Ishmael

I remember holding my 4-month old son the day the towers came down. "Normal" sought redefinition, which drove me to the source of things. Genesis really does prove to reveal "the beginnings" of a great many things, including the answer to "just how far back is our present geopolitical upheaval rooted?"

Lyrics: Jeff Kreh

Millions of memories

have flown

since your dear daddy said,

“my only son,

“you must be

“the Promised King

“to this old dying world.”

Ishmael.

Ishmael.

It's time to come back home.

Millions of memories

have flown

since you dear daddy said,

“my beloved son,

“you must be

“the Father King

“to this old dying world.”

Ishmael.

Ishmael.

It's time to come back home.

I sent my only son

your shattered soul to save

and spared you and yours of Abram's blood

of the guilt and the shame

Millions of memories

have flown

since your dear daddy said,

“my son, my son

“you must leave

“so he can be

“the only chosen on.”

Ishmael.

Ishmael.

It's time to come back home.

Ishmael.

Ishmael.

It's time 

Woe, Ishmael, come back

More On "least"

My incredible friend, Jeff Henig, came over to the studio yesterday to help me classify what influences simply jump out from listening to the rough pre-production tracks of "least". Jeff is steeped in music and comes from a different listening background than I do. So, his insights were, well, insightful...

I had no idea that so many artists that I had never really paid attention to (and some I had never heard of) were so influential to the sound that is emerging. Edgar Winter Group... Really? Okay, I'll bite - so, I YouTubed a couple tracks online and found out it's pretty cool. Then there was the reference to Alice Cooper... Still not sure how he fits in. More obvious influences are Keith Green, GLAD, Bruce Hornsby, Billy Joel, etc... But David Bowie?? Really? And after some more YouTubing I'm sold...

But this project is about more than sounds, techniques, arrangements of notes, inflections, and, as it turns out, even more than lyrics. There has been an interest and outpouring of goodwill that I didn't really expect. Cindy, the wife I do not deserve and who deserves so very much better than me, thinks maybe it's because some people see me using a hitherto neglected talent (or at least unused for the past decade or so...) and are happy to encourage me. But I have to believe there is more at work here than anything so "me-centric."

No, what I'm finding is that while the song lyrics are striking an emotional-spiritual chord, the real magic lies in generating relationships. Some relationships are being re-invested, others are being re-discovered, and still others are being discovered for the first time. How cool is that? I mean, here's this highly introverted guy who thought he was perfectly happy and content to be relatively alone...and then relationships start to build and all I can think about is, "wow...here are all these people willing to help me...I wonder how I can ever help them?"

Then it strikes me all over again (from conversations twenty years passed), "life is about relationships." The other day Myles, our 8-year old, and I were driving into town and talking about sharing with those in need. Some people have needs that only others can fill, and for those others their great need is to help fill the needs... The result is proof of life.

I'm not sure yet where I fit into all this, whether I'm in need or filling needs - but I do know that I am enjoying the journey this project is taking me on. I'm enjoying finding that my journey is resonating with others and that others are willing to share their journey with me. It's almost like what I imagine it must have been like to sing ascension songs on the way to Jerusalem or field songs in the 1840's deep South. Sometimes depressing, sometimes exulting, always pressing on to some better destination - but not sacrificing taking in this moment with friends and family.

Thank you for sharing the journey thus far. I'll be posting some more lyrics from the album soon and hope the themes and thoughts are worth your comments.

Why Porter Ain't Here

Whether it's a local physician, educational leader, political figure, or religious guard, "what happens socially when leaders lose their bearing?"

Lyrics: Jeff Kreh

He was a doctor who liked to drink too much coffee

among other things, he also liked his bourbon and beer

didn't mind performing surgery while intoxicated

which was fine 'til someone died and he got twenty years

That's why Porter ain't here

That's why Porter ain't here

That's why Porter ain't here

Anymore

Another doctor 'round the same time with that small Southern-town logic

rallied with his brothers, grabbed the white sheets and headed for the sticks

burned the very symbol of the god he worshiped every Sunday

and I heard that he got sick

yeah, I heard God made him very sick

Chorus

There was another many years ago with no such problems

did His job in ways for free, Science just still can't explain

but around the time these Porters were performing their injustice

they took this guy out of schools

and since then it's been insane

Chorus

Nothing Again

Begins from the beginning of my spiritually aware journey, wondering, "if nothing comes from nothing, how can this existence just turn into nothing at the end?"

Lyrics: Jeff Kreh

When I was six or seven

I learned to play with Plato

read all those stories and looked deep in the mine

Then older, maybe many

many “olders” later

I turned around to leave, surprised at what I could not find

And I, who once believed in nothing

tried to comprehend

all this melting down

into sum nothing again

When I look on my TV

it's not the way life should be

it's not the mother who feels like she'd like to lose her child

It's wild and over-happy

but not the kind that's sappy

it's real, oh so real

it's real, oh so real

Chorus

So I sit all contemplative

if real then why the waiting

why not just come and show us right where you are

Look around at all this sorrow

no childhood joy to borrow

dressed up and messed up and crawling cross the floor

Chorus

Under the Sun (Ecc. iv.1-2)

Look through the Preacher's glasses to ask, "why is it 'okay' that there are oppressed children in this world who have no one to comfort them?"

Lyrics: King Solomon (adapted from the ESV)



Again I saw
all
the oppressions
done
under the sun

And behold
the tears
of the oppressed

Little children have
no one
no one
no one to comfort them

Song Titles (a teaser)

I mentioned in my last post that I was rediscovering Bob Marley and the Wailers for the first time again... The saturation certainly worked to help out with a new song! "Under the Sun" is too quirky-cool to be anything but the first cut. Instead of go on and on about how fun it is to take the "Paul McCartney Approach" of pretending to be another person and then try to write in their style, I'll launch into the track list and offer a brief question that the lyrics raise in my mind:

1. Under the Sun (Ecc. iv.1-2): a look through the Preacher's glasses to ask, "why is it 'okay' that there are oppressed children in this world who have no one to comfort them?"
2. Nothing Again: begins from the beginning of my spiritually aware journey, wondering, "if nothing comes from nothing, how can this existence just turn into nothing at the end?"
3. Why Porter Ain't Here: whether it's a local physician, educational leader, political figure, or religious guard, "what happens socially when leaders lose their bearing?"
4. Ishmael: holding my 4-month old son the day the towers came down, I couldn't help but ponder, "just how far back is our present geopolitical upheaval rooted?"
5. Hear: in marriage, as with any other relationship, when we can no longer agree to get along, "how can we begin to be 'we' again?"
6. To Any Looking In: it's a bit arrogant to assume the world notices religious efforts, so to be fair, "if (not when) the world thinks 'church', what does it see?"
7. I See You: "what does Jesus look like from our time/space distance to one who desperately wants to believe?"
8. Remote Control: when those in charge just keep holding their hands on either side of your face, forcing you to look into their eyes, and continually repeat, 'everything's fine, it's all okay, everything's fine...relax, trust me...' despite your most rational protest, "what then??"
9. Anymore: in a consumer-driven society oblivious to being played for profit, "how much is enough? What is enough?"
10. Lift the Veil (2 Cor 3): "if I'm spiritually blind to what I'm spiritually blind to, then how can I ever hope to see without a little help from a sight-enabling friend?"
11. Born to Die: I believe He was 'Born to Die', soooo, "why keep that story silent?"
12. My Beloved and Me: "what does sharing the story of eternal love look like in 21st century culture?"
13. The Land of Endless Day: an invitation which simply asks, "why in the world would you wait when the world offers nothing at all?"

I'll be posting the lyrics to these songs very shortly (and the final order is far from settled...). Please make comments to those which somehow connect with you and do me the honor of letting me know how or why. Also, be critical!! Lacking omniscience, I can use all the perspective you have to offer...

My hope is that "least" will help people who question the "right" answers they've been handed through life as they keep looking for The Answer. Thanks for participating.

-jdk

a little update

Spent the weekend gathering materials for pre-production. Here's the basic way I approach the production process:

1. Pull together lyrics
2. Record a rough-draft of the lead vocal and primary instrument
3. Determine musical influences already present in the song
4. Envision other influences that will compliment the song
5. Lay down the pre-production tracks in the decided key and tempo
6. Slice up the song and rearrange it to make the song either flow better or become disjointed as needed
7. Settle on the desired instrumental, chordal, and rhythmic textures
8. Record, record, record
9. Edit, edit, edit
10. Mix all along the way (allowing time between hearings to refresh my ears)

I've budgeted 100 hours in the studio for this project and have already spent 12 of those getting about half the songs to stage 7 and the other half to stage 4. Around 30 hours into the production process I hope to have all the songs to stage 7 and begin gathering the textures for layering the final sound. The 50 hours between pre-production and post-production (editing and mixing) involve a lot of playing around to experiment with sounds and arrangements.

One "new" influence for me is Bob Marley. Tim has tried for years to get me to listen to the guy's tracks. I finally check him out and can truly say that his recipe for sound is tasty... The bassist's sound is especially intriguing (as is his brother's drum sound). A tricky thing in production is to make the low-end clean enough to allow for a driving rhythm, yet open enough to allow the other parts to be heard with clarity. The Wailers were simply amazing at this, both in the studio and live, from what I can tell.

So, part of the process of designing this project is to surround the lyrics with a sound that invites listeners to listen. There's a lot of good sound out there with spiritually distracting lyrics. I'm glad Henig and I have spent some time studying up on The Beatles and other groups over the years. Glenn Miller may even end up influencing the sound (what an arranger!!). But in the end, this project will be about the lyrics and melodies. All the innovative chordal, rhythmic, and ear-candy tricks in the world won't make up for a deficiency in message.

I'll be posting the list of songs, if the Lord wills, later this week and rolling out lyrics for reviewers to start picking apart. One challenge is that I'm leaving room for at least one completely brand new song to come forth out of the wilderness that is this mind. It's a bit thorny and dry in here these days. However, the refreshing smell of the coming rain swings sweetly in the breeze...