SneezingCow.com » music

Usually I Try To Be More Humble But…

MikePerry — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 13:12:11 +0000

…just this morning it occurred to me that not just one*, but two** of the musicians with whom I have written and recorded music have been nominated for Grammys.

So the pattern is established: If you want your name in a fancy envelope, book your studio time with me now.

*OK, so he was nominated long before we ever met. Technicality.

**Possibly the first time the phrase “from the get-go” was ever used in a Grammy interview.

Garage Band Baby

MikePerry — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:16:26 +0000

Got the GarageBand app for my iPad. Mainly for a very simple one-track voice thing I’m doing. But my four-year-old is all over it. In a glimpse of the future, she has – quite of her own volition – selected… Continue reading →

Teach Your Children Well

MikePerry — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 14:08:13 +0000

My elder daughter has been playing the Glee version of Van Halen’s “Jump” over and over lately. So, for better or worse, I sat her down and made her watch this:

50/50

MikePerry — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 21:18:46 +0000

I like that if I stop in for coffee here on any given day odds are 50/50 that I will see at least 50% of this band. Guy in the tie reads Bukowski, draws a fine Americano, and (just to beef up his cred) knows what a “onesie” is.

Shows in Next Two Days

MikePerry — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 22:13:05 +0000

Sure is cool to look forward to work: In two hours I’m heading across the county for rehearsal with the Long Beds. I never get tired of hanging out with musicians, especially when they’re also friends (and for these two shows we welcome special guest and long-time pal Andy Dee). And I’m especially ready for a little singing after this last marathon writing stretch.

Then tomorrow a show in Northfield, Minnesota. Day after that, a show in La Crosse, Wisconsin.

Been practicin’ and everything and going to do at least one new song.

Favorite Charlie Rich Vinyl

MikePerry — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 21:46:45 +0000

This Afternoon’s Vinyl

MikePerry — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 20:51:35 +0000

All from my Grandma’s collection.

Best part? I’m listening to them on this:

The Best Part

MikePerry — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 15:10:31 +0000

Revision: my favorite stage in the writing process. This is when the obsessive-compulsive tendencies that frustrate me to the edge of madness throughout the rest of the process (and daily life itself) suddenly become an asset. This is the inky equivalent of a musician tinkering with the mix.

Eric Taylor and Lyle Lovett

MikePerry — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 13:11:19 +0000

Eric Taylor: One of the finest lyricists I’ve ever known. Scuffletown still transfixes me, after all this time. Bottom line: American literature, plus guitar. And once he bailed me out of a jam on a rainy night in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. New things coming.

Christopher Porterfield is Working

MikePerry — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 03:53:36 +0000

The other night driving home in the dark and the fat accumulating snow I found myself behind a small cavalcade of three cars moving with a tentative slowness that seemed less a reflection of the road conditions than an unfamiliarity with these particular backways. Then my headlights caught up with the rearmost vehicle and illuminated a guitar case and I figured I knew who it was and where they were heading. I turned off my way and let them go.

I will pick up that thread later.

Right now while I write alone I am listening to this:

Rest of the album here.

I’m not hip to all the inside stuff here, Comrade Plymouth as opposed to Conrad Plymouth, and whatnot. But I know Christopher Porterfield writes gorgeous stuff. This, for instance:

And the lyrics of this:

I don’t know, I need to be working on my book, so I’ll just post this and get back to it. But these songs… Makes me feel good that just up the snowy road Christopher Porterfield is working on new music. That was him and his crew I fell in behind the other night. Holed up now, and working it out. When it’s done, I’ll be ready.