in 1996, i was introduced to an album that changed both what i listened to & how i listened: eno’s 1975 breakthrough another green world. although this album led me into eno’s later ambient projects, the stand-out track for me was the more teleological composition, “st. elmo’s fire“. this is not to be confused with the theme song from the 1985 film, st. elmo’s fire, which was, up to that point, my only frame of reference.

that album & that song influenced both the music i like & listen to, and the music i write & record, which has come now to include “st. elmo’s fire“. unlike many songs yearlongday has covered (including eno’s “julie with…“), we tried to stay somewhat close to eno’s original version. for example, the duration of our version (3:06) is very close to eno’s version (3:02). also, we tried to remain consistent with timbre of eno’s original instrumentation & voicing… to the best-yet-humblest of our abilities.

where robert fripp came in with a “wimshurst guitar“, YLD stage-almumnus dave parkhurst offers listeners an “icehurst” guitar for his debut studio recording with yearlongday. dave and i discussed covering this song in august 2011 (15 years after my first listening), but didn’t get into the studio until late october. in november, leah l’orange contributed her vocal harmonies, and this week, i am pleased to offer a rough demo of brian eno’s “st. elmo’s fire“!

http://www.myspace.com/yearlongday

i’ve played bars, but i wouldn’t categorize yearlongday as a ‘bar band‘. it requires a different kind of artistry to be a successful ‘bar band’… a band that not only performs its repertoire with rote expertise, but also conjures energy from the audience seemingly out of thin (or thick) air. that’s not yearlongday… we lack the aesthetic for mimicry that entails our set list be transformed into a checklist of cliches. just to illustrate the point, i recently (2009) noted what a local band played in a very popular franchise bar:

i’m yours (jason mraz)

crazy little thing called love (queen)

lovesong (the cure)

if i fell (the beatles)

kiss (prince)

let’s get it on (marvin gaye)

all the small things (blink 182)

billie jean (michael jackson)

i saw her standing there (the beatles)

folsom prison blues (johnny cash)

… sugar ray, and more.

new yearlongday demo available:

“like lennon”

tentative track list for the “best of jonathan t marlowe & yearlongday” album. the album will span 2000-2010 as a companion to the forthcoming biography, smothered by the silence. at the moment, no album art.

1. my formula (from humans)

2. believe (from humans)

3. nobody hurt without an excuse (from humans, 2000)

4. sally (from humans)

5. set me free (from modern moments)

6. my life / walking in my sleep (from modern moments)

7. today will never end (from restoring utopia)

8. love (from restoring utopia)

9. simple (from best excuses)

10. the odds are against me (from best excuses)

11. best excuses (from best excuses)

far be it from me to build mountains from molehills, but 2011 is showing potential to be another epic year for jonathan t marlowe & co. consider the evidence…

- march: my first album, “humans” is restored and expanded to 29 songs, including 14 bonus tracks of rare, previously unreleased material & new, decade-anniversary mixes.

- may: released 5 new songs… “get me back to nola”, “edgar cacye”, “just because”, “today will never end (edit)”, and a cover of rod stewart’s “maggie may”.

- june: collaborating with john shaughnessy on new music, and beginning yearlongday’s biography smothered by the silence.

- july & august: recording the next album!

once your standards fall low enough to actually read this blog, you may notice that gigs are not in the picture. that’s because we’re focusing on our strengths and likes; i feel that yearlongday is better represented by our studio recordings than our live performances, so expect more from us in that aspect. not only do we find empowerment, we also find enjoyment in the countless hours spent recording, editing, mixing, and releasing from our home studio. i’m not saying you won’t see us in local music venues… i’m saying you’ll only find us booked after much persuasion.

lotta love on y’all!

… jonathan t marlowe

i had my head in the clouds, my feet were stuck in the mud.

i’m going back there, ’cause my work isn’t done.

[chorus] get me back to nola, get me back to nola.

get me back to nola, let me do my damn thing!

went down to nola with my shoes on my feet.

got down to nola, put shoes on the street.

in the big easy, where i almost got beat for a buck.

[repeat chorus]

going back to nola, gonna find an honest man.

when i catch up to him, i’m gonna shake his hand;

look him right in the eye, and tell him who i am after all.

[repeat chorus]

copyright 2011 jonathan t marlowe

the new song is more on the blues/rock side than i am comfortble with, but it made sense at the time. it was a written, arranged, recorded, edited, & mixed in about 3 days. yet mastered, there are a few more adjustments i want to make before i call it ‘done’.

john shaugnessy and i have been co-authoring lyrics since autumn 2010, and each day we get closer to completion. eventually, i’d like john to visit my home studio to records vocals, but transitioning from the old set-up to the new system has taken a back seat over the past few months.

the new song runs about 3 minutes. bass, synth, keys & xylophone are mixed. vocals, guitar, drums, and “sound effects” remain in-progress. i expect a rough-mix to be available sometime this may, and the finished version by june.

it’s open season for booking, but don’t look for yearlongday to resume where we departed in august. currently, i’m booking & performing solo as jonathan t marlowe; in fact, the next single (and tentatively the next album) will be released by jonathan t marlowe… not yearlongday. but look & listen for appearances by leah l’orange, john shaughnessy, and many others.

love on ya!

… jonathan t marlowe

on march 8, humans: expanded edition became commercially available on compact disc. although it was the last of  the pre-yearlongday trilogy to be restored, humans was my very first attempt at producing an original demo album. the new “expanded edition” includes the original 15-song demo album and 14 bonus tracks of rare, previously unreleased demos, remixes, out-takes, rehearsals, and recent mixes from the 2010 decade anniversary of humans.

the fulfillment of the archive restoration project means that all three of the pre-yearlongday albums (humans, modern moments, & restoring utopia) are now available on compact disc. it also means that more attention & energy can be focused on the next album!

love on ya!

… jonathan t marlowe