This page will be dedicated to my new stuff. As inspiration rears its ugly head I will lay it down track by track and place it hear for you!

This will also serve as a proving ground for a grand experimental collaboration. The original Jackets members will be kickin' it via the information super-highway. Although we are separated by far reaching geography, we will be reunited by wire as we swap music files in an attempt to create some musical magic. Ed, Anthony, Phil and Larry will saddle up and venture into the unknown…we will see what unfolds.

   An LD original with all tracks performed by yours truly which means I can take all the blame. A little caveat, I am playing all stringed instruments with only two fingers (actual fingers, not the tequila) due to a recent horrific incident involving the beater bar of a domestic vacuum cleaner. I have decided not to put a lead on this track until after the vocals are on.

Ed becomes the word smith for Mile Zero ( which will now have a new name)  as follows:

I Like Havin’ That Around

Is there a simple reason why you cannot put

the dead language in the ground?

It’s simple – I like unsaid words. Yeah, I like

havin’ that around

Something good to come home to –

Is it common, are you alone, too?

Steer the conversation, keep it above ground

Cold running springs full

I like having that around

And when no one understands you

Will you make an illustrated book?

I think things we have forgotten

Might deserve an educated look

Something good to come home to...

Is it everyday, or sometimes

When inspiration falls on land?

When you’re looking for that rare bird

Do you have a special place you stand?

11.21.05 Ed Elmore

 My wife says this sounds like a surfer tune. That was not my intent but in retrospect I guess that is what it sounds like. Again no vocals because I guarantee you don't want to hear me sing, not to mention no lyrics for this one yet.

Ed-word has been working overtime on lyrical renderings for untrue. He has thus far proposed these three offerings as follows.

 

 

Untrue

 

I’ve seen every torture in your bag of tricks,

and there’s a needle in there in case you need a fix

I don’t care if you hate my guts

 

but...

 

what you said – that’s untrue

the real bully - that’s you

you never said anything that they should believe,

but they do

 

I know where you learned how to twist an arm

And how to hide the black heart behind the charm

 

And what you said – it’s untrue

The real beast – that’s you

You never said anything...etc.

 

I found out where you graduated from,

It’s a school for killers, a school for scum

 

& that’s you, and that’s true

the dirty business – you’ll do

you never said anything...etc.

 

11.26.05 Ed Elmore

 

Untruvia

 

Untruvia’s a girl with Roman nose and painted toes

I’m dubious  - the threat of disaster goes where she goes

 

I feel like a big Doric column right now

I wanna do like the Romans do, but, how?

When Untruvia’s tryin to do this to me

 

Untruvia – some gladiator with a spiked ball on a chain

wants my head. He’ll feed me to the lions and take you down to Pompeii

 

The girl’s got a knack for pickin her poison

There ‘s fire and smoke on the mountain and then a big noise, and

Vesuvius! Has it taken her away from me?

 

Untruvia – she lost the guy out on the Appian Way

She’s an Amazon. She could win the Circus Maximus chariot race

 

Then she grabbed my throat and she called me a bum

‘cause I’d been hiding out in the Vomitorium

But Untruvia’s still got a soft spot for me.

 

11.25.05 Ed Elmore

 

Animate

You’re standing blank-faced, like a lump of clay,

And don’t tell me ‘doesn’t mean nothin anyway’

I’m gonna show you how to move and tell you what to say

I’m gonna animate

Gonna animate you

Gonna animate,

And make you look smart,too

You’re goin to need some animation

When you fall down to get you through

Once you characters ruled, now you’re too damned flat

Who’s goin’ to get excited ‘bout somethin like that

I’m gonna animate...

Now your movement’s kind of jerky and you ain’t too smooth

I seen better animation in a peep-show booth

I’m gonna animate

Gonna animate you

C’mon and gravitate

Toward the camera and crew

You need more than animation

You need resuscitation

That, we can do

11.28.05 Ed Elmore

 This tune also goes by the name of "The Big Suck" because it has sucked up more of my time than any song I have done and it ended up sucking the most. It started out simply enough and then blew up into a catastrophic failure, mostly because I tried my best to put vocals on it. One thing, I CAN"T SING. So, I stripped the vocals off and paired it back down to the current form but the song really needs vocals to keep it moving. Anyway, it is what it is until I find a singer..

Now Is the Time - Lyrics by Larry and a little shout out to our troops - God bless and stay strong.

Now is the time for us to walk across that line

If you look closely now I think that you will find

the wounded cries

True motivating force is on the decline

The cause should be the source for those who are blind

to the lies

It is the price we pay for freedom in our time

We must look to the past and keep it in our minds

for all time

It’s up to us this time, to step across that line

No fear upon our face, for freedom it is mine

for all time.

 This one was recorded with the new Tascam mixing board (see photos below). It is in the early phase of development.  I need to lay more than the basic drum beat on the chorus.

  Here is a collaborative effort with  guitar virtuoso Anthony Elmore throwing down on lead guitar.

  NEW  NEW  NEW! The Ranch has become Oversight thanks to the help of Ed with words and Anthony with vocals and a smokin' lead, Phillip joins the mix on bass which makes this the firt all Jackets tune in over 24 years. Better late than never.

And here are the lyrics that Ed had in his archives that would fit nicely into The Ranch

An Oversight

This is where curiosity leads –

It’s an operation where no heart bleeds

This is where the trail fades out,

This is what’s left when the birds fly south

This is this, son, it ain’t nothin else

It’s the one sure thing that can wreck a young man’s health

This risk is underwritten at some expense

You can’t claim deception when you make your defense  

Did you want a piece of this?

Did you want her waking kiss?

Did you want it overnight?

Did you make an oversight?

This is where you see magic tricks

This is the town where no story sticks

This is where you see the cards they had –

And the hand you gave up on don’t seem so bad

This is the vault – it’s where all memory lives,

This loss – it’s what that Delta misery is

This is where you dumbasses assume too much

And end up thinking it’s all dumb luck.

All those questions she asked me

All the answers I couldn’t see

All my shine wore off overnight

It’s a big mistake  (naw, make that oversight)

2.26.03

 Very early song idea first take. I have the lyrics, looking for a lead

I know you - Lyrics by Larry:

I know you

You know me too

And we can feel it comin’ on

I feel you

You feel me too

Together we can stand up strong

Chorus:

And in my mind, you’re right here next to me

My heart’s not blind, but it can only see

what is real.

You touched me

Are you really there

I think we feel it comin’ on

Repeat Chorus

_______________________________________________________________________________________

LD's Weapons of mass construction:

Guitars: Yamaha SG2000, Fender Stratocaster (Splatercaster), Fretlight Artist 200, Fender Six String Acoustic, Ovation 12 String Acoustic, Carlo Robelli 12 string and 6 string (freebies from Sam Ash music for buying so much stuff.) Les Paul Standard Premium Plus, Fender Strat 50's Player's Edition, Fretlight Strat, Agile 6/12 Doubleneck, Conrad ES335 Copy

Bass: Peavey Millennium

Drums: Yamaha DTXpress III

Effects: Tonelab SE, Zoom g9.2tt, Digitech RP1

Amps: Mesa 50/50 with stereo custum cabinets loaded with Celestion Vintage 30s. Line 6 Spider Valve with custom 4x12 Celestion Vintage 30 Cab

Recording:  Two Dual Core Pentiums running Windows XP 64 bit and Windows Vista with Sonar 7 Producer Edition, Tascam FW-1082  interface and M-Audio BX5 studiophile reference speakers.

Larry DeWitte, Larry DeWitte, The Jackets, Rock Music, Free mp3s