what I think, anyway. I would then take the lyrics over to Jeff’s
place, and he’d think about them and figure out what musically
fits this story that we’re trying to tell. I think Jeff did a fantastic job
writing the music. I’m lucky to be working with him. With the
whole band, actually.
The recording process was your basic process done at Orange
Whip Studios in Goleta, with the best engineer in the world,
Angus Cooke. Honestly, it didn’t take long at all. I was happily
surprised as I produced the CD as well. Everybody did a fantastic
job.
“Butter Me Up” has some really bright guitar sounds. It’s a classic
distortion but a bit brighter. Jeff went through an Orange Amp
instead of his regular set up, and it really brightened up the
distortion on that funk tune. It’s a pretty crazy tune. The
keyboards, by the amazing Chris Ulep, are funky, Grateful Dead
kind of sound. It’s a crazy tune. Try to listen to it. Jan just kills it.
W h e r e d i d y o u f i n d t h e i n s p i r a t i o n f o r t h e s o n g s a n d l y r i c s ?
Jeff gets his inspiration from his vast musical background. He’s
pretty darn blues literate, along with pop and classic rock. He
absolutely nails ZZ Top and Stevie Ray Vaughan when we do
covers. I write about life experiences. I try to have a different take
on them like in the song “I’d Sing The Blues If I Had ‘Em, “ which
is a blues shuffle about a guy who loves blues music, but his life’s
“W.been nothing but easy street.” That’s not my story, by the
way.
W h a t r o l e d o e s S a n t a B a r b a r a p l a y s i n y o u r w r i t i n g ?
Honestly, not that much. Santa Barbara’s a beautiful place, but I
pretty much delved into past experiences for these tunes. I’m
from the Bay Area. That’s where I g