nothing I love more than a new guitar

ok, so I have this Taylor acoustic dreadnought. it’s a wonderful guitar, I’ve written every song in the last 10 years on it, and I love everything about it except the fact that, 25 years ago, I dislocated my shoulder four or five times and since then my damn right arm goes to sleep under stress. what does that have to do with my guitar? good question.

dreadnoughts are designed for volume and fat low end. they’re also very thick and a lot to wrap your arms around. that’s not a problem for a guy like me who likes a nice, thick, rosewood body. but I was playing my buddy’s Martin 000 last month and I realized that — shock! — my right arm wasn’t going to sleep. I wasn’t getting that tingle in my fingers (not a good tingle) I get from playing the Taylor.

so now I am determined to get me a nice, thin, 000- or 0000- style acoustic to play to give my old shoulder a rest. can I find one that can replace the fatness of my Taylor? will I have to sell my Taylor to afford it? would anyone be interested in buying the Taylor if I did?

next generation

so, I got this email last month. I’m kind of an irresponsible ass about emails in that I read them, appreciate them, flag them for later, and then mostly never reply. so, you know, sorry about that. please know that you are read and appreciated.

meanwhile, I got this email, which was cool:

“Paul I first became a diehard Black Lab fan when a friend showed me Your Body Above Me. It completely blew me away and I’ve been following Black Lab ever since. I am a lead singer in a St Louis band that is doing really well and I consider you to be one of several huge influences on my singing style. I combine influences from Smashing Pumpkins, Black Lab, and Our Lady Peace. I would love to get you to listen to my singing because you are one of my masters. You can listen to us at

www.Facebook.com/the45rocks

I know you probably get this all the time but it would mean a lot to me.

Thank you
Dj Lynn”

of course, nothing is more flattering to a musician than being referred to as an influence, but what I like about this is:

1.  that the band is good. The 45 is smoking, with great sounding demos combining garage and metal and melodic alternative stylings. great guitar playing, btw.

2.  that Dj sounds nothing like me. somehow this is much more gratifying (and less weird) than someone copying me.

3.  that he wanted me to actually hear their stuff. I would never want someone I admired to hear my stuff, which is probably one of the reasons I’m not a huge rock star.

anyway, I remember this night my friend who worked at universal took me to see a blue october show, and after the (surprisingly brilliant) show he introduced me to Justin, the singer, who instead of shaking my hand got down on his knees on the floor of the LA club, crying “I am not worthy, I am not worthy.” turns out they’re fans.

it was cool not because he bowed to me (probably a universally freaky experience) but because I recognized that black lab has had an impact, not just on our listeners and fans, but on other musicians. I don’t think I had recognized that before, and since then I’ve kept my eye out. it’s always the best compliment when a musician — someone at a studio or music store or club or online — recognizes black lab as an influence or something they appreciate.

so thanks, Dj, and good luck with the 45!

paul

free mp3 of the month for august: ‘listening’

as you can see, we’re trying to get back on the horse in terms of offering a free mp3 every month. this month’s track is a demo, a song that never made it too far in the running for Two Strangers, but has got some things going for it. it’s a typical one-nighter demo of mine, exhibiting all the standard traits of its ilk:  sketch drums, lazy strings instead of bass & electric guitar, crap piano & acoustic playing, a very tired voice due to hours of singing to get the lyrics in the ballpark, and a few lyrics that are well out of the ballpark (and not in a good way).

but there are some things I like about it; lyrics (“all we have is attention,” “you swear like a sailor,” and the one I’m most ambivalent about: “we’re like paper airplanes, we get thrown through the air.” is it excellence to use the word “air” twice in two lines or horrible hackage? dunno but I like the concept. I tried “thrown through the room” but it didn’t sound right. I also like the harmonies in the bridge and the cracked sound of my voice in the breakdown chorus. oh, and those pizzacato violins in the 2nd half of the verses are sweet.

I think with a proper drummer, bass player, string arrangement, piano player, vocal take and a bit of lyric refinement it could be something. but it’s also kinda nice in this form, too, don’t you think?

p

black lab on Franklin & Bash this wednesday

hey all,

in our attempt to make a living and keep making music, as well as get the word out, our streak of luck continues: ‘good’ from our album Passion Leaves a Trace, will be featured on TNT’s Franklin & Bash, this wednesday at 9/8c. check it out if you get a chance.

meanwhile Andy and I are hard at work in Venice. here’s Andy taking a Stella break in the lounge.

here’s lyrics: so tonight’s your big night and someone’s here to meet. when you hit that spotlight let the world rise up to greet you. we’re gonna take their heads you’re gonna turn them sideways. gonna take their heads gonna hit that highway. cause it’s not enough to feel without feeling good yeah it’s good good good come on baby come on. yeah it’s all good good well dress yourself right and no one here can beat you. be that satellite. let the world rise up to meet you, yeah. cause it’s not enough to feel without feeling good. it’s all I want. yeah it’s all I need.

stray palace rocks honda’s world

in celebration of The Diamond EP, the new Stray Palace joint, here’s something I meant to post before and forgot. recently, Honda approached us about doing a modern version of the Cole Porter standard, ‘Night and Day,’ for their new CRZ Hybrid campaign.

Deej jumped right on it and the results are pretty cool, I think, so check it out. and if you haven’t had a chance, scoot on over to iTunes and preview the new EP. I believe you’ll like. (alas, it won’t be available in cd-quality format on the site, but iTunes plus isn’t bad these days).

meanwhile, I’m headed to LA for a brief bit of arrangement with Andy for the new black lab album. hopefully we’ll have something new for you this year. but, well, you know, it’s us. so I wouldn’t hold your breath…

(thanks for all your patience)

p