“A Friend Like You”  – Song by Brad Peterson
Inspired by Rushmore’s Dirk Calloway’s immortal line “With Friends Like You Who Needs Friends?” This song is a retrospective description of betrayal, gossip, and disappointment and how from which, one may rise anew. Plenty of modulation experimentation on traditional instruments really made this feel modern.

Lyrics:

when you tell your little stories
of my faults won’t gain you glory
when you act unkindly and malign me
though at first i was discouraged
eventually it gave the courage
to realize i opened up my eyes
i didn’t see but now i do
with enemies who needs a friend like you
who needs a friend like you
rumours of my death inflated, dramatized, and overstated
spread certain parts of the town
knives were twisted and lessons learned
my back was stabbed and some bridges burned
way to kick a fella when he’s down
i didn’t see but now i do
with enemies who needs a friend like you
who needs a friend like you

“Beautiful and Bright”  Holiday Song by Brad Peterson
the ever-acroamatic Brad Peterson annual holiday song in a hand-constructed garden shed studio. lyrics inspired by a postcard sent in 1912, this song attempts to convey a feeling of a holiday celebration with friends and family.
more: https//bradpeterson.com
Written, performed, and produced by Brad Peterson
Guest appearance by THE RAG-TAG-GARDEN-SHED-CHOIR: Kim Sommers, Joeseph Sommers, Chelsea Goldberg, Heidi L Riley, Scott Reily, Joanna Claypool Walla, Joseph James, Jp Perlow, Larry Brown, Suede Stout, Susan Carey-Perlow

Lyrics:

May the Yuletide Joy be forever thine
May your new year be so beautiful and bright
If the wind should bring the cold
In the darkness of the night
May a distant star serve to be your guide

To the gala it’s begun
I hope that you will come
a time for mirth and peace on earth and goodwill to everyone

May your hearts be filled
This blithesome time of year
…that lived that loved that liked that looked with cheer

You drink your cup and I’ll take mine
O’ kindness yet, for auld lang syne
A sound as sweet as a mother’s song
We almost forgot it it’s been so long
peace on earth and goodwill to everyone

To the gala it’s begun
I hope that you will come
a time for mirth and peace on earth
and goodwill to everyone

May the Yuletide Joy be forever thine
May your new year be so beautiful and bright
May the Yuletide Joy be forever thine
May your new year be so beautiful and –
Bright…….
Noel.

“All Is Well” was recorded in a garden-shed studio…

Notes: Brad describes the song’s inspiration as such:

“There’s a word in Portuguese: sau·da·de / souˈdädə;  plural noun: saudades

a feeling of longing, melancholy, or nostalgia…

If we’re fortunate, as we get older, we may recall in wistful reverie -an idyllic Christmas season surrounded by loved ones. For me, that blissful time, before experience and loss, can hurt to contemplate. Rather than the melancholic tendencies I’ve often fallen to, this year I choose to celebrate in fond remembrance, those absent loved ones.”

Lyrics:

It’s twenty-five of twelve and all is well
Yet there seems there’s been something lost
The absent ones we grieve On a Christmas eve
Sparkle in the crystalline frost
Come this late December -Recall when we were all together
We’ll toast the one who’ve come and gone
Ribbons on the wreath -Lights are strung on trees
Kiss me underneath mistletoe
Happy on our way -On a Christmas day
Memories buried deep in the frost
Come this late December -Recall when we were all together
We’ll toast the one who’ve come and gone
And if the wind blows -Like the ghosts of Christmas past
If come a long snow in a wintery blast
We’ll hold fast…
It’s twenty-five of twelve and all is well
Yet there seems there’s been something lost
The absent ones we grieve On a Christmas eve
Sparkle in the crystalline frost
Come this late December -Recall when we were all together
We’ll toast the one who’ve come and gone…

“Forever is a Long Time” was rethought in my garden-shed studio, August of 2020.

Notes: Brad Peterson releases a new recording for Autumn 2020. Brad describes the song’s inspiration as such:

“This song was written and recorded in a garden shed in the brilliant cinematic colors of September, with its long light through tall pines, aromatic redolence, and melodious chorus of nature that seems to sing tales of long forgotten secrets. There is something mystical about this time of year when the veil between light and dark, past and present, the terrestrial and the celestial wears thin. Our minds are free to wander and reflect. “Forever is a Long Time” is an unrestricted journey through the sublime -like a childhood daydream. There’s also a sense of melancholy as one ponders the shortened days ahead -coupled with a sense of loss of the bright days; I ponder my own mortality. These concepts combine into a complex feeling for which the English language has no exact words. Perhaps this song was my exercise to bond with nature and accept my autumn days as a human being -while trying to let go of regret, what might have been, and what will never be again.”

Lyrics:

in the chorus of the dawn’s song is a pause
comes a memory of the days gone -then it’s lost
i open up my eyes
content yet mystified
and we’ll ride into the long light with a whimsical tune
flecks of red and gold that burn bright will be gone soon
charcoal written secrets in words that don’t exist
though it isn’t known
maybe it’s this here
a clearing in the pines
empyrean skies
sleeping dogs that lie
a word to nullify
a soothing anodyne
and forever is a long time

“Tell Me What’s New” was written and recorded in my garden-shed studio, July of 2020.

Notes: Brad Peterson releases a new recording for summer 2020. Brad describes the song’s inspiration as such:

“A friend is someone who makes you a better person; a fellow who delights in your well-being and offers assistance in rough waters.

I think we are fortunate if we find such a human in our lifetime. I’m lucky enough to have met one such rare soul, and his name was Vince Waters.

He had a soft and quiet way about him, he was slow to judge, he was considerate and empathetic. Years ago, when I was down, he was one of the few people on earth that cared enough to help me weather the storm; this, when he himself had his own share of burdens and misfortune.

As time moved on, so did I. Happiness returned to me and Vince and I would write or call each other a few times a year, even though we lived some distance apart. He continued to struggle. I tried to encourage him, the way he had done so for me, but I could sense his hope fading and our conversations became less frequent until a time he stopped writing or calling me back altogether.

Selfish, as I sometimes am, I was a little hurt and maybe a bit angry for his lack of response. After waiting for over a year, another attempt to reach out, but again: no call, and no message back. Vince and I didn’t have mutual friends for me to contact, so I started looking for him on social media. There, I happened upon some in-memoriam messages. My heart sank when it dawned on me that my friend had died some while back. I became overcome with a sense of loss and regret -that I had the audacity to somehow feel slighted when I should’ve been a better friend. Enough about me.

Vince loved his children, a good cigar, playing chess, sharing stories, and I especially enjoyed his tales from the sea -when he was most free on the waves and enjoying his passion for sailing.

This song: “Tell Me What’s New” includes elements of those final and unanswered letters that I wrote to Vince. It was written and recorded in my garden-shed studio, July of 2020, and I’d like to dedicate it to him.”

Lyrics:

well, I wrote in that letter
I hoped you felt better
and the rest of the things that you say
and asked you what’s new
did you ever get to do
the things you wanted to ?
it’s been kind of warm here
no rain and the sky’s clear
can’t complain and the days are getting long
how’s it up there ?
Is there sunshine? Is it fair ?
I hope it lessens your despair
write and tell me what’s new
write and tell me what’s new
brother, I know you’ve been blue
I’ve been worried about you
tell me what’s new
how is the family
and are they all healthy
Is everyone getting along ?
I know it’s been hard
to love them from afar
remain true to who you are
write and tell me what’s new
write and tell me what’s new
brother, I know you’ve been blue
I’ve been worried about you
tell me what’s new
wrote you in vain
for all your pain
I remain
write and tell me what’s new
write and tell me what’s new
brother, I know you’ve been blue
I’ve been worried about you
tell me what’s new

“The Loneliest Man in the Universe” was written and recorded in my garden-shed studio, June of 2020.

Notes: Brad Peterson releases his new recording for summer 2020. Brad describes the song’s inspiration as such:

“I’ve long felt that the pinnacle of human achievement took place in July of 1969, culminating with Apollo 11’s mission to the moon and back.

Perhaps seemingly unrelated, as a recording artist and songwriter, my lodestars are members of a group responsible for making record albums. For example: Paul McCartney may have written a good song, but the Beatles helped refine the performance, Geroge Martin helped arrange it, Geoff Emerick engineered the recording et al. I study the recording techniques, and also enjoy the artisanship of the equipment they used and their design. Revolver is a good example of such an assembly of crew, technology, and effort.

As an engineer and scientist, my archetypes [some might say heroes] are the team responsible for the lunar landing. Folks are likely to know who Neil Armstrong was, but amongst the 300,000 workers who contributed, I’ve become a fan of men like: Gene Kranz (Chief Flight Director), Bill Tindall (Aerospace Engineer ), and perhaps the least sung astronaut of the Apollo 11 mission, Michael Collins.

While the world’s headlines in the summer of ’69 were mostly about landing, another profound occurrence was quietly happening when Michael Collins flew around the far-side of the moon -completely on his own, becoming the furthest any solitary human had ever been. I find it orphic that Mike was completely cut off from all communication to all mankind during this event. I’ve always enjoyed the playful misnomer: “The Loneliest Man in the Universe”; it’s been on my “song ideas list” for years.

The only “non musical instrument” hanging on the walls of my garden-shed recording studio, is a framed autographed photo of the 3 Apollo 11 astronauts along with the mission patch, and a replica of the placard which was mounted to one of the legs of the lunar module. It is with respect that I recorded ‘The Loneliest Man in the Universe’ nearly 51 years after the event that inspires me so.”

Lyrics:

revolving around the dark side now
he’s flying solo
his vision is fixed on the instruments
the lunar surface below
columbia come back we know
isn’t perfect but could be worse
can you’re confirm you omni bravo
loneliest man in the universe

a quarter million miles from home
so dark and quiet
it’s you, your wit, that’s it, within[your] metallic island
columbia come come back
we can’t read you
we’re not receiving telemetry
the stars, the sun, the moon, and you
were never really lonely now as it seems

what in the world were you
thinking when the eagle flew
one lone soul on your own

revolving around the dark side now
he’s flying solo
his vision is fixed on the instruments
the lunar surface below
columbia come now we know
if you a transmitting you can’t be heard
will you confirm you’re omni bravo
loneliest man in the universe
columbia come back we know
isn’t perfect but could be worse
will you confirm you omni bravo
loneliest man in the universe

The song used in this example, “The Loneliest Man in The Universe” will be released on July 17:  all instruments and production, written and performed by Brad Peterson in the garden shed, June of 2020.

Notes: Brad Peterson releases his new recording for summer 2020. Brad describes the song’s inspiration as such:

“I’ve long felt that the pinnacle of human achievement took place in July of 1969, culminating with Apollo 11’s mission to the moon and back.

Perhaps seemingly unrelated, as a recording artist and songwriter, my lodestars are members of a group responsible for making record albums. For example: Paul McCartney may have written a good song, but the Beatles helped refine the performance, Geroge Martin helped arrange it, Geoff Emerick engineered the recording et al. I study the recording techniques, and also enjoy the artisanship of the equipment they used and their design. Revolver is a good example of such an assembly of crew, technology, and effort.

As an engineer and scientist, my archetypes [some might say heroes] are the team responsible for the lunar landing. Folks are likely to know who Neal Armstrong was, but amongst the 300,000 workers who contributed, I’ve become a fan of men like: Gene Kranz (Chief Flight Director), Bill Tindall (Aerospace Engineer ), and perhaps the least sung astronaut of the Apollo 11 mission, Michael Collins.

While the world’s headlines in the summer of ’69 were mostly about landing, another profound occurrence was quietly happening when Micheal Collins flew around the far-side of the moon -completely on his own, becoming the furthest any solitary human had ever been. I find it orphic that Mike was completely cut off from all communication to all mankind during this event. I’ve always enjoyed the playful misnomer: “The Loneliest Man in the Universe”; it’s been on my “song ideas list” for years.

The only “non musical instrument” hanging on the walls of my garden-shed recording studio, is a framed autographed photo of the 3 Apollo 11 astronauts along with the mission patch, and a replica of the placard which was mounted to one of the legs of the lunar module. It is with respect that I recorded “The Loneliest Man in the Universe” nearly 51 years after the event that inspires me so.”

Charcoal Soul:  all instruments and production, written and performed by Brad Peterson in the garden shed, spring of 2020.

Notes: Brad Peterson releases his new recording for spring 2020. Brad describes the song’s inspiration as such:

“I spend quite a bit of time in my shed; it’s very quiet here. So quiet that the tiniest of sound seems especially conspicuous: the sound of birds, an aeroplane, or the hissing of an amplifier at the ready. There’s a sort of music to it -all hushed within my deadened burlap walls. As an engineer, I’m normally compelled to squelch these uninvited sonic contributors whilst I record and mix my songs, but for this experiment I asked: why not invite it in? And why not capture the sound of the homely shed as it is?

This song began as humble mellotron organ chords through various filters and modulation effects and an early 70s dry drum kit. Instead of suppressing the hiss in the signal path, I chose to accentuate it. I improvised a melody and some chord changes as the words “Charcoal Soul” just came out. It’s a sort of ode to the songs that could be heard emanating from neighborhood teenage kids’ bedrooms in my childhood. I suppose there’s a juxtaposition of idyllic memory backdropping a more cynical lyrical commentary about how time has slightly embittered the sweetness. It’s mostly a temperate arrangement except for when the comparatively lush backing vocals kick in; it was a lot of fun to record. With my ever-developing production skills, I’m able to Frankenstein almost any instrument and arrangement at this point …at varying levels of ability.”

I can imagine listening to this song as a six-year old, sprawled out on shag carpeting and staring at an album cover with the smell of patchouli incense”

Lyrics:
I promise to tell you
if I should stop believing
you move and dance
with slight of hand
that grabs and then retrieves me
but not without a heavy toll
when did we get so old
how do I have a big black charcoal soul
it’s been a while
can’t remember when we’ve last smiled
we seldom speak
and when we try
a magnificent lie
not without a heavy toll
when did we get so old
how did I get a big black
When did I get the big black charcoal soul
on this quiet night
in this dim light…
I promise to tell you
if I should stop believing
you move and dance
with slight of hand
to grab and then retrieve me
but not without a heavy toll
when did we get so old
how did I get a big black charcoal soul
when did we get so old
how did I get a big black charcoal soul