THE JDA PROJECT RELEASES FOR THE FIRST TIME UNDER THE NEW MONIKER, THEIR LATEST EFFORT 'DROPSTONES' !
FULL OF DIVERSITY IN STYLE WITH A FEW SURPRISES.
THE CREATIVE TEAM OF JOEL PIRARD, DON PITZ, AND ARNO TIETJE
return once again to present more great music in what has become an established sound for the band.
16 new songs to captivate you! DROPSTONES is sure to build on the already strong tradition that JDA, now THE JDA PROJECT has presented in the past.
SOME PERSONAL THOUGHTS on DROPSTONES
-Joel Pirard-
"There was a lot of moodiness about the record.
For example, "Vacant Chair" was actually written by Don about 8-9 years ago, about no one in particular, it was about loss. Very melancholy. I personally could visualize it very well.
"These Walls So Thin" is influenced a lot by Beatles/Procul Harum, musically, a romantic, unrequited love thing...
" Mary Come Out to Play" is deliberately done in a HEY JUDE style' but is a true love song,
" Girl Interrupted "is dramatic, bluesy thing that Arno and I wrote, lyrically it is a true story about a girl he encountered in a crowded diner, who was so sad, down, etc, she actually was talking about suicde. He spent several hours trying to exact a promise from her to get help, and not do anything rash. He never saw her again, never knew what happened. "...
"AlI I Ever Wanted" is about a guy who has just been dumped, and is totally in shock.
"This Old Box'"is about a guitar that was lying in a garden shack for years, full of bugs, etc. Arno actually restored that guitar to playabllity, so it is essentially a true story. "Rattlesnake Bridge" is a story Arno made up, the title comes from an exit off of Rte 78 in NJ. Sometimes an innocuous thing can trigger a whole tune. Arno worked very hard to get the various guitars, just right. A nod to Johnny Cash on this one.
"The Answer" is a powerful love song, in a traditional prog/psychedelic style. Don wrote the words and melody, I personally love the dynamics on this.
"So We've Ended As Lovers", is a latin flavored song, but does have a darker element because of a broken love affair. However it is a character who has accepted it. Interesting use of the mandolin, and accordion in this. The original demo was a bit more of a rocker, but we went with this feel...
"The Downslide" is Pink Floyd inspired tune that is a defiant rally against aging gracefully. It is about saying, 'hey we ain't done yet!" ...and we're not!
"In A Word" is also a simple love ballad. No mystery there. Don came up with a really pretty melody here, Arno and I arranged and sang the backups 'on the fly'. Lots of fun to do.
"Hope" is the only true rocker, it is a declaration of love. Just bangon' on the 'old piano'.....
"12-21-12" is a song that has a 2 part message, get on with your life: keep on moving, but always aware that you only go aroud once, so make the most of it...
"No TIme Like The Present" is inspired heavily by 'Hello-Goodbye'. This is a happy tune about falling in love.
"Thrum" is an instrumental with a Floyd-like twist, a bit of Robin Trower tossed in.
"Tomorrow Truly Knows" does end on a happier note, it addresses how we plan our lives, but the message is simple, the only certain answer lies in the future. This song is more of a proggy feel than any pf the others.
The whole CD is a bit more serious, darker than anything we've done before.
All of our stuff has had some darker music on it, but this one does jump around stylistically. We never pigeonhole ourselves stylistically, which may or may not be mistake, but there is nothing contrived when we record and write.
This disk, our 4th, is simply a collection of individual tunes, unrelated to each other, and covering a variety of moods, but in a more generally laid back style, bluesy, melancholy at times, but I think we executed each song well. The hardest part was to select the running order.
I think if you listen to it in the right situation, in subdued lighting, and just let it move over you, you'll get it. especially with headphones....anyway, I hope so."See More
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