,

My first new release in 15 years: "Darn." is here!

,

***Don’t miss the release party on Saturday, May 16th at 8:00 p.m. central!

http://facebook.com/andrewyonda/live

“I’m so filled with regret

I’m like a poodle that got wet

I’m not the dog I used to be.”

So begins this depressingly cheerful, easily digestible rocksploration of nostalgia and regret.

Click here to hear it on this blog, or if you prefer Spotify, click here or listen below:

I’m super excited. I’ve never had my own music on Spotify before (!). The last music I released was in 2005 with my band the Buffali, when blogs and iPods were new inventions, and Spotify and Youtube were just glimmers in Mark Zuckerberg’s eyes. I feel that I have overcome a hurdle, and look out, world, I have more songs!

These 6 songs took, unbelievably, 3 years to make. It turns out I’ve never really recorded and released songs on my own before. Oh, sure, I’ve released lots of “demo” quality recordings on this blog, but taking a song from demo to finished product is something I’ve always done with a band. But now it’s just me and my alter-egos, and I had to figure out a whole new recording process, and learn how to play the drums, keyboard, guitar, and bass. I brought in my good old friend Dan Hardgrove to play guitar on some tracks, but I ended up wasting his amazing talent because I couldn’t figure out how to keep the vibe of the songs at that point. After a year or two of floundering around (3 hours a week, since, as a father of young children, time is scarce), I finally figured out a process that resulted in recordings I like:

  1. Lay down a live track of me singing and playing acoustic guitar, complete with dynamics, uneven tempo, and je-ne-sais-quoi.

  2. Add drums, bass, and re-record vocals and acoustic

  3. Add harmonies and other instruments, like such as usually Wurlitzer and misc. percussion.

  4. Mix in ProTools.

  5. Master using landr.com.

At this point when I start a new recording I assume it’s going to be the “whole band”, which is:

-Amazingly Andrew on lead vox and acoustic

-Willie Andrew on bass guitar

-Clyde Andrew on drums

-Professor Andrew on Wurlitzer keyboard and harmonies

I hope to bring you more 6-song EPs soon, and hope that this process I’ve identified continues to work, and fast!

I’ll be playing a live album release concert on Saturday, May 16th at 8:00 p.m. central, check out my Instagram for the live feed, I may try to do FB live as well, I have no idea.

Thank you to Audre Rae Krull for beautiful backing vocals on “You Animal” and “I Am In Control”. Thanks to Dan Hardgrove for guitarrific inspiration. Thanks of course to my lovely wife Jennifer, for supporting me in this fun but ultimately vain endeavor!

,

I'm so filled with regret, I'm like a poodle that got wet [new song]

,

New song comin’ atcha! Could this be my greatest record ever?!! Just like the Grammies, I distinguish between records and songs—though this track could also be a greatest song ever nominee, I think it would win greatest record because the quality and vibe of the recording are “da bum.” A sweet mix of vocals and harmonies, Wurly, drums (with hot rods instead of sticks?!), and a funky sample. And for some final, nasty pizazz I even had it mastered over there at LandR.com, a crazy new mastering service that uses Skynet to determine the best sound for your record. As my 5-year-old son says, you git what git and you don’t throw a fit. Now if only I could run it through the hit-song-rating algorithm to find out what my chances are. . .

This song is going to be featured on the forthcoming EP tentatively titled “Darn.”

, ,

Big Star's "Thirteen" chords and cover song

, ,

Oh hey! Happy 2018! This is just a beautiful song that I got into so I made my own version:

When I was "researching" this tune, I got interested in Alex Chilton (as one does), and I learned that he got famous at 17 for "The Letter" while he was the lead singer for the Box Tops!? And that song went to #1 for THREE weeks the month after the Beatles "All You Need is Love" had been #1!

The teenage Alex Chilton

 

And here are the chords. Use mine, as there are lots of crappy/wrong chords out there for this song.

Thirteen by Big Star (transcribed by Amazingly Andrew Yonda)

 

G    Cadd9    G     Cadd9

G    Cadd9    G     Cadd9     G    Cadd9    G     Cadd9

   Won’t you let me take you home from school?

G    Cadd9    G/B             Em7     C  G/B    Am7

   Won’t you let me meet you at the poooooool?

      Em7    Am7

Maybe Friday I can

    Em7            Am7

Get tickets for the dance

        D  C  G/B  Am7

And I’ll taaaaaaake you

 

G    Cadd9    G     Cadd9

 

G    Cadd9    G     Cadd9     G    Cadd9    G     Cadd9

  Won’t you tell your dad get off my back?

G    Cadd9    G/B             Em7     C  G/B    Am7

  Tell him what we said bout Paint It Black

      Em7    Am7

Rock and roll is here to stay

    Em7            Am7

Come inside where it’s okay

        D  C  G/B  Am7

And I’ll shaaaaaaake you

 

G    Am7    G    Am7

 

G    Cadd9    G     Cadd9     G    Cadd9    G     Cadd9

  Won’t you tell me what you’re thinking of?

G    Cadd9    G/B             Em7     C  G/B    Am7

  Would you be an outlaw for my love?

       Em7           Am7

If it’s so well let me know

       Em7           Am7

If it’s no, well I can go

        D  C  G/B  Am7

I won’t maaaaaaaaake you

G    Am7    G    Am7

 

There are some fun things like hammering on the Cadd9 chords that you should consider.

, ,

Ondine (They Might Be Giants cover)

, ,

Scary Pinata Face

I just keep'em comin' atcha! This is a cover of "Ondine" from They Might Be Giants "Back to Skull" EP. I had this in my head and I had the idea of "Maybe I should be recording just my vocal track first when I record so I can capture all the funk I was envisioning without instrumental or click track limitations!" Not a bad idea, actually!

I could have recorded over the original vocal track of course, and probably should have since I did it a capella, no pitch or tempo reference, but actually it's not half bad! Maybe one third bad?

Want to play along? Here is my transcription of the chords and lyrics to Ondine:

Ondine

 

[notes]    G Eb C            G Eb C

Ondine             you won

[tacet Cm]

All she left behind was an unloaded gun

        Eb

And my face is blushing

Cm

  From all the things she’s done

Eb

  You couldn’t miss that girl

F

  Cuz here she comes

 

[notes]    G Eb C            G Eb C

Ondine             back up

[tacet Cm]

Run over my body with your pickup truck

    Eb

And finish what you started

Cm

  Because I’m done

Eb

  I’d search the whole world over

F

  To find these words

        Cm    G        Bb        Cm

She said I had the strangest dream

Eb    F            Cm        G

  I dreamed I killed you again

Cm        G        Bb        Cm

  Don’t make me kill you again

    Eb        F        G

Cuz I could never kill you again

 

[notes]    G Eb C            G Eb C

Ondine             was here

[tacet Cm]

You couldn’t even take away a souvenir

        Eb

Of what’s left of that sinner

Cm

    She used to call me that

Eb                            

  I’d search the whole world over

F

To find these words

 

        Cm    G        Bb        Cm

She said I had the strangest dream

Eb    F            Cm        G

  I dreamed I killed you again

Cm        G        Bb        Cm

  Don’t make me kill you again

    Eb        F        G

Cuz I could never kill you again

 

C    G        Bb            Cm

  I had the strangest dream

Eb    F            Cm        G

  I dreamed I killed you again

Cm        G        Bb        Cm

  Don’t make me kill you again

    Eb        F        G

Cuz I could never kill you again

, ,

Bob Dylan: The Man in Me (cover song and transcription)

, ,

Have you seen the Big Lebowski? Then you know this song from the amazing bowling intro. Here I've done my own echoey groovy version. Also the chords online are all wrong, so I'm giving you the right ones here!

Now if you want to try something new and different, please visit this youtube page of a slowed-down Bob Dylan version of this song, then speed it up in the video settings to 1.5 speed, and it's a super funky almost Peter Tosh-style song! How wonderful! 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NV_0ltpWITU

The Man in Me by Bob Dylan
Transcribed this April 15th, 2016 by Amazingly Andrew Yonda
(there are a few unexpected half-measures resulting in 7-bar verses, so I’ve marked each beat with either a chord name or a slash so you can keep track)

G / / / Am / / /
The man in me will do nearly any task
D /C / / /G /
 And as for compensation, there’s little he would ask
 G ////
Take a woman like you
 C /C(D in bass) / G / / / 
To get through to the man in me

G / / / Am / / /
 Storm clouds are raging all around my door
D /C / / /G /
 I think to myself I might not take it anymore
 G ////
 Take a woman like your kind
 C /C(D in bass) / G / / / 
 To find the man in me

Am/ / / G / / /
But, oh, what a wonderful feeling
Am / / /G / / /
Just to know that you are near
Am / / / G / / /
Sets my heart a-reeling
Am / / / D / / /
From my toes up to my ears

G / / / Am / / /
 The man in me will hide sometimes to keep from bein’ seen
D /C / / / G /
 But that’s just because he doesn’t want to turn into some machine
 G ////
 Took a woman like you
 C /C(D in bass) / G / / / 
 To get through to the man in me

(Don’t forget to do a verse before and after singing la la la)
, ,

Your wife don't understand you, but I do

, ,

I transcribed this one a while ago. Now I've recorded my very own! I'm singing, you know, an octave lower than the original Simpsons song, which is pretty great. I've never seen whatever episode it's from, but I love the "Songs in the Key of Simpsons" CD and it's on there. I've never seen much Simpsons actually, but I love the music! Here are the chords and lyrics for yo asses!

Your Wife Don’t Understand You

D
You work all day for some old man
                    G
Sweatin’ break your back
         A
Then you go home to your castle
                              D
But your queen won’t cut you slack


That’s why your losin’ all your hair
                        G
That’s why you’re overweight
        E
That’s why you flipped your pick-up truck
                A
Right off the interstate

D
There’s a lot of bull they hand you
                        B7
There’s nothin’ you can do
     E7                A                D      B7
Your wife don’t understand you, but I do
        E                A               D    B7
No your wife don’t understand you, but I do
        E            A                D
I said no one understands you but I do

, ,

LA Times the song

, ,

Los Angeles = Rilakkuma bear iPhone cover with citrus

Here's a li'l ditty I composed when I was visiting LA for the first time. I think it does a good job of evoking that toddling town. I made it in Garageband on the iPad, which I have such a love/hate relationship with. On the one hand, I love it! Other hand? HATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

,

Guitar Hero interrupted

,

Look, I'm sorry to make this blog an archive of sorts, but honestly, I recently gathered together and listened to all of the recordings I've made since I got my first 4-track in 1997, and there are 900 of them, only about 50 of which have ever made it into the ears of another human. So from time to time, you are going to get a taste of oldie-but-goodies!

This one I wrote in 2007 when Guitar Hero was all the rage, and it features a kid who doesn't want to stop playing when his mom comes to pick him up at his friend's house.

 

, ,

Too Much Joy week finale! Day 5: "King of Beers"

, ,

See? No editing necessary! Vocals 1 and 2, guitar, and three drum mics

Hi! We made it! The last day of our Too Much Joy extravaganza! To cap it off, we have "King of Beers", from their Cereal Killers album. I've chosen to take some parts and really just toss it into a classic singalong drinking song in 3. It's kind of a White Stripes arrangement, guitar, drums, and vocals. I decided to not to overthink it, so I only used full takes, no editing allowed. Check out the graphic above for the proof!!

Check out Tim Quirk's awesome story of the story of "King of Beers". Meanwhile, here are the chords!

King of Beers by Too Much Joy
Transcribed this 18th day of September, 2014
by Amazingly Andrew Yonda
www.amazinglyandrew.com

B
Gonna feel like hell tomorrow
                    E
So I won’t go to sleep tonight
               F#
Na na na na na na sorrow
                     B
Everything’s gonna be alright

       E        F#
I am invincible
        B
I have no fear
       E
I am benevolent
  F#              B
I am the king of beers

E            F#
I love all my friends
B               D#m
I wish they would go away
E            F#
I say stupid things
B                D#m
Forgotten them all by Monday
C#m
Please don’t remind me

B
A man’s bar is his castle
                E
A raised stool is my throne
              F#
Why am I such an asshole?
            B
Why am I here alone?

       E        F#
I am invincible
        B
I have no fear
       E
I am benevolent
  F#m              B
I am the king of beers

E            F#
She’s so beautiful
B               D#m
I swear I’d sleep with her brother
E            F#
I’m so beautiful
  B              D#m
I never met her, but I love her
C#m                C#m  B  A         F#
Please look over here

[Interlude]

D  Dsus4    D    G
Em    G
D  Dsus4    D    G
A  Asus9  Asus4  A

D          G
I’d take a trip
Em           G
  Anywhere I go
D            G                A    
My head would come along with me

Yeah yeah yeah yeah

B    Bb    A    Ab    G Gb    F    E    B

B
Gonna feel like hell tomorrow
                    E
So I won’t go to sleep tonight
               F#
Na na na na na na sorrow
                     B
Everything’s gonna be alright

       E        F#
I am invincible
        B
I have no fear
       E
I am benevolent
  F#          B
I am the king of beers

       E        F#
I am invincible
        B
Hear me roar! (grr)
       E
I am benevolent
  F#              B
I am the king of beers
  F#              B
I am the king of beers
  F#              B
I am the king of beers
  F#              B
I am the king of beers

, ,

Too Much Joy week, day 3: "Nothing On My Mind"

, ,

Pretty fun song featuring inane lyrics that really get to the core of what it's like to let your mind wander. That seems like an old-fashioned concept now, actually!

Their version was actually a single. Mine is basically a stripped down acoustic thang, except for the amazing chorus ending. I don't know if this goes without saying (it doesn't, obv), but these recordings I'm making this week--I'm making them that very day. In the morning I have never played the song, though I may have loved it for years, and by the evening I've figured out how to play it and recorded my own version. Kudos to me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Chords, for those who are so inclined:

Nothing On My Mind by Too Much Joy
Transcribed on this 17th day of September, 2014

A
It’s not im-
A    E    D
Portant
A    E         D              A
    This love that I’m afraid of
          A    E       D
I’ve got a bugle someplace
        A    E    D    A
Let’s get parade up ohh

A    E                D
        We’re near the water
A       E      D        A
I know a guy, a guy with a boat, it
A    E            D
        doesn’t have any motor
A        E    D    A
We could just sit, sit and float

E    A            C#m        A
        I’ll give you a coloring book
E              F#m    B
You can draw outside the lines
E    A    B    A
I     I     I got nothing on my
E    A                B    A
        Nothing on my mind
F#m        A    E
I got nothing on my mind

A    E            D
    My cousin died at a Who concert
A       E           D           A
He was camping out in line
A    E            D    
      Me and him went camping once
A    E    D    A
I got nothing on my mind

F#m                A
    That’s my favorite song
F#m        A     B
Baby do you wanna dance whoa
A    E                     D    
      If you’re happy and you know it
A            E    D        A
    You’ve got to clap, clap your hands
A    E        D
If you’re happy and you know it
A            E    D        A
    You’ve got to clap, clap your hands

E    A            C#m        A
        I’ll give you a coloring book
E              F#m    B
You can draw outside the lines
E    A    B    A
I     I     I got nothing on my
E    A                B    A
        Nothing on my mind
F#m        A    
I got nothing on my
F#m        A    
I got nothing on my
F#m        A    E
I got nothing on my mind

E    F#m     E    F#m

E
I was in a movie one time
F#m
I didn’t have any lines
E
Just smiled at the leading lady
F#m
Got cut but at least they paid me
E
I’ve got nothing to say
F#m
I hope you have a nice day
E
I’m out of control
E
Je t’aime le rock and roll

E    A    B    E
I    I    I     got nothing on my mind
E    A    B    E
I    I    I     got nothing on my mind
E    A    B    E
I    I    I     got nothing on my mind

[I’ve got nothing to say hey hey hey

Got nothing to say

Have a nice day]

Powered by Squarespace

Cart (0)