Every now and then, I like to think I got a little wood on the ball. (yeah, I know...I used a sports metaphor!)
One of the secrets I've found to ensure a happy marriage is to not question things that really don't require it. Case in point, watching YouTube on our TV. The wife set up the streaming channels, and they're all under her name. I have no reason to question this. Our TV displays her YouTube profile, not mine. This means I get to experience more of her algorithm than mine. I'm A-OK with this. My own searches on there continue to confound the algorithm. While she might search for cutting edge comedy, I go looking for theology, old blues, indie horror short films, and Bulgarian real estate videos.
Somewhere at YouTube HQ, someone is in a meeting displaying this algorithm and asking, "Are they messing with us?"
YouTube is predictable most days. I know it will suggest comedians, tech and space news, and liberal politics (my wife's preferences) and it will keep me updated on property values in Palamartsa and Polski Trambesh, as well as enlighten me on theological arguments and the intricacies of Blind Blake's picking style.
But now and then, it surprises me.
This morning, while enjoying my first coffee of the day, it suggested this:
I'll admit that I'm still happy with how this turned out. I remember playing it for my buddy Chipmunk shortly after uploading it. He declared that I had created something totally new.
Had I?
It's a mashup. The base song is mine. "Nightstalker", which I wrote 30+ years ago. Hell, I was still married to my 1st wife when I wrote it, so that means it was around 1992-94 when I came up with it. Back then I did most of my writing in the basement. It kept me out of everyone else's way. I still remember the night I wrote it. I was sitting there playing it over and over again (as I do when writing). I hadn't noticed my then wife when she came down to listen. She startled me, doubly so by her presence and then by saying she enjoyed the song. Our musical tastes were rarely on the same page. (I know, that probably should've been a red flag)
I started playing the song live in 1995 when I formed The Tremblers. We recorded it on our first album, produced by my friend and mentor Alan Leatherwood. The fact that Al liked it spoke volumes. Anyone who thinks I'm opinionated never met Al. I seem downright musically open-minded by comparison - but Al had impeccable taste. His knowledge of music was encyclopedic.
I played the song for years. Not only was it on our first album, it appeared (slightly remixed) on the compilation album North Shore Kicks on the Pixler Disc label. I remember Al being mightily perturbed that they lowered the pitch. Honestly, I hadn't noticed. I was too busy writing and recording other songs.
The soundman/production manager at the legendary Rosebud nightclub always called the song 'the blue light special'. It was a personal favorite of his, and he always made sure the stage lighting was set to odd blue hues throughout the song. We played Rosebud well over 100 times. I guess the patrons enjoyed it too.
The song was released again on our LIVE IN OZ release. It was a completely different version, thanks to drummer Brian Francis. Allow me to set the scene:
Our regular American drummer couldn't make the tour, so Aussie Brian Francis stepped up and filled the spot. I'll say he's my favorite drummer for most of my songs. He gets it. That said, the first show of the tour, in front of 8,000 or so people, he didn't get this song. I had to rewrite it, live on stage.
And it worked!
What could've been a nightmare turned into something special. Brian's groove took the song in a different direction.
I later rerecorded that version with Losers After Midnight, the weird little studio project with Joe Brady (from the punk band Scanner) and my old friend George Borden (drummer for the metal band After Shok).
For the first Losers session, I wanted a nasty guitar sound. I found it by using an old Peavy amp, set to the dirty channel, and the use of a distortion pedal a friend had made me. He named it the Acid Distortion box - and it's a beautifully trashy sound! These bits, along with my ancient Telecaster Deluxe (Agatha) with the equally ancient DiMarzio super distortion pickups...well, it sounded like a guitar getting ready to explode. When we released our version, I changed the name to "Nightstalker Twist". (a little nod to Mancini there)
Enter the Bulgarians!
I've always listened to Bulgarian music, especially the vocal polyphony. It hits me at a deeper level than anything I've ever heard. Long story short, YouTube kept suggested a group, Abagar Quartet, and I finally gave in. I fell in love with the music! After months of trying to track down a physical copy of their one album, I began correspondence with the group, as well as their conductor, Sashka. Over the years, we have developed close friendships which I treasure!
My music, it seems, never made it across the border in Bulgaria. If I seem surprised by this at all, it's due to the fact that a large number of bootlegs appeared from Eastern Europe in the late 90s-early 2000s. The bootleggers probably made more money from them than I did! Yes, I find that hilarious - in my own dark way.
One night, I was listening to Abagar Quartet singing Shopski Choruses and recognized something in the rhythm. It just might fit over my little oddball instrumental. I opened some mixing software and tried it. To my surprise, it worked! It would need a few tweaks beyond what my software could handle, but it worked! I played my little rough mix for a singer friend, and she was pretty impressed, adding that it was indeed a new sound.
I made plans to take the tracks to my buddy Dave's studio, where I've been recording for over 20 years. In fact, he has the master recordings of the Losers After Midnight sessions, so it was a breeze. We spent an hour or two tweaking pitches, tempos, etc. so everything would fit just right. I added a little thank you video to the ladies of Abagar Quartet, and sent it to them, as a Баба Марта holiday greeting, on March 1, 2023. They were tickled! Their conductor, Sashka, deemed it "Вълнуващо!"
It only took 30 years to go from an embryonic melody to an international mashup. I'm always surprised at how well the song, in its multiple forms, has been accepted by the world. I understand that it's a popular addition to a number of Halloween-themed playlists. I still receive the occasional email or message from someone who has recently heard it for the first time. Guitarists ask me about the gear I used on different versions. I just sit back and smile every time.
Yeah, once in a while I get a little wood on the ball...and sometimes I know it out of the park and into dark, weird spaces.
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