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

I had been playing around with alternative tunings (DADGAD) and this riff for a while.  One night when I couldn't sleep I went ahead and record it at about 3 a.m..  A  little analog delay and reverb.  Creepy!  Halloween seemed like a great day to upload it.  Appropriately titled Insomnia.. 

Insomnia

LET GO - D. Knuth ©2014
Lyrics
Guess I forgot to let you know
That you’re all I ever wanted or need
Didn’t mean to stoop so low
Cut out your warm still beating heart

As time passes by
Like a hurricane waiting for the eye
I believe that together we must try then

Let Go
Hold your head up high
From the deepest place inside just
Let go oh oh oh oh oh
Let go

Guitar Solo

Do you think of me
I really need to know
I wanna do everything with you    
I only want what I deserve

My darling
how I need you
‘cause I love you

And time passes by
Like a hurricane waiting for the eye
I believe that together we must try and

Let Go
Hold your head up high
From the deepest space inside just
Let go oh oh oh oh oh
Let go
Oooooh, ooooh let go

Credits
Piano-David Knuth
Bass-David Knuth
Electric guitar-David Knuth
Pedal Steel Guitar- Daniel Keith 
Lead and B/R Vocals-David Knuth
Drums- Mike Husa and John Douthitt


Let Go

Roadrunner Gleam

Stick a Fork in Me ('cause I'm done)
Music and Lyrics by David Knuth-vocals, guitar, piano, bass
Barry Sperti-Alto Saxophone
©2015 Barefoot Studio Beecher, IL

LYRICS
y baby just up and left me
I guess she's tired of all my fooling around 
her lips like strawberry wine
always blew my mind coming back for more 

my momma always told me 
she said you better stop your fooling around 
her hair was just the perfect hue
soft and warm as sun on the morning dew

so stick a fork in me 
just stick a fork in me
'cause I'm done 

Saxophone solo 

so stick a fork in me 
just stick a fork in me
'cause I'm done

now I party all day 
party hardy all night 
party ardy i-ah
party ardy i-oh

so stick a fork in me 
just stick a fork in me
so stick a fork in me 
just stick a fork in me
'cause I'm done

party hardy i-ah
'cause I'm done 
party hardy i-oh
'cause I'm done 
party hardy i-ah
'cause I'm done 
party hardy a-oh
'cause I'm done
party hardy i-ah
yeah I'm done
party hardy i-oh 
yeah I'm done 
party hardy i-ah 
party hardy i-oh


Stick A Fork In Me ('cause I'm done)

Matteson All Stars in the studio performing frontman Barry Sperti's original track Radio. On and off since 1974 with a host of South Side of Chicago talent spanning 40 years, and there is no mistaking the chemistry of this fantastic group of musicians. Fronted by lead singer Barry Sperti also on piano and saxophonist , Terry Wiley and Ron Berry on guitar, Mick Zaklin on Harp, Glen Diersen on bass and Dan MacDonald's on drums, and Jennifer Knuth on background vocals. Record 2012 David Knuth/Barefoot Studio Beecher, IL.

This unarguably poppy track resonates with their signature sound of Sax and Harmonica. There is no mistaking Barry Sperti's voice. As usual, it resonates in perfect pitch and tone.


Produced and engineered by David Knuth Barefoot Studio Beecher, IL

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This is a tribute to one of my heroes... Jimi Hendrix
Happy B-Day Jimi!

Hit Me Jimi

Stories to Tell

Introduced by Peter Donaldson, Recorded by Joe and Alan Harfield, Unity Recording Studio, Auldearn, Edited and Mixed at dBs Music

'I have written a blasphemous book', said Melville when his novel was first published in 1851, 'and I feel as spotless as the lamb'. Deeply subversive, in almost every way imaginable, Moby-Dick is a virtual, alternative bible - and as such, ripe for reinterpretation in this new world of new media. Out of Dominion was born its bastard child - or perhaps its immaculate conception - the Moby-Dick Big Read: an online version of Melville's magisterial tome: each of its 135 chapters read out aloud, by a mixture of the celebrated and the unknown, to be broadcast online, one new chapter each day, in a sequence of 135 downloads, publicly and freely accessible.

Starting 16 September 2012!

For more info please go to: www.mobydickbigread.com

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Barefoot Recording Studio

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