NOTES
KING ROPES, Go Back Where They Came From
We recorded these songs in 2019, in three separate sessions, in two studios: one in Tacoma and one in Brooklyn. Each session was scheduled as a break for a few days while on tour. We brought the tracks back home to Bozeman to overdub, add stuff, fix vocals, and mix. On a little Pacific Northwest tour in March we stopped in for two days at Uptone Recorders in Tacoma, a great little vibey studio full of a bunch of vintage gear from the 50’s through the 70‘s, (including Motown’s mid 60’s console), run by Hunter Lea and Rick King. (Rick also owns Guitar Maniacs in Tacoma). Those guy captured some great sounds. In two days we tracked Eisler On The Go, King Of The Road, and Neighbourhood #4 (7 Kettles). We were itching to get into the studio and this seemed like a cool spot. We went in without a whole lot of expectations, seeing what would happen. Dave had been messing with the idea of a covers record for while and this seemed like a great place to start.
We were all pretty stoked with how these were sounding, even with super rough mixes. We finished the tour and Dave took the tracks into Chuck Goodwin at Sinik Sounds in Bozeman to start working on mixes.
We were back in Tacoma in July and booked another 3 days at Uptone and knocked out Tall Trees, Take Me To The River, Drugs, Rocket Man, Bloody Mary Morning, and Transcendental Blues. Both of these sessions had a nice laid back casual feel. We came in with a pretty good framework for what we were trying to get down in terms of the song structures, but a loose attitude toward playing with different sounds and tones and instrumentation. Uptone is like a candy store in terms of all the amazing old gear they have. Tons of old keyboards, synths, drum machines, you name it. Aaron started messing with some vibes and put down some amazing stuff on Drugs. None of us had any idea he could play vibes. Same with Keith playing around with a standup bass, and just making some great sounds we wouldn’t have gotten somewhere else. We just had a ton of fun in there.
Back to Bozeman to really dig into these 9 tracks with Chuck Goodwin at Sinik Sounds. There was a lot to wade through, but we didn’t have any deadline. Dave and Chuck would get together a couple times a week and work on whatever presented itself; adding vocals, guitar or synth stuff. Editing. Whatever. In August Sam was up in Brooklyn from New Orleans and went into record with Konrad Meisner. Any of the strings you hear on this record are Sam’s cello (on Tall Trees, Take Me To The River, Drugs, Rocket Man, Eisler On The Go, Bloody Mary Morning, Neighbourhood #4 (7 Kettles)).
This was starting to feel like a record, but not quite a finished record. We were on a five week tour to the East Coast in Oct/November and a couple dates fell through. We were going to be in Brooklyn anyway, where Dave had lived for years. We shuffled some stuff around around and booked three days with Konrad Meisner, (who had tracked about half our album Dirt, and has toured with us quite a bit over the years playing drums). We recorded The Danger Zone, Girls Like Us, and Song For The Man in two days. And had the third day to just mess around and hang in the studio with Konrad.
Back in Bozeman Dave and Chuck kept at it. Lucy met up with Konrad in Brooklyn and put down Trombone stuff which added a little magic to Girls Like Us, Song For The Man, The Danger Zone. And there you have it.
RECORDING:
Hunter Lea & Wendell Ratliff Uptone Recorders, Tacoma, WA
Konrad Meissner KM Studios, Brooklyn, NY
Chuck Goodwin Sinik Sounds, Bozeman, MT
MIXING AND MASTERING:
Chuck Goodwin Sinik Sounds, Bozeman, MT
MUSICIANS:
Dave Hollier Vocals, Guitars, Synths
Ben Roth Guitars, Keyboards, Bass (Take Me To The River)
Jeff Jensen Drums
Keith Martinez Bass
Aaron Banfield Bass, Guitars
Sam Hollier Cello (Tall Trees, Drugs, Rocket Man, Eisler OnThe Go, Bloody Mary Morning, Neighbourhood #4 (7 Kettles))
Lucy Hollier Trombone (Girls Like Us, Song For The Man, The Danger Zone)
LYRICS
Tall Trees
Original recording, Matt Mays, El Torpedo, on the album Matt Mays & El Torpedo, 2005
Written by Matt Mays
young leaf from a tree that was sown
200 years in the ground
tall trees hanging over the road
feels like they’re staring me down
it’s in the way that they sway
it’s the feeling I get
they just don’t want me around
tall trees hanging over the road
feels like they’re staring me down
who’s going to love you when I’m gone
said the leaf to the limb
I’ll get over you in while
find somebody new come the spring
when the sun melts the snow
and the water runs down to where the warm river flows
can I lay with you Jesse in the grass tonight and watch it grow
think of the way things might have been
take a ride downtown
tall trees hanging over the road
feels like they’re staring me down
Take Me To The River
Original Recording, Al Green, 1974
Written by Al Green and Mabon “Teenie” Hodges
I don’t know why I love you like I do
look at all the changes you put me
used all my money and my cigarettes
I haven’t seen hide nor of you yet
I want’ to know
Won’t you tell me
I’d love to stay
Take me to the river
Washing me down
Won’t you cleanse my soul
Put my feet on the ground
I don’t know shy she treated me so bad
Think of all the things that we could’ve had
Love is a notion I can’t forget
My sweet sixteen I will never regret
I want’ to know
Won’t you tell me
I’d love to stay
Hold me
Love me
Please me
Tease me
Till I Can’t take no more
Take me to the river
I don’t why I love you like I do
after all the changes you put me
you stole my money and my cigarettes
I haven’t seen hide nor of you yet
I want’ to know
Won’t you tell me
I’d love to stay
Drugs
Original recording, Talking Heads, on the album Fear of Music, 1979
Written by David Byrne and Brian Eno
And all I see is little dots
Some are smeared and some are spots
Feels like a murder but that's alright
Somebody said there's too much light
Pull down the shade and it's alright
It'll be over in a minute or two.
I'm charged up don't put me down
Don't feel like talking don't mess around
I feel mean I feel okay
I'm charged up electricity
The boys are making a big mess
This makes the girls all start to laugh
I don't know what they're talking about
The boys are worried, the girls are shocked
They pick the sound and let it drop
Nobody know what they're talking about
I'm charged up I'm kinda wooden
I'm barely moving I study motion
I study myself I fooled myself
I'm charged up it's pretty intense
I'm charged up don't put me down
Don't feel like talking don't mess around
I feel mean I feel okay
I'm charged up electricity
Rocket Man
Original recording, Elton John, on the album Honky Chateau, 1972
Written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin
She packed my bags last night pre-flight
Zero hour nine AM
And I'm gonna be high as a kite by then
I miss the earth so much I miss my wife
It's lonely out in space
On such a timeless flight
And I think it's gonna be a long long time
'Till touch down brings me round again to find
I'm not the man they think I am at home
Oh no no no I'm a rocket man
Rocket man burning out his fuse up here alone
And I think it's gonna be a long long time
'Till touch down brings me round again to find
I'm not the man they think I am at home
Oh no no no I'm a rocket man
Rocket man burning out his fuse up here alone
Mars ain't the kind of place to raise your kids
In fact it's cold as hell
And there's no one there to raise them if you did
And all this science I don't understand
It's just my job five days a week
'Till touch down brings me round again to find
I'm not the man they think I am at home
Eisler On The Go
Original Recording: Billy Bragg and Wilco, off the album Mermaid Avenue, 1998
Written by Woodie Guthrie and Billy Bragg
Eisler on the go, Eisler on the move
Brother is on a vinegar truck
and I don't know what 'll do
I don't know what I'll do, I don't know what I'll do
Eisler's on the come and go
and I don't what I'll do
Eisler on the farm, Eisler on the town
Sister in the ticky bush
and I don't know what I'll do
Eisler on the boat, Eisler on the ship
Daddy on the henhouse roof
and I don't know what I'll do
Eisler in the jailoe, Eisler back at home,
Rankin scratch his head and cry
and I don't know what I'll do
Eisler him write music, Eisler him teach school
Truman he don’t play so good
and I don’t know what I’ll do
Girls Like Us
Original Recording: Tandy, off the album To A Friend, 2004
Written by Mike Ferrio
See how long this lasts
Anything could break
And everybody knows
That’s the chance you take
Your hiding place
Now you see it
Now you don’t
Not a trace
You need to be alone
Like every brown eyed flower
That blossoms by the road
Comes up through broken glass
And soil and stone
And what do you learn
And what do you know about that now
You wait your turn
And there’s no going back
You can’t unfry an egg
Or teach a kid a trick
That she don’t want to know
It just don’t stick
But times like these
Can be very good for girls like us
Who don’t believe
You need someone
To trust
Transcendental Blues
Original Recording: Steve Earle, off the album Transcendental Blues, 2000
Written by Steve Earle
In the darkest hour of the longest night
If it was in my power I would step into the light
Candles on the alter, and a penny in your shoe
Walk upon the water transcendental blues
Happy ever after until the day you die
Careful what you ask for, you don't know 'til you try
Hands are in your pockets and you’re staring at your shoes
Wishing you could stop it yeah those transcendental blues
If I had it my way you know, everything would change
Out here on this highway man the rules are still the same
Back roads never carry you where you want 'em to
They leave you standing there with them old transcendental blues
Bloody Mary Morning
Original Recording: Willie Nelson, off the album Both Sides Now, 1970
Written by Willie Nelson
it’s a bloody mary morning
baby Left me without warning
sometime in the night
so I’m flying down to Houston
with forgetting her the nature of my flight
we taxi toward the runway
with the smog and haze reminding me of how I feel
just a country boy who’s learning that
the pitfalls of the city are extremely real
all the nightlife and the parties
and temptations and deceit the order of the day
now it’s a bloody mary morning
cause I’m leaving baby somewhere in LA
our golden jet is airborne
as flight fifty cuts a path across the morning sky
and a voice comes through the speaker reassuring us flight fifty is the way to fly
and a hostess takes our order
coffee tea or something stronger to start off the day
well it’s a bloody mary morning
cause I’m leaving baby somewhere in LA
King Of The Road
Originally recorded by Roger Miller, November 1964
Written by Roger Miller
trailer for sale or rent, rooms to let, fifty cents.
no phone, no pool, no pets, I ain't got no cigarettes
but, two hours of pushin' broom
buys an eight by twelve four-bit room
I'm a man of means by no means, king of the road.
third boxcar, midnight train, destination, Bangor, Maine.
old worn out suit and shoes,
I don't pay no union dues,
I smoke old stogies I have found short, but not too big around
I'm a man of means by no means, king of the road.
I know every engineer on every train
all of their children, and all of their names
and every handout in every town
and every lock that ain't locked, when no one's around.
I sing, trailer for sale or rent, rooms to let, fifty cents
no phone, no pool, no pets, I ain't got no cigarettes
ah but, two hours of pushin' broom
buys an eight by twelve four-bit room
I'm a man of means by no means, king of the road.
Neighbourhood #4 (7 Kettles)
Original recording: Arcade Fire, off the album Funeral, 2004
Written by William Butler, Win Butler, Regine Chassagne, Tim Kingsbury, and Richard R Parry
I am waiting until I don't know when
cause I'm sure it's going to happen then
time keeps creeping through the neighborhood
killing old folks waking up babies just like we knew it would
all the neighbors are starting up a fire
burning all the creepers the witches and the liars
my eyes are covered by the hands of my unborn kids
but my heart keeps watching through the skin of my eyelids
they say a watched pot won't ever boil
well I closed my eyes and nothin' changed
just some water getting hotter in the flames
it's not a lover I want no more
and it's not heaven I'm pining for
but there's some spirit I used to know
that's been drowned out by the radio
they say a watched pot won't ever boil
you can't raise a baby on motor oil
just like a seed down in the soil you gotta give it time
Song For The Man
Original recording: Beastie Boys, off the album Hello Nasty, 1998
Written by Michael Diamond, Adam Horovitz, and Adam Nathaniel Yauch
what makes you feel
why you gotta be
like you’ve got the right
to look her up and down
what makes this world
so sick and evil
I know you don’t know