Donna

Badly worded sentence, mea culpa. What is hopeful: relationships do matter in this industry as elsewhere, they can make a difference.

I read it, too! Agree with Lazz and thanks to Richard W. for outlining and confirming that which is ominous and hopeful. (Thom, nice one)

That's a good one, Lazz!

Play Children Play / Three Dog Night

...You Hoo, Mischkeeeee! Brotha coulda toad sumbahday the finished ad wiff my vokes innit. All Inc Ad - TD Mischke & Donna Dahl Vocals +++ 7 + hours in the studio. Two songs - rhythm guitar, drums, lead vox on each. Yes, I am tired to the point of having NO GOALS presently. We recorded again at The Monitors (aka Passive-Argh!ressive Studios) on St. Paul's Eastside. Was playing rhythm scratch tracks before 10:00am, drums already set up! I know I'll have a lot more to say (or at least to think) about this session after some down time. Scott Monitor I think is my new hero...that cat spent the entire time engineering save two short breaks. He was completely amiable! And Dan Coffeen is right there, too. Particularly with before-the-session direction and keeping in touch about progress and recording plan. Now I'm getting to the point of relying on Dan's opinion, esp. of whatever take was done. Scott and Dan are really good together, I can't even say why. The patience, support, strength, humor, truthfulness, of each and together...and they don't BUG you at all. Excellent listeners...wow. Tom Harkness spent half the day with us, doing lead guitar and b/u vox for "The Barre Chord Song". This is the tune that, in the studio early this month, I'd wanted heavy metal-ish/funk beat with toms. And ended up playing woodblock! We were all on the same page, working from the same scratch tape before the session. Hark came by twice to play guitars. His schedule this week was crazy! and showed up to the session having played Wed eve, hosted Thanksgiving whoopla, played night before studio, studio, and imm. to get ready for a gig after the session. His guitar work is beautiful and grooving. His playing reminds me of slide guitar but w/out the slide. His playing reminded me a LOT of Michael Allsup on this song. Which is the hugest compliment, studier-of-TDN as I am. I think we have: respectable...and hopefully more. The bassist, Jack Diehl will plug in at some point. And (!!) Dan will play lead on the 2nd song. A very different session from last one, where it was Discovery time, trying to take that all in as a brand new experience bringing my stuff to other musicians. Dan had (nicely) ordered me to sit wiff that guitar and metronome for many days in prep....I wanted another 10, but y'all know me by now. The last week I had to divvy things up and practice drums - a lot. The Barre Chord Song is the hardest song I've ever played as a drummer - because of its tempo. Ditto guitar. I wanna shoot so fast and furious with it, but that wrecks the lead lines, it cannot be sung that fast. Different this time, everyone was set to focus, dig in and work! I don't know if the piece is ambitious, but it is very stylistic of me, so I come away w/ a new and yet deepened appreciation of being in the other musicians' shoes. I love the studio! I love working w/ others, that dance is something else. Hope to have one song done by Christmas - we'll see. Today, as never before, I felt the obligation of being so directly involved and head of, a project. The last 2 days of practice, I did every guitar or drum run-through as if it were a take - and I recorded, then listened to each. If I ran an errand, bam, when I got in the door I did a take. Regularly, with purposeful time in between, I did a take. Doing that w/ 2 instruments for 2 songs @ 2 days...the children were gone much, so I ran with that opportunity of time/space to focus. As a writer...well, that's really from which the "head" or obligation of these songs stem. The 3 instruments of voice, guitar, drums I wrote or composed all those parts. So in charge of them! And the musical confrere's asking "what do you think of this" or "is this what you envision?" What could be known beforehand, I quickly realized I was obligated to find out. To prepare, that the others would be more secure, more free was the biggest obligation. Dan suggested we try for 2 songs this time, I think that was the right way. For now, I've TONS of work to do. It is just what I need, practicing, rehearsals, High Mass, sitting in, etc; and each endeavor or group is definitely on a schedule. I've never done this much music, regularly, at this level. Boot camp. This morn in prep, I did a pseudo yoga thing for 8 minutes...mind too full w/ "take" practice. The writing/4-tracking I've done alone has directly prepared me for this. Without it, I would not have been able to do this, no way, not to sustain some kind of focus for 3 instruments. And the rhythm guitar tracks may only be a scratch. But I count it as victory high to walk in there and do what was done today.

60's hippies paying homeage to their do-wop heroes poor Mon Capitaine...this cannot go on forever, I promise

or perhaps this?

Talk about a wall of sound! 4-piece band....shiver... Pure joy performance

This may not qualify due to technical quality issues...but it is so cool! Rare Live Three Dog Night "It's For You" 1970

The video shoot: On Tues Oct. 20th or 27th, I called Jeff F. "Dude, maybe we should shoot - NOW!" It'd been a miserable Oct. in the Twin Cities and Jeff kept saying we just need one good day for the fall shoot which never really came. Jeff said, "get over here asap - we only have about an hour of light! Grab clothes, jackets, scarves, whatever you have!" I felt my heart kinda sink - so little time and ya can't go shoot a video without some primping + drive time. I'd told him of Dan's strings/piano audio addition - "we hafta use Dan's new mix, JF, it'll help me get into the melancholy of the song." So we had to upload that first at Jeff's -- more time gone! When I got to his place he said, "can't shoot at S. Kates, no time -- water tower!" St. Kates is a picturesque campus less than a mile from Jeff's, but he was right, we had to dash. We drove about 3 blocks to the W. Tower lot, grabbed the bags, clothing, axe. The hill was in 2 tiers and almost straight up. "Man, I ain't climbed this since skipping school in jr high," I said. My boots were slippery, but all that good training as a youngster on those Mississippi river slopes had me knowing what to do (wiffout getting the girlie clothes a-grass stained). Puff puff puff, top of the hill, COLD and windy. JF'd brought his Irish sweaters for me against the cold and we looked around, quickly deciding to use these cement things come out of the ground, where I could sit. JF got his little camera and the audio source hooked up while I tuned. We really just used what was available, figuring out "can't sit that direction, wind blowing hair in your face." The hardest part was the audio source. The speakers and mp3 player were so tiny they fit in the hood of jacket #3 (we did a take w/ me walking, and could only do that w/ the speakers in my hood). But the volume was like minus 100. The light was really failing...the fricking moon already up! I really had no clue how I was going to pull off actually playing guitar and singing to the mix, when I could barely hear it. Just did the best I could...Jeff directed me, and I felt righteous safe and comfortable with him. After 4 takes it was too dark to shoot. We made our way back down the hill (I was fully bent to the ground almost sitting - that way if ya fall it's only a tiny way down). Went back to his crazy rock-n-roll storehouse. The cat worked and worked and worked w/ the footage while I happily bounced on a huge yoga ball, eating egg rolls and a yogurt parfait. I was so happy. It turned out that the main "face" or self of me done in the video was our first take. (This is the final version (I think) strumming is more in synch now) ___________________________________________________________________________________

(((Mon Capitaine)))

Blog and Facebook? Thy trinity for my happy-isitay!

OMG!!!!! You featured our little vid!!!!!!!!!!

Hi John Out To Storm - Jeff F Vid Remix OK?

An updated audio version of 'Out To Storm' - Dan Coffeen did lovely strings/piano. I don't think we were done w/ the mix - or the footage! We did 8 takes that day in October and I kind of expect Jeff F to put them ALL up. I didn't even know he'd done it, Harkness told me! I'd thought The S. King was referring to the Jackson 5 youtube I'd put up on my FB page ("Maybe Tomorrow"). Amusing conversation. Second Version Will add if there's more he puts up, at least to document it. Though, JF may take them down again. Very happy about this all! As I viewed each take critically, kept coming back to "this is a good song". If it wasn't, the video wouldn't be either.

~ My first paid studio work tonight ~ Last week I called Mischke, so fired up about choir rehearsal I'd planned to leave a msg singing Latin hymns. However: he actually answered the phone! I said dang Tommy, now I cannot sing the Credo on your machine. He said, I just did this ad for "All Inc" and I'm thinking "female vocals." He gave me a link for the unfinished Youtube, I hit play/record on my little tape deck and recorded the ad via pc speakers ("children quiet, I'm re- cording!") - and basically made up my part while listening to the cassette doing "mom" chores. I must say I thought of The Swamp Kings, because a couple of their tunes are about food or cooking and "All Inc" is this really cool kitchen appliance place - they sell the whole kitchen actually. Mischke'd said to do whatever I thought, so I did, including adding a few lyric lines. Tommy showed up at the house to caravan over to Graham O'Brien's place. Graham (Mischke's stepson) was the engineer and is a fantastic drummer. All 7 dwarves were home, and several of them took turns bouncing on the Jeff F yoga ball in between vying for Mischke's attention. At one point Genevieve (who turns 8 tomorrow) was standing in between her eldest brother Dylan and Mischke, holding onto each man's shirt. I didn't know if she wanted to swing on a ride in between them or was just set on not letting either of them go. As we left the house, Tommy said he may run out of gas at any second and that he didn't know the way to Graham's from my house. I assured him I'd keep an eye out behind me, and "just honk if you run out of gas!" It was a lot of turns til he knew where he was, but before that I turned into a gas station. Tommy pulled alongside and asked, "what? Are you lost?" I said, "I'm stopping so you can get gas." Tommy simply replied, "Oh, I'm not getting gas til after Graham's." Mischke = fun. We got to Graham's studio, met the dog and cat and began almost immediately. There was a window of one hour G. had to give us that eve, acc. to Tommy. The ad is a cool little hip-hoplike number. We ended up doing 3 takes of what I'd worked out, 1 of me attempting harmonies w/ myself here and there and 1 or 2 of percussive (vocal) sounds. I asked Graham if I could play his drums (a TINY and very cute Donna Dahl-like doll house kit which sounded excellent!) Graham was very nice, very good to work with, mellow and encouraging. When we left, I pointed out the full moon, Tommy said he was re-doing some images and hopefully'd send me a link in 2 weeks. "Should I follow you to the gas station?" I asked. Oh no, only to Smith Avenue, for it was 3 blocks to the gas station from there, and all downhill so he'd make it for sure. We nailed the session in 35 minutes. The All Inc ad (thus far) No Bird Sing (Graham O'Brien drums) Woo - sha la la - HOO

People: Tom and Nancy Harkness & myself ~ Place: Cherokee Tavern, West St. Paul ~ Band: Steve Daly, Jason Kraft, Paco, the killer bassist whose instrument is really tenor sax. Tom asked me if I play electric guitar. I said no. He asked why. "All I have is an acoustic." Have I ever played an electric, though? Yes; I had one long ago, but I don't think it was a good instrument. He told me I should try; he told me I was precise on the acoustic, and quite a bit more lauding my guitar playing...(which I cannot yet wrap my mind around). Tom said why don't you try electric, you should try, have you thought of...(and then I don't recall what was said because moments earlier he had just blown me away sitting in w/ the band, and now telling me I was good on guitar). He said he had an electric to loan me, why don't I try. I said I gratefully accept. Later on Nancy said, in a few days we should go to Plums songwriting showcase, do you want to? I said yeah and we all agreed Jeff F can skateboard there, it's really close to his house. At night's end, N. brought up Plums again - I said I have to practice for a couple weeks first, maybe a month. Tom burst out, "You don't have to practice!" So we're going in a few days; they sign writers up online I think, ahead of time. I'm cool either way for playing or not. I asked would it be weird if I got that guitar tonight? So I went to their house, met their cats, took a tour of the place, and came home w/ one of The Swamp King's guitars. You can't make this stuff up.

Well now, there've been 2 double-header weekends in my sphere of late, all the best worlds, can't think of any better: a party w/ bands, jam, friends; a family party w/ about 40 relatives on the river; a studio session; and High Mass! Lola's B-Day Bash ~ St. Paul side of the River ~ Oct 11, 2009 My beautiful cousin Patrice Glendenning, and myself Ginger Glendenning, my beautiful cousin, and I. In the backround is Ginger's nephew Brian Glendenning holding niece Anna. Competition for which Auntie, Uncle or Cousin would next hold that great baby. Ooh, this is good, the venerable olde guarde: Front: Cousin Peggy, Mom, Auntie Lola. Back: Cousin Mert, Cousin Ted. ~ Mert and Peggy found love together late in life - they are 1st cousins of Mom & Lola recently married to each other, but from totally opposite sides of the family and unrelated. I have cousins that are both seniors and babies ~ Me and Mom ~ Anna Glendenning (4th generation) being held by her 1st cousin twice removed; on the Mississippi River (St. Paul side). + + + This weekend Dan Coffeen and Scott Monitor had me over to their studio again. I'd asked Tom Harkness of The Swamp Kings to play on this song, and esp. interested that he sing. Jack Diehl (bass) also came - and I think it's very good to be in a group with the names Jack and Tom. They go very well together, those names. (we shall "all" be returning to the studio to hopefully realize my little song) At this point, that doesn't matter so much to me as what happened and the bigger view of life/art/writing/ friends/musicians which came to me via that session. Hard to explain - the sound (scratch recording) turned out totally different from what I'd conceived, it was almost an opposite. At first this confused me...I took a break and suddenly realized that in this inception w/ these players at that moment, a simplicity was required...and I'd a long road back! Traveled it some that day...listened to the scratch later and became enthralled. Now I can't quit, I like it more and more. I think mainly due to Tom's guitar lines - of which I'd been ignorant that a guitar could effect so much the song-ness of a song, the melodicity. So there's something beautiful which got tapped...and I never wanted to sing a beautiful line in falsetto but that's what this is - and may be for the real tracks. How can it be, that I's set on a very heavy slow funk w/ toms...and end up playing woodblock? I walked away from the session going what the heck HAPPENED in there yet I felt so good and excited, like part of an unknown treasure was discovered. I literally saw the gold glinting, the cave where it lay, I think there's more in there once past the entrance. Being w/ Dan and Tom who've known me from long ago and esp. that neighborhood connection (w/Tom) made things very comfortable for me. I'd not done this before. Dan still has a horror of stepping on my individuality. We are getting together to probably re-write some of it, or strengthen transitions (4 song sections at this point). Which will mean editing. It's The Bar Chord Song we're fiddling with. + + + Then this morn was High Mass...how can it be, over and over again, as years go by - YEARS - and situations of life mundane, gorgeous or horrific...that I can stumble into that choir loft and be struck that a pauper off the street somehow landed at Beauty Itself? Everyone else in the choir tends to business and I do, too...but sometimes I don't know how I can sing. The melodies of the Latin Propers...sigh/swoon. There's hallowed things going on I thought at my very first Latin Mass - stunned at the existence of such a thing, much less having the good fortune to behold it. It's overwhelming at times, this sense of a love for and knowing of my person that is not of this world. Yet so familiar. My whole musical life and children, family, friends, all the great characters of my little world I think of, especially in that choir loft. Nothing is separate. That's why I hate the "religious" category of music. I don't believe in that. (besides, if it's a hit, it's a hit). Anyway, a great, slow warm up singing for 70 minutes or whatever it was. And the smile on Dr. K's face!

Whoa! Never did a vamp stomp like this ~

Oh boy. The real deal, cannot be learned - ya either got it or you don't.

The way I learned - bad sound, drummer leaning over to sing in the mic. But esp. that unmistakable vibe of greatness in playing, the concert moment.

Cool One of my buddies sent me this (bass) For musicians w/ special physical challenges

I'd love to, John...but they'd probably be drum tutorials. (sed tantum dic verbo..."but only say the word")