Heading out to DARREN HOLMES’ family home in Hull, Quebec, last Thursday morning (December 1st), I was very much looking forward to continuing our work together. It had been some time since either of us could make our schedules work, in terms of meeting up and working on any music; and what with DARREN being the busy man he is, and I working on THE CORRUPTiON of FLESH – any music outside of it would have to wait.
However, Thursday with DARREN was another day to reassess things and get back to recording some potential tracks. Back to doing that folk and country style that I personally love.
Brewing up some coffee to start, DARREN and I caught up on life and work ; coffee-talk time is essential to us both before laying anything down vocally. I truly do enjoy this warm up time with him – and like I said, we had a lot of catching up to do. DARREN is a character- one I’m proud to know. And before you know it we were ready to get started.
Thursday felt like an accomplished day in that first we were able to lay down vocal and guitar for a song given to me by AiLEEN MARTELLA, a friend as well as an accomplished visual artist and writer (THE DROUGHT, 2010). I guess it goes to show how much I admire MARTELLA’S work as both a painter and poet. For example, the image of a painted prairie field on the CD of THEY SAY i’M DiFFERENT dons an original MARTELLA – a charming and fitting image for my personal liking. In the last year I’ve also gotten to know MARTELLA the poet; and as she draws from her own experiences she sets words to music that are simple, yet open to interpretation. OPEN UP MY HEART (YOU’LL SEE A TiNY ARMY) for instance, is a MARTELLA original; one that stands out for me personally as a story-tellers song and what her lyrics bring to the table reminds me very much of JONi MiTCHELL or NEiL YOUNG’S early confessional songs about weakness or love – yet MARTELLA offers a tender self-awareness and a submission to the joy and the pain of life. This perspective she has appeals to me – which is why I’m honored to be a part of OPEN UP MY HEART at all. When song feels like its been ripped from the pages of your own life – you pay attention, and fortunately for me MARTELLA is a generous person to extend her song for me to interpret. I’m certainly looking forward to seeing how HOLMES and I can develop anything of it.
Additionally to OPEN UP MY HEART we laid down the basic foundations for an original tune of mine called MAGGiE BROWN EYES – inspired by my love for a dear friend of mine. Anyone who has had to leave behind a friend, be it temporarily or long term – might understand how difficult it can be to do just that – leave. I know personally its never easy to be apart from those you love – I wrote MAGGiE BROWN EYES just as much for her as I felt a need to express something inside myself. Essentially it is my lullaby for her – and again I look forward to bringing it more to life.
That pretty much sums up Thursdays session – and although I can’t predict when HOLMES and I will get to continue this project, do trust that it is certainly a passion and priority to do so.
Stay tuned and thanks for checking in!
