A collection of covers recorded simply, frequently acoustically. No fat tunes about relationships, generally, slow cooked, low and smoked to perfection while we all stew in the juices of loss, uncertainty and hope for a better tomorrow. If you've loved and lost, you know how it goes...

Bar-B-Q 4 Two

I rediscovered George Harrison's deep tracks body-of-work about 5 years after his passing. There was a glut of his rally raw demo tapes (bootlegs, I presumed), dropped onto the internet for all to listen to and learn from. There were cuts intended for producers to review prior to studio productions. ...Really rough vocals where his voice was raw and pitchy; there were unadorned guitar accompaniments where he unself-consciously joked that "putting his guitar and his voice in tune" was a great undertaking. And, loose sketches of songs that were just intended as explorations, tests or just ruminations on covers of songs that he used to warm up. In fact, these rough Harrison legacy recordings were so intimate, that I imagined that the only source for these tracks could have been Dani Harrison--simply wanting to get his father's work out there since: a) there was so much of it, and; b) even his raw work had deep emotional/curatorial value to it. This recording of his famed "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" is closer to those rough tracks and the solitary "working" track located on the Giles Martin produced Beatles' Cirque Du Soleil CD than on the much, much earlier and famed studio version. However, I thought my own darn version should reference those raw tracks that he left behind, which to me, were simply gorgeous. In fact, those rough recordings inspire me so to leave my tracks posted here on SoundCloud to be "raw" also. On playback, a second inspiration I hear in this track is the early work of David Bowie where he covered Beatle tunes in his own inimitable style. Bowie always liked the theatrical. Our paths crossed ever so slightly on a NYC flight to Barbados when we both were traveling to BlueWave Studios for separate recording sessions in the 80s . The immediacy (and honest faults) in these recordings is part of the realty of this music that I most wanted to share. This track is from my pit-cooked, nascent, debut on the "Bar-B-Q 4 2" album. Your likes, comments and shares are most appreciated for this music exploration experienced here on the robust SoundCloud Platform.

While My Guitar Gently Weeps - Michael Delgorio

Collide by Howie Day and Kevin Griffin  Circa 2003 as covered, acoustically by Michael Delgorio.

A guy and girl lives intersect and forever change them. He's been hurt in the past, afraid to start again with someone new. The girl with him has taken his breath away, has taken his heart, and has totally engrossed him. She has fallen in love with him and he knows it, but he’s afraid to let his guard down, and admit his love for her. They break-up, he leaves, and she goes after him and meets him at the train station because she realizes that no matter what, he loves her and she loves him and they should be together. At this symbolic crossroad (think grand central station), she’s hoping that when he gets off the train and sees her standing there, that he'll finally get it, finally understand and basically take her in his arms and they're in love. The dawn is breaking and the remaining lyrics are a precursor to a song recorded by The Civil Wars: Poison and Wine.  Men and women come together: But do they ever really know each other? 

The Collide Story is about hope, confusion and fear associated with relationships. Importantly, the song is about the knowing way the lady in his life has the relationship under control despite his uncertainty. Yet, as the song wraps up, he finds he has to do damage control since she experiences the same residual effect of this relationship collision: 
"Even the best fall down sometimes
Even the wrong words seem to rhyme
Out of the doubt that fills your mind
You finally find, you and I collide"


Collide - (remastered) Michael Delgorio

The seminal Prince Track that branded him for all time. Here's to you Prince. What a ride you took us on. Gonna' be an amazing jam in heaven.

Purple Rain - MIchael Delgorio

Here's a little demo we recorded in the summer of 2014 on an iPhone voice memo. It was captured in one take using an EDM and a processed guitar signal (on a Vox Lab). We also used a ElectroHarmonix Vocal-G harmonizer for the vocal chorus. Surprisingly the track received hundreds of file downloads when we posted is to Twitter the 1st time around. It must have hit a chord with Imagine Dragon followers. The Imagine Dragons Charitable Foundation twitter manager Favorited it.
This track is from our nascent, 2014 debut release: The "Bar-B-Q 4X2" album.
In May of 2016, we remixed it with a few more parts and Mastered the new arrangement on eMastered.com. We hope you like the new spin on it.


Demons - ReMix - Michael Delgorio - eMastered

Here's a track that was brought back to our attention by the more recent Mumford and Sons version. Great tune from the start made contemporary by M&S. That, plus the lyrics: "...in the quiet of a subway station, running scared." reminded us so much of being a slender, long haired 17-year-old on our way to the very first day at a Jay Street college in Downtown Brooklyn, So, that said, here's our own darn version. The tune means a lot to us (thanks, Paul Simon!) and we hope we did it no harm in light of the awesome luminaries who have recorded it wonderfully before us. Your comments, likes, shares are most welcome and appreciated. Recorded, humbly, as a iPhone Voice Memo demo in one take; we believe we had four takes before this unedited "final" version of the guide track.
This track can be found on our nascent, debut, slow cooked: The "Barbeque 4X2" record.
Post script: Though the guide track was recorded in June of 2015 in was remixed and master, via eMastered.com in June of 2016


Barbecue 4X2

The Boxer

The Boxer - ReMix - Michael Delgorio - eMastered

3rd Take, no edit iPhone Voice Memo Demo intended to spin the Wilco country-tinged classic on the Fox Trot Hotel record in a darker, harder boiled version. Nora Jones did a fine job with this along with her cohorts in Puss N’ Boots…albeit in a soft rock version. 

When we initially posted the spare guide track demo of Jesus, Etc. to our Twitter Account, we received hundreds of full file downloads on our ADrive storage account… as a result of the initial social media post. Its Soundcloud streaming run as a voice, EDM and Guitar guide track only enjoyed a tepid organic engagement.

Since #NoraJones was tagged in the original Tweet as well as #Wilco, we suppose there was curiosity about yet another version. Somehow it took off on Twitter. It's a whole lot raunchier that the fine performance by Ms. Jones. But, none-the-less we tried to keep it I the vain of that whisper singing style that launched a genre of smoky vocal delivery tunes.
This track is from our nascent, 2014 debut release: "Barbecue 4X2". 

However, in June of 2016 the tune was ReMixed with more instrumentation to add depth and a bit of gravitas. You decide. The myriad downloads of the original raw track are readily "out there" in the netsphere for thorough comparison. Also, credit is attributed to the capable folks at eMastered.com who did their usual Grammy award-winning mastering magic on this remix. Thanks eMastered. Thanks Collin. And, thank YOU for listening and sharing.


Jesus, Etc.

Jesus Etc - ReMix - Michael Delgorio - eMastered

Everyone loves a good story. We've enjoyed telling them in words, pictures and music. 

Please follow MichaeldelAard here and on twitter @MichaeldelAard. We've long been moved by the rough cuts, bootlegs and demos by storied artists both past and present because they show pure emotion, high creativity unfettered by auto-tune and over-production. The elimination of anything that could remotely resemble anything but a perfect track is not part of this stream. This project is more about spontaneity. You'll find perfectly human imperfections and, spare (lean and mean)demo productions throughout. On occasion, though all tracks were recorded ultra-simply on an iPhone's voice memo app, we would pull a track into GarageBand to add a track or sound effects (as in several of the originals, herein)...but all in all these are low-fat productions that reflect our most basic love for music and storytelling. Nothing more than that. Should a track tickle your ear, we'd be most grateful to here about it. Thanks for the opportunity to share with you. Follows, comments and shares are welcome.