“Covers” was the result of my finally putting together the home studio so I could teach my then 14-year-old son how to mix and record. He helped with percussion and piano as noted, and my wife sang on one song, but it was fodder to help him get the gist.
He did.
“Song 2” (Blur) is all him – drums, bass, guitar, and vocals, which I taught him in that organic order. I know I am biased, but he crushed it. 14. Now he has his own rock band and long ago I handed over the studio keys, but he has the gear, talent, knowledge and determination to make a go of it, if he chooses.
Mission accomplished.
But “Covers” got me back in the saddle and partly inspired me to develop TATANKA, so in time, those tracks will follow…
The bonus tracks are (2023, 2017) my dalliance with AI music generation and although mostly computer output, I tracked, adapted and fine tuned each song as I usually do, so they have my fingerprints all over them. All are originals except for “Sister Havana” by my favorite Chicago band, Urge Overkill. The 2003 tracks are from an unfinished project I began when I lived in the Chicago area, and were the last recordings I made as fatherhood and this silly thing called adulthood took residence for many years, twenty in fact, but music is me, and vice versa, so stay tuned.
P.S. Like all my music, all tracks are free, so help yourself. I’ll post more over time…
– JJ, March 19, 2024