I Did My Own Album Cover

MUSICBHAM.COM 13 We are really enjoying Slipcover. When I first got on the ASCAP board Had it been on your mind to record 20 years ago, we used to think that an album primarily of other artists’ it was going to be nirvana because material for some time, or was this a computers were going to enable us Are you home right now recent inspiration? I’m a sucker for the classically-tinged to locate a performance of any one or on the road? rock/fusion thing, so that’s one of of our songs. I’m talking about “We” It really came out of my association the ingredients. The other is the slip as the community of songwriters. I’m temporarily - very temporarily - at with Linda Ronstadt and the fact key, which is a stylistic contribution of We were excited about that ability home. We live on the north shore of that we had always talked about country music. It’s a kind of bending to track a performance of “By The Long Island in a place called Bayville - doing a special set of songs. The of the notes on a keyboard. So, it’s a Time I Get To Phoenix” in Borneo it’s greater Oyster Bay, New York. It’s first one that she really wanted to little classical, a little Floyd Cramer, a and get paid for it, and it hasn’t quite right on the Long Island Sound, and do was “Accidentally Like A Martyr” lot of beautiful melody and chord turned out like that. There were so we have our little patch of rolling hills by Warren Zevon. We kicked around structure and no singing. It was a many things that happened to us that and beautiful trees. We also have a different ideas, including Randy labor of love and a flight of the spirit. were adverse that, to this day, one beautiful beach that we walk down to Newman’s “Marie” and all of these has to say that the impact of digital behind our house. It’s a small town. inside songs - really the creme de la Was it a challenge to select just a technology on the average songwriter We’re about an hour from New York creme. Misfortune struck in a big way, few songs from the vast amount of was catastrophic. We’re down at least City, but it’s small-town America. and it appears that [Linda] will not material at your disposal? 50% on the catalog income that we be recording. I still had these songs depended on. rattling around in my head, and I Yes, it was, and I plan to do another thought about Linda and Warren. three or four of them. We had no label Your friendship and musical Believe it or not, Warren and I - It just all happened. One of BMG’s partnership with Glen Campbell is I did my own album were going to write some spiritual, subsidiaries - S-Curve - said, “We’ll do well-documented. If you will, please inspirational songs together. So, it.” I think we’ve done pretty well with talk about the origin of The Glen cover - I did a self- you take all of that, and it amounts it. It’s the first thing I’ve ever had on Campbell Years tour. to an album that was never made. Spotify. I’m sort of behind-the-times portrait. The fans I was hanging with Randy with all the techie stuff. I just got a Not long after Glen died, we did a - I call them “Webb Newman out in L.A., and they big crate of L.P.s with the full-size tribute show for him. I decided that - cooked dinner for us one night at artwork, and it’s almost pure vinyl. I for as long as I could play the piano Heads” - they’ve been his place. I was playing his piano, did my own album cover - I did a self- - I had to keep his music alive. The and he said, “I didn’t know you portrait. The fans - I call them “Webb show is pretty simple - it’s me and a snatching them up. The were such a good piano player.” Heads” - they’ve been snatching piano and some storytelling. It’s a little numbered albums have I don’t think about myself as a them up. The numbered albums have self-indulgent [ laughs ]. But, thanks to great piano player, but he said, been flying off the shelves at the technological advancements, we are been flying off the “You should make a piano album.” concerts. able to do some multimedia things, and So that was added to the mix, Glen appears in the show a few times. shelves at the concerts. and I said to [Webb’s wife] Laura, You touched on Spotify, which leads “I think I would love to do this. I to my next question. Given the Jimmy Webb will perform at don’t have to sing, and I can do industry changes you’ve witnessed The Lyric Theatre on SATURDAY, piano arrangements, which I love over your lengthy career, how do you NOVEMBER 2. Tickets to the 8 p.m. to do.” It’s just me plunking out these view technology’s place in music and show are $45 and can be purchased at www.lyricbham.com. tunes that I love. in your career specifically? 11/05 Leo Kottke 11/08 Mason Ramsey 11/12 Gregory Alan Isakov 12/06 Taylor Hicks 12/14 Trigger Hippy 01/14 Jesse Cook Lyric Theatre WorkPlay Lyric Theatre Lyric Theatre WorkPlay Lyric Theatre Coderproductions.com.

Load more