the marble tea weblog

and he keeps them pearly white

2009-06-24T12:01:00.003-04:00

MP3: Inlet (3.8 mb)

The dragon roars from the other side of the canal, startling me from this sketch about something that may or may not have happened. It certainly could have I suppose, and possibly did somewhere.

Another exercise in repetition. Another exercise in repetition. I dream of one day writing a song with no repetitive elements. A song that grows, as Virgil Thomson has said, like a plant, organically flowering from root to stem to limbs stretching toward the Sun. A natural progression that builds upon itself and then takes leave of its previous melody and rhythm.

Today is not that day. The dragon is getting closer....

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not given lightly

2009-05-26T21:49:00.003-04:00

MP3: You Can't Believe What You're Doing (4.3 mb)

I can't believe you did that!

I like phrases like that because, depending upon the situation and tone of voice, it could be either a good thing or a bad thing. Even more intriguing is when it's both a good thing and a bad thing. I wonder how often that happens....

This song began as a sort of Chris Knox knock-off, but slowly morphed away from that, though I hope to have stolen a little bit of the feel he gets in his usually sparse productions.

YOU CAN'T BELIEVE WHAT YOU'RE DOING

You can't believe what you're doing
You can't believe
[Sung 4 times]

When you watched it grow
Did you ever even know
You would learn to love it so

And you can't believe what you're doing
You can't believe
[Sung 4 times]

When you let it out
Did you ever have a doubt
You would soar above the clouds
And you do...

You're dancing like an egalitarian
You flutter like a Beatle too
Your hands are comets in darkened skies
And they're orbiting you

When you watched it die
Did you ever wonder why
You were taken by its lie

And you can't believe what you're doing
You can't believe
[Repeat & fade]

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in the merry merry month of april

2009-04-30T13:42:00.004-04:00

MP3: April May I? (2.9 mb)

Well, here's what you get when the end of the month arrives and I need to write and record a quick song. Kinda like watching grass grow, isn't it?

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shadows and tall trees

2009-03-29T14:30:00.003-04:00

MP3: U Kadamba U (4.8 mb)

Trees seem to be returning characters in my life lately (and my blog as well). I suppose that's appropriate, given the various evocations trees are capable of, and my ever-intruding quest to understand the interconnectedness of things both tiny and large.

Here's my line of thinking today (and I'm just exploring here so bear with): the way you look at something determines how it appears to you, much more so than the way it actually is. For example, trees in winter stripped of their leaves can be achingly beautiful or starkly sinister, depending on how you choose to see them or what your current state of mind is. They are what they are, but you infuse them with meaning/power/importance or whatever.

We've given trees such a wide range of roles. They can be majestic, bold, steadfast and strong. They can be threatening and sharp, leaning over you with menace. They can be grouped together as a mysterious or inviting forest; or solitary and bare, the loneliest of images. They are life and growth, they are death and decay. They are both hugged and chopped.

There's no real point to all this. I'm just trying to figure out what this month's song is about, and why I wrote it. It seems to have something to do with appearance and oneness. Would you like to help?

U KADAMBA U

You were scared of the bare trees
Because they looked like witches
Curling fingers over the road
And you feared they might grab you
So you curled in the back of the car

I was on a train to Manhattan
Wearing my suit and my tie and my hat on
Falling asleep as the cradle car rocked
And it rolled and it rocked and it rolled
I dreamed of women with beautiful leaves

Three attempts in the doorway
Because they couldn't quite figure
Out who you were
Until you showed them all your branches
And your fingers slender and long

Oh, PS: I almost forgot! All of last year's songs are now bundled into one nifty package that you can download here. That's 15 free songs, so if you missed them throughout the year now's your chance to have them all together. You can also download the previous two years of songs there absolutely free as well!

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up, up and away

2009-02-26T00:24:00.004-05:00

MP3: Transit Ford in the Fourth Dimension (3 mb)

This passage from Mere Christianity by CS Lewis, where he attempts to explain the possibility of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost as one Being, has always intrigued me. Not so much from a religious viewpoint as from a fuller understanding of the universe kind of angle:

You know that in space you can move in three ways - to left or right, backwards or forwards, up or down. Every direction is either one of these three or a compromise between them. They are called the three Dimensions. Now notice this. If you are using only one dimension, you could draw only a straight line. If you are using two; you could draw a figure: say, a square. And a square is made up of four straight lines. Now a step further. If you have three dimensions, you can then build what we call a solid body: say, a cube - a thing like a dice or a lump of sugar. And a cube is made up of six squares.

Do you see the point? A world of one dimension would be a straight line. In a two-dimensional world, you still get straight lines, but many lines make one figure. In a three-dimensional world, you still get figures but many figures make one solid body. In other words, as you advance to more real and more complicated levels, you do not leave behind you the things you found on the simpler levels: you still have them, but combined in new ways - in ways you could not imagine if you knew only the simpler levels.

Now the Christian account of God involves just the same principle. The human level is a simple and rather empty level. On the human level one person is one being, and any two persons are two separate beings - just as, in two dimensions (say on a flat sheet of paper) one square is one figure, and any two squares are two separate figures. On the Divine level you still find personalities; but up there you find them combined in new ways which we, who do not live on that level, cannot imagine. In God's dimension, so to speak, you find a being who is three Persons while remaining one Being, just as a cube is six squares while remaining one cube. Of course we cannot fully conceive a Being like that: just as, if we were so made that we perceived only two dimensions in space we could never properly imagine a cube. But we can get a sort of faint notion of it. And when we do, we are then, for the first time in our lives, getting some positive idea, however faint, of something super-personal - something more than a person. It is something we could never have guessed, and yet, once we have been told, one almost feels one ought to have been able to guess it because it fits in so well with all the things we know already.

I have a hard time stopping there, though. What about a Fifth Dimension, where Marilyn McCoo has ten eyes and five mouths? Ha, but I'm joking. But why not a 6th, 7th or 8th dimension? If the Universe truly is infinite, couldn't there be an infinite number of dimensions as well? What do you think about that?

I think it would be cool to experience those other dimensions somehow but it would probably be dangerous, if not a little unnerving. Psychedelic in every sense...and we all know we have six of those right?

Anyway, I sent Transit Ford on a mission to check it out. Here's his report:

I'm slowly coming through my skull and out my face.

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good morning (x3 + Ga)

2009-01-28T13:06:00.010-05:00

MP3: Tinkle, Winkle, Pobble & Bip (640 kb)

This month has really gotten away from me. Not that most of them don't (Time: what a concept), but as much spinning of the wheels as there's been, there's also been some forward motion. Let me tell you first about this month's song....

Tinkle, Winkle, Pobble & Bip is a 30-second theme song exercise for a children's TV show in much the same vein as The Teletubbies. Four strange little creatures with funny-sounding names getting into all kinds of psychedelic adventures - what could be better than that? Obviously it's geared toward a younger audience, but if you're feeling a little silly it might hit the spot.

Now for the latest news:

*CDs and downloads are once again available for purchase at my website, The Marble Tea Webthing (www.marbletea.com). I had to re-arrange some things due to server problems on the back-end, so individual songs aren't available anymore but you can buy the 'albums' in packages at really low prices! And of course, there's lots of free stuff there too.

*The film Megahertz, concerning the other-wordly adventures of the increasingly prophetic genius Nikola Tesla and a soul-searching female disc jockey, is nearing completion. Brought to you by Anam Cara Productions, I was thrilled to do the score for it as well as contribute a wee pop song or two. There's also some music from the indisputably talented hands of our hero, Mr. Max Eider.

*New Mystics is a gathering place for artists of all stripes, and features lots of great work from poets, writers, filmmakers, musicians, painters, etc. Their theatre company recently branched out into film-making, and I'm honored to be providing music for a series of their short films. You can check out the development of this series on their film page.

*If you have a mobile phone with internet access, rejoice! The Marble Tea Weblog is now available in a version optimized for your on-the-go lifestyle! Just point your phone's browser toward http://mippin.com/weblog and you'll be able to hear the latest tunes and read my inane ramblings wherever you may be! More info may be had from the link below (I'm just pasting in the code they provided, so we'll see):

*Finally, thanks to everyone who's expressed their sadness over the closing of the Book Bin. It's been quite a time, but Kate & I are looking forward to the future with anticipation (particularly one free from so many boxes of books creating their own corridors in the house!). We'll continue to sell online through Amazon.com and Abebooks.com, and hopefully I'll have our main site updated soon so come visit us!

That's it for now as I have to go in for an unexpected shift at my other job shortly. Stay warm until next time.....

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why pamper life's complexities

2008-12-30T20:37:00.002-05:00

MP3: 316 (4.4 mb)

When I lived off Ponce de Leon Ave in Atlanta, I used to joke that Athens was just down the street since you could basically take Ponce (and its various name changes) all the way into that feisty little college town. But then GA Hi-way 316 came along, and that changed everything.

The original version of this song appeared on the always questionable Jersey Shoreline CD, and I've wanted to re-record it ever since. I finally seized my chance last night in what started out as an innocent test to see if I could get my microphone working properly (if it didn't - and the little cylinder had been giving me trouble for some time - I only had till the last day of this month/year to get a great deal on a new one). Before I knew it, I had fallen headlong into recording this song. It still hasn't quite gotten up to snuff, but I thought I'd pass it along anyway as a final tune for 2008.

I hope you enjoy it, and that your New Year is filled with all you desire....

316

We were listening to Urban Urbane by David J

And you had the world tattooed upon your body

And heaven is a place in your head

Everything else is incidental

When night came inhibitions fell like autumn leaves

So we drove and drove and drove along the highway

And as you gave yourself to the moon

You flickered on and off in headlights

Lonely moon sends flowers to the streetlights

He sees up their skirt with his shiny shoes

They blush for a moment and then they sigh

They don't mind, because he's The Moon

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let nothing you dismay

2008-12-17T21:43:00.022-05:00

MP3: Hey! You in the Tuxedo! (4.8 mb)

Happy Holidays to you all! It's a Bubblegum Christmas so that's what you'll find when you unwrap this month's free mp3. Chewy and it goes POP!

Anyway, this time of year always reminds me of all the debutante balls thrown in my hometown, and the fun we had putting on tuxedos and getting drunk and into trouble as the chilly nights arrived. I'm sure the girls were excited for their society debuts but - sorry ladies - my crowd never paid much attention to that part of the festivities. Our first words uttered upon arriving at the galas and shaking hands in greeting were inevitably "Where's the bar?" And that, my friends, always set the tone for the evening.

Now, several months back I mentioned writing songs inspired by my father's passing, and this is actually one of those. Dad was the Master of Ceremonies for one of the finer balls in town, and I was always thrilled and proud to see him up there doing his thing. It seemed perfectly natural as he was always a ringleader and the center of focus in any crowd. As my Uncle Bryant said, "He does fill up a room."

Well I found the photo below - it appears to be from the late 50s/early 60s - and everything just kind of came together for this song.

And just to set the record straight: Yes, our cat Cosmo is quite debonair in his tuxedo too, but this song has nothing to do with him.

So there you have it, a seasonal song from my memory bank. If you're looking for a Christmas song, check out the Marble Tea rendition of Silent Night, which has been selected as this week's Song of the Week by IndepenDisc.com. Thanks, G!

I also want to congratulate my friend Dylan Kight for having his album The Nightbirds Revolt chosen as one of the Top 12 DIY albums of 2008 by Performing Songwriter magazine. Way to go, Dylan! He's an amazing talent, so go befriend him at his MySpace page, eh?

Stay warm & cool till next time!

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joy to the fishes in the deep blue sea

2008-11-11T14:52:00.002-05:00

MP3: My Little Animals (1.7 mb)

Must...love...the...little...ones.

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i thought that if you had an acoustic guitar...

2008-10-22T11:19:00.003-04:00

MP3: Temporarily Not the K-Man (5.4 mb)

With all due respect to Pete Seeger, I'm not a big fan of folk songs or protest music though I can certainly see their purpose. Maybe it's just those 'round the neck harmonica holders...they look like evil orthodontia from Patrick Bateman's closet to me.

I initially intended this blog entry to examine my feelings about the current political climate and discuss the role of perspective in shaping our beliefs. But, much like folk music - yeah yeah workers' rights, teach the children blah blah blah - it became a little tiresome. And I'm anything but ambitious.

So instead of diving into how watching the History Channel makes me think the history of man is nothing but the history of war, or how reading Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States might lead one to believe it's all about the oppression of the lower classes, or how it all often seems to just be about Booty and the Beat, I'll just say that every opinion is colored by what one believes, which in turn is influenced by one's point of view, and so on in circular fashion - and facts are often manipulated to serve a purpose. Why do I believe what I believe, in other words.

I'll also avoid wondering if corporately-owned news outlets that cater to their owner's vision are as dangerous as government-controlled news agencies, or if it seems wrong that during recent record-high gas prices one of our oil companies posted the highest profits ever by any company in US history, or whether it's more important to be loyal to your country than it is to mankind or the world as a whole. I don't have enough hair or weed to get into all that, but I think you can tell where I'm coming from.

Instead, I'll leave you with this raggedy folk song, based on a friend's true adventure. The opposing viewpoint is just as valid sure, but it's not as vital or song-worthy. As I said, I don't particularly go in for this sort of protest stuff...it just seemed the right platform for the subject matter, and it was kind of fun & sloppy.

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hey, that's no way to say goodbye

2008-09-23T10:30:00.002-04:00

MP3: Goodbye to Summer (Version) (3.9 mb)

Two goodbye songs in one month, hooda thunk? Summer deserves a send-off as well, and despite the big ugly mess it was on the Jersey Shoreline CD, I always liked this song for some reason and so decided to give a shot at re-mixing it to see if it might be more presentable. It's still a bit of a mess, but I have no shame....

GOODBYE TO SUMMER

I remember the waves on the beach
How they knocked me over
Like the miracle strip with the sand in your suit
Swimming time for you is over

Goodbye to Summer
Say it isn't so
Slacks and umbrellas
Summer has to go
It has to go

All the jellyfish on the sand
Like clear blue piles of dogshit
And the shrimp in the beer and the snake in the box
Uncle Monster lurking somewhere

Where's your choice for sleeping tonight?
By the open ocean window
There's the smell of the house
We were all in the shower
We all knew each other well then

Goodbye to Summer
Say it isn't so
Rep ties and blue blazers
Summer has to go
It has to go

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draggin' the line

2008-09-11T01:03:00.007-04:00

MP3: Goodbye Old Maple (6.1 mb)

A few weeks ago, we had to take down one of the old maple trees, the one by the patio. It was a siamese twin of a tree at one time, its counterpart having been removed a few years back due to the illness which finally invaded this one. Like most any living thing, it was a source of much delight and much frustration: a great shade provider for us on summer hot days and a tarp of sorts against the rain when running across the patio, but it also littered the place with little helicopter leaves that stained the bricks and there was increasing danger of branches falling onto the casa. It was also very beautiful, but made a nice bridge for renegade raccoons - like the one(s) I mentioned in July - to find their way into our space.

Well the other afternoon at dusk Kate & I were out there looking up at the sky, and she mentioned how nice it was to be able to see it so vastly now without the foliage blocking the view. She was also glad there was no longer a "highway for the raccoons" to make their way into the attic. But we were both a little sad too that the tree was no longer there, majestically and kind as it had been for so long.

I never thought, "there's a song in all this" (why would I?), there just was one. I think it sprang from the desire to somehow honor that gone maple tree before we got used to its absence and went about our days as though it was never there.

Now, I'm no tree-hugger, but when I was younger I thought Magnolia You Sweet Thing was a love song to a tree, and I didn't find anything odd about that at all.

GOODBYE OLD MAPLE

It's good to see the sky on a dusky afternoon
And there's no highway for the raccoon
And there are no helicopters crashing in our yard

We thought the sun might burn us away
But it's been a cool Summer
So we're doin' fine
And in Fall when rain comes around
I'll miss the shelter that kept me from drowning

So goodbye old maple tree
You always had a plot for my baby & me
Goodbye old maple tree
You really meant a lot to my baby & me

Goodbye sweet maple tree
You really meant a lot to my baby & me
Goodbye old maple tree
You always had a thought from my baby & me
Goodbye old maple tree
You really meant a lot to my baby & me
Goodbye old maple tree
You always had a plot for my baby & me
Goodbye old maple tree

RECENT ENJOYMENTS
Book: Kaleidoscope Eyes: Psychedelic Rock from the '60s to the '90s
Music: Condition Blue by The Jazz Butcher
Film: Nico Icon

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golden living dreams of visions

2008-08-19T23:12:00.006-04:00

MP3: Lion Water Sign (3.8 mb)

In the Zodiac, the sign Aquarius is known as the water-bearer, and is almost always depicted as pouring water from some small vessel he's been toting around. And yet, for some astrological reason, Aquarius is an air sign (as opposed to a water sign which, I think, would make much more sense).

I bring this up because when I wrote the first verse of this song some few years ago - and there it sat, as they do, for many many forgotten days, until it finally stood up this weekend and shouted, "Finish me!" as they often eventually do as well - the dangerously little knowledge I possess of astrology had me presuming that I, as an Aquarian, was a water sign, due to the aforementioned carrying around of water and all that. I mean, it makes sense right? Wrong, Winston Tong. I am an air sign, as are the rest of you wet and watery Aquarians out there (and you know who you are). Well dry me off and call me Fluffy...you do learn something new every day, don't you?

LION WATER SIGN

You are a lion, and I am a water sign
I think things are looking good
You are a lion, and I am a water sign
I think things are looking good
When you start to roar
And I call you a bore
We're on our way

You are a nightgown, and I am your thorny crown
I think Heaven's smiling now
You are a (k)nightgown, and I am your thorny crown
I think Heaven's smiling now
When you dress me up
And I hand you the cup
We're on our way

There has got to be no reason for it all
But it doesn't mean there doesn't have to be
If you feel like throwing metal forks around
Well then go ahead....

You are a prayer, and I want to be the mayor
I think we could win this town
You are a prayer, and I want to be the mayor
I think we could win this town
When you start to rise
And there's less nay's than aye's
We're on our way

You are a knick-knack, and I am a bric-a-brac
I think we are on display
You are a knick-knack, and I am a bric-a-brac
I think we are on display
When you flash your ass
And I smash through the glass
We're on our way

There has got to be no reason for it all
So just go ahead....

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low rider is a little higher

2008-07-24T19:57:00.001-04:00

MP3: The Whole Point (1.3 mb)

July has been weird. Filled with malfunctioning tires, computers and airplanes - as well as guests both welcome and not (sure, raccoons are cute and they can really take you down with those little faces, but the hours they keep could make a shy bald buddhist reflect and plan a mass murder) - we're lucky to be in such good spirits these days.

With that in mind, here's a quick song from the vault as I haven't had the opportunity to record anything new for you this month.

THE WHOLE POINT

And so it goes
I keep looking for a way
To make my lows much higher
Than they are today.

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bodies...i'm not an animal

2008-06-17T13:38:00.004-04:00

MP3: Everyone I Know Has A Body (5 mb)

It's been said that the only reason we have bodies is so we'll be able to take our heads to the places they want to go. That's kind of funny when you think about it, but it implies the body is just a shell - a container - for the mind, and that tends to reinforce the feeling of separation between the two.

I'm inclined lately to think of the body as being like ice cream, and our consciousness is the flavor that permeates throughout it. But then, I love ice cream and haven't thought this through to the last delicious bite, so don't hold it against me (although, if I said you had a lovely body you could certainly hold that against me, arh arh).

In the meantime, we all have bodies in their various shapes and conditions, and just as you probably wouldn't want to spend your whole life inside your house knowing there's a big world outside, why should we be so concerned about staying in our bodies all of the time?

Marble Tea Cover Song Alert:
The Fuel Burning Oracle has injected Who's Been in Your Dreams with his usual psychedelically experimental garnishings. You can find it in his MySpace player, and I'm pleased as punch! Be sure to check out his other tunes while you're there....

EVERYONE I KNOW HAS A BODY

Everyone I know has a body
Everyone I know has a body
Have you ever seen someone
Who doesn't have a body?

Everyone I know has a home inside their head
Everyone I know has a home inside their head
Have you ever met someone
Who doesn't have a body?

Drawing mandalas
And watching Captain Kangaroo
Let's go skinny dipping
In the energy pool

Toss that tambourine
And shake your maracas while you got 'em
We're just embryos
In the time machine

Everyone I know has a body
Everyone I know has a body
Have you ever known someone
Who doesn't have a body?

Drawing mandalas
And watching Captain Kangaroo
Let's go skinny dipping
In the energy pool

Toss that tambourine
And shake your maracas while you got 'em
We're just embryos
In the time machine

Have you ever been someone
Who doesn't have a body?

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syd meets the marble tea

2008-05-20T21:09:00.005-04:00

MP3: Alphabet (2.8 mb)
(written by Syd Meats)

Some of my favorite songs are witty, British and short. Much of that probably owes to a childhood love for the infectious tunes of Herman's Hermits and the chance discovery of Monty Python's Flying Circus on PBS in the early '70s. I became a die-hard Anglo-fan with a short attention span and, despite the occasional tryst with prog-rock, my love affair with brief and humorous things from the UK has carried on to this day.

In any case, Mr. Hobbes may be surprised to discover that one of the developments of the modern world that led not only to a life less nasty but also to my further appreciation of the very short song, was the recordable cassette tape - particularly when compiling an assortment of songs for friends or self into the magical mixed tape. Ah, yes. You want just the right songs in just the right order, and very often there was just about 2 minutes of blank tape at the end of each side left to fill. What a perfect opportunity for the very short song to slide in and round out the festivities so nicely! I found myself collecting these tiny tunes to use as needed, but perhaps it was also an excuse to find more of them for my own personal gratification....

It comes as no surprise then that I fell immediately in love with a song called Alphabet by Romsey's own Syd Meats, Prince of Pies and Piper of Prawns. A singer-songwriter of (mainly) humorous songs, he's also a great mate and one helluva bloke. Check out his MySpace page to hear some of his songs and say Hello. His Alphabet is a whimsical and surreal seduction song in the fine English tradition that brings to mind Robyn Hitchcock's I Got a Message for You and Syd Barrett's Love You with its seemingly nonsensical wordplay and seventh note inflections.

Oh, and lest you think I changed a verse just to plug my favorite computers, I'll have you know that it's really a quiet nod to those nutty Bonzos.

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a new free single for tax day!

2008-04-14T21:01:00.008-04:00

MP3: Good In Black (5.1 mb)

Hey, before you check out the new free blog song, let me tell you about the new free Marble Tea single. I'm calling it the Back in Time / Demi Moore Single since the song titles themselves are rather long. On the A-Side we have The Girls Who Went Back in Time and on the B-Side Please Don't Cut Your Hair Like Demi Moore. These songs originally appeared on the out-of-print Jersey Shoreline CD, but they've been freshly remixed and mastered for your aural delight right here in the laboratory. You can download the single (for free, in case you didn't hear) at:

http://www.marbletea.com/music.html

In case this next bit of code doesn't show up in your browser, you can listen to it in the player at the top of the page on that link I just gave you.

I hope you enjoy it.

Now, about this Good In Black song. I used to live with a triumphant feline named Sidney The Mega-Cat who was feared far & wide around the complex, but who also suffered extreme bouts of abstract melancholia. When we took walks together, he'd never hesitate to enter a neighboring apartment, nonchalantly gliding past the hissing resident cat with a smirk. He was big and brave and fearless, but on other days he'd only sit and stare, that giant mug stuck in silent contemplation of the stereo's VU meters while I wrote songs about girls. This is one of those songs, another old recording that I've pulled from the vault and cleaned up a bit (but just a bit). This too I hope you'll enjoy.

GOOD IN BLACK

Sidney sits and stares all day at the stereo
I joined him today I think I'll stay
I like it
He never says too much
I wonder what he's thinking
Does he need affection?
I know all about that affection thing
or lack of it, do you?
I know you do
You know I meant to tell you:

You look good in black
You look good in black

Sidney has a special way and a certain foe
I watched him today keep it at bay
Amazing
You never see those things coming
that'll take you down
But you get a feeling
I know all about those creepy little
coming up kind of things, do you?
Uh huh oh yeah.
I was going to tell you:

You look good in black
From the front, the side and the back
While you're dressing
I'm requesting
That you put on the black

Sidney sits and stares all day at the stereo
I joined him today I think I'll stay
I like it
He never says too much
I wonder what he's thinking

You look good in black
You look good in black

Zambiland, zambiland
Zambiland, zambiland

Interiors
Amp radio
Magic fortune teller
Rainbow

A Postscript:

Dylan Kight moved his once-a-week song blog to http://www.wildernessofthemind.com/. Check it out.

Sunburst Carrier has just released their first EP. It's called Sound Sensitive and it's beautiful. Lilting, cascading guitar-esque instrumentals for melancholy illumination. Sidney would've loved it.

Kate recently turned me on to Just Fontaine, and their new Four Views EP is another must-have. Great sardonic Brit-pop that fits squarely into my collection.

And if you haven't picked up the latest Max Eider disc...wtf are you waiting for?! I thought it was brilliant the first time I listened to it, but now I want to be buried right in the same coffin with it. Get your own, Spotty.

Who needs major labels?

RECENT ENJOYMENTS
Book: Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins
Music: Oracular Spectacular by MGMT
Film: Arrested Development - The Complete Series (Seasons 1, 2, 3)

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the final countdown

2008-04-04T19:06:00.002-04:00

MP3: Don't Look At Me That Way (1.5 mb)

At the risk of ending up like George Oscar Bluth II (GOB), banned from the Magicians' Alliance for revealing the tricks of the trade, I am going to tell you how easy it is, my dear friends, to become your own personal pop star.

This month's song (sketch, really) was recorded quickly and completely in Mau's Brooklyn apartment using nothing more than my old iBook and a crusty acoustic guitar with ancient strings (indeed, I tuned it as best I could but was later told that its neck was in such a precarious condition that the strings needed to be tuned down...way down).

My intention was to keep myself busy while he was out by laying down a song idea in Garageband (which comes free with every new Mac) and then importing it into Logic for further fleshing when I was back home. Well, as often happens, I promptly forgot about the recording and, since I neglected to write down the chords or any other ideas surrounding the genesis p-orridge of the tune, I was unsure of what to do upon rediscovering it on my hard drive. Ah, I know: I'll put it up on the weblog as an example of how easy it is to do this stuff so maybe everyone else will give it a go as well.

So yes. While it's not a particularly good song (or even a complete one), you can see what possibilities abound. There was no external hardware involved (not even a pick!), meaning that I recorded the guitar and vocals without headphones directly into the iBook using its built-in microphone (that tiny little hole on the right side of the monitor...this is an older iBook, before the built-in iSight cameras), and used only the stock plug-ins etc that come with Garageband. The drums are one of the included GB loops that I dragged into the project without modifying, and the bass is one of GB's software instruments whose notes were played using the computer's keyboard.

As GOB would say: Ta-da! It's really amazing what can be done in less than an hour with this modern technology, even if that lead guitar sounds like some song from Mau's collection of 70s Yacht Rock.

But with all these modern advancements, why can't I get The Final Countdown (GOB's theme song) to play as a ringtone on my cell phone?

RECENT ENJOYMENTS
Book: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
Music: Sniff by The Legendary Jim Ruiz Group
Film: The Weather Underground

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life goes on within you and without you

2008-03-16T14:38:00.014-04:00

MP3: Faces on a Train (5.2 mb)

You know how sometimes you'll be having a conversation about one thing and several minutes later you'll be talking about something totally different and you think "How did we start talking about that?" and when you look back through the topics you discussed you see how one thing led to another (yeah yeah yeah) and often it's only one or two steps but sometimes it's quite many and you'll see how things fit together like a jigsaw puzzle, but not really like a jigsaw puzzle because the shapes of thoughts aren't that well-defined, they're more like amoebas shape-shifting around like the particles in our bodies which, they say, are constantly morphing and so leads many to believe that the body can heal itself, and still others to feel that it goes much further than that since everything is comprised of these malleable, affective particles and so why is it so hard to believe that someone like Uri Geller could bend spoons with his mind when really all one would do is cut the perceived distance and difference between the utensil and themselves into smaller chunks until there was no distance and everything was one thing?

Well, here's a song about travel.

FACES ON A TRAIN

Faces on a train
The streets of Madrid, Spain
So many to see, so few to know

Getting on the boat
And heading to the sea
Staring at the waves that rise and fade

You can't count them all, they all become the sea
All the waves in you are all the waves in me

Pieces of a dream
Like pearls across the floor
I raise my arms and fade into the sky

Everything I am is everything that is
I listen closely and I found out what it says

Cells in a body
Bodies in a country
Countries in a planet that spins and hums
[sing that stanza twice, please]

Faces on a train
The streets of Madrid, Spain
So many to see, so few to know

RECENT ENJOYMENTS
Book: Middlesex: A Novel by Jeffrey Eugenides
Music: Back Numbers by Dean & Britta
Film: Michael Clayton

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you may say i'm a dreamer

2008-02-07T19:25:00.000-05:00

MP3: I Wish It Would Snow (Electrically) (4.5 mb)

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LATEST NEWS

These songs are now available as a Podcast on iTunes. Check it out here:

Also, you can download each past years' tunes in separate tidy packages for ultimate Marble Tea convenience here.

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It just occurred to me that this is two months in a row where the songs dealt with wishing. Hhmmm, how 'bout that then? We could talk all night about wishing and dreaming (and hoping and praying, and anything else Burt and Dionne might warn you against), but there are other matters to address now so let's save those explorations for another fireside, shall we?

First let me tell you quickly about this song. True, there's a free acoustic version available as part of the Slave to the Tuna EP. This more electric rendition first appeared on the out-of-print 2001: A Case of the Tea CD, but I'm offering up here the cleaned up version that Jeff Booth so graciously set his knobs to. Considering the state of my timing and singing, I think he pulled it far out of the mire!

Second, I'm stent-free baby, so how 'bout we get a little snow on the Shore, eh?

I WISH IT WOULD SNOW

She said,
"I wish it would snow all winter long
Because I need something fun to tickle my little tongue.
Oh, flurries are fine: dusting my face and glitter my hair,
But they're infrequent, just like my lovers,
And I'd rather just stay in bed...."

She said,
"I wish I could do whatever it is that you do."
Well, this forced him to laugh and re-evaluate everything.
"No, don't wear my shoes: I'm always tripping and stumbling about.
And even though they look like they fit
Well, they're really far too big...."

I never understood selective generosity
And why does the shame of the past
Govern my thoughts like a fog?

She said,
"I'm waiting for you down by the dock,
And I'm tempted to throw myself in to see what Shelley saw."
Are kind words enough for someone whose head may burst into flames?
And in her diary the words are all true
But it never seems the same:

I never understood selective generosity
And why does the shame of the past
Govern my thoughts like a fog?

RECENT ENJOYMENTS
Book: Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K. Le Guin
Music: A-Z by Colin Newman
Film: The Science of Sleep

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if 6 was 9

2008-01-16T15:32:00.000-05:00

MP3: If Wishes Were Fishes (3.9 mb)

Pardon me for being an old hippie, but I think that in much the same way Love can wound or heal, Vision can be a prison or it can be freedom. How do you see the grass, Glasshopper?

Er...I mean, how do you see the glass, Grasshopper? Half this or half that?

As an experiment, this song was recorded in Garageband (as opposed to Logic) so that I could reacquaint myself with that astonishingly ubiquitous program.

IF WISHES WERE FISHES

If wishes were fishes
Then dreamers would fish
For wishes and fishes
And dishes delish
And I'd still be in a boat
Out on the ocean

If money was honey
It'd hang from a tree
Like honey but money
And all very free
Would you still stick your paws
Down in my wallet?

Don't get any ideas about my beehive
Don't get any ideas about my fish

If oranges were violent
We'd all be surprised
We'd put them in cages
And run for our lives
Maybe they're not dangerous
Just different

If lovers were dolphins
They'd never say 'No'
They'd always be happy
And ready to go
Would I keep dangling worms
Into the water?

Don't get any ideas about my oranges
Don't get any ideas about my girl

If doctors were lawyers
They'd put us on trial
Disease is illegal
Buy your health in a vial
Maybe we should reassess
Those fishes

If vision was prison
Well maybe it is....

RECENT ENJOYMENTS

i got stoned and i missed it

2007-12-22T16:57:00.000-05:00

MP3: Litho-Trippy (3.6 mb)

What a drag it is getting old.

Indeed. I've just had a medical procedure done on me called lithotrispy in an attempt to blast an obstinate kidney stone out of my body. This seems to be the best way to have these sort of things taken care of these days, but mine has been fraught with minor complications that have made it something of a bear to deal with. I'll spare you my moaning here (Lord knows Kate has heard enough of it, bless her generous heart), and should state for the record that all is generally well.

This month's MP3 is what I imagine the procedure would sound like if it were run through a digital audio workstation and sweetened a bit for the chill-out rooms. Don't be frightened, my love, it's all very harmless.

Here's wishing you a wonderful Holiday Season and a New Year filled with joy. Drink lots of water!

**Don't forget to check the Blog Archives to get the songs you missed!**

There are also official Marble Tea releases that you can download right from my website!

RECENT ENJOYMENTS

life on mars?

2007-11-28T20:36:00.000-05:00

MP3: Life on the Moon (1.4 mb)

Another quick one this month. I'd really rather not live on the moon...Mars might be kind of cool, though.

** Don't forget to check the Blog Archives to get the songs you missed! (Or you can scroll down to see the most recent.) **

There are also official Marble Tea releases that you can download right from my website!

the tortures of the damned...

2007-10-24T15:08:00.000-04:00

MP3: Ingrid Pitt Indeed (2.9 mb)

In the late 60s/early 70s, there was a midnight horror movie show called Shock Theatre that came on TV in Montgomery every Friday and Saturday night. I was glued to the set each week as they showed hours of famously frightening movies starring the black and white likes of Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi and Lon Chaney Jr, but the ones that really caught my budding eye were the ones by a British company called Hammer. These lush and gothic films, shot in technicolor and seemingly always featuring Peter Cushing or Christopher Lee (or both!), careened my imagination far into overdrive...especially when they brought out the busty actresses who were either innocent victims or vicious temptresses, but always alluringly sexy. What more could a young boy want?

This tribute to Ingrid Pitt - Hammer's Queen (what, you were expecting maybe Barbara Steele?) - is from the out-of-print Marble Tea CD 2001: A Case of the Tea, a collection of home recordings from earlier this century. Happy Halloween....

INGRID PITT INDEED

I've got a Hammer horror film in my head
Starring Ingrid Pitt as the Queen of the Dead
I walk into the laundromat
with red and ripped sheets
a roll of quarters in my pocket
so I can wash rinse and repeat

I've got a Hammer horror mood in my brain
Sheer white gowns and a castle in the rain
I step out of the restaurant
and fall to my knees
rip my shirt down to the waist
because I know that she'll be pleased

I've got a Hammer horror look to my face
Ingrid Pitt wipes her mouth on the staircase
I don't know where I was today
I just woke up scared
when she comes again tonight
I'll try to be more prepared

Ingrid Pitt
In the Vampire Lovers
Ingrid Pitt indeed
Ingrid Pitt
As Elizabeth Bathory
Ingrid Pitt indeed
Ingrid Pitt
In Sound of Horror
Ingrid Pitt indeed
Ingrid Pitt
Dah dah dee dum dee dah
Ingrid Pitt indeed

** Don't forget to check the Blog Archives to get the songs you missed! **

And don't forget that there are also official Marble Tea releases that you can download right from my website!

Hey. Go buy the new Max Eider album. It's FANTASTIC!!

walkin' with jesus

2007-09-21T18:39:00.000-04:00

MP3: Iron Cross (4.6 mb)

Wilhelm, it was really nothing. And I swear to you there's nothing militaristic about this song. A dear friend gave me a beautiful cross made of iron as a gift, and that's all there is to it.

IRON CROSS

Iron Cross
Aye yay yay yay

I see you smiling
I see you laughing
I see you giving me

Iron Cross
Aye yay yay yay

On the road toward God
You need an accurate map
But there are so many
From which to choose

Iron Cross
Aya yay yay yay

You pick a path to go down
Find a spot and set up a house
Have you forgotten where you were
Going?

Iron Cross
Aye yay yay yay

I see you smiling
I see you laughing
I see you giving me

Iron Cross
Aye yay yay yay

** Don't forget to check the Blog Archives to get the songs you missed! **

And don't forget that there are also official Marble Tea releases that you can download right from my website!

Speaking of, have you bought the new Max Eider album yet? It's FANTASTIC!!