Time continues whilst we try to stay warm and get out in the light while we can. This is a rerecording of a song which has never sat quite right for me. I think this is the closest yet to something.
Anthony Johnson and Francis Knight were kind enough to do a session with me and what came out was something which none of us had bargained for. Francis suggested that we take the song slower and it is the ‘art way’ to listen to collaborators. So we tried it. We put the guitar and the vocal on afterwards but it would have been great to do it all at once. It is interesting not to have a rhythm section because the rhythm can wander…and does. I think I am very conditioned to be nailing everyting down to a beat but when you listen to unaccompanied singers they often sing freely. Where there are no barlines, or they are fuzzy, the world is an open plain of opportunities. Beat is overated…and yet I had considered this as an anthemic chorus song with handclaps on the back beat! Listening again it seems that the freeish vocal is the core of this piece with the instruments tagging along!
I think learning is the most exciting thing that we do and this is certainly learning in progress. Sometimes it is hard to listen to what a piece is telling you it wants to be!
I think the song is pretty self explanatory and there are words (and music) in the video. Enjoy!
Playing at:
Rochester Sweeps Festival 2023: Monday May 1st. 11.45-12.20pm Boley Hill stage. 1.30-2pm City Wall stage.