May, 2004

From the old website..."People who enjoy the Beach Boys's Pet Sounds and or any record by the Beatles post-Revolver would enjoy Grace Monica. At time Grace also sounds like Chopin, parlour songs, theatrical music, Daniel Lanois, and noise-pop. If experimental pop music is your thing, Grace Monica is your record. It also contains a medley of 'Till There was You' by Meredith Wilson and Joni Mitchell's 'A Case of You'."

This record isn't as experimental as I thought it was a few years ago, and that's mostly because of hearing truly experimental pop records by the likes of Todd Rundgren and others. I will say that it is still my favorite solo record I've ever done. It was the first record where I tried to do everything on every track, including drums, bass and other orchestral instruments. Dave Poytinger, my journeyman folk comedian friend did sing and play guitar on "The Water is Wide," and played a really cool tubular bells part. Also, I think Vince Perri may have messed around with some orchestral instruments and ended up on the recording, though I'm not totally sure where. You can hear us talking at the end of the last song about a fugue that never ended up being recorded.

Hometown Street is often misunderstood, especially because it has no lyrics and everybody wants to find meaning through lyrics. But since the song has to be about SOMETHING, I'll clear it up. It's a string of practice rooms in the basement of the Fine Arts building at Kalamazoo College that I used to refer to as a little block of houses. Any classical musician knows practicing can stink sometimes, and I thought the instrumental fit the whole idea well. I used to stop practicing sometimes and just listen to other musicians blast away in frustration as they practiced. During recording, I recorded an unaccredited music major practicing tirelessly on Sergei Rachmaninoff's Prelude in C Sharp Minor, Op. 3, No. 2. I have no idea who was practicing and they had no idea I was recording them. You can hear it clearly at the beginning and the end of the track.

Personally, if somebody is new to my music and is looking to start somewhere, I would recommend starting with two records; Grace... and my first record with The Beasts of Burden. They are almost polar opposites but I feel they represent my output well.