GIG PROMO SONG (4-Track Cassette Video)

GoFundMe link for Matthew Sweet health crisis. Plus, Iain Matthews & David E. Perry! And links to old "Fading Fast" posts!

First up, some sad news. Last night, I learned that my old bandmate from The Thorns, the great Matthew Sweet, suffered a debilitating stroke while on tour in Toronto. A GoFundMe page has been set up to help cover the costs of his medical bills. Please consider giving what you can.

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I had fun adapting the lyrics of my song “Fading Fast” into a little ditty to promote my upcoming show at The Triple Door in Seattle on November 7, 2024.

If you follow me on Facebook or Instagram, you may have seen the video in your feed. If not, here it is.

I’ve been playing “Fading Fast” daily to keep my fingerpicking chops in shape in preparation for the big show. Avid readers of Love Songs Etc know I released “Fading Fast” as a digital single last year. At the time, the plan was to release a series of singles leading up to a new LP. Ultimately, I put that record on hold and focused on releasing music from my side project, The Droge and Summers Blend, instead.

We finished the new LP a while ago. It won’t be out until next year, though. More on all that later.

Shortly after launching this Substack, I shared a few posts detailing the writing and recording of “Fading Fast.” Those who have recently joined the newsletter might enjoy checking out those posts. And perhaps readers who have been here all along may get a kick out of revisiting them.

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FADING FAST 02 - Behind the Lyrics

Check out the lyric video and learn about The Bookmobile, The Intemperate Sons and how The Sinners and I passed the hours riding through the midwest.

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FADING FAST 03 - From the Sketchbook

From the Sketchbook is a series of posts where I pull the curtain back on my songwriting process. In this installment, I share three work tape recordings from my phone.

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FADING FAST 04 - On the Record

This post features two demos and a radio interview with Ward Serrill. One demo actually became the basic track for the record version, so you can hear what it sounded like before Jay Bellerose (Drums & Percussion), Paul Bryan (Bass) and Lee Pardini (Keyboards) added their magic touches.

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Over on Facebook, my pal Iain Matthews asked how I got the vocal sound in the little gig song video posted above. Here is my reply:

“It's my SM7 into an API mic pre into the cassette four-track. I'm rolling off a bit of low shelf and adding a healthy dose of high shelf EQ on the four-track. The effect is my trusty Deluxe Memory Man by Electro Harmonix. I have had it forever. It's all over all of my records. It's great on vocals. Great on everything, really. The vocals are triple-tracked. Two tracks I cut on one mic at the same time as my guitar. Those are panned out left and right. The third track is on its own and panned up the middle.”

Iain’s new record, How Much is Enough, hits the street this coming Friday, October 25, 2024, on Sunset Boulevard Records. I’ve had the honor of co-writing with Iain. We met during a songwriting workshop in Denmark in 2001. (That’s a story for another time.) His stint in the ‘60s in the groundbreaking folk rock group Fairport Convention started a long and distinguished career. His memoir, Thro’ My Eyes is brilliant. It’s a great read tracing the steps of a fascinating life in music.

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Finally, I failed to give credit where credit was due in my last post. I added the album art for Under the Waves at the very last minute and, in my haste, forgot to give credit to photographer David E. Perry. David’s stunning photography and writing can be found on Substack. Check out his newsletter, In The Garden Of His Imagination.

Peace & Love Songs,

Pete