Archive for the ‘Nickels & Dimes’ Category

My album “Nickels & Dimes” is 5 years old this year.

This album took a long time to create. All of the tracks were recorded between 2001 and 2004. They were recorded in a don’t fret over the mistakes (punk folk?) manner, in my Dad’s basement, when I’d come home from college during breaks.  There are so many different styles and sounds incorporated on the album: electronic, folk, alt-country, psychedelic, and more. Its chaotic, messy nature was either loved or loathed (or somewhere in-between) by people who heard it.

I found an old review of the album here.

Give a listen to a few tracks (and read about each) from “Nickels & Dimes” below:

Candy Cigarettes This song was created from scratch over a period of 3-4 hours on a sunny day in 2001.The lyrics were made up on the spot. The vocal you hear on the recording is me ad-libbing (sort of like what a lot of rappers do, although done in the genre of folk pop). Inspiration for the chime sound hook came from the tubular bells at McCurdy Park in Owosso, MI. It’s reminiscent of a Beatles song.

Red Rover I had the keyboard part for this kicking around in my head for months. In 2004, I finally came up with a vocal part from just joking around and having fun. You can hear my ecstasy in the Jerry Lee Lewis piano at the end.

Running Out Of Batteries This one was written in 2002, I believe. I used to write songs while standing alone in my Dad’s kitchen, looking out the window at birds and butterflies, and this was one that was written that way. I didn’t record it until about 2 years later, because for a long time I couldn’t get the right sound. This song is best done in a sparse way. One of my favorites.