Studio Fabricari

Victoria and Tear Down the House

2009-11-08T18:19:00.001-05:00

Here're a couple vids. First is an original sea-shanty.

And here's a cover of an Avett Brother's song:

2027 (Hangdog Expression Cover)

2009-10-11T19:58:00.000-04:00

A couple years ago Nich sent me a rough recording of this, and I thought it was brilliant. A few weeks ago, him and his band, Hangdog Expression, released their first EP and this was included. I figured since I've been singing this one driving to work, I'd dig up the chords and put together a cover. It's nowhere as fun or awesome as the original which you can download from their site: http://hangdogexpression.com

Cowboy Song

2009-09-06T20:43:00.001-04:00

http://www.fabricari.com/music/cowboy-song-v2.mp3

I've been stuck in Bm/A key a lot lately. Basically country chords shifted up to jam with fiddlers. It's, as usual, another shallowly written song, but I kinda like how the words wrap around the melody.

3/4

with a [Bm]bottle of whiskey
or [A]maybe it was gin
that was [Em]when i found out
[Bm]nobody wins

i was [Bm]happy
cause it [A]meant i could quit
i could [Em]pack up my things
and stop [Bm]givin' a shit

and ya [Bm]know what ah'd do
i [A]kicked off my shoes
i [Em]grabbed my guitar
started [Bm]singin' the blues

chorus
(voice an octive down)
i sang [Bm]waaaaaay
hayee [A]ooooooh
i'm a [Em]cowboy
i'ma [Bm]hit this road

so i [Bm]got me this dog
and a [A]rope for a leash
and i [Em]said lissen boy
there ain't [Bm]nothin' I can teach ya

so [Bm]fetch me a beer
or [A]get out of my way
i'ma [Em]walk through these hills
watch [Bm]the night turn to day

repeat chorus

i got [Bm]hungry
my [A]stomach in pain
so i [Em]stole some food
and [Bm]hid in the rain

i been [Bm]lyin' and cheatin'
i [A]threaten'd good men
they [Em]threw me in jail
where i [Bm]count all my sins

(normal voice)
i sing [Bm]waaaaaay
hayee [A]ooooooh
i'm a [Em]cowboy
got [Bm]nowhere to go

A Gullible Mind

2009-08-31T22:07:00.001-04:00

Howdy Folks! I wrote a song, imagine that! OK, so I really post the lyrics and chords here so that I can find 'em when I want to try playing it again sometime.

http://www.fabricari.com/music/gullible-mind.mp3

A Gullible Mind

[A][D][E][A]
[A][D][E][A]

[F#m][E][A]
[F#m][D][A]
[F#m][E][D][A]
[D][A][E][A]

[E]

I [A]think some-[D]times I got a [E]gullible [A]mind
I [A]think I be-[D]lieve you [E]most all of the [A]time
And I [A]wonder [D]why I'm [E]always in [A]trouble
I can't [A]get in-[D]volved without [E]making it [A]double

And I [F#m]won't [E]back [A]down
No, I'll [F#m]stand [D]my [A]ground
And [F#m]even though I [E]get my nose [D]broken in [A]two
I'll [D]stand my [A]ground and take my [E]medicine for [A]you

[E]

I [A]like to think [D]most people have a [E]rational [A]mind
But I'm [A]findin' that ain't [D]true most [E]all of the [A]time
I try [A]makin' sense and [D]makin' peace and [E]makin' things [A]right
But [A]people always [D]findin' cause to [E]throw down and [A]fight

And I [F#m]won't [E]back [A]down
No, I'll [F#m]stand [D]my [A]ground
And [F#m]even though I [E]get my nose [D]broken in [A]two
I'll [D]stand my [A]ground and take my [E]medicine for [A]you

And I [F#m]won't [E]back [A]down
No, I'll [F#m]stand [D]my [A]ground
And [F#m]even though I [E]get my face [D]broken in [A]two
I'll [D]stand my [A]ground and take my [E]licks for [A]you

Cowboys and Robots

2009-08-17T22:44:00.001-04:00

Wanting to draw more...

Summertime

2009-07-11T14:05:00.000-04:00

I love this song. Tried playing out back with my 6-string after the thunderstorm passed through.

Sketch

2009-07-01T18:02:00.001-04:00

Sketched this of Jeremy while he was in the pool at a hotel across street from Disneyland. Not easy to sketch when he was swimmin' around.

Another Sketch

2009-06-29T22:36:00.001-04:00

Sketch

2009-06-28T18:32:00.001-04:00

Sketched this on flight back to Ohio. It was the only thing to keep me sane while surrounded by screaming kids.

Green Fairie (Absinthe)

2009-06-14T20:18:00.001-04:00

Dale and I stumbled across a bottle of Absinthe on Friday night. Getting halfway through the bottle was much more of a feat than I imagined it'd be - not for 110 proof, but rather it tasted like shit. Seriously, black licorice? Ugg. No green fairies, though, only a couple fireflies.

Frailing Baritone Ukulele

2009-05-31T20:59:00.000-04:00

Came up with this bit last night around the camp-fire. Trying out frailing on the baritone ukulele and mixing in slides, phantom hammer-ons, and drop-thumbs. A fun little gimmick.

Robot

2009-05-27T23:08:00.000-04:00

Just glad to have some time to myself tonight; went for a long walk with the dog and sketched this.

More Babel

2009-05-25T20:17:00.000-04:00

Dispite a Busy Week, Some Creative Moments

2009-02-14T11:44:00.002-05:00

First, a sketch:

Then, a song:
http://www.fabricari.com/music/in-the-middle.mp3

Update: a video of said song:

[B]I'm [A]not a [G]free man [Em]
[B]I [A]owe some [G]money [Em]
[B]If ya [A]dock my [G]paycheck [Em]
[B]I [A]got no [G]money [Em]

[B]I'm [A]in the [G]middle [Em]
[B]I'm [A]in the [G]middle [Em]
[B]I'm [A]in the [G]middle [Em]
[B]I'm [A]in the [G]middle [Em]

[A][A7][A][A7]

[B]I [A]get a [G]fever [Em]
[B]I [A]take my [G]Tylenol [Em]
[B]If I [A]don't get [G]better[Em]
[B]Jesus [A]won't you [G]save my soul [Em]

(chorus)

[B]Maybe [A]I get a [G]rebate [Em]
[B]Maybe [A]I get a [G]tax return [Em]
[B]Maybe [A]I get a [G]hand out [Em]
[B]Maybe [A]I get [G]money to burn [Em]

(chorus)

[B]I [A]gotta a [G]pink slip [Em]
[B]I [A]lost my [G]job [Em]
[B]Maybe [A]I'll find [G]another [Em]
[B]It's [A]dog eat [G]dog [Em]

(chorus)

Frailing Banjo: Come Together (Cover)

2009-02-07T21:13:00.001-05:00

Beatle's Cover, Come Together (Deliverance Style)

2009-02-03T21:48:00.001-05:00

I don't have the voice for it, but I couldn't contain myself when I figured out the riff on banjo:
http://fabricari.com/music/come-together.mp3

The Fire of 1985

2009-01-31T21:54:00.001-05:00

This song's about the contrast of a recent zealous conversation I had about the "end of the world" and the fear I had about the world ending when I was 10 years old. In 1995 in the Ojai Valley, CA we were surrounded by a fire that filled the sky with so much smoke it was raining ash. The sky was red and the sun looked like something I envisioned from Revelations. For the record, I would rather spend energy enjoying the time I've got than worry about what may or may not happen.

Thanks to Neal for his help with figuring out the chords. The version he recorded with his tenor guitar is much better. Next time I play this, I'll slow down the tempo, I think I nearly busted a lung.

The Fire of 1985 (capo at 3rd or 2nd fret)

intro:
[G][G][D][D7]

Gotta [G]call from my brother the other day
He [G]said Armageddon is on its way
Gotta [D]call from my brother the other day
[D7]Hey Armageddon is on its way!

chorus:
[C]If you take my advice
[G]Get on a plane tonight
[D]If you watch then news and sing the blues
[D7]And believe the noise that they call Truth

[G]Armageddon is on the way
Maybe [G]Jesus, baby, he lost his way
He's [D]comin' back soon that's what he said
So [D7]rend your clothes and shave your head

chorus

[G][G][D][D7]
[C][G][D][D7]

It was [G]1985 and the mountains were on fire
It [G]started raining ashes and the sun was looking dire
We [D]loaded up the station wagon, Dad forgot his keys
Every[D7]body headed West towards the ocean and the beach

[C]Don't tell me how
[G]The world will end
[D]We really thought
[D7]The world would end

The [G]pastor at the pulpit said you better watch your ass
[G]Get your things in order; Tribulation's coming fast
We [D]read the book of Daniel; we knew the seven signs
We [D7]prayed the Lord our souls to keep in these ending times

[C]Don't tell me how
[G]The world will end
[D]We really thought
[D7]The world would end

[G][G][D][D7]

chorus

intro:
[G][G][D][D7]
[G]

Just a Sketch

2009-01-28T23:00:00.000-05:00

Guitar: May Fifteen (Original Song)

2009-01-25T16:07:00.001-05:00

Sometimes I like to pretend I can write songs and play guitar. This one wrote itself. Posting it so I don't forget the melody.

May Fifteen

[Em]Long before Alexandre ever
[G]Stole that book
[G]You know the [D]one that I took
[D]And she read it to [Em]me.

[C]She came through the wall
[C]And you really couldn't [D]see her at all
[D]And it was all on [Em]me.

[G]May-hey-ay
[D]ay-ay fif-
[Em]teen

[Em]Well I had a few drinks
[G]And then I threw up in the sink
[G]You know how it [D]makes me think
[D]it was all because of [Em]me.

[C]She came through the wall
[C]And you really couldn't [D]see her at all
[D]And it was all on [Em]me.

[G]May-hey-ay
[D]ay-ay fif-
[Em]teen

repeat-rewrite

Sketch Heads

2009-01-25T11:58:00.000-05:00

Even though I haven't had time to draw fer nothin' I'm trying to keep "in shape" with the occasional doodle.

Banjo: Nixon's Farewell

2009-01-24T22:06:00.001-05:00

Thanks to John Campbell for sharing this song with me; he sent a scan of the music for me to learn from. I uploaded a copy here: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3348/3223518641_c2c815e657_b.jpg

Tuning is gCGCD. I didn't bother to play with a capo, sounds nicer with the deeper open string tones.

Down Home Girl (Cover)

2009-01-19T16:23:00.000-05:00

First heard this song from Old Crow Medicine Show - I think the Rolling Stones did this first, not sure; great song either way using that basic blues riff.

Murder Ballad (Not Really a Ballad)

2009-01-17T13:09:00.001-05:00

This is one I wrote a while back, but never really played "live." It's sort of my tribute to all those old ballads and folk songs about killing and murder. Yeah, maybe a bit twisted.

Lyrics:[Chords are pre-capo, I added the capo so I could sing it.]

[Am]well, i'm the right man for this job
it really dun't matter who we rob
[Em]you can take all his money
you can take his wife
[Am]i'd rather cut his face
with my crooked knife

[F][Am]today's a good day
to kill a man[F][G][Am]

i'll drag my victim's body to a shed
gonna cut 'im into pieces until he's all dead
chop off his arms, saw off his legs
i'll grind 'im to the bone
and feed 'im to the pigs

today's a good day
to kill a man

and when the cops finally find this place
i'll cut my throat open with a smile on my face
when they finally get me
i won't give damn
cuz today's a good day
to kill a man

today's a good day
to kill a man

Lungs (Townes van Zandt Cover)

2009-01-11T18:04:00.000-05:00

Thought I'd take a swing at this song. Van Zandt was an incredible song writer. These lyrics really struck me despite me blundering them. I faked the melody since I'm trying to play this by frailing banjo and the original uses more of the lower notes on guitar.

Banjo, Jesus Walking on the Water (Violent Femmes Cover)

2009-01-10T20:59:00.000-05:00

I think the Violent Femmes have a lot to do with me liking folk music. They really got it. This one's Jesus Walking on the Water with frailing banjo and half-assed harmonica. I'm not a terribly spiritual person, but this kinda music goes a long way towards filling that gap for me. This and about a dozen of their other songs should make it into the permanent lexicon of folk music IMO.