When I wrote these songs they were in a nutshell.   On a cassette tape here, a voicemail message there, chords, words, melodies.  Demoing them amounted to a basic 4/4 beat and singing and playing into a mic.  A couple were never demo’d at all, instead committed from head to mic on the fly.  (something I swear to stop doing, do, regret, and end up sticking with thanks to the feedback of some great friends)  Each of the folks who played on these songs added something to it; like a kilner, stillman, and a blender.

I purposely went into this recording process without a finished product in my head.  A dicey proposition, but I’ve gotten to the point that I know “the thing” when I hear it.  Besides, going into a studio with full faith in the people you are playing with makes it a lot easier to stand or fall by the outcome.

So we’re here.  The tracking board has only a few empty boxes where the Xs go.  Mics have been aimed, Vox tubes blown, compressor knees flexed, mic ribbons tickled, cigarettes smoked, and spirits consumed.  15 songs in and there are some amazing parts committed to sine waves assembled from 1′s and 0′s.

We’ll complete tracking next week.  Then the songs will get rough mixed and will sit, like a good rye whiskey.

Mixing will happen in late September.  From there, it’s up to the drinkers of this little world to take it all in, put their woozy heads to bed and dream the dreams we hoped they would.

Michael also talks a bit about this Friday’s Apocalypse Meow 3 benefit show for the Midwestern Music Foundation.

Give The Mailbox a listen.  There are some great songs on this week’s show including Lana Mir’s gorgeous cover of The Stone Roses song “I Wanna Be Adored”

Michael’s theme this week appears to be “I Wanna Be. . . ” and let’s your imagination take it from there.

Every show I’ve played in this millennium has included a cover of I Wanna Be Your Dog (Hell, I haven’t bought a guitar that didn’t drone G, F#, E as it’s first chords in my hands).  That started as an homage to my friend and mentor, Alejandro Escovedo (who would probably kill me for calling him a mentor).  The tradition gained a sense of urgency and reverence when Al collapsed and nearly died after a show in Phoenix in 2003.  And covering the song took on a new sense of rapture after Al returned to the stage in 2006.  But covering “Dog” wasn’t all just about Al.  Sometimes, you just can’t shake a great hook.

Ron Asheton

For me, Ron Asheton’s guitar playing always had this gorgeous blend of slop and accuracy – I call it the ever-important tension between abandon and unity.  Ron created this tension in every song.  In short, his playing was the living embodiment of the rock-n-roll convention of “living on the edge.”  Countless guitar players copped his approach.  Some even pulled it off, (Johnny Thunders, Bob Stinson, and a few others come to mind).  

Ron Asheton and the Stooges arguably gave rise to more authentic rock bands than any other guitar player/band combination.  It’s largely because Ron Asheton wrote recklessly gorgeous guitar parts paired perfectly with Iggy’s delivery.  For most of us The Stooges are the embodiment of everything good about punk and eventually everything too many indie rock bands never learned or forgot.

The Stooges

Though Madonna did her part, Ron Asheton lay dead  in his home for days never having been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Assholes . . . er . . . excuse me, “Fame.”  An indignity those of us not in the Stooges might consider absolutely insufferable, but one I’m pretty sure  Asheton shrugged off and would find completely appropriate.  After all, what fame did the world of mainstream music ever heap on the Stooges that wasn’t brought to them through a TV commercial?  And what more did Ron ever want besides to play?

There’s really nothing much more I can say about Ron Asheton, except, well, So messed up, I want ya here.  

Note to band-mates:  don’t expect to stop covering this song any time soon.