Album Notes

I started a record label in January of 2007 and called it HumanInhuman. HI006 is the catalog # for the album TwointheOneinthe by Salsa Windfall, one of 2 main musical side projects fronted by successful NYC “Cringe” standup comedian and radio personality Joe DeRosa. You mighta seen him on tv, too. I recently got to speak with Joe. “Well, the title of the album stemmed from the fact that Paul [Chell, guitarist and co-culprit in Salsa Windfall] and I have an infatuation with certain expressions people use in conversation.” It is 8:16 AM , and Joe DeRosa and a small segment of the Humaninhuman Promotions department sit on an Italian leather sofa, sipping mimosas and iced coffee concoctions in DeRosa’s swanky uptown apartment. “We talk about that stuff almost obsessively. Years ago, we heard a guy refer to a woman's privates as ‘the steak.’ So we recorded a song called ‘The Steak.’" Our young new intern Tyran blushes audibly. “ It was a song about a woman's privates. We were really hooked on saying ‘Crazy as a shit house rat’ for a while. We almost named the album that. But then we got hung up on the sexual phrase ‘Two in the pink, one in the stink.’” On hearing this, young Tyran gets up and scampers off to the bathroom. “You’ll have to excuse him,” I say apologetically to Joe, who continues unphased. “ We kept laughing about it and thought it would be a great album title. So we called the record TwoInTheOneInThe and made the front cover solid pink and the back cover solid brown.” “Yes you did,” I say admiring a copy, which I offer to him to put in his c- drive. He ignores me completely, launches iTunes on his PC and we have a listen. He offers me a cigar and I unhesitatingly partake. After the first two songs, I’m like: “So this shit is meant to be funny.” Joe looks pensive while dishing me this: “I think ‘comedy rock’ or ‘comedic music’ is something that usually takes place within the confines of a comedy show, club, album or performance. For instance: a guy with a guitar who sings songs that are blatantly meant to be funny. The lyrics are riddled with punchlines, maybe the orchestration itself is even humorous. “ “Like that song ‘Shaving Cream’?” I suggest. “My rap group DEEP is comedy music. It's meant to make the listener laugh. That's its purpose. But Salsa Windfall takes more of a tongue and cheek approach.” Loud enough for only myself to hear, I say, “The phrase is actually tongue-in-cheek. I have no idea why ’cause, like, where else is your tongue gonna be other than in your cheek? The question is, then, WHOSE tongue is in WHOSE cheek and are we talking facial cheeks exclusively? Anyway, seems to me that everyone speaks and sings tongue-in-cheek all the time, and everyone also always speaks and sings with tongues AND cheeks, so there’s no need to quibble…” “There's a heavy Ween and Zappa influence. In each song we delve into a different genre of music. And we sort of give the listener a ‘wink and a nudge’ that we're doing it on purpose. So, at times, the self-consciousness of the songs might make you smile, but it's not at all meant to be a joke.” I give m’ boyyyy the knuckles and I’m all, “I didn’t think so.” I pause; then I’m like, “Let’s drink to Ween, Zappa…. And to general winking and nudging.” Joe really likes this idea and breaks out some really impressive bottles as Tyran emerges from the little boys’ room… to which he slowly retreats as he sees what is developing. “Creary,” I say, meaning, “clearly.” “Creary, your lifelong fandom of TMBG and Ween show through on these 11 songs. Would your fans be totally nuts if they whipped out their credit cards expecting something like Tenacious D? I mean, you know, noted funny guy and his bud.. Heh-heh…. Doin the ‘we’re in a band’ thing…. Heh heh…” Joe stares at me silently. Icily. I continue, flounderingly. “I mean it’s true, I’ve known you since what, ‘94, when you asked