And we played some not-so-traditional music that I wrote a couple of years ago when The Bushwick Book Club came to Portland. "What's that club about?" you may ask. "Check this out", I'd answer, "The Bushwick Book Club chooses a book every month (preferably from a local writer) and invites singer-songwriters to come up with a new song, inspired by the book. So it makes you read, write and play music all at the same time! An inspirational kick in the butt, you can call it."
Around that time (this was 2017), Chuck Palahniuk had just finished his coloring-book novella 'Legacy', a dark fantasy story with a stripper named Baccarat as one of the main characters. Chuck's super detailed descriptions of events almost read like songs already, so I only picked one plot point, moved the words around, adjusted a bit rhythmically and voilà... a new song was born.
Now I hear you say: "2017, wow, that's not a hot-of-the-press production, is it?". Well, first of all, it actually IS steaming hot, because it has been cooking so long. Second, some of you call me Jettylag, and I think it's extremely important to honor one's nickname.
The 'official' recording has been laying finished for a while in my drawer, too. Some day I'll get it out there, probably sooner than later. But it's like a good meal. You don't want to eat all courses at the same time. And for now, we're just having an appetizer.
Thanks to Bill Athens (bass) and James Powers Music (trombone) for your grooves, talent and great company. We've been playing together for a while now, and it was high time for this trio to be viewable online. Thanks to Clint Kaster for providing the lighting, staging, recording the sound and being overall director of photography. Thanks Jeff S. Dodge for providing cameras, doing hand held magic, and additional editing. Thanks to the First Congregational Church (Portland, Oregon) for providing the space.
As for me, let's just say that I learnt a lot about editing... and there's still so much to learn! I'm actually quite fascinated by it, so more videos will be on the way.
Comments