessarily incorporate into my own music. Steely Dan gets pretty funky on occasion. Their playing is just inspiring. And Don Fagen's lyrics bear repeat listenings. "Peg," "Reeling In The Years" & "Deacon Blues" have always been among my favorites. But now that I've discovered some of the album tracks, I've been wearing out "Pretzel Logic," "Bad Sneakers" and "Any Major Dude Will Tell You." A Decade Of Steely Dan was one of the earliest CD's I bought. And my buddy Mike gave me Fagen's solo masterpiece The Nightfly one Christmas. When I was in college, I would listen to Are You Experienced? to get through all nighters. But, in the daylight (oddly enough), The Nightfly would put me in daydream mode.
Fagen & Becker (Steely Dan)
The Dan made it back into the news in a big way the last 5 years when they accomplished two odd-defying feats. First, they made a reunion album called Two Against Nature and managed to walk away with Grammy's big prize. Risen from the ashes. That was bested by their horribly comedic campaign to be selected for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. They were the first major act to actively seek election and succeed. Where others have whined, Steely Dan simply lampooned. You can still see their letters to the Rock cognoscenti and decision makers on their website.
This reintroduction to their stuff began when my friend Dr. Rahuna and I were talking about "My Old School" and how brilliant it is. Maybe this will lead you to Steely Dan or to remembering them. Their music immediately takes me back to childhood in the 70's and FM radio, star-filled late night drives in the family car and summers in the Midwest. I didn't understand what the Dan was on about, I just knew it was great music. Now I listen to it and marvel: how did these two white dudes sound so jazzy and make pop singles at the same time?
That's for them to know and for us to find out.
Love, Power, Peace.
Comments