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Setlist: Saving Grace (original tuning), Shake It Off, Picture Window, Wilted, Ugly Americans

Performance Notes:

I originally wrote “Saving Grace” at the piano (it was pretty much the first thing I did when we walked in the door from our honeymoon), and when I finally translated it to guitar it was in the peculiar tuning of CADGCC. I still prefer the chord voicings there, but when we brought it to Arcati Crisis it didn’t make sense for me to always retune for just one song, so I figured out the equivalent chords in standard tuning.

One of the many downfalls of constant returning – especially retuning with such slack strings, is that even if your guitar sounds find on an open strum that the intonation might go a little sour higher on the next. If you see me wincing through “Saving Grace” and “Shake It Off” here, it’s because somewhere in the 7-9th fret neighborhood I heard something a little wonky.

(Also, as I mention in the stream, this is my first time ever hearing a soundboard quality “Shake It Off” played back not just through monitors, which is pretty crazy considering I wrote it back in 2009.)

“Picture Window” is another song I wrote first on piano and then translated, although I think the guitar version has nearly replaced the original for me at this point. “Wilted” is an older tune that’s a particular favorite of E’s – I was a little confused about the placement of the slides up the neck for about halfway through the song. Such is rehearsal.

That brings us to my current wrestling match, “Ugly Americans.” On day eight of its life in public it’s getting nearer to a final state, though there are still a few too many words crowding some of the triplets. It’s literally been over a decade since I’ve worked out a new song in public like this, and while it’s terrifying it also feels good to be back to my roots. The fear will fade.

I intended to follow that with an oldie, “Hold On Me,” and then some grand finalé – which I intended to be “Better” (which, crazily, I’ve never recorded solo!) but would probably result in EV yelling for “Status Quo” and me acquiescing.

Setlist: Dirigible, My Heart (written by long-time blog buddy Jett Superior), Are You, End With Me, Curves Sketched In Letters, Regenerate, Ruiner, Message

Performance Notes:

Just a few this week, since I’m already focused on improving the audio and video quality for next time.

This is one of my first live runs through “Dirigible,” a deeply weird song that is what happens when I try to write like Gina does for Arcati Crisis. It’s about hot-air ballooning over a world covered in water, maybe figuratively or maybe literally. It’s still a little shaky, but I’m getting close to it being able to hold its own.

It’s also maybe my first internet play-through of “Message,” a song that I love and that we briefly worked up for the band. It’s actually maybe written by Madonna, but in a dream, so you can’t possibly serve me with a DMCA notice about it. I’ll write a better story about it when I have a better video of it, but you can hear it all in the recording. I have some timing issues playing it here without the band, but I think the vocal is pretty strong.

“My Heart” and “Are You” are both returned from many years on ice, although I play the former a lot just because it’s fun to sing. “End With Me” and “Curves Sketched In Letters” are, of course, my twin songs from Eric Smith’s Textual Healing, which have become setlist staples. There’s another song from those writing sessions I’ve never played before – perhaps it will make an appearance soon!

Also? I don’t ever want to play “Regenerate” without compression again. What a difference it makes on a song like that that goes from my lower chest range up to a belt at the top of my mixed voice.