CD LINER NOTES
including credits, technical data, apologies, and true confessions
ON THIS PAGE:
WAYFARING STRANGER (2006) CD liner notes (below)
I THINK OF HOME (2003) CD liner notes (scroll down)
WAYFARING STRANGER
2006
WAYFARING STRANGER at APPLE MUSIC
WHITEWATER (2:11)
Guitar instrumental in drop D tuning : Don't ask me to play this. I sat down one day during the winter and recorded these guitar tracks. Never played it before or since.
BIG GENE (4:28)
The subject matter is drawn from my youth and is totally fictional but 100% accurate. As a kid, my friends and I would walk to the general store along the road or the railroad tracks, often picking up empty pop bottles for the deposit in order to have enough money to buy a soda pop. On these exceedingly hot and humid days the most inviting for me was always the orange and grape Nehi favors. Ice cold, of course. Then we would walk home and get hot and thirsty again. Thanks to Steve Bodner (engineer) who was able to fix a musical "train wreck" in the transition to the blues section . Dan: guitars, bass, vocal
Colleen Grogan: drums/percussion
Ethan Cunningham: voice on end of song
GET OUT (2:56)
A "tribute" to the worthless husband. This was originally much more cynical, but Jenny Wilson (of the Jenny Wilson Trio) added such a positive spin to it just by adding her vocal part. The end "rap" was totally spontaneous on her part.
Dan: guitars, bass, vocal
Jenny Wilson: chorus vocal, "rap" on the outro
Mark Capellinni: drums
Colleen Grogan: percussion
NELSONVILLE 1970 (3:20)
This one started out as a song about Nelsonville Ohio and went horribly awry....but I liked it well enough to keep it. I kept thinking about different folks I have known who are always good for a tall tale, a wild conspiracy theory, or maybe a unending stream of complaints about everything; so I rolled them all into one song. Oh yes, and Elvis...can't forget the king! I had Mark Cappelini play drums in my exceedingly small studio (the Boom Closet) to a scratch track. Just before we started recording I decided the track was too slow, so we sped up the track artificially and Mark played with that. Then I went back and re -recorded everything else at a higher speed. I had to record the drum track to a tape based ADAT and back to the HD ADAT: the machines kept trying to correct the speed and drove mecrazy.
Dan: guitars, bass, vocal
Mark Cappelinni: drums
HAVE I BEEN AWAY TOO LONG? (3:05)
This was originally an instrumental called "Day Off". One day I was home sick and started playing the "hook" guitar lick in this song. I set up the recording equipment before I forgot it and recorded the basic track. Before I recorded any melody guitars I realized it should have lyrics and with some savage text editing of some song lyrics I had started, they fit. A little Midwestern love song, or maybe a "you can't go home again" song. Or maybe a "yes you can go home again even though things look pretty grim at first" type-song.
Dan: guitars, bass, vocal
Colleen Grogan: percussion
BATTLE CRY OF FREEDOM (1:46)
I had heard this tune many times, but it got stuck in my mind after seeing that Ken Burns Civil War documentary a few hundred times. A short instrumental guitar solo on my Alvarez Steel string with drop D tuning.
THE JUDGMENT OF JOHN BROWN (4:21)
In some accounts you read, Brown is a hero, a martyr - other accounts paint him as a bloodthirsty madman. I was thinking of the difficulty in judging the acts of John Brown at Harper's Ferry for his contemporaries; and in a larger perspective , how difficult it is to have perspective on any cataclysmic event for those who witness it. And yet the chain of events it started may continue for years and years in it's wake.
Dan: guitars, upright bass, cello, vocal
Colleen Grogan: drums/percussion
MOONMAN CARAVAN (5:01)
Light hearted; kind of a kid's song. No particular logic was applied to the lyrics. I think I had the child’s poem about Winkin, Blinkin and Nod in the back of my mind. Guitars, vocal, bass by Dan - drums:
Dan: guitars, bass, vocal
Coleen Grogan: drums
Curtis Johnson: clarinet
CHASING CLOWNS (1:52)
I had this crazy chord and picking progression in my head and then added a melody line with guitar and wordless singing.
ALL OVER TOWN (3:41)
The delusional “I’ll make it big someday” time waster's anthem. Curtis nailed the saxophone part on the second take. Probably the "rocking-est" song I ever wrote. It will probably remain so.
Dan: guitars, bass, vocal
Colleen Grogan: drums,/percussion
Curtis Johnson : saxophone
Dan McCollum: keyboard, percussion
TUCKER’S POINT (5:46)
We can't help but yearn for human companionship, no matter how we try to isolate ourselves. I was "dying" of the flu when I did the vocal, particularly the first verse. Originally I planned to do it over. Steve was able to do some magic and save it. I had Nathan Wilson (Tupelo Honey) do two takes of the bass part; one my way and the other anyway he pleased. His was much better.
Dan: guitars, vocal
Dan McCollum: keyboard, percussion
Nathan Wilson: fretless bass
WAYFARING STRANGER INTRO (:47)
My wife Julie played the celtic harp
WAYFARING STRANGER (3:44)
A traditional Appalachian song. I sing this song often in live performance situation. Despite that, the first set of vocal takes I did were not very good. I later replaced them, but had to work extra hard at this for some reason.
Dan: guitars, vocal, cello
Colleen Grogan: percussion
See a simple version on YouTube - WAYFARING STRANGER VIDEO
PIPER’S CALL (3:56)
My passive aggressive, mellow, non-conformist anthem. I did the guitars, cello "choir", and string bass.
SONGWRITER BLUES (3:15)
A tune about the constraints/formula for commercial songwriting. For better or worse, each new song is an experiment for me. Guitar,vocal by Dan C, the "fan" was Ethan Cunningham. Patrons at the Black Bear, Morgantown WV provided the background noise. Lack of space on the CD insert forced me to leave out the lyrics to SONGWRITER BLUES. Here they are:
We want you to write us a song
Make it real good, but not too long
If you sing and take your time, you may get the gong
Write about the trials of puppy love
It's teen angst I'm thinking of
A sad song and a lost love , they really love that stuff
Make it just like what we've heard before
Crank up the sound, and let it roar It ain't no good unless the beat, it shakes the floor
Make that chorus repeat a lot
Don't leave us too deep in thought
Don't want no one distraught thinking whole lot more than they ought
When you run out of words
You can whistle like a bird (absurd)
Or better yet, just make up some sounds
No dumb word are out of bounds
But make sure it rhymes...coffee grounds
©2006 Dan Cunningham
MOONMAN CARAVAN reprise (1:05)
Solo on my Alvarez steel string guitar. I intended to do this slower and more thoughtfully, but I must have had some Irish Breakfast tea (or something else highly caffeinated) to drink I guess.
This CD was recorded in Morgantown WV at the BOOM CLOSET
The CD was mixed and mastered at Soundfield Recording Studios in New Concord OH - Engineer: Steve Bodner
I THINK OF HOME
2003
I THINK OF HOME at APPLE MUSIC
TAKE YOUR TIME
We live busy lives, and unfortunately, we miss a lot of the precious things in life as we motor along. In this song,
an assortment of artists,nature lovers, and tourists enjoy the waterfall on their own terms. Even the narrator's dog,
Skipper, shares the fun. - The first thing I recorded was a scratch electronic drum track as a reference and mood
enhancer for everything else. I planned to wipe it before mixing, but it seemed to fit.
PLANT A GARDEN
What do we hope to accomplish with our fleeting days? A few thoughts. Here, and other places on the CD,
the influence of Robert Louis Stevenson's writing slips in. I was thinking of A CHILD'S GARDEN OF VERSE
on this song: "The world is so full of a number of things, I'm sure we should all be so happy as kings."
ACROSS THE SUMMER'S FLOWERED FIELDS
Instrumental with my wife Julie on the harp (that's me on the cello) with the feel of those warm and humid
summer days with a trace of haze looking out across the uncultivated fields populated with wildflowers,
tall grasses, and yes, even milkweed.
SECLUDED POOLING STREAM
Inspired by the memory a particular swimming hole shielded by trees in the woods. Fed by a small waterfall
and lined with mossy rocks, it was a secluded world apart. This was the second half of track 3 in earlier
versions.
THE WIND IS UP
This tune won me an Honorable Mention in the BILLBOARD SONG CONTEST.
It's my "angry young man of the 60's" style song. We can find ourselves unable to accept change
because of an unbending mind set. Not a good thing when the impetus comes from on high.
Mike Furbee provided the fiddle and I added a simple bass part on the upright.
BEACH BABES
I have always been fascinated by the Bosa Nova, and was eager to do a song in that style.
The storyline in my song is far removed from sunny beaches of Brazil. Years ago I had a colleague
who owned an International Scout (4wd vehicle) and insisted constantly that I should buy one too.
It was tempting; he was able to transverse the snowy New York landscape with ease while I often
struggled with my 1966 Rambler. My hesitation was caused by this; his vehicle was often broken down
or in need of costly repairs, but the Rambler motored on. At a business breakfast one day I noticed
that he was driving a rear wheel drive Ford sedan. He told me that the Ford was a much better idea
as the Scout broke down too often and cost too much to repair. You see, misery needs company, that is,
you will find folks who want you to do what they are doing because they are doing it. But they may quit
doing it an any moment...except if you do it WITH them, they may keep doing it even if they wouldn't
had you not done it with them. OK? Make sense? Believe it or not that was the original inspiration
for the storyline and lyrcs. The main story ended up being the guy who wants to improve his life
by moving, but lives just the same in a radically different environment,... and is just as happy.
Incidentally... there are no beach babes in this story. Colleen Grogan played the drums and percussion,
Dan McCollum added the keyboard parts. I take the blame for everything else.
BEACH TAG
Beach babes ended up being a long song; almost 5 minutes. I hacked off about a minute
and used the altered scheme for this instrumental
DEEP FOREST JOURNEY
If you have ever walked alone alone in the wild (those deeply wooded places far from civilization
where men rarely tread) you may have had the hair stand up on your neck and even heard little
voices that say, "You shouldn't be here!" Guitar, cello, and string bass are the instruments.
This tune was a semi-finalist in the Song Of The Month Contest.
Sheet music for solo guitar version of this tune available for free download HERE
BOTTOMLAND
A narrative description of the flat lowlands along the Ohio River on a muggy day. The whole scene
is before us, the commanding view from our high porch is unequaled. The song is like a grown-up
version of Robert Louis Stevenson's "Land Of Counterpane. Keyboard parts by Dan McCollum
DRAW ME OUT
I always think of Garrison Keiller's ad for Buttermilk Biscuits ("..they give shy people the courage to
get out and do what needs to be done...") A prayer for the motivationally challenged.
I THINK OF HOME
A Scottish style instrumental. I was thinking of those who had gone to sea or were otherwise far afield
and feel a longing for home. I planned for the fiddle (played by Mike Furbee) to be prominent in
this song, but I could not find some of tracks when we did our mixing session at Sweetsong.
One of the downfalls of being your own recording engineer.
PORCH BLUES
An introduction to HEAR MY CRY, I meant to call this "Blues Lesson", but forgot until after the CD
artwork was finalized. This is dad giving his (disinterested) son a lesson in the blues on the
front porch while neighborhood life goes on around them. The father (Trevor Nicholas) and son
(Nicholas Brown) parts were recorded separately, so the people behind the voices have never met.
In case you must know, here is the script for the radio announcer heard in the background:
Over in Mellonburg this past weekend the local folks gathered for the annual
"Running of the Pigs". As always the weekend begins with the ceremonial
gathering call----- Suuuueee! (hog call). Doesn't quite have the same
effect as "Gentlemen, start your engines", now does it? In another
activities at the annual event, the pig meal featured ham, bacon,
pickled pigs feet, with pork rinds on the side. For the children,
prizes were awards in the ceremonial and highly competitive pig lips
pull. As always, the crowning of Miss Piggy causing the crowd to squeal
with delight. And now we begin this half hour with a little tune by
Danny and the Fanny Flippers.....Hear My Cry. Nothing to do with pigs,
by the way.
HEAR MY CRY
I did a back-up track and demo of this song a few years back for Aldrea Reese-Brown,
who wrote it. It was so much fun, I asked her permission to do my own version.
Colleen Grogan on drums - Dan McCollum on keyboard.
BREEZE AT EVENTIDE
A quiet and unhurried evening gives us time to reflect. A time to unwind and meditate.
That's Julie (Cunningham) on the harp.
WINDBLOWN
Originally the introduction for So Glad, it develop into a longer piece of its own. I once saw a short
television interview with a black gentleman who wandered the country looking for work during the
Great Depression. His description of walking the rural plains thru the night waiting for a car to pass
and not a light in sight was enough to start this tune in my head. In recalling the painful loneliness of
that time long ago, he wept. Thanks to Curtis Johnson for the clarinet.
SO GLAD
A hitchhiking song. For a short period of my life I did some traveling via the thumb.
It was enough for me to get a feel for what it's like for those that have traveled long distances with
meager resources. If there is a jaunty feeling of freedom during the day, it can fade as night falls
and the wind chills. After the lyrics were pretty much set, I tried experimenting with stream-of-consciousness
version, loosely based on the syllable rhythms. For what it's worth, here they are:
(think of the melody in your head)
Holy craters with moonbeam eyes - rabid beavers with hives
Blending pancakes with lizard hands - showing handguns and knives
Holding mangroves in sun white sacks - no comprhende de tat
There's conestoga wagons - there's bandelara ducats
Windswept landers showing tight-dry skin - windburnt redness and cracks
Chafing clothes, misfitting canvas shoes - rended hat and coat stained so black
Bolted waiters behold bow guys - agitated and dried
Bengali stripes and bright plaid pants-pensive, tailored and white
Wenches, waiters, and shoe shine boys - passing plates with no hands
There's a subtle code so elementary - bones, apple cores and big teeth
--I never said they made sense.
SOMEDAY I'LL VISIT SPAIN
The intended title was "Never Been to Spain", but it sounded a lot like the title of that
Hoyt Axton song made famous by Three Dog Night. That's me on classical guitar.
A QUIET WALK
There remain physical monuments to remind us of family who have passed on. We are
drawn to these decaying memorials, but they are sad all the same. I adapted the melody
and chords from Francisco Tarrega's Mazurka in G and added lyrics. The first draft for the
lyrics practically wrote itself after I settled on using Mazurka for the music.
After this song, let you CD play on for one minute in silence: an unlisted track will play.
(Instrumental version of SO GLAD)
TECH NOTES for I THINK OF HOME
instruments used:
1974 Alvarez C125 KazuoYairi classical guitar
Yamaha CD150CA classical guitar
Alvarez 5220 steel string guitar
1960 Fender Precision bass
Yamaha RBX260 bass
Kay acoustic upright bass (1950's)
John Juzek cello (Hungary 1969)
German-made cello (unlabeled, early 1900's)
Ensoniq ZR-76 keyboard
Roland V electronic drums
Yamaha PSR-320 keyboard (drums on track 1)
The first basic tracks were recorded at Songs From The Garden (Marcia Clark - engineer)
recording studio in Morgantown WV in early 2002. The basic tracks for tracks 2,8,9,15, and 19
were classical guitar recorded with an AKG 414 microphone. The basic tracks for Beach Babes,
Beach Tag, and Hear My Cry were drum tracks using the Roland V electronic drums.
Colleen played while I sang and played in her ear. Marcia Clark was the engineer.
Keyboard overdubs by Dan McCollum on the Ensoniq were done in early 2003 on
tracks 1,5,6,7, 9, 10, 11, 13, and 16. The fiddle overdubs for The Wind Is Up and I Think Of Home
were also done at Marcia's Studio. Equipment used: AKG C414 condenser mic, VLA Pro
mic preamp, Mackie 32X8X2 recording console, Alesis ADATs.
The remaining basics, and most of the subsequent overdubs were recorded in my son Jesse's bedroom,
which he vacated last year. Most guitar overdubs, cello, bass, and the clarinet parts by Curtis Johnson
were done there. Equipment used: Rode NT1 condenser microphone, Audio-Technica PRO 35x
condenser microphone, Art Tube MP Studio V3 mic preamp, Alesis LX20 ADAT, Mackie 1202-VLZ pro Mixer.
A preliminary digital edit on I Think Of Home (the song) was done by Bob Shank (Otter Slide Studio)
in Morgantown using Pro Tools.
Mixing/Mastering was done at Sweetsong Productions in Parkersburg WV by Steve Bodner.
We fed the tracks from ADAT tape into Pro Tools in Aug-Sep of 2003 and worked from there.