Brother Cow

of the Land of Oaks

Session 2009-12
12/12/09
I actually started the first song on the 11th, when I thought I might not have the time to do a session the following day. So sue me. That song refers to an email in which this month's ICS meeting host, Michael Mellender, let it be known that, "The house speakers here are not really that bad. You just have to believe in them. And not show them your ankles. Ever. They wouldn't be very nice to you if they saw your ankles." The second song takes a 180 degree turn from the silliness of the first. It is dedicated to the memory of Rae and Link Lindquist, who did not make it home from Thanksgiving dinner a couple of weeks ago in Hana, Maui. Feeling a little overwhelmed by the feelings stirred up by that song, I created an experimental piece to clean the slate. And then I got silly again, if trenchantly political, with a punky final number.

Ankle vs. Speakers
Returning to the Sea
Heroes
Investment Banker

Session 2009-11
11/22/09
A one-song session dedicated to making a song to celebrate my dad's 75th birthday. Took me all day and into the night, because I can't play piano but for some reason I got it into my silly head that I'd like to do a kind of New Orleans thing.

Happy Birthday BLC

Session 2009-10
10/24/09
My first session back at the drawing board, without the boundaries that had made the cat sessions easier (lyrics written beforehand, music needing to be ukulele-based). The Halloween theme would've helped, if only I'd used it, but once I started with a birthday song for my brother, I just had to go where the muse led me. "The Beast of Capital Street" was meant to be a Halloween-themed tune about Olive, but it didn't quite work out that way. "Hot Air" is about the Balloon Boy hoax, for which said boy's parents and the media who fell for it ought to be privately chastised. Public chastisement would just play into their hands. "Application" is gibberish, done in about a half hour, which might have the potential to develop into a real song someday...

Happy Birthday Evan!

The Beast of Capital Street

Hot Air

Application

Session 2009-09 (Official)
09/26/09
Well, folks, this is it. I've completed the song cycle, "A Curious Collection of Cats." And I even wrote a very complex and satisfying theme song for the book. Will the cycle eventually end up as a long-running Broadway show? It could happen. We could trick audiences into thinking it's a sequel. Ah, memories.

Ear Decorations

Prickles vs. the Golden Retriever

Kissy Kat

Cat Under the Blanket

Cat Door

A Curious Collection of Cats

Session 2009-09 (Unofficial)
09/02/09
I did this impromptu session when Michael went to his studio to silkscreen posters for this year's Campout. Yes, four more cat songs. I think I have set almost all the poems in the book to music; just a few more to go...

Bingo's Birthday Party

The Purrfect Scarf

Hot Daze

Symmetricats

Session 2009-08
08/03/09
When Michael and Nell went out to brunch on this foggy Monday morning, I had the house to myself for the first time since Michael returned a week earlier than planned from his silkscreening class in Santa Cruz. I had a couple of Betsy's cat poems already transcribed in my notebook, complete with prospective chords. I threw the chords out the window and ended up with the following two songs.

Yoga Cat Pose

Fluffy's Polydactyl

Session 2009-05
05/09/09, 06/04/09, 06/06/09
I squeezed in a couple of mini-sessions before the regular meeting-day session on 06-06-09. And I bring you... yet another litter of cat songs adapted from the volume, A Curious Collection of Cats. Lyrics by Betsy Franco. Michael and I will perform some of the cat songs live at Kepler's Books in Menlo Park on June 28.

A.M.
The first A.M. session in a long while yielded this sparkling ode to the glamorous Mrs. Vera.

Vera

Session 2009-04
04/25/09
More cat songs adapted from, A Curious Collection of Cats. Lyrics by Betsy Franco. Michael and I performed a ska version of "A Question for Scooter about Squirrels" live at Red Hill Books in San Francisco on May 31.

Tabitha's Tail

A Question for Scooter about Squirrels

The Cat Peed on My Hat

Limerick on a Leash

A Tomcat's Yard is His Kingdom

Techno Cat

Binky's Kittens

Session 2009-03
03/28/09
The first song is a true story. The fifth is another of my attempts at bliss pop. The middle three songs are settings of concrete poetry by Betsy Franco, from the soon-to-be-released volume, A Curious Collection of Cats. Michael and I performed the cat songs live at Diesel Books in Oakland on April 9.

Session 2009-02
02/28/09
February: In which Andy tries explicitly to do a 20-song session and misses by only 14 songs, but still sets a track number personal best with six. As the only Wiglodge member at the joint Wig/O-lodge meeting, I was intimidated... until my songs got some laughs. Hey, if you can't be a king but want to hang out in the castle, you can always be a jester.

Session 2009-01
01/20/09
January: January 30, 2009 marked the 20th anniversary of the night Michael consented to "go steady" with me. My session is all about trying to honor our relationship with songs that are sweet but not saccharine.

First 20 Years

Happy and Gay

I've Still Got a Crush on You

Session 2008-12
12/31/08
December: A busy month during which there was lots of holiday stuff and I got laid off from the job I'd been at for the past 4 1/2 years.

2009 2009

Session 2008-11B
11/??/08
November: A joint Wig/Origin lodge meeting at Nicholas and Michael's pad inspired this quickie one-song session.

Wigin'!

Session 2008-11A
11/30/08
November: This post-Thanksgiving session features "Downtown Dreamwalk," a piece made mostly on my phone with the app RJDJ.

Discover 2 [unavailable]

Makin' It Up

Downtown Dreamwalk

Turkey Trot

Session 2008-10
10/25/08
October: This was a big music day for me. I did an ICS session, went to a BCO rehearsal for our legendary Cafe du Nord gig, then went to the ICS meeting.

Destroy All Monsters

Let My Marriage Be

Peace&Love

Session 2008-09
09/27/08
September: The week before my session, I was alerted to the fact that I would be laid off at the end of the year. It was nice of them to give me so much notice.

My Boss

Move On

What Do You Want to Do?

Session 2008-08
08/30/08
August: The month of clever song titles, apparently.

Session 2008-07
07/20/08
July: Another cold, foggy summer day. My first session rewiring Reason into Logic. In fact, first time using Reason 4 on the Mac, finally (hence the arpeggiator madness in the second track).

Everything is Sounding Great

Open Letter to the Woman Who Bypassed the Line at the Apple Store

Pep Talk

Session 2008-05
05/31/08
May: A cold, foggy day, perfect weather to stay inside and make music.

minimal-time

Sugar Valley Forecast

Foggy Oakland Breakdown

Session 2008-04
04/27/08
April: I spent the entire blazingly hot weekend at my computer working on a freelance web job due first thing Monday morning. At 5pm Saturday, when I was intensely frustrated with the job and myself, Michael convinced me to give up on the HTML for the day and do a session.

DHTML

Incompetent

Better Tomorrow

Session 2008-03
03/28/08
March: Bethel's birthday provides the theme for the first three songs.

Forty!

Skin Disease

A.M.
Michael returned from Fremont mid-afternoon and managed to put together one song on his own, and to do most of the work on this little ditty about California's controversial $75 million plan to spray pesticides over 12 Bay Area counties to help destroy the light brown apple moth.

Pesticide Solution

Session 2008-02
2/23/08
February: The triumphant return of A.M., with a session based loosely on the theme of "animals," in anticipation of the February 29 installment of the Argyll Adventure Tree show.

Session 2007-12
12/30/07
December: My first attempt at composing with Logic.

Wrap It Up!

The Highland Stomp

Session 2007-09
09/08/07
September: I finally got my new computer this month. Now nothing can stop me.
Parental Advisory: Songs with apostrophes in their titles contain lyrics unsuitable for children.

Session 2006-12
12/??/06
December: When I pledged to make lots of music in 2007. How did that work out for me? See above. As for this session, I'll upload it soon.

Just Gettin' Started

Resolution

Welcome New Year

Session 2006-02
02/07/06
February: A one-song session, done as a thank-you to Flower Frankenstein, who arranged a bachelor party for me and made sure it happened shy of my first wedding anniversary.

Flower Power

Session 2005-11
11/25/05
November: the first A.M. session of 2005. Five variations on the jump-rope chant, Little Sally Walker. Reason by Michael, ProTools by Andy.

Little Sally Walker 01

Little Sally Walker 02

Little Sally Walker 03

Little Sally Walker 04

Little Sally Walker 05

Session 2004-05
05/30/04
May: summer arrives just in time for Memorial Day.

Stockholm
My first attempt to make music with ReBirth since 1999.

Rip That Bush Out
An attempted gospel rave-up.

Memorial Day
This evening we had an ICS barbecue at Karl's house in Alameda.

Session 2004-04
04/17/04
April: a heat wave and a little rain.

Don't Know
Composed and performed on a ukulele.

Apocalypse Now
Subconscious "Kitty Kitty Meow" ripoff.