EARLY SUMMER
…in which we finish up two albums of stuff and play a couple of gigs
After physically recovering from the tour, or perhaps before, work on several projects began. We had promised our kickstarter.com fundraiser backers an unplugged CD, and we’d promised particularly generous ones a custom-made song. Most of the recording on the unplugged CD had been done before our trip.
There were a few overdubs..some guitar solos, some harmony vocals, etc. yet to do. First I had to get that done, and then mix it. It was done within a few weeks of our return. In fact we were so proud of the results that we talked about giving it a more general release. Perhaps we will.
And now on to the custom song: I had about 8 to write and record…it became a quickly made…sort of ‘album of demos’….similar maybe to that series that Pete Townshend put out called “Scoop”. But still…finishing two albums in maybe a month’s time..and right on the tail end of this tour, it *was* a busy time in the shag-carpeted wonderland of Whispermaphone Studios.
We also got a couple of live performances in: one, a show for our pals in Food Not Bombs over in Roeding Park, and our “Welcome Home Show” at Full Circle Brewery.
LATE SUMMER/ EARLY FALL
—in which I Iose my voice again and we work on getting more out-of-town gigs
I started to lose my singing voice at the beginning of August. We had another International Pop Overthrow Fest gig (in L.A.) on August 13th. It was painful. We only had to play a 25 minute set. We hedged our bets by putting in three theremin songs, and rehearsed “Everybody’s Got an Andy Story” with Leland singing the high part and me singing his lower harmony. It went o.k., but then we played a cool arrangement of the Kinks’ “Polly” that we’d worked out, and I just couldn’t do it. Luckily, the friendly crowd sang along on the ‘na na na’s’ and it wasn’t a total disaster…but it was scary. My voice was just not working.
This set off a series of doctor visits..and a series of mood swings between hope and depression. As of now (early October), the doctor says I *will* sing again. In fact, just last night (October 1st), we played in Fresno’s FUSE Festival. We did a show in which I sang several songs (though Tom Magill of Poplord sat in to cover “Virginia Woolf”, “Forestiere Gardens” and bits of “Fighting the Big Dumb Noise”). We have a gig in two weeks at a house party
in Sacramento, and then a gig up in Oakland. I’m hoping the doctor’s prescribed mix of medicine and a diet not unlike that of a cloistered monk, will get those vocal chords happy and cooperative. Any and all prayers and good wishes out there are much appreciated.