Sleeping Dogs Lie – Early 1980’s: a traveling prophet – what we would call a psychic today – calls me to the front of a tiny church, just a few folding chairs in a rented hall in a dry-prairie Texas town. He says that I will go to the “far north” and write music to help people “avoid that which is not in alignment with god’s purpose for their lives”. Interesting. I forget all about it.
Fifteen years later I find myself in Montana and release this song on an album. It goes nowhere. A few years after that I remember the event in the little Texas town, and the album, and wonder if he got the “north” part right but not the rest since almost nobody heard it. Although, come to think of it, he didn’t say it would be heard, just that it would be written and go out into the ethers. Maybe it was just for me, encouragement and motivation for a difficult process.
Almost another 30 years pass. Recently I played it for a songwriting teacher who encouraged me to make a quick video and put the song on YouTube. And here we are.
Vocals by Doug Longnecker.
Time Out For Love – The title comes from a phrase I used to compulsively “air type” in 7th grade typing class. Originally it had a different melody, but it was pointed out to me that it was identical to the hit “Time After Time”, and I had to go back into the studio and fit this new melody to the same backing track we had previously recorded. Guitar: Craig Hall
Willow Creek – An aural tour through the Montana town, which has wetlands (and crickets) nearby. It was the home of “school marm”, below. Violin: Al Cantrell, Guitar: Ron Newman
Migration
School Marm (original version) – with Al Cantrell, violin. “School marm” was a real person, a teacher in Willow Creek. This tune was written for the PBS documentary “I’ll Ride That Horse“, on rodeo bronc riders of the 1930’s.
The Hero With A Thousand Faces – A multi-cultural mix: harmony from Gershwin, rhythm from Bali, solo instrument from Japan.
Found & Lost – the original version. One of the first songs I ever wrote.
Any Other Day
