22H22

ALONE

I heard you order your coffee
you're wearing camo pink pajamas
like you've been hunting unicorns
in the crystal forest
its a triple shot latte ,iced of course 
it's only 7:39 and your days are so long 
somebody loves you 
somebody loves you 
somebody loves you
and that body's just a suit
your souls been wearing 
and the sleeves are worn out 
and the knees are tearing
you need to get to the tailors
you need to get repairs done 
go on a make an appointment 
and don't you wait to long
somebody loves you 
somebody loves you 
somebody loves you

pink pajamas

Xmas Jollies 2024

1. Dean Fraser featuring Ubuntu, “Silver Bells,” 2023
2. Season’s Greetings from Les McCann, 2002
3. Gramps Morgan, “I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday,” 2021
4. Blues Disciples, “(Havin’ a) Christmas Party,” 1993
5. Lowdown Brass Band, “Nutcracker Overture,” 2011
6. Dave Hole, “Fattening Up the Turkey,” 2003
7. Robert Finley, “Merry Christmas, I Love You,” 2017
8. Rick Huff, “Red and Green Christmas Blues,” 1997
9. Ruben Ramos, “Blue Christmas,” 2007
10. Ry Cooder, “Christmas in Southgate,” 2007
11. Kimmie Rhodes, “Wake Up Sleepy Town,” 2007
12. Sammy Kershaw, “We Three Kings,” 1994
13. Kenny Davern, “Jingle Bells,” 1992
14. Mary Larsen, “Silent Night,” 1972
15. Leslie West, “Silent Night,” 2015
16. Jingle Cats, “What Child Is This?” 1994
17. Lauren Oboe, “O Come All Ye Faithful,” 2011
18. Hip Hop Hoodios, “Ocho Kandelikas,” 2002
19. Jack Black, “Oh Hanukkah,” 2019
20. Happy Chanooka to Margo from Smokey Robinson, 2020
21. The Linda Lindas, “Groovy Xmas,” 2022
22. Los Bitchos, “Los Chrismos,” 2022
23. Big Merla, “Snoop Dogg, The Real G Gangsta,” 2023
24. Johnny Horton, “They Shined Up Rudolph’s Nose,” 1959
25. The Cadillacs, “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” 1956
26. Devil in a Woodpile, “The Pagans Had It Right,” 2017
27. Nicole Blackman, “What I Want for Christmas,” 1995
28. Slaid Cleaves, “One Good Year,” 2001
29. Kyshona “Maybe By Christmas,” 2017
30. Ryan Toby (with the St. Francis Choir), “O Happy Day,” 1993
31. Los Silver Star, “El Año Viejo,” 2020
32. Dollar Brand, “The Wedding” (introduced by BA), 1980

Audio engineering by Jacob Burckhardt
Cover design by Ruthie Adler
Original cover illustration by George Booth for The New Yorker, December 13, 2004

Thanks: Janis Adler and Toby Deming, Rick Adler, Sam Adler and Katu Medina, Janette Beckman, Bob Bell, Catherine Boyle, Candice Crossley and Amy Linden, Andy Derousseau, Robert Esparza of Janie’s Record Shop in San Antonio, TX,  D. X. Ferris, Daniel and Lindsay Fitzgerald of Hello Goodbye Records in Charlottesville, VA, Bob George of The ARChive of Contemporary Music, Ryan Hansen, Jon Kalish, Jacqui Kennedy, Reverend Andrew King, Rob Martinez, Miroslav Lovric, René Medina, Linda Medley, Betsy Meyer, Phil Michelson and his 15-year-old daughter Alice, Peter Moulton, Pete Nice, Jes Perilla, Julia Rosenfeld, Jeff Selzer, Shawn Setaro, Henry Traurig, Noah Uman, Guy Walker, David Was, Susan Wauldron, Doug Wendt.

Special thanks to the intrepid Ms. Lizzie Mandell.
Extra special thanks, as ever, to Sara M.
RIP:  Mitchell Kezin (1963-2024)

Xmas Jollies 2024

"Dust and Grace" came together during another late night creative session at La Lande with just my MacBook Pro. It was inspired by the ongoing construction at the Grand Salon, which I could see whenever I walked out of my room. The music style was inspired by the type of music Stephanie used on her previous videos.

LYRICS:

Verse 1 
Brush in hand, the morning sways 
Paint runs slow, in soft sun rays 
Plaster cracks and timber bends 
But every mark begins to mend 
The floorboards creak, like old refrains 
We sand them down, erase the stains  

Chorus 1 
Work and dust and grace In every room we find a trace 
Of stories lived and left behind 
We patch, we paint, we realign 
No rush, no rules, no rage 
Just hands and time and space  

Verse 2 
Frames are hung, the ladder scrapes 
A wall becomes its final shade 
Linen drapes and drying clay 
The smell of wood at end of day 
We speak in gestures quiet and clear 
A nod, a laugh, the sound of care  

Chorus 2 
Work and dust and grace 
The chatter wears a newer face 
Each faded room a chance to show 
What life can do with what we know 
We scrape, we seal, we place 
With rhythm, dust, and grace  

Bridge 
The days are long, the heat runs deep 
But something stirs, we want to keep 
A skirting board, a chandelier 
A sense that we belong right here  

Final Chorus 
Work and dust and grace 
We move through time at our own pace
A chair restored, a curtain hung
A song unsaid but softly sung
The cracks don't hide, they trace
The story of this place

Dust and Grace

Étude de l'Ombre is a piece I wrote for solo piano that moves gently between soft light and shadow. It is a small glimpse of a completely different side, my usual comfort zone, that I won't be posting much of. It builds slowly with flowing arpeggios and a tender melody in the upper register. Rather than following a rigid structure, it flows continuously, developing through subtle harmonic changes and gentle variations.

Étude de l'Ombre

This instrumental draws from a piece I created years ago called 'Pandora'. You might notice it shares a similar atmosphere with 'Chateau Ghosts'. I was keen to maintain the same mood whilst giving it a friendlier touch to capture Isabelle's garden. As you wander through the garden, it invites you to explore further. There's an ancient door that opens onto the forest beyond. It's rather enticing, yet slightly unsettling at the same time.

Featured: https://youtu.be/y-U6oJD0EGI?t=882

Le jardin d'Isabelle (instrumental)

02 Trafalgar Road

Another San Francisco connection , I sat on the revolving drummers seat for Richards band The Doubters in the early mid 90's .At the time we were married to twin sisters I'm still married to my twin . He had released Bloomed and we were recording demo's for Devotion + Doubt .
He was becoming the Heir Apparent in Alt Country and loathing it .
I suspect he would have enjoyed releasing an 80's mix of Worst Way.

worst way written by Richard Buckner

BELIEVE

Paul Comaskey’s journey from the industrial streets of Birmingham to the underground clubs of New York and San Francisco is the stuff of folk lore Landing in the U.S. in the late 1980s, he made his mark as a drummer, holding down the backbeat for a string of bands before finding himself a fixture in NYC’s indie scene with The Nervous Kind, he built a reputation for raw, no-frills musicianship. 
Later in the Bay Area with Grammy Competion-winning outfit The Sunshine Club, and the critically acclaimed much loved band The Music Lovers.  
It was in stepping out from behind the kit and into the role of a songwriter that Comaskey truly found his voice—one steeped in poetry, bruised romance, and late-night confessionals.
With a sound that echoes the weathered soul of Tom Waits and the impassioned howl of Van Morrison, Comaskey’s songs aren’t just heard—they’re felt. His lyrics cut deep, unraveling love not as a fleeting rush but as a force that lingers, shapes, and scars. Fiercely independent, he’s never chased trends, instead carving out a career built on authenticity and emotional weight. In an industry obsessed with the next big thing, Comaskey remains a reminder that the best music isn’t about hype—it’s about heart.

worst way written by Richard Buckner

Paul Comaskey

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