July 15, 2005 - New Demos Up!
Okay, I'm a little late on this, but I finally have three new demos up on the Sounds page, so head on over, download 'em and let me know what you think if you feel so inclined. They are very rough and raw, and full of mistakes, but I hope some find it interesting to see how these things develop over time.
As always, check out my blog for more in-depth comments on these and other topics, particularly more comments on these demos and how the new music is shaping up.
Thanks for caring!!
Diss
Hi, everyone! Just wanted to let you know that, while there will be "bare bones" updates here as to what I'm up to, the bulk of my "news" can now be found at my blog site at:
Make sure you check it out, as I will be trying to update it as often as possible. There you'll find more detailed info as to what I'm up to, as well as lots of meandering rants that you may or may not be interested in. But if you are, feel free to leave your comments.
As to what's happening lately, well, the writing is starting to pick up for the next project, tentatively titled "Three Long, Three Short." Lots of riffs and pieces of songs are recorded. Now I have to shape them into something. Looks like it probably won't be an acoustic album after all, but a full-bore thing. Hopefully done in late 2006, but some definite previews will appear here far earlier.
In the meantime, I've left my news entry when Greenhorn was initially released below for anyone who has only recently picked up the CD and wants to read more about it.
Thanks for caring!
Diss
Thoughts on the latest Diss release, Greenhorn:
Well, it's hard to believe. Greenhorn is finally, finally finished! Make sure you check out the "Sounds" page for some free downloads. You can also visit my site on CDBaby for samples of every song on the CD and to find out how to order a copy (or go to the "Order" page for more information).
It's rare that I sit down and listen to the last two CDs I released (under "The Dissidents" name) in their entirety. There are just too many moments that make me cringe with regret, be it a bum note vocally or a bad mix or any number of things that can go wrong when you're recording. That's why I took my time on Greenhorn. I wanted to "get it right," or at least as close to "right" as I could get before teetering over the edge of sanity. I didn't have the luxury of fixing things I didn't like on the first two CDs. This time, I had all the freedom in the world (sometimes too much). Although Greenhorn is far from sonic perfection (quite an understatement), I can honestly say that I'm happy with every single song. And for me, my own worst critic, that's a big achievement.
My favorite CDs are the ones that you can sit and listen to from beginning to end without feeling the irrestible urge to slam the "skip" button - CDs that feel like a whole, not just a collection of a few good songs with mounds 
of filler thrown in for bad measure. I love CDs where, after you've listened, you feel the same way you do after seeing a great movie: you can't stop thinking about it, you want to revisit it, you want to talk to others about it. That's the kind of CD I wanted Greenhorn to be. I wouldn't presume for a second to say I accomplished that, because it's all in the ear of the individual listener. All I could do was try to make a CD that I personally really enjoyed listening to, from beginning to end, and, for my purposes, I succeeded. Hopefully others will feel the same way. Hopefully you will. (Yeah, that's right, I'm talking to you!)
Sonically, Greenhorn is the hardest thing I've ever done; There are a lot more dirty, filthy guitars on this than on previous efforts. Aren't you supposed to mellow as you get older? Doesn't seem to be happening with me...well, at least not musically. (I do tend to enjoy naps more than I did a few years ago, though. Hmmm....)
As for the story behind the title, a greenhorn is someone who's new to something, be it a situation or a job or a country. It's a word, like "gunnysack" (the title of the last CD), that's not really used too much anymore, I guess. Which is probably why I liked it. (One of my pet peeves is seeing song or album titles that I've seen countless times before. I try to avoid that like the plague and often judge a CD before even hearing a note of it by reading the titles. You can tell a lot about the music by the titles.)
The CD was originally going to be called Blood of the Martyrs, but then, one day, this little chord progression popped into my head and seemed to will me over to one of the many guitars lounging around our house. Some songs are really, really hard to finish and make you work like a dog for every note, every lyric. Others just come out of nowhere, all dressed up and ready to go. This one was of the latter variety, and those moments are really fun (and rare) to experience. Anyway, I started playing what would be the chorus of the song and just singing nonsensically along with the music, trying to find a good melody, and the word "greenhorn" just started coming out. Immediately, I knew it was going to be the title of the song and I knew what the theme of the song would be lyrically. I also knew it would be the new title of the CD.
After all, this is the first CD that I've officially labeled as a solo project (although the first two were pretty much solo projects). It's also the first one where I've performed every note on the CD myself (with the exception of a few vocal lines in "Girl with Green Eyes" by my lovely wife Joanie). The credit or the blame began and ended entirely with me this time. It felt like stepping into new territory in many ways.
But it goes beyond music. A lot had happened in my personal life as well over the last couple years, the types of things that cause those periods of "re-evaluation" of one's life.
One of the biggest blows to me was the unexpected death of my musical hero, Stuart Adamson of Big Country. I can't express how much his music meant to me (though you BC fans out there don't need me to express it - you understand it already). It wasn't just the fact that he died, but how he died that bothered me so much (look it up if you don't know - I'd rather not dredge it up anymore), because it seemed to be the antithesis of everything I thought the man and his music stood for. And, in fact, it was the antithesis of everything he stood for. I had been lucky enough to get to know Stuart a little towards the end of his life (after having listened to his music since I was 16) and, for a true rock icon, he was an amazingly kind, thoughtful guy, without an ounce of pretense. Apparently, however, there were other things beneath the surface that were bothering him that I wasn't aware of and still don't fully understand.
It was hard for me to fathom what he had done, and harder still to separate it from his passionate, uplifting music. It took me a long time to realize (and I'm still working on it) that one mistake (and I believe that last choice he made was a mistake, one that he would've never made with a clear mind) should not ruin a lifetime's legacy of beauty like the one Stuart left with his impressive body of music. Slowy, I've been able to listen to the old tunes again. I don't know if it'll ever be the same, but it's getting better.
There are a lot of obvious homages to Stuart on Greenhorn, and if you're familiar with Big Country, you'll recognize them pretty quickly. In the past, I may have tried to limit those moments, not wanting to sound like I was consciously copying someone else, but I reveled in them this time. There's a solo spot at the end of "Pick Up the Flag," for instance, that was written and played with Stu entirely in mind, and the lyrics, in a way, refer to my feelings about his death. I just felt like if he wasn't going to be around to make that great music anymore, I'd try to make it in his honor, in my own way; I'd "pick up the flag," so to speak, that flag that represents music that's hopeful, emotional, resonant and, above all, uplifting (The original idea of that song, though, came from the movie Glory, one of my favorites, where Denzel Washington picks up the flag of one of his fallen comrades - a really moving moment).
But it was more than just losing Stuart. I lost a close friend of mine only two weeks after Stuart died; a few months later our beloved pet cat Zirra passed away, and then Joe Strummer, probably my second biggest musical inspiration, died suddenly of a heart attack. Living in the D.C. area, there was the whole sniper thing to deal with as well, which was incredibly tense and stressful. It was a bad period all around.
But, for some reason, amidst all that drama and heartache, I think I wrote some of my most hopeful and sometimes joyous songs ever. It even surprised me. Instead of metaphorically curling up in the fetal position, I just felt angry. I was reminded of one of my favorite lines by U2, where Bono sings, "We're gonna kick the darkness till it bleeds daylight." I wanted to kick the hell out of the darkness. And that's what Greenhorn is all about.
But enough with the deep melodrama of my personal sob stories. We all have our difficulties in life, and I don't want to try to explain too much of what I was thinking when recording this CD, because I think, and hope, that the lyrics are written in a way that they can be applied to anyone's unique situations or feelings. Basically, from a thematic point of view, it's just about overcoming and being defiant in the face of all the ugliness that sometimes surrounds us. And hopefully all of us will at some point come to the same feeling that the final song on the CD, the title track, expresses with the lines:
I'm new to a vision so clear
So many days trying to see through my tears
And I'm new to the fresh morning air
I spent my last night in the teeth of despair
I am new to the truth deep within
That sorrow does not always win
Anyway, it feels so good to return to the web and try to reconnect with those of you who've supported my music for the last few years. Hopefully my output in the future will be a little more prolific than the most recent gap between CDs. One thing I've really wanted to do for awhile is simply release certain songs as I write them and make them available for download on the site. That's something I may do with some of the leftovers from Greenhorn. There were a lot of leftovers. Some of them didn't make it 
because they didn't quite fit thematically with the rest of the album; others were left off because I just didn't have time to record them. There were some tunes I really liked, like "Wishbone," "Lost at Sea," "Orphan Song" and others. Look for them to surface in the future.
Also, while recording Greenhorn, I was temporarily sidetracked by two tribute CDs that I participated in. The first was for Simple Minds (for which I contributed a version of their song "Waterfront") and the other for the great Buddy and Julie Miller (for which I contributed a version of the song "Blue Pony", which you can hear on the "Sounds" page).
I really appreciate people hanging in there with me while this thing was delayed again and again. I appreciated the fact that people continued to check in with me and ask about the progress. It made me feel really good that there were people who were actually looking forward to the completion of the album. It really kept me going, to be perfectly honest with you. I just hope you think it was worth waiting for when you listen.
So...listen! And if you like....buy!
Stay safe, happy, and tuned...
Diss
All material on these pages ©2005, Dissitunes Inc.
None of the material on this site may be reproduced or sold without consent of Diss.
Home Page | Return to Top
This page last updated on
