Just About Almost There: What were these guys thinking?

MP3 streaming audio clip: Smokes Like A Fish
Based on a catchy electric guitar riff with an infectious groove that had been a rehearsal studio warm up jam for years, this tune has become a concert staple that always generates incredible audience response. Mike Tyler tears into an electric guitar melody and solo followed by John Bartron taking a synth guitar solo.

MP3 streaming audio clip: Comp Day
A musical portrait of  free time. JB remembers: “One morning while sitting on the deck of our house in the redwoods of the Santa Cruz Mts. I had a cup of coffee and a whole warm summer day off in front of me. The groove and  simple melody started up on my guitar and I couldn’t stop playing. After a while I traded the coffee for some local brew and the song seemed to write itself.” The arrangement features a percussion and bass breakdown that transforms into a lively synth guitar solo, followed by  a tasteful, ripping electric solo.

MP3 streaming audio clip: Foolproof Plan
This song first appeared on Btg’s now out of print debut album  in an acoustic format and has evolved over the years into a groovin’ full band  arrangement. Deep bass and  drums lay the foundation  for some back and forth acoustic and electric guitar solos.

MP3 streaming audio clip: Ignorant (by) Design
Three quarters of the way through recording for the album the band realized they didn’t have an acoustic number to send along to Rosalie Howarth of KFOG’s Acoustic Sunrise. JB whipped together and recorded a nice finger picking tune and let the rest of the band fill in the blanks. Mike added a slide guitar melody, John Hasty  pulled out every hand drum he owns and Joey Fabian settled on a fretless bass to bring it all together. Have a nice Sunday.

MP3 streaming audio clip: Model T
Written the day after attending a Robben Ford concert, Mike’s Model T has a stylish interior, plenty of power under the hood and all the looks to turn peoples heads as you cruise down Highway 1.What will it take to put you behind the wheel of this tune…today.  Soulful and soaring electric guitar melody and solo,  followed by an introspective acoustic guitar solo.

MP3 streaming audio clip: Bare Necessities
Mike Tyler is featured on this traditional folk song. Acoustic guitars, slide guitar and Ebow overdubbed by one musician yet sounding  as natural as a group of friends sitting around a campfire.

MP3 streaming audio clip: The Blue Beach
John Hasty and Joey Fabian recording deep into the night at Joey’s mid-peninsula home studio. Running out of drums and percussion to play? Pull out some mixing bowls!

MP3 streaming audio clip: Irish Tune (Morrison’s Jig ; Geary Blvd. Translation)
John’s oft performed solo piece finally  recorded. A tune learned from a penny whistle playing Irish American lass  he met at a local pub.

MP3 streaming audio clip: Treaty Schmeaty
A Zepplin-esque  guitar riff with plenty of room for all to rock. Mike tries his hand at lap steel for some outstanding  soloing. The band also showcases their as yet hidden vocal talent. A one chord a capella ending that is dripping with political satire.

MP3 streaming audio clip: The Flying Dream
Mike’s favorite reoccurring dream is related here in great epic detail. The band’s progressive rock influences  are evident in this orchestral suite.  Once again the percussion arsenal is utilized alongside synth guitar and plenty of  ensemble interplay. “..to sleep, perchance to soar..”

 

Some brilliant reflections on our Like A Metaphor
album that might bore most people:

MP3 streaming audio clip: Unsafe At Any Speed
The title says it all; a musical interpretation of Ralph Nader's famous phrase. This tune is also like the Corvair in that the faster it goes the more dangerous it becomes (how could it not be?). Stylistically it falls somewhere between the Hellecasters and the 1980's model King Crimson. The arrangement was put together rather quickly so we could debut it at a gig at Slim's in San Francisco, and it's changed very little since then. MT

MP3 streaming audio clip: Stupid, But Lucky
Whimsical autobiographical sketch. The only compositional parameter being: no chords allowed, only melodies to be played by each instrument. J Fibby (bassist Joey Fabian) is up to the challenge and creates a wonderfully melodic and exciting bass line that could have earned him writing credits if I weren't such a greedy bastard. JB

MP3 streaming audio clip: How They Eat In Heaven
The title comes from my favorite chapter in "The Bean Trees" by Barbara Kingsolver. A nice melodic tune that blends my slide guitar melody with a harp-like guitar part played by JB using as many natural harmonics as possible. The mood of the piece reminds me of "Earl Gray" by Kiln House-era Fleetwood Mac. This was the first track we recorded for the album. MT

MP3 streaming audio clip: Zuzu's Petals
As we so often point out this is drummer Hasty's first composition with the band and we begrudgingly admit it's becoming one of the favorite tunes on the new album. I'm trying my best to sound like Sonny Landreth. Great interplay between JB's acoustic and Lee Parvin's Hammond, fretless bass by Joey and, oh yeah, cool percussion by Hasty (I mean, he did write it). MT

My wife and I were watching “It’s a Wonderful life,” and I was playing a new djembe that Santa had dropped off the night before, when the groove started to take shape (what a gift).  Then the melody kind of fell into place based on the drum groove.  It’s kind of a sweet song that hitches a ride on the feeling when Jimmy Stewart finds Zuzu’s petals. JH

MP3 streaming audio clip: Our Towner
Homage sans fromage. A heartfelt tribute to the great musician and composer Ralph Towner from the group Oregon. JB

MP3 streaming audio clip: Don't Let Me Down
It's obvious that we're all huge Beatle fans; the majority of the cover tunes we do are Beatle songs. This one is a lot of fun to play live. John and I race to see who can quote Billy Preston's riffs first. MT

MP3 streaming audio clip: Gravity Assist
Energy Conservation Tip: While day-tripping through the Cosmos, save fuel by using the kinetic energy of other worlds to maneuver your craft. A new right hand technique for SonicJ (Thumb plucks a bass note while the index finger plays a harmonic harmony plucked by the middle finger) inspired the main riff of this tune. MC "puff" Tyler ripped out a melody. JHay (drummer John Hasty) inspired by some carpentry going on near his house layed down the groove aided and abetted by JFibby. It saved the expense of buying a red '70 Pontiac Firebird and the embarrassment of  that obsessive crush on a cheerleader. JB

MP3 streaming audio clip: Plaid
The oldest original on the album. We've been playing this for a long, long time and I could never commit to a title. When we mentioned this at a gig a friend in the audience yelled "Plaid"! So be it. Written in 12/8 time and somewhat quirky rhythmically, it is definitely inspired by the Dixie Dregs. Check out the cool Hammond played by Lee Parvin. MT

MP3 streaming audio clip: Banana Leg
Bright yellow, pointed banana shaped tomatoes; meaty and low in acid, making them perfect for slicing into salads. The middle section jam is a great representation of the organic process of improvisation. JB

MP3 streaming audio clip: The Whale's Footprint
The inspiration for the title came from a whale watching expedition we took out of Gloucester, Massachusetts. When a whale dives it leaves a still, smooth patch on the water called a "footprint". The intro, "Song of The Camco Whale" is John Hasty "bowing" his tom-toms with his hands, emulating the low whale sounds. The higher pitched voices are these same drum recordings being rewound at high speed. MT

A lot of our friends know that John Bartron loves to come up with intros to our songs. So in the spirit of friendly competition, I thought I would try my hand at doing one myself. It was lots of fun working with Lee Parvin to help me put it together.  All of the sounds were made on my old Camco drum kit. JH
 

MP3 streaming audio clip: It's Not The Heat
This tune had its beginnings in a Larry Graham-like bass riff (in 5/4) that Mike came up with at a jam. The quasi-psychedelic part after JB's solo features a sound montage of various backwards-recorded noises including bicycle spokes, ocarina, piano, giggling, etc. Great Hammond B-3 solo by Lee Parvin. A sweaty summer song.

MP3 streaming audio clip: Hit The Ground Running
A deliberate experiment to compose a piece with diverse yet connected musical styles. The verse is a  Joni Mitchell type of strummy modern folk riff with a hummable melody. The bridge takes you to the Caribbean for a percussion driven groove with guitars taking the part of a steel(drum) band. The title is derived from lyrics that JB wrote but were never performed. An instrumental song with lyrics!

MP3 streaming audio clip: 1027
This song manages to groove and flow while going through frequent changes in meter. The feel owes a lot to certain Grateful Dead tunes, while the opening guitar figure recalls a well-known Led Zeppelin song. Fun to solo over. Also notable for the bass part played by JB on his acoustic guitar through an octave box, and guest keyboards by Lee Parvin. Inspired by the home MT grew up in, and the good vibes still present there, the song’s title is the address.

MP3 streaming audio clip: You Say Tenaya
This tune was written at a favorite campsite, Tenaya Lake in Yosemite. John Hasty manages to play every percussion instrument from three continents in this song. Mike's electric guitar solo was a first take luckily recorded during a sound check.

MP3 streaming audio clip: Blue Spot
A completely composed guitar piece inspired by Earl Klugh's early work. John Hasty plays a smooth jazz triangle part on a Turkish zil.

MP3 streaming audio clip: Missing An Old Friend
The oldest tune on Leap Day and our only vocal tune ever recorded. Written in 1985 about the passing of a musician friend, it’s lyrics deal with our rather odd attraction to melancholy, “the pleasant pain of missing an old friend”.  Featuring Nancy Hall of The Curios on vocals. Musical notes: solo by JB; banshee guitar by MT (backwards recorded slide/volume pedal/echo); JH drums sounding somewhat Stewart Copeland-like.

MP3 streaming audio clip: 16
JB's response to the heavy-handed music played during sports highlight shows. This song was written on a Sunday morning in 1990 while watching a 49er game. Inspired by the cool and calm  demeanor of Joe Montana(#16). JB had the song finished before the game winning field goal.

MP3 streaming audio clip: Confluence
Another song written around a campfire. This is a solo fingerstyle guitar piece named for the spot where two rivers join to make one. Dedicated to JB’s lady, this song is basically about coming together.

MP3 streaming audio clip: Sunlight Through The Clouds
Another old tune, this was part of a group of pieces written by MT to accompany a photography exhibit called "The Baylands Project" by our friend Richard Lohmann. The Mellotron heard on this track reveals our roots in early 70s progressive rock. Slide guitar melody and solo by MT, acoustic guitar solo by JB. The music is a literal interpretation of the title, a celebration of nature.

MP3 streaming audio clip: Hit The Ground: Pt.2
More musical diversity! An Irish jig that dramatically returns to the original theme heard in part 1. This track features cool unison melody played by JB and Lee Parvin on guitar and accordion respectively. Lot’s of ear candy.