Album Notes

Jimmy Mac presents a rundown of what happened last year in the Studio.
Fellow in-mates
Jimi Fischer - Bass,Drums (pgrm)
Joel Griffin - Drums
Taylor Cutcomb - Bass on Cowboy and Orinoco
Fender Rhodes on Beslan
Bob Mocarsky - Hammond Organ on Title Track and Piano on
Cowboy does Jail Time.


You've entered the thought process behind these song titles:

Almost Human

Despite its nutty uber-Gap Band funk feel, is actually quite an infectious dance tune.
The wah solo was a mistake gone good because the pedal was incorrectly placed in the
Effects path hence the weirdness.

King O’ the Jungle

My nod to Jimi Hendrix’s “If 6 was 9” you can hear his vocal line in the Guitar melody.
Its also in Ab due to my penchant to practice Horn tunes by Parker and Clifford Brown.
But I redeem myself with an enjoyable shift to C#- for the Octavia-type solo.

Wonderland

This was inspired by the Police, but as it often happens I bob and weave in to funk and 80s British bass grooves (check out the guitar solo) need I say more?
Bottomline its a very singable melody.

Beslan

The tragedy of the Ukrainian children and my fondness for sad melodies wrote this for me.Sure I sound a bit like Jeff …but in good way, don’t you think?

Orinoco

Picture Stevie Wonder canoeing (with a guide) on a South American Rain Forest river.
Alright,so he wasn’t in a canoe.You gotta love Taylor’s fretless bass on this track.

Trojan Horse

I lost a friend in the Iraq war in 2004.A few months later I was talking with a guy who
Survived his tour of duty.As he told his story of his deployment the Bass line hit me.
Choppers landing in brutal heat kicking up toxic debris you get the picture… this is one
Of my favorite tunes ever.

Just a Kid Havin’ Fun

Great Yardbirds style riff that dips into a Taking Care of biz groove.The melody is the closer on this track.The ride-out solo has some ad-lib Parker stuff but that’s cool its all
Music stew anyway.

Cowboy does Jail Time

I love corny melodies so I wrote this in C, wandered in to Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Ab backyard.
Stumbled in to A- for the solo (stuck an old Fender Champ in a closet) and then gave it a sentimental ending.

More Money Than G-D

A nasty Prince meets Sly Stone groove that Joel just kills!Susan Tedeschi’s Bass player was hangin’ out with a Reggae singer in the studio while we cut this and started doing some killer rhymes over the groove.As for the G-D spelling, it’s a jewish thing.

Jammin’ with Ezra

Again with the Hendrix stuff, oy vey whats with me.I wrote this for my friend’s band it turns out his son Ezra liked it more than the band did.A modified Tele, a Tube Screamer
Lets see a Fulltone wah pedal (pathed correctly this time)Thru a Cesar Diaz Vibroverb.
Bingo a good jam!

Trauma Centre

I work in Medical Imaging and have studied Neuro-Anatomy,spent a lot of time looking at T-1 and T-2 MRIs, (No I’m not Doctor I just play one in a Funk/Rock band).Back to point I went to a Medical lecture given by an ER Doctor and his description of the ER in
SF General on a Saturday nite was down right fascinating.So I wrote a song about it and goes a little like…