This is the story

Many of you know that I “cut my teeth” musically on the open mic scene.  One of the coolest things I think I ever did was to just set up some recording equipment at one of these gatherings.  In Valpo a few years back I managed to acquire some of the most interesting audio files I’ve ever had.  I also have one from an open mic I helped organize at the honors dorm in Florida.  The problem was that I could never manage to get a good recording of myself, since I was on stage and had to trust somebody else to set the levels (which they never managed to do properly).  Even so, it was well worth it.  I only ever stopped because some of the people got worried that I was going to steal their tunes or misuse them somehow.  I never really imagined that would be an issue, but I have a lot of respect for peoples’ rights to do what they want with their music, so I cut it out after only recording one or two.

My history with home audio recording has been long and difficult.  For some people it comes naturally.  For me, well, let’s just say that I’ve learned the hard way that the simpler equipment works best for me. 

I’m in a bit of a “going back to roots” phase right now.  Here’s a classic Decemberists song that I re-worked a few years back to fit my acoustic style.  It’s a bit of a tribute to those years when the only people who could hear me were the ones who happened to be in the coffee shop at the time.  I like the sort of intimate vibe of that, and I try to carry it with me.  Enjoy.

Old Man Benjamin - Red Right Ankle (Decemberists cover) by seamonsters