Sometimes, It's About The Jar

12.1.08

Tonight, at 12:47am, my concrete floors conspired with Grant's Scotch whiskey to claim the life of my trusty whisky glass.

I reclaimed that glass from a falling-down barn behind the Washington Hotel during my first summer there. I found it holding rusty and fouled spark plugs, clearly the organizational method of someone like myself. Later that evening, around a communal table in the house I shared with the Eastern European workers of the hotel, I poured a tall slug of Jim Beam rye into that jar, to the mixed delight and horror of those around me. One, they didn't understand the drinking of straight whisky, and two, it reminded them of a Metallica song called, appropriately, 'Whiskey In The Jar.' The reference escaped me until they brought it up.

Of course, most any vessel will do the job when it comes to the task of conveying whisky into my head. But that jar was special. It had tradition. History. Meaning.

To me, that jar was a I-IV-V chord structure: solid. Dependable. I knew the form of the song I was listening to, but the content was always different. And even though a jar is a jar is a jar, it had its particular nuances that I learned over the years with it.

I'm going to miss it.

But I'll find another one. It won't be the same, but it will be good.

Another Piece of the Stanley Story Fades into Legend: Les Paul Dies at age 94

The trailblazing guitar player, songwriter, innovator and inventor Les Paul died today at age 94. He leaves a legacy of music behind: instrumental in the development of early electric guitars, and an early adopter and innovator of multitrack recording, his influence on rock and roll - and recorded music in general - can still be heard today.

But, other people will cover this portion of his life better than myself. I have a tenuous connection to Mr. Paul that I had only begun to explore a couple weeks before. Clyde Stanley, the man who hand built a guitar he later gave to my grandfather, and which I inherited, is said to have hosted Les Paul in his home for informal jam sessions. Clyde's daughter, Muriel, has told me that she remembers Les visiting the house to play guitar with Clyde on more than one occasion, and being joined by Mary Ford at least once. Having just heard about this possible connection, I had been planning a trip to New York to meet Les at one of his weekly gigs at the Iridium, to ask him if he could shed any light on story, and if he had any direct knowledge of the guitar I have. With his death, it looks like another part of the legacy of the infamous Clyde Stanley will fade into legend.

The solidbody, handbuilt Stanley guitar that I have was clearly influenced by Les Paul's eponymous Gibson guitar. Most obviously, the Stanley's body shape recalls the Gibson's - which is itself an echo of archtop acoustic guitars - with a twist found in the Stanley's small cutaway on the bass side of the body at the neck. The Stanley also differs from the Gibson in that the Stanley has a flat top, as opposed to the Gibson's carved, arched top. (Gibson later offered a flat top Les Paul in the Junior model beginning in 1954. I have been unable to establish a build date for the Stanley.) Other similarities include the solid mahogany construction (although the Stanley eschews the Gibson's maple cap for a one piece slab of mahogany for the entire body), set neck joint, and trapeze tailpiece similar to the original Gold Top Les Paul.

I had the pleasure of recording with the Stanley on Trigger 5's record Heartbreak and Regret. The two solos on 'The Sangria Isn't Strong Enough' were played on the Stanley, though a Smokey Amp - an amplifier self-contained in a pack of cigarettes. Marlboro reds, in this case. The Stanley's thick hunk of a neck takes a little getting used to, but the tone from the single neck-mounted DeArmond pickup is pure hot, vintage tone that's unattainable with anything newer than 40 years old.

It's a joy to play and an honor to own - made even more special knowing that none other than Les Paul may have had a direct and personal influence on its construction.

"Heartbreak and Regret" will be released at our party on 8.21.09 - Will you be there?

Well, it's done.

After months of work on rewrites, rehearsals, recording, mixing, mastering, duplication, design, printing, cutting, folding and stuffing, I have a box of finished copies of Heartbreak and Regret on my shelf, ready to go out to press, to radio stations, and ultimately, into the hands of country music lovers.

We've worked our collective butts off on this project, but we weren't alone. In the interest of giving credit where it's due...

Thanks foremost to Peter Dycus of Shine Studio, who put in a lot of long nights getting these songs recorded and mixed - and putting up with us and our seven different opinions. I think it was a pretty different experience within the walls of Shine, recording a country band - mainly live - but he adapted to our needs and requests seamlessly. The man does fine work, and we're all over the moon with the way it sounds. Thanks a lot, Peter.

Charlie Smith is the man behind Trim Industries, and the overall print image of Trigger 5. He's been doing posters for us for a long time - actually longer than I've been with the band - and they never cease to impress. His design for the CD sleeve and insert is no different. He captured our classic simplicity just perfectly with this design. Good work, man.

Last but certainly not least, big thanks to my good friend Kirsten O'Loughlin of Sensura Studio. She got us first thinking about the sleeve design (and pointed us in the direction of these fantastic Arigato Packs from Stumptown Printers), and made Charlie's design a working reality. She kept Mike and me in line - and our fingers thankfully unsquished, - during the letterpress process. That's right, these things are printed the old fashioned way, and we've had our grimy paws on every one of them, so bring your hand sanitizer. We couldn't be happier with the way they turned out. Thanks Kirsten (and Jason)! You're awesome.

Folks, if you need design, branding, printing, sound recording or unique artwork done, you'd do well to look up these fine (young, handsome, charming, well-mannered, well-dressed) folks. They've done right by us, and their dedication to their craft pushed them all to go above and beyond on more than one occasion. I hold this beautiful piece of work in my hand thanks to their efforts.

Of course, I would be remiss if I didn't personally extend my thanks to my lovely girlfriend and my unflaggingly supportive family (Trigger 5's biggest fans?). You guys helped me do this in more ways than you realize. Thanks. I love you.

And the band! I didn't realize when Greg brought me to that first rehearsal (thanks, Greg!) that I'd be working with such a talented group of people. We've really made something to be proud of here, 5ers. I can't thank you enough for letting me be a part of it. Yeah, on August 21st the world will officially get to hear the fruits of our labor. But even if nobody heard this but us, I'd still feel like we accomplished something with this record. Thanks, guys.

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Our release show is at the Fox Hole at the Atomic Cowboy in the Grove on 8.21. Doors at 7, show at 8. We'll be performing this album in its entirety, live, that night. The album will soon be available on iTunes and in our online store, so you'll have plenty of opportunities to check it out.