Mobtown Moon studio CD (released May 2013) is a new interpretation of Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon album, co-produced by me and ellen cherry with the participation of 40 outstanding Baltimore-based musicians in rock, jazz, classical, hip-hop and other styles of music.
Our genre-defying version of this classic album highlights the lyrical and melodic beauty of the original, by taking the songs out of their stadium-rock context and reconsidering them from a grown-up, singer-focused perspective. Baltimore CityPaper called it "wildly eclectic yet consistently absorbing," while both CityPaper and Baltimore Magazine awarded it their respective "Best of Baltimore" honors. The CD has received coverage in many music blogs and we’ve been interviewed by several Internet and terrestrial radio stations around the nation. So far, we have been overwhelmed and grateful for the positive response to our venture.
We're especially proud that we were able to create a beautiful, unique, meaningful music product that stands out in today's overcrowded marketplace--while showcasing the tremendous talents of our friends and colleagues here in Charm City. Already, this project has spawned all sorts of new partnerships and creative ideas. Watch out, Baltimore--the Mobtown Mooners have plenty more in store for you.
ORIGIN
I conceived the project in 2009 while listening to the original Floyd recording, which remains very moving and relevant four decades after its release. 2009 was a dark time in the country: we were reeling from the aftershocks of a global market meltdown and the beginning of an endless recession; we were still at war, still paranoid, still so at odds with each other politically, still in denial about things like growing income inequality and potentially catastrophic global climate change.
Personally, I was feeling the weight of unhappy current events, and also suffering my own private confusions, as the work I used to do to make a living (freelance journalism) disappeared almost overnight, as my second career in music seemed destined to falter, and as my overall purpose in life seemed to shrink.
Listening at this time to Dark Side was a source of comfort and connection. It reminded me that every era of human history has been dark, has been filled with war and want, one way or another. (Oddly enough, this kind of profound pessimism helps keep me from growing too depressed over any particular complications of the current day....)
MUSICAL MISSION
As a jazz person, my inclination was to take this beautiful, sometimes sad, sometimes angry music and respond to it with meaning, in the same way that master jazz composers responded to Tin Pan Alley favorites or great European classical composers responded to the folk songs of their childhood: by revisiting, reinterpreting, and reinventing.
What I also wanted to do was avoid the traditional “tribute” album that simply recreates the original songs in the same form but with different players. There are already way too many Pink Floyd cover bands in existence and I have no interest in that kind of shallow mimicry.
I already had a demonstrated knack for making interesting arrangements (such as those on my debut CD, Memoir (2007), but this kind of project was significantly more ambitious and potentially tricky. After all, many millions of people love the original album, which is still a perennial bestseller. To "mess" with these beloved songs was to take some amount of personal and professional risk, for sure--especially because it represented a fairly great leap compared with my earlier work.
COLLABORATIVE EFFORT
In 2010 I spoke about the project with my friend, award-winning singer-songwriter ellen cherry, who immediately loved the idea and met it with a vision of her own: to make a true Baltimore collaboration that demonstrated the depth and breadth of musical talent we have in this town. We created a partnership to make this dual vision happen, and then set to work: making two demo song recordings, fundraising through individual donors and grantmakers, partnering with local nonprofit collaborators (especially the Hearing and Speech Agency and MammoJam), developing a production and promotional timeline (we were determined to release the record in spring 2013, close to the 40th anniversary of the original recording’s release), recruiting and scheduling many busy musicians (which occasionally felt like herding cats), and doing all the executive work required to put together such a massive collaboration.
As chief arranger, I was directly responsible for the arrangement/instrumentation/sonic details of 10 of our 12 tracks, and indirectly for 2 more done in collaboration with the instrumentalists who played on them. (ellen took over the arranging for one track entirely, and she is also fully responsible for art-directing our beautiful album cover and for our entire project “look.” She was also our live show producer, and I'll cover that in more detail in my second Mobtown Moon project space below.)
PERSONAL IMPACT
At times during the past 3 years, I felt I was earning a master’s degree in music production--and I was thrilled to finally regain my sense of purpose. It was difficult to find myself becoming so single-minded about one project: my other goals, such as doing a final draft of the memoir I’d written years earlier, or producing a CD of my recent original songs, went entirely by the wayside, and even my health and family life took a bit of a hit (all recoverable, thankfully).
But Mobtown Moon was deeply engrossing and satisfying in a way that no other work of mine has been. The best thing was to hear the enthusiasm of our participating musicians, who loved the idea and gave so much time and talent to rehearsals and recording sessions.
To be perfectly frank: in terms of public performance and studio time, I am the least experienced of any of the musicians on this recording, by a long shot, with the possible exception of the OrchKids. (Actually, those 9- and 10-year-old children do so much public performing, they’ve probably outstripped me by now.)
But what I lack in experience, I apparently make up for in conceptualization, organization, and multitasking abilities. Indeed, the project has helped me define a role for myself outside of the traditional pathways to musical artistic “success.” Given my late start in music and my commitment to being a present and available parent to my young son, I may never get a chance to tour the country or perform for thousands of strangers or be the opening act for a major regional artist, and that’s OK. I’ve now got sure knowledge of what I am: a person who can come up with a somewhat crazy and rather ambitious idea and figure out how to get it done. I hope to carry the massive confidence-boost I've received from Mobtown Moon with me throughout my life.
That said, my vocals on Great Gig In The Sky and Breathe are probably the finest recordings I’ve done (many thanks go to Ruth Hulett, my vocal coach, and Scott Smith, our Mobtown Moon recording engineer). My piano playing on several of the tracks didn’t turn out too shabby, either.
All in all, I’m deeply proud of this baby, and eternally grateful for all the many people--starting with ellen!--who helped birth it.
MUSICIANS ON THE ALBUM
Andrew Grimm (banjo)
Ben Frock (trumpet)
Brian Gundersdorf (vocals)
Brian Simms (piano, organ, accordion, vocals)
Bryan Young (bassoon)
Christian Stengle (drums)
Craig Alston (saxophone)
Cris Jacobs (vocals, guitar)
Dave Hadley (pedal steel)
David Ross (spoken word)
ellen cherry (vocals, cello, synths)
Eric Kennedy (drums)
Femi the DriFish (spoken word)
Frank Russo (drums)
Jake Leckie (bass)
Jeff Reed (bass)
Jen Smith (cello)
John Thomakos (drums)
Kate Zahradnik (viola)
Katie Graybeal (vocals)
Lea Gilmore (vocals)
Matt Everhart (bass)
Mike Gambone (drums)
Nick Currie (violin)
OrchKids choir (10 students with director Dion Cunningham)
Patrick Klink (vocals)
Russsell Kirk (saxophone)
Sandy Asirvatham (vocals, piano, synth keyboards)
Tim Anderson (cello)
Todd Marcus (clarinet)
Scott Smith (guitars, percussion, recording engineer)
Vincent Stringer (vocals)
Warren Boes (guitar)
Our genre-defying version of this classic album highlights the lyrical and melodic beauty of the original, by taking the songs out of their stadium-rock context and reconsidering them from a grown-up, singer-focused perspective. Baltimore CityPaper called it "wildly eclectic yet consistently absorbing," while both CityPaper and Baltimore Magazine awarded it their respective "Best of Baltimore" honors. The CD has received coverage in many music blogs and we’ve been interviewed by several Internet and terrestrial radio stations around the nation. So far, we have been overwhelmed and grateful for the positive response to our venture.
We're especially proud that we were able to create a beautiful, unique, meaningful music product that stands out in today's overcrowded marketplace--while showcasing the tremendous talents of our friends and colleagues here in Charm City. Already, this project has spawned all sorts of new partnerships and creative ideas. Watch out, Baltimore--the Mobtown Mooners have plenty more in store for you.
ORIGIN
I conceived the project in 2009 while listening to the original Floyd recording, which remains very moving and relevant four decades after its release. 2009 was a dark time in the country: we were reeling from the aftershocks of a global market meltdown and the beginning of an endless recession; we were still at war, still paranoid, still so at odds with each other politically, still in denial about things like growing income inequality and potentially catastrophic global climate change.
Personally, I was feeling the weight of unhappy current events, and also suffering my own private confusions, as the work I used to do to make a living (freelance journalism) disappeared almost overnight, as my second career in music seemed destined to falter, and as my overall purpose in life seemed to shrink.
Listening at this time to Dark Side was a source of comfort and connection. It reminded me that every era of human history has been dark, has been filled with war and want, one way or another. (Oddly enough, this kind of profound pessimism helps keep me from growing too depressed over any particular complications of the current day....)
MUSICAL MISSION
As a jazz person, my inclination was to take this beautiful, sometimes sad, sometimes angry music and respond to it with meaning, in the same way that master jazz composers responded to Tin Pan Alley favorites or great European classical composers responded to the folk songs of their childhood: by revisiting, reinterpreting, and reinventing.
What I also wanted to do was avoid the traditional “tribute” album that simply recreates the original songs in the same form but with different players. There are already way too many Pink Floyd cover bands in existence and I have no interest in that kind of shallow mimicry.
I already had a demonstrated knack for making interesting arrangements (such as those on my debut CD, Memoir (2007), but this kind of project was significantly more ambitious and potentially tricky. After all, many millions of people love the original album, which is still a perennial bestseller. To "mess" with these beloved songs was to take some amount of personal and professional risk, for sure--especially because it represented a fairly great leap compared with my earlier work.
COLLABORATIVE EFFORT
In 2010 I spoke about the project with my friend, award-winning singer-songwriter ellen cherry, who immediately loved the idea and met it with a vision of her own: to make a true Baltimore collaboration that demonstrated the depth and breadth of musical talent we have in this town. We created a partnership to make this dual vision happen, and then set to work: making two demo song recordings, fundraising through individual donors and grantmakers, partnering with local nonprofit collaborators (especially the Hearing and Speech Agency and MammoJam), developing a production and promotional timeline (we were determined to release the record in spring 2013, close to the 40th anniversary of the original recording’s release), recruiting and scheduling many busy musicians (which occasionally felt like herding cats), and doing all the executive work required to put together such a massive collaboration.
As chief arranger, I was directly responsible for the arrangement/instrumentation/sonic details of 10 of our 12 tracks, and indirectly for 2 more done in collaboration with the instrumentalists who played on them. (ellen took over the arranging for one track entirely, and she is also fully responsible for art-directing our beautiful album cover and for our entire project “look.” She was also our live show producer, and I'll cover that in more detail in my second Mobtown Moon project space below.)
PERSONAL IMPACT
At times during the past 3 years, I felt I was earning a master’s degree in music production--and I was thrilled to finally regain my sense of purpose. It was difficult to find myself becoming so single-minded about one project: my other goals, such as doing a final draft of the memoir I’d written years earlier, or producing a CD of my recent original songs, went entirely by the wayside, and even my health and family life took a bit of a hit (all recoverable, thankfully).
But Mobtown Moon was deeply engrossing and satisfying in a way that no other work of mine has been. The best thing was to hear the enthusiasm of our participating musicians, who loved the idea and gave so much time and talent to rehearsals and recording sessions.
To be perfectly frank: in terms of public performance and studio time, I am the least experienced of any of the musicians on this recording, by a long shot, with the possible exception of the OrchKids. (Actually, those 9- and 10-year-old children do so much public performing, they’ve probably outstripped me by now.)
But what I lack in experience, I apparently make up for in conceptualization, organization, and multitasking abilities. Indeed, the project has helped me define a role for myself outside of the traditional pathways to musical artistic “success.” Given my late start in music and my commitment to being a present and available parent to my young son, I may never get a chance to tour the country or perform for thousands of strangers or be the opening act for a major regional artist, and that’s OK. I’ve now got sure knowledge of what I am: a person who can come up with a somewhat crazy and rather ambitious idea and figure out how to get it done. I hope to carry the massive confidence-boost I've received from Mobtown Moon with me throughout my life.
That said, my vocals on Great Gig In The Sky and Breathe are probably the finest recordings I’ve done (many thanks go to Ruth Hulett, my vocal coach, and Scott Smith, our Mobtown Moon recording engineer). My piano playing on several of the tracks didn’t turn out too shabby, either.
All in all, I’m deeply proud of this baby, and eternally grateful for all the many people--starting with ellen!--who helped birth it.
MUSICIANS ON THE ALBUM
Andrew Grimm (banjo)
Ben Frock (trumpet)
Brian Gundersdorf (vocals)
Brian Simms (piano, organ, accordion, vocals)
Bryan Young (bassoon)
Christian Stengle (drums)
Craig Alston (saxophone)
Cris Jacobs (vocals, guitar)
Dave Hadley (pedal steel)
David Ross (spoken word)
ellen cherry (vocals, cello, synths)
Eric Kennedy (drums)
Femi the DriFish (spoken word)
Frank Russo (drums)
Jake Leckie (bass)
Jeff Reed (bass)
Jen Smith (cello)
John Thomakos (drums)
Kate Zahradnik (viola)
Katie Graybeal (vocals)
Lea Gilmore (vocals)
Matt Everhart (bass)
Mike Gambone (drums)
Nick Currie (violin)
OrchKids choir (10 students with director Dion Cunningham)
Patrick Klink (vocals)
Russsell Kirk (saxophone)
Sandy Asirvatham (vocals, piano, synth keyboards)
Tim Anderson (cello)
Todd Marcus (clarinet)
Scott Smith (guitars, percussion, recording engineer)
Vincent Stringer (vocals)
Warren Boes (guitar)
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Eclipse, arranged by Sandy AsirvathamOrchKids, We're About 9, and an arrangement that owes perhaps a little bit to my youthful experiences in musical theater.....
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Brain Damage, arr. S. AsirvathamThe great Lea Gilmore, backed by We're About 9 vocal trio on harmonies. I spent a day listening to different gospel pianists and singers to come up with that little piano lick that kicks things off. As for the extended coda on "Lunatic....ha ha ha ha"--don't ask me where that idea came from. Some lucky moment of inspiration....
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Any Colour You Like, arr. S. AsirvathamI knew I wanted to involve Todd Marcus, bass clarinetist and composer, in this project. I went to go hear him with his quintet and although they had a pianist on the gig, they played one song that was "chordless" (i.e. only bass, drums, and horns). It made me think of Ornette Coleman's great chordless bands, how open and freewheeling they could be. So I took this track, which in the original is an electronics/guitar jam, and "reduced" it to very simple melodic elements. I got Russell Kirk on sax along with Todd to play the melody as a kind of hopscotch. Jeff Reed on bass and Eric Kennedy were recruited. The quartet recorded this three or four times LIVE in a single-room studio, and they are such consummate musicians we were able to keep one of their takes in its entirety without any kind of studio cut-and-pasting. A really fun improvisational vehicle.
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Dream/CounterfeitBaltimore's hip-hop tradition is represented by this commissioned piece featuring spoken word artists The 5th L (David Ross and Femi the DriFish). I had a lot of fun coming up with a danceable groove idea, executed beautifully by Mike Gambone, Jake Leckie, and Cris Jacobs, along with me banging away improvisationally on the keyboard. It was fun to get loud for a change.....
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Money, arranged by Sandy Asirvatham WITH Mike Gambone, Jake Leckie, and Cris JacobsThe guys in the band--Mike Gambone on drums, Jake Leckie on bass, and Cris Jacobs on guitar and vocals--played a significant role in shaping this arrangement, although I always knew it would be perfect for Cris' voice and I was so happy to be able to recruit him after hearing that his band, The Bridge, was retiring from the tour circuit. The original tune is in 7/4; we messed with that a little bit by combining the idea of 7 with a straight 4/4 blues concept. The result is a tricky 15-beat pattern it took us a little time to practice and solidify. By now it's second nature for us to play it, but we defy anyone to try to dance to it.
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The Great Gig In The Sky, arr. S. AsirvathamYou know the way other little girls dream of their wedding days? That's how I dreamed of one day singing this song. To approach this terribly unapproachable track, I started by reinterpreting Richard Wright's melancholy piano intro as a string/bassoon outing. (This one minute of music took me about 3 months to write and edit until I was happy with it....). The idea was to quicken the pace up front to contrast with the slow-jam of the main song body. The original Floyd version has Clare Torry singing all out, balls-to-the-wall, if you will. It's a true rock anthem, and of course I love it, but I wanted to approach it from my own much mellower vocal capacity. I also liked the idea of starting low, slow, and quiet, then building to a climax, and THEN--instead of continuing to be the lead sound--letting my vocals be "overtaken" by Warren Boes' wailing guitar.
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Time, arr. by Brian Simms, Matt Everhart, Christian Stengle, Warren Boes, ellen cherry, and Sandy AsirvathamThis one was primarily and very beautifully arranged by Brian Simms, Matt Everhart, Christian Stengle, and Warren Boes of The Speakers of the House, and ellen worked out some nice vocal harmonies for Brian's lines, but I'll just take a small bit of credit for being the crazy person who insisted on putting Brian's rock vocals in the same track again with Vincent Stringer's operatic finish in the "breathe reprise" section. I love mixing things up this way....
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Breathe, arranged by Sandy AsirvathamOne musical goal of this project was to inject new rhythmic attitude into these songs, as in this jazz-pop treatment. Dual vocals by me and ellen highlight the bittersweet lytircs. We recorded this in April 2011 as a demo for fundraising purposes, but it turned out so well we had to keep it. The wistful accordion licks, played by Brian Simms, are my nod to one of my great composer heroines, Maria Schneider, who uses the instrument beautifully in her large jazz-orchestral compositions. vocals-Sandy Asirvatham & ellen cherry piano-Sandy Asirvatham trumpet-Ben Frock accordion-Brian Simms guitar-Scott Smith drums-Frank Russo bass-Jeff Reed bg voices-Brian Simms and Vincent Stringer
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Breathe (chant version) arr. Sandy AsirvathamIn this Gregorian chant-style invocation, opera singer Vincent Stringer holds down bass and baritone parts, while tenor parts are handled by rock/pop vocalist Brian Simms. The vast difference in their respective musical genres indicates things to come. The arrangement owes its sound to my 1990s experience singing early European church music with composer Toby Twining, who did a semester course at UMBC that I signed up for. For me, this opening was meant to cast the entire album as a kind of secular service for those who "worship" the original.
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The City Speaks by S. AsirvathamMobtown Moon opens with a sonic collage I created using "found sounds" from the Baltimore Soundscape Project coordinated by the Hearing and Speech Agency. Baltimore's industrial side is captured in the whirr of a hydraulic lift, the quick pulse of a ratchet, and the grinding of a garbage boat in the harbor. Maryland Zoo trainer Mike McClure urges elephant Samson to "Speak!" A school pep rally goes into full swing and a raven caws.
