What Is This?  SoundCloud Pre-release (released to rest of streaming on March 26, 21)
• Tim Graves: guitar, synths, programming, vocals
• Brad Palmer: drums
• Ryan Anderson: bass
• Charlie Blu: vocals
• Chad Bell: trumpet
• Recorded in Oakland, Akron, Chicago and Nashville 
• Mastered by Stephen Marcussen

What is This

What Is This?

rearview

Eating Variations
for Baritone Voice and Chamber Quintet (Baritone Voice,  Flute, B-flat Clarinet, Violin, Cello, Percussion)
Duration: 9' 
Text by Ron Singer
Performers: American Modern Ensemble; Robert Gardner, Baritone
Publisher: Bill Holab Music: http://www.billholabmusic.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=1109
Online Perusal Score: https://issuu.com/robertpaterson/docs/eating_variations-fs-bound_perusal
For More Information: https://robertpaterson.com/eating-variations

PROGRAM NOTES
Eating Variations is based on a series of witty poems with the same title by Ron Singer. The work as a whole is essentially a satire on food faddism and depicts different aspects of eating. The way I chose to set these poems is light-hearted, perhaps lighter in spirit than Singer originally intended, but with a serious, dark side.

The first movement, My Body, a Temple, incorporates the sounds of Tibetan Singing Bowls (also called Temple Bowls or Cup Gongs) and is loosely, harmonically inspired by Khöömei, or Tuvan Throat Singing and David Hykes’s Harmonic Choir recordings; both of whom use a style in which the singer produces overtones on top of the fundamental notes. Perhaps mercifully, I do not require the baritone to use this technique, but instead, use the flute to produce false overtones in a couple of spots.

In the second movement, The Hog, the instruments mimic pig sounds with scratchy, grunting noises from the violin and cello and clarinet multiphonics. A round-sounding whole-tone scale is used and there is a Polka-like accompaniment in the percussion.

The third movement, Even the Dyspeptic Must Eat, uses upward and downward runs in the bass clarinet to impart a roller coaster-like sense of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease, a condition in which there is recurrent return of stomach contents back up the esophagus. This is reinforced with a slow, background groove in the drums.

The cello part in the fourth movement, The Dietary Moralist, is inspired by Dave Eggar, a cellist who can play his instrument like a guitar and sing at the same time. In this movement, I ask the cellist to play in a somewhat folksy style and sing out of tune back-up vocals—to me, reminiscent of a 1960s musical Hippie Sit-in. The main vocalist is backed by the well meaning but out of tune "band." To paraphrase an interesting email exchange with Singer, we agreed that in this context, the vocalist might represent a contemporary version of a certain species of 60's hippie—say, a particularly zealous fair trade coffee purveyor, and that this Malvolio type is singing along with a group of kindred spirits. This movement is not a literal portrayal of the text, which is quite serious in tone, and stretches the meaning more than the other movements. Perhaps my interpretation may instead be viewed more as commentary on the text.

In each passing decade, people are sure of their eating habits, and the carefree, assured, commercial America of the 1950s was no different. In the last movement, The Happy Medium, I envision a father-like doctor figure squarely explaining to a patient how to eat. The perky background music is meant to evoke a 1950s TV commercial, or perhaps a short, black and white educational grade school film.

Winter Songs

Eating Variations - V. The Happy Medium

Wait Until Free Summer Comes

The Lead

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Instagram

Zone (Ava monroe feat. Fattsohood)

The Trail

Singer Nefais Lazar played an ex-boyfriend in his first single "wait for you", talking about his past relationship.

wait for you

Don’t Wake me up, until I’m sober
Don’t wanna deal with my hangover
I got too punch drunk, I hurt my head
Someone please help me find my bed
Sorry ‘bout the things I might have said
I forgot to take my meds
Well I guess that’s it
That’s what I get
Got nothing left
So meh
Whatever
Tried my best
I’m just depressed
And it’s not getting any better
All the stress
I second guess
Can’t keep my shit together 
Ima fucking mess
No disrespect
Let’s just talk about the weather
Don’t Wake me up, I’m still not sober
Don’t wanna deal with this hangover
Working out the things I’ve said
Words I shoulda used instead
I’m just a useless college kid
Kinda dumb and underfed

21demos

What I Get [demo]

Lyrics 

V1 

Escapes been found, the exits near 
air smells of a dark atmosphere 
Hunter turned to prey, tables turned around 
Time to head back underground 

V2 

dark outside , things don’t feel right 
Uncertainty prevailing, holding tight 
worry turns to panic, stars shining bright 
I didn’t think theyd find me tonight 

A slither of light, morning sunrise 
Clinging to a hope, burning inside 
Joy turned despair, blink of an eye 


Chorus 2 

Run........... 
Run get out of here go 

They’re coming for you now

What I Get [demo]

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