David Regelbrugge – Far Out

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Project Notes

 

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Strange Dream (For Joe)

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This is a tune that was originally written and recorded several years ago, and I dragged it out of the archives because of the otherworldly character of the tune, and because of how well I thought it would kick off the extrasolar vibe depicted by the cover art, and the entire musical program, really. When the guys and I began working on this for the Far Out project, we decided to give it more of an “epic” feel and structure that would serve as a multi-faceted dream sequence. The original version of this tune was characterized by more of a “Mixolydian” feel, but I decided to move it into the “Lydian” realm, as I really wanted to feature the “flat 5” to create more tension and a bit of a “floating over the top” quality in this new version. Together with the guys in the band, we decided on a 3-part framework, wherein we could deliver the aforementioned dream sequence vibe, and the happy accident is that this also enabled me to pay stylistic homage to three of my musical heroes. In the “A” section, I was thinking Bill Frisell. In the “B” section, I was thinking Pat Metheny. In the “C” section, you guessed it….Joe Satriani. These are three artists that are absolutely at the top of their craft, and have served as unremitting inspiration to me on so many levels, through so many years. Utmost respect and appreciation to them! Given the overall Lydian theme, and the fact that the tune culminates in the “alien invasion” style guitar solo, it was very clear to me that this song would be dedicated to Satch, hence the title. By the way, I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge how our drummer Rich Bowler gives this one some serious “oomph” throughout – Love it!

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New Year’s Eve

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People who hear this one always ask me, “what the heck happened on New Year’s Eve?!” I can see why, as it has a pretty ominous, dark vibe. Truth is, the tune got its name due to it being wrapped up on New Year’s Eve 2015, as well as to recognize my beautiful and artistically multi-faceted daughter, Eve. I love rich, dreamy effects and textures on the guitar, and built this tune around a more static harmony to better feature the tones, textures and layers we laid over the top. It just seemed to speak to me in this format, as opposed to crowding the spirit of the song with more complicated chord structures. Although it doesn’t sound like it in any direct way, for the solo sections I was thinking about David Gilmour and his singular approach to playing emotive, deep and soulful melodies. To facilitate this, and to keep me from playing too fast (a habit I’ve worked all of my life trying to get under control!), I strung my Ibanez George Benson model (another of my heroes, by the way!) with heavy flatwound strings, and had at it!

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First Sun

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This one was written as a dedication to my “first son”, Jack. Great, great kid. He is a real “old soul”, characterized by noteworthy emotional and intellectual intelligence. For the music, I decided to apply the chord/melody approach more commonly found in jazz music, but set it to more straightforward chord voicings for the main melody. In that “A” section, I was going for a chord/melody progression that featured strong forward motion, strong resolution, and a highly emotive feel. From there, the tune just kind of developed. The “B” section serves as a bit of a harmonic foil to the “A” section, with the “C” section really pouring on the melody and emotion, setting up the solo section. The original version of this song, written several years ago, did not have any guitar solos. Given this is a guitar record(!), Mark suggested that we lay in some solos at the end, and that we employ the acoustic guitar for this purpose. I am very happy with that suggestion, as I feel we were able to channel the feel of the acoustic guitar solos in a couple of my favorite Al Stewart songs from the mid-70s.

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Ocean Floor

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The original version of this song had an atmospheric, hypnotic vibe, with dark, jazzy guitar tones for the lead voice.  The version you hear on this record turned out quite differently, thanks to my 13 year old wunderkind drum child, Brendan. Here's what happened, in a nutshell:  Brendan and I got to Mark's studio early for day one of recording.  While we were waiting for Rich, who was not scheduled to arrive until later that afternoon, Mark, Brendan and I decided to start messing around with the framework of Ocean Floor.  Brendan started right in with a cooler, funkier groove, Mark followed, and I started in on a “stinkier” vibe inspired by the foundation they were laying down.  We jammed on it at length, totally enjoying our newfound groove!  When Rich arrived, we went with that vibe, then laid in the watery, more ethereal guitars afterward to retain the Ocean Floor scene that the music seems to depict, at least for us!  Hope you dig it!

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Morningside

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This is a tune that pretty much wrote itself while I was knocking around in my home studio way back in 2008.  That original version and this one remained the same, for the most part, but with the human element of Mark on bass and Rich on the kit.  The tune was inspired by my wanting to write a hopeful, optimistic sounding "morning tune" - something that could inspire people to see each day as a gift, and start each new day in a positive and expectant way.  Each day is a gift, after all. Turn it up!

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Be Water

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When we were about 80% through the recording of this monster, Mark commented that this song reminds him of a movie where little things begin to happen that make you realize that things are not what they appear... I think he described it very well!  I thought long and hard about whether I should add harmonic and compositional complexity to this tune back when I wrote it several years ago, but I just didn't want to mess with the hypnotic, driving, movie soundtrack vibe.  So instead, we decided to slowly build up the intensity, complexity and flat out weirdness via the guitar parts and other sound effects that appear on top. The goal here was to build an overall “tension and release” experience culminating in the aggressive rock segment at the end.  The end solo was inspired by three of my favorite rock Gods; Michael Schenker, Gary Moore and Joe Perry.  Those guys are tops when it comes to great, high energy guitar solos, and that is what I tried to channel to bring this sucker home.

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One For Brendo

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We had just wrapped up a long haul in the studio finishing another tune, and were scheduled to tackle a pretty involved tune next.  I wasn't really in the best frame of mind to start on the tune we had in mind (read:  studio burn-out!), so instead we decided to mess around with a three-chord frame (E, B minor, A add 9) that had originally been recorded years ago in my home studio with a more ambient, effected treatment.  Brendan hopped on drums, Mark on bass, and we just started in on that frame, with Brendan's drum style inspiring me to give it the "Hendrix treatment"!  Jimi is a God to me, of course, and it was a real joy to be able to play a white Stratocaster and do my best to just try to pay homage to him.  Every time I go to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, I kneel down and bow at the Jimi Hendrix exhibit.  People look at me like I'm nuts, but I do it anyway.  Riding that Jimi wave in the studio, Brendan, Mark and I rolled the tape and got it in a single take. We left all the “warts” (all mine, by the way!) to preserve the purity of the captured moment. As for the title, I had to give the nod to my boy Brendan for inspiring us to render this version of the tune.