Good In Black

Following last Friday's rehearsal, we had all walked away with a firm grasp of eleven original Rayburn songs that are headed towards the record. A twelfth song, "Just Another Reason" is being placed on the back burner leaving us one song shy of the magic number for an album, and three songs shy of what we at least want to try in the studio. So, it was explained to me that if there were any new songs to be brought into the project... now was the time to present them. So, to the notebooks I went.

In March of this year I had begun a song with only one verse and the chorus. It had a dark feel to it, and seeing where I was headed at the time, I put the song away. Well, it was dusted off last night and finished up for consideration at the next rehearsal session. "Good In Black" marks the second new complete song from me during my mostly-inactive year of 2005.

That leaves two more songs that need to come into the picture. One old song from 1998 may be revived, while another new one may be finished up within the week. Not sure what's gonna stick, but that's why you put your heart into it. You make it stick.

Running Without Erin

An online exam for Ms. Foster prevented her from singing with us tonight at band rehearsal. Nonetheless, we managed to have a very successful night. New songs included "I've Got Time", "Wonder", "Why Won't You Fall?", and "Phases And Changes". I must say... they all came together quite nicely. After learning those, Gary requested that we launch into a full set without any breaks. I haven't put a set list together in almost a year. Made me a little giddy.

Jesse Cripps (John Frum) - electric guitar
Gary Fitch (Planet Roy, Running Erin, Skillet Lickers) - electric guitar
D.J. Jones (Planet Roy, the Spurs) - bass guitar
Dave Rayburn (Buddy, Garage Salesmen) - vocals
Miguel Zuleta (Planet Roy, Shattered Glass) - drums

Songs (in "set list" order):
"I've Got Time" (Rayburn) - This one was a no-brainer. It had been in Roy's set for some time already.
"Wonder" (Rayburn) - Sounding a little different than my solo acoustic rendition... I need to work on my Bono falsetto a bit.
"In Peace (Dogstar)" (Rayburn) - A tiny transitional adjustment was made. Otherwise, it works.
"Outside" (Rayburn) - Solid! Just solid!
"Awake" (Rayburn) - As soon as we got Miguel off the Motown train, it began to take better shape. A little more time and this will gel.
"Set Me Free" (Rayburn) - Despite experiencing "Take #52" syndrome (see me for definition), this one felt great. Erin, come back soon!
"Why Won't You Fall?" (Rayburn) - This will be the song that will have people reaching for their lighters. Still finding it's place, but it's practically there.
"Broken" (Rayburn) - Finally got a groove we're all happy with.
"Phases And Changes" (Rayburn) - The band picked this up in a couple takes. Waiting to see what changes it may take on in rehearsal. My favorite written piece.
"It's Your Turn Anyway" (Gomez/Rayburn) - This song could define the overall vibe of the record. All the elements are there. Thank you, Jesse.

We dropped "Just Another Reason" and forgot "Small Midwestern Town" somehow. Still, it felt pretty good. Another fun night bonding with my new-found musical family. Friday nights are a little less lonely and a lot more productive. Miguel... this Bud's for you!

Trying To Stay Awake

Night #2 with Planet Roy introduced several new songs into the loop. We re-rehearsed all of the songs from the previous week in order to get a better recording mix down. Those five songs feel pretty good, although we're still tweaking things around a little. As for the new songs... they were a little trickier.

Jesse Cripps (John Frum) - electric guitar
Gary Fitch (Planet Roy, Running Erin, Skillet Lickers) - electric guitar
Erin Foster (Planet Roy, Running Erin) - vocals
D.J. Jones (Planet Roy, the Spurs) - bass guitar
Dave Rayburn (Buddy, Garage Salesmen) - vocals
Miguel Zuleta (Planet Roy, Shattered Glass) - drums

Songs (in order of appearance):
"It's Your Turn Anyway" (Gomez/Rayburn) - We jumped right back into this one... pretty much where we had taken it to last week. Jesse kicks ass!
"Broken" (Rayburn) - A new one for the bunch to learn. Gary originally wanted this to be a surf-esque tune, but after a couple run-throughs, it mellowed into a nice groove. At one point, it had a nice little Jane Wiedlin "Tangled"-jangle to it. Then, it managed to grab onto a Mountain Goats "Palmcorder Yajna" feel.
"Outside" (Rayburn) - This may possibly be my current favorite song that we've been bashing around. It just rocks!
"Set Me Free" (Rayburn) - The new soft arrangement reminds me a little of Cat Stevens' "The First Cut Is The Deepest"... but I won't sell nearly as many copies. This one is starting to light up.
"Just Another Reason" (Rayburn) - Without the guys telling me that I ripped off Lynyrd Skynyrd, it was apparent that something needed to be changed. Eventually, the song pulled in a Derek & the Dominos aura (which would be perfect if I could get Bobby Whitlock to play B3 on this)!
"Small Midwestern Town" (Moore/Rayburn) - Feeling more and more like home.
"In Peace (Dogstar)" (Rayburn) - Start with some "Southern Man"... sprinkle in a little "Down By The River"... and top it with some "Mr. Soul"... and you've got the picture.
"Awake" (Rayburn) - This one started out very pretty... and then the accusation started flying that we were mocking Smokey Robinson's "Tracks Of My Tears". It was at that point (after several more Motown-ish attempts) that we opted to wrap things up for the night.

Good times. More songs in the cannon. And, a relentless display of Miguel's talking Napoleon Dynamite doll. Thank you Miguel for hosting another fine session! One of these days we'll take you to get your pancakes at Norm's at two in the morning! Vote for Pedro.

Just For A Goof

It's been over two years since we last crossed paths... and he hasn't changed one bit. My good friend Robert Seeley (co-founding member of Goof, one of my first bands) drove all the way out from Brentwood to pay me a visit in the O.C. tonight. We caught each other up on things we had been up to, and concluded with a "listening party" (if you will) of my latest band recordings with Planet Roy.

For those not familiar, Robert was there with me near the beginning as I was still learning the basics of guitar. It was at that time that I began to play with other eager, like-minded amateur musicians that I worked with. A band was formed, and served as a fun after-hours forum for us to pretend to live out our rock and roll dreams. I hadn't written anything at that time, so our material pretty much stuck to covers of songs frequenting the K-EARTH spot on the dial. Side note: Planet Roy leader Gary Fitch joined Goof for several sessions in the very late 1980's.

As our evening visit was winding down, Robert shared a funny story about a Buddy baseball cap that Caroline Gomez and I gave to him the last time we saw him. He wore it to a Disney theme park where, on a wild water ride, the hat flew off and was thought lost forever. A check at the park's lost and found turned up nothing, yet, a few weeks later the hat arrived in the mail (someone had found it)! Well, due to the chlorine in the water, the hat was a little washed out from it's original black, and now looked like a vintage tour item. The celebration was short lived as the hat was later mistakenly left in a U-Haul moving truck... and more than likely left the state without saying goodbye. Kinda reminds me of those people that chase the circulation of numbered currency just to see where it's been. Hat... we will miss you.

Rehearsing Outside

Album rehearsal sessions kicked into high gear tonight just across town in Anaheim. As part of Gary Fitch's grandiose plan to put together my record... Planet Roy was gathered as the house band to try out some of my tunes in a live, electric environment. Unmixed live demo recordings were made for reviewing purposes and for posterity.

Jesse Cripps (John Frum) - electric guitar
Gary Fitch (Planet Roy, Running Erin, Skillet Lickers) - electric guitar
Erin Foster (Planet Roy, Running Erin) - vocals
D.J. Jones (Planet Roy, the Spurs) - bass guitar
Dave Rayburn (Buddy, Garage Salesmen) - vocals
Miguel Zuleta (Planet Roy, Shattered Glass) - drums

Songs (in order of appearance):
"It's Your Turn Anyway" (Gomez/Rayburn) - This one feels REAL good. Jesse's got a riff in there that simply wrenches this song of every last tear.
"Outside" (Rayburn) - My newest song, and possibly my most power-pop-ish effort. Sounds like the Beach Boys if they would have played at CBGB's.
"Set Me Free" (Rayburn) - Again, Jesse lends a nice aural mood to this slightly slower arrangement.
"Small Midwestern Town" (Moore/Rayburn) - Given a new modern intro, this old standard still rocks! Road-tested by the Roy for some time now.
"In Peace (Dogstar)" (Rayburn) - Everyone in the room seemed to have a "dog-gone" story, so it was nice to see them all reach for the Neil Young within themselves to flesh this one out a bit more. In addition, newly added lyrics composed last month made their debut tonight.

Considering the kind of week I've had... the photo above says it all. Thanks a lot Gary for placing me in the spotlight and handing me Corona after Corona. I'm glad everyone had a blast. The songs sound great, and the comradery felt geniune. Let's do it again next Friday!