Album Notes

It’s been a long time since I’ve been able to get another album out, but with the support and encouragement of my many friends and musicians, it’s done and this is only the beginning.

The Story of Re-Tread

This album was partially recorded on an Alesis Adat in my
basement. Those files were then transferred to ProTools. Yep, I switched over to a computer-based recording operation and man, is it HARD!! It took me 2 years just to get the music where it was listenable. The ProTools work
was moved from the basement to my bedroom, because I no longer had a basement.

This collection comes from a span of many years. I wanted to learn to use ProTools and chose songs from my catalogue as they came to the fore. No rhyme, no reason. So there's a big mix of genres here -- pop, folk, R & B, rock.

I call the album Re-Tread, because the original tracks (just some drums and guitar) were done on an ADAT and then moved to ProTools, where I slapped some new tracks on, edited out some major flubs and tried like crazy to make those tires drive like NEW!

I use no compressors, limiters, noise-gates, etc. It's hard enough trying to work with what I have, than to try and learn yet another piece of gear. God help me.

Stay tuned for future projects:
1. Prayers for the Broken - due out late 2010
2. Zombie Station - due out 2011

About the Songs:

1. Baby Blue Harley - written with Wynona Judd/Dixie Chicks in mind. A little bit country, a little pop, a little attitude.

2. Born This Way - I was raised in church, but god never spoke to me the way he seemed to speak to everyone else. I felt left out. This is a lament of loneliness.

3. Life in the Last Lane - I was a part of an online music group and I got tired of hearing this guy whine all the time about how come he hadn't made it yet.

4. Chances - Literally, written from a dream I had.

5. Let Your Rainfall - Another one of my dirges.

6. Fine Imitator - Inspired by a person whose goals were To Be Cool and not much else.

7. Stand For You - Ballad, inspired from my bouts with depression and dreams gone awry.

8. Witches Heartache - Definitely heroin music - if I can sum it up (not sure if I can), it's about how the world is wide open when you're a kid and somewhere along the line, somebody steals your thunder, breaks your heart and well . . . some of us never get over it.

9. Annie - This is what we called the Inter-Urban trail which runs north-south in the Green River Valley of Washington. We called it "annie" because we were too young
to pronounce "Inter." All of us kids walked this trail every day. This song reflects the changes time has made on the "Annie-Urban."

I hope you enjoy my music. Please visit my website: www.karlacruz.net for more info and tidbits and pictures and all that stuff.