AFTER SIX LONG months, our little trio has ... a thing.
We call ourselves Madness Divine after a line in the first song. We wanted to call ourselves Cellar Dwellers because we recorded it in Adam's basement. There were many other suggestions, few fit to print. But we had to come up with something because we were ready to submit the eight songs for distribution.
The name of the eight-song project is called West Of 12th Street. I've lived west of 12th my whole 28 years in Quincy. Many people have a stigma about the area of town you live in. They are ignorant. But maybe they can't help it.
It took six months because we'd get together every few weekends and knock out different parts in a few hours. It's a good way to do it because time helps you judge stuff.
It's out on all the streaming platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, iTunes and YouTube.
Here's a bio of each performer. We are doing the Traveling Wilburys thing and going under assumed identities. We are not in the Traveling Wilbury's league. But we do sneak around using fake names and job titles.
CHRISTOPHER ADAM (Adam Yates) - Drums, keyboards, engineer, producer. We used his basement recording studio and he spent countless hours refining and turning shit into sugar. One night when playing a gig with Prospect Road, somebody asked Adam what he did for a living. "I work for the sanitation department in Quincy," he said. "Well, it's a living," was the reply. So true, on so many levels ..... So Adam is the Sanitation Engineer of Madness Divine.
FILBERT (Justin Sievert) - Bass, acoustic guitar, vocals. One night after a Prospect Road gig in Plymouth, Filbert got us lost coming home. In fact, "McDonough County Exit" was a strong contender for the album title. So Filbert is the Navigation Coordinator of Madness Divine. And I have no idea why he is called Filbert.
DIRK WHITEY (me) - Guitar, vocals. The nickname came from a Central Michigan University professor nearly 40 years ago. He invented a town and we had to interview the weird characters in the town and write stories. He named the characters after students. Dirk Whitey was a pinball arcade attendant. And that's my job title for Madness Divine.
THE SONGS (links to YouTube).
Your Kind of Crazee (Hart) - Not about one specific person. It's amazing how many people I know with, uh, hyper personalities. They kind of steamroll you and you can't live with it or without it. It's YOUR kind of crazee, not YOU ARE kind of crazy. It's a possessive thing.
Love Letting Go (Hart) - This one has been around awhile. Probably a leftover Funions song ... we did this song in the original Sidewalk Chalk band in 2012. It's got a simple message - you can often help somebody the most by simply letting go.
I'm The Man (Hart) - Adam coaxed some pretty good guitar out of me for this one, some great ideas to mix it up. This one has a jazzy and bluesy feel. It's about a guy who is in charge and uncomfortable with being in charge, because people expect him save the world, "When in fact, I'm gonna crumble to the floor ..."
The Ship Was Going Down (Sievert) - A unique way of looking at something that is sinking. Amazing job by Filbert playing acoustic guitar and bass. And singing. And he wrote it. Killer!
West of 12th Street (Hart) - Made up many years ago after a person was critical of somebody moving into Calftown. Them's fighting words, friend. I kept messing up on the king and queen part, you'll hear it at the end reminding myself of which is which.
Guard Down (Hart) - We started recording a couple of songs that just weren't working, or, in one case, recorded in the wrong key. GUH. So this was a very late addition and kept pretty simple, and works for that reason. It's about being content and not expecting anything to happen by keeping the guard up. Then it goes down. Is there much you can do about it?
More Is Most (Hart) - This was an idea I came up with when Allison Hutson and I were working on Whatevers songs last year. Adam's piano is the best part of this one. Filbert's bass is fat and juicy too! And it's yet another song about saying "screw you" to regret. It won't do ya no good, friend.
One More Thing (Sievert) - Adam did a fabulous job recording and engineering these songs, and I love the way Filbert's acoustic guitar and my electric guitar blend on the rhythm tracks. And the piano is sublime. Actually it's bleeping kick ass, especially at the end.
MADNESS DIVINE, West of 12th Street
All songs Copywrite 2024 D. Rodney Hart, except One More Thing and The Ship Was Going Down, Copywrite 2024 Justin Sievert.
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