Archive for April 2009

Reunion Street

This is my shadow (i.e., out of competition) entry for the Masters of Song Fu #3 Final Challenge. Some trivia about it:

  • A whole verse was cut out of the finished recording. Surprisingly, it still works.
  • What you hear: vocals, electric guitar, keyboard, ukulele.
  • The alarm part is set to the verse chords of What’s the Baby Using.
  • Harold likes to wear a cowboy hat.
  • Dickensack, AL is a fictitious town and the original home of dieholzmannjungs.
  • The Patrick in the song was heavily inspired by a Patrick I know.
  • I’m unhappy with the “doesn’t wait for the smoke to clear” line. It implies that the firefighter is reckless and that the story is like these unreal Hollywood action sequences.
  • Yes, the title was inspired by Richard Shindell. No, I’m not worthy.
  • The lines with the fire/higher rhyme got mixed up. I have no idea why.
  • For the most parts “Reunion Street” was recorded last Saturday.
  • The initial idea for the story was born while I was jogging by the local fire station and the adjacent traffic lights turned all red due to an actual alarm.
  • Singing about dancing is easy and fun, whereas dancing is usually not so easy and not always fun.

Download the song: mp3 (more music)

It’s a quiet night in Dickensack, Alabama
But there’s a light on in Reunion Street
In a wooden house a father tells his little daughter
Don’t cry for Mommy, hush, go to sleep

Mommy’s out of town, she’s staying with her sister
She won’t be back for at least one more day
Now I’m not in the mood to listen to your stories
I want to smoke and drink my troubles away

So please don’t start to weep
Just go back to sleep

My little darling, will you please be quiet
I’m sure the sandman is going to bring you sweet dreams
I have to go back to my beer can and my baseball
And I don’t want to be disturbed by your screams

So please don’t start to weep
Just go back to sleep
No, don’t start to weep
Or else I’m going to have to…

Meanwhile in the local pub there’s a party going on
Harold and his good old boys have been jamming all night long
Not it’s getting late, but it sure was great, there’s still time for one more song

Patrick and his girl-friend Nat are dancing on the stairs
It’s their anniversary, love is in the air
And as the party ends he takes her hands and gently strokes her hair

And then at home they dance some more
And they get rid of what they’ve worn
And just before they fall asleep he says, I love you
And just before she falls asleep she says, I love you, too

3 am, the alarm goes off
Four seconds later Patrick is up
Five steps to the closet door
Hey honey, please sleep on

Six calls in as he gets to the station
Seven miles to drive from there
815 Reunion Street
A two-story building is on fire

The neighbours called when they saw the fire
The owner of the house had gotten drunk and passed out
His burning cigarette fell down on the carpet
And soon the flames got higher and higher

But he did not wake up

Suddenly there’s a faint and distant whisper
Patrick doesn’t wait for the smoke to clear
Up the ladder, his axe breaks the window
There in the bedroom a girl cries in fear

He lifts her up and turns around
And soon they’re safe back on the ground
Meanwhile his friends struggle on
And two hours later they have won
The flames are gone

It’s a quiet morning in Dickensack, Alabama

(words and music by Johannes Schult)

Song Fu Recap and Death Metal Outlook

A little while ago I contributed some backing vocals to the song “Big Red Nose” by Mick Bordet. Please check out his Song Fu page for the song and further information on the why and when. There you can also find the detailed results of the first three rounds of Song Fu #3. I ended up 8th, which isn’t that bad at all, I think. Thanks for voting! It’s now up to Molly to defeat Paul and Storm. (Or for the latter to show that all the food and touring didn’t hamper their creative juices.)

If you haven’t check out the most recent round, I urge you to rectify this at once. I highly recommend the entries by Edric Haleen, Mike Lombardo, Molly Lewis, and Hank Green. They all make sense at the end, I promise!

In terms of non-Fu music news, the death metal my brother and I have been working on is close to being released. A homepage and demo songs are scheduled for early May.

Eric Bazilian & Rob Hyman (The Hooters) live in Frankfurt/M.

Last Saturday, Eric Bazilian and Rob Hyman, the key players of the Hooters, performed live at the Musikmesse in Frankfurt/Main. Hohner had invited them to their booth and they gladly obliged. Armed with an impressive arsenal of instruments, they ran through a set without surprises, but with good spirit and maybe a couple of hundred listeners. It was the first time I saw them playing a full set as a duo in a somewhat acoustic setup; very enjoyable, indeed! It was also the first time they didn’t do a singalong ending in “Johnny B”. We got to be the pirate choir on “Morning Buzz”, instead. Here’s a pic and the setlist:

Eric Bazilian and Rob Hyman (The Hooters) live at the Musikmesse in Frankfurt

  1. I’m Alive
  2. All You Zombies
  3. Karla with a K
  4. Morning Buzz
  5. Star of the County Down / Johnny B
  6. Satellite
  7. And We Danced

It All Makes Sense At The End

This is an attempt to play true, slow metal with soaring vocals and a guitar solo. Not that I’m a good singer or guitarist. Although I used the song for the April Fools’ Day at Vampster.com, it was originally written for the 3rd round of Song Fu #3 at QuickStopEntertainment.com. Still, the video hopefully augments the message and, well, the recipe. So please consider going there and voting for me/my song if you’re into metal or just enjoyed the video.

Download the song: mp3 (more music)

Seek the mother of a calf
And steal some of her milk
Take two cups and a half
Make sure they are filled
Take the feathered’s unborn
And crack open their shell
Take all that’s inside
And pour it into the cauldron
Pour it into the cauldron
Pour it into the cauldron

Seek the wheat in the valley
Defying the wind alone
Cut it down without mercy
And grind it with a stone
Separate it from the chaff
Obtain a snow-white powder
Take enough to fill two cups
And pour it into the cauldron
Pour it into the cauldron
Pour it into the cauldron

Stir it! Stir it! Stir it! Stir it!

Now take some of the thick mass and some oil
And pour it into the frying pan
Into the frying pan
Heat up the frying pan
Heat up the frying pan
Devour them all
Satanic pancakes

(words and music by Johannes Schult)