Sacred Harp 384, Panting for Heaven
Composed by S. M. Brown, 1870
Words by Maria de Fleury, 1791
The Henagar-Union Convention
Liberty Baptist Church, Henagar, Alabama
Recorded by Andy Ditzler, July 4, 2021

Oh, when will the period appear,
When I shall unite in your song?
I’m weary of lingering here,
And I to your Savior belong.
I’m fettered and chained up in clay;
I struggle and pant to be free:
I long to be soaring away,
My God and my Savior to see.

384 Panting for Heaven

Sacred Harp 336, Eternal Home 
Composed by S. M. Denson, 1911
Words by Isaac Watts, 1719
Led by Andy Ditzler at the Henagar-Union Convention
Liberty Baptist Church, Henagar, Alabama
Recorded by Andy Ditzler, July 4, 2021

Our God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come;
Our shelter from the stormy blast,
And our eternal home!

336 Eternal Home

"This is the future, what can we bring?"

Support this project at https://andyditzler.bandcamp.com/track/future-song

Composed arranged produced and performed by Andy Ditzler
Released July 9, 2021
From the forthcoming LP Since the Music Began

FUTURE SONG

We’re in the dark, lying together
Hand across my arm
Maybe it’s you, no question about it
We’ve been here so long
You’re like part of my body now

We’re out to lunch, world in my pocket
Yes I see the signs
We cross the street, the city so noisy
We’re used to the sound
It’s just part of the scenery now

This is the future, places we go
Easy to get there, nobody knows
The days and nights pass slow
And it means more to me than you know

Maybe you’re right, the clouds disappear
Maybe the sun is coming out
Maybe the blanket’s wet and filled with sand and
We have to shake it out
It breaks just like a memory now

This is the future, what can we bring
You have to think of everything
The days and nights pass slow
And it means more to me than you know

This is the future, I got the news
Say something funny, whatever you choose
It's enough to go around

I always said we’d be together
Take all the time you need
When we’re apart, I never worry
You’ll come home to me
You know, I have no secrets now

One day it’s quiet, the kids are asleep
The snow is falling, soft at our feet
We watch the street lights glow
And it means more to me than you know

I hope you’re right
I hope you’re right again
My friend

I hope you’re right
I hope you’re right again
My friend

released July 9, 2021
Mixed by Ben Price and Andy Ditzler
Music and lyrics copyright 2010 Andy Ditzler

Future Song

"Miss Thing" from the Closet Studies EP (2011)

The story of a pop megastar with a secret, told by his personal manager/enabler. 

Andy Ditzler, music and lyrics
with
Marlon Patton, drums
Robby Handley, bass
Colin Bragg, rhythm guitar
Mark Hamilton, lead guitar
Wes Funderburk, trombone
Ken Watters, trumpet
Will Scruggs, saxophones
Ben Price, handclaps

Instrumental tracks recorded by Will Loftin at Exocet Studios, April 2008 and 800 East, August 2008. Vocals recorded by Marlon Patton, July 2010. Mixed by Ben Price at StudiLaroche, January-February 2011. Mastered by Alex Lowe at Red Tuxedo, April 2011. 

Produced by Andy Ditzler for Frequent Small Meals. 
Special thanks to David Brodeur and Keith Leslie. 
Miss Thing: words and music copyright 2007 Andy Ditzler
Sound recording copyright 2011 Andy Ditzler

Miss Thing

Another Customer

Citizens

Sacred Harp 570: Farewell to All (Second)
Composed by Hugh McGraw, 1985 
Words by Berryman T. Hicks. 1835
Led by Andy Ditzler at the Keystone Sacred Harp Convention, West Hempfield, PA
Recorded by Andy Ditzler, January 21, 2017

The time is swiftly rolling on
When I must faint and die;
My body to the dust return,
And there forgotten lie.
My little children, near my heart,
And nature seems to bind;
It grieves me sorely to depart
And leave you all behind.

Let persecution rage around,
And antichrist appear,
My silent dust beneath the ground,
There’s no disturbance there.
Though I can never come to thee;
Let not this grieve your heart;
For you will shortly come to me,
Where we shall never part.

570 Farewell To All (Second)

Sacred Harp 511: The Great Redeemer
Composed by E. Foy Frederick, 1959
Words by Anne Steele, 1760
Led by David Brodeur at the County Line singing, Corner, AL
Recorded by Andy Ditzler, April 9, 2017


Look up, my soul, with cheerful eyes,
See where the great Redeemer lives,
I’ll build an altar to His name,
And to the world proclaim His grace.

511 The Great Redeemer

Sacred Harp 126: Babel's Streams
Composed by Stephen Jenks, 1811
Led by Nancy Novotny at the Labor Day Singing, Shoal Creek Baptist Church, Talladega National Forest, Cleburne County, Alabama
Recorded by Andy Ditzler, September 4, 2017

By Babel’s streams we sat and wept,
While Zion we thought on;
Amidst thereof we hung our harps,
The willow trees upon.
With all the pow’r and skill I have;
I’ll gently touch each string;
If I can reach the charming sound,
I’ll tune my harp again.

126 Babel's Streams

472 Akin, led by Terry Wootten and Jackie Tanner
Composed by P. Dan Brittain, 1971
From the afternoon session of the Henagar-Union Convention on Sunday, July 1, 2018
Recorded by Andy Ditzler, Liberty Baptist Church, Henagar, AL

472 Akin

73t Cusseta, led by Shane Wootten and Jackie Tanner
Composed by John Massengale, 1844
From the afternoon session of the Henagar-Union Convention on Sunday, July 1, 2018
Recorded by Andy Ditzler, Liberty Baptist Church, Henagar, AL

73t Cusseta

419 Melancholy Day, led by Lauren Bock and Jesse P. Karlsberg
Composed by H. S. Reese, 1859
From the afternoon session of the Henagar-Union Convention on Sunday, July 1, 2018
Recorded by Andy Ditzler, Liberty Baptist Church, Henagar, AL

419 Melancholy Day

Music composed by Andy Ditzler, 2018
Words: Charles Wesley

Blest be the dear uniting love, 
That will not let us part; 
Our bodies may far off remove, 
We still are one in heart.

Granada

Music video directed by Andy Ditzler: https://youtu.be/A4wsbPjUioA

BILLIE RAY

Billie honey, get out of bed
There’s a vision in my head
Summer’s gone, October’s on the way
And there’s something that I’ve just got to say

Billie I appreciate
Your attempts to separate
Work from pleasure from
Something approaching love

You’ve been like a dad to me
You messed me up, you set me free
I’m not used to making the first move
But now it’s

Bye bye Billie, bye bye Billie, bye bye
I know that you won’t cry
‘Cause you’ve got too much love to share
You drew the circle wide
The summer was oh so splendid
Went on forever, then it ended
Bye bye Billie, bye bye Billie, bye bye

Look in the mirror as I shave 
There’s still a world left to save
Ticket’s booked, toothbrush in the case
The passport says somewhere there’s a place

You killed me with a grin
Ruined everything, you let me win
No one ever treated me so kind
But now it’s

Bye bye Billie, bye bye Billie, bye bye
The leaves are drifting by
And you’ve got too much love to share
You drew the circle wide
Boyfriend, girlfriend, what’s the score
It only makes me want you more but
Bye bye Billie, bye bye Billie, bye bye

It’s not just your body, Billie
I’m taking all of you with me

I’ve been to hell with the sheriff’s crew
I’ve been to heaven next to you
There’s no place left for me now but New York

When we learn to be free
When there are words for you and me
And when our excuses won’t suffice
Til then it’s

Bye bye Billie, bye bye Billie, bye bye
Call me when you get tired of
Married men from the Capitol
Parts seven, eight and nine
And one lucky day we’ll meet
At the other end of Cypress Street
Til then

Bye bye Billie, you’re the one I adore
Leaving hurts, staying hurts more
Bye Billie, bye bye Billie, bye bye

Vampires on the street tonight
Showing up for another bite

Call me, text, send some mail
So I know you’re not in jail

Piano, Vocal, Caixa, Timbão: Andy Ditzler
Surdo, Caixa, Timbão: Rafael Pereira 
Acoustic bass: Robby Handley
Electric bass: Eliot Eidelman
Acoustic guitars: Adron and Eliot Eidelman
Electric guitar: Colin Bragg
Mandolin: Ben Price
Cavaco: João Marcelo Selhane
Trombone: Wes Funderburk
Trumpet: Ken Watters
Saxophones: Will Scruggs

Arranged and produced by Andy Ditzler
Recorded in Atlanta by Will Loftin at Exocet Studio, Martin Kearns at 800 East, and Ben Price at Studi Laroche
Cavaco recorded in Porto Alegre, Brazil by Marcelo Fruet at Estúdio-12 Experiênciasonora
Mixed by Ben Price
Mastered by Daniel Eaton at Little Castle Mastering
Music and Lyrics copyright 2007 Andy Ditzler
Sound recording copyright 2018 Andy Ditzler

Released February 2019
by Frequent Small Meals

Billie Ray

Two love stories in one. Here's to print culture, and the relationships it fosters. 

SONG FOR PRINTED MATTER

Was in the city on some business 
Feeling trapped inside my brain 
Counting the minutes until dinner 
Stepped out into the Chelsea rain 

Stopped in a bookstore for a moment 
Wanted just to clear my head 
But this store was so creative 
Couldn’t believe the things they had 

You mean a postcard is an artwork? 
You mean this poster is a book? 
This dude took pictures of his breakfast 
Just to see how his mornings looked! 

I got a book at Printed Matter 
Artists’ books and magazines 
They’re on 10th Avenue in Chelsea 
The coolest store I’ve ever seen 

One night some friends came by to party 
With this cute guy I’d never met 
He picked up the book, looked through the pages 
Said this is cool, where did you get it? 
I said 

I got that book at Printed Matter 
Artists’ books and magazines 
They’re on 10th Avenue in Chelsea 
The coolest store I’ve ever seen 

The next week we met there together 
Looked at some zines and went to lunch 
And now we know each other better 
We made a book about our love 

It’s got photos, text and drawings 
It’s diaristic in tone 
They carry it at Printed Matter 
You can get a copy of your own 
Then you can say 

I got a book at Printed Matter 
Artists’ books and magazines 
They’re on 10th Avenue in Chelsea 
The coolest store I’ve ever seen

Music and lyrics ©2010 Andy Ditzler

Song for Printed Matter (Demo Version)

Music and lyrics by C. Austin Miles, 1912
Keyboard and vocal by Andy Ditzler
Recorded May 2008, Exocet Studios, Atlanta, Georgia
Recorded by Will Loftin
"In the Garden" contains an excerpt from "The River," music copyright 2007 by Andy Ditzler

In The Garden

"hip, intelligent, sometimes provocative, and often simply beautiful songwriting" – the All Music Guide on Andy Ditzler

https://andyditzler.bandcamp.com/follow_me

Andy Ditzler is a songwriter, performer, and curator. He is the founder and artistic director of Frequent Small Meals, a record label and production company, and a founding member of John Q, at Atlanta art collective whose work encompasses performance, public space, archives, and memory. 

Ditzler was trained as a percussionist at the Indiana University School of Music, but a traditional symphonic music career was not the idea. “I got interested in the avant-garde – John Cage especially,” he says. “Cage’s philosophy that any sound can be considered music really affected me. Ideas about what constituted a musical instrument, or music, or artistic activity kept expanding.” 

Ditzler’s projects have taken him into video, audio phonography, multimedia forms, theater, performance art, and public art, but he consistently returns to songwriting. “I never cease to be fascinated by all the lyrical and musical possibilities of what you can do in the space of a pop song and the way the form can stretch to incorporate so many kinds of influences. I love it.” 

In 2006 Ditzler released his first music CD, Songs From Yes and No, which he produced, arranged, and recorded over two years. The “Pagan Christmas” holiday single Solstice followed in 2008, with a music video directed by underground film legend George Kuchar. 

In 2003, Ditzler’s career took another turn, when he began curating film programs in Atlanta. His series, which he named Film Love, now encompasses over one hundred events in an ongoing exploration of the history of avant-garde and experimental film. Film Love events have been reviewed in Pitchfork, Art Papers, and numerous other publications, as well as winning multiple “Best of Atlanta” awards. Ditzler’s numerous writings on film may be found in the Film Love online archive at www.filmlove.org.

Andy Ditzler

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