Check out this fun interview Zoe and Russ Ellis did with Jon Leon Guerrero on the Break It Down Show. Guest appearances by Darryl Anders and yours truly. It was really fun watching and listening to this, and being invited to the discussion. There’s more to come from these marvelous individuals and collaborations. Humble thanks to all involved, and to you, for lending an earball. Much love,
Eric Din
Super-exciting news here in Catberg. Eric Din’s latest single Am I Not Alien? is now available on Pandora, Apple Music, Spotify, Deezer, TIDAL and maybe some other places, gosh. The B-side is People I May Know.
Wait there’s more! The BandCamp version of this intergalactic release has a BONUS TRACK OMG YES!! Exclusively there you will find, as a C-side, if you will, the brand new, hot-off-the-desk Charles Stella DUB mix of People I May Know, called, of course, People I May Dub. So click the links above ^ for your favorite streaming puppies, or click the fancy widget below to hear it right now via BandCamp, WITH the extra track. Why? Does this make any sense? Of course not, Bethany, things making sense is so last millennium. We hope you enjoy.
Professor Dub at the controls. I sent my tracks to Charles Stella, my UpTones brethren and go-to dubmaster for all tings dub. Because of course I did. He diced and sliced and niced them up into froth of dubalicious madness. People I May Know, dubstylee, mo’ficially on Berkeley Cat Records. Go deh 😽
Another “new” track from yours truly, this one a reboot of a song my UpTones brethren Paul Jackson wrote in the late 1980s. It was right after the original UpTones broke up and Paul and Ben and I started HOBO. We released it as a single and played it in our set for a while as we hoboed up and down the west coast playing concerts and nightclubs and the occasional campfire.
In 2017 I heard a new version with some different lyrics and asked Paul if he’d mind if I made a rewrite. Graciously Paul agreed and I tracked it at home with acoustic guitar and a “voice-box” lead guitar created with a Pignose amp and a funnel (for my fellow Frampton geeks!)
Now in the COVIDopalypse I wanted drums and bass to round it out so I called Dave Tweedie who put down some fabulous acoustic drum tracks, and then I played the bass. Mixed it up and here it be! I’m very happy with how it came out. Hope you also enjoy.
Oh, it’s been called, alternately, Laughing Man or The Laughing Man. I went with Laughing Man and Shannon’s artwork says The Laughing Man and that’s appropriate. “The Laughing Man, he can’t decide.” Full lyrics and credits below. Feel free to share any ol’ which way ya like. Thank you.
Laughing Man
There’s a pile of tacks where the floor meets the wall
He put them there so my pictures would not fall
The laughing man got a magic 8 ball
The laughing man sees and knows all
He is the laughing man
He is the laughing man
And he’ll do what he can
To see that we don’t understand
There’s a laughter where my hand pulls at my eye
He put it there so that I wouldn’t cry
And still the laughing children
Out on a summer’s day
Save their pennies and marbles
To hear the laughing man play
He is the laughing man
He is the laughing man
And he’ll do what he can
To see that we don’t understand
It ain’t a joke but here’s a punch line
He’s laughing at the knot I tied
The laughing man, he can’t decide
The laughing man, he never dies
And still the laughing children
Even as skies turn gray
Travel with minimal cargo
To hear the laughing man play
© 2017 Paul Albert Jackson / Eric Roy Dinwiddie,
Zymurgy Music, BMI / King Roy Music, BMI
Produced by Eric Din at Din’s house
Eric Din: Vocals, Guitars, Bass, Talkyboxen
Drums recorded by Dave Tweedie at Dave’s house
Cover art by Shannon Wheeler at Shannon’s house
Now you may listen to it at your house
Like magic
A man is an island
Unto a shining black mirage
A man is in silence
As he moves through the garage
Can’t complain, he plays the game,
He’s happy to be alive on this fine day
Though he don’t belong here,
A castaway cast in some role,
He never tried out for,
It’s been so long since he’s been whole
Can’t complain, the old refrain,
He’s happy to be alive on one more day
I start to wonder,
Am I not alien?
When I see another,
Am I not alien?
Am I not alien?
Out on a mission,
Ready to conquer planets,
A man has gone AWOL,
Cos he thought better of it he just met,
Another stray, she’d like to stay,
They’re happy to be alive on this fine day
And still I wonder,
Am I not alien?
When I see another,
Am I not alien?
Am I not alien?
One in a million,
It’s only natural to find,
Just when you don’t care, and you’re nowhere,
Out of the blue someone arrives,
To change your mind, and set you right,
I’m ready to come alive on one more day
And still I wonder,
Am I not alien?
As I cross the border,
Am I not alien?
Am I not alien?
Am I not alien?
Hmmm
©2020 Eric Roy Dinwiddie
King Roy Music, BMI
Eric Din – Guitars, Bass, Synth, Organ, Vocals
Jay Lane – Drums
Produced by Eric Din
Mastered by Michael Romanowski at Coast Mastering
Artwork by Shannon Wheeler
Yes we have B sides. We like to think we do. Here are the lyrics as scrawled. Audio in the player above. Like a record. With two sides.
©2020 Eric Roy Dinwiddie
King Roy Music, BMI
Eric Din – Guitar, Vocals, Bass and sampled Drum wrangling
You can read my thoughts about these songs and the saga of creating them, at my personal blog here.
Thanks and as always, please feel free to share any ol’ which way ya like.
Thank you!
I posted an earlier mix of this just in time for the Xmas holidaze. Here it is completed and mastered for release to the Interwilds! I’ve been feeling this one anew during this social distancing time, and I hope it takes you to a nice place for a minute too. Island Life comes out in the streaming services on Caturday, May 23. Exclusively here and on BandCamp now.
ISLAND LIFE
I’ve been workin’ late on Friday night
And I’m goin’ in on Caturday
I’ve been thinkin’ bout the island light
As another summer peels away
Hanging in this curtain
Grey skies over urban
Lately my mind’s been wanderin’
To where the horizon shoulda been
Touch, but I can’t be certain,
Where it all ends I start again,
Let’s blow it off
I wanna get away
I wanna hear some music
I wanna hear ya say
All the world’s an island, life is free,
Half a million friends, but I’m lonely,
As the glaciers fall and raise the sea,
Won’t you save some island life for me?
Why can’t we all just live in peace?
Sometimes I break down in the morning and cry
Scream out in the night
Only to realize
There’s nothing in the world we can’t do
Anything we set our minds to
Maybe someday I won’t always be alone
Hanging in this curtain
Grey skies over urban
Lately my mind’s been wanderin’
Right over the silver lining
South, to the blue shining
A postcard sent home to mom
All the world’s an island, life is free,
Every day looks still more crazy,
Greta sailed the wide and open sea,
For to save some island life for she
For we
——————–
Eric Din – Guitars, Bass, Vocals, Loop Drums
Michael Urbano – Live Drums
Paul Jackson – Synths and Percussion
Recorded at Din’s house and East Bay Recorders,
by Michael Rosen and Mr. Din
Paul Jackson recorded by Paul Jackson at Paul’s house
Mixed by Matt Winegar
Mastered by Eric Din somewhere out in the woods
Cover art by Shannon Wheeler
Music and lyrics ©2019 by Eric Roy Dinwiddie,
King Roy Music, BMI
The latest from Eric Din was recorded mere hours ago where he’s diligently isolated. We’re compiling a collection of Din’s more sensible comments. “Much Better” is the first entry in this exciting new log.
Much Better
Much
Better
It’s much better
It’s much better
It’s much better
Without butter
Go to your room
Calisthenics
Kook mal, Schtruppi
It’s much better
It’s much better
It’s much better
Without butter
Guaranteed in at least thirty states
It’s much better
It’s much better
It’s much better
Without butter
A gelatinous, seething tube
From outer space
They’ve come
To put us in our place
Quack quack
Guitar, voice and production by Eric Din
Artwork by Shannon Wheeler
©2020 Eric Roy Dinwiddie
King Roy Music, BMI
