CDII LINER NOTES
RMMGA CD Vol. 2 - Track Liner Notes
(listed alphabetically by artist's surname/band name)
Page 1: A - D Page 2: E - L Page 3: M - R Page 4: S - Z
All notes, lyrics, etc. are copyrighted by their respective owners; reprinted here with permission.
Art Edelstein
1) Places in The Heart (Art Edelstein) - [disc 2, track 14]
 | Instruments: Craig Anderson
#04 6 string, Seagull 12-string S12
Cedar, Gibson A3 Mandolin circa 1920, Hohner Bb harmonica. Strings: Anderson - 80/20
bronze 0.56-.011; Seagull - light gauge
12-string set; Mandolin - light gauge.
| Tunings: Anderson -
Standard Tuning, capo 3 (Bb); Seagull -
DADGAD, capo 3.
| Recording gear: Shure SM81
for instruments, Shure SM58 for vocals
and harmonica, Symetrix 302 mic preamp,
Roland VS 880 Digital Recorder.
| Mastered in SoundForge 4. | |
This song was written in 1990 in response to my wife meeting her birth mother. It will appear on the CD version of my 1988 album Vermont Roads.
2) Foggy Dew (Irish trad.) - [disc 5, track 8]
| Guitar: Craig Anderson 004,
in DGDGBbD tuning capo 4.
| Recorded on a Roland VS880
using two Shure SM81 microphones. | |
Recorded for my 1999 CD release The Water Is Wide.
Personal information:
Art Edelstein released The Water Is Wide in 1999 - a collection of Celtic music for fingerstyle guitar, with mandolin and bouzouki. He operates the Celtic Fingerstyle Guitar web site (http://www.sover.net/~arte/celtic.html). His first album, Vermont Roads -- issued on cassette in 1988 -- will be re-released in a limited run on CD in the fall of 2000.
Copyright 2000 Art Edelstein.
1) Some Folks (Al Evans) - [disc 1, track 19]
| Recorded with 1999
Gallagher 71 Special (dreadnought,
Brazilian/spruce).
| Newtone medium strings.
| Mic'ed with Neumann KM184
and TLM103 microphones.
| Recorded through Peavey
VMP2 preamp onto Roland VS880-EX
recorder.
| The same equipment was used
to record the vocal. | |
This song was written for one of my best friends, who has never quite fit into the time and space he occupies, during a difficult time in his life.
2) For Livin' Free (Al Evans) - [disc 4, track 20]
| Recorded with 1999 Gevers
SJ (Maccassar ebony/spruce).
| Newtone light strings.
| Mic'ed with Neumann KM184
and TLM103 microphones.
| Recorded through Peavey
VMP2 preamp onto Roland VS880-EX
recorder.
| The same equipment was used
to record the vocal. | |
This is one of my oldest songs, written in 1972 when I was working as a printer in San Jose, California.
1) Rain in Belfast (Ralph Glaser) - [disc 1, track 15]
2) To the Nines (Ralph Glaser) - [disc 4, track 18]
Jammin' in A (Ralph Goff) - [disc 3, track 8]
Technical info:
| Taylor 812C Grand Concert
with Elixir light gauge strings (6 weeks
old).
| Crown CM700 mic, Mackie
1202 mixer, Sony MDM-X4 minidisc 4-track
recorder.
| Transferred from minidisc
to PC via SB Live card and used Sound
Forge 4.5 and n-Track Studio (a real
bargain at $35) to edit, mix and add
reverb, EQ and compression. | |
Esoteric stuff:
I was practicing a neat vamp I learned from a "Country Licks" video and decided to use it with some overdubbed blues lead for my first RMMGA submission. Through the wonders of modern technology I sound more error-free than I am. I took 18 consecutive "good seconds" from the vamp and looped it for most of the rest of the song. My solo track is a composite of 7 sections from 4 solo tracks I overdubbed along with the vamp.
URL: http://www.mp3.com/hog_time_music
Family Story (Evan Gordon) - [disc 2, track 15]
| Guitar: Taylor 710, capo 2,
drop D tuning.
| Mics: Vocals - Audio-Technica
4033; guitar - Neumann KM184.
| Both in a Great River MP2
pre direct into my PC via a Delta 44
Interface.
| Tracked at 44.1 kHz/24 bits
into n-Track Studio. Dithered down to 16
bits using n-Track and various plug-ins.
Final mix cleaned up with Cool Edit.
This was my first experience with PC
recording (both tracking and mixing). | |
I've always enjoyed spending time with my family, as well as hearing all the stories that my grandparents shared with me. This is my tribute to all of them.
Lyrics available at my web site. Song first appeared on my debut demo CD, Just Like Seasons.
URL: http://home.earthlink.net/~egordon99/
For both songs:
Copyright 1999 Steve Hawkins
| Guitar: Goodall Grand
Concert, cedar/koa, McIntyre pickup
| Strings: John Pearse 80/20,
light gauge
| Tuning: standard
| Recorded using: The Direct
and Line outputs of an Ultrasound
AG-100D amplifier into a Peavey Unity
1002 mixer that was connected to a
Soundblaster Live soundcard on a PC with
Iomega Recordit software. | |
1) Soaring (Steve Hawkins) - 2:36 - [disc 1, track 18]
I wrote "Soaring" after a major change in my life. The tune reflects a new and positive outlook on what's ahead for me. It also represents the joy I have rediscovered in playing guitar.
2) Hillbilly Vamp (Steve Hawkins) - 2:31 - [disc 4, track 19]
I wrote this one while watching a Star Trek episode. I was practicing moving up and down the neck while increasing my picking speed and the tune just came together.
Technical info for both songs:
| Guitar: 1969 Martin D-41
Brazilian...one of only 31 ever made.
Custom inlays by Martin, personally
signed by C. F. Martin IV on the spruce
strip inside. I have owned this guitar
since 1969.
| Strings: Martin phosphor
bronze, medium gauge.
| Microphones: Two matched
Neumann KM 184's and one AKG "The
Tube" for my guitar. Other vintage
Neumann, AKG, Seinnheiser, and other
tube mics for the other instruments. My
vocal mic was a Soundelux U-95.
Background vocals were recorded with a
vintage Neumann U-95 (Herb and Valerie).
| Recording medium: Initial
recording through various mic pre's to a
Yamaha 02-R console to Tascam DA-98 and
two DA-38's for 24-track recording.
Overdubbing with The Mastering Lab mic
pre's to a vintage Neve console (Don
Was') to Pro Tools 24/96.
| Tunings: Both songs were
written and recorded with my guitar
tuned to: CGCGcd. | |
1) Even In The Rain (Michael Herndon) - [disc 2, track 6]
This is a love song, what can I say. It is also about ecology and nature and the circle of things. I had the verses written (and the music of the verses) several years before I wrote the rest of the song. I was playing with a guitar partner of mine and I pulled the song out and he really liked it, so I wrote the bridge by the time we got together the next week and that was how the song was finished. It is also the name of the title of my album; the original oil painting by Bill Ogden that graces the front of my CD was inspired by the song. I submitted this song for the RMMGA CD because it is very acoustically driven, yet is an excellent blend of other instruments, including electric guitar, showing how acoustic fingerstyle can drive a fully produced track.
2) Your Eyes (Michael Herndon) - [disc 5, track 3]
I wrote this song two weeks before I recorded my album with the band. It was initially inspired by a young woman who has been a patient of mine since she was about 10 years old. She grew into a wonderfully talented and beautiful lady who went off to college. I advised her of how special I thought she was, and to be careful out in the wild world and to not sell herself short, even for a time. After I told her this, I went to my studio to rehearse for the recording sessions and this song just fell out of me. I resisted because I had all of the songs for the CD already (and many more) but it persisted so I wrote it down.
Once I had the initial inspiration from Keara, I then drew from my daughter who is now off at college. The entire song was written to completion in about three hours. Just one of those things that happens sometimes!
When I played it for the band at the recording sessions, they insisted that I put it on the album. It is one of my favorites and I submitted it for the RMMGA CD because it features only acoustic guitar with some enhancement from a pedal steel guitar by one of the masters, Jay Dee Maness, and vocals.
Ariel's Canter (Jeff Hill) - [disc 2, track 4]
| Guitar: Taylor 514C
| Strings: Elixir lights
| Microphones: Stereo pair of Shure
BG4.0, Marshall MXL 2001, Radio Shack lapel
condenser microphones
| Recorded using Behringer MX802A
mixer, Fostex FD4 digital multi-tracker
| Effects: Digitech RP5 reverb and
pitch shift
| Tuning: Open Gm | |
1) Skylark (Hoagy Carmichael / Johnny Mercer) - [disc 4, track 3]
Technical info:
| Guitar: a shiny new Ibanez
PC300NCE "Performance series"
classical with pointy cutaway and a
saddle transducer.
| Strings: D'Addario Pro Arte
high tension
| The guitar's piezo pickup
was used exclusively.
| The signal went into a
Dan-Echo stompbox, into a Mackie
1202-VLZ, and onto a hard drive via a
Turtle Beach Pinnacle soundcard. | |
Esoterica:
The melody of this song just caught my eye as I was flipping through a fakebook. I also liked the well-expressed sense of longing of the lyric. I played around with a few different chord-melody arrangements of the tune, and then ended up fingerpicking the chords. The "lead classical guitar" part is played with a stiff pick on the nylon strings.
2) Fred's Rambling Blues ("Mississippi" Fred McDowell) - [disc 6, track 11]
Technical info:
| Guitar: Vox Folk Twelve
Electric. A massive two-ton dreadnought
twelve-string from Italy. Bolt-on neck,
Batman bridge, extra-thick pickguard,
built-in pickup, metal nut and saddle.
Volume and tone controls come right up
through the spruce top. Possessed by
evil spirits. And those are its good
points.
| Strings: rusty, corroded
old extra-abrasive bronze-wounds from
hell.
| The Vox's built-in magnetic
pickup was used for authenticity. It was
processed through a DOD FX60 Stereo
Chorus and a Dan-Echo stompbox.
| The tracks were recorded
using Cakewalk on a PC. | |
Esoterica:
I heard this song a long time ago, and have always liked it. The arrangement as recorded has nothing to do with the way I've been playing the song for years. Also, playing a twelve-string is unusual for me, as I don't especially enjoy the sound. All guitar parts on this song are fingerpicked on an acoustic twelve-string, regardless of what it sounds like. Really.
Technical information (applies to both songs):
| Guitar: Taylor W-14c Grand
Auditorium, Claro walnut w/ Sitka top, cutaway.
| Strings: Elixir light gauge
| Sonic capture device: 2 AKG C1000s
(recorded in stereo); synth went directly into
mixer.
| Sonic recording device: Mics went
into Mackie 1202VLZ mixer, which then went to
MIDIMan Flying Calf A/D 20 bit converter, which
then went into the digital input of an Event Gina
soundcard. Recorded direct to hard drive using
Steinberg's Cubase. Edited and mastered using
Wavelab 2.0. | |
1) New Moon (Ed Kelley) - [disc 2, track 13]
Tuning: CGCGCE
Other instrument: PennywhistleI wrote this tune many years ago when I really knew nothing about alternate tunings. I had always liked it, then a couple of years ago I rewrote it. I found the name one evening as I rounded a bend on the mountain where I live and there was the new moon low in the azure evening sky, and the peaceful valley below me.
2) Indigo Vertigo (Ed Kelley) - [disc 5, track 7]
Tuning: DGDGAD, capo 1
Other instrument: Yamaha DX-11 synthesizer
I was experimenting with some tunings and I found this one close to DADGAD. I found that it produces some of the mellowest chords of any tuning I've worked with. The song just came to me as I played. The name came to me one autumn afternoon as I was lying on my back in a field, looking up at an endless, perfectly blue sky, and felt a sense of floating -- Indigo Vertigo.
Personal information:
Even though I have been playing guitar for about 30 years, I really haven't done much with it until the last four or five years. I have been composing for fingerstyle guitar using mainly alternate tunings. I also play mandolin, keyboards, and some wind instruments. I taught myself to record and built my last computer myself based around the recording studio. I plan to record a full CD for retail sale.
My music is inspired by nature, and hopefully brings to the listener some of the peace I find in nature. I would like to thank my wife for her encouragement and most gracious support of my musical efforts.
1) Last Rays of Summer ( ) - [disc 4, track 2]
2) RMMGA Blues (David Kilpatrick) - [disc 6, track 5]
3) Laidlaw's Last Lament ( ) - [disc 6, track 10]
1) Salt, Sun and Time (Bruce Cockburn) - 2:07 - [disc 2, track 18]
Bruce Cockburn has usually mixed in a guitar instrumental or two on each of his 27 releases since 1969. This one is from 1974.
2) Your Mother Should Know (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) - 1:42 - [disc 5, track 11]
When I was putting together RMMGA Tape IV, I was quite taken by Mike Neverisky's performance of "Lady Madonna." I contacted him and he said the arrangement was from Eric Shoenberg's fine Fingerpicking Beatles songbook. The book sadly was out of print but Mike put me in touch with Eric who sold me one out of his personal stock. It is now back in print. This is just one of many great arrangements you'll find there.
Both songs recorded on a Lowden F24 direct to DAT through a Mackie 1202 VLZ mixer. Forty percent of the mix is from an Audio Technica AT822 12" from the lower bout, 60 percent is from a Radio Shack mic located over my right shoulder. I used a thumb pick on #2. Just a little reverb added by way of Cool Edit. Length of these tunes accurately reflects my attention span.
1) All I Have to Do Is Dream (Boudleaux Bryant) - [disc 3, track 11]
| Russell Letson (other
guitar), Mike Thole (whistling and lead
guitar)
| Guitars: Both are Minnesota
handbuilts. Mike plays an "Ediphone"
grand concert cutaway, built around 1970
by Ed Beady (then working in Charles
Hoffman's shop in Minneapolis). Russell
plays a Steve Cloutier
"hybrid" fingerstyle model
(15-inch body, combination X- and
fan-braced, 12-fret neck) strung with
John Pearse silk and bronze lights.
| Recorded with a Sony
ECM-737 stereo mike and a Sony PCM-M1
DAT. We just sat down in my living room,
put the Sony mike about four feet away,
and played until we got a reasonably
good take. I dumped the best track into
my computer (via the Sound Blaster Live!
Drive SPDIF input) and added light
reverb ("bright hall" from the
Sound Forge XP settings) to the WAV file
to sweeten the whistling a bit.
| Tuning: standard, key of G
(Mike's guitar is capoed at the fifth
fret and he plays in D position). | |
"All I Have to Do Is Dream" is one of the guitar-whistling duets we play nearly every weekend as the Acoustic Project. (The AP is Mike's name for a floating association of players that has held down various weekend evenings at a local deli -- currently it's a duo, but it has gotten up to sextet size on some occasions.) This is pretty much what we sound like on any given night. The take we kept isn't perfect, but neither are our live performances (my bad). And thanks to Mike's endless inventiveness, no two are exactly alike, either.
Since Mike Thole isn't an RMMGA member, I'd better introduce him. He's gigged around the Upper Midwest for 30-plus years, singing, whistling, and playing 6- and 12-string guitar, 5-string banjo, and bass. His repertory is enormous and varied: blues, swing, folk, bluegrass, rock, old time (for you non-midwesterners, that's polkas, waltzes, and schottisches), and original instrumentals inspired by miscellaneous world musics (gypsy, flamenco, Indian). His guitar and banjo playing are affected by a bout of polio in childhood: left-hand fingerings are often non-standard, and his right-hand technique is a variation on the Nashville style, using a flatpick and a metal fingerpick on his middle finger.
2) Avalon (Vincent Rose / Al Jolson / Buddy Desylva) - [disc 5, track 19]
A live recording of one of our Saturday night performances at Bo Diddley's Deli (March 11, 2000): another guitar and whistling duet, but this time the old pop tune, done up in swing style. Call it the Warm Club of St. Cloud.
Mike plays lead on his Ediphone whistles; I play rhythm on my 1946 Epiphone Broadway archtop, at that time probably strung with phosphor bronze mediums.
Recording setup: the Sony ECM737 stereo mike (set up on a table about 7 feet away) into an Aiwa AMF70 minidisc recorder. Audience sounds are unavoidable, particularly from one friendly drunk given to enthusiastic whooping. Dumped into the computer via my old SoundBlaster PCI 64's analog input and (maybe) volume boosted a bit (I did this part months back). This is how we really sound live, warts and all.
1) Windy and Warm (John D. Loudermilk) - [disc 1, track 13]
I went to a Doc and Merle Watson concert when I was in college (many years ago). I had never heard them before. Once I heard "Windy and Warm" I was hooked. I sold my electric guitar and got an acoustic. I played a Goodall concert jumbo (rosewood/cedar) on this song.
2) Struttin' Rag (Stefan Grossman) - [disc 4, track 16]
I heard this song on a Stefan Grossman album many years ago. I love the bass line in it. Calling Stefan and asking for permission to record it was a real treat for me. I played a recent issue Martin OM-18 on this song.
[Page 1: A - D] [Page 2: E - L] [Page 3: M - R] [Page 4: S - Z]
Liner notes compiled by Daniel Nestlerode and J. Y. Whang