A JIm Schwall Composition. Recorded live with two mics in a room. At Heroes Nightclub--GreenBay, Wisconsin...1995

Jim Schwall: Vocals and Acoustic/Electric Guitar
Andy Ewen: Electric Guitar
"Guitar" Mark Haines: Drums
Glen Raymond: Bass
Live Sound and Recording:Lara Hayward

West Coast Blues

I Know You Better Than That

A track from Honor Among Thieves' (Madison, Wisconsin, est. 1982)
Second album, United Mind Workers", released 1990 on the Exude Label.

Andy Ewen: Vocals, guitar, songwriter
Doug Derosa: Bass
Terry Galloway: Drums
Scott Leisman: Organ

Engineered by Scott Leisman

United Mine Workers

Watersong

A raw recording of a song I wrote back when I turned 50. Me on voice and guitar. Doug Derosa on bass and engineering.

Tiny Woolly Mammoth

Who would ever know that
Behind this frozen mask
Is a tiny woolly mammoth
Getting ready for a birthday party

Cake and ice cream
And all the time in the world

Who would ever know
That behind this icy floor
He’s got a suit and a tie
With a tiny woolly mammoth sewn on it

Dance ‘til your woolly mammoth mama returns
Dance ‘til your woolly mammoth mama returns

Who would ever know that behind this frozen sheet
Lies the blue, blue heart of a man
Who would ever know that behind this frozen sheet
Lies the blue, blue heart of a man
Cold and hungry he’s got a spear in his hand
He’s getting ready for a birthday party

Dance ‘til your woolly mammoth mama returns
Dance ‘til your woolly mammoth mama returns

Who would ever know that upon this frozen plain 
A tiny woolly mammoth meets the blue, blue heart of a man
Who would ever know that upon this frozen plain 
A tiny woolly mammoth meets the blue, blue heart of a man

A skip becomes a run
Birthday presents become the past
Birthday presents become the past

Dance ‘til your woolly mammoth mama returns
Dance ‘til your woolly mammoth mama returns

Copyright Andy Ewen 2005

Tiny Woolly Mammoth

A song of limerence performed by Madison, Wisconsin's Honor Among Thieves band at the legendary Club de Wash in 1986. 

Nothing to Lose

Are you lonely?
She was reaching out her hand
Are you lonely?
She said I’ll always understand
Are you lonely?
She said I’m the promised land

And you better come along with me

She said I know you
I’m you oldest friend
I really know you
There’s no reason to pretend 
That I don’t know you
From your beginning to you end

And you better come along with me


She came out of the night
With her eyes like death
I could smell my future all over her breath
There was nothing I do
Nothing I could say
But I was blind for hours 
And I cried for days

I said I love you
It was pouring out like rain
I really love you
I was going half insane
You've got got nothing to lose
And a world to gain

And you better come along with me


Copyright 1986 Andy Ewen

Andy Ewen: Vocals, Guitar, Songwriter
Doug Derosa: Bass
Pat Dieter: Sax
Pepo Parisi: Drums

Recorded on a boombox in the room by Dickie Swaback.

Nothing To Lose (Club De Wash, Single Release Party - Nov 8, 1986)

A raw recording of Madison, Wisconsin's Honor Among Thieves performing the traditional blues song, "Baby Please Don't Go".
From a 1986 gig at Madison's legendary Crystal Corner Bar.

Andy Ewen: Vocal, Guitar
Doug Derosa: Bass
Pat Dieter: Sax
Pepo Parisi: Drums

Recorded on a small device by Dickie Swaback

Honor Among Thieves - Baby Please Don't Go

A home recording featuring guitar and and some ambient additions.

I Married a Hippie

A little guitar based tune made in my little living room lab some years back.  My version of elevator music.

Andrando's Groove #2

A home recording from some years back intended for a short film, but didn't wind up finding a home there. 

Black and Blue Mood

A live recording of Madison Wisconsin's Honor Among Thieves band performing at the legendary Crystal Corner Bar, Halloween, 1991.

Andy Ewen: Guitar, Vocals, Songwriter
Doug DeRosa: Bass
Randal Harrison: Violin:Kliff Hopson: Drums
Pepo Parisi: Percussion


The songs lyrics by Andy Ewen have also appeared in very different musical contexts:

1. A live in the studio solo acoustic version from Andy's "Andrando Solo" album:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chis3CZDKLQ

2. A crazed speaking in tongues version by Kicksville:

https://kicksville.bandcamp.com/track/mondo-diddley

3. A Bo Diddley inspired rendition often performed by the Jim Schwall/Andy Ewen Band:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7IMwLneHak

4. Covered by the D.C. area Cajun band, The Crawdaddies:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-6V2OlEgL4&list=OLAK5uy_nran0rWLOJBlfERb_MygC97hMZcjdY3yU&index=2

Mondo Diddley (Live)

A live performance by Madison, Wisconsin's Honor Among Thieves band at the Crystal Corner Bar in 1987.  Guitarist Andy Ewen wrote the tune in honor of Jerry Garcia after he went into a nearly fatal diabetic coma in 1986. 

Andy Ewen: Guitar, Composer
Doug DeRosa: Bass
Pat Dieter: Sax
Pepo Parisi: Drums

Live sound by Steve Summers

Digitized by Ryan Repenshek

Jerry's Brain (Crystal Corner, May 14th 1987)

A board tape from Madison, Wisconsin's Atwoodfest, 2010.  The Jim Schwall Band in all its ragged glory. Recording provided by Stu Levitan.

Photo by Maggie Weiser

Schwall Ewen Banks Stevenson Band Live at Atwoodfest 2010

An old Honor Among Thieves song rendered as a sort of Neo-Buddhist Gospel tune. 
Performed by singer, guitarist, songwriter, Andy Ewen and bass player, Doug DeRosa. Mother Fools Coffee House, February 28, 1998.

What you gonna hang onto
When your lovers fade from the sky
And the wires have been cut
From your head
And your hands
Are you just gonna
Curl up and die?
Are you and your kind gonna 
Form a long line
And march right into the sea?
What you gonna hang onto
When it's your turn
To be free...

What you gonna hang onto
When your doggie 
Wants his bone
And the priests and the rabbis all agree
That the Master ain't at home.
The monkey wants his medicine
He's really up a tree
What you gonna hang onto
When it's your turn
To be free...

What you gonna hang onto
When your King gives up his crown
And the ropes have all been severed
And your feet don't touch the ground
You’re locked out of your house
You've thrown away the key
What you gonna hang onto
When it's your turn
To be free...

(Here's the funky original: https://open.spotify.com/track/0UwYQ6K5ghCMSvPgXhfGY8?si=854ecd09e6b64f05}

Photo by: Ken Nikolai

What You Gonna Hang Onto (Live and Acoustic)

A raw home recoding of the Bob Dylan classic. Andy Ewen sings and plays guitar.

Girl From the North Country

A tune Andy Ewen wrote inspired by his friend Mary Reed who was bass player, Doug DeRosa's house mate at the time. Honor Among Thieves would practice in their basement while their bedrooms were on the second floor. Just a little fantasy. Mary was one of Madison, Wisconsin's most beloved bartenders and a joy to all who knew her.  Mary was tragically killed, hit by a car while walking in 2022.  She lives on in our hearts and minds.

The version I've posted, courtesy of audience member, Rob Repenshek,  was a board tape from a live performance at "The East End" a now gone Madison music club. 

Band In the Basement

There’s a band in the basement
Two flights down
She’s up in her room
Starts moving around
It’s taking shape
There’s a band in the basement
Two flights down
And I’m about to lose control…

There’s a band in the basement
Two flights down
Hey turn it up
You know I love the sound
I want to feel the bass
In every place
I want to feel the drum 
And I’m about to…
I’m about to lose control

There’s a band in the basement
Two flights down
It’s taking shape
I’m moving around
I want to feel the bass
In every place
I want to feel the drum 
And I’m about to…
I’m about to lose control

Andy Ewen:Vocal, Guitar and Songwriter
Doug DeRosa: Bass
Randal Harrison: Violin
Pepo Parisi: Drums

Band in the Basement

A cover of the song composed by Allen Toussaint and first released by Lee Dorsey in 1966. Madison, Wisconsin's Honor Among Thieves band had their own take on the song. Performed here at The Crystal Corner Bar in Madison on May 15th of 1993. A board recording digitized by Ryan Repenshek.

Andy Ewen: Lead Vocal, Guitar, Arrangement
Doug DeRosa: Bass
Randal Harrison: Violin
Pepo Parisi: Drums

Get Out of My Life, Woman

A live recording of Madison Wisconsin's Honor Among Thieves band featuring our good friend,  guitar virtuoso, Joel Paterson as a young man. The show took place at Madison's greatly missed Club de Wash. March 27, 1993. 

Ooh Wee

Ooh Wee…what you done, done to my head?
The Sun’s going down and I’m still glued to my bed

Well…this must be the end of the line
You’re going round and round in circles
And I’m going out of my mind

I can’t go on this way
But then it all comes down
And …Baby what can I say?

Ooh Wee…I feel like this must be the end
But then you do like you do 
And I start doing what I’ve been doing once again


Andy Ewen: Vocal, Acoustic Guitar, Songwriter
Joel Paterson: Electric Guitar
Doug DeRosa: Bass
Randal Harrison: Violin
Pepo Parisi: Drums

Ooh Wee

Recorded on a boombox, November 17, 1984 at Madison, Wisconsin's O’Cayz Corral, this rarely performed Honor Among Thieves song was written just as Ronald Reagan was elected for a second term. Seems pretty quaint given today's political climate. 

Sergeant Fun

You better clean yourself
Before you seat yourself
At that welcome table 
And you treat yourself

Here in the Land of the Free
Under the Command of Sergeant Fun

You better eat your pie
Before the other guy
Does like you in this Big Sky Lie

Here in the Land of the Free
Under the Command of Sergeant Fun

There’s not much to do
But there’s a lot to buy
Don’t think too much
Hey…just close your eyes

Here in the Land of the Free
Under the Command of Sergeant Fun

Andy Ewen: Vocal, Guitar, Songwriter
Doug DeRosa: Bass
Pepo Parisi: Drums
Pasquale: Saxophone

Digitized by Ryan Repenshek
Photo credit: Keith Wessel

Sergeant Fun

A live recording of Madison, Wisconsin's Honor Among Thieves Band performing at one of our favorite venues, The Crystal Corner Bar. One of the Thieves' longtime drummer, Joey B. Banks' first gigs with the group. The lyrics to the song seem to be a fitting commentary, given the state of things.

Empty Car

It’s an empty car
But he rides like a king
Upon his throne
So many words
Not a one of them takes him home

A flag on every mountain
No matter what the cost
He thinks he the Duke of Desire
He’s just the Prince of Paradise Lost

If your house is cold 
Paint it green and call it spring
So many words
Not a one of them means a thing

Andy Ewen: Lead Vocal, Guitar, Songwriter
Doug DeRosa: Bass, Backing Vocal
Randal Harrison: Violin
Joey B. Banks: Drums


Empty Car (Honor Among Thieves Live at the Crystal Corner, June 1, 1997)

One of Madison, Wisconsin's Honor Among Thieves band's most performed songs. This version was recorded live on Halloween, 1997 at the Harmony Bar and Grill. The whole evening was featured on 105.5 Triple M's Mad City Live. Numerous songs from the show were later released as a live album called "Primordial Soup Du Jour":

https://m.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_ly-2t1_ITyBEBPktzXKdLDeijTAQNu_FU

Andy Ewen: Vocal, Guitar, Songwriter
Doug DeRosa: Bass
Randal Harrison:Violin
Pepo Parisi: Drums

Recorded by Steve Gotcher




Let it Out (Honor Among Thieves, Halloween Night 1997)

One of Madison, Wisconsin's Honor Among Thieves band's most performed songs. This version was recorded live on Halloween, 1997 at the Harmony Bar and Grill. The whole evening was featured on 105.5 Triple M's Mad City Live. Numerous songs from the show were later released as a live album called "Primordial Soup Du Jour".

Andy Ewen: Vocal, Guitar, Songwriter
Doug DeRosa: Bass
Randal Harrison:Violin
Pepo Parisi: Drums

Recorded by Steve Gotcher

Photo by Joseph Blough

Shut the Door (Honor Among Thieves, Halloween Night, 1997)

The late, great JIm Schwall always had fellow guitarist, Andy Ewen, sing a couple each set during their 25 year or so collaboration. Here's a song of Andy's rendered in a Muddy Waters influenced style. The cut is from a live cassette recorded with two mics in a room at Heroes nightclub in Green Bay, Wisconsin in 1995. 

Andy Ewen: Vocals, Electric Guitar
Jim Schwall: Electrified Slide Acoustic Guitar
Mark Haines: Drums
Glen Raymond: Bass

Recorded by Lara Hayward

Thinline (The Jim Schwall Band featuring Andy Ewen from Live at Heroes)

Yonder's Wall, a blues and rock classic rendered by Madison, Wisconsin's Honor Among Thieves band at the Crystal Corner Bar, late 1995. 

Andy Ewen: Singing and Guitar
Doug DeRosa: Bass
Randal Harrison: Violin
Pepo Parisi: Drums

Digitized from a cassette by Ryan Repenshek

Yonder's Wall

I song I wrote for my dear friend, Tani Diakite, shortly after we began playing music together in the early 2000's. Originally from the Wassoulou region of Mali, Tani has become a musical force in Madison, Wisconsin, where he has lived since shortly before we met. He sings, composes music and songs and is a kamele ngoni virtuoso. I recorded this version of the song in my little home laboratory in 2007.

Photo by Laura Rogers

Man From Wassoulou

The BB King blues classic performed by Madison, Wisconsin's Honor Among Thieves band, June 1st, 1997. One of the first gigs longtime drummer, Joey B. Banks played with the band.

Andy Ewen: Vocal, Guitar
Doug DeRosa:Bass
Randal Harrison: Violin
Joey B. Banks: Drums

Photo Credit: Bob Rashid

Rock Me

The Howlin Wolf classic. Performed by Madison, Wisconsin's Honor Among Thieves band, June 1st, 1997 at the Crystal Corner Bar. 

Andy Ewen: Guitar, Vocal
Doug DeRosa: Bass
Randal Harrison: Violin
Joey B. Banks: Drums

Photo by Bob Rashid.

Killing Floor

A recording from my little Living Room Lab.  A bit of influence from both Reggae and Otis Rush

Brackish Snark

Pops and Skinny perform "Light That Shines". Very Stripped down and slightly silly.

Light That Shines

There’s a light that shines 
When you put out your helping hand 
It crosses over water and reaches out across the land

There’s a light that shines when you stand together strong 
The soul starts dancing
And the heart breaks out in song.

There’s a light that shines 
When your love it knows no bounds 
The most beautiful feeling I have ever found.

Andy Ewen:Vocal, Handclaps, Songwriter
Skinny Gaviar: Guitar


Light That Shines

Madison's Honor Among Thieves' blistering live version of Screaming' Jay Hawkins' "I put a Spell on You.  Recorded 1989 and released on the Thieves' 1990 CD "United Mind Workers"

I Put A Spell On You

Sometime in the 1980's, Bill Feeny (Reptile Palace Orchestra, Appliances SFB)  brought me into Madison, WI's Smart Studios to play some guitar on this cool track.  Personnel: Ed Feeny bass, Dan Hobson drums, Bill Feeny synth and nylon guitar, Paul Haeberli wacky vocals. Engineered & mixed by Steve Marker.



Bill Feeny and Friends: Carlos Mario ( Late 1980's)

Track from Madison, Wisconsin's Honor Among Thieves' first album: When the World Runs Fast (1987). Released on the Knitting Factory's "Flaming Pie" label.

When the World Runs Fast

Thinline

Every so often, when EIEIO's Steve Summers would do live sound for Honor Among Thieves-he would sit in on this Bo Diddley Classic. 1991 at Madison, Wisconsin's Crystal Corner Bar. Steve Summers, vocals, Andy Ewen electric guitar, Doug DeRosa, bass; Kliff Hopson, Drums; Pepo Parisi, congas; Dave Fallow, acoustic guitar

Mona:Steve Summers with Honor Among Thieves 1991

A home recording which includes sample of my voice as a child in the late 1950's.

Andy Ewen

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