From the recording There Goes Rhymin' Pie Man
Not sayin' I didn't enjoy those days, back there, when I would on occasion pull out the ax and sing a few tunes on my own, folky stuff, originals, whatev, to an appreciative small (or largish) audience. But my main interest has always been songwriting first, and then recording. And when digital recording came along, such that a person can work so much faster in the studio, and do things on record that once took a butt load of equipment and expertise, oh man I took to digital recording immediately. It took a few years, like 20, for the first digital recording machines to morph into actual really good usable recorders, but I was always first in line for the new thing. One of the first things I bought to help me with recording was a Yamaha QY70 that was full of sounds, beats, bass parts, omg what a great toy. Just filled me with glee. And inspired me to write more. I think the artist Bjork made a whole CD with the same unit. These days, most peripherals aren't even necessary. All you need is a good mic, a computer, and some software. Yes, I believe we lost some recording quality, especially on the bottom end, when we went from tape to digital. But digital just has too many great advantages.
In about 1998 my friend and former Morning Reign leader Cac asked me to come to his home to perform a song or two at a reception for a group of folks from Suzhou, China. I hadn't really been performing at that time for years, and I didn't really know what in the hell I might sing, but I agreed to do it for my friend, and then this song, "In My Studio", dropped out of the clouds, which I did end up performing at the party. Later, I made this pretty complete recording of it, and included my buddy Bobby Hines on electric guitar. The song lyrics pretty much sum up my feelings about how far recording had come and how the new technology had impacted me!
Lyrics
They said, come to the party and bring along a tune
I said I don’t remember the songs I used to do
I’ll dust off the old Martin to please the protocol
But I play piano by Apple and strings by Yamaha
I would feel much better with a Mac on my lap
With a drum machine and a sixteen track
I would feel much better with a Mac on my lap oh
In my studio
They said don’t be nervous cause anything’s enough
Just do some Dylan or dragon, we love that rascal Puff
I decided to stop agonizin’ and sing in stereo
There’s plenty of beef on the barby and friends from old Suzhou
I would feel much better with a Mac on my lap
With a drum machine and a sixteen track
I would feel much better with a Mac on my lap oh
In my studio
(Ric tinkering and talkin’)
Last chorus with full band
I would feel much better with a Mac on my lap
With a drum machine and a sixteen track
I would feel much better with a Mac on my lap oh
In my studio
I would feel much better with a Mac on my lap
With a Twin Reverb and a Marshall stack
I would feel much better with a Mac on my lap oh
In my studio