Recently I spent 5 weeks in Athens. A friend of mine bought an apartment there as an investment. With the crisis prices have plummeted. It is in Exharia, the center of student led unrest. It is a neighborhood ruled by the anarchists. There is an explosion of culture there manifested eminently in street art. It is booming with cafes, music stores, record shops dozens of bookstores and small owned restaurants.
I have visited this neighborhood many times over the last ten years and have always admired it. I asked my friend if I could use his flat as a retreat to do some composing. In five weeks I completed our latest video Banjo Town and wrote 4 new songs. I also took yoga classes six days a week including a foray into aerial yoga which I love.
One of pieces I completed is called Summer Song. I was lucky enough to be visited by 2 German friends, Michael and Ina, who listened to the first draft. Their reactions helped me clarify my concept and informed the final composition. One thing they commented on was that is was a “summer song”. I knew they were right immediately, hence the seasonal title of the piece.
As I putting together a demo version for the band my calendar pinged me. A Frankfurt DJ I know had noticed I was in the EU. He had asked me if I wanted to do an interview during his show while we were in the same time zone. The time was now. I sent him a note with an offer. He could play my demo version one time on air and then I would come on and talk about my process. We did just that and it was an amazement to me. The world we live in and what tools that are available to us.
I tried it out last week here in New York with Jarrett and Leo. It’s a jazz song and I am blessed with two expert musicians of the genre. Leo added a bass intro and outro and I feel so strongly about the piece that I want to introduce it to you at the next show. Please come hear it. It’s light and breezy and sunny and jazzy. Summer Song. I’m in love with it already.
That makes two debuts next week with our new music video BANJO TOWN. Our previous one, Another Mother’s Son, was accepted into 4 film festivals including the New York Short Film Festival at Cinema Village.
Our lineup includes The Sublime Ms. Kosi, Jarrett Walser on drums and Leo Smith on bass
Working on some surprise guests.
