MUMBO JUMBO – December 2012
SUNDAY DEC. 2. I’m staring out the window of this stopped northbound train on a cold, gray, foggy morning in the Virginia countryside just north of Fredericksburg. The train in front of us has reportedly crashed into an automobile delaying our arrival by about two hours. This has been quite an interesting, relaxing 1850’s like experience!
Talk about going from full color to black and white! This is what yesterday morning looked like as I drove through the Keys at Sunrise!
I’ve been working on a batch of new songs for the past two years but must admit the inspiration for the title track, SOL SEARCHING, came from friend and Wicked Sister Kara Schaake during a particularly nasty winter back in 2011.
After weeks of complaining about lack of sun and a historically snowy and frigid New England February, I received a late night text that declared, “We’ve had it! We’re leaving our family, homes and jobs and buying an RV and naming it Sol Searching. We’ve got to have some sun!!”
As many writers readily admit, there aren’t many truly original thoughts left, but we’re not above borrowing or stealing one now and then and I particularly loved the double meaning of sol/soul searching.
Sol Searching
Verse 1
The cold gray skies are getting you down
Ain’t seen the sun in this northern town
For 20 days, let’s run away
You’re speaking Spanish and you’re going insane
And all you can think of is the coast of Spain
We gotta go
Costa de Sol
When you wake stark mad in the middle of the night
And the full moon shines on your face just right
And the south wind whispers, “baby, book that flight”
The time might be right for some sol searching
WHY WE ARE RECORDING IN NEW JERSEY?
You may be wondering why I left the sunny, warm climate of Key West to come to New Jersey in December? Good question!
Lew London, a long time friend and brilliant singer/songwriter, multiple-instrumentalist, recording engineer and producer lives here on the Jersey Shore and teaches music and recording at Charter Tech High School for the Performing Arts in Somers Point, New Jersey. Peter Mayer and I spoke to the students there in September and had a chance to check out the great recording studio at the school as well.
Lew and I have been talking about doing a project together for a while, and getting the opportunity to record in such an excellent facility with Lew while giving some of the students access to the project seemed like a win-win for everyone.
Lew has done just about everything in his three decades in the music business. He performed, co-wrote and recorded with the legendary Steve Goodman for years, he was nominated for a Grammy in 2009 for his work on the Utah Phillips tribute CD and was named Guitar Player of the Year by Guitar Player Magazine. Not to mention he plays a mean fiddle!!
We’ll be working hard for the next two weeks and we’ll give a full blown update in the January Mumbo Jumbo. In the meantime, I hope you all have the happiest holiday possible.
Check the website for December and January dates!
Thanks so much for listening and allowing me to keep this job for another year!!!!!
Scott
Copyright Scott Kirby 2012. All rights reserved. www.scottkirby.com
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