[Unclenny]

My writing is slowing down finally it seems. That's ok with me.......it gives me time to go back and just play some of the songs that came hot and heavy over the last 20 years or so.

This is one of those songs. It never really got finished and I wrote the second verse finally last week. I know I'm a little early posting after the one that folks commented so generously on, but I wanted to make a more realistic introduction to my own music rather than a collab.

I have listened to a lot of "solo band" stuff here and that's just what I have been doing as well. For this one, though, I just fired up my tube mic and played the song once through. I used my 87 year old Kalamazoo acoustic....same guitar as in that famous picture of Robert Johnson. The old Kalamazoo is tough to handle quietly and tough to keep in tune....but it is authentic as hell.

I wrote this song about a stranded traveler who keeps watching for his ride home. The ending is a little odd but I think you folks will figure it out.

Long Ride Home
https://soundcloud.com/leonardscaper/long-ride-home-revisited

The stars called out this morning
From a cold sky
I could see my breath
So I knew I was still alive
It's out there in the distance
But it's not my time to go

And it's a long ride home
'Cause it's a long way

The farther out the warning
The more time
For me to see the rest
While I'm still alive
I can feel it in the distance
But it's not my time to go

And it's a long ride home
'Cause it's a long way

Don't you ever wonder
When you're lying in bed at night
And don't you get that feeling
When the stars are out so bright
And when you close your eyes
Does one light shine alone

Well it's a long ride home
'Cause it's a long way

And there's a star man
Waiting in disguise
For his long ride home

[adamfarr]

Wow that Kalamazoo has so much character.... This was one that drew me right in, waiting for the next line. The perhaps unconventional backing is part of this song's unique DNA and very attention grabbing. The warning indeed... I'm very glad it got its second verse and we got to hear it here.

[Jamie]

@Unclenny

Hi, great voice loved the vocal, and the acoustic guitar. I've got a good acoustic guitar and I can never get it to sound that good when I'm recording it? The picking style reminded me a little of Ian Anderson, not necessarily the chords but the meandering and the timing.

Very good song well performed.

Nice one!

Cheers

Jamie

[Unclenny]

@adamfarr ....I'm glad this one resonated with you.  The old Kalamazoo doesn't always work out but it felt right for this recording. Thanks for listening and for your appreciation.

@Jamie ....thanks for checking this one out and for your kind words...especially about the picking. I seem to have developed an odd picking style over the years.

I've been working on getting a decent acoustic guitar sound for many years. I think it's all about the room. Once I realized that I was actually recording my room with me in it rather than just the guitar, I was able to take steps to get a decent natural environment. This one was harder, though....tracking vocal and guitar at the same time and achieving some sort of natural balance. I used a tube mic and I positioned it at an odd angle. I was pleased at how it came out......whether it is repeatable or not is another question. 

 

[pompeyjazz]

Great husky vocals and really enjoyed the unconventional picking style. Very effective indeed.

[MonnoDB]

This is so lovely @Unclenny  - I love in particular the melody of the chorus... Great lyrics - they really suck you in and you can feel the emotion of this song. Great warm sound to the playing and recording.. fab to year you just hit record both vocal and guitar together (well, after carefully setting up and positioning your mic and the rest). Beautiful song and performance! LOVE those harmonics at the end..

K

[Unclenny]

@pompeyjazz .....thanks for checking this one out and for your your appreciation of my somewhat unconventional style of picking.

@MonnoDB .......thanks so much for those kind words, Karen. It's good to get back to your roots once in a while and just play and sing the song, right? 

Steve

[Paulski]

@Unclenny nice work/play here. We're so used to having a song have a "groove" it's refreshing to hear something a little different - almost avant garde IMO.
Great conversational lyrics and chorus is strong. The verse melody seems less defined but seems to work anyway. Good stuff
Paul

[Bostonfan2]

I really like the raw vocal sound for this, gives it a very intimate feel.
the phrasing in the verses is unique and totally works. love the melody that kicks
in on "Long Ride Home" well done man !

[Unclenny]

@Paulski .......thanks for that about the verse melody. I admit to being pretty sloppy sometimes with my writing. I often stick with what first came out rather than trying to possibly refine a lyric to flow better. Hearing that observation from a fellow writer is good for me. 

@Bostonfan2 .....thanks for that listen and for you comment about the unique nature of some of the writing. Sometimes I think that I am nothing if not unique.

I really appreciate the support from the community.

 

[montydog]

After reading your intro and reading the lyrics I thought I'd like this - just my sort of thing If I had the talent to do it this well. I love the tone and the playing on your acoustic. Your vocal is perfect for the song and the lyrics have a down to earth simplicity which sits perfectly with the music. The song could do with a more defined melody for my taste but the the way you've written it works perfectly well. A lovely thing idneed.
M

[Unclenny]

@montydog ........I appreciate your honest appraisal of the melody. I agree that this one lacks a certain....flow. I am glad, however, that it still resonated with you. Thanks for checking it out.

Steve

[moraamarolaloba]

I haven't heard this song before @Unclenny
although I thought yes

You always get that magic of union between the voice and the guitar, your song doesn't need anything else, the lyrics are important enough to speak like that, bare of decorations.
Very nice song, very sad, very poetic and very beautiful.

Mora