Influences: Mark Knopfler, Josh Ritter, Tom Waits, The Waterboys, Richard Thompson, Gillian Welch, Indigo Girls, Sam Cooke, Marquez, Calvino, Eco, and many many others
My name's Jon. My band is Midway Fair, which includes Joe Scala (@joetime), who encouraged me to do FAWM starting in 2013; Rick Vaeder, who gave FAWM a shot a few years ago; and Tim Taormino.
2022: Well, I just dropped off the completed tracks for an album so I guess it's time to write another one. Yes this is the same thing that was in this spot last year. I will once again be lapping an official band release …
I've spent a lot of time practicing over the last year, especially drums. I got my dream kit last summer, too!
Good luck to everyone!
Gear's pretty nonstandard, so here's some geek notes:
RME Fireface UCX interface -> Logic Pro X.
Pres: ART Pro MPAII and some FET+Germanium pres I designed & built.
Rack comp: DIY Stereo 1176.
Mics: Lots of DIY stuff, mostly 47 or 12 flavored, some DIY ribbons, and various other nonsense.
Acoustic guitars: Koa Larrivee D5, Crafters of Tennessee D18, and a pretty handmade Japanese guitar my dad gave me in 2020.
Electric Guitars: Red tele w/ Kinmans, the Don Quixotecaster, and a Sheraton 50th anniversary.
Keys: Roland FP5
Bass: Epiphone Viola bass with rewound pickups by John Benson & some tinkering with the wiring by me.
Other: Weber Mandolin, Gold Tone banjo
Drums: Sakae Trilogy, various Istanbul/Avedis/Bosphorus/vintage zillies.
#1 | The Night We Fought the Dragon |
5 Feb 2022 |
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#2 | A Lion Looks Down From a Mountain |
11 Feb 2022 |
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#3 | The Wife of the Khan (Bound to the Earth) |
10 Feb 2022 |
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#4 | Charlie Came Home Sunday (It's Not PTSD but Apathy) |
7 Feb 2022 |
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#5 | You Always Disappear |
8 Feb 2022 |
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#6 | Close the Gap |
7 Feb 2022 |
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#7 | He Never Came Back from the Sea |
6 Feb 2022 |
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#8 | Can't Move the River |
7 Feb 2022 |
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#9 | D-E-A-D Spells Dead (Sex, Drugs, & RnR) |
4 Feb 2022 |
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#10 | Raven King |
3 Feb 2022 |
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#11 | Lena and Sara (The Two Sisters) |
5 Feb 2022 |
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#12 | Fear of Looking Up |
3 Feb 2022 |
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#13 | Ragnarok @joetime |
3 Feb 2022 |
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#14 | Bayberry Air |
2 Feb 2022 |
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#15 | Bloodline (4-track tape 10) @lexabear |
1 Feb 2022 |
Hi Jon! Thanks for taking the time to listen to a couple of my songs and especially for the thoughtful comment on “Winter of 1891”. I really appreciate the advice on what I could add to it to distance myself a little from it sounding too much like a DMB song.
I’m going to explore how to incorporate those suggestions into it in the “off-season”. Thanks again.
Thank you so much for your kind words about my fiddle playing. Usually, I produce electronic music for FAWM, but this year I decided to try something different, hence the many fiddle tunes. By the way, I've been enjoying listening to your tunes.
hey just saw your comment on the 4-track collab asking about what's on the guitar... you'll have to wait until the video comes out! :) but seriously, it's a homemade fuzz factory clone with germanium transistors and an added tone control to tame some of the shrill highs. :)
Thanks for the comment on I Didn't Want To Kill Her... that is a funny comment and Suzanne asked if she should be worried when she heard the song the first time. I said, "Yes." :)
Thanks. Your comments are spot on for Bay of Biscay. (The end of the chorus was kind of a placeholder.) The problem with naming the boat (I considered it, maybe in a bridge?) is because its name is a name of an entirely different ocean, and I thought that would be confusing. (and the town also has a strange Basque name . . .). I probably will revise, and will take your suggestions to heart!
Thanks for taking the time to listen to "Coming Attractions" (twice!) -- I certainly take your point about the verse melody (Haye's Carll's "Drunken Poet's Dream" is one likely source) I'll definitely work on making the verse melody live up to the chorus/bridge as I develop it further. Thanks again for the feedback.
Some kind of small drumset is definitely in my future.
Thanks for the comments on "The Rainmaker" - I'm planning to re-record that one after FAWM, mostly with the same arrangement, maybe some cleaner takes - including not hitting a sour note a few beats into the reverb guitar part which then rings through the reverb for 30 seconds :D
You can’t be my bodyguard, then.
Thanks so much for your comments and suggestions on my track ‘it’s been a while’. Totally agree with what you said and given more time, I will definitely be looking at the sparse arrangement and how I can make little changes like you suggest on the hi hats to bridge sections and make it slightly less ‘samey’ cheers
Aww, thank you :)
May have to take you up on that offer of Tom Waits-y vocals, after I change the oil on my bone machine and put new strings on the dumpsterlelle. ;)
Hi Jon, congrats on the new kit. Happy FAWMing!!!
I got you on a tape I am starting now - all US, haha. We do have some international tapes in there, but things have to get in the mail fast obviously. Glad you are a part of it! :)
Hope you have a great FAWM. (Baltimore represent!)
Hey there! Checking in from last year's posts. I hope you have a great FAWM! Any interest in 4-tracking? We have a good amount of people this year both US and UK and we'd love to have you take part. Let me know or check into the thread. Tags are not working this year so I am checking in here... :)
https://fawm.org/forums/topic/12033/