"BOOGIE WOOGIE THERAPY" (Back-story, Lyrics, and Link to Song on YouTube)

 

BOOGIE WOOGIE THERAPY (Back-story, Lyrics, and Link to song on YouTube)

Back-story:

I believe songs come out of the air.  They come into your soul and form from the ideas, feelings, and emotions you are experiencing.  Most of the time, the creation that takes shape is temporary.  However, when the concept will not go away, you are on your way to scoring a new song.  “Boogie Woogie Therapy” emerged when two unrelated ideas came together.  The first, my belief that action plays a major role in getting rid of the blues, merged with the thought of Siobhan and me wanting to create a new sound with her bass.  When these two notions would not leave me alone, I knew I was off and running with a new song.

We all encounter the blues, and here is what I quite often experience when it pays a visit to me.  I usually wake up with a real empty feeling inside of me.  Everything seems hopeless, and struggling with the daily activities of life seems futile.  All the negative aspects of my life bombard my spirit, and they take over.  I feel like I am in a boxing match with the world champion, Mr. Negativity, and he is kicking my butt all over the ring.  Each punch he throws at me reminds me of what I haven’t done, what I can’t do, or what a failure I am, and the only solace I get from this experience is I realize it is temporary.  Just like the weather, these emotional Thunderheads clear, and the sun comes out again.  I have discovered you can wait for these clouds to move on when they are ready, or you can precipitate their disappearance with action.  Since I am a person who does not like to wallow in negativity, I usually just start moving, and within a short time, my emotional lows start to drift away.

When I start moving, I usually begin by choosing rather simple activities.  For example, I’ll start cooking or cleaning, and after my head clears a little, I’ll put on my headsets and listen to some music or a podcast on my phone while I am working.  The actions of cooking, cleaning, and listening slowly begin to erase whatever grip negativity has had on me, and I start to feel better.  Walking in our neighborhood or on our treadmill, cycling on our tandem bike, playing the guitar, and going out to listen to music are just a few other simple activities I use to trigger the evaporation of my pessimism.  Occasionally, when I am out listening to music, I’ll get up and dance, but it is not one of my favorite actions for getting rid of the blues; I have gotten myself into too many bar fights by accidentally drifting into dancing with someone else’s partner.  Nevertheless, I have observed the tremendous positive impact dancing has on those who love to do it.

 One day while Siobhan and I were in the midst of a rehearsal, I thought about how dancing helps to shake off the blues.  We had just finished playing “Shotgun Boogie,” an old boogie tune by Tennessee Ernie Ford.  This was the first boogie tune we ever learned, and we were psyched because it gave Siobhan an opportunity to create an awesome new sound with her bass.  Unfortunately, while we were ecstatic about the sound of the bass, we were not very thrilled with the content of the song.  Learning a song is somewhat similar to writing one.  You learn it, rehearse it, and try it out on your audience.  If it doesn’t feel right to you, you scrap it from the playlist.  Unfortunately, “Shotgun Boogie” did not feel right, and we got rid of it.  However, learning the song was not a total waste of time because it gave birth to “Boogie Woogie Therapy.”

 Unwilling to give up this great new sound we were getting with Siobhan’s bass, I spontaneously broke into the first verse and chorus of “Boogie Woogie Therapy.”  We played it over and over again, and it felt right.  I then added a harmonica break, and we played the verse, chorus, and harmonica break until we were exhausted.  Being so juiced from the new song we created, I went to my computer, and within a few hours, I had the remaining verses to the song.

“Boogie Woogie Therapy” is pure Americana.  It is an upbeat tune depicting a philosophy you can use when the blues gets its grip on you.  The philosophy is simple.  Whether you are eighteen or eighty, you will always encounter emotional lows.  You can either wait until these lows move on of their own accord, or you can trigger their disappearance with action.  Of course, the song suggests you get up and get going.  By the request of many, Siobhan and I recorded this song without the help of any studio musicians.  In addition to our basic sound of the guitar, harmonica, vocals, and bass, I gave the recording some depth by dubbing in some additional harmonies, an electric guitar, and blending harmonicas.  Pay attention to Siobhan’s bass in this one!  It’s exquisite!  I guarantee it will jumpstart your day!  Hope you have time to check it out!  I like it, and I hope you do, too!

Big thanks to Rich Cooley, a great singer/songwriter, for letting us record this one in his home studio.  Rich, a great neighbor who lives around the corner from us, showed Siobhan the ins and outs of recording and mixing, and started her down the road to creating her own home studio, where we now do all of our own recording.

 

Lyrics:

Verse 1

Well, I got something you can do

When you’re feeling sad and blue

It’s so simple, it’s nothing new

Well, get up and boogie woogie, it’ll get you through

 

Chorus

Boogie woogie,

...Boogie woogie,

Get up and dance around

...Get up and dance around

Boogie woogie,

...Boogie woogie,

You just can’t stay down

...You just can’t stay down

Boogie woogie,

...Boogie woogie,

It’ll free your mind

...It’ll free your mind

Well, it’s the best damn therapy you’ll ever find

 

Verse 2

When you’re feeling sad and low

And you’ve got no place to go

And time seems to move so slow

Well, get up and boogie woogie, and just let it flow

 

Chorus

 

Instrumental

 

Verse 3

Now, when your heart’s about to break

And there’s no more you can take

Here’s a move that you can make

Well, get up and boogie woogie, it’ll ease the ache

 

Chorus

 

Verse 4

Now, when the world has you on trial

And you feel you’ve lost your style

And each step feels like a mile

Well, get up and boogie woogie, it’ll make you smile

 

Chorus

 

Instrumental

 

Verse 5

When you meet folks who are blue

And they don’t know what to do

Tell them just what works for you

That Boogie Woogie Therapy’ll get them through

 

Chorus

 

Here is a link to the song on YouTube.  It’s an auto generated video created by CD Baby, our distributor.  If an ad appears when the link opens, click to dismiss it, and the song will start.  Enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nonYzAdW9g&list=PLmaM3h4AoHN-pRSCzG9xMGkJuCeDDLaf4&index=20

If you Prefer, you can stream this song on all the major platforms such as Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Prime, etc.

"LEAVIN' ALL OUR TROUBLES FAR BEHIND" (Back-story, Lyrics, and Link to Song on YouTube)

 

LEAVIN’ ALL OUR TROUBLES FAR BEHIND (Back-story, Lyrics, and Link to song on YouTube)

Back-story:

Folks, is there anything better than a road trip?  It has to be one of the top ten great experiences.  In addition to letting us let go of our anxieties and responsibilities, it gives us time to relax, reflect, and renew our commitment to whatever personal goals we have set.  It lets us live in the moment, the most satisfying place we can be.  Most everyone I know has been on a road trip, but if you haven’t, you owe it to yourself to get out there and try it!

Siobhan and I have been going on road trips for the past Thirty-nine years.  As with much of what we do, we keep it simple.  We take very little with us: favorite audio books, favorite music, and just the essentials regarding clothing.  In the 1990s, after Siobhan started playing bass, we began taking the music along with us so that we could practice and play some impromptu gigs if the opportunity arose.  The focus of our trips has been, and will probably continue to be, visiting family and friends.  So far, our destinations have been New England, Ohio, Maryland, Washington DC, Virginia, West Virginia, North and South Carolina, and Florida.  Unlike many travelers, we do not rush to these destinations.  Instead, we take our time, staying in little interesting towns we find along the way.  We love to meet new people and listen to the stories they have to tell.

In the mid 1990s, we traveled to Alexander, North Carolina, a little town just north of Asheville.  Our friends, Marianne and Raymond Jacque, retired there, and built a beautiful home up in the hills outside of Alexander.  “Leavin’ All Our Troubles Far Behind” was born on this trip.

 We were on highway 81, an interstate that starts in upstate New York and ends in Alabama.  When it passes through western Virginia, it travels along the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains.  Somewhere between Winchester and Christiansburg, with the music blaring, the details of the first verse of the song came together.  The imagery is nothing special.  I merely put the sights, sounds, feels, smells, and tastes of the road into a simple meter and rhyme scheme.  I felt good about this first verse, but I did not immediately know where to go with it.  Here is what happened.

 When we arrived at Marianne and Raymond’s house, the awesome setting of their home inspired me and gave me an excellent opportunity to complete the song.  I am an early riser, and usually have at least two to three hours of alone time before everyone else gets up.  Sitting in the sunroom located on the deck in the front of the Jacque’s home, I composed the second and third verses of the song as the dissipating fog dawned another beautiful Carolina morning.

 When it came to creating the chorus, it was simple.  Road trips allow us to detach from our past and future, and, if we let it happen, they let us get into the now and enjoy the moment.  I have been working at living this philosophy for most of my life, and as I get better and better at it, I find life becoming more and more rewarding.  Many folks who listen to my songs wonder if I am a Buddhist.  I’m not, but I sure think they have some cool ideas!

 The song is a fast moving somewhat folk, country, Americana  song.  With a guitar, a fiddle, a mandolin, a banjo, a harmonica, a bass, drums, and backup harmonies, John and Joe Dady (now members of the Rochester Music Hall of Fame) and Tim Chaapel (owner of Mobile Music in Canandaigua, NY), all quintessential musicians, help Siobhan and me create one of those hard-driving road tunes.  Big thanks to these guys!  The song is  far from being anything like the classic road trip song “Take It Easy” by the Eagles, but it has that feel to it.  I like it, and I hope you do, too.

 

Lyrics:

Verse 1

It's August and the summer's nearly over

Here we are on Highway 81

The Blue Ridge, the Smokies, and you right by my side

It's time to take a break and have some fun

As we roll along and sip our cups of coffee

The sun is rising in the eastern sky

The leaves upon the trees blow so gently from the breeze

The truckers nod and wave as they go by

 

Chorus

And here we are without a past or future

Suspended once again in space and time

Enjoying each and every precious moment

Leavin’ all our troubles far behind

 

Verse 2

Way back up in those woods outside of Asheville

Off the beaten path, out of the way

All alone sits a little home from where no one would want to roam

A place where time just seems to fade away

It's here we sit and play our good time music

Bluegrass, country, folk, and rock-n-roll

And as we sing, the hills soon ring, and suddenly everything

Harmonizes to become one soul

 

Chorus

 

Verse 3

And sometimes on those Carolina mornings

The fog is like a lazy hazy dream

So we reflect, select, reject, and finally connect

With that sun that carves a bright and vivid scene

And often on those Carolina evenings

The thunder rolls and rumbles through the hills

We watch each flash, feel each crash, listen to that water splash

'Til the moon returns serene and still.

 

Chorus

 

Instrumental Break

 

Repeat first half of Verse 1, and then the chorus 2 times.

 

Here is a link to the song on YouTube.  It’s an auto generated video created by CD Baby, our distributor.  If an ad appears when the link opens, click to dismiss it, and the song will start.  Enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvMmUbPQBgU&list=PLmaM3h4AoHN_cKb13jMDd4mDim-mU_khW&index=13

If you Prefer, you can stream this song on all the major platforms such as Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Prime, etc.

"YOUR LOCAL STAR" (Back-story, Lyrics, and Link to Song on YouTube)

 

“Your Local Star” (Back-Story, Lyrics, and Link to song on YouTube)

Back-story:

When you play music, as with most ventures, there are many important decisions you need to make.  Just to name a few, you need to decide what style of music appeals to you, what kind of audience you want to attract, what venues work for you, the number of shows you want to play, and how far you are willing to travel.  Regarding such decisions, I have followed my heart over the years, and it has brought me to an extremely comfortable place with music.

With an acoustic guitar, acoustic bass, a harmonica, and vocals, Siobhan and I deliver a considerably basic presentation of folk, country, bluegrass, rock, blues, Caribbean, Irish, and original music.  We do not try to target any specific audience.  If you enjoy listening, we enjoy playing for you.  For us, the music is merely a mechanism we use to have fun with people.  While we enjoy playing a variety of venues, we are the most comfortable performing in a small bar, winery, restaurant, coffeehouse, back yard, or small concert.  It is in these settings that we have our best results at establishing an intimacy with our audience.  Singing and bantering with the patrons of any local neighborhood pub is something we live for.  In our earlier years, we played two or three times a week, but “Father Time” has forced us to slow it down a bit now.  Most of our gigs have been and are within an hour of our home. We have appeared in venues from Maine to Florida, but most of those shows resulted from being in areas where we were visiting family or friends.  Keeping it simple, playing for mostly the locals, and staying close to home has always been the Meyer and McGuire philosophy, and this should help explain how “Your Local Star” developed.

In the late 1980s I started playing music for Bill and Robin Mallwitz at The Trolley, a little restaurant/bar in Shortsville, New York.  At the time Siobhan ran my sound (eventually joining me on stage with her bass in 1992).  We had many great nights with the patrons at this awesome little pub.  In 1990, Bill and Robin needed to expand because their dinners were getting too popular.  They left The Trolley and moved across the street to a bigger restaurant, The Whipple Tree, which they renamed Buffalo Bill’s Family Restaurant and Tap Room (now known as Sidetrack Bar and Grill).  All the regulars followed them, and soon many new patrons were appearing at their door.

 Buffalo Bill’s had a great little stage area for its musicians.  It was a raised area in front of the windows at the front of the bar.  It faced both the bar and the dining area and placed the musicians about ten feet from the patrons, making it quite easy to interact with them.  It was on this stage that “Your Local Star” was born.

One night, after an incredible time of having fun with the regulars, Siobhan and I were packing up our equipment, and I started thinking about the satisfaction I received from playing music for people.  I speculated that my music heroes must feel a similar contentment when they play their big shows.  While they were national and international stars, I was just a local one.  From here, my mind started playing around with the words guitar, bar, and star, and in a short time, I completed the chorus of the song.

When I got home, I tried to figure out where I could go with this chorus.  After analyzing my feelings, I identified three things that brought me pleasure from playing music for people.  Hearing people sing with me, bringing smiles to their faces, and shaking their hands or hugging them at the end of the night were the events that contributed to my great sense of fulfillment.  From these events, I carved out the verses of the song.

The song is a slow country waltz.  With a guitar, fiddle, harmonica, bass, drums, and backup harmonies, John and Joe Dady, now Rochester Music Hall of Famers, help me create one of those good old country songs from yesterday.  It is far from being a Hank Williams or George Jones tune, and my voice is a younger one, not the more seasoned voice you hear when we perform now.  Hope you enjoy it.

 

Lyrics:

Chorus

I go out on the weekends to play my guitar

You see I'm driven to play all these small country bars

And I know that you know that I won't go far

'Cause I'm so content to be your local star

 

Verse 1

Well it brings me great pleasure when I hear you sing

It confirms a truth money don't mean a thing

And when this bar fills up with your harmony

We all become one with my melody

 

Chorus

 

Verse 2

The smiles on your faces make it so clear

Why the Old Boy up there done sent me down here

He said, "Hey, Buddy, for you I've got one simple goal

"Go out there on the weekends and ignite their souls."

 

Chorus

 

Verse 3

The handshakes and kisses and the hugs mean so much

Ain't it funny how our stress disappears when we touch

And of all the things in life that I've learned to do

The best one of all is to share songs with you

 

Chorus Twice

 

Here is a link to the song on YouTube.  It’s an auto generated video created by CD Baby, our distributor.  If an ad appears when the link opens, click to dismiss it, and the song will start.  Enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9SoTpNrXuo

 

If you Prefer, you can stream this song on all the major platforms such as Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Prime, etc.

 

 

 

"FERRIS WHEEL" (Back-story, Lyrics, and Link to Song on YouTube)

 

Ferris Wheel (Back-Story, Lyrics, and Link to song on YouTube)

Back-story:

I am a big fan of Stephen King.  To be clear, I am not an expert or a fanatic.  I have not read everything he has written, and I have no intention to try.  Here’s why I like the guy.  He’s dedicated to his craft, being prolific as ever,writing 2000 words every day and still going strong in his’70s.  He’s a former teacher, a good one who had a stronger call to be a writer.  Jake Epping, the terrific teacher in King’s work, 11/22/63, truly reflects King’s life as a teacher, and the book gives us a good look at the qualities a good educator should possess.  King was a guitar player in the now defunct Rock Bottom Remainders, a rock group composed of well-known writers including Greg Isle and David Berry, two of my favorites.  He has great taste in music.  When he writes, He listens to guys like John Prine, Bruce Springsteen, and Bob Dylan, favorites of mine, too.  However, of all of his traits that attract me to him, it’s his sincerity that grabs me the most.  His genuine nature best comes through in his book, ON WRITING, a nonfiction work including his biography and tips for those who wish to be writers.  To sum it up quickly, because this guy has been such a great inspiration to me, I am so grateful his book HEARTS IN ATLANTIS, my all-time favorite of his works, triggered the writing of “Ferris Wheel.”  Now, here is how it happened.

HEARTS IN ATLANTIS is a series of novellas that follows the lives of Bobby Garfield, Carol Gerber,and John (Sully) Sullivan from 1960 to around 2000.  The opening novella focusses on these three enjoying the summerafter finishing the sixth grade.  While the summer has its problems and complications, it contains the fun, joy, and innocence experienced by many kids at that age.  When the summer comes to an end,  Bobby and his mother move away to another town, and Carol and John eventually lose track of each other after high school.  The subsequent novellas contain a common thread. They connect back to the problematic events these three experienced during that memorable summer in Harwich, Connecticut.

During that summer Bobby and Carol have crushes on each other, and like most kids that age, they keep their feelings to themselves.  However, when they are at a seaside amusement park, with some adults and other kids, they get on a Ferris Wheel and sit with each other.  The Ferris Wheel gets stuck while they are sitting at the top, and while they are just waiting, out of nowhere, Bobby quickly kisses Carol.  Carol, because she is so caught off guard, tells Bobby to do it again, so that she can savor the kiss. The moment is a heart-warming one and the epitome of innocence. Oddly enough, it never occurs for them again during the rest of the summer.  The next time they kiss is when they meet up many years later in the final novella.  Between these two kisses, the book is filled with stories connected to Bobby, Carol, and Sully and the difficult issues of the 1960s, events probably most appealing to Baby Boomers.

I read HEARTS IN ATLANTIS several times, and every time I read it the scene on the Ferris Wheel always triggered a time of innocence for me. It took me back to when I was in the 5^th Grade in Saugerties, NY.  Three weeks into the school year a new girl moved into town, and she joined our class.  The moment I saw her the magic hit me, and I was in love for the first time.  For the next few years, I walked or rode my bike by her house, hoping she would be on her porch or in her yard.  When she was, we talked, and oh,  those moments were grand for me.  Unlike Bobby and Carol, we never kissed, and eventually, I stopped going by her house.  In King’s book, Bobby and Carol run into each other in their old neighborhood park many years later, and they share another  magical kiss.  In my home town, my fifth-grade crush and I ran into each other at a party when we were in our mid-fifties, and memories of those  pristine days of elementary school came back to me instantly.  It was great to talk with her, and it was good to see life had gone well for the both of us.   Even now, whenever I am going through trying times, I sometimes find myself thinking about those innocent talks at her house, and the sweet memories of those days comfort me. 

My experience with my first love and the power it still has today got me thinking about Bobby and Carol and their first kiss.  Did they ever return to that moment when they were confronting difficult issues?  The novellas never addressed this moment, but I would like to think Bobby and Carol, like me, returned to it when they needed solace.  Realizing these beautiful moments of innocence were not unique to Bobby, Carol, and me, started the wheels rolling for a new song. I wanted a song that would illustrate how reflecting on beautiful, innocent moments transcended time and held it together for us when we were going through difficult periods in our lives.  The chorus came to me first, and after it developed, I simply reinforced it with Bobby and Carol’s story.

After Siobhan and I created the basic tracks with her bass and my guitar and vocals, we turned to our SAMMY Award winning, ace studio musician, Perry Cleaveland,  for some filler and lead work.  Most people in our area know Perry for his incredible mandolin and fiddle playing, but they do not know he is an awesome piano player, too.  Coincidentally, we were storing Siobhan’s sister’s keyboard in our basement.  We set it up and turned Perry loose.  The touch he added to the song with this instrument was simply beautiful; so, even if you are not taken by the back-story and lyrics, please check out the recording.  After Perry also added some great fiddle and harmony to the  song, our long-time friend, Maria Gillard, stopped by the basement and enhanced the song with a sensational harmony.  We finished up with me adding some harmonica and electric guitar filler.  Siobhan then went to work doing what she does best, tirelessly mixing and mastering the recording until she got it to where we all liked it.  I hope it appeals to you, too.

 

Lyrics:

Verse 1:

Bobby and Carol grew up living on the same street

Whenever they were together, life couldn’t be more complete

They fell in love for the first time in the summer after sixth grade

Everyone thought their romance was one that heaven had made

Their story simply started with neither having a plan

They were just on a Ferris Wheel looking out over the land

As they took in the scenery, the Ferris Wheel came to a stop

They glanced at the sky and the ocean from sitting way up at the top

While they sat there just glazing, they caught each other’s eyes

Bobby quickly kissed Carol, taking her by surprise

Carol, she got all flustered, not knowing what to do then

But it didn’t take her too long to tell Bobby to do it again

 

Chorus:

And that kiss went on forever, transcending space and time

Its beauty and its magic so simple and sublime

The two felt as we all feel, and they did what we all do

They returned to that sweet moment when they needed to get through

 

Verse 2:

Bobby and Carol’s romance sadly came to an end

Bobby had to move away; they swore they would stay friends

For some time they wrote letters to keep what they had alive

But pen and paper were not enough for their love to survive

Carol went on to high school, her courses all advanced

She was the perfect student, Cheerleader, queen of the dance

Bobby, on the other hand, he took another path

Cigarettes, drugs, and alcohol were more exciting than math

Despite their different directions, each of them carved out a life

Carol became a professor; Bobby had three kids with his wife

For the most part, their lives went well, no drama or major ordeals

But at times when things got rough, they returned to that Ferris Wheel

 

Chorus:

 

Verse 3:

Forty years flew by ‘til Bobby saw Carol again

They returned to the home town for a funeral of an old friend

At the church and the grave site, neither saw the other there

The ceremony ended, final condolences shared

Before Bobby headed back home, he went to the old neighborhood

To the park where he played baseball, and rode his bike through the woods

As he sat on that park bench, these words came to his mind

“If you swear, I won’t walk with you.” something Carol said all the time

Bobby’s thoughts were not imagined; they came from a voice that was real

From the girl standing behind him, the one from the Ferris Wheel

Not a word was spoken, when they caught each other’s eyes

But this time it was Carol who came through with the stunning surprise

 

Chorus: (two times)

 

Here is a link to the song on YouTube.  It’s an auto generated video created by CD Baby, our distributor.  If an ad appears when the link opens, click to dismiss it, and the song will start.  Enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWbvauDgV5c&list=OLAK5uy_lKQ6DKjn_qKvAdU5tCD42gWuNb0g_MVW0