So hey, I'm releasing new songs on the web again. Yay! Here's one I wrote early this year, and in an uncharacteristic display of patience, even played live a few times before I recorded it.
I've had the chorus lying around for years, but it never became a song. One day I was noodling around and came up with the opening guitar riff, and the rest of it came out in a day or so. I recorded most of it in an evening, and then walked away from it for two weeks so that when I came back I'd forgotten all the awkward performance details, and all the layered guitars had melded together like the flavors of a really good lasagna left in the fridge for a night. Lasagna made with noodles of bittersweet clarity and tomato sauce of quiet resolve.
I'm also trying something new here: besides the free 128k MP3 download, you can also get a ZIP file containing a higher-quality 320k version of the song, an acoustic version, and an instrumental version, all for a measly dollar.
Think of it as a single with bonus tracks. BOOM, I just blew your mind.
There's even some artwork to go along with this track. Click the image above on the right to download it to your desktop, then throw it into iTunes or whatever. (Here's a tutorial I found.)
Lyrics after the jump. Enjoy!
Scott Andrew - You Promised
[audio:misc/Scott Andrew - You Promised (128k).mp3]
Buy MP3 bundle for $1 (17MB ZIP file, includes acoustic and instrumental versions)
You've got a jealous heart
you don't wanna be a part
of anything you didn't have from the start
'cause you said so
And we are a broken toy
unfit for a girl or boy
refusing anything that could bring you joy
'cause you say so
and you and I are working through something
yeah, you and I are working through something here
you promised me that things would change
but you and I, merely more of the same
yeah but I can learn
to stand without you now
(but I still fall down sometimes)
I'm learning to hold my tongue
don't wanna be outdone
you see it in the faces of everyone
I suppose so
a sky full of winter gray
I've been underneath for days
but you could feel it coming from miles away
with your eyes closed
and you and I are working through something
yeah, you and I are working through something here
you promised me that things would change
but you and I, merely more of the same
yeah but I can learn
to stand without you now
(but I still fall down sometimes)
You've got a jealous heart...
you promised me that things would change
but you and I, merely more of the same
yeah but I can learn
to stand without you now
(but I still fall down sometimes)
you promised me that things would change
now you're up in the air
now I'm out of your way
yeah and now I've learned
to stand without you now
(but I still fall down)
Last Saturday I went to a friend's benefit show at the Sunset Tavern, and among the bands playing was Duff McKagan's band Loaded. Duff played a Les Paul goldtop, which I covet and continue to covet.
Fame is weird. The band was actually pretty great, straight up rock. But I have to admit that part of the reason I squeezed in closer was just to be within ten feet of That Guy Who Played Bass on Appetite. I've never been a huge GN'R fan, but geez, I wouldn't be surprised to learn that the uncontacted tribes of the Amazon basin have heard "Paradise City" at least once.
It's weird seeing someone so famous so close up, doing something totally different in a different context. When I used to go to SXSW, this kind of thing happened a lot. Already-famous people would debut their pet projects at SXSW, and sometimes you wouldn't know until they took the stage. (Here's a tip: look for too-wacky-to-be-real band names in the program guide.)
Anyway, I guess it's a unique kind of cognitive dissonance.
My CD release show for Save You From Yourself was pretty fantastic. We packed the house, and Suzanne and Dennis were brilliant. Man, I could totally get used to having a band. I'm waiting on more photos, video and audio so I'll post a more thorough recap later on. But in general: wow! If you were there, thanks for coming, hope you enjoyed it. (Hat tip to Maggi, who snapped this pic from the crowd.)
This Friday I'm the musical guest at A River And Sound Review, a local live literary arts show. I'll be performing some tunes in between readings by Tacoma's poet laureate William Kupinse and 2006 National Book Award finalist Jess Walter. I guess I should wear some nice shoes. Admission is free, but if you're not a WA local, shows are archived as podcasts on their website.
I've also started recording some new stuff, but you know how that goes.
Thanks to Jessica for using my song More Good Days in her LIS 460 Student Podcast. Remember: if you've used my tunes in your podcast, let me know so I can link you up.
The July 2008 issue of the Victory Review, a magazine that covers acoustic music in the Seattle area, has an almost frighteningly positive review of Save You From Yourself. You can download a PDF from the website. Thanks, James!
Speaking of which: if you have a copy of Save You From Yourself, please consider writing a short review of it at Amazon. Customer reviews are pretty awesome for convincing new people to try out the songs, and it's an easy, no-hassle way to help out the DIY rockstars in your life.
Sam tipped me off to the fact that my new CD is gracing the cover of the latest Disc Makers catalog. I had totally forgotten that I'd agreed to let them do this months ago, but I never thought they'd put it on the cover. Funny thing is, I don't think I get the catalog anymore. (Update: ooops, link above was broken. All fixed now.)
Full props go to Scott Mongrain who did the camera magic, and thanks again to all the CD contributors, without whom there wouldn't be a fancy CD package to begin with.
Heigh-ho, just wanted to remind you Seattleites that my "Damn, I Shoulda Had A CD Release Show!" on July 18 is fast approaching. If you're planning on coming (and I hope you are), make sure to call/email to reserve a table, or else you might be seated on the sidewalk.
It has also come to my attention that Batman: The Dark Knight opens that same evening. Let me just say that I myself CANNOT WAIT for this movie to get here, but nonetheless I compiled the following list of reasons why you should come to my show instead:
Unlike the new Batman film, which opens on hundreds of screens nationwide, my show is only being performed once! Ever!
Dennis the drummer is very nearly as sexy as Christian Bale, even without the leather bat suit. They even look like twins from a considerable distance!
The new Batman film has Maggie Gyllenhaal and she doesn't sing a note! My show's got Suzanne Picard on piano, and guest vocalists Alissa Jandt, Laurie K. Carlsson and Jerin Falkner. Four times the foxiness!
Heath Ledger. I -- okay, fine, I got nothing here.
Um, and that's all I could come up with on short notice. Anyway, my point is that Hollywood should totally check with me first before scheduling any summer blockbusters.
X the Owl: Are you hurt, Bob Dog?
[Bob Dog howls in pain]
X the Owl: Does that mean that you are or you aren't?
X the Owl: I don't think we should call them "bombs", though. We should call them "surprise treats" or something like that. Bombs are scary things and hurting things.
Lady Aberlin: What's the matter, X?
X the Owl: Oh I'm really disturbed. I am just as disturbed as can be.
Lady Aberlin: Why is that?
X the Owl: Well just come on inside my tree ands I'll show you.
Lady Aberlin: I think this knothole is a little too small for me to get in.
X the Owl: There's a bigger door for creatures your size around the back. Now just come on in here and meet you inside. I tell you, I'm really disturbed.
X the Owl: All the same, I wonder if it wouldn't be easier if people just gave each other the things they need instead of buying all the time and selling all the time.
Cornflake S. Pecially: Well in some places, it's like that, X. But in most places, people earn money for work and then pay that money for what they need.
X the Owl: Like shovels and buckets.
X the Owl: I'm not so sure I want wishes to come true.
Lady Aberlin: Why not?
X the Owl: Well, Henrietta, you know Henrietta Pussycat, my neighbor, she said to me, "What if all your wishes would come true, X?"
Lady Aberlin: And then what did you say?
X the Owl: Well, I thought about the times when I'm angry and wished for bad things. I wished my tree would fall down and all kinds of bad things.
X the Owl: [singing]
One time I wished that my tree would fall down
And hit someone else on the head
I was mad all the day
And I just couldn't say
Why owls and people and things get that way
I wished for some terrible thing, I'd say
Especially trees falling down
But that wish certainly didn't come true
'Cause scary mad wishes don't make things come true
No, scary mad wishes don't make things come true.
Robert Plant, "In The Mood"
Ginuwine, "Pony"
Player, "Baby Come Back"
Mötley Crüe, "Dr. Feelgood"
Mötley Crüe, "Livewire"
Snow, "Informer"
Neil Diamond, "Heartlight"
Michael Jackson, "Rock With You"
R. Kelly, "Sex Weed"
Ted Nugent, "Stranglehold"
So hey, I'm releasing new songs on the web again. Yay! Here's one I wrote early this year, and in an uncharacteristic display of patience, even played live a few times before I recorded it.
This audio work by Scott Andrew is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.
The July 2008 issue of the Victory Review, a magazine that covers acoustic music in the Seattle area, has an almost frighteningly 
Heigh-ho, just wanted to remind you Seattleites that my 
