Knuthsongs

I wrote black Black Widow about 10 years ago. In my head, it was a derivative of George Harrison’s famous Taxman Riff.  It reminds me of something you might hear in an Austin Power’s movie.  By chance, I had an old Korg Poly 61 synth left in the studio by Pat Leahy from the Smoking Rhino’s days.  It was exactly what I was looking for.   The real icing on the cake though was when Matteson Allstars lead singer and sax extraordinaire Barry Sperti stopped over.  Barry liked the idea and agreed to play sax and sing background vocals on it.  Barry is so talented and ended up playing on 3 tracks that day: Black Widow, Intoxicated and Meant 2B.  I’m not kidding; every track was a once through take. He’d play and say, “Well, that’s the thing”.  I would dropped my jaw and said, “that was frickin’ great dude!”  It’s one of the few tracks I’ve done that Warner Music wanted rights to for their movie archive.  Maybe someday It’ll be in a new Austin Powers movie! Dedicated to my lifetime friend and great drummer Mike Imig.  He agreed to play on some of these tracks.  Mike recently passed away.  Anyone that ever knew me growing up knows I was rarely seen without Mike.  I really miss him and will always remember him.  I really only used a laptop, Cubase and one MOTU 828 convertor with almost no editing or post production.  

Black Widow

Written on an acoustic guitar Meant 2 B is a simple Dm/Am progression. When I started to add instruments it was a textbook example to me how you can produce songs lots of different ways.  I was shocked how Latin and R & Bit started to sound.  Two things made me want to finish this one. Barry Sperti again said, “I have a few ideas for that song.”.   I set up an empty track, and put an old, beat up AKG RE20 mic on his Alto Sax and hit record. I was completely blown away by the emotion that he put into this song.  Sometimes he’s barely breathing into the thing.  There was so much good stuff on there that  I didn’t know what to cut out.  Then I managed to convince Jennifer, who was 13 years old at the time to sing on it.  I wanted it to be fun for her, so we went downtown to Earhole Recording Studio then with my friend and amazing engineer Joe Bader where she sang the lead and I sang some background stuff.  It was one of the first recordings I have of her.  With her permission I will post a few others she did at that time; like Another Day that was one the first songs she ever wrote.  The middle part was recorded back at home when a friend that heard it joked about a Barry White talked part in the middle.  After about 3 margaritas one night at MiRanchito in Lowell I came home and made it up on one pass.  The truth is I was laughing out loud between lines.

Meant 2 B

Lyrics
The Most Dangerous Girl in the Room

Ok all right I admit it
For me it’s always the same struggle every time
I just can’t forget it
You know that I find one every single time
In every single room
In know it’s crazy,
Inevitably I find her very soon
She’s rarely very kind, 
But most likely to blow my mind 
She’s the most dangerous girl in the room

It’s no go, cause I really don’t know
Where she’s been, with whom she goes
Tattooed now I’ve me come unglued
Was a perfect gentlemen now a dude

Usually lacking in social grace,
My mother would have un-doubtable would find her a big disgrace
I find her infectiously delicious
Even irresistible that she’s not very ambitious
I do try to avoid it, but she’s thrilling
Even though, after a few shots, it me might be killing

It’s no go, cause I really don’t know
Where she’s been, with whom she goes
Tattooed now I’ve me come unglued
Was a perfect gentlemen now a dude

Beaming infectious grin, devious sin
She’s just got to see that I love her
Fallen angels for me black boots, torn jeans
It’s the same old scene, She’s my

Favorite distraction, 
Most dangerous distraction in the room
She’s the most Dangerous Girl, 
Most Dangerous Girl in the room

SOLO

It’s no go, cause I really don’t know
Where she’s been, with who she goes
Tattooed now I’ve me come unglued
Was a perfect gentlemen now a dude

Beaming infectious grin
Devious sin
She’s just got to see that I love her
It’s fallen angels for me
Black boots, torn jeans 
oooooh it’s the same old scene

She’s my favorite distraction, 
my dangerous distraction in the room
She’s the most Dangerous Girl, 
Most Dangerous Girl in the room
She’s my dangerous distraction in the room
My most Dangerous Girl, 
She’s the most dangerous girl 
most Dangerous Girl in the room
Most Dangerous Girl in the room 
She’s the most Dangerous Girl, 
Most Dangerous Girl in the room

The Most Dangerous Girl In The Room EXPERIMENT

From a single, smoldering ember to a reignited fire. A fire fueled by our everlasting friendship and love for each other, music and most importantly harmony. In 2014, KOG re-enters the studio with a fresh outlook.  Older, and yes, somewhat wiser.  Our first release, Show Me That You Can ©2014 reflects our unaltered passion for David Crosby and Crosby, Stills and Nashs'  blending of three distinctly different voices into our sound.  From the sticky, beer soaked floors of Sporty's Bar on the campus at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, IL (1979), to this independent release, we are "Still Burning".  Knuth, Osterman and Garrison's Show Me That You Can.  Please Share and Enjoy!

Recorded in St. Louis, MO and Chicago, IL.  
Engineering and Mixing D. Knuth Barefoot Studio Beecher, IL  
**There has been no vocal correction on this track. 

SHOW ME THAT YOU CAN ©2014
Lately I’ve been pondering what it takes
I want to be a sword smith, making no mistakes
I’ll practice every day, every man I’ll slay 
“I’ll show you that I can”

I went to see the old wise Samaria who knows
Told of my intentions to seek knowledge that he holds
He said, “Your young and dumb, your time is yet to come”
It’ll take 20 years

20 years you’ll burn
It’ll take 20 years to learn
With Patience and refrain, through persistence you’ll sustain
The next 20 years

I said I know you don’t know me, or perhaps you haven’t heard
That I’m so driven there’s nothing so absurd
You see Ill practice everyday, no breaks will I take
I’ll show you that I can

The old man took a long slow pull upon his beard
A deep long drag upon his pipe and this is what I heard
He said, “If I really want to know, your life you’ll devote”
To show me that you can 

BRIDGE

Years flew past now the Samaria gone 
I practiced everyday and now I sing it in this song
20 years have gone, he knew it all along
It’d take twenty years

20 years I’ve burned
Yet still I haven’t learned
Patience or refrain
Perhaps I haven’t changed

Meant 2 B

Barefoot Recording Studio