One More Left is the second single from the album Lows+Highs, the second full length album from The Nautical Theme.
Story behind the song: Thinking about how One More Left came together for Lows and Highs as this delicate, sweet, and simple arrangement, prominently featuring Tesia playing the mountain dulcimer, it’s funny to remember that the song once had a completely different life as a failed synth-laden indie-pop song. But, this helps to reinforce some of the message and imagery of the song. Despite dark clouds overhead, we can find the strength to try again, at least one more time. Somewhere between the destruction of the six-piece indie band Tesia and Matt fronted and the formation of The Nautical Theme, the duo, along with long-time friend and musical collaborator, Justin Smith, dabbled in synth driven pop. Eventually, that project led Tesia and Matt back to the acoustic, harmony driven music The Nautical Theme has established as their own. The theme of the song is one of picking yourself back up again, finding that you have “one more left”. Matt proposed that, based on the strength of the melodies, the song could be reworked for Lows and Highs. As the album took shape, it became one of the duo’s favorites.
From Shamus Dark: When talking about songs from the Great American Songbook, I’d say that Angel Eyes is right up there with the best and one of my fave songs of all time. It was written in 1946, with music by the great Matt Dennis, lyrics by Earl Brent and was featured in the 1953 Hollywood movie ‘Jennifer’, starring Ida Lupino and Howard Duff. The song has become a jazz standard over the years with many interpretations by famous artists; K D Lang, Chet Baker, Sting, Pat Metheny, Frank Sinatra, Shirley Bassey, Neil Sedaka, Ella Fitzgerald, Dave Brubeck,Oscar Peterson and Duke Ellington to name just a few. Ella Fitzgerald, who recorded “Angel Eyes” at least four times, named it her favorite song. This video is a re-upload, now featuring a new music introduction by Pete Millward, who is also Producer. Guitar is by Eugene Pao.
Lyrics:
Well you came in like a child
Without the burdens of the world upon your mind
So I stayed for a while
To try and learn the stories held within your eyes
But I never understood enough
Even though they said so much
Phrases I just could not recognize
In a language that I’m sure so sweet
But strangely quite foreign to me
I never had a chance to ask you why
You said goodbye
Now I sit in this pile of the worries and the cares built over time
And I think back to your arrival with all the tethers of the world passing you by
But I never understood enough
Even though you said so much
Phrases I just could not recognize
In a language that I’m sure so sweet
But strangely quite foreign to me
I never had a chance to ask you why
You said goodbye
Wide, you break my fall with your arms open wide
Story Behind the Song:
Break My Fall was one of the first songs written for Lows and Highs. When we were thinking about how to present the song on the album we wanted it to fall into the “highs” side of the “Lows and Highs”, which meant filling out the arrangement. Fortunately our friend and great supporter of the band, Justin Crim was willing to work with us on providing the drums for the track.
The meaning behind the lyrics took a turn for me while we were still working to finalize the song. Originally, the idea behind the first line “well, you came in like a child without the burdens of the world upon your mind” was quite literal, thinking of my children and their innocence of perspective on the world around them. It was about me trying to learn how to see the circumstances of my life with a fresh perspective – to be more like them. Unfortunately, around the time we were writing this song, my grandmother passed away. My memories tend to be very visual in nature. One of the first times I sang those lyrics after she passed, I saw clearly in my mind’s eye one of her visits to a childhood home of mine when I was still very young. She was playing with me just as if she was a child of my own age – so fun, playful, and carefree. So, during the crescendo of the song, when we’re singing “wide, you break my fall with your arms open wide”, I’m thinking about the supportive and loving nature of my grandmother and in general the self-sacrifice of those that come before us who gladly catch us when we stumble and hold us up through our journeys.
Olivia Frances has an exciting song ‘Porcelain’ from her record Orchid (released this past June). The video captures a dynamic around the consequences of choices that we make and what others believe about those decisions. An energetic and infectious song that captures the energy and powerful presence of a captivating vocalist. Blending honest lyrics with emotional and ethereal vocals alongside natural yet polished guitar arrangements ‘Porcelain’ becomes one of those songs that you just cannot shake. This tune will remain caught in your music consciousness. You cannot help but hum along to the chorus.
From Brandon Berry: The official music video for “High on Paint Fumes” premieres this Friday, October 18th at 5:00pm! Follow the link to set yourself a reminder to watch it during dinner! Even you people who call it “supper” are invited, too.
On Tuesday, July 23, 2019 J. Marinelli joined Dr. J before his show at the Yellow Cab Tavern with Paige Beller. We talked about song writing, being a one man band and more during his visit to Dayton.
Smug Brothers’ All Blur & Spark, out on CD on Gas Daddy Go Records on Monday, July 8
From the band: Fifteen years since forming as a home recording outfit, Smug Brothers continue to find new ways to shake things up creatively. That’s certainly true of the new full-length, All Blur and Spark. Work on the Ohio band’s latest offering on Gas Daddy Go Records began before the February 2019 release of the crowd-funded vinyl album, Attic Harvest, and was curated by some of the group’s supporters.
“The songs were the result of the Attic Harvest fundraiser,” leader Kyle Melton said. “We offered contributors the option to have a custom song recorded as part of their contribution and 11 people participated. Each person was offered to choose an acoustic or full-band track and was then given a list of five titles from which to choose.
“We then recorded the songs quickly in late 2018 in time to send a CD copy of each song out with each person’s vinyl copy of Attic Harvest. When we had completed that project, we realized the 11 tracks would make a cool fan-curated album worth sharing with more people. We got each person’s permission to use their track and put it all together. And here we are at All Blur And Spark.”
Before these two 2019 albums, there were the studio projects with Darryl Robbins at BHA in Dayton (Woodpecker Paradise, 2015) and Micah Carli at Popside Recording in Troy, Ohio (Disco Maroon, 2017). Following these experiments in higher fidelity and the departure of lead guitarist Brian Baker and bassist Larry Evans, Melton and drummer Don Thrasher returned to the home-recording approach they’ve favored since joining forces in 2008.
“We really enjoyed recording studio albums with Darryl and Micah,” Thrasher said. “We’re proud of how those full-lengths turned out but working like that takes a lot of time in pre-production and post-production, not to mention tracking and overdubs. That’s how most bands make records but it’s not a very Smug way to work. Kyle and I prefer to get in the basement, take a few runs through a song and then lay it to the four-track cassette recorder while the material is still fresh.”
Melton and Thrasher perfected that approach on early releases like the digital LP Fortune Rumors (2011) and the cassette EP Strictly Triggers (2014), recording overdubs and vocals with Robbins (Overthought Musik, Motel Beds) as engineer/co-producer. That changed with Attic Harvest and All Blur And Spark, a one-two-punch that shows there’s still a lot of life left in this scrappy band of rockers.
It also marks a period of firsts. These are the first projects recorded with Melton at the helm in his basement studio and the first with the band’s new guitarist/keyboardist Scott Tribble, who is opening up new sonic dimensions in the music.
Being fully self-contained has also allowed Smug Brothers to increase its pace in Melton’s basement, with the group deep into sessions for several forthcoming releases. With the looming 20th anniversary of the band’s debut CD LP Buzzmounter (2005), it’s evident this scrappy outfit from Ohio will continue to grow.
Another terrific video from Dayton, Ohio’s A Voice of Your Own. Their new record satellites is out soon! Love this song! So glad to see the art-form of music videos come back and be used this well! Dr. J is talking with AVOYO on June 18th!
Our fave video today comes courtesy of our good friend Mike Bankhead who is releasing this single for all of our listening pleasure. You can stream or buy it right now —http://hyperurl.co/54t0sy?IQid=YTdesc
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