"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

 

 

"CRYSTALS" (Back-story, Lyrics, and Music)

CRYSTALS (Back-story, Lyrics, and Links to the Song on Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon)

Back-story:

Although I can’t pinpoint the exact day I threw my hat into the songwriting arena, I know it occurred sometime during my graduate studies stint at Colgate.  After I received my BA in English, I didn’t know where to go or what to do.  So, my advisor at Colgate encouraged me to stay on for one more year and get my Master of Arts degree in teaching English.  His reason for sending me in this direction centered on my sense of humor.  He felt mine was good enough to allow me to sustain a lifetime of exposure to adolescent behavior.  Well, I guess he was right.  After I finished my graduate studies, I spent the next thirty-two years in the classroom at Canandaigua Academy in Canandaigua, NY, and it truly turned out to be the place for me to be.

 During my graduate year, I lived in what was once a fraternity house.  After the fraternity closed, the house became a residence for a bunch of random characters whose only connection to each other was the university.  In fact, Colgate even called the place Random House.  Throughout the year I was there, life was somewhat uneventful.  My friends from college had moved on after graduation, and since I was taking graduate courses and student teaching, except for connecting with a few residents at Random House, I remained somewhat of a loner.  I lived in a little room on the third floor.  It had a slanted ceiling, and I felt like I was living in an attic.  There was nothing extraordinary about the room, but it has a special place in my heart.  It is here I wrote “Crystals,” my first song.

 I have read a lot of articles and books about songwriting and songwriters.  Willie Nelson, one of my heroes, once said that songs are in the air, and they are waiting for us to bring them into our souls and release them.  Well, “Crystals” certainly complied with Willie’s philosophy.  It came out of nowhere, and there were three elements that contributed to its development.  It came from analyzing my vision, reflecting on the literature of Ralph Waldo Emerson, and reminiscing about a summer I spent in Mansfield Depot, Connecticut, working at an institution for the mentally disabled.

Although I do not see anything, I do not live in total darkness.  What I see constantly resembles the stars people see when they are sharply hit in the head.  These little stars are in perpetual motion, and they look like little crystals dancing around in my eyes.  What is interesting is the crystals change their color according to the nature of the day.  For example, on a clear sunny day, the crystals take on a shade of blue, and on a cloudy day, they take on a gray hue.  After much contemplation, I concluded that my vision was merely reduced to a simple level.  When I had my vision, what I saw in life consisted of good and bad images.  After I went blind, the crystals merely became a symbol for those good and bad pictures.  Now, sometime during my reflection on these crystals, Ralph Waldo Emerson’s philosophy of acquiescence entered my mind.

Most people who experience a sudden loss in their lives tend to rehabilitate themselves with counseling.  I think this is a good thing to do, but unfortunately, I did not know this when I went blind in my teenage years.  Back then, my counselors became the great writers of literature, and for some reason, I became attracted to the great transcendental writers like Emerson, Thoreau, and Whitman.  These guys excited me with many great ideas, and some of my favorites were simplifying life, living in the present, realizing one’s individuality, and acquiescing to the outcomes of life.  Well, when I was daydreaming about my crystals, the seminar I was taking about Emerson entered my mind, and I started musing about his thoughts on acceptance.  According to Emerson, we move through life experiencing a series of good and bad events.  We can’t control the events, but we can control our response to them.  We can either struggle with the ups and downs of life, or as Emerson recommends, we can flow with them.  So, as my crystals and Emerson’s philosophy of acquiescence merged, my stream-of-consciousness thinking drifted to a summer I spent working with the mentally disabled.

During the summer between my junior and senior years in college, I worked in Mansfield Depot, Connecticut, at an institution for the mentally disabled.  One of my fraternity brothers from Colgate got me the job, and I worked in a ward with “idiot savants” who were blind.  While most of these clients could not tie their shoes, they were geniuses when it came to music.  It was uncanny, and it was a terrific experience working with them.  As I reflected on the summer I spent there, I thought about some of the interesting experiences I encountered outside of work.  In a few cases, I got myself into some difficulties while I traveled around New England on my own.  Fortunately for me, all these problems had a way of working themselves out, and my life always returned to being stable.

Well, here it is in a nutshell.  The little blue and gray crystals I see each day, Emerson’s philosophy of acquiescence, and my adventures in New England aligned themselves with each other, and “Crystals” came to fruition.  It came out of nowhere, and I wrote the song in about an hour.  The only changes I ever make in the song occur in the last verse.  I can’t remember what the last verse originally was before the recording, and the last verse I currently sing is different than the one we recorded.  Nevertheless, my crystals continue to come up blue and gray, and I am still working at flowing with them.

“Crystals” is pure Americana.  It is a sensitive folk ballad depicting a philosophy you can follow as you move through the stages of your life.  The philosophy is simple.  Whether you are eighteen or eighty, your life will always bring you good and bad experiences.  You can either fight or flow with this cycle, and I, like my good friend Emerson, recommend flowing with it.

John and Joe Dady, Who are now members of the Rochester Music Hall of Fame,  back me up superbly on this one.  The sensitivity of this song is enhanced with the soft sounds of an acoustic guitar, a banjo, a bass, and drums.  If you decide to give this one a listen, pay special attention to when Joe introduces the banjo in the third verse.  It’s exquisite!  The soft sounds of the banjo-picking will give you a good feel for what those crystals are like when they are dancing around in my eyes.  Hope you have time to check it out!  I like it, and I hope you do, too.

 

Lyrics:

Verse 1

Hopped on a bus one day leavin’ my home town

We were crossin’ the Berkshires when the big old bus broke down

Well, there I sat with my guitar as quiet as can be

When the driver tapped my shoulder and said, “Kid, you gotta help me.”

He said we’d be awhile; he didn’t know what was wrong

And I could help him if I’d sing some simple little song

 

Chorus

So, I sing out about my crystals the kind I see each day

I say sometimes the crystals they come up blue; sometimes they come up gray.

 

Verse 2

Another time I was hitchin’ out of Springvale, Maine

I got picked up by a pretty girl her name was Mary Jane

She drove me down to Boston in time for my next show

Well, I thanked her nice and kindly, but she didn’t want to go

She said before she’d met me, things had been goin’ wrong.

So, I took out this old six string and sang this simple song.

 

Chorus

 

Verse 3

I was on my way to Concord on a bright and sunny day

When a nice old guy informed me, I was headin’ the wrong way

We stopped and talked awhile; he asked me if I’d mind

To answer several questions about this thing called being blind

So, I told him my life story, but I didn’t make it long

And as I left, I left him with this simple little song.

 

Chorus

 

Verse 4

So, the story goes on about my crazy life

And everyone keeps telling me that I should have a wife

Well, I got myself a partner who shares my highs and lows

She’s a sweet little gentle lady whose laughter makes me glow

And we got ourselves a sidekick who keeps us on our toes

And when he wants to go out, he just nibbles at my nose

And we spend our time together nearly every single day

And sometimes the crystals they come up blue; sometimes they come up gray

And sometimes the crystals they come up blue; sometimes they come up gray

 

Here is a link to the song on Spotify.  It is song #12 on Frank’s HOME TOWN album, which is what will appear if you click on the link.  Provide a username and password, and you’ll be good to go with a free account.

https://open.spotify.com/artist/03perFwSJxNrwGCkT8SMN0

 

If you would like to listen to some of our other songs and playlists, Here’s a link to Meyer and McGuire’s page on Spotify. 

https://open.spotify.com/artist/1GOC4kV59Y5eVgIeuZjbJ8

 

Here is a link to listen to the song on Apple Music.  Again, it is song #12 on Frank’s HOME TOWN album.

https://music.apple.com/ng/album/home-town/253897216

 

Here is a link to listen to the song on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001O3OD64/ref=dm_ws_tlw_trk12

 

 

"The Good House Is Built upon a Rock (Back-story, Lyrics, and Music)

 

THE GOOD HOUSE IS BUILT UPON A ROCK (Back-story, Lyrics, and Links to the song on Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon)

Back-story:

Since 1974, I have lived in Canandaigua, a beautiful little town in the Finger Lakes region of New York.  However, my good fortune did not start when I came to Canandaigua.  It started long ago in another little New York town nestled in the foothills of the Catskill Mountains along the Hudson River shore.  Saugerties, the place where I spent my childhood and teenage years, needs no description for anyone who has grown up in small-town America.  Like all small towns, it has its memorable characters, great stories, wonderful events, and genuine friends, those people who are always there when you really need them.  “The Good House Is Built Upon a Rock” is a tribute to those people who were there when I needed them.

You see, when I was sixteen, a junior in high school, I went blind after sustaining a fall during a cross-country race.  Most of you know the details of the event because I think I have told it at least two or three thousand times, usually while sitting on some bar stool in some local watering hole.  It’s amazing how much people need beer to ask you what they want to know, isn’t it?  Anyway, if you don’t know the details, and you want to know them, e-mail me, and I will give you the scoop.

Following my accident, the people of Saugerties rallied to give me an unbelievable amount of support.  The obstacles I faced were difficult, but these people made mountains seem like rolling hills.  I could never come close to repaying them for all the wonderful things they did for me, so I wrote this little tune as an expression of my deep appreciation for the outpouring of their love for me.

Now that you know what motivated me to develop the song, it’s time to get into the nature of its construction.  Prior to the deaths of my parents, Siobhan and I regularly went to Saugerties about three or four times a year to visit them at their home on quiet little Elm Street.  When we were there, we often went out walking to burn off the millions of calories we absorb from my mother’s cooking.  One night we were walking up by Cantine field, the local park where just about every sport is played.  If you are from Canandaigua, just visualize Jefferson or Baker Park, and if you are from somewhere else, put yourself in your local park, and you’ll be with me.

As we walked across Cantine field, we were each engaged in our own thoughts.  Mine reflected on when I used to watch the Babe Ruth League baseball games.  When I stood in the grandstand’s years ago, I would often look to the west and look at the sun setting on the beautiful, majestic Catskill Mountain range.  As Siobhan and I walked, I thought about Saugerties being nestled between these mountains and the Hudson River, and the first line of the song was born.  I love internal rhyme, so when I stumbled across the phrase, “foothills of the Catskill’s,” I knew the line was a keeper.  Although I am not proud of this, the first verse emerged like the introduction to a five-paragraph essay.  I’m afraid when you teach something day in and day out for thirty-two years, it stays with you on a subconscious level forever.

The first verse concludes with the lyric “those good things that small town gave to me,” and this becomes the driving force for the rest of the song.  While driving back from Saugerties to Canandaigua, approximately 250 miles, my mind kept identifying just what those “good things” were.  When a song won’t leave you alone, it’s like having popcorn in your teeth; you don’t feel right until you get it out.  Upon returning to Canandaigua, I took all those “good things” and carved out a meter and rhyme scheme for them.  Once again, I fell into that five-paragraph trap.  Oh well, I am too old and comfortable to try to be something I am not.

After the verses of the song were in place, I worked at developing a chorus that would unite them.  During the forty-six years I have been in Canandaigua, life for me has gone very well, and in reflection, I see that much of that success can be attributed to what I absorbed while growing up in Saugerties.  The seeds that were planted in me in Saugerties blossomed when I got to Canandaigua.  This is also true for many of my friends and acquaintances from Saugerties who are now spread throughout the country and the rest of the world.  We are all ambassadors of this little town and its wonderful values.  To represent these ambassadors, I developed a chorus with a series of metaphorical clichés concluding with “the good house is built upon a rock.”

Following the completion of the song, Siobhan and I tossed around some options for arranging it.  We settled on a hard-driving, upbeat sound with somewhat of a bluegrass flare.  We chose This high-energy tempo to reflect the positive nature of the Saugerties community, an optimism that truly helped me to recover.

We recorded this song in 1998 at The Garage, a little studio in Rochester, New York.  The Garage, no longer in existence,  was owned and operated by John and Joe Dady, two quintessential musicians, who are now members of the Rochester Music Hall of Fame.  When we recorded with them, we always could count on great coffee, good stories, and an aching stomach from laughing.

John, Joe, and Tim Chaapel, another fine musician, truly enhanced the sound Siobhan and I brought to the studio.  With just a banjo, guitar, and snare drum, they captured the positive feeling we wanted the listener to experience.  I am no Doc Watson. So, John Dady backed me up with some hot licks on the guitar.  Joe Dady, who unfortunately succumbed to leukemia in 2019, a tremendous loss to our music community, picked a mean banjo on this one.  Joe and Siobhan drove the song with just the right touch on the snare drum and the acoustic bass.  Tim Chaapel, who occasionally played with Siobhan and me back then, sang back-up harmony.  Tim developed a nice idea for the start of the song. It opens with him and John Dady and me singing an a cappella version of the chorus.  I like it, and I hope you do too.  When I hear the song start, I, once again, begin to see those foothills of the Catskills.

 

Lyrics:

Verse 1:

In the foothills of the Catskill's

On that Hudson River shore

There's a little country village

I don't see much any more

At times when I go back there

To see friends and family

I remember all those good things

That small town gave to me

Chorus:

You know, the apple, it doesn't fall far from the tree

And all of us are chips off the old block

The good things are the small ones that we often do not see

And the good house is built upon a rock

Verse 2:

I was guided by my family

Received kindness from my friends

And all my patient teachers

They stayed with me to the end

The love that came from everyone

Was worth much more than gold

I take it with me where I go

And I give it back two-fold

Chorus:

Verse 3:

Everyone encouraged me

When there was a chance to take

And everyone forgave me

When I made my mistakes

The understanding I was shown

As I fought to find my way

Is given back to those I meet

As I greet this world each day

Chorus:

Verse 4:

It's here I learned to persevere

When reaching for my goals

With each goal came a confidence

From deep down in my soul

This confidence brought a wisdom

So simple and so clear

Embrace each precious moment

'Cause it quickly disappears

Chorus:

Repeat Verse 1:

Chorus: (two times)

 

Here is a link to the song on Spotify.  It is song #7 on our CAUGHT IN THE MIDDLE album, which is what will appear if you click on the link.  Provide a username and password, and you’ll be good to go with a free account.

https://open.spotify.com/album/612vyh3RDKhKPE9ypBWbKJ

 

Here is a link to listen to the song on Apple Music.  Again, it is song #7 on our CAUGHT IN THE MIDDLE album.

https://music.apple.com/au/album/caught-in-the-middle/id253874969

 

Here is a link to listen to the song on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/Good-House-Built-Upon-Rock/dp/B001OC36WW

 

 

 

THE FRIDAY CLICK (Back-story, Lyrics, and Link to Song)

THE FRIDAY CLICK (Back-Story, Lyrics, and Link to Song)

Back-story:

I taught high school English in Canandaigua, NY, from 1974 to 2006, a long chapter, but probably one of the finest ones in my life.  During that time, a myriad of students, colleagues and friends enriched my life with stories of their lives, and a lot of these tales became the topics in many of my songs.  After retiring in 2006, I stayed in Canandaigua, and many of my former students became my friends and acquaintances.  Most of the time I would connect with them at places where Siobhan and I played our music.  The Timbercreek Tavern, one of these venues located in Manchester, NY, is where I met up with Tom Clark, Bill Ridley, and Jill (Quayle) Johnson, former

students from the ‘70s and ‘80s. These folks became the catalyst for “The Friday Click.”

One Friday afternoon, Siobhan and I were sitting at the bar having lunch at the Timbercreek.  Tom and Bill were sitting down the bar from us chatting about hunting, one of their favorite topics, and Jill was behind the bar serving food, drinks, and telling humorous and interesting stories, one of her incredible talents.  I sat there just taking in the energy usually generated in pubs at the end of each work week.  On a Friday in most neighborhood bars , the sounds of the TVs, jukebox, clinking ice cubes, and beer cans popping, and the smells of French-fries, burgers, and chicken wings have a tendency to enhance the excitement and joy about the upcoming two days off.  As I sat there listening, I heard Jill pop open several beer cans, and deliver them to patrons, two of which were Tom and Bill.  I looked in Tom and Bill’s direction and said, “Ah, the sound of the Friday click.  It doesn’t get any better.”  Not missing a beat, “Tom replied enthusiastically, “You have to write a song about it!”  So, the Friday click idea took its place in my notebook with numerous other ideas, many of which have not yet and probably won’t materialize into songs.

I thought about the Friday click, and the only lyric I could develop was based on the speed at which beer tabs come off the top of the can.  Here’s what developed.

“Some snap off slowly, others pop off quick

I don’t care about the speed; I love that Friday click”

These lines stayed in my notebook for a couple of months, and then the song began to develop more during our monthly gig at The Timbercreek, a happy hour from five to eight every second Thursday.  Thursday was “Pizza Night,” and religiously, Tom, his wife, Brenda, Bill, his wife, Jean, and their friends, Rick and Donna Waterman would show up for some pizza, beer, and music.  They sat at the table right in front of Siobhan and me, the table that eventually became the famous “Table #1.”  After a round of drinks, Jill would bring them a pizza, and when the pizza was finished, the party really got rolling.  They would sing along with just about every song, and the positive feedback they gave to Siobhan and me only gave us the energy to play better.  This enthusiasm generated by “Table #1” quite often spread through the bar, and it drew the other patrons into having fun with us.

As the night wore on and the beer intake increased, Tom frequently started playing air-harmonica or air-guitar along with the band, and the crowd loved it.  Following any song where he accompanied us, I thanked him and commended him for his hot licks.  One night after thanking Tom for joining us, the word licks triggered this lyric.

“When the band cuts him a lead, we love to hear his licks

Really gets us psyched for just a few more Friday clicks”

From here, I thought about other words that rhymed with click, Rick, chick, and thick, and these became the key words that created a story about a fun night at The Timbercreek.  Sorry, folks. There’s no deep theme to this one, just a good-time fun song for you.

With “The Friday Click” being a somewhat good-time party song, I created a somewhat upbeat folk/country sound with a melody and chord progression to compliment the lyrics and story, and then Siobhan and I went to work arranging it.

After rehearsing the song several times, we recorded the basic tracks, guitar, bass, and vocal, in our little homemade studio.  Following this, we brought in our good friend Perry Cleaveland to add some harmony and leads and filler with his fiddle, mandolin, and electric mandolin.  The sounds of Perry’s fiddle and electric mandolin really give the song a nice country feel to it.  We finished up with me adding some harmonica filler, and some background harmonies.  Then, Siobhan went to work mixing and mastering

the tracks until we got the recording to where we liked it.  I hope it appeals to you too.

We had many great nights at The Timbercreek, and I’d like to thank Susie, the owner, Hillbilly, Susie’s right-hand man, Jill, “Table #1,” and all the other patrons who came to The Creek to support our music.  You all created another beautiful chapter in this story Siobhan and I have been developing and enjoying for the past thirty-eight years.  Hats off to all of you!

 

Lyrics:

Verse 1:

I am Just a working man who likes a real good time

I spend all week long on the assembly line

When my work week’s over, I call my good friend Rick

We head down to The Timbercreek to enjoy some Friday Clicks

 

Chorus:

And well, sometimes it’s a Coors Light, sometimes it’s a Blue

Sometimes a Bud Light harmonizes with those two

Some snap off slowly, others pop off quick

I don’t care about the speed; I love that Friday Click

 

Verse 2:

Rick and me, we love The Creek, it’s a lot of fun

Especially when we can sit at “Table #1”

The women at the table sound just like The Dixie Chicks

We love to sing along with them and enjoy some Friday clicks

 

Chorus:

 

Verse 3:

Jill, she works behind the bar and serves us up our beer

Her stories make me laugh so hard; my eyes fill up with tears

When she brings our pizza, the cheese on it’s so thick

We just love to wash it down with a few more Friday clicks

 

Chorus:

 

Verse 4:

When the night gets rollin’, Tom starts playing air-guitar

Bill has high hopes for him, he’s our local star

When the band cuts him a lead, we love to hear his licks

Really gets us psyched for just a few more Friday clicks

 

Chorus: (two times)

 

If you would like to listen to the song on Spotify, Here’s a link to it.  Provide a username and password, and you’ll be good to go with a free account.

https://open.spotify.com/album/0iA7Gq5Ynh0LrKd7z3SEEc

If you would like to listen to the song on Apple Music, here is a link to it.

https://music.apple.com/us/album/the-friday-click-single/1540134278

If you would like to listen to the song on Amazon, here is a link to it.

https://music.amazon.com/albums/B08P8T27JJ

 

SOMETHING FOR VETERANS DAY

LAST MAN STANDING (Back-Story, Lyrics, and Link to Song)

Back-story:

in June of 2010, my mother died suddenly from complications caused by a massive stroke.            This devastating event broke my father’s heart, and he never recovered from it.  After my mother’s death, I spoke to my father at least once a day on the phone, and when he moved from Saugerties, NY, to Canandaigua, NY, in 2013 I visited with him every day until he died in 2016.  Despite his intense loneliness and indifference towards life, he did the best he could to keep going, and I admired him for this.  Listening to his favorite oldies of the 1940s, ‘50s, and ‘60s often filled up his afternoons with great memories of his life.

 

He shared many of these memories with me, and most of them focused on some of the great times he had with my mother and their best friends, Tom and Marge Tynan and Phil and Dot Breithaupt.  The “six pack,” as I often called them, did a myriad of things together.  Parties, picnics, dances, and trips filled up their nearly fifty year friendship.  In the late 1990s, the “six pack” began to empty, and with the death of Phil Breithaupt, my father became the last bottle in the pack.  After Phil’s death, he expressed to me several times that his bottle was empty, and whenever God was ready, he was ready to join the other empties.

 

Along with his stories about his times with my mother and their friends, he also told me stories about his time in the Marines during WWII.  He never spoke of the war before this, and most of his generation did not speak of it either.  I learned about his experiences in the war in the Pacific, and he described the awful night he was severely wounded and nearly killed on Okinawa.  I discovered that most of his friends from the military were also gone, and he was ready to join them, too.

 

Like many WWII veterans, he was the “last man standing” in his group.  That phrase entered my mind one day, and I started playing around with some words that eventually became the chorus of the song.  Using military imagery, the chorus depicts a soldier who wants to die, but he will not leave this earth until he fulfills his purpose.

 

After getting the chorus together, I had to develop a setting and story to support it.  Here’s what emerged.  The setting is my father sitting in an easy chair listening to his favorite oldies.  As he listens, the songs take him through the events of his life from his war years to the death of his wife.  With the story created, now all it needed was a melody and some chords.

 

To enhance the tone, mood, and theme of this sensitive ballad, it was essential to keep the chord progression simple and the tempo slow.  So, Siobhan and I went to work arranging the song with her bass, my guitar, harmonica and vocal.  After we put the song together, we went over to record the basic tracks with Rich Cooley, a neighborhood friend who eventually became Siobhan’s mentor for mixing and mastering.  Following this, we brought in two fine musicians, Perry Cleaveland and Bob Spadafora, to add some finishing touches.  Perry with his mandolin and fiddle and Bob with his acoustic guitar created some awesome sounds, especially during the break in the song.  It’s probably one of the most sensitive breaks I have ever heard.  Along with their instruments, they added some terrific backup harmonies to the chorus.

After all the tracks were recorded, Siobhan went to work mixing them until we got the sound to where we liked it.  I hope it appeals to you too.

 

Lyrics:

Verse 1:

He sits back in his easy chair, the TV doesn’t play

The room is filled with music of all his yesterdays

The Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy takes him back to when

He fought the Japanese to save his family and friends

He nearly lost his life on some Okinawa hill

Memories of that awful night quite often haunt him still

But when he returned back to his home in 1945

It didn’t take him long to see why God kept him alive

For he met her at a roller rink, they skated through the night

They fell in love as they walked home with a full moon burning bright

Then they set out on a journey for over sixty years

Now the music of those decades leaves a face of streaming tears

 

Chorus:

He’s the last man standing on this battle field of life

All his friends have fallen along with his faithful wife

He prays he can be with them at the setting of each sun

But a soldier never leaves his post until the job is done

 

Verse 2:

 

From the heart of New York City to a Hudson River town

They found a peaceful quiet place where they could settle down

To raise a little family, and find themselves some friends

To  share the highs and lows of life, and navigate its bends

The sing-along Mitch Miller songs remind him of the times

When days went on forever, and life was so sublime

Whether ‘round a kitchen table or along a small creek shore

They’d laugh and dance the night away and never want for more

Bobby Vinton comes on with his “Roses Are Red

He thinks of all the I love yousVery rarely said

For their love was shown in action, words were not their way

They were the “Great Generation,” who didn’t have much to say

 

Chorus:

 

Verse 3:

As the concert slowly closes with those evening ending songs

He hears “Good Night, Irene” come on, and he starts to sing along

He looks a little to his right into the empty chair

He hears her singing with him, even though she isn’t there

Elvis whispers softly, “Are you lonesome tonight?”

He dreams of howe they used to dance and hold each other tight

The Platters bring the curtain down, and with their final line

Once again she’s with him at last at twilight time

 

Chorus (two times):

 

If you would like to listen to the song on Spotify,  Here’s a link to it.  Provide a username and password, and you’ll be good to go with a free account.

https://open.spotify.com/album/2JJLGAngMnssbq56cwIPHA

 

If you would like to listen to the song on Apple Music, here is a link to it.

https://music.apple.com/us/album/last-man-standing-single/883669630

 

If you would like to listen to the song on Amazon, here is a link to it.

https://www.amazon.com/Last-Man-Standing-Meyer-Mcguire/dp/B00KQPWUL6

 

 

BENNY BLEU AND TYLER WESTCOTT CREATE A BEAUTIFUL SYNERGY!

As the sand seems to slip more and more quickly through the hour glass for me and my contemporary musician friends, I realize the importance of getting a group of younger musicians to invest their time in our concert venue. Benny Bleu and Tyler Westcott, two terrific young singer/songwriters and musicians, are beginning to make Quiote a regular stop in their schedules, and I only hope their enthusiasm for this concert series spreads to other younger musicians. Yesterday, Benny and Tyler teamed up, and in a round-robin fashion, delivered one awesome afternoon of music. Although the format was planned, the content was not, and that became the true beauty of the show. Their show was like going down an unknown road, and at each bend there was a new discovery, making the journey more interesting and exciting. For example, when one introduced and played a song covering a particular theme, the other would come back with his creation about that same topic. The synergy got even better when they would at times accompany each other. When one was playing a song, the other would add a harmony or grab a harmonica, guitar, or banjo and tastefully add to the song. These two guys, very supportive of each other, were having a blast, and their fun spilled over into a very appreciative audience. We were in their living room, and they were very gracious hosts. As I watched their show, it brought me back to my years as a teacher. I always loved watching students get excited about something they were creating. These two very talented guys came to the show not really knowing what was going to happen. As their performance Progressed, they both got excited about what was unfolding, and it was an absolute pleasure to observe. Although the following videos are from previous shows, here are two songs they did yesterday: Benny, "Porcupine"; Tyler, "The Eye of the Storm"

Big thanks to Benny and Tyler for a terrific show! Big thanks to Raf, Erin, Teresa, Trevor, Hanna, Noah, Julie, and the rest of the staff at Rio for all the help you give us to make this event work! Big thanks to Scott Regan for promoting these shows on WRUR’s “Open Tunings!” Big thanks to you, the audience, for your continuous support of this venue! Without you, it would not be possible! Our next show in Quiote is on Apr. 5. Paul Swiatek and Perry Cleaveland will be our guests. There will be music for the brunch at Rio from Noon until Paul and Perry take the stage at 3 PM. Stay tuned for more details about this show and “Sunday Music at Rio!”

M&M SONGWRITERS SERIES PRESENTS BENNY BLEU AND TYLER WESTCOTT

    Hey Folks,

This blog started out giving you posts of the songwriter’s notes, lyrics, and music for my original songs. As with many things, it has gone in new directions. So, if you just started reading my post and are interested in my original material, here is a link to mySongwriter Notes.

On Sunday, 3/8, Ben Haravitch (AKA Benny Bleu) and Tyler Westcott will be our guests in Quiote at Rio Tomatlan in Canandaigua from 3 to 5 PM. If you have never seen these two great singer/songwriters, you are in for a great experience. To get a feel for their talents, take a look at the videos below!
"Porcupines"
"My Name Is Chuck"
"This Too Shall Pass"
"Wheels"
"The Eye of the Storm"
"Live Your Life with Me"

Want to know more about Benny Bleu?
Benny Bleu
Want to know more about Tyler Westcott?
Tyler Westcott
The concert is free, but we do ask for donations to support our performers. Siobhan has created eight CDs, one for each of our eight seasons that were held in The Side Room of Buffalo Bill’s and now in Quiote at Rio Tomatlan. Each CD contains songs of the performers who appeared during that season. The requested donation for each CD is $10, and the proceeds go to the performers who are playing on the day of the donation. Since the performers who played in Buffalo Bill’s Side Room will now be playing in Quiote at Rio Tomatlan, the CDs will give you a good feel for what to expect in the upcoming shows.

Here is a link to videos of performers playing in Quiote at Rio Tomatlan and the Side Room at Buffalo Bill's. The videos will give you a feel of how much fun we have at these shows. Check them out!

Hope you can join us!
All the best,

Siobhan and Frank

Upcoming Shows:

Paul Swiatek and Perry Cleaveland, April 5
The Brothers Blue, April 19
Scott Regan, April 26
Jeff Riales, May 17
Kerry Regan (of Watkins and the Rapiers, June 7
The Spring Chickens, June 14
Cool Club and The Lipker Sisters, June 28
MG Gonzalez and Whorlwood, Jul. 19
Eva and the Dog Boys, Aug. 2
Steve Piper, Aug. 16
Paulsen, Baker, and Chaapel, September 6
Alan Whitney, September 20
Jack Jones, October 4
The Michael Yacci Trio, October 18
The Cadleys with Perry Cleaveland and John Dancks, November 8
Brian Ayers, November 15
Pepper and Sassafras, December 6
John Itkin, December 20
Warren Paul, January 3
Performer to be announced, January 17
Ben Proctor, January 31
The Maria Gillard Trio, February 21
Performer to be announced, February 28
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6/30/19, 4:15 PM

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