‘Have A Good Time’ is the perfect example of how the songwriting muse can appear at any time. I’d already worked out half of the song, but during my annual summer vacation to the Adirondacks, the rest came pouring out. The missing phrase was ‘I’ve got cookies shaped like snowmen/Hot cider on the stove and some good wine’, and for whatever reason, the late summer sun on a pine tree rimmed lake was what brought it out of me. The song itself is a reminder of how meaningful it is to share our hearts and homes with the people we love, and that togetherness can heal us.
Dee Adams: Vocals and Acoustic Guitar Cathy Carfagna: Piano Jonathan Hughes: Bass Doug Lambert: Background Vocals Jeff Schaller: Drums Jim Whitford: Pedal Steel
A singalong about the winter solstice, inspired by the Staple Singers and the Blind Boys of Alabama.
Dee Adams: Vocals Cathy Carfagna: Organ and Vocals Jonathan Hughes: Bass Joelle Labert: Vocals Doug Lambert: Vocals Jeff Schaller: Drums Jim Whitford: Guitar
My friend and fellow Robot Holiday musician, Rob Lynch, owns an original t-shirt with “Jimmy Whitford” silkscreened on it. Now that I’ve had the privilege of writing and performing songs with Jim, I think everyone should own a Jimmy Whitford t-shirt.
Writing songs with Jim goes about like this….first, I send him a page of lyrics (in the case of Cold Morning Christmas, these lyrics took me about a year to get right) and a rough iphone recording. When we finally get together in person, we sit around Jim’s dining room table. I tell Jim, “I hear it but I’m not sure about the chords– you know, because I only know like 3 of them”…he says “I can help with that.” I sing what I think I hear, he plays some fantastically gorgeous guitar part back to me. We hum, we sing, we stammer, we are self-deprecating, we tell funny stories, we swear, we wonder, we say “you know what might be nice…”, we say “yeah, that really works,” and then we run through it a few times, apologize for being flat, make a few notes, a few more self-deprecating comments, and record a solid working draft on our phones.
When working with Jim, this whole process usually takes about 45 minutes.
Once we have the bones of the song in place, Jim gets together with Jonathan to record the guitar. Then Jonathan e-mails me an instrumental track so I can practice the vocals before recording. A short while later, we meet in person to record the vocals–followed by Jim working his magic on the pedal steel or dobro or electric guitar. I usually say something really cheesy, like, “I’m so lucky I get to make music with you guys,” multiple times throughout the recording session. The endorphins run high.
But the song is not done yet! After the bones of the song are recorded, Jonathan works tirelessly behind the scenes– adding his “secret sauce” ingredients until each song finally feels “right.” When Jonathan sends along the finished recording, I have to say that it’s a bit like opening up the best Christmas present ever.
A note about the lyrics on this one…I like taking little glimpses of rural life and creating “flash fiction” songs. This idea of decorating the Christmas tree alone is totally heartbreaking (and perfect Americana song-writing material). Loneliness is so universal…if you can bottle that feeling up in a song, I think you’re on to something good. And if you can convince Jim Whitford to play pedal steel on it…well, that’s just pure poetry.
Jonathan Hughes: bass, electric guitar, organ Lisa Forrest: vocals Jim Whitford: acoustic guitar and pedal steel
the idea was for some kind of better than perfect, plastic, as-seen-on-tv type savior to come and offer solutions for the stresses of the winter season. FINALLY! Or it could simply be about a plow. A really solid plow. John Deer level performance.
Dee Adams: Background Vocals Jonathan Hughes: Instruments Rob Lynch: Vocals and Instruments Katy Miner: Background Vocals
I don’t know why, but it took me a long time to write this song, even though it’s fairly simple. The whole band sounds so warm and smooth and effortless.
Dee Adams: Vocals Jonathan Hughes: Bass, Guitars Rob Lynch: Drums Joe Rozler: Organ and Electric Piano
I’d thought about writing a song about the northern lights in Canada for awhile. Then I read that Cochrane, Ontario is a good place to see them, and that got me hauling out the atlas (I love songs with place references). The Spanish River and Lac Sainte Therese (sorry, bad pronunciation) are located in Ontario too. The reference to Inco (mining/metals company) is a tip of the hat to Canadian songwriter Stompin’ Tom Connors’ “Sudbury Saturday Night,” – and to the dad of a musician friend, who’d talked about the tough conditions there.
Cathy Carfagna: Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Accordion Jonathan Hughes: Bass Rob Lynch: Drums Jim Whitford: Dobro
My dad turned me on to Bob Wills and Milton Brown records when I was a kid, and always loved them. This is my attempt at something reminiscent of the Western Swing style. Everyone sounds real nice on this one. Although, I don’t don’t drink hot cocoa myself, I’m glad to live in a country where I can, with very little effort, drink hot cocoa, pretty much anytime I want.
Jonathan Hughes: Bass Seamus Gallivan: Background Vocals Rob Lynch: Drums David Mussen: Acoustic Guitar Dave Ruch: Vocals, Lead Guitar Jim Whitford: Dobro
The last two Buffalo winters have been so mild. I used my snowblower twice each season, when the usual average was a dozen times or more. So this song imagines a future (or near present) Buffalo with almost no winter snow due to global climate change.
Rob Falgiano: Vocals and Instruments Katy Miner: Background Vocals
I sincerely love shoveling snow. One night while shoveling to the tune of Robot Holiday, it occurred to me that the world needed a song about this love. In finding poetic ways to lay the love on shoveling, the song quickly became a metaphor for romance that would make my Dad proud and my Mom blush.
I might not be ready for the Brill Building, but I’m so grateful to Jonathan, Dee, Jony and the Robot Holiday gang for inspiring me to give this a shot and bringing the song to life.
Dee Adams: Background Vocals Seamus Gallivan: Vocals Jonathan Hughes: Bass, Keyboards Jony James: Electric Guitar
A song made to order for Jonathan, who’d requested something with Vox or Farfisa-inspired organ. If the Rutles, the Shangri-Las and the Small Faces had gotten snowed in after a gig, maybe this would have been the result.
Dee Adams: Background Vocals Cathy Carfagna: Vocals, Keyboards Jonathan Hughes: Bass Alex Lynne: Background Vocals Dave Meinzer: Electric Guitar Jeff Schaller: Drums
I envisioned it as being about a little task robot whose job it is to prep the reindeer for departure. He doesn’t have much going on socially, obviously…pretty utilitarian!
This song started out in six/four, then I switched it to four/four, and then Jonthan switched it back to six/four with a much different (and better) feel. I was originally trying to write a sort of Appalachian, gospel, clogging song, but songs have a life of their own.
Jonathan Hughes: Bass Joelle Labert: Vocals Alex Lynne: Vocals Rob Lynch: Drums David Mussen: Acoustic Guitar Doug Yeomans: Electric Guitar
I was so pleased when I first heard what Rob and Jonathan did with this song. It’s gorgeous. For me, the sentiment of this song is more apropos to Thanksgiving, but I imagine it doesn’t really matter.
