Welcome to Vertices. Thanks for checking in.
Here’s what I’m thinking:
I have recorded a new album. It’s called King Of Drums. The plan is for it to come out in June. It’s my first record since 2014. It was more than eight years in the making - more like 35. It’s the record I’ve always wanted to make. I know musicians say this all the time but it’s unlike anything I’ve done before. I anticipate that it will be pretty confusing for most people when they hear it. So I’d like to use this space to set the stage - to prepare people for what’s coming. And to do that, I think I’m going to have to try to explain a lot of the music that came before it.
I’m still working out the particulars of how Substack works but I’m going to keep this free until the record comes out and then I’ll get a paid subscription-thing going. At that point, I plan to publish two posts per month. With each post, I’ll take a deep dive into records from my discography, going all the way back to the beginning. I’ll share sound clips of demos of old songs and other stuff that’s never been heard before. I’ll fire up the old SP-1200. Maybe I’ll dig out some old photos and other ephemera. We’ll really get into the weeds. Could be a bit of a nerdfest.
One of the main stories I’d like to tell is about about the year 1996. The last eight years have given me plenty of opportunity to take stock of my career. Having done so, I’ve come to see the year 1996 as my personal creative peak. I look forward to explaining that and putting everything into context. And I can tell you now that one particular song I recorded in ‘96 served as something of a jumping off point for the new album.
Between now and when the album comes out, I’ll post stuff here as frequently as I can. I don’t want any of this to come across as self-important at all, so we’ll keep it fun and hopefully a little bit insightful.
I should also direct you to my recently-established Bandcamp page. I’ve been posting some old treasures there. Some new things too. I think the stuff on both ends will offer a bit of extra insight into what to expect from the King Of Drums album. Check it out here.
I guess that’s it for now. Like I said, I’m still figuring this Substack thing out.
Talk soon.
Buck