SKELETON CREW 01 - From the Sketchbook

It's launch week, day one!

It began as a love song.

The seed of “Skeleton Crew” arrived in December of 2017. At first the verse lyrics read:

In the morning when you wake me
With a warm and loving cup
And a smile that says I'm dreamin'
I know it's gonna be enough

Not the worst lyrics in the world but there was an aching melancholy feel in the music that did not resonate with a warm and fuzzy love song.

That first line stuck though.  And soon I had a melody for the B section that I loved. 

By May 2018, Elaine Summers was in the co-writer's chair.  While on a walk she came up with an idea for the song: Skeleton Crew.  This would become our title and our chorus.

As you'll hear in the sketch above, we first tried using our new title in the B section.  But it never quite sang right, the phrasing felt awkward.  The words did not easily marry to the melody.

This second phone sketch is titled "190912 Skeleton Pre pro tempo and feel." (Pre pro is short for pre-production.)

By September 2019 the song was written and I began thinking about how I wanted to produce it.

This sketch begins with me saying, "Kinda digging this tempo."  It's a little quicker than the single release called "Version One" that came out in March 2020.  That version is decidedly slow. 

"Version One?  What's that about, Pete?  It's now 2023 and no sign of Version Two!"

Well, it's complicated.  As the pandemic began, Elaine and I were planning to launch The Skeleton Crew Project, a music charity thing.  The scope of  the project was huge.  One aspect was to have various artists record  cover versions of "Skeleton Crew" to benefit non-profits.  So that would have led to versions two, three and so on.

However, due to my chronic fatigue we had to scrap the project.

This sketch documents a feel and tempo that I imagined would groove well with a four or five piece rock band arrangement.  I hope to cut "Skeleton Crew" one day with a full band and include that version on my next long player.  Stay tuned.  Time will tell.

For now, "Skeleton Crew (Version One)" is available where ever you find digital music. 

Peace & Love Songs,

Pete

PS: Bonus link post coming shortly where paid subscribers can gain access to a “rarities” page. There they can download the audio I share on here on Substack.