Selling "Out"

Advertising is getting really gay.
Should we feel eploited by companies trying to tap into that expendable homo income or thrilled that they're including us? I find myself torn on the issue, especially when you look at campaigns like S.C.U.M.






HRC recently released their Corporate equality index for 2008.
Take a look to see which companies done right and which ones done wrong. :)
Linkity Link Link

The call of the Pigeon Captain

I was torn between calling this post what I called it and the alternative
"I really need a digital camera!"

I have to give a shout out to someone you would only find
brightening up the streets of New York.

Let's call him the pigeon captain.
He wears a big peacock feather in his pimpin hat with lots of jewelry and
he screems out bird calls through his ?gold? capped teeth.
Brilliant. Ugh. I need a picture. I passed him on the street today and I instantly became his number one fan.
Maybe I can get him to do a cameo on my third album. ooh, or better yet, he should be in my next music video!

Every Vote Counts

As previously announced, the music video is playing on MTV's Logo on their New Now Next program.

Logo also has a video countdown called the Click List and the video has just become eligible for voting.

Please take the time to Vote for Open Wide and help to get it on the click list.
You can vote as many times as you want, no limit.

Vote Now!

:)

Lotsa Love

Robert

Rest in Peace, Ashes and Dust

Early this morning very quietly and I hope peacefully,
my grandmother took her final breath and slipped away from this world.

Leona Messer raised 7 children, one of whom is my mother.
I know that her life was hard at times. I know that she wasn't always
able to deal with the hardship. I understand.

My fondest memories of my grandmother are the car rides to the orthodontist
when I was only 14. I was allowed to drive because Kansas laws are strange, but
I had to have an adult in the car with me, so grandma would come along.
She would let me get fast food from McDonald's before they tightened my braces and the pain was so intense that I couldn't eat solid food for days. At the time, this felt like a naughty treat.
Grandma btw was a terrible driver. My sister once returned from a trip with her
saying that grandma had cut off a man, forcing him to take an exit to Amarillo, TX.
Apparently the man wasn't planning on going to Amarillo.

Over the last couple years my grandmother's health rapidly declined and dementia began
to take away her memories and eventually even her will to eat. She no longer recognized her own family members. The last time I visited her, she did not know who I was. After I left she kept asking where that boy had gone, wandering around looking for me.

In the last few months
her quality of life reached a place that was heartbreaking.
She no longer found anything in life that she enjoyed.

I am glad that she is no longer suffering and I hope that she is at peace in a better place.

The final song on my album is titled ashes and dust. I have never posted the lyrics. K and Laura both have requested this song played at their funerals. Today I post them in honor of my grandmother, a strong woman who lived a full life.

Ashes and Dust

In the beginning there was dust
the sun, the water
then there was us
but all the bridges began to rust
we must all return to dust when we are done

In the beginning there were ashes
there were no wars or social classes
now the buildings burn to ashes
we must all return to ashes when we're done.

In the end I wish you virtue
to hold the hand of the ones that hurt you
to heal the pain that is inside you
to hear your heartbeat and let it guide you
to have a smile for the ones that greet you
to find the time for the ones that need you
to let the love pour out like water from your soul.

Don't hold it in.
Just let it go.

Finished!

I write to you from my Brooklyn apartment on a cold December Saturday.
The sounds of sunrise at the speakeasy fill the apartment as I play the finished
tracks in their final order. It is a strange feeling that comes over me when I finish something. Yes, there are still photographs to be taken and art work to be designed, but the recordings are done. The process of recording my first album was at times painful and frustrating, not only because of the content of the songs but also due to my virginity to the world of production. I tried things. I failed at times and rerecorded them, but kept pushing forward. This album came so much easier. I knew what I wanted. I took what I had learned on Sirens and expanded it. I feel proud of this album. I think it is timely and important. The songs are new and fresh. I can't wait to share it with everyone. The release date is going to happen next summer, June or July. I am excited.

Now a question has been looming in my head. I have all of these songs that were written during the Sirens of Brooklyn and Sunrise at the Speakeasy sessions. I find myself unable to stop working on the next project. I don't know what that is right now. I don't want these songs, now b-sides to be left behind. Many of them are my favorite songs in certain ways but just didn't feel right for the album at the time.
These are a few that sort of stick with me, in the back of my head, wanting to be heard...

God in the Telephone Book
Cherry Falls
The Ocean and the Easel
Single File
Duct Tape and Superglue
600 Miles (Thank You)
Down So Low
Pretty Decent Guy
Lullabye
The Siren
Wash Away
Afraid of The Dark
Big From Down Here

Perhaps, the next thing is an album of b-sides. We shall see. For now, I am going to enjoy the holiday with some time in Kansas starting next Friday. Perhaps some new songs will try to push their way out. Perhaps some old ones will beg me for a pair of dancing shoes. Only a little time will tell.

Music Video Magic!

I stayed up late last night with Mr. Carpentier and K to watch the Premiere of Open Wide on Logo.
I stated in a previous blog that I don't usually get too excited about accomplishments. It helps me to avoid
a crash and burn following the sugar rush.

Well, Last night, sipping on champagne and watching the video air on national TV, broke through my calm unaffected status and turned me into a squeeling kid, running around with my hands above my head.

If you missed the video last night, I recommend you check it out at the most random location one could imagine my video being posted....
CMT's Website. Your eyes are not deceiving you. That does indeed stand for Country Music Television.

If CMT is not quite your taste,
VH1's website is always a viable option.

The world is full of magical possibilities and choices! Oooh, so the 2nd album is almost done. I go back into the studio on Tuesday for my last session before the studio closes its doors.

BIG NEWSLogo This Sunday

Tune into MTV's Logo
Sunday, Dec. 2nd
12 Midnight EST (Monday Morning in NY)
for the television premier of the Open Wide music video.

For those of you who don't get Logo
or have the bedtime of a 12 year old girl,
here's the video for your viewing pleasure.

Send the link to all your friends. It makes me look popular. haha.

12 months on the chart

The folks over at Outvoice and Rainbow World Radio have always been supportive.
I'm excited to announce that Sirens of Brooklyn has been on their chart for 12 months "straight" along with some other very talented artists.

This month I find myself at number 32.
Their chart is decided by listener voting,
which makes this such an honor.

Thank You Joe Velasquez

Some of you may know the name Joe Velasquez.
For those of you who don't, He is my graphic designer.
Today he sent me a video that really touched me
a great deal. If this isn't art, then I don't know what is.

Dolly + Amy

I love Dolly Parton, and I love Amy Sedaris.
Who would have ever imagined that the two would
share a scene on camera?

Yay! New Dolly Video with Amy Sedaris!

The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

My favorite musical of all time + Johnny Depp + Tim Burton =
Need a moist towlette.

Sunrise at the Speakeasy

The album is getting close to being done.
I am so excited. It will be hard to hold onto this
for so long before I release it, but I must bite my tongue.
You will have to wait until next summer, but i promise it will be worth the wait.

R

The Egg Report

Last night I was given the egg report. Those girls are gettin' busy having laid 17 eggs yesterday. Congratulations ladies.

In related news I started recording Chickens & Eggs last night.
Ooh La La

Open Wide

Here you go kids, my first music video. It will premier on MTV's LOGO this month. It is currently on Spike Tv's website, was breifly up on CMT and VH-1's websites but pulled temporarily due to some technical issues.

Enjoy!

not biting my tongue- Amy Winehouse

A friend kept telling me a few months back

"You have to hear Amy Winehouse. She's incredible."

So I decided to listen to her music. I purchased her music and put it into heavy rotation on my ipod. I even performed Back to Black at a Kitt & Kaboodle show.
btw, she was incredible.

I say WAS, because she IS a mess. I understand that there is a great deal of pressure when you go from complete obscurity to becoming an international superstar, but...



Dear AMY,

You have been given an opportunity. So many musicians work their asses off for years and years without ever achieving a fraction of the success that you have. You cancel your shows after people have purchased tickets to see you. These people are supporting you. You show up to shows so drunk that you don't know the words to your own songs and you can barely even stand. You consistently perform at the level of a drunken sorority girl at Karaoke night. You not only spit in the faces of your fans by doing this, but you spit in the face of every musician who would kill for the opportunity you have for your music to be heard. You have a serious drug problem. It's not cute anymore when you're singing about not going to rehab when you are the one person in this world who really needs to go to rehab. It is painful to watch you falling apart when you are so extremely talented. Please go to rehab. Please have the decency and respect to show up to venues capable of performing when people have paid to see you. Please pull yourself together and make more great music or quit wasting our time.

Sincerely Yours,

Robert German

I must have been hungry when I recorded that album

photo by the very busy Carrie Thomas

I am a foodie by nature, the food version of a Junkie.
I love cooking, eating and fantasizing about food. I guess it should come as no surprise that this obsession has creeped into the new album. I realized last night that I talk a lot about food on this album. As many of you know, I have a bacon fixation. Last Saturday was K's birthday. He asked for something fatty and decadent. I of course made him fried pork chops cooked in a blend of bacon fat, butter and Crisco. I swear I am not trying to kill him.

Thus far, the following food items have made it into the lyrics and let me just say that it sounds like I'm cooking up the heartattack special at the Greasy Spoon Diner.

chocolate, bacon, biscuits, gravy, pickles,flapjacks, mashed potatoes, milk, meatloaf, chicken, and eggs.

I forgot about your birthday

Yesterday was November 14th.
I went into the studio last evening to put some fine tuning on three of the tracks from Sunrise at the Speakeasy. Ooh, Glitters and Sparkles is sounding really amazing.
Tonight I go back into the studio and work some more on Ashes and Dust.

Last night as we were finishing up, it suddenly struck me.
I released Sirens of Brooklyn on November 14th 2006. It completely slipped my mind. I guess it's not an anniversary so much as it is a birthday. Yesterday, SOB turned 1 year old. I didn't buy a cake or hire a clown. I focused my energy on bringing another child into the world to keep SOB company. I hope that they get along.

So, happy birthday SOB!
1 day late.

The Egg Report

In a previous post, I mentioned liberating the cooped up chickens with visions of their egg production doubling. I am please to announce that last week, the chickens laid their daily best of 17 eggs in one day. This tops the previous record of 9 eggs in one day and is more than double the 7 eggs a day that was their previous average production.

I receive periodic egg reports on which I will keep you updated.

A letter to fans and friends

Dear friends and fans,

Thank You for all of the support that you have given to me over the years by coming to shows, helping with posters, mailings and the other numerous ways that you have spread my music to the masses.

I recently was given the news that the studio where I record my music will be closing its doors on Dec. 3rd of 2007. Having recorded more than half of the music for the
next album, sunrise at the speakeasy, I was rather heartbroken to learn this news. Though I could possibly go to another studio or work with another person, I have gotten into a rythm with this album and want to keep a continuity to the sound of the record. I am confident that I can finish the album before this time.

Most of the expenses for my music come out of my own pocket without the backing of a major label. This is something that I wouldn't change for the world. For this reason, I am only able to pay for recording time in small increments. I find myself in a position where I must finish this album with less than a month to do so. I believe this is possible with some help.

For those of you who would like to contribute $10 or more to the production costs, I will send you one signed advance copy of the cd when it is finished.

For those of you who would like to contribute $20 or more, I will send you 2 signed advance copies of the album when it is finished.

For those of you who make a donation of $100 or more, I will give you special recognition as a sponsor for this album and the opportunity to put either your name, company name or and/or website in a special acknowledgement section on the inside of the album artwork and you will receive 3 signed copies of the album.

If you are unable to help, do not worry. Many of you have given more to me than I could ever repay. I love you just the same.


Again, thank you for your support.

Yours truely,

Robert German









"I am not a common bum, but I can sing and I can strum and turn your change into a meal. One step from being homeless, fucked up but never hopeless. Is this the way you feel?"- Selling out

Fragile

Today, I find myself fragile and raw for some reason.
Maybe it is lack of sleep.
Maybe it is stress, fear of failure, acknowledgement of failure.
I don't know.

I feel like the smallest wind could send me into tears.
A part of me holds it all together another part of me wants to fall to my knees and cry.

Sometimes I don't know if I can do it all.
I don't know what all this work is for.
I see a light at the end of the tunnel and imagine it to be a train.

Often, I don't revel in accomplishments.
I don't allow myself to be proud or happy.
I just look towards the next step.
It is uphill with the wind against my face.
The weather has changed. It is colder.
I haven't adjusted. Maybe it's just the weather.

I have given birth to another baby, a small one.
I have begun the presale for the Unplug single.
I wrote Unplug right after releasing sirens of brooklyn when I really felt exhausted and burnt out.

I had expected this monumental change, magic.
Instead I looked around to see that things were pretty much the same.
I couldn't answer my phone. I looked at the world crumbling around me, not my world, but rather the global sense of the world.

I am sure that tomorrow I will wake up with a spring in my step and a new found resiliance, but today I do not have it.

Tonight I go into the studio to work some more on glitters and sparkles and to add some vocals to ashes and dust. I will try to channel this for the greater good.

My thoughts are with Mr. Carpentier.
Today is the closing of a chapter and the beginning of another.
It is the cliched beauty of life.
Time for life #21. I will enjoy swinging along side you.

High Riding Bitch-Diversion

Delores Claiborne is a brilliant and underrated film.
With a cast that includes Jennifer Jason Leigh, Christopher Plummer, Eric Bogosian and of course Kathy Bates,
You just can't beat it.

My favorite scene, and one of the few movie scenes that I will
reinact verbatum however involves the actress who plays Vera Donovan, Judy Parfitt.
She is AMAZING!!!

Enjoy...

Last Night

Last night I went into the studio and began recording backing vocals on glitters and sparkles. The original demo I did for this song was rather psychedelic. This version for the album has a decidedly 60's folk feel to it with 2 part harmony on the verses.
The album is really coming together in my mind. I can see how all the pieces fit. This is a good sign. I need a light at the end of the tunnel that doesn't belong to a train.

Glitters and Sparkles-Lyrics

Your glass
it glitters and sparkles
You make love to the booze inside
cuz you just can't find love.

Your heart
is constantly searching
but you'll never find it sitting at the bar alone

Sometimes it breaks your heart
just to breathe the air
when they see you falling apart
they love to stop and stare

and you can pick up the pieces
and you can sweep up the floor
or you canreach for your glass
and ask him to pour.

The world
is tossing and turning
drowning and burning
and you're just playing with your phone

The screen
it hums and it flickers
with the sounds and the pictures of the twisted threads we've sown.

Sometimes You're lost in the crowd
and you just start to cry
and then you're laughing out loud
and you don't know why

Your wires are twisted
and your circuits are blown
You don't know what to feel

Well,
You're not alone.
You're not alone.
You're not alone

Set List Nov. 1st Googies Performance

Last night's show at Googies went smashingly.
I feel like I gave some of my best performances on a few of the songs. Yay!
Here's the setlist for those of you who missed it.

1. Lemon Scented
2. God in the Telephone Book
3. Mr. Carpentier
4. Follow Me Home
5. Flapjacks
6. Sirens of Brooklyn
7. The Siren
8. Selling Out
9. Walking
10. Follow
11. Hiding From Your Pain
12. Fishnet Sailor
13. Single File

Nov. 1st at Googies

Come one, come all!
You can never recapture this moment once it has slipped away

Thursday, Nov. 1st
9:30 PM
Googies Lounge Above The Living Room
154 Ludlow Street
(between Stanton and Rivington)
website

Transmissions from Dialup

I write to you this late evening from Northeastern Kansas where I have been forced to heed my own words and "unplug".

My cellphone has been rendered inoperable due to T-mobile's lack of care for the residence of this rather unpopulated state. My usual status of constant connection to highspeed internet has been taken away.

My parents have purchased 30 chickens which are currently laying 7 eggs per day. I ate 3 of them this morning for my breakfast, the eggs not the chickens. I commented on the state of these poor chickens which have been cooped up in a rather small pen. Somehow this escalated into a protest on my part.

I ended up in the pickup truck with my father traveling to one small town where the lumber store had apparently closed. I suppose they have been outsourced to India or China, but then again I'm pesimistic. We finally found a lumber store that was open 50 miles away and picked up lumber and chicken wire.

I spent the rest of my day with my father digging holes for posts, leveling them and building the frame for an extended chicken yard, which I have proclaimed will double the egg output.

We ended our day pouring concrete round the posts and drinking beer as we basked in the glory of the beautiful frame we have built. We then discussed my father's missionary trips to Peru and Ecuador. Sometimes I wonder if I could ever be as great as this man.

I wrote a song in the truck. Here are the lyrics. They're hokie. I don't care.


The rooster's out there crowin' and struttin' with his legs
It's time to feed the chickens and gather up the eggs.
This small town's really strugglin' but it's stronger than you think.
You can see it from the highway but you'll miss it if you blink.
It's time to feed the chickens and gather up the eggs.
throw some bacon on the skillet and some boots upon your legs.
The factories move to china and the people move away
but the ones who really love this town are out there bailing hay.
there's fence that needs a mending and there's cattle needing fed
they work till they're exhausted then they fall into their beds
till the rooster starts a crowin' and struttin on his legs then
it's time to feed the chickens and gather up the eggs.

These are my roots people.

My father said something interesting which somehow became profound. The only thing you hear out here is the ringing of your own ears. He's right. It's so loud. The city traffic, the subway, all of it. It rings in my ears. I cannot find silence even here where it is silent. K is in Canada. I am in Kansas. Tomorrow I finish the frame and pull the chicken wire round the posts and feel the satisfaction of a job well done. I will gather the eggs after I've eaten eggs for breakfast. It all is in balance and yet I miss my boyfriend. I miss the noise of the city. At the same time I'm content and happy out here on the praerie, hearing the coyotes howling after sunset, sitting with my father drinking beer and smoking cigars. There is a simplicity that I miss, yet there is a complexity of noise and clatter that I need to fill my scattered head.

Ethan Hawke or Golden Shower Sally?

(Ethan Hawke in Gattaca 1997/Ethan Hawke 2007)

Living in New York it is quite common to pass by A thru Z list celebrities, porn stars, and even occasionaly people you want to gush over who give you the evil I will rip your eyes out with a rusty spoon if you tell me you love my body of work look.
BTW, think twice before you approach Bjork in front of the T-Mobile store while she's holding a water bottle, wearing gym clothes and engaged in conversation with an unknown man. I'm not saying she's crazy or anything, cuz we all know she's brilliant, but then again, I'm not saying she's crazy or anything. I adore Bjork. I even saw Dancer in the Dark 4 times in the theater which many say qualifies me as a professional masochist. Don't click on that by the way if you just ate, are thinking of eating, if you're in public or just generally need to keep your shit together.

Anyway, this post is not about Bjork. So, I used to have this big crush on Ethan Hawke. Just thinking of him scrubbing the dead skin off his body in Gattaca gets me all hot and bothered down in my nethers. Yes, I know it's too much information.
Have any of you seen him lately though? I passed him in the street the other day pacing outside of Pinkberry. I think his kids were inside and he had this crazy paranoid thing going on and not in a hot way. It has been ten years since Gattaca. Oh gravity, why art though so cruel?

Before I ran into Ethan Hawke I passed a woman in the crosswalk who obviously was homeless and smelled so much of Urine that it made me sad. It wasn't even like a whiff. She was full on golden shower sally. I felt bad. I wanted to give her a hug, but for obvious and many reasons that would have been a bad idea. How strange that she made me want to hug her and Ethan Hawke made me feel creeped out. sigh.

Unplug Digital Pre-Release

The Unplug Single will be available for digital pre-release next week.
This is a pre-release available to members of the Elist only.
If You haven't yet signed up, get it in gear, cuz I know you're gonna love it...and of course you want to be first, don't you?

Join the E-List

Unplug & Reachout Til Oct. 25th

I have posted an unmastered version of Unplug (Reachout Mix) on Myspace.
It will be available for your listening pleasure until October 25th.

Lotsa Love,

Robert

Taxi Fried Chicken, Fireworks, Ashes & Dust

Photo by Carrie Thomas

I am at my nature a juggler. I don't know that my form is enjoyable to watch. I don't have a fancy polka dot costume. None the less, I am constantly spinning plates on sticks while throwing fiery batons over my head.

The one thing I consistently drop in this constant juggling act, is adequate sleep. It is the first thing that is sacrificed for the greater good. Perhaps it is the reason for my sloppy form.

On Saturday I decided to fully embrace the world of slumber, sleeping into the early afternoon. Oddly the act of doing nothing makes me extremely hungry, so I decided to call up Mr. Carpentier for a bit of brunch. After brunch we went to the playground to swing on the swingsets of course, but the children were in full command. God forbid the children use the swings and deprive us of one of our few life pleasures. How selfish. We eventually did get to swing.

We were later joined by K and enjoyed a few beers. K had to rush to the city and Mr. C had to rush home to greet his visiting sister. My mind was fixated on fried chicken. They decided to share a cab and convinced me to go along for the ride with promises of friend chicken in my future. We were riding in the cab when we saw the heavenly lights of KFC in distance.

The next thing I know we are in a cab going through the KFC drivethrough. It was such a perfect ridiculous moment fit for my Hello Kitty Scented Diary. In case you have any curiousity, I ordered 6 legs extra Crispy. K was yelling at the crackly speaker. Of course they didn't understand him so they initially handed me wings and then finally gave me legs original recipe. I somehow managed to eat the legs despite the trauma.

K headed into the city and I hung out with Mr. C for a while watching a backlog of television shows he had DVR'd for us. Eventually, I left the warm bossom of Casa Carpentier and headed home.

I had ambitious plans of getting up super early to work on "Lullabye" which was to be recorded in the studio on Sunday. Instead I overslept, shoved free samples of pumpkin soup and crostini down my gullet as I wearily stumbled through an art fair that had set up camp on my block. I grabbed some coffee and trudged through the park. About halfway to the studio something started filling my head, a new song. By the time I got to the studio I had scrapped all plans of working on lullaby and began laying down the tracks for this mystery song that popped into my head. The working title is Ashes and Dust. It has a very spiritual quality to it and really sounds great and much more developed than such new songs generally do. I wasn't planning on giving birth while crossing the gowanus canal, but stranger things have happened.

After the studio, I headed to Mr Carpentier's for some more backlog of DVR'd television shows as I have been a delinquent social caller and he had been in Italy for a spell.

We were later joined by K and ordered Italian food. As soon as marc put down the phone there arose a clatter outside like none I've heard. I was sure that it was happening. The bombs were falling. Retribution had come. Our arrogant American asses were under attack. I started getting frantic until Marc said that it had to be fireworks. K was on my side saying the sound was too close and too loud to be fireworks. We did the smartest thing possible, which is to run outside and run toward the sound. It was indeed fireworks, being shot from a barge east of lower manhattan down by the seaport. The fireworks were amazing. I cannot properly describe them with words. It was the best fireworks show I've ever seen in my life, beautiful gold ripples and streams across the sky. There were blossoming flowers, starfish, willow trees. They were so close that it was like they were coming right at us and reflecting off the buildings of manhattan, the perfect backdrop. Why the hell were they shooting fireworks on October 14th? Is there some new holliday of which I'm unaware?

All I found on Wikipedia were the following, and none seem firework worthy.

* RC Saints - Pope Callistus I, Angadrisma
* Teachers' Day, or National Education Day in Poland
* French Republican Calendar - Navet (Turnip) Day, twenty-third day in the Month of Vendémiaire
* Chişinău's (Republic of Moldova's capital) - national holiday (known as "Hramul Oraşului" by locals).

Radio Crystal Blue Feature

Dan Herman at Radio Crystal Blue plays a great selection of music from some really talented independent artists and has been extremely supportive of the album.

This Sunday my music will be featured on Radio Crystal Blue
in their Future Stars segment.

Be sure to check it.
This Sunday, October 14th
Starting at 7pm
www.radiocrystalblue.com

Radio Crystal Blue...where the freak flag of freeform internet
radio flies

The Rant Book Club [October]

This month's official selection of the Rant Book Club is

"The End of America"
by Naomi Wolf

Let's all read it and discuss.

Who do I think I am, Oprah?
I haven't read the book. It just sounds like it might be right up my alley.
I am sick of complaining. I want solutions. We must unite. We must organize. Ooh, I sound so revolutionary.

"This Country Does Not Torture"

"This country does not torture," White House press secretary Dana Perino told reporters. "It is a policy of the United States that we do not torture and we do not."

Oh Really? Tell that to the prisoners at Abu Ghraib...
I'm sure they'll back up this statement from the Whitehouse.

Tell that to the People being held in Cuba without any right to legal council or due process.

Does the whitehouse really believe that we are that stupid? I have not forgotten the images of Abu Ghraib. I do not believe the statements of an administration that used the tragedy of 9/11 to justify thousands of deaths and the illegal wiretapping of its own citizens. If there has ever been a president who needed to be impeached just for the preservation of this country, it is George Bush. This statement from the Whitehouse angers me. It is a flat out lie. I am sick of being lied to by this administration.

Homopod's Top 20

Recently Homopod Radio did a Top 20 for the Year,
voted by listeners.
I am pleased to announce that Open Wide came in at #3 on their countdown.

Hop on over to Homopod Radio and
Listen to the whole Show.

The Siren and The Sailor (Cycle 1-Part 1)...

Photo by Carrie Thomas

The Siren

Once upon a time, not that long ago, there lived a musical merman who lived on a forgotten Island. The merman spent most of his time staring out at the sea, soaking in the sun and watching the passing ships.

Though the merman was not a real siren like the ones in Greek, mythology, he was possessed of a voice that seemed to hypnotize the sailors and pull them often to their untimely death against the rocks. Though the siren's song was beautiful, it was drenched in a sadness that also consumed the merman.

Though there were mermaids who lived on the Island, the merman felt out of place and alone. He would raise his voice in song at the sight of every distant ship hoping that his true love would hear the song, and stear his vessel safely to the shore without hitting the rocks. Sadly, the shore where the merman sang was littered with trinkets, bits of wood and shattered things that once belonged to many a doomed sailor,

The Fishnet Sailor

until one day a handome sailor returning home from a long long voyage heard the merman's sad song and began to change course.



(To Be Continued)

OutVoice Top 40

I want to give a thanks and Shout"Out" to Rainbow World Radio and
The OutVoice Top 40.

Sirens of Brooklyn has been on the chart for the last 10 months! Yay!
It is currently #25.
The chart is based on listener voting.

Kitt & Kaboodle- Paper Bag

Mr. Carpentier-Live

Letter to Cindy From Anonymous

Photo by Carrie Thomas

Dear Cindy,

I'm sorry I killed your kitten. I know you thought I was a responsible individual, but you were sadly mistaken. I am working on reforming my evil ways and discontinuing my use of power tools without adult supervision.
I am taking an anger management class and I have cut out coffee and food items that contain high fructose corn syrup. I have been working with the local ashram where they have taught me humility, vegetarian cooking and the child's pose. I am also volunteering my time at the local hospital where they care for the crack babies.
I hope that you can find it in your heart to forgive a wayward sinner who forgot that murder is wrong.
I am studying all 9 of the 10 commandments because really, George Carlin was right. They should be condensed.
I promise I will not kill anymore kittens.
I have found Jesus.
I hope that you too have found the lord.
He is the eternal light.
My boyfriend has also found jesus and swears that he will not help me kill anymore kittens, but he still has special "wrong" feelings towards my very ghetto booty. I also have these feelings, but we pray together in our bed before we sleep. I find the sweet release and comfort that only another man can give me.

Hallelujiahhh

Praise the lord

Amen

Wash Away(excerpt)-Lyrics

Photo by Carrie Thomas

It's gonna be OK, K
cuz you got me
and I'll build a boat for us both to float
up above the city.
We ain't got much time.
Grab a bottle of wine
and some strings for my guitar
cuz the trip is kinda far.

Are you ready for
the water to wash away
our sins?

We can find an island
and we can start again.
You just gotta believe.

Absolute Diversion

Here is a little clip from Absolutely Fabulous to send you stumbling into your weekend.

Tossed in a Sea of Dreams

Photo by Carrie Thomas & Manipulated by Robert German

Last night I went to bed at a decent hour,
something that hasn't happened in a long time.
I found myself tossed in a sea of dreams, all so vivid.

Dreams are important for proper functioning of the mind and body.
I haven't been having dreams for a couple of weeks now. I was talking in my sleep. I woke myself up a couple of times. Apparently I met a friend of K's from Arizona and woke him up to tell him that she says hi. K does not have a friend in Arizona, btw.

I have posted sticky notes above my desk with song titles on them. They form this semi-deformed smiley face. At the top where the eyes and top of the nose would be are completed/mostly completed tracks. Where the tongue would stick out are the tracks that need the most work.

I find that I am looking for balance and focus. I am determined to finish the album by Christmas.

There has been a major change on the homefront. It is called a VCR. I know, shocking. Next thing you know we'll be buying an electric typewriter with correcting ribbon. K bought it for $30 and last night I was thrilled to watch episodes of Absolutely Fabulous on an old VCR Tape. There is something about the slightly degraded quality that appealed to me. The world has become too airbrushed and Hi Def for my tastes. It is comforting to adjust the tracking to watch the softer shifting focus of the picture.

I was happy with getting grainy educational television with the bunny ears I bought for $2 at Phat Albert's. Now I will be spoiled by the luxury of my fancy VCR tapes.
K wants to get cable. I fear that it will turn me into another unproductive zombie staring at a screen for hours. As I stare at the computer screen, typing these words I wonder if that is not already the case.

Our Fearless Leader Trudges Forward

At this point, can George Bush really do anything to shock or surprise us? Though We've grown almost numb to the countless atrocities he's committed not only against humanity but through his misguided usage of the English Language, I still thought it necessary to give you a recap of our fearless leaders recent actions.

Bush optimistic about economy (He's the only one, by the way) and unrealistic about his own understanding of how the economy works. Thank You Queerty.

Nelson Mandela is not dead, despite George Bush's rather misinformed claim that he was killed by Saddam Hussein. You can't make this stuff up people. This is the wack job running our country.

Bush signs the "Protect America" act.
Just a side note, presidential hopeful and opponent to gay marriage, Hillary Clinton, whose husband signed both Don't ask Don't Tell and DOMA into law after heavily courting the gay vote,voted in favor of this little piece of legislation which is basically like pissing on the 4th ammendment to the US Constitution.

Oh and just for fun...
Canadians liken Bush to the new Saddam Hussein.

Strange Diversion

With all the talk about the decline of Britney Spear's career, as if it is some tragic loss, I like to ponder truly talented artists who made valuable contributions to the shape and beauty of the tonal landscape.

Recently, we lost the most recognizable face in Opera, Luciano Pavarotti,
Less than a year after saying goodbye to "The Hardest Working Man in Showbiz," the incomparable James Brown.

Here is a strange but beautiful duet and the perfect tribute to these two great performers.

Missing K

Picture taken in Delaware while vacationing with Mr. Carpentier

Our schedules are so out of Wack that I feel like I barely see K anymore, and when I do I am at that place where I am fighting the urge to sleep, not because K isn't interesting but rather the fact that it is past midnight. There are rumors that this state of affairs is temporary, so I will cling to hope like a fatty clinging to her last strip of bacon....mmm...Bacon. There is a full package in the fridge. I can't wait to eat it.

Untitled

Photo by Carrie Thomas

I went into the studio on Saturday and did some backing vocals and additional guitars for Throw That Box as well as some drumming.

Fall has begun to creep into my bones. I cling to K at night as the cold air crawls through the window by our bed like an intruder. He is a very functional furnace.

Next weekend is the Coney Island Film Festival.(Thank You Anonymous)

I feel a little sad today. I'm not sure why.

My phone is ringing. I'm pretending I don't hear it.

The air is heavy.

This day is long.

I think I may buy some yarn and start making a scarf.

I've been stockpiling canned goods.
I used 2 cans of beans.
This stresses me out.
It's a constant task to keep things
as they should be.
I want to be prepared when the bombs start to fall.

I feel like that lady who was screaming
and handing out pamphlets in the subway about
9-11 and the government plot behind it.
She actually sounded pretty sane to me,
though she should have printed her rantings in a larger font.
8 point is hard to read, especially as the train is shifting.

They really should modernize the subway. It's falling apart.
Laura killed a cockroach in my bathroom. Soon, there will be more. She made muffins for my cracked out neighbor who now refers to me as "The Boss Man."

The water has started leaking again. It sounds like it is raining inside the wall.
I have wavering opinions about the man upstairs and his plot to drive me crazy. Of course, I kid.

Water & Gossip

It is the water I am often drawn to.
I ended a sentence with a prepostion.
The water pulls me in.
I did it again.
God help me in both regards.

Sometimes I wade, though sometimes I fall into the water.
When falling is the case near to death laced, I find
branches extended, befriended by
strangers after shows
where lord knows I was ready to quit.

To give this up completely.
Do you really think I enjoy giving everything I have to give to you?
Yes, I do, in fact.
It is where I find my joy.
I deploy my songs like boats and hope they will
float to finally find you, crying or trying to cry
even though you find you can't.
I rant. That is why you're here.
So this is it, a bit of ranting for your eyes
to explore. Give me more more more, you may ask
or perhaps you don't care. It was the antidepressants, I swear
not the beer or the chips that made my highheels slip.
Are the sequens too tight? Are you ready to bite?

I will reach for the branch and think perchance that friendship is the course.
Give the poor girl a break. She just had two kids and she's going through a divorce.

This is what happens when you F___ with Nature

I fear that movies such as The Fly, Jurasic Park and Species have taught us nothing. Listen people,When you F--- with nature, nature F---S back.

-Killer Bees Descend on
New Orleans-

(as if they didn't have enough to worry about)
Read the Article

-Scientists Engineer Salmon
to Give Birth To Trout-

(Associated Press article)

The christian right is so worried about gay marriage, calling it unnatural and against god. I personally think salmon giving birth to trout is much more of a crime against all that's holy than gentleman of the man-on-man persuasion tying the knot and taking it up the pooper. Who's with me?

I think Seedless Watermellon is an abomination against god and nature. I am horrified by its existence and go through a traumatic experience everytime I buy watermellon, finding it almost impossible to buy the seeded variety.


Here at the rant we're not afraid to tackle the real issues.

You're A Racist

I sure do love me some Strangers With Candy. This weekend I spent some quality time with K and Laura. We watched an episode of SWC, the one about racism. If you haven't seen the show, then you are missing out on one of the most brilliant programs to fill the tube.

More on the Festival of Coney, Film that is.

As mentioned previously, my first music video is an official selection of the 2007 Coney Island Film Festival. The schedule has just been posted.

It will be showing Sunday, Sept. 30th, closing out a series of shorts that start at 1pm. at
THE CONEY ISLAND MUSEUM
1208 Surf Ave.
(more info)

Robert Recommends

I cannot say enough good things about Fage(pronounced Fa-yeh not Faggy)
Total Greek Yogurt.

It is creamy and wonderful. It makes me happy. I eat it plain, as a subsitute for sour cream or even better mixed with fruit, honey and swiss muesli. I even made french toast and put in on top as a whipped cream replacement. People, you have no idea. This stuff makes me go almost as crazy as I go for the Greek.

Selling Out-Lyrics

You took the words right out of my mouth.
You saved me the trouble of having to spit them out.
You broke the ice to pour your drink
to break my heart.

Falling in love is easy as breathing
falling out is the hard part.
Now I am crying and I am rolling in the trash.
I'm one more day...I'm one more drink away from selling my ass.

and Who do you think will buy
when I am selling out?

There is beauty in destruction
in the act of reconstruction
in the art of healing scars
and I've sat on 42nd street
and the passing of the strangers' feet
gave the beat to my guitar

I am not a common bum,
but I can sing and I can strum
and turn your change into a meal.

one step from being homeless,
fucked up but never hopeless
Is this the way you feel?

Whose gonna pick me up...put a dime in my paper cup
when I have fallen, fallen down.

Though it wasn't all that fun
I can say I've walked a mile in a beggar's shoes.
I think that in this city you can't find a better family
than the family that you choose.

You're my friends and my lovers
in and out of the covers
You're the ones that I hold dear.
You sit and listen when I'm singing
answer the phone when it is ringing
use your sleeves to dry my tears.

and you'll be the ones backstage
and in the seat of my escalade
Dinner's on me, I paid.
when I am selling, not selling out.

Thank You

Thank You to the Soupy Gato Show for featuring Before You Go and Well Formed Man on the latest Podcast.

Lotsa Love,

R

Biscuits,Paddleboats and 2am Riots

Photo of the Prospect Park Boathouse by Carrie Thomas

K and I decided to host a brunch on Sunday at the apartment. Actually, I guess I coerced K into being my accomplice, but he didn't seem to mind.

As a tribute to the art of procrastination, we found ourselves at the local pathmark at 2am, waiting in line. I needed this cheese grater very badly, but when we were checking out, the girl couldn't find a code for it, so she refused to sell it to us. It was extraordinarily traumatic and at that point I was seeing double. After arguing with her, we left pathmark loaded up like pack mules, mutually exhausted, and lacking the much needed cheese grater.
We dropped to sleep exhausted and woke up too late, scurrying and hurrying to make ourselves and the apartment presentable for our guests.

Our feast was prepared in record time.
As, I tend to do with such things, I went a little overboard.
There was fruit salad, miniature fritata with mushroom,spinach, tomato and Gruyere Cheese. There were home fries,biscuits,bacon and sausage.

We ran around like headless chickens getting everything ready, but we both love the domestic bliss that comes with cooking up some love in the kitchen.

We had a lovely brunch with Steve, Matt, Marc and the lovely Danielle Flores who is gracing our city with her presence at the moment. I'm sure LA is a sad place without her, but we aren't complaining.

After brunch had ended we build a mountain of dirty plates in the kitchen and admired their grandeur before flooding them in suds to soak.

We decided to head over to the park and visit the Audubon center. Whilst crossing a bridge we noticed a lovely Hispanic family riding a paddle boat. We decided that we just simply must also ride a paddle boat. Despite standing feet away from the boathouse, we had no clue as to where we might rent said paddle boat, so we ran along the shore yelling at the family, trying to find out where they got their boat.

Seeing as the family only spoke Spanish, this was a fruitless task. I learned in the process that having a last name like Flores does not mean you necessarily know Spanish. What a disappointment. We finally discovered that we could rent a paddle boat at the boathouse, an idea that was too obvious to be fact.

We got our boat after waiting for an hour and traversed the waters of Prospect park. It was great to see the swan family that K and I have been watching for months. The babies have gotten so big.

I had a very intense discussion with a Canadian goose, which decided to swim along side us quacking at me while I quacked back. At one point, it was decided that I was upsetting the goose and should refrain from talking to it. With hesitation, I bid my feathered friend adieu and focused on my paddling.

after returning the paddle boat, I discovered that my legs had turned to jello and that the only solution was to drink a margarita. I'm not sure that it was the only solution, but I'm going to keep telling myself that it was necessary after slaving in the sun, paddling ms. Flores around like a goddess. All she needed was a parasol to make it a perfect day.

We hung out with Danielle and Laura for the rest of the evening, walking home after hanging in Park Slope. Walking by the park we passed an army of hundreds of NYPD officers lined up as if they were preparing for war. It was the West Indian Parade the next day. I had been told that things get crazy, but I had no idea. We went to bed thinking nothing of it.

At 2am, the sound of a marching band and drums came pounding through our windows. We stepped outside to see hundreds and hundreds of Caribbeans running through the streets screaming and waving flags from their respective islands. It was as if every single building and opened its doors and flooded the street with people. There was something beautiful and unsettling about it. We ran back inside and hid, not exactly sure if this was supposed to be happening, not exactly sure if the police were going to start beating people. We finally fell asleep to the sound of drums. I woke at 4am to hear a similar sound to the 2am commotion, but decided to ignore it. I woke again at 10:30 and made myself a quick breakfast of toast and jam before rushing out the door to be at the studio by 12.

I was surprised to see that the streets were calm and quiet as though nothing had happened. I walked to the subway with tribal drums in my head. Upon arriving to the studio I began to record a beat by hitting my stomach layered with hand claps. Something primal from the early morning energy had found its way to my soul.

Labor Day

I celebrated Labor Day by spending 6 hours in the studio working on Throw That Box.
It's still a little rough, but I'm excited about where this track is going. All the guitar is recorded. I did these hand claps and some stomach drumming and recorded the lead vocal as well as the backing vocals for one section.

Sunrise at the Speakeasy is nearing the halfway point.
It is of a grander scale, lusher and more textural than Sirens of Brooklyn.
I played tracks for my friend Danielle who is visiting from LA. She said that the album seems very Melancholy to her, yet more focused and deliberate,more self assured.
She is probably right.
It is darker and less timid.

Throw That Box-Lyrics

Photo by Carrie Thomas

He didn't even turn his head
when I walked in the door.
He didn't help me unpack the groceries,
didn't hear the pickle jar hit the floor.

I don't live to cook your dinner and
I don't live to give you head.
Just keeps staring at the box
and he ain't heard a word I've said.

I wanna throw that box
throw it out the window
throw that box
throw it out the door
throw that box
throw it out the window.
We don't need,
We don't need that box anymore

Cuz You've been leaving for work too early
and you've been coming home too late
and I've been spending way too much time
between the kitchen and your plate.
In that time I've been lookin' out the window
seems there's a lot out there for me to see.
So You can fix your own gravey.
You can fold your own laundry, baby.
You will get by fine without me.
Cuz I need someone who will hold me close,
hold me and never let me go.

So go on, sit down in your easy chair
flip through the channels, I don't care
see if you can find yourself a better show.

The Bundle of Joy

Yes, I am cheesey. Here is a picture of the most precious little thing in the world, my nephew. He's even got blonde hair and blue eyes. Since I'm not yet responsible enough to adopt my own little chinese baby, I must live vicariously through my sister.

Uncle Robert

It is official.
Jackson has entered the world.
I am an uncle.

I have been so stressed for the last couple of days for a few reasons.
One is that my sister was taking these hypnobirthing classes and hell bent and determined to give birth to a baby without drugs. I think they call this natural childbirth. I call this passing up the chance for some perfectly good pills. I kid. She called me upset and asked me to pray for the baby as his butt was where his head should be, a state of being with which I am all too well aquainted.

So today, I get the call that now the baby's feet are where his head should be and that the doctor has decided to do a c-section before things get out of hand. The baby was born. My sister is numb. All is well.

I went to get my hair cut at 5:30 with Tommy. Tommy is this oldschool punk/glam rocker who lived in the East Village when it was still scary to walk down the street at night and when people shot up heroin on the steps of the buildings where they were squating. I am devastated. Tommy told me that this would be the last time he cut my hair as he is moving to Portland. What will I do? He recommended me to someone named Raphael. That's too exotic for me. That sounds like a love affair that ends badly. I may just shave my head.

K has moved in with me. It's offically unofficial today. His apartment fell through, so I told him he could crash with me until he finds another place. I worry that he thinks he's an imposition. Does he not realize that I love him with all of my heart. He could never impose. He is my little bacon bit, afterall.

On Labor Day, I go back into the studio for a 6 hour session. I hope to have something with which to tickle your ears when I walk out.

Open Wide::Coney Island Film Festival

It is my pleasure to announce that the music video for Open Wide has been chosen as an official selection of The Coney Island Film Festival.

Thank you to Rob Martin, everyone at Bizarre F.A.R.M., The Gender Offenders, Brian Maschka, Marc Carpentier, Kim Levering, Carrie Thomas, and Laura Oltman.


The festival is September 28th-30th.
More details to come..

Chico's Angels

Here is a diversion to send you smiling
into Labor Day weekend.

Happy Rhodes Rare Performance

The rather reclusive singer/songwriter Happy Rhodes
will be performing for one night only, September 8th in Boston.

If You have not seen her live, I recommend you go to this show,
This is her first show in 2 1/2 years, and it's hard to say when you will have the chance again.

I was lucky to catch the last show and then have an email exchange about buffalo wings and celery sticks.

I had a vivid dream that Happy was upset with me, so I had to make sure all was well.
That aside, Happy Rhodes is a unique voice in the homogenous music world. There isn't anyone quite like her, well Kate Bush, but not exactly.

The Happy Show Info

After the Apocalypse...

Photo by Carrie Thomas

with pursed lips
she is standing by the coffeeshop
looking for a hotspot

This Just In

Photo by my Thursday Platonic date? Carrie Thomas

Carrie Thomas is neither long nor lost.
However, she was last seen with this hot man.
Long? possibly, we've never asked.
Lost? in the embrace of Carrie Thomas perhaps.

On a side note, Carrie sends her hopes and prayers for poor Amy Winehouse, who many of you know left rehab to hit the pub and claw her man's face to a bloody pulp.

Cherry Falls-Lyrics (excerpt)

Photo by the long lost Carrie Thomas

When they hate who you are,
you learn to hide how you feel.
if they see you cry,
they will go in for the kill.

He blocked my way to the bathroom door.
He said, "You like to stare? well, I will show you more."
My hands behind my back
and my face pressed against the floor.

Now, everytime a cherry falls from my tree,
I feel you inside of me,
deep inside.

I give you my heart
this broken beating thing
I give you my lips
they can kiss and they can sing
I give you my soul wrapped in a case of skin
I give you my body,
the ultimate sin.

Every time a cherry falls from my tree,
I feel you inside of me
deep inside.

The pull of the moon

Photo by Carrie Thomas

My sister is 9 months pregnant, due this Friday.
My mother is convinced that the gravitational powers of the full moon today are going to pull that baby right of my sister like the invisible hand of Jesus.

We are mostly water.
I think it has more of an impact than we realise.
I know that I am very much a child of water, drawn to the ocean, wanting to return.

We have tides, high and low within us.
We float in water before we enter the world.
The ocean in my sister's belly is swelling, moving towards the gravitational pull, ready to burst. The waves will be crashing. The child will emerge from the ocean, to first crawl and then walk on land.

The crazy people come out when the moon is full...not saying that the baby is crazy. I'm just saying.

Sunday=Mamma

photo by and of Carrie Thomas
On Sunday I went into the studio and worked on Mamma Don't Like No Chocolate.
I've posted the lyrics for this song, which is taking me to a very "Rock" place.

Most people categorized Sirens of Brooklyn as folk and although there will still be many elements of folk to this album, it seems to be going somewhere else. I will be back in the studio in a couple days working on some new songs.

I finished Cherry Falls and I'm not sure what to do with it.
A part of me wants to hold onto it and not release it on Sunrise, but there is another part of me that says I would be censoring myself. I find myself torn between raw emotion and palatability. I'm not sure which of these will win.

This brings me to an interesting thing that has been going on=a happier guitar version of This 2 shall pass and a calmer/slower version of Sirens of Brooklyn.
I am considering a project after sunrise that would be a reworking of songs from both Sirens and Sunrise along with some b-sides.

Mamma Don't Like No Chocolate-Lyrics

Photo by Carrie Thomas

Mamma
Sittin' on the porch swing
while the stopsign's a rattlin'
in the bitter breeze

Mamma
waitin' for her baby
wonderin' will he come back to me
oh baby please

Mamma don't like
Mamma don't like
Mamma don't like it
Mamma don't like no chocolate
cuz it is too sweet

Mamma
Starin' out the window
wonderin' why did he go
go away from me

Mamma's
too young to be dying
too dried up from cryin'
and too old to be free

Mamma don't like
Mamma don't like
Mamma don't like it
Mamma don't like no chocolate
cuz it hurts her teeth

Mamma
I'm sorry I'm so selfish
I'm sorry I can't help it
I'm to set in my own ways

You think it's the devil in my boudoir
but I must admit that so far
he ain't come out to play

Mamma don't like
Mamma don't like
Mamma don't like it
Mamma don't like no chocolate
cuz it hurts her teeth

Paula Abdul Cures tha' Funk

The first live concert that I saw was Paula Abdul with opening
act Color Me Badd in Bonner Springs Kansas when I was 12 or 13 years old. I remember pyrotechnics and Paula flying over the crowd. Color Me Badd performed in matching suits that were different primary colors and kept telling us to stay off drugs between songs.

I will now admit that I was a member of the Paula Abdul fanclub, and if that is not gay then I don't know what is.

I recently came across videos of Paula Abdul doing television interviews in what appears to be a very altered state. If this isn't a cure for tha' funk, I don't know what is.

I am smiling. The wave has passed.

In tha' Funk (not the music)

Photo by Carrie Thomas

Something hit me last night. It is this feeling that comes in waves. I sometimes refer to it as existential angst. It sounds more productive that way, but I think some might label it as depression.

I feel like I am at a crossroads with my music.
I'm not really sure what it means right now.

I go back into the studio on Sunday where I hope to channel whatever I'm feeling. I promise the whole album will not be a downer, but there is a paralysis that covers it. I haven't decided if this is meant to be or if it needs an injection of gutteral wailing. I am torn between organic and pop sounds and I am lettting them both win.
I have contemplated this instrumental track made entirely from nature sounds. I became very inspired by a rooster while on tour in Ohio. I have been creating and writing songs that I may never release because I don't know that anyone can handle them but me.

One specifically called The Politically Incorrect Train Song (P.I.T.S.)


K worked late and then spent the night in Queens.
I felt a bit lonely without him, but I was tired enough that
I lost consciousness before I could pine too much.

On Wednesday night he crawled into bed, after opening the door
and giving me a tiny heart attack. I'm not used to people
opening my door in the middle of the night, even though I
told him to do so.

Who needs more help?

Lauryn Hill
or
Amy Winehouse?

Podcast Feature (Part 2)

Photo by the enchanting Carrie Thomas

Homopod Radio has been a huge supporter of my music.
As previously posted, they are featuring me as their artist of the month for August.
They recently posted part 2 of their feature.

It includes a demo version of Flapjacks, a song that will be on Sunrise at the Speakeasy. Just a note. Since sending them this version of the song, I re-recorded the lead vocals and have done a lot of little things...enjoy the sketch before the real thing makes its way into the world.
Homopod's Site