| Truth Trust & Other
Ghosts was recorded in it's
entirety from April 14th to July 1st, 2009 at The Zone,
Dripping Springs, TX (drums, bass, acoustic guitar) and
at Back 40 Studios (guitars, vocals, keyboards and
percussion), Driftwood, TX. The project was produced by
Keith Davis and engineered by Mike Morgan
(The Zone), Keith Davis and Jim Halfpenny
(Back 40). The tracks were mixed during the week of July
13, 2009 by Pat Manske at The Zone. The CD was
mastered by Jim Wilson at Airshow Mastering, in
Boulder Colorado on August 13, 2009. The art on the CD
was taken from an original oil painting by John
Coleman from a small private collection now owned by
Jim and Laurie Halfpenny. The album was designed by
Jim Halfpenny with help from Liz Hamel.
"(Truth Trust & Other Ghosts) is
an earthy, country-tinged roots rock sound that’s right at home
in the Hill Country...the
album really punches when Halfpenny drives the music home with
stark, relatable images."
- Alex Daniel,
Austin American-Statesman
"Love it." -
Steve Circeo, Americana Music Times |
Available
at www.cdbaby.com
(click above logo)
Also
available at:
Waterloo Records, Austin, TX
End Of An Ear, Austin,
TX
Thyme & Dough, Dripping Springs, TX
Hill Country Music,
Fredericksburg, TX |
Jim
Halfpenny
Vocals/Harmonies/Acoustic & Electric
Guitars/Mandolin/Keyboards
Brandon Storms
Drums/Hand Percussion/Djembe/Vocal Harmonies
Alex Sefchick
Bass Guitar
Hunter Dryden
Electric Guitars/12 String Guitar
Keith Davis
Electric Guitars/B3/Harmony Vocals
Eric Barrera
Pianos
Stephanie Briggs
Featured Vocals/Harmony Vocals
Chris Thompson
Drums (on She's Afraid To Drive At Night) |
|
LYRICS |
THE STORY
BEHIND THE SONG |
STUDIO
NOTES |
|
I've been
staying up late, cleaning out my pockets.
Far from the salt
mines with a tight jawbone.
Getting in my last licks.
Rock-ribbed and ready.
Outside it's raining pitchforks and I
got my best suit on.
Blue sun don't shine anymore.
Not on
this door.
I been greasing each wheel. Taking out my garbage.
I hung up on my hang-ups years ago.
Come lightning, come
snow. Come hell or high water.
I won't knuckle under, I won't
fade to black.
Blue sun don't shine anymore.
Not on this
door. |
Blue Sun was written in a pretty
abstract style that I like to use from time to time. I
remember writing all the lyrics in about twenty minutes.
Each line came firing into my imagination in fairly rapid
succession, seeming to stream directly from mind to paper. At
the time I was scribbling these lines down I had no idea what it
was about. I really didn't think about it much, I just
liked the way the words sounded together. After living
with the song awhile I've come to the conclusion that it's about
finally coming to terms with my shortcomings and doing my best
to defend and deny them any hold over me. It's because of
this positive energy that I decided to make it the first track
on the new album.
|
Jim -
Vocals/Harmonies/Acoustic Guitars
Keith - 'Chunky' Electric
Guitar
Hunter - Electric Lead Guitar/Fills/Ebow
Brandon -
Drums/Hand Percussion
Alex - Bass
Eric - Pianos
If you listen
closely to my acoustic guitar on this opening tune you can tell
that during the verses Keith ran it through a small Fender amp
to give it that 'resonator' feel. Whereas, on the choruses it's
close mic'ed and much more natural and open sounding. Hunter
played the very cool and catchy Ebow 'synth' line in the
choruses on a Stratocaster. The backwards guitar in the second
verse was a cool effect that Keith edited from one of Hunter's
fills. Keith and Hunter teamed up to play harmonies on Strat
(Hunter) and Les Paul (Keith) on the 'Thin Lizzy' guitar solo. |
|
Paper pushed aside the
pencil put away.
Fourteen hours at this task, time to
walk away.
Can't force words to flow, can't write
what you can't say.
It's just that way.
Television, telephone, tell every little thing.
Sleep
don't fall, to spite it all, can't wake without a ring.
I chose to play this song can't smile but I can sing.
It's a funny thing.
Aims and wishes, like dirty
dishes, pile up, pile up.
Sons-of-bitches.
Tell me
something. Sell me something I can use.
Something I
can use.
Strokes of genius in poetry and gloom.
I store them
all in paper balls in the corner of the room.
I ain't
asking much but give it to me soon.
Yeah, give it to
me soon.
Aims and wishes, like dirty dishes, pile up,
pile up.
Sons-of-bitches.
Tell me something. Sell
me something I can use.
Something I can use.
|
The
maligned and dreaded "writer's block" befalls me from
time to time and in this particular instance I was
fortunate enough to put it to good use. Aims &
Wishes not only touches on the subject of not being able
to successfully put pen to paper but, more subjectively,
even after something is written will it be worth
anything? And if so, to whom? As I see it, a
prolific personal collection can't forever be looked
upon as it's own reward. During the embarrassingly
pleading chorus I managed to include a short
genealogical salute to those powers that be who make the
decisions that decide what we get to hear and what gets
'prolifically collected' (someone please remind me to
put a "Parental Advisory" note on this tune).
 |
Jim -
Vocals/Harmonies/Acoustic & Electric Guitars/Guitar Solo
Keith - Electric Slide Guitar/Harmony Vocals
Brandon
- Drums
Alex - Bass
Aims
was the first tune we started out with on this project.
We laid the drums, bass, scratch vocals and acoustic
guitar down and then moved on and did the same for all
the other songs. At the end of the day we re-listened
and didn't like it so we re-cut the whole song and got a
much better take. Later the same thing
happened with the lead vocals and the lead guitar at the
end of the sessions. I re-cut them both the night
before the final mix and crossed my fingers that Keith
would like it. He did. Like a lot of unruly
kids after they grow up, Aims & Wishes was the problem
child that turned out good in the end. The cool
multi-tapped echo on the breakdown was Brandon's idea.
Keith and Alex came up with the solid, groovin' 'My
Girl' bass line on the day of the rhythm track sessions. |
"Take a dip in
the water it's only cold for a second",
She
said as we splashed in over our heads.
There
was turbulence and trouble
And I thought I
might drown.
"Take your best wish and lock it away in your
heart",
She said as our two bodies fell back
apart.
"Because nothing else matters but
wishes and dreams."
She saved me with a
single kiss.
Then I felt the fangs of my
philanthropist.
She changed me from my brain
to my toes.
She smiles like she knows,
And
just before she goes she says,
"Best wishes,
best wishes, best wishes. Best wishes."
"You
can swim in self pity,
And swallow it wave
upon wave."
She said as we dug the last scoop
for my grave.
Her mind set in concrete.
A
conscience of stone.
She saved me with a
single kiss.
Then I felt the fangs of my
philanthropist.
She changed me from my brain
to my toes.
She smiles like she knows,
and
just before she goes she says,
"Best wishes,
best wishes, best wishes. Best wishes." |
Two "wish" songs in a row? Yeah, I know.
But they flowed so nicely together I just
couldn't separate them. Best Wishes is an ironic
and love-jaded tribute to those perpetually
star-crossed romancers who always seem to need
some form of drama churning in the caldron of
their lives and relationships. With little
sense of self they let their emotions get kicked
around and wounded but still keep coming back
for more. Hoping that in the end the hot will
balance the cold. This song swims synchronously
with the whole 'truth and trust' theme of the
album.
 |
Jim -
Vocals/Harmonies/Acoustic & Electric Guitars
Hunter - Electric 12 String Guitar/Fills/Solo
Brandon - Drums
Alex - Bass
Brandon's
drumming stays hot and heavy from his opening
pickup to his very last crash. You can almost
tell by listening that he broke three drumsticks
and had to tape up multiple finger blisters
during the recording of the drum tracks.
Keith kept saying to him over the talkback, "Hit
'em harder, dude!" Brandon hit them so
hard that I'm sure the heads on the 'secret
weapon' snare had to be replaced after we left
The Zone. On top of that huge drum track
Hunter's guitar playing really shines through.
We laid down multiple layers with him at Back 40
Studios playing the 12 string Dan Electro
guitar: signature lines, harmonies, harmonics,
muted picking, and what I consider to be one of
the best guitar solos on the album. Roger
McGuinn, eat your heart out.
|
She's a liar.
She's a saint.
She's a stone cold
sculpture of everything you ain't.
She's
a mother. She's a wife.
She's a shadow in
an alley with a switchblade knife.
She's
a train without rails. She's a courtroom
lie.
Someday you'll go back to her. When
blind pigs fly.
Her face is pretty, when
it smiles,
But she can change her
disposition: she's a feral child.
She
keeps busy. She's a shark.
She's an ugly
stranger in an amusement park.
She's a
blitzkrieg tank on an ego high.
Someday
you'll go back to her. When blind pigs fly.
Things look gloomy and times are tight,
But I'm still waiting for the sign that
Hell's frozen over,
And fish ride bikes,
and pigs have grown wings to fly.
She's a
train without rails. She's a courtroom lie.
Someday you'll go back to her. When blind
pigs fly. |
If the
subject who's speaking to us in first person
in Best Wishes ever wised up enough to
finally cut ties this might be their song of
ultimate triumph and verbal revenge.
Gender is, of course, interchangeable.
 |
Jim -
Vocals/Harmonies/Acoustic & Electric
Guitars/Guitar Solo
Keith - Funky Electric Guitar
Brandon -
Drums/Harmony Vocals
Alex - Bass
Hear that
bad-ass bass line? It was recorded in
ONE TAKE. And that all-pro one-take earned
Alex the revered and respected nickname,
"Hambone". Hambone is always rock
solid but he takes it one step beyond in
Blind Pigs and knocks it out of the park.
The song screams cool right out of the shoot
with the flippant muted triplet on my
acoustic (Keith's idea) and Pat's reverse
guitar effect (done during the mix
sessions). Brandon's ultra-low harmonies on
the B-section add a tough, ominous texture.
My guitar tracks kick ass thanks to some
great on-the-spot collaboration with Keith
and an awesome mixing job by Pat at The
Zone.
This is the JHB rockin' out, man. |
|
Miss
Aligned ain't the kind to live
alone,
But she built a wide moat
around her fortress of stone.
A
well-worn path leads down to the
docks,
Where desperate ships
collide with desperate rocks.
In
this hall of hers built on ancient
bones,
Her bare feet plod the
coldest stones,
Where our voices,
faint but, oh, so clear,
Breathe words meant for no other
ear.
"Go 'way. Come back. Go
'way. Come back."
Existing with
what matters most.
With truth and
trust and other ghosts.
Inside
she's safe, she's warm, she's sane.
Outside a dandelion in a hurricane.
"Go 'way. Come back. Go 'way. Come
back."
Old ghosts, old worlds and
unturned stones.
Re-stitch the
seam that comes un-sewn.
Align
the bones.
"Go 'way. Come back.
Go 'way. Come back."
Miss Aligned
ain't the kind to live alone,
She
got old ghost, old worlds, and
un-turned stones.
|
Last Halloween I was
in the mood to write a ghost story
and this song is what materialized.
Dandelion is the sad tale of
“Miss Aligned” who
knowingly, and perhaps gratefully,
shares the cold, lonely quarters of
her home by the sea with the
restless spirits of shipwrecked
sailors who came
to their untimely demise on the
unforgiving shoals that litter the
jagged coastline. Even though the
lyrics speak from the spirits' point
of view it's never quite revealed if
their ghostly images and whispered words are real, or
just merely figments of a mind that's been
too many years alone. I think
the seed for this song was planted a
few years ago when Laurie and I
visited a museum in Key West,
Florida, where the curator spoke of
some shifty local inhabitants in the
19th century who would put up false
'lighthouses' on the rocks just off
the coastline to lure ships in to
their doom. Afterwards the
good citizens would row out and loot
the wreckage before it could
entirely come apart in the tide and
sink. A cruel, morbid, but
imaginative form of self-employment.
A line from this song is one of my
favorites and was used as the title
and over-all concept for this album. |
Jim -
Vocals/Harmonies/Acoustic & Electric
Guitars/Guitar Fills/Mandolin
Keith - Slide Guitar/Lead Distorted
Guitar
Brandon - Drums
Alex -
Bass
Stephanie Briggs - Featured Solo
Vocals/Vocal Harmonies
Stephanie adds the all-important
female character element to this
song. Her voice is sweet yet sultry
and she brings across the
character's innocently affected
feelings perfectly. Keith's
haunting guitar work in the middle
section is simply breath taking and
I wish you could have been there in
the studio when it was going down. I
was almost in tears. I loved being
able to bring the mandolin in on
this song. It gives the tune an
almost timeless feel. Everyone's
performance on this ghostly diddy
was 'dead-on'. It was an easy
choice as the first single off the
CD. |
She wore
bicycle shorts but didn't
own a bike.
Some folks
would say that that ain't
right,
But you should-a
seen her.
More curves
than Nolan Ryan.
She had
a funky little apartment on
Barton Springs,
Close to
the bike path and
everything.
Man, I tell
ya, for two years we were
flyin'.
It still
perplexes me, how much I
cared for her.
Jeeze,
Louise, my memory's in stir.
Just ask me and I'll tell
you 'bout the canyon in my
brain,
Where echoes of
her laughter still remain.
La, la, la, la, la.
She
had a planter's wart and
wore Doc Martens.
I don't
know how she got it, she
never had a garden.
Kept
her hair cut short just like
Abe Lincoln.
She had a
four-wheel drive that never
left the road.
Told she
got it incase the world
exploded.
Man, she was
always thinkin'.
It still
perplexes me, how much I
cared for her.
Jeeze,
Louise, my memory's in stir.
Just ask me and I'll tell
you 'bout the canyon in my
brain,
Where echoes of
her laughter still remain.
La, la, la, la, la.
Well,
she left to go to Mexico or
somewhere just as far.
She couldn't speak a word of
Spanish,
But she liked to
hear guitars.
And
accordions and violins are
playing for her there.
While echoes are all that I
can hear.
It still
perplexes me, how much I
cared for her.
Jeeze,
Louise, my memory's in stir.
Just ask me and I'll tell
you 'bout the canyon in my
brain,
Where echoes of
her laughter still remain.
La, la, la, la, la. |
This is a
sweet, fun tune that came to
me out of left field.
Sometimes a silly mood
strikes and, more often than
not, it's usually way too
silly to even finish
writing, let alone to
record. This time,
however, I was lucky enough
to be near a guitar and some
paper when a keeper came
along. Echoes is as
fun to sing on stage as it
was to write. I think
I must have been
subliminally inspired by
that crazy cultural stew pot
of the upward moving yuppies
and the
uber-healthy-jogger-bicycle
types mixed in with all
those care-free-pot-smoking
hippies and closet
vegetarians that happily
co-exist in South Austin. Ya
gotta love it. La, la, la,
la, la.
 |
Jim -
Vocals/Harmonies/Acoustic
Guitars/Keyboards
Keith -
Electric Guitar/Lead
Guitar/Slide Guitar/B3
Brandon - Drums/Hand
Percussion
Alex - Bass
Everybody
involved in this recording
project had their moment to
shine and Echoes is Keith's.
He not only played the B3
organ but all the electric
guitar parts as well. Keith
immediately picked up on the
fun, lighthearted nature of
the song and ran naked with
it. His infectious rhythm
parts and subtle comps, his
incredibly perfect sweep
fill after the line,
"...just like Abe Lincoln."
were all ultimately capped
by a joyously tasteful
guitar solo. It was poetry
watching it go down. I
played the "accordions and
violins" in the breakdown
using a Kurzweil keyboard
controller and Giga Studio
samples. And the rhythm
section? Man, Brandon
and Alex are locked up
tighter than Charlie Manson.
What a cool groove. This is
one of my favorite songs.
Period. |
Tommy's
at the gas pump. Janie's
in the front seat.
Charlie's at the counter
buyin' smokes.
It's
Friday in the big town,
But we're young in a
small town.
Ain't
gonna get us down 'cause
we got,
Plenty to do,
plenty to do, plenty to
do.
Standin' at the
stop light,
The
janitor wears his pants
too tight.
There's a
high school dance
tonight,
He's got plenty to do.
He buys us beer on the
weekends.
We might be
his only friends.
But
it only depends on if we
buy his too.
And I
shine my class ring,
And turn my mind off
everything.
Tommy's
at the gas pump. Janie's
in the front seat.
Charlie's at the counter
buyin' smokes.
It's
Friday in the big town,
But we're young in a
small town.
Ain't
gonna get us down 'cause
we got,
Plenty to do,
plenty to do, plenty to
do.
Then Stubby's got
the party.
His
parents won a trip to
Bali.
They'll be gone
for ten days, we got
plenty to do.
The
football team ain't got
a chance.
The field's
infested with fire ants.
The quarterback checks
his stance,
And then
it's hut-one-two.
And
I shine my class ring
and turn my mind off.
Tommy's at the gas pump.
Janie's in the front
seat.
Charlie's at
the counter buyin'
smokes.
It's Friday in the big
town but we're only in a
small town.
Ain't
gonna get us down 'cause
we got,
Plenty to do,
plenty to do, plenty to
do.
Tommy's at the
gas pump. Janie's in the
front seat.
Charlie's
at the counter, buyin'
smokes. |
This may
not be the best song
I've ever written but it
holds a sweet spot in my
heart. Growing up in a
small town while going
to high school, we
didn't enjoy the
extravagant selection of
entertainment that the
kids in bigger cities
did but we always
managed to find
something to do. We hung
out with friends, threw
keg parties, swam in
canals, cruised Main
Street, smoked
cigarettes and sometimes
even managed to act
grown up beyond our
years. We never
got into any real
trouble but we always
flirted with it.
My Class Ring captures
the spirit of the times,
places and people that I
knew back then, even if
I'm not sure where my
class ring IS nowadays.
Oh, by the way, the
names have been changed
to protect the (mostly)
innocent.
 |
Jim -
Vocals/Harmonies/Acoustic
& Electric Guitars
Keith - Electric
Guitar/B3
Brandon -
Drums/Hand Percussion
Alex - Bass
Eric -
Pianos
I dig
Keith's reverent B3
organ part that starts
out the tune. It fits
perfectly. Keith and I
had some fun re-tuning
the electric guitar (the
custom shop Strat) to
give us the exact
arpeggio notes we
wanted. It was
pretty much trial and
error and I hope that I
wrote the tuning
sequence down somewhere
for future use. We
recorded that guitar
with chorus on it (via
the pedal board) and the
end result rings with
very tasty sounding
arpeggios that chime
like a far off school
bell. Eric adds
tons of 'class' to this
tune with his
inspirational piano
playing and he makes it
sound so right and
natural that I can't
imagine that the piano
part was never in the
song before. Not being
completely happy with
either of our own takes,
Keith and I teamed up
for the guitar solo,
using lines each of us
played on the same
guitar (the
Electromatic) then
editing them together
for one complete and
surprisingly fluid
guitar solo.
|
Please excuse
the mess.
I
haven't had the
chance to clean
up lately.
Things might
seem kinda out
of control.
And thoughts
that I have had,
About making
life a little
easier,
Just
need time to
take hold.
Please don't
mind this face.
It's only
temporary.
I've seen it
come and go
'bout a hundred
times.
It's
only temporary.
Push aside the
crap, take a
seat, hey, let's
reminisce.
I
haven't seen you
for awhile.
How's the wife
and kids?
No, actually I'm
feeling better.
Today I might
get out for a
drive.
Please
don't mind this
face. It's
only temporary.
I've seen it
come and go
'bout a million
times.
It's
only temporary.
Read my fortune
if you like.
It's like a
roller coaster
ride.
Please
don't mind this
face. It's
only temporary.
I've seen it
come and go many
countless times.
It's only
temporary. |
Through the
cluttered
confines of the
home you haven't
left for years,
visited by
ghosts of the
past and
present, you're
led to the
shadowy tip of
reality: you're
on a through
route to the
land of the
different, the
bizarre, the
unexplainable...Go
as far as you
like on this
road. Its limits
are only those
of mind itself.
Ladies and
Gentlemen,
you're entering
the wondrous
dimension of
imagination.
Next stop...The
Twilight Zone.
Luckily it's
only temporary.
|
Jim -
Vocals/Harmonies/Acoustic
& Electric
Guitars/Guitar
Solo
Brandon
- Drums/Vocal
Harmonies
Alex - Bass
Man, we went
guitar crazy on
this song.
Keith kept
saying, "Try
this." and "How
about if you did
this?" We must
have layered
about a
gazillion of my
guitar tracks.
That's not
counting the
very cool
backward guitar
lines, spacey
'U2-esq' double
stops and
special effects.
We just kept
coming up with
idea after idea
and they all
seemed to
intermingle very
nicely. This
thing has some
serious jangle
to it. I also
dig the fat
'Neil Young-ish'
tone we got on
the lead guitar.
Brandon does a
great job of
stretching his
vocals up for
those high
backups with me
and swinging
that 60's
tambourine.
Keith had his
serious producer
hat on during
this tune. Too
cool, man. |
We hit the rocks
and three weeks
later,
Out of
the blue the
blues walked in,
With cheap gin
and old love
letters.
It's
late but I'm up
'cause I'm down
again.
It's
cold outside.
I need someone
to hold back the
night.
Till I'm out of
the blue.
Loneliness cries
like a train
whistle.
Out
of the blue. Off
the right track.
It's not you
that's got me
shakin',
It's
this frozen
feelin' I might
want you back.
It's cold
outside.
I
need something
to hold back the
night.
Till I'm out of
the blue.
Come tomorrow
I'll feel
alright,
I'll raise
the shades and
let the sun in.
And burn those
white lies you
sent me.
You
never know
what's comin'.
Love hit the
rocks and three
weeks later,
Out of the blue
the blues walked
in,
With
cheap gin and
old love
letters.
It's
late but I'm up
'cause I'm down
again.
It's
cold outside. I
need someone to
hold back the
night.
Till I'm out of
the blue. |
I
originally wrote
this song to be
performed by a
female singer.
Before we moved
to Texas I'd
taken a few
trips to
Nashville to
peddle my songs.
At the time I
figured that I
needed some
female material
to balance out
all the
'guy-tunes'. So
I wrote this one
and three
others.
Much to my
delight the song
was picked up by
a Nashville
publisher who
wanted to pitch
it to LeAnne
Rimes (two of
the other female
songs were
picked up by the
same publisher
as well). Well,
a year later
said publisher
went out of
business, LeAnne
never heard it,
and after the
end of a three
year contract I
got the song
back. It's
a good one so I
transposed it
for my vocal
range and here
it is: much more
thoughtfully
planned than out
of blue.
|
Jim -
Vocals/Acoustic
Guitar
Keith
- Electric
Guitars/Solo/B3
Brandon - Drums
Alex - Bass
Stephanie Briggs
- Vocal
Harmonies
If Aims & Wishes
was the
project's
problem child
then Out Of The
Blue was it's
hot tempered,
red-headed
sister. We must
have burned over
an hour at The
Zone, tried four
or five
different
styles, each
with about three
totally
different tempos
before we
finally scuttled
them all and
snuck up on this
groovin' blues
thing. Keith's
B3 sets the mood
and his Wes
Montgomery style
guitar solo is
so slick that I
slip into it
every time I
hear it. Alex
has our backs
with that
awesome groove
of his and
Brandon's making
sure your head
can't stop
swaying.
Pat added that
sweet phased
wa-wa effect to
the guitar in
the breakdown
during the mix.
Stephanie's here
again too with
some very tasty
background
harmonies on the
chorus. As it
turned out in
the end, the
final
arrangement for
this tune did
indeed pretty
much come from
out of the blue. |
|
She's Afraid To
Drive At Night |
White lines. Top
down.
Keeping
it light while
she's gettin'
down.
Road
noise, the Beach
Boys,
And
that big ol' sun
is fallin' fast.
Step on the gas,
that quarter
tank had better
last.
It's
been a long
drive but, sakes
alive,
If she
don't arrive
soon she'll come
un-done.
She's afraid to
drive at night,
Likes to see
where she's goin'.
She's afraid to
drive at night,
Look back where
she's been.
She's afraid.
High beams. Low
gears.
That
stuff don't help
when you're
alone out here.
'Cause a night
drive is like
sky dive.
Kissin' the
ground when you
get home alive.
She's afraid to
drive at night,
Likes to see
where she's
goin'.
She's
afraid to drive
at night,
Look back where
she's been.
She's afraid.
White lines. Top
down.
Keeping
it light while
she's gettin'
down.
Road
noise, the Beach
Boys, and that
big ol' sun.
That big ol'
sun.
She's
afraid to drive
at night,
Likes to see
where she's
goin'.
She's
afraid to drive
at night,
Look back where
she's been.
She's afraid. |
This song is
special in that
it's the only
tune on the
whole album that
I actually
co-wrote with
another
songwriter. I'm
fortunate enough
to be good
friends with
Chris Thompson
who plays drums
and writes with
the
Eli Young
Band.
We were having
dinner one
evening at Steve
and Jennifer
Walker's house
and Chris and I
decided that we
should do some
writing
together. By the
end of the night
we'd set a date
and we each told
the other that
we'd do some
homework to
bring to the
table.
Well, the day
came, we set up
in my studio,
and it turned
out we both
didn't have a
chance to
prepare any
material ahead
of time. It was
probably a good
thing in the
long run but we
sat there for a
little while
looking at each
other and
nothing was
really shaking
out. Then we
just started
talking and
Chris said,
"Man, I was
talking with my
mom today and
she said she's
getting to the
point where she
doesn't like to
drive at night
anymore."
That was the
spark and we
took off running
from there. What
we ended up with
was this very
cool, haunting,
kind of a Chris
Whitley type
thing. I
dig it.
|
Jim -
Vocals/Acoustic
Guitars/Talk
Box/Vocal
Harmonies/Whispers
Keith - Electric
Slide Guitar
Brandon - Hand
Percussion/Vocal
harmonies
Alex - Bass
Chris - Drums
We were very
lucky to have
Chris in town
(on a rare break
from the hectic
Eli Young
Band touring
schedule) to sit
in with us on
the drums for
She's Afraid.
Chris is a very
talented
musician and his
performance
sounds nothing
short of killer
on this track.
Chris, Alex,
Brandon (playing
shakers) and I
were all in
different ISO
rooms at The
Zone and it went
down in one or
two takes as I
remember.
If you listen
closely you can
hear a whisper
track that
follows along
with my main
vocals starting
from the first
chorus then
through to the
end. I stole the
idea from Jim
Morrison's,
Riders On The
Storm.
Keith's swampy
slide guitar
sucks you right
into the spooky
center of the
road. Brandon's
got the hypnotic
low end on his
vocal harmonies.
I had the idea
to use the
talk-box but
after we
recorded the
parts I wasn't
so sure if I
liked them or
not. Keith said,
"No, man, they
gotta stay,
they're cool!"
I'm glad he
talked me into
keeping them.
|
I
can't jump tall
buildings.
I can't stop a
locomotive
train.
Can't
stop no trains.
Cut me and I
bleed. Hurt me
and I cry out in
pain.
I ain't
no hero.
But,
oh, how she
looks up to me.
I feel super
powers runnin'
right through
me.
When she
touches my hand
I am Super Sam,
I am.
I can't
catch no
bullets. I don't
really like to
fly.
I ain't
that guy.
Kryptonite don't
bother me.
I
don't have no
identity to
hide.
No
strongman
inside.
But,
oh, how she
looks up to me.
I feel super
powers runnin'
right through
me.
When she
touches my hand
I am Super Sam,
I am.
You
won't find me
tempting fate,
High up on the
Empire State.
No, no, no.
No, no, no.
And I don't need
no X-Ray Eyes,
To see the love
she has inside
for me.
No,
no, no.
I
can't jump tall
buildings.
I can't stop no
locomotive
trains.
Kryptonite don't
bother me.
I
don't have no
identity to
hide.
No
strongman
inside.
But,
oh, how she
looks up to me.
I feel super
powers runnin'
right through
me.
When she
touches my hand
I am Super Sam,
I am. |
I'm not usually
one to write
sweet, syrupy
romantic ballads
but here's one:
plain, honest
and simple.
A sincere,
heartfelt love
song to Laurie,
the love and
light of my
life.
|
Jim -
Vocals/Harmonies/Acoustic
& Electric
Guitars/Keyboards
Keith - Electric
Guitar, Electric
Slide Guitar
Brandon - Drums
Alex - Bass
I
really like the
way this song
turned out.
It has a
slightly
different vibe
than most of the
other songs on
the album and it
was a whole lot
of fun to
record. In
the B-section
the distorted
guitar part is
actually being
performed by
both Keith and I
at the same
time: I hit the
guitar chords
while Keith spun
the volume knob
on my guitar to
achieve that
spacy tremelo
effect. In
the choruses I
played the
"Mellotron
flutes" on the
Roland 990 and
the dreamy slide
guitar parts
Keith played in
the second and
third choruses
are spot on with
the over-all
mood and play in
perfect
counterpoint
with the flutes.
The cool "John
Lennon-ish"
delay on my
voice was
Keith's idea
during the
mixing sessions:
that, along with
the reverse
guitars, heavily
EQ'ed vocal
part, Mellotron
flutes, and dual
slide guitars,
make the tune
sound very
Beatle-esq.
It's cool, man. |
Hollywood burns
and the galaxy
screams.
Who
will now show us
our nightmares
and dreams?
Pick up that
scepter and
carry the torch,
To all of those
zombie-fied
spirits who ache
to be more.
Dietrich lights
up a cigarette,
And curses her
good looks even
in death.
Hudson,
unsettled in his
own skin,
Wonders how
different his
life would have
been.
Under
my boot heels
are ghosts in
the sidewalk.
The lost soul of
Chaplin has
purchased a
home:
Stardust in
cement, etched
by the hand,
impressions in
stone.
In
celluloid
visions they
first came to
me.
A young
boy's escape
into film
fantasy.
I
sense that
charisma
reaching up for
me,
From
beneath the
stained concrete
of Grauman's
Chinese.
Under my boot
heels are ghosts
in the sidewalk. |
Some years ago I
studied guitar
at a music
school in
downtown
Hollywood,
California. On
my lunch breaks
I'd sometimes
take a walk down
Hollywood
Boulevard
reading the
gilded names
etched into the
brick colored
stars that are
set, framed in
granite black,
in the gray
concrete
sidewalk. Each
of them lightly
dusted and
degraded with
various elements
of the city's
daily offerings.
I sometimes felt
that the spirits
that laid
beneath the
names were all
reaching up
their ghostly
arms through the
cement walkway,
grabbing blindly
at my ankles.
Maybe not so
much as to cause
me harm but
maybe to merely
connect again
with the living.
To perhaps try
to snatch a
small, stale
handful of the
glorious
attention they
were used to
receiving when
they were
walking on this
side of the
dimension line.
Many years later
I wrote this
song. Ghosts In
The Sidewalk not
only supports
the title of
this album
perfectly but it
has long been
one of the
band's closing
numbers on stage
and it seemed
fitting to close
the album with
it as well.
|
Jim -
Vocals/Harmonies/Acoustic
& Electric
Guitars
Hunter -
Electric Guitar
Keith - Electric
Guitars, Guitar
Solos
Brandon
-
Drums/Djembe/Hand
Percussion/Harmony
Vocals
Alex -
Bass
Here's another
big guitar tune.
Listen closely
and you'll find
lots of layered
guitars swimming
together here.
Hunter's playing
the signature
lines. Keith
takes both
solos. I'm
playing the
chunky parts. I
think we used
Strat, Tele and
Les Paul on this
thing along with
the ubiquitous
Collings
acoustic. Some
very cool
special sonic
effects here
too. In the end
Brandon sings
harmonies then
channels Tito
Puente and jams
out on hand
percussion and
Laurie's djembe.
Brandon's
percussion,
along with
Alex's bouncy
bass line, give
the outro a
totally
unexpected Latin
sound that grows
into an anthem.
The perfect song
for the end of
the album. |
|
 |
Das Gear
For all you gear heads and studio
geeks here's a partial list of all the cool instruments and
equipment we used on this recording:
Acoustics - Collings CJ5B
(2006), Martin D35 (1986), Aria teardrop mandolin.
Electric Guitars
- Custom Shop Fender Stratocaster (2002), three different Standard
USA Telecasters (various vintages), Gretch Electromatic w/Bigsby,
Fender Stratocaster (all original, vintage 1952), Dan Electro 12
String, Gibson Les Paul Standard (1977), Gibson Custom ES335 (thanks
to Steve Walker!). Drums - Ludwig Hollywood 1967
original vintage kit with various snares (including the 'secret
weapon'). Basses - Rickenbacker 4001, Musicman
Stingray. Guitar Amps - Fender Champ (1980),
Fender Deluxe, Roland Jazz Chorus, Epiphone Valve Jr. (through a 12"
EV Black Widow housed in a Hollywood Enclosure), Peavey Classic 30.
Keyboards - B3 with custom rotating speaker, Yamaha Electric
Pianos, Roland JD990 (Mellotron flutes), Giga Studio Samples
(violins and accordions), Kurzweil PC88 controller with MOTU MIDI
hardware. Jim's vocals were recorded using a Peluso 22 47LE
(w/Telefunken tubes) and his Collings acoustic guitar was close
mic'ed with Neumann microphones. Preamps
- Avalon AV737sp and Daking pre's on vocals and guitar amps, and
Neve and API on acoustic guitar, bass and drums. Compressors
- Neve. Recorded and mixed with Pro Tools using native
Digidesign and Waves Platinum plug-ins. |
 |
|
Recording the rhythm tracks for Truth Trust & Other
Ghosts
at The Zone studios:
Me, Mike Morgan (owner/engineer),
Keith Davis (producer),
Brandon and Alex (aka, "Hambone"). |
Brandon cutting drum tracks at The Zone
|
Alex wearing a look of pride after nailing
a bass track in
one take at The Zone. |
|
Jim in between takes at The Zone,
mugging for Laurie's
camera lens. |
Chris Thompson, of the Eli Young Band,
making a guest
drummer appearance on the
new CD at The Zone. |
Brandon giving Steve Walker a
well-deserved "wet-willie"
at The Zone(note Brandon's taped fingers from slamming the drums so
hard). |
|
Producer extraordinaire, Keith Davis,
laying down a guitar track
at Back 40 Studios. |
Hunter , recording a guitar solo at Back 40. |
Brandon and Alex listening to some playback at Back 40 Studios. |
|
Thanks to
supportive
friends and
family and
to all the
individuals
who have
made this
album and my
music life
possible:
Lou Lange,
Tull Heath,
Larry
Volkart,
Howard &
Margaret
Kellogg,
Patty & John
Genevay,
Vernon & Joy
Freeman,
Stephen
Kempster,
Wes Olsen,
Lawrence-Hilton
Jacobs,
Richard
Pepin,
Joseph Merhi,
Ruth
Laughrin,
Richard &
Marilyn
Laughrin,
Ray Acevedo,
Brandon
Storms, Alex
Shefchick,
Hunter
Dryden,
Keith Davis,
and to all
the fans and
kind faces
in the crowd
at all our
performances
who's
support and
encouragement
make me feel
larger than
I am.
Thanks to
Steve Walker
for his
friendship
and the use
of his
beautiful
335.
Special
loving
thanks to
Laurie,
who’s love
and
confidence
in me knows
no bounds.
You continue
to be my
life’s
inspiration. |
All material,
music, video and lyrics on this site © 2007
- Jim Halfpenny - Strong Domino Music - BMI - All
rights reserved.
|