I’ve been re-working “This Old Dawg” again. This time for Windhaven. We’re going to include it on the upcoming CD, with more than a little acoustic twist. I’m excited about it. The old version of “This Old Dawg” never seemed to work for me. But since I’ve switched that classic bass riff over to a 12-string acoustic guitar, simplified the bass groove and added some percussion to replace the drums, what we now have is a song that’s jamming like the original electric version never did. It’s amazing to me that you can remove much of what made a song click in its original form and actually strengthen tune. That was unexpected.
In addition to “This Old Dawg”, we’re going to be recording a full CD of originals. We learned rather quickly that while Rock bands can’t get their foot in the door at venues in the Tampa Bay area without playing cover tunes, acoustic bands can’t seem to get their foot in the door without originals. And, well, since I have somewhere in the vicinity of 400 originals, it’s about time we started recording some and seeing if we can get this ship in the water.
These revelations in themselves don’t warrant being listed as a headline on this web site, but I strongly feel that this is the de-embarkation line for a lot of great things that will soon be happening. It doesn’t seem significant now, but I feel that it will be important later. This is the point where my focus shifted from bass to guitar. Switching a major bass line (in a song that is mostly known for it’s great bass groove) to guitar is more than just an adjustment. It’s a major shift in perception and approach. And I’m left feeling liberated. “This Old Dawg” is finally getting a proper treatment. I can’t wait for folks to hear it, much less the dozen or so other songs we’re going to be recording.
This is where it all begins.
