Embedded Files
On Oct 8 of 2010 James Luna performed at the Meas Art Center, and had as guests the Surf Guitar Villains.
I had never met James Luna until he was introduced to me by our new guitar player/vocalist David. David knew him from back in school, so he said. I don’t keep up with the art world, so I did not realize that in certain circles James is a big thing, the real deal. Ignorance is not only bliss, but it keeps you honest at times - that way you are who you are.
For those of you that just don’t know – http://www.jamesluna.com
In late 2010 we had James over to watch the band play at SER Sondworks in Chandler, at the invitation of David. We were practicing. James and his cousin came in, and we ran through a few bits we were working out with the new band line-up. James liked the groove. We were in for a show at the Mesa Art Center.
Let me tell a bit more about David. David grew up in Southern California, and was a real surfer dude. Real surfer dudes are a subculture all their own. David is not just a surfer – he is a licensed surf instructor. David was in college for a few years in California, and had James as his friend and college roomie. James started to pass some Indian knowledge to David, and then moved on to bigger and better. You see David was a kid of the suburbs of normal white bread America. James was from the Rez. After James left David had a 20 year self discovery odyssey, which had David move out to the wilds or Arizona to find his indigenous self. A far piece from the surf, friends. I will let David fill out the rest of this story later.
When the Villains played with James live – and you needed to be there – it was just right. We are talking peanut butter and chocolate right. Grinning from ear to ear right. Hot dog and a beer at a baseball game right. Right on right.
And then the best thing happened. The recorder at the back of the room just failed. So that experience was not captured. Not at the back of the room with spread microphone.
So we set up to record early in Jan 2011. And on Jan 7th we practiced, and on the 8th we laid down the tracks. We ran through everything twice – but we caught each performance real time, all in the same room, me three feet from James, watching him like a preacher as the band director of the congregation of Luna, and let things unfold.
SER Soundworks provided the multi-channel masters to Jerrod, and myself and we worked on them until I had my shoulder worked on. Listening to the masters there were things I wanted that could not be done on Jan 8th. Like having mandolin So while I was in a sling at home I worked on learning and playing mandolin, and added some to Tap It Down. Proper surf guitar was added – because Pacific Coast Highway was ultimately a surf anthem.
What came out was a Technicolor sound scape, not an audio peephole in the fence to watch the stories to unfold through.
So enjoy – this was a labor of love.
.Some feedback:
" ...These three songs unfold before your eyes and ears in unimaginable ways. I sat and listened, determined to hear all of the lyrics, only to find myself getting lost in the music, then I’d listen to the words again ... and so it went, back and forth, hearing more, seeing more, understanding more, smiling with a sense of satisfaction and a pleasure like I’ve seldom experienced. When Three Stories was laid down, a mark in art and musical history was noted. I’m just pleased I was one of the first to hear these tracks, and in the same breath, I so wish that I’d been there to hear the actual notes within that tiny space of ether, as they left the instruments, and before they were captured by the recording equipment. I told James that his words gave me delightful shivers, and to Billiam that I get it, and I’m sure others will as well. Three Stories is truly a magical mystery tour, disguised as fine swirling layered lyrical hypnotic rock, backed with surf washes that totally engulf you. People are going to discover this body of work in the future and wonder how they’d missed it ... but that’s not important, the important thing is that people will eventually find their way to [i]Three Stories[/i] and be delightfully captivated.
Sit back, kick off your shoes, let your toes wonder in the warm sand, feel the sun on your face, and tap it down ..."
"Reminded me of Van Morrison's "Hymns To The Silence" CD... memorable "loose/tight" performance and spoken/storytelling lyrics ("On Hynford Street" and "Pagan Dreams" I think are names of two of the Van Morrison cuts).James Luna has a great voice. Excellent story teller. "
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