PLUMP in the recording studio Part III

This is Part III of PLUMP in the studio. For Parts I and II, please scroll below. For the uninitiated, I have been attempting to chronicle the history of the PLUMP songs being recorded, in order of the writing of said songs.

8. The Guzzler - This song was written in the Fall of 2009. We jam a lot in practice (especially at the beginning of practice), and whenever we hear something that sounds like it could be a good part of a song, we record it (often as a message on Al's iphone). Back in 2009, we had the luxury of having Jody in the group, who was all too happy to bring his computer, to record the new stuff we were playing, and to sing (of course), so we were able to put The Guzzler together quickly. Also, as it happened in the fall of 2009, we had a "hot" period when so much of what we were jamming was "song worthy". We were in the "zone", I guess. Regardless, we put together the parts to the Guzzler quickly, with 3 funky riffs topped off with a rocker at the end with a lovely Al Bear guitar solo. Jody came up with the "tip the bottle up and guzzle it down" line right off the bat, so the song has always been called "The Guzzler". Jody and I worked together for the lyrics, which combined a tequila drinking chorus with a verse containing the ubiquitous "saturday night stew". This became a heavy rotation song immediately, with Jody singing the lead vocals. After Jody left the group, "The Guzzler" was actually the first song we played at our first show sans Jody (which was an outdoor grand opening for "The Liberty Bar" in Houston, which was in and of itself a right smart party), sung by yours truly, with some back-up vocals by Little Jason Jackson. The song continues to be in heavy rotation. I changed the lyrics for a few of the lines, as some of the words didn't have the same feel with me singing it as the words had sounded with Jody, so the lyrics needed a slight "freshening up".

9. Loose/Tight - This song was also written in Fall of 2009. In fact, we came up with Loose/Tight at the same time that we were writing "The Guzzler". Loose/Tight refers to the two main riffs we came up with for the song. The opening riff (I call it the verse) has a loose, floaty riff, with a lot of the melody coming from Josh's bass, and Al playing a really cool, ethereal guitar part over the top (i.e. the Loose). The "Tight" is the chorus riff, where it always feels to me like we come together in a nice way. The ending to the song was a lot of fun to put together--a kind of really syncopated heavy/funk riff. We all do the "fills" together--I really do love the ending to "Loose/Tight". As I recall, Jody wrote pretty much all the lyrics to this song, and said lyrics have a kind of "zen" feel to them. Loose/Tight was the last song we wrote with Jody. Right after we wrote a batch of 4 songs with Jody (the batch consisting of Superfan, Reggae #2, The Guzzler, and Loose/Tight), Jody moved to Austin. (This would have been around November 2009.) He stayed in the band and played in all the shows through about June 2010, but he probably made it to only 2-3 practices after November 2009. Now, Jason Jackson is the primary singer on "Loose/Tight", and I provide some back-up vocals on the chorus. The song remains in heavy rotation at PLUMP shows.

10. Edge off the Edge - This song was written in and around April 2010. We had just spent pretty much all of February and March 2010 rehearsing and subsequently performing in the Horsehead Theatre production of the play "Faultines"--which ran for 10 performances over 3 weeks in March 2010. (A lengthy description of PLUMP's experiences with the play and the good people at Horsehead can be found, if you are interested, by scrolling down to the Feb/March 2010 entries of this blog). We had come up with some music for the score for this play, and we decided it might be fun to adapt this to a new PLUMP song. So we did. I always find the song to be quite toe-tapper. "Edge off the Edge" is the longest song we were setting out to record - I think it typically runs about 8 minutes when we play it. We have a nice jam at the end where we add a beat to the riff sometimes, changing the riff time from "8" to "9". The lyrics are inspired by the Horsehead guys and by the characters in the play "Faultlines". The song is titled "Edge off the Edge" because that was a line one of the characters (Joe) spoke that always stuck with us. We never got around to playing this one "live" with Jody. Jason and I trade off on the vocals for this song, which is a lot of fun. I would say this song has been in pretty much heavy rotation since summer/fall of 2010.

11. Ping Key - This song was written in October/November 2010. Definitely a funky rocker type of number. We employed the classic strategem of speeding up a riff to reach and achieve "nirvana" - if "nirvana" equals a strange and quirky section of a song that features a blistering guitar solo. At the beginning of the song, we provide a nice "tip of the hat" to bands like the Meters who loved to employ an idea wherein you repeat a riff multiple times, and each time everybody cuts out except for one instrument - and that instrument gets a 3-4 beat solo. Lovely. The lyrics are predominately about a hangover, with the chorus containing repetitive lyrics while and the music and vocals gradually speed up and speed up (in order to reach and achieve the "nirvana" referred to above). Ping Key is sung by yours truly, and as of the time of recording, PLUMP had not yet played this song in front of a "live audience".

12. The Brain - This song was written in November/December 2010. Really funky and classic Josh Matranga basslines inhabit "The Brain". There are two riffs that start the song that we all came up with together. Then, Al had an idea where we play this cool riff in the time signature of "5" all together, then I would continue to play in "5" with Jason, while Josh and Al switch to playing a pattern in the time signature of "4". We come back together after a set period of time--Josh and Al play their riff 5 times (with 4 beats per measure), Jason and I play our respective parts 4 times (with 5 beats per measure), and then we all come back together naturally after "20" beats. At least that's the way I describe it. We follow that up with a really cool jam in "5" - with all of us playing together in "5". My opinion on any band's opinion on their own songs is that the band's favorite song to play is their newest song. This typically holds true for PLUMP (and it almost always holds true for me). That being said, I think "The Brain" is extra special. I really like it not only because the song is our "newest" song, but also because the music is really unique. Before we wrote the lyrics, Josh suggested we call the song "The Brain". This was because "Ping Key" sounds like "Pinky", and apparently there was a show called "Pinky and the Brain". Sound logic to say the least. Lyric writing is always easier when a subject matter is already provided. Somehow, I got to thinking about "phrenology" and got the idea to write about different aspects of the skull shape and the resulting personality traits that occur--at least, the resulting personailty traits as prescribed by the leading phrenologists of the 1800's. So, I read up a bit on phrenology, and then "showed-off" my new-found skull knowledge, in song form. Huzzah. As of the recording date, "The Brain" had yet to see the light of day at a show.

Well, this history of the PLUMP songs being recorded took a bit longer than I thought. Next up, some entries about actually being in the studio (it's about time).