Stephane San Juan & Sambacool, Vol II

Golden Lady

I grew up in a family that struggled with addiction. My dad, Gino, was a NYC stand-up comic who died when I was 20, after a long battle with booze.

“Radio Down” is a road trip song that imagines a version of our story where he got the help he needed and made it through. I wrote it during the endless backroad that was 2020—my first year living in rural Canada—and recorded it to tape on a Tascam 388 with the help of my friend (and writer of beautiful songs) Jon Mckiel.

It’s the first single from a new album, coming this fall on my favorite label, You’ve Changed Records.

Radio Down

"Static"

I’m really not static
I roll with the rush of the breeze all around me 
There’s blue light above me
And small light below me 
And red light all over my body 

And I do what I please 
I’ve always done whatever I please
And look where it’s got me

I’m really not the type 
To stay and to carve out the yellow, pink shards 
I float to the sweet smell 
I float to the fruit line 
I float to the sound of the roots left behind

And I do what I please 
I’ve always done whatever I please
And look where it’s got me

I’m really not happy 
All of my skirts drag so far below my knees
What am I holding 
What am I doing 
Is it really so green

And I do what I please 
I’ve always done whatever I please
And look where it’s got me

Static (Demo)

In Your Eyes

some ableton practice durin long drive yest

closer i get 2 u

Engineered by Frankie Sunswept at Sunswept Sounds, Queens
Mixed by Frankie and Toby
Mastered by Casey Holford at Golden Rule, Brooklyn
Cover photo by T.J. Huff

Whipped Cream Coffee:
Angela Carlucci: church bells
Leroy Nuñez: saxophone

Come Crawling:
Matt Colbourn: trumpet

Following Sondheim:
Frankie Sunswept: drums

Snoopy Sno-Cone Machine:
Leslie Graves: vocals
Mallory Feurer: violin

Snoopy Sno-cone Machine

Life Is Merely Life

I heard a rumor, 
I heard a rumor that you’re coming back 
You’ll come with a question: have I done what you asked? 

You asked me to be your hands and feet 
Is it true? What did I do?

I heard a rumor 
I heard a rumor that you’re a righteous judge 
You’ll come a ruling: separating us one by one

Did I love my neighbor? Or treat them as traitor? 
Am I blessed? Or am I damned? 

Did I see you, Lord? In the face of a hurting world? 
Did I hold your hand when you reached out to me? 
Did I hear your voice? In all the noise?  
Did I turn my back and run? Am I cursed or am I loved? 

I heard a rumor 
I heard a you’re throwing a great party 
You’ll come with a table set:  would I like to sit with you? 

The first shall be last, the last shall be first 
Its true
 
Sometimes love flies in the face of all I’ve ever known 
I am holding onto hope that I am always loved

Rumor, 7in7

7in7, Session 5, Day 1.


VERSE 1:
I heard your mother died
I probably should’ve called
But I wasn’t sure what I might say
Or if you’d answer at all
So I just wrote a few words
And sent them how I could
Then convinced myself that I had done
Everything I should

CHORUS;
Well, nobody wins if I confuse
Losin’ friends with loose ends
Concerned with who sent
What to whom and when
What to whom and when

VERSE 2:
Maybe you were tied up
Or too frayed to know where to begin
Maybe I was right to
Be afraid that it would mean the end
Of all the hurt that I still clinch
So tight within my fists
Just a waste of all the time I’ve spent
Tryin’ to forget

CHORUS;
Well, nobody wins if I confuse
Losin’ friends with loose ends
Concerned with who sent
What to whom and when
What to whom and when

VERSE 3:
I heard you finally met a girl
And you made her your wife
Even adopted her little boy
Livin’ a whole new life
And I’d be lying if I claimed
It doesn’t hurt me at all
That I don’t even know their names
Cause you never bothered to call

CHORUS;
But nobody wins if I confuse
Losin’ friends with loose ends
Concerned with who sent
What to whom and when
Said nobody wins if I confuse
Losin’ friends with loose ends
Concerned with who sent
What to whom and when
What to whom and when

TAG:
I heard your mother died
I probably should’ve called

Snoopy Sno-cone Machine

Toby Goodshank