twenty-seven angels from the great beyond

MP3: Because We Are the Sky (4.4 mb)

When someone tapes your voice, does it sound strange to you when you hear it played back? Mine does, as it does for so many people. The sound I hear myself making from inside my head, from within the acoustical confines of my skull I suppose, is often embarrassingly different from the sound emitting from the tape recorder. And I wonder if this implies a certain lack of self-awareness, or if it's a matter of the way sound behaves in different spaces (inside a head, for instance, as opposed to out in the open air or magnetically captured onto tape). I have a feeling it's the former, unfortunately.

Singing can be a whole 'nother thing because we're making noises with our voices that hopefully equate to certain notes on a musical scale. Often, a singer hitting wrong notes in a song can ruin the performance, but at other times it doesn't seem to matter. Lloyd Cole once said something like, "I learned from Bob Dylan and Lou Reed that you don't have to have a great voice to be a great singer," and I think that's true. Most of the singers that I like would rarely be accused of having great voices, but there's something about their delivery that just fits the songs they sing.

And that, in a weird sort of way, brings us around to this month's entry in the ever-rolling Marble Tea songfest. I'll be the first to admit that I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing when it comes to singing (or tuning instruments, keeping time, etc.), but when I was recording this song I had the definite idea in my head that I should sound like Matt Berninger of The National in order to fully convey the mood I was hearing in my head. And in a way, in my head, I did indeed sound like him. The tape, on the other hand, reveals a totally different story.

So, if you really want to get a feel for my intention with this song, put yourself in my head and we'll be somewhere in the ballpark. It's just another ditty about the magic of universal consciousness after all....

BECAUSE WE ARE THE SKY

I'll tell you one thing I have learned
There's never a good time to be burned
On a stake
With your hands pure and soul like silver
And your eyes wide to life's one river

I'll give you one night to rehearse
The melody and the phrasing of the verse
Of the moon
That reflects into your dark cover
Telling you there is just one lover

And it knows it's you
And it knows it's you

So we ride, because we are the sky
And we are the sky so we ride

I'll take you away from your heart
And we'll glide along like sisters in the dark
To reveal
That our shadow selves are anchored to us
Like the wave of light that shines right through us

And you know it's you
And you know it's you

So we ride, because we are the sky
And we are the sky so we ride


If you're playing around on Facebook, come be a friend at facebook.com/marbletea, and also be sure to check out the progress of my forthcoming EP at trumanshat.wordpress.com where I show you how you can make your own fun recordings from the comfort of your home, singing chops not required. Thanks for listening!

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in a beat-up grace kelly car

MP3: Truman's Hat (Previsited) (3.4 mb)

Today is the twenty-fifth anniversary of the death of Truman Capote, one of my favorite writers.

Truman possessed that glorious ability to dream-up an excellent story and then craft it into perfection with the precision and grace of a masterful wordsmith. From humble beginnings, he rose to enjoy the riches of celebrity, and floated about in its high circles with effortless aplomb, soon charming himself into the talks and toasts of many...just as he had expected. He was also quite the tiny tyrant at times, often becoming an embarrassment to himself and those around him with his uncontrollable boozing and fiery tongue.

His speaking voice was an instantly recognizable extension of his appearance and personality, and he was always an entertaining guest when making his myriad talk show appearances throughout the 60's and 70's, often baffling the young me with his curious persona. How could I have known that this somewhat toadish man-boy had once been young and handsome, a thrilling fireball of creativity and joie de vivre? (That's him in 1949 on this Smiths' single cover from 1985.)

But it's his writing voice that gets into you. And, in the end, it's that writing voice that will speak for him throughout the ages.

And if you're wondering, my favorite book by him - generally speaking - is Music for Chameleons, a collection of short stories and essays. But that may change with the next one I revisit.

Years ago, in his honor, I'd written a little tune called Truman's Hat that I hoped would help me get a better handle on him, genius bag of contradictions that he was (he reportedly once said that he was more interested in the truth than he was in the facts). I recorded the song a few times throughout the years, and this month's mp3 is a hopefully hypnotic instrumental version of it.

A full version with lyrics appears on my next "official" release (plug plug), due out early September. I'm doing something different this time in that I'm going to try to chronicle not only some of the recording of the EP, but also the ways I actually go about getting it onto CD and then promote and sell it...cheaply and mostly effortlessly of course. My desire is that some of you who might think to yourself, "I oughta record some music and put it out there" will find some inspiration and guidance to get you started. So if you want to follow along, check out the new site I've set up for it here.

And, lest we forget:



Two quotes from Truman Capote:

Failure is the condiment that gives success its flavor.

and

To me, the greatest pleasure of writing is not what it's about, but the inner music that words make.



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he landed right on target but the target rolled away

MP3: Why Can't I Say What I Mean? (3.3 mb)

I share a birthday with Thomas Edison and claimed him as a hero from a very young age, even going so far as to cause chemistry set explosions in my closet many mornings before walking off to school. I've had many heroes since, but find it slightly ironic that one of my latest icons was an arch-nemesis of Mr. Edison's, a Serbian visionary whose name even to this day isn't given the credit it's due.

With that in mind, I'm pleased to announce that A Score for Tesla: Music from the film Megahertz is available for download, and FREE even until the end of this month! Donations entitle you to higher quality sound files, if you're of an audiophilic nature.

MHz (Megahertz) is an enlightening film from Jordan Graye at Anam Cara Productions that's about a self-destructive radio DJ who encounters Nikola Tesla in the afterlife, and the ways they help each other work through the tattered energies of their lives. While the story deals with the emotional and spiritual dramas of the characters, it also provides quite a bit of insight into the enigmatic inventor's personal and professional life as it aims to set the records straight about Tesla's massive contribution to the modern world. An excellent film, and I was honored to be involved.

The film also includes a few Marble Tea tunes, as well as some music from another of my heroes, the recently coastal Max Eider. Sorry, folks...you'll have to hunt those songs down elsewhere. Also, I'm greatly indebted to Stephanie Bissonnette for her help and expertise in whipping the artwork for the Score into shape. Thanks, Steph!

Now, about this month's free mp3. The original version of this song appears on the I'm Batman EP (link subject to change soon), but I gave a shot at re-recording it about a year ago and just realized I never let you have it. So hear you go - a somber song for a rainy summer.

Oh and a final question for you. I think the iPhone is the first great consumer invention of the 21st century. What's your favorite invention?


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and he keeps them pearly white

MP3: Inlet (3.8 mb)

The dragon roars from the other side of the canal, startling me from this sketch about something that may or may not have happened. It certainly could have I suppose, and possibly did somewhere.

Another exercise in repetition. Another exercise in repetition. I dream of one day writing a song with no repetitive elements. A song that grows, as Virgil Thomson has said, like a plant, organically flowering from root to stem to limbs stretching toward the Sun. A natural progression that builds upon itself and then takes leave of its previous melody and rhythm.

Today is not that day. The dragon is getting closer....


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not given lightly

MP3: You Can't Believe What You're Doing (4.3 mb)

I can't believe you did that!

I like phrases like that because, depending upon the situation and tone of voice, it could be either a good thing or a bad thing. Even more intriguing is when it's both a good thing and a bad thing. I wonder how often that happens....

This song began as a sort of Chris Knox knock-off, but slowly morphed away from that, though I hope to have stolen a little bit of the feel he gets in his usually sparse productions.


YOU CAN'T BELIEVE WHAT YOU'RE DOING

You can't believe what you're doing
You can't believe
[Sung 4 times]

When you watched it grow
Did you ever even know
You would learn to love it so

And you can't believe what you're doing
You can't believe
[Sung 4 times]

When you let it out
Did you ever have a doubt
You would soar above the clouds
And you do...

You're dancing like an egalitarian
You flutter like a Beatle too
Your hands are comets in darkened skies
And they're orbiting you

When you watched it die
Did you ever wonder why
You were taken by its lie

And you can't believe what you're doing
You can't believe
[Repeat & fade]



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in the merry merry month of april

MP3: April May I? (2.9 mb)

Well, here's what you get when the end of the month arrives and I need to write and record a quick song. Kinda like watching grass grow, isn't it?

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shadows and tall trees

MP3: U Kadamba U (4.8 mb)

Trees seem to be returning characters in my life lately (and my blog as well). I suppose that's appropriate, given the various evocations trees are capable of, and my ever-intruding quest to understand the interconnectedness of things both tiny and large.

Here's my line of thinking today (and I'm just exploring here so bear with): the way you look at something determines how it appears to you, much more so than the way it actually is. For example, trees in winter stripped of their leaves can be achingly beautiful or starkly sinister, depending on how you choose to see them or what your current state of mind is. They are what they are, but you infuse them with meaning/power/importance or whatever.

We've given trees such a wide range of roles. They can be majestic, bold, steadfast and strong. They can be threatening and sharp, leaning over you with menace. They can be grouped together as a mysterious or inviting forest; or solitary and bare, the loneliest of images. They are life and growth, they are death and decay. They are both hugged and chopped.

There's no real point to all this. I'm just trying to figure out what this month's song is about, and why I wrote it. It seems to have something to do with appearance and oneness. Would you like to help?

U KADAMBA U

You were scared of the bare trees
Because they looked like witches
Curling fingers over the road
And you feared they might grab you
So you curled in the back of the car

I was on a train to Manhattan
Wearing my suit and my tie and my hat on
Falling asleep as the cradle car rocked
And it rolled and it rocked and it rolled
I dreamed of women with beautiful leaves

Three attempts in the doorway
Because they couldn't quite figure
Out who you were
Until you showed them all your branches
And your fingers slender and long

Oh, PS: I almost forgot! All of last year's songs are now bundled into one nifty package that you can download here. That's 15 free songs, so if you missed them throughout the year now's your chance to have them all together. You can also download the previous two years of songs there absolutely free as well!

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up, up and away

MP3: Transit Ford in the Fourth Dimension (3 mb)

This passage from Mere Christianity by CS Lewis, where he attempts to explain the possibility of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost as one Being, has always intrigued me. Not so much from a religious viewpoint as from a fuller understanding of the universe kind of angle:

You know that in space you can move in three ways - to left or right, backwards or forwards, up or down. Every direction is either one of these three or a compromise between them. They are called the three Dimensions. Now notice this. If you are using only one dimension, you could draw only a straight line. If you are using two; you could draw a figure: say, a square. And a square is made up of four straight lines. Now a step further. If you have three dimensions, you can then build what we call a solid body: say, a cube - a thing like a dice or a lump of sugar. And a cube is made up of six squares.

Do you see the point? A world of one dimension would be a straight line. In a two-dimensional world, you still get straight lines, but many lines make one figure. In a three-dimensional world, you still get figures but many figures make one solid body. In other words, as you advance to more real and more complicated levels, you do not leave behind you the things you found on the simpler levels: you still have them, but combined in new ways - in ways you could not imagine if you knew only the simpler levels.

Now the Christian account of God involves just the same principle. The human level is a simple and rather empty level. On the human level one person is one being, and any two persons are two separate beings - just as, in two dimensions (say on a flat sheet of paper) one square is one figure, and any two squares are two separate figures. On the Divine level you still find personalities; but up there you find them combined in new ways which we, who do not live on that level, cannot imagine. In God's dimension, so to speak, you find a being who is three Persons while remaining one Being, just as a cube is six squares while remaining one cube. Of course we cannot fully conceive a Being like that: just as, if we were so made that we perceived only two dimensions in space we could never properly imagine a cube. But we can get a sort of faint notion of it. And when we do, we are then, for the first time in our lives, getting some positive idea, however faint, of something super-personal - something more than a person. It is something we could never have guessed, and yet, once we have been told, one almost feels one ought to have been able to guess it because it fits in so well with all the things we know already.

I have a hard time stopping there, though. What about a Fifth Dimension, where Marilyn McCoo has ten eyes and five mouths? Ha, but I'm joking. But why not a 6th, 7th or 8th dimension? If the Universe truly is infinite, couldn't there be an infinite number of dimensions as well? What do you think about that?

I think it would be cool to experience those other dimensions somehow but it would probably be dangerous, if not a little unnerving. Psychedelic in every sense...and we all know we have six of those right?

Anyway, I sent Transit Ford on a mission to check it out. Here's his report:

I'm slowly coming through my skull and out my face.


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good morning (x3 + Ga)

MP3: Tinkle, Winkle, Pobble & Bip (640 kb)

This month has really gotten away from me. Not that most of them don't (Time: what a concept), but as much spinning of the wheels as there's been, there's also been some forward motion. Let me tell you first about this month's song....

Tinkle, Winkle, Pobble & Bip is a 30-second theme song exercise for a children's TV show in much the same vein as The Teletubbies. Four strange little creatures with funny-sounding names getting into all kinds of psychedelic adventures - what could be better than that? Obviously it's geared toward a younger audience, but if you're feeling a little silly it might hit the spot.

Now for the latest news:

*CDs and downloads are once again available for purchase at my website, The Marble Tea Webthing (www.marbletea.com). I had to re-arrange some things due to server problems on the back-end, so individual songs aren't available anymore but you can buy the 'albums' in packages at really low prices! And of course, there's lots of free stuff there too.

*The film Megahertz, concerning the other-wordly adventures of the increasingly prophetic genius Nikola Tesla and a soul-searching female disc jockey, is nearing completion. Brought to you by Anam Cara Productions, I was thrilled to do the score for it as well as contribute a wee pop song or two. There's also some music from the indisputably talented hands of our hero, Mr. Max Eider.

*New Mystics is a gathering place for artists of all stripes, and features lots of great work from poets, writers, filmmakers, musicians, painters, etc. Their theatre company recently branched out into film-making, and I'm honored to be providing music for a series of their short films. You can check out the development of this series on their film page.

*If you have a mobile phone with internet access, rejoice! The Marble Tea Weblog is now available in a version optimized for your on-the-go lifestyle! Just point your phone's browser toward http://mippin.com/weblog and you'll be able to hear the latest tunes and read my inane ramblings wherever you may be! More info may be had from the link below (I'm just pasting in the code they provided, so we'll see):



*Finally, thanks to everyone who's expressed their sadness over the closing of the Book Bin. It's been quite a time, but Kate & I are looking forward to the future with anticipation (particularly one free from so many boxes of books creating their own corridors in the house!). We'll continue to sell online through Amazon.com and Abebooks.com, and hopefully I'll have our main site updated soon so come visit us!

That's it for now as I have to go in for an unexpected shift at my other job shortly. Stay warm until next time.....


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why pamper life's complexities

MP3: 316 (4.4 mb)

When I lived off Ponce de Leon Ave in Atlanta, I used to joke that Athens was just down the street since you could basically take Ponce (and its various name changes) all the way into that feisty little college town. But then GA Hi-way 316 came along, and that changed everything.

The original version of this song appeared on the always questionable Jersey Shoreline CD, and I've wanted to re-record it ever since. I finally seized my chance last night in what started out as an innocent test to see if I could get my microphone working properly (if it didn't - and the little cylinder had been giving me trouble for some time - I only had till the last day of this month/year to get a great deal on a new one). Before I knew it, I had fallen headlong into recording this song. It still hasn't quite gotten up to snuff, but I thought I'd pass it along anyway as a final tune for 2008.

I hope you enjoy it, and that your New Year is filled with all you desire....

316

We were listening to Urban Urbane by David J

And you had the world tattooed upon your body

And heaven is a place in your head

Everything else is incidental

When night came inhibitions fell like autumn leaves

So we drove and drove and drove along the highway

And as you gave yourself to the moon

You flickered on and off in headlights

Lonely moon sends flowers to the streetlights

He sees up their skirt with his shiny shoes

They blush for a moment and then they sigh

They don't mind, because he's The Moon

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let nothing you dismay

MP3: Hey! You in the Tuxedo! (4.8 mb)

Happy Holidays to you all! It's a Bubblegum Christmas so that's what you'll find when you unwrap this month's free mp3. Chewy and it goes POP!

Anyway, this time of year always reminds me of all the debutante balls thrown in my hometown, and the fun we had putting on tuxedos and getting drunk and into trouble as the chilly nights arrived. I'm sure the girls were excited for their society debuts but - sorry ladies - my crowd never paid much attention to that part of the festivities. Our first words uttered upon arriving at the galas and shaking hands in greeting were inevitably "Where's the bar?" And that, my friends, always set the tone for the evening.

Now, several months back I mentioned writing songs inspired by my father's passing, and this is actually one of those. Dad was the Master of Ceremonies for one of the finer balls in town, and I was always thrilled and proud to see him up there doing his thing. It seemed perfectly natural as he was always a ringleader and the center of focus in any crowd. As my Uncle Bryant said, "He does fill up a room."

Well I found the photo below - it appears to be from the late 50s/early 60s - and everything just kind of came together for this song.

And just to set the record straight: Yes, our cat Cosmo is quite debonair in his tuxedo too, but this song has nothing to do with him.

So there you have it, a seasonal song from my memory bank. If you're looking for a Christmas song, check out the Marble Tea rendition of Silent Night, which has been selected as this week's Song of the Week by IndepenDisc.com. Thanks, G!

I also want to congratulate my friend Dylan Kight for having his album The Nightbirds Revolt chosen as one of the Top 12 DIY albums of 2008 by Performing Songwriter magazine. Way to go, Dylan! He's an amazing talent, so go befriend him at his MySpace page, eh?

Stay warm & cool till next time!

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joy to the fishes in the deep blue sea

MP3: My Little Animals (1.7 mb)

Must...love...the...little...ones.


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