FEELS LIKE NOTHING - (Outtake Demo)

Plus, 3/29/25 VCA gig ticket info!

GIG ALERT!

Tickets for my upcoming show on Saturday, March 29, 2025, at Vashon Center for the Arts will go on sale next Friday, January 24, at Noon Pacific.

EARLY-BIRD SPECIAL! Paid subscribers to Love Songs Etc can snatch up the best seats with early-bird access on Wednesday, January 22 at Noon Pacific. (A link and passcode will land in your email inbox.)

I’ll be joined by my trusty sidekick, Elaine Summers, and possibly a very special guest star. We’ll play the oldies and cuts from my forthcoming album, Fade Away Blue.

Last year’s show sold out in a jiffy, so if you want to be there, I suggest you act fast.

MATT CHAMBERLAIN WAS RIGHT!

Soon, I’ll be cranking out posts related to the secret project I alluded to in this post from December 23, 2024.

After that, I’ll focus on my new studio album, Fade Away Blue.¹

Before I move on, I thought I would give The Droge & Summers Blend project a little more attention.

I discovered this demo recently while digging through an old hard drive. If I had found this track before releasing The Droge & Summers Blend Volume Three, I would have included it in that collection, for sure.

Paid subscribers can download this track—AIFF or MP3—by visiting my rarities page.

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We took a crack at recording “Feels Like Nothing” four times. I called the first version “slow loose demo.” It was intended to be a mere sketch. I knocked it out super fast with no intention of it ever seeing the light of day.

Next, I cut the version featured above and called it “Demo 2.” I had it in the back of my mind that I might want to have bonus tracks to share after the record came out, so I put in the effort not to suck. Plus, I wanted a good solid version of the song I would not be embarrassed to share with the crack band I assembled for what was intended to be the ‘real’ version.

Said crack band consisted of Dave Hull on bass, Scott Weddle on guitar, and Matt Chamberlain on drums. To gear up for tracking the song, I cranked up “Demo 2” so everyone could get a feel for it. When it ended, Matt chimed in from the couch and said, “Why are we re-recording this? That sounds great!” Listening to it now I think he was right. Matt has played on a million records. He is one of the most well-known and successful session drummers in the world. I should have listened to him.

I guess I had it in my mind that the song would be taken to another level with ace musicians contributing. But as it turned out, the version we cut that day lacked that magic x-factor that elevates a mere recording to ‘record’ status. I worked on our basic track only for a short time before punting.

Later, I recorded the fourth version with the help of engineer Russ Fowler and bassist Keith Lowe. I added lots of overdubs to this one. I futzed with the mix endlessly, but it never came together. I probably overcooked it. If I were to pull the tracks up and knock out a rough mix in thirty minutes, it would probably be way better than where it ended up. But still, I don’t think it would beat “Demo 2.”

I’m happy to have unearthed this recording. I’m even happier to have this newsletter where I can share stuff like this with you all.

INTO YEAR THREE!

In December, I celebrated my 100th post. And this week, Love Songs Etc turns the corner into its third year. I can’t believe it. It’s flown by.

I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who is joining me on this ride.

And to my paid subscribers, an extra helping of gratitude. Your support really means the world. Thank you!

Peace & Love Songs,

Pete

1. The release plan is taking shape. We’re looking at Spring for the first of three singles and late Summer for the LP to hit the street. We’re even starting to pencil in tour dates around the U.S.!!!