Last year this week I wrote, recorded, and released this song, “Not For Me or You,” which eventually made it onto my full-length album that I put out in August. Listen to the original recording, which is basically the same as the album version, right here.
This recording is only different in that I sped up the tempo, took the song outta 3/4 time, made it a blues number (surprise, surprise), and maybe added or subtracted a couple words (a baby here, a man there). Otherwise it’s the same song.
I never played this one out at a performance after I wrote it. Never did even after I put it on my album. It was always kinda a hard one for me to remember. Maybe because it was so long in 3/4 time. Maybe because it felt like a drag to sing. Maybe because I never tried to really learn it. I always liked it for some reason, though.
Anyway. There’s the new version for ya. Come back tomorrow for the old one.
It’s Replay Thursday (renamed from Repost Thursday, because “replay” sounds better). The song I wrote, recorded and released this week last year was “Out in the Cold Cold Wind,” which ended up on my album, “It’s Chicago!” which you can go buy in iTunes or over at CDBaby.
The original version, which is basically exactly the same as the album version and which you can listen to here, was in 3/4 time and I wrote it on one of those absolutely frigid Chicago nights. Was a beautiful night actually. A lovely, post-Christmas, pre-New Year night. A nice, slow, easy-paced night. That’s how I wrote the song, that’s how I sung it too.
This new version is a bit hotter. It’s hotter outside today. It’s gonna be 60 degrees tomorrow to send out 2010. This new one moves. It’s a lot like my other song from a few months back “I ain’t gonna be returnin that-a-way.” Well, actually, it doesn’t sound anything like that version of that song. But I play “Ain’t returnin” different for different occasions and this new version of “Cold Cold Wind” sounds like a different version of “Ain’t returnin.”
Okay. That’s it. Soon it’ll be 2011. See ya there.
Ok, folks. Here’s the second installment of “Repost Thursday.” You can check out the first one I did (a couple weeks ago) here. In that, I re-recorded the version of “Unworried Mind” that I first recorded the week of December 7 back in 2009. I hadn’t come up with the snappy name of Repost Thursday. I just did that yesterday. I think it’s got a nice ring to it. Or, at least some kind of ring to it, anyway.
Well, for this round I re-recorded my song “Mister Mayor Says” that I first released one year ago this week. (Listen to the original version here.) I wasn’t actually going to re-record it because this was a track on my record “It’s Chicago!” that I just put out in August. (You have a copy, right? No? Well, you’re in luck. You can go here to download the mp3s for a minimal fee. [You can also buy it on iTunes or Amazon, if you wish.] By purchasing the electronic files only you save trees and save on plastic production. If you need a real live hard-copy, though, I have those too.
That was a long aside, huh?
So, anyway, I was gonna not re-record this one and just use the album version, but then I figured that’d be an easy way out. Plus, the album version and the version I recorded in December 2009 are pretty much the same.
So I went ahead and mixed it all up.
This version is in 3/4 time. Has some mouth harp. The singing is quite different. The words are all pretty much the same, though.
And, that’s that. I kinda like this version. I may even try playing this one out. I’d stopped performing it cause the Mayor’s quittin soon and I don’t like shooting fish after their already caught. Plus its got some references to things that happened a couple years ago (like Chicago not getting the Olympics).
Anyway…be sure to check back tomorrow for the old version.
Here’s a little preview of what’s in store for 2011.
This is a song that I wrote and then published (via the internet) one year ago this week. It was my new song for the week of December 7, 2009. I’m not sure when I wrote it. I think it was the weekend before the 7th when I was out on the streets struttin around. Listen to the original recording here.
Anyway…this song is a year old. Just a baby, in some sense. For a song, though, an old maid. I’m revisiting it, though, and I think it’s one of the better songs I’ve written. It’s one of those you gotta listen to real close.
So the “preview” is…I’ll be posting, every Thursday, the song that I wrote and posted for New Song Monday one year ago the very same week.
It’s pretty interesting, this song. I let it sit for pretty much an entire year. Never played it out live. Thought about putting it on my record in August, but not too hard. And then, here it is, and I’m totally diggin it now.
Maybe it’s a winter song. It’s only good when it’s so cold outside and there’s ice everywhere. Who knows…
So that’s that. From here on out you get songs every Thursday from exactly one year ago. I haven’t come up with a pithy name yet for the day. Any ideas?
Also, starting in 2011 I’ll be posting a new “Talkin’ Headline Blues” song/version every Tuesday. I’ll name it “Talkin’ Headline Tuesdays,” because it’s catchy. But you gotta wait on that.
If you can’t wait, though, I have several shows coming up. Here goes:
Thursday, December 9 at the Grafton as part of the Barehand Jugband. It’s a Holiday Party/Toy Drive. Starts at 8:30pm.
Sunday, December 12 at the Elbo Room during the Urban Folk Market. This is a solo show. I’ll (probably) play this song. I go on at 3pm and play for 45 minutes. Jonas from the jugband also plays at this event at 5pm. You can buy Christmas gifts for your lovin babe at this (including both my CDs, which are great and CHEAP stocking stuffers).
Monday, December 13 at Double Door with the jugband at 9pm. This is a bigtime show with the Hoyle Brothers and the Lawrence Peters Outfit. We need to pack the place and get sweaty with dancin. So come on out. You can buy tickets (which are going fast!) here. You can tell your neighbor here.
Then, there’s a SECRET show on Friday, December 17. It may be another Happy Hour jugband show at the Hideout. It may not be. You should come to the Double Door and I’ll tell you for sure.
Music Vomit 