The Muster Point Project On the Making Of “I Did What I Did”
Can you share any interesting or unique stories or perspectives in "I Did What I Did?"
This song is part of a collaboration with Canadian novelist Geoff Moore, he wrote the lyrics and I took care of the rest. When I first read these lyrics, I thought - man, this guy just doesn't learn! The protagonist in the song seems to be a reckless guy who's the type that acts first and apologizes later. I approached the music with this in mind, it's a little harder sounding than the rest of my work, I even recorded the vocals a little hot to lean into this guy's raw, unabashed approach to life. Instrumentally, it has a bluesy, classic rock sound that jumps into a new wave-sounding chorus. Someone told me it was George Thorogood meets Devo.
Were there any memorable or standout moments during the recording sessions for "I Did What I Did?"
It's been a long time since I've played slide guitar, so there were many, many takes to get the slide sounding just right. The lead guitar was so much fun on this track, every take I did something different - it was a jam tune right up to the final take. My producer removed a big chunk of my lead guitar to let the drums cut through before jumping into the last verse - such a terrific choice, the thundering drums at the break sound amazing.
What did you enjoy most about making this track?
This is a guitar song, 100%. Working on the different layers of guitar tracks was a lot of fun. I wanted it to sound raw, but still hear the crispness of each of the three guitars. This track was played mostly on my Telecaster with the slide being done on a cheap department store guitar I bought for my kids.
Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how you got started in music?
I've played guitar since 1984 with a brief stint in a metal cover band in the late 80's. I love playing hard rock on the guitar, but my musical tastes are all over the map. I love blues music, folk music, and a mix of just about anything else. My guitar of choice is a 1990 Fender Telecaster, which was played and signed by Albert Collins. Like any guitar player, I have other guitars, more than a few. I also play mandolin, ukulele, bass, piano, and the vibraslap... you'll hear an assortment of these instruments in all my songs.
How do you approach collaborations with other musicians and maintain creative synergy?
I've just wrapped up a collaboration with an author, his contribution of lyrics on our 5 song EP was nothing short of amazing - such terrific storytelling. I've always admired the songwriters who tell stories so well, working with Geoff Moore took my songs to another level lyrically. The project was energizing and fuelled more than a few good ideas, a lot of which you'll hear in the 5 songs, and some of it you'll hear in my songs to come.