Album Notes

Okay, so it took 7 years to get this CD out. Seven years to let this material seethe and foment grow and become infused with life. Really, we've been trying to get this out to you much sooner, but life just kept getting in our way.
We think you'll agree that what a silly interesting twisted life it can be. A Chinese philosopher (Confucius?) once said, "Life is simple, but we insist on making it complicated." And hopefully fun too ...

First there's Deranged (as in "Home on de range")
"This little cowgirl is riding deranged
Her heart it is broken - Her pardner's estranged
This little cowgirl - Some tough times been through
This little cowgirl is ~~~~~~ screwed"

Then head off to the labyrinth where you'll find the Gazing Globe" ...
"It seems you’ve made their flower beds - In some form of ancient symbols
Are you waiting for someone who flies - Hip to this (your) floral lingo?
But I got no wings - So I miss these things - You might be trying to tell us
But the frogs and birds - Understand your words - I’m left here kind of jealous."

As you stare into your Gazing Globe you'll find a transformed image of yourself. Is the person that graduated or avoided going to "Charm School"?
"They say - she's really a mess - she needs an ounce of finesse
If she's to have any success - we think it would be best
Charm school - send her to charm school / They'll fill her all full of poise and
Charm school - elegant charm school / That je ne sais quoi school - our prayers are answered"

During the journey, you eventually come to understand there's more to it than it might have seemed at first. There's "Soul Tag":
"Now I just gotta laugh - this game's so utterly vast
You say we're s'posed to play soul tag.
You say we gotta play soul tag.
Katie said she felt our minds touch
And I do believe that what she said is true.
Brightens up a room so much
Whirling and wild dancing away everyone's blues."

One of the twist and turns of life are what happen to us as we age, when we start to come to terms with the fact that the skills we spent all those years perfecting are about to slip away. "Tool" is an affirmation to the beauty of those skills:
"Found just what I needed - on your old workbench
hanging in plain sight
Now there's someone sitting in a nursing home not far away
Dreaming - of the way his favorite chisel fit right in his hand
Remembers running his fingers over - The good greyness of the steel
Honing it to perfection - He can almost feel

Sometimes the only way to deal with these set backs is to fight back. - leaving you with Aly's Song with it's twisted Hawaiian lyrics ...
"Some may think that you're so serious
But I know there's surprise inside
Let's get looney, down, delirious
You are the one I want on this joy ride
Make a foola do a hula
Kahuna surf-a uke-lula
Flash my big ol' moon
Bet you crack u soon"

So why only six songs and a limited pressing of 300 CDs? The plan is to figure out how to get in the studio more often. Less time spent promoting and selling, more time spent recording. Only time will tell if that's gonna work, but that's the plan.
And another thing about this pressing ... The cases are hand cut and folded from card stock ... trying to minimize the amount of plastic ...

If you're already one of our fans, we believe you'll enjoy this every bit as much as our previous releases, if not, we must have done something right to get you to read down to the bottom ...