Hey gang, it’s been a little while since I touched base with you all. I’ve been crazy busy, but I did have some updates to catch everybody up on.
The last time I posted I told you about my first gig playing the new songs. It was less than a week later that I had my second outing with the new tunes – playing a gig at an awesome restaurant/bar in Dogtown named Felix’s. I can’t recommend the place highly enough. I had the ribs before I played and they were excellent. The turnout was light, as I hadn’t really advertised it well, but we had a great time and I felt like the new stuff came off well. I should be playing there again this month. I’ll let you know as soon as I’ve got something solid set up. I hope you’ll come out and see me there.
Speaking of that show, and the previous one, the one thing I have been noticing is that “The People That I Know”, aka “The Facebook Song”, has been the song that people seem to remember. I was hoping to get you all a version of that song that would be fleshed out a little bit, but it will probably be a little while before I get into the studio, so I’m going to do a scratch version of it on my 4-track and get that to you guys soon – hopefully sometime this week.
Finally, I’ve written previously about how one of the themes of this album will be community. I’d be interested in your idea of what community is – be it geographic, spiritual, familial, etc. So, feel free to drop a note in the forums or shoot me an email. I’m still exploring the theme in my writing for the album, and I’d love to hear what you have to say about it.
Thanks for stopping by, and I promise to post more often going forward.
Til we meet again…
Brian
This was quite the eventful week for me.
The week started out on a wonderful note, with my good friend Holly trusting me with lyrics that she had written about an old friend who had passed on awhile back. Needless to say I was truly honored. Normally, I struggle with the music side – but this was different. I had a basic melody and chord progression within a couple of hours, and a pretty much finished product the next day. This weekend I got to play it for her, and she seemed to really like it. I’ve had some pretty cool moments playing music, but this experience has to be right up at the top. I’m hoping that by the time I record it that it will be something that is worthy of her late friend and the close-knit group of friends that the song was intended for.
Right before I left for the weekend, I received a new toy in the mail that should help me share some things with you all. I bought a Tascam DP-004 PocketStudio. What that means is that I’ll be able to record scratch demos of my songs here at home in very little time. This means I can share them with the musicians I’d like to play on the album, and has the side benefit of making it easy to give you all access to early versions of stuff. I’m hoping to have a couple of things up by the end of the week.
Finally, I mentioned before that I got to play Holly’s song for her this weekend. I got to do that because I attended the Beltane festival at Wolvenwold in Elk Creek, MO. It was a wonderful festival, and I got a chance to connect with some old friends and meet a whole lot of new ones. I was particularly excited to meet all the fine folks from Lodge Yggdrasill, down from Minnesota to entertain us with their wonderful songs and stories – they are a truly great group of folks, and I can’t wait to see them again. The entertainment this weekend was stellar as always, but unfortunately one of our good friends, Andy Shaffer, fell ill and was unable to attend. The lovely ladies of Wolvenwold, Beltana and Holly, asked me to help fill in, as Andy was part of the scheduled entertainment for Saturday. So, rather unexpectedly, 4 of my tunes made their live debuts on Saturday night. After spending a large chunk of Saturday afternoon practicing, I played an 8 song set Saturday night. I was nervous as hell, and made a couple of mistakes, but overall I was pretty happy with it. The crowd was wonderful, and truly made me feel like they appreciated my performance. I can’t tell you all how much that means to me…you made me feel like I’m on the right path musically, and I thank you.
Until next time…
Brian
For a variety of reasons, the songs have slowed a little bit. Partially because I’ve been working on the songs that are “complete” before I’m ready to record them and partially because the tone has turned a little bit and the material is more difficult to work through. The song below is about the anxiety I have regarding raising my little girl and my stepson Nick’s job as a police officer, and how that ties in to the loss of my youngest stepson Garrett by suicide in May of 2008. The music is a work in progress, but I think the lyrics are done for the most part. Yet another song that I’m not sure will make the album, as this one is very personal, but I promised to share the process with you, so…
Until we meet next time….
Loss
Eyes are blurry, thoughts muddled in his head
He turns off the TV, and ambles off to bed
Head hits the pillow and his eyes start to dim
But he can’t fight this feeling that’s come over him
So he tussles with the pillows and adjusts the sheet
Thinks of his son working graveyard on a West End beat
Tries to get some rest, but his thoughts they roam
The sad truth is sometimes they don’t come home
He fights the Sandman and the dreams he brings
Cause the thoughts in his head aren’t always pretty things
Afraid the other shoe will drop, he just doesn’t know when
He’s lost before, he can’t lose again
In the daylight thoughts turn to his precious little girl
Eyes big as saucers, she lights up his world
But he fears everyday he’s not up to the test
So beautiful and pure, she deserves the best
Night comes again and his thoughts they ride
Over a landscape of images he cannot hide
He went to bed early and he got there late
Did he fail his family, or was it just fate
He fights the Sandman and the dreams he brings
Cause nightmares aren’t such pretty things
He’ll never be the man that he was back then
He’s lost before, he can’t lose again
I couldn’t be more excited to share this bit of news with all of you – my longtime friend, and one of the most creative people I know, Kymberlie Birkenkamp has agreed to do the photography for The Wabash Cafe. I first met Kym in the early 90′s at a Mass Communications class at Meramec Community College. It was a night class, and a small group of us began to hang out at the old Big Bend and 44 Denny’s, discussing a million different things and generally flexing our intellectual and artistic muscles. Those nights were truly captivating, and along with our friend Deidra, created a deep bond between us that neither years nor distance has eroded.
When I first met Kym, it was as a writer, but in the last several years she has turned her creative eye to photography. Although I do miss her writing, I am truly inspired by the work she is doing now, and couldn’t be more excited about the opportunity to have her bring her skill, creativity and passion to this project. Please take the opportunity to check out her website, www.misfithue.com, to see just some of the amazing work she has done.
I am so happy to have Kymberlie aboard.
Until next time…Brian
Those of you who know who Bruiser Brody is might wonder what exactly I’m about to write about now. Those of you who don’t almost assuredly are wondering what/who the hell I’m talking about.
Bruiser Brody was one of the best professional wrestlers ever, and he’s the subject of a song I’m working on now. His heyday was from the late 70′s to the mid-80′s, and he was one of the biggest draws in the world. At 6 foot, 5 inches and 300 lbs. he was an imposing figure in the ring, and he brought a ferocity and athleticism to the show that made this 8 year old kid believe it was all real. I used to go see him wrestle at the old Kiel Auditorium on the St. Louis Wrestling Club shows until Vince McMahon came along and blew up the old territories. Brody never signed with the WWE (WWF at the time), instead becoming a superstar in Japan and a huge success on the independent circuit in the states. He also became a top player for Carlos Colon’s WWA promotion in Puerto Rico. It was there that he would meet his end, stabbed to death by the star of the promotion – Jose Huertas Gonzalez (Invader 1). Gonzalez was found innocent in a sham trial on the island, and all that was left were the memories of all the fans who had loved to watch Brody perform.
I’m not sure if this one ends up being an album cut. Although I’m writing it on acoustic guitar like I do all of my songs, I’m really hearing a full-on, scorching Austin blues style rocker – and I’m not sure the style or theme will fit with the rest of the record. Either way, I’ll be sure to share it with you all when it’s done.
Anyway, I’m still trying to put down some rough cuts of the three songs I mentioned in the last post so that I can share them with the musician’s I’m hoping to have play on the record. Probably going to buy a Tascam DP-004 Digital Pocket Studio so that I can do rough demos at home. Hopefully, I’ll have something else for you all to hear soon.
Until next time…Brian
Hey gang, just a couple of quick notes…
First, for anyone who needs to contact me, you can find an email form under the “Contact Me” link I just added. You’ll find it to the right, under the About Me header. Please feel free to drop me a line anytime.
Second, I’ve got three songs I’m ready to go into the studio with soon. You’ve already seen the lyrics for “Choices We Made” and heard that the title track was done, so that’s two of the three. The third is called People That I Know, and it’s a (hopefully) humorous look at how important Facebook has become in my life. If you’re on my Facebook Friends list, you might just hear a little something about someone you recognize in this one.
Anyway, that’s about all I’ve got right now. Oh yeah, I almost forgot one last thing…you might just get your first chance to hear the new stuff live in May. Working on a possible gig – I’ll let you all know soon.
Til we meet down the road – Brian
I’ve been working really hard on it, and I think the title track to the album just might be done. Of course, by done I mean that I have the words, the melody and the chords – I haven’t recorded it yet. I think it is likely I will ask a couple of old friends to play on this one (at a bare minimum, I hear piano on this, and maybe a mandolin – and this one needs live drums). One of the real exciting things about this project for me is that I expect I will reach out to several old friends for their help. It’s one of the themes of the album, and one of the things that makes this a labor of love for me.
I’m glad to have this one written. After a rush of stuff coming to me, I’d really hit a wall the last several days. Maybe I put a little too much pressure on myself, moving from “hey, I’ve got a song” to “hey, I’m going to do an album” before I really had more than one song and a couple of good ideas. That said, I know how I am, and putting the pressure on myself is the best way to ensure that this project will roll on.
Til we meet again – Brian
March 18, 1994 Fire claims the Wabash Triangle Cafe
So, for the first time in about a week I didn’t really do a lot of writing yesterday. Instead, I spent several hours doing some research. It really started out as a search for a picture of the cafe (no luck, other than the picture of the fire above), but eventually it became a half day spent following any links I could find that dealt with the Wabash and it’s patrons. And while the information wasn’t vast, there were some gems to be found. I eventually even started looking into the Wabash Railroad company, as the cafe was named after the Wabash Railroad hub that used to reside where the Metro Link station is just east of The Pageant.
Why is this important to the album? Well, The Wabash Cafe is not at this stage of writing a concept album per se, but there is a definite vibe and feel that I want to achieve with both the album and this website that is informed by the places and people who have been focal points of my life. The Wabash Triangle Cafe, the old Haven coffee house in Maplewood, late nights at the old Denny’s on 44 & Lindbergh – sometimes places become more than just where you hang out. When the right mix of atmosphere and personalities get together they become a whole greater than the sum of its parts, a community, that can enrich your life. I hope to achieve something like that with this project.
I’ve finished the lyrics and most of the music for the next song I plan to record. The title is “Choices We Made”, and it’s about looking back on your life and realizing that all of the choices you made led to who you are now, and understanding the interconnectedness of those choices. Our regrets about past choices often fail to take into account the things we gained because of those choices. I never finished college, and there are times in my life where I have regretted that. But if I had finished school, the odds are very good that I would have never met my wife, wouldn’t have my little girl, and I wouldn’t have met many of the beautiful people I’ve found along my road. Here are the lyrics to “Choices We Made” – I hope you enjoy them.
Choices We Made
The first time I read Tom Sawyer
I thought I’d sail Big Muddy down
Find my Becky Thatcher and we’d own this town
But ol’ Huck Finn and Injun Joe
Gave way to other things
Like stickball in the schoolyard first day of spring
(Chorus)
The years flow by like a river
Dreams they rise and fade
We are the people we are today
Because of the choices we made
Good grades succumbed to good times
I had my share of fun
Like kissing Cathy Whittmer in the morning sun
I took a couple of road trips
Thought I’d see the world
Drinking wine in Vienna as my story unfurled
(Chorus)
In 96′ I found the girl of my dreams
And I’ve made so many friends
It’s been one hell of a ride, I hope it never ends
I don’t know what’s down the road ahead
I’m not so big on plans
But I’ve got this leap of Faith that I can hold in my hands
(Chorus)
(Chorus – alternate)
Though the years have taken some
I wished that could have stayed
They’re in my thoughts, and in my heart
Because of the choices they made
Hey gang, welcome to my new website – “The Wabash Cafe”. It’s named after the Wabash Triangle Cafe, an old coffee house and cafe that used to stand on the site where The Pageant sits now on the east side of the Delmar Loop in St. Louis. The Wabash was the gathering spot for an eclectic mix of musicians, poets and writers during it’s all too short tenure. It was the kind of place that could host slam poetry one night, bagpipers the next, and a punk band the night after that – and most of each crowd would be the same folks, enjoying all of it. The food was good, and the conversations were better. Unfortunately, the Wabash burned down to the ground in the early morning hours of March 18, 1994. And while we can never go back, I hope to capture a little of that spirit here in my music and in this community.
I’ll be blogging on here about the process of writing my first album – sharing with you the early returns, the frustrations and the breakthroughs. You can already check out the first song – click the ReverbNation link on the right side to hear “Anonymous”. I’ll also fill you in as there are website updates. For now, it’s just the blog, the “About” page, and a couple of links. Expect a few more links soon, and an update about the songs I’m working on currently.
After some bad experiences in the past, which included my provider needing to shut down access to my account because of hackers, I am going to have the comments to these posts moderated for now. I hope it’s not too big of an inconvenience, as I’d love your feedback on the music and the site.
Thanks for checking in, and thanks for your support. I look forward to sharing my journey with you. I hope you’ll pull up a chair, order a cup of Joe, and enjoy your time here in The Wabash Cafe.
Brian
