28 Days of Rock

the last day

rory- isn't it time we quit?
aidan- winter part 2
chris- my voice yet (rory lucey cover)
jon- 28 days later
trevor- coming soon!
raison- the end
]]> rory- isn't it time we quit?- "thanks to everyone who rocked along with this beast. it's been really cool to watch it grow into a super beast. and in the words of karen carpenter, 'we've only just begun'."
aidan- winter part 2- "in rochester, some things never end. keep on rocking."
chris- my voice yet (rory lucey cover)-"This seemed the perfect cover with which to round off the month. Love to DJ J Heffrock for producing this one! The stripped pop-punk sound of this recording is pretty much what I always wished I could be doing as I was learning how to play guitar, banging out Billy Bragg covers when I thought no one else was looking. So I hope you like it, Rory."
jon- 28 days later- "Tonight's track is called "28 Days Later" (I'm crossing my fingers and hoping no one else thought to use that... (how potentially embarassing!) I wanted to write something that brought closure to this whole thing. Maybe this works, maybe it doesn't. Either way... it'll be good to get back to terra firma after this musical trip to the moon. I'm tired right now, I think I'm getting sick... and I have to wake up in 5 hours... but I'm happy because (as the proclaimers say) "so'er n dun weh.""
trevor- it should be here any minute...
raison- the end- "Let the ROCK rock you hard until you can rock no longer. This month certainly rocked me out and now it's time to sleep for a month! But not before I end my 28 days with this baby."

day #28

rory- worried for my welfare
aidan- counterfeit dream
chris- we're gonna burn this f***** down
jon- my stingy neighbor
trevor- the urge
raison- lullaby
]]> rory- worried for my welfare- "this week a measure to unionize one of Wal-Mart's auto-centers failed. so i wrote a song."
aidan- counterfeit dream- "am i going crazy? the verdict is in! it's a brand new wig!"
chris- we're gonna burn this f***** down- i know chris gave me a blurb, but i lost it. it did, however, contain a naughty word, so maybe it's for the best. i also told chris i wouldn't edit his title. guess who's full of lies!
jon- my stingy neighbor- "This song is possibly even stupider than my last one. I had a serious mental cramp. I had never seen Dr. Zhivago at all before tonight... (I watched half of it with my dad) For some reason, I always assumed it was about some mad scientist... little did I know... Anyway. This is about what would happen if he was my neighbor and I still thought he was a mad scientist. I would ask him questions about his inventions and stuff. But he wouldn't know what to say. But I would take it the wrong way and think that he was being reclusive and unneighborly... (unneighborly? eh, whatever)!"
trevor- the urge- took us long enough. sorry about that.
raison- lullaby- "Something nice and soft."

day #27

rory- untitled
aidan- the gates
chris- spaceman
jon- febrewary
trevor- danny carey f!@#$%&* rocks
raison- groovin 2
]]> rory- untitled- "these are some things on my mind these days. i have mixed feelings heading home this summer. i want to do something else, but i don't kown what that something is. anyways, it was recorded while billy (my roommate) tried to sleep, so any mattress sounds or loud exhalings are him. though i think they add to the full effect."
aidan- the gates- "this song is all true, and i owe a lot of it to lizzie, who helped me write the song, record the song, and get a ticket that i could sing about. thanks."
chris- spaceman-"This song is based on the idea that, in order to be a great rock'n'roll band, you have to write a song about how lonely it gets up in space. Someday, I would like to write a song like that, but I have to wait until it feels right. In the meantime, I wrote a song about writing a song about that."
jon- febrewary- "My song tonight is a slow-roasted slow-jam. It goes out to all the ladies in the world. Many thanks to Steve Sneddon for this one. Couldn't-a done it without you, buddy!"
trevor-danny carey f!@#$%&* rocks- "I met Danny Carey yesterday. If you don't know who Danny Carey is, you rock just a little bit less."
raison- groovin 2- "Not sure what this one makes me think of. I just had fun with the chord progression."

day #26

rory- growing up
aidan- come with me
chris- fatigue sets in
jon- i don't need your bread (jon davies cover)
trevor- robot olympics (aidan lucey cover)
raison- progress
]]> rory- growing up- "maybe just when i record them they get more drab, but, in any case, that's what happens again here. enjoy."
aidan- come with me- "i'd like to thank harmony button for helping out on the drums tonight. what the world needs now is drums. more drums."
chris- fatigue sets in-"this month is growing long. Hopefully, with some weekend free time, I'll be able to find a second wind over the next few days."
jon- i don't need your bread (jon davies cover)- "My song tonight is kind of a cover. I guess... I wrote and recorded a version of it about 5 years ago when I lived with my mom in Edmonds, WA. (This is a new version) During one of the best springtimes of my life, I used to walk aimlessly around the town by myself, listening to my walkman, daydreaming and mostly just looking around. This song was partially based on a true story from that period of time. Guess for yourself which parts are true."
trevor-robot olympics (aidan lucey cover)- "A different take on one of Aidan's best."
raison- progress- "A nice short piano song. Wish I had more time to flesh it out more."

day #25

rory- i think we're losing
aidan- this might be
chris- never forget the streets
jon- where's the generation?
trevor- you need help
raison- breathe in
]]> rory- i think we're losing- "i've decided I'm better writing songs about dejection. what's great is half the time I don't even mean to. tonight's song started out as something more uplifting that turned into this mess about ruin.'"
aidan- fantabulous time journey part 2- "i don't know what this is or what it's about. all I know is that i pity the man who tries to record in garageband in anything other than 4/4 time. also, i have no idea what that means."
chris- never forget the streets-"Here's another old acoustic demo from Bayonet UK. Listen for Mick Jagger (no relation) conversing with the recordist, at the end of the track. His confidence that the track "doesn't need any more singin" does little to assuage the listener's sense that this one is a bit thin..."
jon- where's the generation?- "i always wonder about the generations of pop music... specifically rock n roll. looking back at the 50s, 60s, 70s, and 80s, I think fondly of all the legendary rockers and how they carved their name into the great guitar of history through all their ingenuity, commitment and character... but in terms of POP pop music, everything since the mid-eighties leaves me relatively cold. is it just because i grew up in the 90s and experienced all these miserable hacks first hand... or did MTV *actually* ruin pop music? maybe all the historically great musicians of the last 20 years got rightfully fed up with the overexposure and sought logical solitude in the underground... i still don't know. there's probably some piece of key information that would prove me right or wrong here... but this is a blurb and i don't have enough time to figure it out. all's i know is that the who was a great band... so was the jam, so were the police... and so on. this is my musical/lyrical homage to groups of that ilk."
trevor-you need help- "Or maybe I need help."
raison- breathe in- "Long live Solace! The greatest band that never happened!"

day #24

rory- fantabulous time journey part 1
aidan- fantabulous time journey part 2
chris- matydale
jon- locked out
trevor- my walk around the block
raison- jupiter is falling
]]> rory- fantabulous time journey part 1- "aidan said 'kajagoogoo'
rory said 'headbands'
they both said 'kick it'"
aidan- fantabulous time journey part 2- see above, punkers.
chris- matydale-"There comes a time in a young man's life when he says "this song needs a whistle solo." For me, that time came tonight. This is especially humorous considering that this song was originally written for We The People, our political post-oi band from Syracuse a few years back."
jon- locked out- "Almost immediately after Thom and Mick announced their hatred for the "New Wave", Bayonet fans everywhere began to notice the band's shift toward that particular sound. "Locked Out" is off of Bayonet U.K.'s 1986 EP entitled "The Walls Come Down"."
trevor-my walk around the block- "this is what happens when you have no ideas."
raison- jupiter is falling- "I wanted to do something techno today cause well... I just didn't want to play guitar. I started writing something kind of spacey so I decided to name the song after the descending motion in the melody and the spacey feel."

day #23

rory- songs of victory
aidan- robot olympics
chris- jerseyman
jon- new wave grave
trevor- untitled #2 (3/4)
raison- random memories
]]> rory- songs of victory- "When all else fails, return to the pop that made you a star. Aid and I were talking yesterday about songs that achieve granduer without being pompous or overblown, songs that have a message of uplift that are earnest and never cloying, and I think that's what I'm after a lot these days."
aidan- robot olympics- "i had a song and i saved over it somehow, so i scrambled. what do in a pinch? write what you know. of course."
chris- jerseyman- "here's a bit of Hoboken civic pride for ya'll. It really bugs me when Brooklyn cool kids get all "why do you live in Jersey? Don't you know every who's cool lives in Brooklyn? And I'm like "stuff it! Jersey!" Be sure to listen for a brazen ripoff of my favorite Jersey band in the breakdown, here."
jon- new wave grave- "New Wave Grave" was another track off of Bayonet U.K.'s "Barely Live" LP from 1983. Toward the end of this particular set, Mick Jagger (guitarist, no relation) started to feel his "lager legs" (as he used to say) and flubbed the guitar solo in "New Wave Grave." Thom Davis was so pissed (and angry) that he threw an empty bottle at Mick, fracturing the guitarist's "good arm." It took Bayonet U.K. nearly 2 years to reconcile the differences created by that incident."
trevor-untitled #2 (3/4)- "There is no blurb tonight. Only a long sigh and a nice new pile of demerits." not on your life. minus 10 demerits. we're almost there.
raison- random memories- "This one just came out randomly tonight. A little more random change than usual, but hopefully it will still find some interest."

day #22

rory- breathe, lucey, breathe
aidan- snow driving
chris- changes in the wind
jon- dust farmers of the world, unite! (chill version)
trevor-interlude #1 (silt)
raison- technological
]]> rory- breathe, lucey, breathe- "i've been playing some with the quiet/loud aesthetics, even if it hasn't been too apparent. just, slowly building something into a mass of noise and tension, and i wanted to try more with that today."
aidan- snow driving- "i drove to the airport in the snow last night, and it wasn't fun, but it turned into this hit pop song, so i can't really complain too much."
chris- changes in the wind- "Here's another old Bayonet UK demo, featuring Mick Jagger (no relation) on the vocal. This song was intended to herald their escape from Berkinghamshireton in 1982. To date, they've still failed to leave."
jon- dust farmers of the world, unite! (chill version)- "I was originally going to do a cover of a song that I really like... but I only got about halfway through recording it before realizing that it was really terrible. Like... so terrible that if I weren't myself, I would have punched myself in the face. That's how awful it was... so I scrapped that and did a "quiet" version of an old song that I wrote a year or so ago. It's just for fun. Tomorrow is a new day. Let's hope I find something better..."
trevor-interlude #1 (silt)- no blurb from trevor today. also, no words in his song. what does this mean? silt, probably.
raison- the cave man dance- "totally dead on my feet tonight."

day #21

rory- please come back
aidan- sangria
chris- headache (frank black cover)
jon- Don't Go Down That Alley, Rusty James
trevor-triceratops
raison- the cave man dance
]]> rory- please come back- "usually, pieces of art born out of dreams turn to straight rubbish. but i had the first two lines in my head when i woke up, so i ran with it. earlier this year i woke up and knew all the words to "I'm a pretender" by the exploding hearts, having only listened to their album maybe three times. that was pretty cool, too."
aidan- sangria- "phil and i went to a sangria party last night, and while i didn't really drink too much, i was sort of feeling it today. i'd like to give a shout out to karen and dennis, our gracious hosts, and my boy krenzke j, who provided inspiration. holla back."
chris- headache (frank black cover)- "This is from teenager of the year. I just bought the album pretty recently, but it's an instant "where have you been all my life" classic. Frank Black has a real distinctive voice, and it's hard for me to avoid doing an "impression" of him while doing a track like this. Hopefully I succeeded in avoiding such, cause I think a good cover shouldn't just be an impression...."
jon- Don't Go Down That Alley, Rusty James- "The song is called "Don't Go Down That Alley, Rusty James" and it has to do with the movie "Rumble Fish" with Matt Dillon and Mickey Rourke."
trevor-triceratops- "One free hour this morning, and this is all it yielded. Simple, short, and probably boring, it's all that came out. It is, however, still a rock anthem for my favorite dinosaur of all time. I'll make up for it later in the week."
raison- the cave man dance- "Ugga! UGGA darga! Ung!"

day #20

rory- skimmed stones
aidan- ode to a dead mouse
chris- 4500 dollar anti drug song
jon- beautiful new jersey
trevor-lifebound letting go
raison- razor's edge
]]> rory- skimmed stones- "this is my attempt at a 'big' sound, which i wrote after talking to aidan about early u2 and big country. I don't know how much i nailed that sound, but i think this sounds pretty cool.. especially considering it's probably as rushed a production as I've ever done."
aidan- ode to a dead mouse- "when i learned my friend lizzie had a mouse problem, I was extremely troubled, because i hate mice. so, i wrote this fantasy song for a dead mouse. i didn't really get time to finish it, and didn't get a chance to ask the question 'if your life is a living hell, what happens when you die?' maybe next time. and lizzie, clear that shit up."
chris- 4500 dollar anti drug song- "This was inspired by an advertisement on the NJ Light Rail for a 5,000 dollar anti-drug music competition for high school students."
jon- beautiful new jersey- "This song is about all the fun things we've seen while walking around different towns in New Jersey the last few weekends. Uhh... Chris says that his song is the best song he's ever written. I think this is the worst song I've ever written. Mainly because I wrote it on the train. And I'm not good at playing acoustic guitars."
trevor-lifebound letting go- "One free hour today: the fruit of my labour."
raison- razor's edge- "Just thought I'd write something a little more open and loose today."

day #19

rory- a rocker
aidan- you don't know
chris- the other side
jon- scene, not herd
trevor-my best friend
raison- new love
]]> rory- a rocker- "i've been listening to a lot of thin lizzy as of late. phil has a song called "rocker," and i like the ideas of "rockers" singing about how they're "rockers", so i tried to rewrite that song for me."
aidan- you don't know- "i wanted to make a wall of sound here, and I think it worked. check out six by seven's 'bochum' for my inspiration."
chris- the other side- "This is about getting to a point in where you're comfortable enough to stop worrying about your place in society, and stop worrying about stupid crap and emerge on the other side of it a happy adult person."
jon- scene, not herd- "Funny story. I had put this song on a CD to bring up to Hoboken with me (for the weekend) And I was listening to it in my car... So when I got to Hoboken, I parked in kind of a shady area (known as "crime alley") so I took my car stereo out and put it in the trunk. Then I went into Manhattan with Swisher and Steve and Charlie and Tom and Aileen and Becky. Then it got late and I was thinking "oh crap! I have to get back to Hoboken to upload my song! So we came back on the train and took a cab to my car. But I couldn't get the CD out of the stereo without the faceplate that was in my bag all the way across town at Charlie's house! So we finally got it, but we had to do some driving."
trevor-my best friend- "My free time today? One half-hour. And it goes to... Rock."
raison- new love- this one was dedicated to a U2 fan I believe, but I don't remember her name, so I'll just send it out to all the u2 fans in the world, from montana to monte carlo. raison can fill in the details when he comes back.

day #18

rory- the friday shuffle
aidan- in da clubhouse
chris- bantam classic p250
jon- dear john (and steve)
trevor-here to listen
raison- traveling
]]> rory- the friday shuffle- "i used to hate ska. until i wrote this song. hoo-cha!"
aidan- in da clubhouse- "sometimes you have to put the jokes aside and sing about what really matters, about your mistakes and regrets, hopes and fears. other times you try to write about getting freaky on a golf course. clearly, i went with the former."
chris- bantam classic p250- "This song was cowritten by Bram Stoker and Lauren Charkow. Beyond that, I think it speaks for itself."
jon- dear john (and steve)- "A short little song for some people I work with."
trevor-here to listen- Trevor neglected to provide a subtitle for this song. Demerits? not on your life!
raison- traveling- "figured I'd end up writing something that sounds like Days of the New at some point. Guess it's tonight!"

day #17

rory- knowing me, knowing you (abba cover)
aidan- never wanted to be called mum
chris- berkinghamshireton, my home
jon- el presidente
trevor-purples and reds (raison varner cover)
raison- starlight 2
]]> rory- knowing me, knowing you (abba cover)- "i've always loved when bleak lyrics are mixed with upbeat music. And it being Mum's birthday, I thought I'd dedicate this one to her. It's an Abba cover, since the parentals love Abba."
aidan- never wanted to be called mum- "happy birthday mum. this is a little ditty about you. it may sound sad, but it really isn't. also celebrating a birthday today, big philly styles. rock on with your bad self."
chris- berkinghamshireton, my home- "This is a Bayonet UK demo from the mid-eighties. The track was never officially released, but remains available on certain bootlegs. Fans were said to riot when it was performed live; though whether for love or hatred remains uncertain. Music historians cite the likely influence of short-lived Bayonet drummer Rory Shire, though Shire is wholly absent from the recording..."
jon- el presidente- "I was really tired today... just cause I was up late last night working on my song. So when I got home from work I very nearly fell asleep on the couch. Fortunately, I got up just in time to write this one. Kind of a belated "F-You" to George Bush. I was going to put in some harmonica, but I realized that it was in the wrong key. So... try to imagine a harmonica in there somewhere."
trevor-purples and reds (raison varner cover)- "Raison asked me to do my worst with his song. So I turned it into a gooey love ballad. But it's still cool."
raison- starlight 2- "I had to rush on this before I went to work, but I thought that I would do a second song in the style of starlight gleaming."

day #16

rory- a holiday
aidan- rock will find a way
chris- jch
jon- lovely, fragile february (weston cover)
trevor-undone
raison- children inherit the earth
]]> rory- a holiday- "it was the nicest day ever today, and as my mum told me i never write anything happy, i tried to here. it was a brilliant power pop jammer, but billy's computer turned to sludge today and the first chance i had to record was 11:45, as billy went to sleep... hence the quietude." ror had serious computer problems, and was seriously late. 2 demerits. keep your head up.
aidan- rock will find a way- "phil and i teamed up in a showing of creative solidarity. check out phil's companion art to this song over at drawing: daily."
chris- jch- "I don't know what happened here. I had a few too many at the bar, a bit too late, and somehow this is what came out of me. I'll probably hate it in the morning."
jon- lovely, fragile february (weston cover)- "This is a Weston cover... and it's pretty straight-forward... (except for the guitar part that I messed up... and the measure that I forgot to put in toward the end...) ... it's so straight-forward, in fact that you're better off just getting the album and listening to the original... but rock month would be sorry to not have some form of this song in its catalog..." jon was a little late tonight as well. 2 demerits.
trevor-undone- "This one's a few years old, but had never been recorded until now. My boy Adam helped with some guitar." trevor may have sent his song at 11:45, but it didn't make it's way through the digital pipeline to me until after midnight. 2 more demerits. you know, these demerits hurt me more than they hurt you.
raison- children inherit the earth- "Tonight's song actually holds a specific meaning to me. As I started writing, I started thinking about children and what we leave behind for them to live through. So I wanted to try and communicate the way I feel we are leaving the world for them in our current lifetime. Hopefully that comes through the music a bit."

day #15

rory- lost it
aidan- hey hermano
chris- satellite of love (lou reed cover)
jon- more than everything
trevor-wave to me
raison- spin
]]> rory- lost it- "halfway home and i'm already exhausted. so i wrote this song about it."
aidan- hey hermano- "when you don't really have time to change the world with your song, just throw in clips from your favorite tv show. okay, i will!"
chris- satellite of love (lou reed cover)- "Clearly I'm the only contributor to this thing with any intention of taking the weekly cover allowance. Ultimately, I probably make a better fan than artist. I think this is one of the greatest songs ever written. My version, here, draws from both Lou Reed's version on Transformer and an old Velvet Underground demo I have. Also, I really went crazy with the "Chorus" effect."
jon- more than everything- It appears jon had a major computer breakdown (or should i say juicedown?) tonight, but still managed to get this song to me in an email (or should I say juice-mail?).
trevor-wave to me- "I couldn't come up with anything, for the life of me. Then, with a half hour left, this came out."
raison- spin- "I wanted to go for something a little different tonight with a clean guitar sound and with more "happy" energy."