Here In Paradise
was recorded by Jimmy Mac, Dana Harrington, Victor Agis, and myself. The
songs we chose to include show off Jimmy's and my songwriting, and show off
the range of music Loky is capable of playing.
Here in Paradise is Loky's debut CD, put together to display the band's
unique sound. Loky is a band that loves to play. Since they got together
they have been playing two to three times a week, usually for three to four
hours a show. Most of their songs are set up to allow for some stretch-out
room, but the jamming is always there to serve the song, because they're as
much about songwriting as they are about playing.
About the Songs:
1.
Here in Paradise
"Here in Paradise" is Loky's debut CD, put together to display the band's
unique sound. Loky is a band that loves to play. Since they got together
they have been playing two to three times a week, usually for three to four
hours a show. Most of their songs are set up to allow for some stretch-out
room, but the jamming is always there to serve the song, because they're as
much about songwriting as they are about playing. The title song, "Here in
Paradise", leads off the album with an acoustic guitar groove and Jimmy's
distinctive lead. David sings about grownup loneliness.
2.
Lost in Houston
"Lost in Houston" is Jimmy's take on the country-boy-lost-in-the-city story,
played at Ramones pace and accented by David's 90s version of classic Chuck
Berry licks.
3.
Houston to New Orleans
The next two songs are variations on the lonely guy theme. David's "Houston
to New Orleans" is an old-fashioned "she's gone" song with some simple
harmonica accompaniment and Jimmy's guitar impersonation of early Neil
Young.
4.
Escargot
Jimmy's "Escargot" is a ballad featuring some clear harmonies and David's
meditative guitar solos.
5.
Waiting for the President
While it sounds pretty topical at the moment, "Waiting for the President"
was written in the early years of the Clinton administration as a comment on
the general wierdness of power and the powerful, set to a retro rock beat.
The pointed monologue was added just before recording. "Impeach this,
Senator Pissant" indeed.
6.
12-Bar Blues
The twelve bars in "Twelve Bar Blues" are Houston music clubs Jimmy played
during his his musical life before Loky. All the stories are true, except
the ones he made up. A B3 organ resident to the Sugar Hill studio was used
to add some extra color to this version.
7.
Her Boyfriend's Shirt
The great pop hope on this CD is "Her Boyfriend's Shirt", a catchy tune
inspired by a late night trip to the grocery store, the first verse and
chorus written on the way home. What we really want to know is why they call
it cross-dressing when a guy borrows his girIfirend's skirt.
8.
New Orleans
Jimmy's "New Orleans" is folk funk jam tune with extended solos by both
guitarists and a story about one of "those" Mardi Gras experiences back in
the late 70s.
9.
Trainwreck
David wrote "Trainwreck" as an experiment in music and spoken word, using
blues instead of the jazz/poetry beatnik thing. The contrast in Jimmy and
David's guitar styles is well displayed in the intro and in the closing
guitar section.
10.
Carl Brown
In "Carl Brown", Jimmy tells a man's life story as pieced together from
pictures and letters found discarded in a trash bin.
11.
I Can't Cry Anymore
"I Can't Cry Anymore" begins as a stark litany of grief and resolves with
one of David's better guitar workouts.
12.
Angels in My House
Billed in concert as a "theology song", "Angels in My House" uses layered
percussion to drive a tongue-in-cheek tale of near-revelation.
Loky is a band I played in from the fall of 1997 until May 2000. It was
a traditional four-piece rock band setup with the twist that the guitars
were acoustic and the drummer played two djembes instead of a drum kit.
It was folk-rock in the same way the Grateful Dead was; any given song
would be reshaped in tempo or groove from one performance to the next.
This is a habit carried over to Fahl & Folk, my current band. We did
some covers but mostly played tunes written by Jimmy Mac or myself. The
quintessential elements of Loky's sound were the acoustic guitar
rhythms, Jimmy's distorted lead style, strong odd grooves, and
intelligent, unpretentious lyrics. Here In Paradise, the studio CD Loky
recorded, shows what the band was all about, and is a piece of work I'm
still proud of.
