Almost 2 years ago I pulled in Johnny, Pat, Tom, and myself from the Pies and Pints residency to record some tunes.

Last summer we packaged a limited edition: about 12 copies while driving out to a gig in Sedro-Wooley.

Last week I posted the tracks for the world’s listening pleasure. Check out the residency on Facebook: http://facebook.com/folkreview.

Classic Rock Hits from the 90s and Beyond: Tom, Johnny, Pat, Mike

0 Comments | Posted by Michael Spaly in Recording Studio, Songs

Clockwise from top left: Sugar Nile, Blue Moon Bible - vol D (Sam Russell and the Harborrats); The Smolder Sessions (Creeping Time) ; Fly (Kate Noson); Year of the Cow (Sam Russell)

I wasn’t even thinking about album releases or musical product. Then, all of a sudden, I realize that we’ve released 4 albums within 3 months of the new year.

Nevermind that a lot of the tracking for these records were done in the 2011, if not earlier. The fact that all the albums are being finalized in such a short window of time makes it feel like the cosmos are coming together.

Anyway, all this music is available for listening and purchase online right now.

Clockwise from top left: Sugar Nile, Blue Moon Bible – vol D (Sam Russell and the Harborrats); The Smolder Sessions (Creeping Time) ; Fly (Kate Noson); Year of the Cow (Sam Russell).

Please note that 3 of the four albums are basically Sam Russell creations. Sam produced all but the Creeping Time album and has now written and recorded six of an eight album series entitled the Blue Moon Bible. Get more info at http://thebluemoonbible.com. He’s got lots of information about the project: songs, players, overarching themes, etc…

We’re in the middle of figuring out the release schedule for The Smolder Sessions, so I’m sure there’s more news on that front coming up…

0 Comments | Posted by Michael Spaly in Recording Studio, Session Work

Whiskey Swillers

Creeping Time used to play every month or so at Conor Byrne. During that time, it was always a predictably good time. There was always a decent sized crowd and things would always get a little wild on the dance floor (and stage). The last couple times we’ve played there, however, have been much more subdued. I have a few ideas on why this may be. I’ll do my philosophical rant in another post…

The Whiskey Swillers opened things up with some good hard-driving old-timey tunes. We’ve played with them before and they also have their own regular night at Pies and Pints. They have stayed true to their style of music and continue to tighten up.

We played second with an alternate lineup: Ken, Dave, Tom Rooney, Rickie Gene Powell, and myself. While this lineup is full of great guys and musicians, it’s always a little harder for me. With Creeping Time, I’m used to playing the guitar – and therefore helping drive the tunes. However, this lineup finds me mostly on fiddle and mandolin, forcing me into more of a supporting role. While still incredibly fun, there’s nothing I like better than hammering away on the guitar and driving the dynamics on songs that are engrained in my soul.

The Hobo Nephews of Uncle Frank closed out the night. A real nice duo from Duluth, MN, they turned out straight-ahead fast paced sepia-blues. It was interesting to hear some of the same flavors that I’ve grown accustom to in James Apollo‘s music – specifically the Sepia-ness. Two interesting notes. 1) These guys were magnets for dancing women. As soon as they started playing the dance floor filled up with women and stayed that way throughout their set. 2) One of the few men dancing was stomping through an entire song. You could see him fatiguing towards the end and some beers were knocked off tables. When I asked him about it he said “In Duluth we stomp. That’s what we do.”.

0 Comments | Posted by Michael Spaly in Shows

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I’ve been told that this song is too short and instead of leaving you wanting more, it just makes you feel like it’s unfinished. I hear that argument – but it wasn’t intended to be a 4 minute story with a plot and denouement.

Personally, the idea here was to have a simple thought and flesh it out quickly. My life is full of fleeting moments that linger on and on. Like a scary thought that you can’t let go of, or a near-miss, or a whiff of something that changes your whole outlook. No matter what it is, inspiration hits quick and doesn’t even have to be full fledged truth. 99% of my day is spent on auto-pilot; either sleeping or running through routines. This song is meant to be a reflection of a fleeting thought that is powerful enough to linger, but not important enough to deserve fleshing out and overarchitecting. The closest thing I can think of is when you wake up from a dream and you’ve just had this great epiphany, but when you finally come to it is totally gone. The feeling that something important lingers on, but the specific thing is no longer important or obtainable.

0 Comments | Posted by Michael Spaly in Songs

Sugar Nile, Blue Moon Bible Vol IV

Tractor Tavern, Wednesday night. Annie Ford Band, Sam Russell and the Harborrats, Falcon.

The Annie Ford band was playing their second live show and you would have never known it. Backed by three strong musicians, Annie’s role as lead vocal and songwriter felt just right. I’ve seen her mainly as the fiddle player in Slim Pickens. But this incarnation was a fresh departure from the strictly old-time standards of that band. Some hints of Neko Case, but staying original all the way.

When our turn to play came along, Sam informed the sound guy on our setup and I was sure we were going to get berated. 5 vocals, an average of 2 inputs per musician (and we were a 7 piece), and a complete drum kit change. It got him a little grumpy, but he wired everything up quickly and dialed the sound in even faster. Because we were 7 musicians, we weren’t able to rehearse very much at all. Instead Sam gave us a loose skeleton of each tune and we basically built on that and followed his dynamics during the set. This approach worked perfectly with the group that we had and you could tell it was as much a rush for the audience as it was for us. It always feels really good when the band is tight, and the highs and lows of Sam’s music wildly swing your emotions and keep things interesting. Overall, a really fun set to play.

Falcon closed out. Some really nice harmonies and solid grooves. Their drummer was co-frontman and they had him front and center on stage. That was pretty cool to see as the skin pounders usually get shoved away in the back. Really nice folks and they had a guy playing midi-controller-laptop that totally made the soundscape.

Oh, and did I mention that the show represented a release of our latest CD The Sugar Nile, Blue Moon Bible, Volume IV

0 Comments | Posted by Michael Spaly in Session Work, Shows