The title of of this collection derives from a song that ultimately didn’t make the cut for various reasons — though “The Ten Thousand Ways” did a wonderful rendition of “Normal Wear and Tear” years ago at the Lost Church for EGPhest II. Still, I grew rather attached to it as a moniker for this set of songs, each of which has had its own special journey to the point where they were included on this volume (“What happened to Volumes 2 and 3?” I hear you cry… well, you see Mental Maps was for all intents and purposes Volume 2, really, and as for Volume 3…. patience…). Once again East Nashville based producer Kenny Schick, who is always a delight to work with, delivers some wonder atmospheric backdrops for my lyrics and I’m pleased to have Amberly Rosen again adding some fiddle to three of the tracks. Kenny’s wife Sabine also provides some backing vocals and she’s had some especially kind words about this batch of songs.


E.G. Phillips: lead vocals
Kenny Schick: guitars, banjo, keys, bass, drums, backing vocals
Sabine Heusler-Schick: backing Vocals (track 2)
Amberly Rosen: fiddle (tracks 2-4)

Produced, Mixed & Mastered by Kenny Schick - b3pmusic
Vocals recorded at ToneFreq in San Jose

All Written Songs by E.G. Phillips 
(c) 2024 Ducks With Pants Music

Nashville Recordings Vol. 4: Wear and Tear

The devastation caused by wildfires that have struck the Bay Area in recent years was the inspiration for this song's imagery. Although the fall is a time of beauty in wine country with the leaves of the vineyards turning their autumnal hues, in more recent years it has become smoke season and the accompanying destruction from the fires can be heartbreaking. But these aren't the only "burning days" being alluded to.

Recorded in East Nashville, featuring searing violin work by Amberly Rosen as well as producer Kenny Schick on acoustic and electric guitars, banjo and organ.

E.G. Phillips: lead vocals
Kenny Schick: guitars, banjo, keys, bass, drums, backing vocals
Amberly Rosen: fiddle

Produced, Mixed & Mastered by Kenny Schick - b3pmusic
(c) 2024 Ducks With Pants Music

Lyrics:
Vineyards vibrant as Van Gogh’s palette
Vineyards vibrant as Van Gogh’s palette
The ashes of Napa are painting the skies          
In ribbons of indigo and scarlet
	
A fire crew wrangles its manic cattle
A fire crew wrangles its manic cattle
The front line resembles a lightning bolt or
The earth’s crust cracked to mantle	

These are burning days
These are burning days
The chaotic winds spur the blaze
Of our burning days
        
The horse broke loose ‘n fled the stable
The horse broke loose ‘n fled the stable
A herd of storms lashes the land
With the rage Cain held for Able

These are burning days
These are burning days
The chaotic winds spur the blaze
Of our burning days

These are burning days
These are burning days
The chaotic winds spur the blaze
Of our burning days

You want me to hold all of your anger
You need me to metabolize your pain
While so much is vying for our eyeballs                    
By trying to hack our brains 

The car’s a corpse of twisted metal
The car’s a corpse of twisted metal
Piles of stones where chimneys once stood
The taste of smoke’s now bitter

Nashville Recordings, Vol. 4: Wear and Tear

These Are Burning Days

The ideas for songs can come from the most unusual places. For instance, I was in an unfinished furniture store one day and the idea of the title “Unfinished Love” came to mind — and thus this creation was born.  It was originally part of a collection of instrumental music I called “Morphology” where I was playing a bit with form — in this case the dramatic shifting of keys from the chorus to verse.

E.G. Phillips: lead vocals
Kenny Schick: guitars, banjo, keys, bass, drums, backing vocals

Produced, Mixed & Mastered by Kenny Schick - b3pmusic

All Written Songs by E.G. Phillips 
(c) 2024 Ducks With Pants Music

Lyrics:
I’ve got some Unfinished Love for you 
I’ve got some Unfinished Love for you 
Mmmmm..... mmmmm... 

It’s still a little rough
Just give me some time
Yes, it’s a bit unpolished
But I’m sure it will shine

I’ve got some Unfinished Love for you 
I’ve got some Unfinished Love for you 
Ohhhhh..... Ohhhhh...

You can go ahead an’ take it
Have whatever’s left
Don’t let it go to waste or 
Just evaporate

My love is resilient My love will survive 
My love will remain Unfinished 
As long as I’m alive 

I’ve got some Unfinished Love for you 
I’ve got some Unfinished Love for you 

My love is resilient My love will survive 
My love will remain Unfinished 
As long as I’m alive

I’ve got some Unfinished Love for you 
I’ve got some Unfinished Love for you
For you 
For you 
For you 
For you...

Unfinished Love

A young lady I knew once told me “my love’s so hard” when she was describing her relationships and the intensity she put into them.  That phrase just sort of stuck with me until I wrote a song. I sort of intended the “pale moon light” line to be a placeholder line but ultimately decided I liked it.

This song is not about Taylor Swift. I played this song once at an open mic and the songwriter who preceded me (stage name: "Troubadour Fools") performed a song he calls “Taylor Swift” which I can only describe as a blatant attempt to piggyback on Ms. Swift's stardom. This led me to quip that my song was also about Taylor Swift. I have been fighting the rumors ever since. 

Some sweet and romantic violin work by Amberly Rosen on this one, in stark stark contrast to the searing riffs she did on "These Are Burning Days."

E.G. Phillips: lead vocals
Kenny Schick: guitars, keys,  percussion,
Sabine Heusler-Schick: backing vocals
Amberly Rosen: fiddle

Produced, Mixed & Mastered by Kenny Schick - b3pmusic

All Written Songs by E.G. Phillips 
(c) 2024 Ducks With Pants Music

Her Love's So Hard

I am the son of a geographer, and in fact have a degree in geography myself and that comes out in full force in this little country blues ditty. The inspiration in fact comes from something I once read about Simon and Garfunkel’s album “Bookends” — maybe it was Bud Scoppa, who wrote “the record is a meditation on the passage of life and the psychological impact of life's irreversible, ever-accumulating losses" — accumulating losses… accretions, if you would.

Anyway, it has been said that this song “rocks”

Accretion Blues

E.G. Phillips is a songwriter based in San Francisco.  His lyrics are whimsical and cinematic.   He's twice been the "Songwriter In Residence" at Bazaar Cafe and he hosts and annual "EGPhest" event in August where he invites Bay Area performers to come and play his songs for his birthday.

He is the front man for the fake band Ducks With Pants.