We were at the final stages of this album, and my head was swimming in the repetitious waves of my own voice; my own guitar: my own self-absorbed little world, when I realized I had to get away. Hindsight being twenty-twenty, a trip to my favorite record store was probably a poor escape route. Nevertheless, I found myself there numbly shuffling through the Used Rock section.
And that's when the feeling hit me.
Looking up from the proverbial trees, I took a wobbly step backward and gazed at the vast forest surrounding me in every direction. Within the walls of this small, but cramped record store, millions of hours of music were contained on CD, tape, and vinyl by every artist imaginable - decades of music made and made over again. And this was just one little store, in one little town.
The idea then occurred to me that the last thing the world needs is another CD. Fumbling to the New Releases section, I leaned on a sturdy pile of Clay Aiken's latest, and contemplated a career in teaching. It wasn't too late. I could call my Aunt in Ohio, and she could hook me up. I imagined myself in a bright yellow classroom full of eager young students who affectionately called me Mr. M.
But there was something wrong as my mind constructed this scenario. I was there - a smokey green chalkboard behind me - but I was perched on a stool with a guitar on my lap.
And that's the crux of it. I've been writing songs and singing for so long, it's become a part of who I am, and I can't picture myself any other way. So, like any determined songwriter, I worked hard to shove away the hopeless feeling I had in the record store. Denial is a powerful thing,
You see, I was raised by hard working, blue collar people; farmers, homemakers, construction and factory workers. That's what you do when high school is over. The idea of making up songs for a living has been a bit embarrassing, for me, to be honest. Only recently have I been able to tell people I'm a singer/songwriter without a sense of hesitation. And the concept of the music "business" has escaped me completely, I'm afraid.
Others I have met in Nashville talk of that one big hit - "that one song that's gonna set them up for life." I have a hard time thinking that way. I never heard my Grandpa, for instance, talk of that one crop of corn that was going to set him up for life. You just don't hear farmers talk like that. There isn't a carpenter alive who, after having once made the perfect table, has never had to work again. He makes table after table, getting better at it as he gets older. And hopefully, people come back to him for chairs because that table was so good. That's the way I want to write, I guess. The value of one's job, whatever it is, is set over a lifetime of consistent, hard work.
And one day I may see my music the same way a carpenter might see his work, one table at a time. When the table is done, it goes into a dining room, where families gather around to eat, and talk about their day. Coffee rings stain it's top, and homework gets scribbled into it's finish over years of use. This, I would think, would make any carpenter proud. And this is the same hope I have for these songs: that they get "lived with," that they become a small part of your day; that a line or two pops up in conversation.
And, considering this approach, perhaps the best compliment I could ever receive is: "That Antsy McClain sure makes a good table. Can't wait for the chairs."
- Antsy McClain,
Somewhere on the road in America,
March, 2005
I've been asked to do the impossible: write a few paragraphs about making this album. How do I condense several months of recording one of America's brightest singer/songwriters and some of the world's best guitar players and musicians to a few paragraphs? I might be able to write a book, but a few paragraphs? I don't think so, but I'll try.
It all started at a Shoney's Restaurant one night in April, 2004, after a Trailer Park Troubadours concert. I was very impressed, not only with the show, but with the quality of the songwriting; which all comes from Antsy. We were finishing our hot fudge sundaes when Antsy tells me he has written dozens of "homeless songs," which don't quite fit the trailer park theme. I said I'd like to hear them and invited him to visit my studio. He then says, "Mayhe we could record some of the songs." Well, YES! (Sometimes these songwriters have to be prodded a bit.)
Antsy made the trek from Nashville to my home studio in Buffalo, Kentucky. We agreed to record some scratch tracks. After the first song, I said, "This is too good to be a scratch track. Let's add some vocals." After a second visit we had recorded enough songs for an album, and I loved them all. I couldn't wait to burn a CD to pass around. Ruben Romero (one of my favorite Flamenco guitarists) came to perform at my Acoustic Guitar Master Concert Series. He was the first to hear the songs, and he loved them, asking if he could add guitar tracks. He did, and we knew we were onto something. That scene repeated itself as I let one world-class musician after another listen to the CD. They all wanted in on it. They were all just as excited as I was to be a part of this wonderful project.
It would be an understatement to say this was a labor of love. Spending time with these incredible musicians to bring you Antsy McClain's beautiful songs has to be one of the highlights of my life. I can only hope you enjoy listening as much as I did recording these songs of "Time-Sweetened Lies."
- Eddie Dean Mattingly,
Ferrill Hill Studios, Buffalo, KY, January, 2005
Thank you to Eddie Dean Mattingly, for seeing the forest from the trees, and prodding me along; manager Jimmy Jackson for the endless attaboys; Lindsey Buckingham of Fleetwood Mac, for giving so generously of your time; Australian guitar legend Tommy Emmanuel, for the licks and the encouragement; Bobby Cochran, former member of Steppenwolf, for adding such sweet guitar to Field Trip, and for letting me hear that infectious laugh again; Pat Kirtley, 1995 National Fingerpicking Champion, for your work and creative input; Ruben Romero for your friendship and passion; Matt and Paulie Zarb for your wild creativity and friendship; and all the other singers and players who brought these songs to life: Bruce Wandmayer, Matt DeSpain, Paul Priest, Dan Becker, Bill Bosch, Mike Rosen, Dave Pomeroy and Tim Lorsch. Thanks, Polly. Thanks, Flem. Thanks to Terri Barry, Thanks to Sue and Steve Butler. And thanks to Bob Aguirre and Paul Pomireau for hooking us up with such cool friends. And thank you, my friends, for listening.
This collection of songs is dedicated to Papa Joe Young.
Lindsey Buckingham appears courtesy of Reprise Records.
Tommy Emmanuel appears courtesy of Favoured Nation Records.
Antsy plays a Taylor 314 CE and his custom guitar which he designed, seen on the cover of this CD, made by Ray Whitaker of Vintage Designs in Manning, South Carolina. Antsy uses Elixr strings, Line 6 amplifiers, Levy straps, Best-Tronics cables, 3M brand duct tape, and Ace bandages. And he likes Chinese food.
For more information: www.antsy.net
"This only is denied to God: the power to undo the past." - Agathon
"Truth is beautiful, without doubt; but so are lies." - Emerson
(C) 2005 Trinity Music Productions & DPR Records
WARNING: All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized duplication is a violation of applicable laws.
Disc Maker
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