so many times during this song i get goosebumps. the opening flute. the first guitar phrase. the "rain down to me" section. the quick elliot runs flitting like birds. the seagulls/flute duet. and then thinking of what the words mean to us. thank you for creating this tribute to both mr. hedges and us, and keeping something wonderful alive. a beautiful, elegant track.

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back in 1983 a young m hedges walked into my kitchen at work trailing a rolling suitcase and a guitar case. he was completely lost haveing come from califoria to do a show at a small venue in town. i helped him find his way to the house he was staying at and he said he would put me on the guest list for that nights show. i had no idea who he was at the time but was truely blown away at the way he used effects on his acusstic guitar and created such a full sound. just amazing. this is such a tender tribute to all concerned.

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Such a great story. I'm really glad you took him up on his offer to see his show. Life is too short, that's for certain. I have a similar story involving Leo Kottke. And Santana. It is always cool to meet talented people before the tension of celebrity falls over the situation. Thanks for sharing this.

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Lovely melody that fits so well as to make it seem the guitar part was written afterwards. Wonderful, evocative lyrics. The tribal flute is a nice choice to accent the primal language as is the hand drums. I like the subtle changes in the vocals tracks, alternating doubling, echoing, and harmony. The performance is excellent - gentle. The sound effects work nicely, especially as the instruments trail off gradually into them.

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Thanks for the comments on the layering of the different tracks, the washing in and out of the different parts. I spend time making it all sound smooth, like thoughts coming in and out, folding into each other. Lots of different ambiences going on (seagulls, waves, brittle reverbed guitar, vocals, synths...) and I had to find the right effects to make them all inside the same head. I'm glad you thought it melded together right.

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This is really a good use of Medges' music, and going to all that extra effort to contact his estate to get permission is a really admirable use of your networking skills, since you probably could have arranged your own music to take the place of the the sort of lazy lope and delicately arpeggiated guitar repetition. Sorta too bad that there isn't a download option for this song, since my Tobin playlist on my iPod will be incomplete (but that's probably due to copyright issues). If you're looking for input, one thing I would do is bring the guitar up a bit and try to give it more body, since compared to the richness of the vocal it's a little light sounding. It could be the reverb-y nature of the guitar is sounding a little distant. But it probably was just recorded in a really live room, and if you didn't change a thing, this would still be awe-inspiring and wonderful. The singing is very Hedges-like and I would imagine he would be smiling listening to this, wherever he is now... Thanks!

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I wanted to do something like Natalie Cole and play along with the original track, "actually" sing with Michael. I did have trouble making his guitar sound warm. I think the problem started with me speeding up the track, since his original tempo was too slow for my purposes. He used several tempo changes, between phrases, which I equalized in Live so that it would go with the groove. When I listen in headphones, it sounds much better. I'm hoping he's smiling, and, yes, that would be the best of compliments. Before there was light, there was music...

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I am always amazed at the amount of detail you include in your music - a breadth and depth that is pretty rare in the type of music I listen to and play. Beautifully composed Tobin - like Jim I'd probably like to hear a the guitar more "up" in the mix, but that's a very minor nit. There are so many nuances here that I'll need to listen more to catch them - a really outstanding post - thanks for the headsup!
Neil

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Thanks. I came up with the idea for this while in Cape Cod, facing the sunset. I'm sure you can relate to such moments. On the tip of the Cape, you feel like a pilgrim at the edge, yet stuck without a boat, unable to cross over into uncharted territory (which is maybe a good thing); free and timeless, like in a dream, but not a dream, since you know you are truly awake. And not alone, since there is love. Thanks again for your careful listening.

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...and I also hear a Bruce Cockburn-like thing in the way the lyric lines lay over the loping and arpeggiating guitar bits.... In the Hedges canon, it reminds me of the 'I Carry Your Heart' adaptation from e.e. cummings that Hedges did on 'Taproot'... I also hear your experience writing musicals in the way the vocal is phrased and sung...

Apropos of that, the lyrics are enchanting in that, listening to them, I find myself imagining backstory and sequellae.... the song itself ends up seeming one captured moment, with much that came before, and much that will come after...

Thanks for letting me know this was up...

Ed

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Suzanne and I cherish every moment, every dinner together, every daily homecoming, every morning waking, every call to let the cats in, becuz we know you can't really capture moments, except in art. Yes, this is a captured moment honoring what has led up to that moment, hoping for what will come after. Thank you for hearing that, knowing that.

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bamboo flute collector and part-time dabbler i was mesmerized by the sound of the american indian flute.....the vocal harmony comp was just gorgeous......the soft gutar rhythms beautifully placed.......man....if ever the opportunity arises i would use u as producer in a second(paid services of course...hehhehhe).......this piece is a peaceful vibration in a mad world.....beautiful!!!!
p.s. is the flute scaled in minor???

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The flute is scaled in the Dorian mode; that is what drew me to it. I've always been fascinated how this mode turns up in the oddest places. Of course, it is my own limitation to think Olde English folk songs have some sort of proprietary right to it; after all, it was named after a Greek scale. Thanks for the comment about peaceful vibrations in a mad world; it is why I chose to set the song at the edge of the world, at the edge of time, the edge of beliefs (before there were gods). It is where peace stops teetering, merely rests, and where love has time to soak in and nourish. As for the producer thing, I enjoy producing stuff, lending an ear and experience, have always had a good time in the booth, and would relish the opportunity alongside you, especially if it meant a paid trip to the Caribbean!

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just gently flowing over me as I listen. The haunting flute and the sounds of ocean and seagull intermixed with the expected well mixed tracks. This is such a completely satisfying piece of music. Your additions seem not only seamless but organic with Hedges guitar, as if they were always intended. Suzanne's lyrics mirror the comtemplative mood of the music... sung with feeling and precision by you. I say precision because this doesn't seem like an easy song to sing. To float the words through the piece as you sing the various note changes... quite good.
Thanks for the note leading me here.

Jack

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completely knocked out... I'm a big MH fan, but this goes someplace totally different... what a wonderful journey... this is what I love about music, the free trips... I have to say, I love the mystical eliptical lyrics, so important for me to get the journey started, the lyric is the springboard...

this post also shows off your production chops... everythings is so well placed soniclly and part wise... nothing is stepping on the other..

1 little nit... when I record several voices.. i really try to sing in straight tones, and get any soul from the up front vocals, but I also carve out a frequency specific space for them, or they end up being sonic hogs.. when I do it this way they are easier to mix

hi regards here; Scott

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I like it, Tobin! Thank you for sharing it with me.


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Nice arrangement and use of samples , very enjoyable.
outstanding piece of music

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He was a truly remarkable guitartist and I think this is a wonderful tribute. It's got such a grand scope to it but maintains such an intimate closeness. The lyrics are stirring and poetic.

I was engulfed by this piece.

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...your flute came with a dreamcatcher, didn't it? I wouldn't be surprised if you have a dreamcatcher hanging in your studio.

The archetypal sound of the flute, natural sounds of the gulls and surf, and the gorgeous cadance of the fretless bass and gentle guitar %u2013 perfection.

Wonderful song and amazing production.

My 3rd listen as I type this...Wow.





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I lived on a reservation for a year while I wrote an indian history, on commission, way back in 1978, entitled "From Where The Sun Now Stands." Afterward, I followed the 1,700 mile trail Chief Joseph took to escape the US Army, only to give himself up 30 miles from the Canadian border (the Medicine LIine) to stay with the elders who were unable to make the final run for it. (I lived in a pup tent the whole while, could barely even sit up straight inside it.) I've always held onto those friends, those stories. Yes, I had a dreamcatcher up for a while in my home, and had one up in our bedroom until recently (until it caught too much dust and was replaced by curtains - it hung on the vacant curtain rod). I just started writing a Book Of Dreams and many of these older times are stirring.

(I do have a Hindu dream mask in my studio, blue and ethereal.)

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Very well done all around. I love the very Stereo feel of this track. It kept me interested from start to finish.

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For songs like this, I really feel frustrated not having a more extended english vocabulary. Well, let me at least tell you that this song is without any doubt one of the very best I've heard from you (and that means a whole lot!). Beautiful, evocative lyrics, sung with passion. Tobin, you have a wonderful voice. Delicate, but always perfectly balanced, as is the choice of instruments. My only little quibble (but I guess this is VERY personal): I'm not a huge fan of mixing nature sounds through any kind of music. In my humble opinion the melody and the instruments tell more than enough here, and they leave this necessary space for the listener's own visualising and personal emotions. A great poem doesn't need an illustration :-)

- Walter

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I love how it starts where it goes and how it ends,
nice guitars, lyrics and harmonies, good going.

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isn't it always special when you can hear a few notes from something and evolve it into places you wouldn't of have imagined? great work on all the vocal mixing. that had to be a chore in its own right. i was just going to listen originally but i heard something here that sparked something just as the original tune hit something in you. so in the back of my mind theres a seed of something developing. not sure what it is yet. thought i'd log in & comment and thank you for the inspiration.

Vic

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What a great sound in that guitar. The moods with the seagulls fits the guitar very well. Your vocals is also very near and blends beautiful into the mix. I find the perc tasteful and could wish to hear a bar or two where it could stand alone.

Another gem from you Tobin!

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...to get to this one Tobin. MAGNIFICO!!! A thing of beauty to be sure. Profound lyrics. Wonderful vocal stylings and delivery. So beautiful...sorry...beginning to ramble...speechless.....

Be well!


JUGGERNAUT: http://www.macjams.com/song/27500

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idea and beautiful song. How well done too.

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I loved the sound of the waves on this song and the Indian flute was a lovely touch. It took me to another place. A place where all my problems had no place. I was swept away. Thank you for sharing your creation.

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