Well, it’s that time again… for another Original Wednesday Laptop Session! For today’s installment, I decided to break out a slower song that’s never been released before. I wrote it this summer when my girlfriend and two best friends were out of the country (her in England and them in Italy). They were off on adventures in other countries, and I was still at home, going through everyday life as usual.
Except I was alone most of the time.
For the most part, it was relaxing, as I had just finished my student teaching. But, it was also lonely, and I thought about them often, especially Nicole. Thus, this song kind of came to me as I was practicing another song. It really expresses the feeling of figuring something out about a relationship, but being too distant to share it. Yet.
On a side note, I just found out that Jim, Jeff, and I will be playing two live shows in the coming weeks, so be sure to check http://LaptopSessions for all the details! (Just search “Live Events”)
I hope you enjoy this video and please comment or rate it!
Hello and welcome to another week of rock’n’roll related intrigue at the Laptop Sessions acoustic cover song music video blog! This is an exciting time for the blog, as we have consistently been pumping out more quality material for you than any time since the session-a-day project ended. This week, for instance, you can look forward to your typical Monday and Tuesday excellence in cover song music video form, a final Jimi Hendrix-themed edition of “Yes, No, or Maybe So, Retro,” two more installments in the “Top Five Rock Artists of the Decade, 2000-2009” list, a Guest Session on Friday by an all-new contributor (bringing back an oft-covered band), AND it’ll all be tied up by a full length Weekend Review on Sunday.
Not bad for a free blog…
Tonight, I bring you “Wilted Rose,” a song from the Vanity Project’s 2005 self-titled debut release. For those of you unfamiliar with the Vanity Project, this is the title of former Barenaked Ladies co-frontman Steven Page’s solo album. Well, it’s not technically a solo album in the strictest sense of the term, but for all intents and purposes, The Vanity Project is a Page solo album populated mainly by collaborations with Stephen Duffy. Page and Duffy have been swapping lines and tunes for years, and many of their co-written efforts have been recorded by the Barenaked Ladies. Here, Page is able to record those songs that simply weren’t a clear fit for the Barenaked Ladies.
I couldn’t believe one of us hadn’t already recorded this song for the blog — after all, it was included in the official MoU chordbook, even though it was only a rare live track. In addition, this is the right time to have Steven Page on the brain, as the first of two Page solo efforts is due in stores tomorrow. Now, tomorrow’s release is the less-anticipated A Singer Must Die, a collection of ten cover songs performed with the Art of Time Ensemble. Although I’m much more interested and excited for his first solo album proper, Page certainly picked out some interesting tunes to cover — the title track from Leonard Cohen and “For We Are the King of the Boudoir” by the Magnetic Fields to name a couple. Some of his other choices boggle my mind — why re-record “Running Out of Ink” so soon, for example? Or why attempt an Elvis Costello deep track like “I Want You” when Fiona Apple’s cover version is already the quintessential take on it?
Overall, I can’t imagine quite what this album will sound like, but I’m very excited to hear it. There’s only one problem: even Newbury Comics didn’t include it on their “new releases” list.
You know your release is under the radar when not even Newbury Comics is aware of its existence.
I honestly would have pre-ordered it to get it complete with Page’s autograph, but I couldn’t see spending the full price of the CD plus a considerable fee for shipping and handling. Thus, I’ll need to get creative and soon!
Until you get a chance to listen to (or even find) A Singer Must Die, I hope you enjoy my music video of the night.
Hello and welcome to my first true Laptop Session in quite a while — since December, to be specific, when I covered the Goo Goo Dolls song “Laughing.” Well, I’m back today with an original song from my new album, The 2010 Project, which was released just a couple weeks ago. In fact, the day after my album hit the web for download, Mike Fusco (who mixed and produced it) and I went to see the Goo Goo Dolls. This was our second time seeing them — and I won’t repeat what I wrote about them back in December — but suffice it to say that it was exciting going to see a band with so many anthemic songs, a group that can create such energy and drive the audience so masterfully. And look like they’re having the time of their lives on stage.
We left the concert revved up: proud of the project we had just completed the day before and excited for new music to come.
So, now that a couple weeks have passed and I’ve had the opportunity to play The 2010 Project songs live again, thinking of them as whole songs to perform rather than in pieces (as I did during the recording sessions), I had the itch to return to the Laptop Sessions and debut those songs that haven’t been seen and heard here yet.
This is the second track on the album, “Threshold,” and one which stands out from the rest for the fast delivery during the verses and the statement of purpose in the chorus that could very well be the thesis statement for the entire album. For this video, I (for obvious reasons) couldn’t include the guitar solo performed on the studio version, so I broke out my “E” harmonica and worked out a simple solo and added some flares to the beginning and end of the performance. It clocks in at under three minutes, and is a good example of the type of music I’m making these days.
And, for those who have heard the demo version, this is a significantly improved arrangement!
I also recorded “You Will Thank Me” as well as the single from the album “It All Comes Around,” so check back for those videos in the coming weeks.
E C E
There’s a light… when my baby’s in my arms;
There’s a light… when the window shades are drawn.
Hesitate… when I feel I may do harm to her…
[Wash it off…] ’cause this feeling we can share.
E C D – A E
And I know she’s reached my heart… in thin air.
Byzantine… is reflected in our pond;
There’s a cloud… but the water remains calm.
Reaching in… the sun’s fingers clutch the dawn to pass;
Even out… it’s a precious thing to bear…
And I know she’s reached my heart… in thin air.
Yes, I know she’s reached my heart… in thin air.
E F C G
It’s not in my past to presume…
G D A
Love can keep on moving, in both directions.
F C G
How to be happy and true…
G D A
Is the quest we’re taking on together…
E
Taking on… on, on, on…
Taking on… on, on, on on, on.
There’s a light… when my baby’s in my arms…
And I know she’s reached my heart… in thin air.
And I know she’s reached my heart… in thin air.
Yes, I know she’s reached my heart… in thin air.
E C A – E
Yes, I know she’s reached my heart…
** These chords and lyrics are interpretations and transcriptions, respectively, and are the sole property of the copyright holder(s). They are posted on this website free of charge for no profit for the purpose of study and commentary, as allowed for under the “fair use” provision of U.S. copyright law, and should only be used for such personal and/or academic work. **
