Corey Stevens has finished his new album entitled The Dreaming
Man. It is available at CDBaby.com and at live shows.
"I've been working at my usual obsessive compulsive rate fearing I
would run out of time. And now it looks like I am about finished,"
Stevens says about the pace of his current project. Stevens added,
" I started this project last year in November, but had
shows on the road to complicate the process. January was slow
getting back into it. I kept thinking about all the momentum I had
built up, but just needed to recharge my batteries after a busy
year. I eventually got back into the groove in late January and
have been in the studio just about every day except for a few road
trips which cut into my studio time."
Stevens and his band had shows in December 2009 and in the months
of March, May and June of this year, taking away valuable studio
time, but helping him pay the bills and keep his singing and
guitar playing in shape.
"I think most people picture the recording process as musicians
hanging around a studio and playing a lot. The reality is the
opposite. There is a lot more time spent trying to get a sound,
experimenting with amps and mikes, playing around with reverbs,
delays and compressors. It is really easy to go days without
touching a guitar especially towards the end. The touring really
forced me to stay on top of keeping up my chops," Stevens
admitted.
The new CD exceeds 62 minutes debuting 12 new original songs
including 2 instrumentals. Stevens wrote the title track for his
friend Boon Miller, who was an artist and musician in St. Paul, and co-wrote
"Triple Jack" from "Bring On the Blues" with Stevens. Miller died
from complications of diabetes.
"I thought The Dreaming Man was a great title, but the more I
worked on the album the more I realized it was a GREAT title,"
Stevens testified. "All the songs seem to have a common thread
which was a happy accident. I could never sit down and write a
concept album because each song is like a short story to me. This
album was different than the others for me. I usually have a lot
of material in the song bank and write a few right before I go in
the studio. This time I had to actually write most of the album
for lack of old material stashed away. It was fun though. I took
advantage of some down time on the road. I wrote most of these
songs in hotel rooms."
Available now
click to order
COREY
STEVENS' ROAD TO ZEN NOW AVAILABLE
AT ITUNES STORE AND CDBABY.COM
Corey Stevens' second
release, "Road To Zen," the acclaimed follow up to his debut,
"Blue Drops of Rain," is now available for download at the iTunes
Store. The CD can be purchased at CDBaby.com. The song, "One More
Time," entered the the top ten national radio chart at Radio &
Records just weeks after the release in the summer of 1997. The
album soon became a casualty due to problems between Stevens'
labels, Eureka and Discovery, who had joined forces in 1996. "Road
To Zen" eventually fell back into the hands of Stevens, who lost
the promotional might of the labels, but gained the music that
meant so much to him.
Stevens sums it up, "We
settled out of court. I didn't sign a nondisclosure agreement, so
I can say what I want. But. I figure what's the point. Everybody
has heard all the horror stories about record companies. I'm proud
to call myself an independent artist and it is good to be an
independent artist now. If you went into a record store in the
past and my music was unavailable, you probably bought something
else and went on your way. Now the iTunes Store is open 24 hours a
day and always has my music. I love Steve Jobs. I also love CDBaby.
Same thing. Always got my music. Always open."
Available now
click to order
STEVENS CHECKS IN ON
“MYTH LIVE” 2 CD
SET
A lot of artists think
they are dating themselves by calling an album an album. “Album”
may be defined as a vinyl phonograph, but it also can mean a
collection of things. Hence, a photo album is a collection of
photographs. I don’t like referring to new music as a CD. In my
case, I don’t have a new CD because it is a 2 CD package.
Furthermore, some people will never see the actual CD’s because
they will go to iTunes and download the songs.
Ok. The record is
straight. I have a double album. Wait a minute. Record? Hmmm. No,
I can’t call it a record. That is definitely a round and vinyl
disc with grooves. But, this new double CD album has some cool
grooves. The encore with “Too Much Fun” is pretty groovy. All
right I’m bragging. Sorry!
But it does feel good
to finally make a double album because in my formative years, my
favorite music was on double albums.
Rolling Stones: “Exile On Main Street”
Allman Brothers Band: “At Fillmore East”
Eric Clapton: “Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs”
Stevie Wonder: “Innervisions”
Beatles: “The White Album”
Ah, there it is again,
album. Would a boxed set be an album of albums? I digress. Well,
maybe not. The new double album, Myth Live,” is comprised of a few
songs from each album.
DISC 1
Track 1, “Another Pretty Face,” from Albertville (released 2007)
is the only song from that album. The show was partly a release
party for Albertville and “Another Pretty Face” was the only song
from Albertville that we knew at the time. So, I put that first,
hoping anyone from the record company would hear it, have some
drinks and not notice there were no more songs from the album. I
think my plan worked.
Track 2, “My Blues Are
Turning Red,” from Bring On the Blues (released 2003) showcases a
red-hot band. This song sounds like the closer. In fact, as I was
mixing it, I thought people would think I moved the songs around.
My band really kills on shuffles like this and we did play it
second.
Track 3, “Blue Drops of
Rain,” from Blue Drops of Rain (released 1995) sounds pretty much
like the record. It’s nice to show I can actually duplicate my
studio work. Some guitarists can’t resist turning their songs into
unrecognizable jams. Mark Johnson plays some big fat bass notes on
this one. If your walls start shaking, don’t worry. It’s not an
earthquake.
Track 4, “The
Brothers,” from Blue Drops of Rain (released 1995) also stays
pretty true to the original with an unrecognizable jam at the end.
Hey, sometimes it works!
Track 5, “It’s Over,”
from Blue Drops of Rain (released 1995) may be the concert’s
finest moment. The breakdown at the end with the crowd cheering,
the B-3 comping and the scatting Strat licks have even me on the
edge of my seat.
Track 6, “Band
Introduction,” allows me to relax, sip some Crown Royal, introduce
the band, catch a breath, and sip some Crown Royal.
Track 7, “Road To Zen,”
from Road To Zen (released 1997) showcases a great performance of
a great road song. This version with the crowd noise in the
acoustic guitar section seems to beat the studio version and may
be the best time we ever played it. Just glad we happened to be
recording.
Track 8, “This Train,”
from Mean and Lean originally Getaway (released 2000) is soulful
and showcases some groovy drumming by Norm Steffen and a snazzy
B-3 solo by Paul Testa. We learned this for the show and may have
only played it publicly twice. We all secretly hoped it wouldn’t
end up as “This Train Wreck.” It didn’t. We nailed it.
Track 9, “Something I
Can’t Do,” from Bring On the Blues (released 2003) really takes
you there! I don’t know why, but a live blues performance with a
vivacious crowd seems to hit the spot. Turn this one up!
DISC 2
Track 1, “Lonesome Road
Blues,” from Bring On the Blues (released 2003) moves along like
an 18-wheeler on a downhill pass and epitomizes one of my
concerts. It’s fun, passionate, has 2 guitar solos and doesn’t
take itself too seriously. Just enough to give you some insight of
life on the road.
Track 2, “My Love For
You Has Died,” from Bring On the Blues (released 2003) comes alive
on this version with not only crowd noise, but also someone in the
audience clapping to the song. I brought up the crowd mics in the
second half of the song to add this to the mix. To that person in
the audience, with good time and having a good time, I thank you!
Track 3, “Mean and
Lean,” from Mean and Lean originally Getaway (released 2000) shows
the Chuck Berry – Keith Richards influence. No speed just the
riffs that matter. Infectious! Makes you wonder if you’ve had 2
drinks or 3 drinks and why you are even counting.
Track 4, “Aloha Peke,”
from Alone At Last (released 2005) was rearranged from a quiet
acoustic instrumental to a quiet electric instrumental. This one
is a stand out. Dedicated to my mother, she would be proud.
Track 5, “Big House
Blues,” from Road To Zen (released 1997) is just so much fun to
play live I had to include it.
Track 6, “My
Neighborhood,” from Road To Zen (released 1997) features some
tasty blues harmonica from Jim “Walleye” Stark and more Chuck
Berry – Keith Richards guitar licks. It must have made the lady in
the audience yelling “My Neighborhood” all night very happy.
Track 7, “One More
Time,” from Road To Zen (released 1997) begins the encore.
Extended guitar solo at end could get me on Rolling Stones Top 100
guitarists list, if they only knew I existed.
Track 8, “Too Much
Fun?,” from Road To Zen (released 1997) is really too much fun to
listen to and lives up to the title. I didn’t expect it until I
finished mixing, but “Too Much Fun?” builds and closes the show
with power. Features Melody Gilbert trading some vocals with me.
This one makes the short list!
Well, there you have
the run down on the new double album. Hopefully my modesty has not
undersold AND my entrepreneurship has not hyperbolized…the MUSIC
that always speaks for itself.
~ Corey Stevens,
December 2007
Did you know the origin
of the word, “album,” is Latin for a white tablet? I can go on.
But, don’t you think calling new music a CD when you can download
it and never physically touch anything but the keyboard and mouse
(in my case a trackball) is a misnomer? Sometimes I like to think
back to a time when I was in a rural area in the South and a fan
said, “Corey, I love your music. I have all your tapes!”
“MYTH LIVE” is available on iTunes,
CD Baby, and in a store near you.
