Demo Songs
Welcome to David’s mp3 archives of some home recorded demo songs.
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This
was a lot of fun to write and record. The process took me in unanticipated
directions both in terms of story line, and musically. |
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A mostly
true story. It's only taken me about thirty years to write about it with
a sense of humor. |
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In the
spring of 2009, my brother Jeff, who is a fine Latin percussionist, came
up for a visit. We often enjoy a jam session whenever we get together
and this time was no exception. I set up a field recorder (a Zoom H2)
during one of our sessions on my back porch and captured the drum track
used in this song (Snake Dance). Jeff is on congas and I'm struggling
along on a dumbek. I have to say that Jeff is infinitely patient and downright
metronomic. He is rock solid. If you're looking for a session man,
he's your guy. |
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In 2010,deeply
saddened by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico (the largest marine oil spill in history), I wrote this
song. I deliberately tried imply the story, rather than tell it directly.
The story and characters in it are fictitious, but the oil slick and its
consequences are all too real. The lyrics in last part of the song are
excerpted from Dr. Emoto's "Prayer for the Gulf". |
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I've
been having fun chiseling away at this in my few spare moments for about
two months. I'm not sure what genre it fits, but it was inspired by an
NPR story about Finland's plans to bury spent nuclear fuel inside a granite
mountain. The facility is supposed to be fail-safe for at least 100,000
years. Given that 40,000 years ago there were still Neanderthals in northern
Europe, the story got me thinking about large scales of time. |
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This
is a bit of a departure from my previous offerings. Instead of just solo
voice and guitar, I have added a piano part and, during the bridge, vocal
harmonies. It is intended as a comforting and reassuring lullaby that
still acknowledges the uncertainty of life. |
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There
is something in the call of migrating wild geese and cranes that stirs
something deep within my spirit. There is something so poignant and fragile
about it, and yet it is a song of enduring. |
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Best Things In Life (Aren't Things) My wife
and I recently spent an absolutely wonderful two weeks on Kaua'i. While
we were there we visited the Red Dirt Shirt Factory Store in Ele Ele.
We got some T-shirts for the grandkids and I picked up one for myself
- the "Red Dirt Rules" shirt. During the rest of our stay I
wrote the lyrics to a song that included most of the "rules"
listed on the shirt. When we got home to Paradise, CA, I put the lyrics
to music. I call it "The Best Things In Life (Aren't Things) or Everything
I Ever Needed to Know I Learned From the Back of a T-Shirt" |
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He's
been left (for whatever reason), and now it's just him and his guitar.
But this too shall pass. For fun, see if you can figure out what at what
lattitude this character is located. (Warning, some math involved). |
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This is a pretty love
song I wrote for my wife, Pat. It is over-the-top, impassioned, and if
you like schmaltz, you'll love this one. |
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A sardonic,
if pretty, song about the bail out of failing financial institutions and
corporations, with taxpayer's dollars. Skies filled with golden parachutes.
It's a beautiful thing (grin)
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The Mystery This
is a wonderful message, attributed to Bubba
Free John (Da Free John, Rucharia Adi Da Samraj) about life that was originally given to me, David
M Pierce, in early 1990, on a cassette tape that was a copy several generations
over. The person who gave me the tape did not know the origin of the material
it contained, nor did the person who gave it to him. It is a child's voice,
yet one that has an ancient quality to it, accompanied by a simple and
lovely piano line, delivering a message about the Mystery that is existence.
More recently I created a video, using the restored tape audio as the soundtrack.
This one I recommend distributing. |