 Hello,
Well you will
be pleased to know it looks like I will release an album soon
that doesn't have "What's Her Name?" on it.
What you
possibly won't be pleased about, nor understand fully until you
hear this record, is that tofog would seem to have
dissolved/evolved.
 while that
holds certain disappointments, they pale in comparison to the joy
of writing unrestricted, of talking from my heart and mind
simultaneously about things that are important to me now, right
now, in this time of my life, not when I was younger or dare I say
it less world weary/wary, but now, as a 41 year old
father/husband/lover/man.
The band on
this record is Dave Kelly, Stewart Kirwan, Pb Berton, Bones
Hillman (bass) and Stuart Hunter (piano).it was produced by Alan
Doyle and is being mixed by Nathaniel Kunkel. At this point in
time, we are calling the record "My Hand, My Heart”, as in
what I have written comes from there. Ray thinks it’s too soft,
but he hasn't heard the whole record yet, and quite frankly it is
soft, gentle, expressive, thoughtful...soft.
the album
touches on varying subjects, my beautiful wife, past
relationships, my son, people I know, family tragedy, immigrant
cane cutters, vilification, a choral requiem for a dead friend, my
contribution to the genre of drinking songs(the title track, My
Hand, My Heart), optimism, and perspective. It is without doubt
the most satisfying record I've ever made, and I know when you
hear it you will be seduced by its beauty.
On April 19th
Raewyn, the song mentioned in the GQ article, will be
released as an I-tunes single. We will begin to pursue a
traditional release when we see how that goes and hear your
reaction to the song.
Our
relationship with Artemis has not been a successful one. We need
to find a champion in a company with wide distribution to simply
make the record available, an individual or group of people who
are as much in love with the music as I am.
If we don't
feel a real connection is possible, we will go back to mail order,
which I'm also happy with. Bruno less so, because he has to lick
the stamps.
The I-tunes
release is an important first step to finding a home for this
record .please be cool about giving up your two bucks and not file
sharing. We’ll take a straw poll on making the lyrics available
prior to hearing the song, or simultaneously, let Bruno know your
feelings.
I've chosen to
release this song first because it is the first song Alan Doyle
and I wrote together and it is the only song I've ever written
that has made both men and women cry, think, and call their
parents, usually in that order. I have e-mails from Sting and
Billy Bragg, two of my song writing heroes that give testament to
the quiet power of the song.
We will post
those closer to the date of release, and when you read them I
believe you will understand what a breathtaking validation they
felt like to me.
This record is
fresh, revelatory and graceful.
I know over
time there have been a lot of fans who don't seem to understand
that fitting the music in and around my day job is very tricky,
and sometimes the expectation of formalized corporate structure
for my music is just unreasonable.
For me, music
is its' own reward .anyone else's enjoyment of it is purely an
extension of the experience I've already had as a writer. I’m
not out to foist my music on anyone, but I would like a clean and
simple way for you guys to get it easy. Maybe that is I-tunes?
I've taken the
opportunity that the postponement of eucalyptus gave me and I've
poured my heart into songs instead. Alan Doyle is the first
magical music collaboration I have experienced, the type of
synergy that I experience all the time with other actors or
directors or screen writers like Akiva Goldsman has always eluded
me in music, with only snatches of time spent in the white light
of veracity in creation. Writing painted veil comes to mind.
There are 5
crowe/doyle songs on this record, 5 examples of seamless,
resonant, common ground collaboration. One of Alan's songs that
tofog murdered regularly, is here in it's true to lyric state.
Slaid Cleaves, a young genius from
Maine
, who I first heard in Austin Texas, contributes a song as does
legendary Canadian song smith Paul Hyde. The title track was
composed and recorded in the wee hours of the morning as songs of
that genre should be by Stuart Hunter and myself. There is one
self penned, a choral piece, written originally on a beer coaster
in
Dublin
.
I'm typing and
yawning, studio hours don't really suit me. I like waking before
the dawn, not going to bed after it. Yeah, call me a fuddy duddy,
I don't care. You may have noticed I've been called worse.
There is no
real master plan for world domination, if you guys like the record
we will do our best to tour in the summer. It's been too long I'm
missing your crazy, obsessed faces. And here's another thing, I
hope I get to hear you singing along to this stuff. We have the
best sounding audience around. I am in negotiations with Dani and
Charlie. By the way Dani is in the studio as we speak, I think
they were doing bass tracks today.
Wow, just
thinking of a summers night in Austin, a whole new world of music
to play you, all these new stories to tell, the glisten of your
laughter, your voices rising to meet the Texas moon, sweat pouring
off my fingers...well, we will see huh? Let Bruno know if you
want us to tour to your town.
RC
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