"GEORGIA, SLIGHTLY REVISED" (&C.)...

Did it again… I was trying to learn “Georgia on My Mind” (the band wants to do it), and I couldn’t remember the words. So it grew new ones. (Sleazy ones, in this case.) This has happened before—“The World Enquirer” happened because I was trying to learn that old bluegrass turkey about Jimmy Brown the newsboy and couldn’t remember the words. (“The World Enquirer” isn’t performable in a lot of places, either.)

On the assumption it’d need new music (that happened with “The World Enquirer”), it got some of that, too. The original “Georgia” was chock full of fruity jazz chords which I assumed were probably unnecessary; I simplified it a lot, using standard country-music chords, and think it still sounds close enough so the original music is reconizable. Mine has more of a beat, though.

Without new music, “Georgia, Slightly Revised” would be just a parody, and that’s got its own limitations: according to “Weird Al” Yankovic (who’s rather a parody expert), you can’t record or perform a parody without the permission of the original author (and there’s at least one instance in recent years where an author refused to give Yankovic permission to parody his song). New music for the new lyrics avoids that problem. The song becomes a thoroughgoing original.

I wonder periodically if I know too much—or rather, if what I know is getting in the way of my being effective. The above trivia tidbit about parodies is a case in point—I never used to worry about that but now that I know, I do. In the same vein, I won’t perform any covers at a show where I’m getting paid. I know everybody else does, and that neither performers nor venues care, but I know what the law says and I won’t do it. I won’t record covers without permission, either. There was a Civil War general, William Tecumseh Sherman (the guy who burned Atlanta), who said, “I’d rather be right than be President.” And he never did get to be President. Am I in the same boat?

Recorded “The Resurrection Blues” at the Rainbow Lotus Sunday night, with two flutes, fiddle, trumpet, and harmonica all playing lead, plus three guitars (including me) and cello. Used Michael’s mixer and omnidirectional mike, fed into the “line in” port on the Tascam. It turned out not bad, but I’d like to re-do it. The first couple of verses had the sound levels too loud (Michael reduced them later), and both the vocal and instruments “peaked” in static, and I wasn’t able to entirely eliminate the static in Audacity. It’s an okay recording, but it’s not professional quality. I think I can do better. I posted it anyway, primarily as evidence that I did write the thing—when it’s archived in Soundclick (or another OMD), it’s “date-stamped” and can’t be easily claimed by somebody else later. (Another instance of knowing too much.)

Now, if this were a studio recording situation I would limit—or at least focus—the number of lead players. The trumpet, fiddle, harmonica and flute players were all good but it’s hard to hear what they’re doing individually when they’re all together. If one could have the trumpet up front on one lead break, the fiddle on another and so forth, it’d sound better. Those are also all “whiny” leads, and it’d be good to have a “non-whiny” lead in the mix, too—guitar, perhaps, or mandolin. They’d need to be either plugged in direct to the mixer or recorded separately. And it’d be good to have a bass, too.

Tillamook County Arts Network (TCAN) got sent their Deathgrass CD. I applied for a new job I’m sure I won’t get (a city of 10,000 people is unlikely to hire me as their city manager, no matter how dysfunctional they are, but I threw ‘em my name anyway) and have four more to apply for. Meeting to cover for the paper, column to write early, caller class tomorrow and caller practice with my guinea pigs Wednesday. Yes, busy. I should record “Georgia, Slightly Revised” while I’m at it.

Joe