I like music. CD’s, iPod, Radio, Records…constantly on. The grocery store speakers, the wind in the trees, television, the voices of the people I love, deep night silence…all music to my ears. I live with a human jukebox. I definitely like music.
When I’m not listening to somebody else’s…I make it myself. You’d think as long and hard as I’ve been focusing on this auditory world, astroPuppees would have 1000 CD’s out by now. So far, there are just four. I’m not lazy. I am picky. I’m very interested in trying to crystallize a single idea into a few aural minutes with melody, words and vibe that all point back to the single idea I started with. (Like laundry soap. Extra concentrated.) My favorite subject is Love. Or, more precisely, longing for Love. Not too original, but I really try to remain HOPEFUL about desperate longing and constant craving. I take my time. I change my mind. I don’t give up. I enjoy the process.
Right now I’m enjoying the process of making CD 5. Splitting my time between Ireland (the middle of nowhere) and the California desert (also the middle of nowhere), I seem to have the perfect platform for writing more sugar-coated, sad songs. That’s the goal. A perfectly sad, longing-for-love song saturated with hope. And maybe a few laughs. Probably never get there, but I enjoy trying. I’ve had the pleasure of working with some excellent friends and musicians on the last 4 discs. This time around I’m happy to say, Don Dixon (musician and producer extraordinaire) is working with me from the start of the thing and I’m hoping to ‘mix it up’ a little bit. My friend Marti Jones is planning to tear herself away from her easel long enough to add some of her unbelievably, beautiful musicianship to this batch of stuff. Working with a few new faces as well, including Van Dyke Parks, who is spinning his musical magic and arranging a couple of tunes. I think it’ll be a little different than my usual fare. I know it’ll be amazing to make. I’ll probably be done “enjoying the process” sometime in 2009.
Until then….along the way, I’ve written a handful of songs that don’t quite seem to fit in with the rest. They’re good I think, nice and concentrated, but they just got a little lost in the shuffle. The collection of ten, “Lost Valentines”, is out June 2008, on Bug Digital and will be available on iTunes, Napster, Rhapsody, etc. You know the island of misfit toys from ‘Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer’? Recorded between 1996-2003, these “misfits” have been living on that island. I thought they needed to be rescued.
So there you go. That’s it in a nutshell. Hope you like the “new” music. Right now I’m feeling particularly hopeful and beautifully sad. Better go write somethingKelley
