In the Winter

song, new episode of AAT

New episode of Advanced Answering Techniques is up - that’s the podcast I do with my brothers, Caleb and Gabe.

I also have a never-before-released-song here. I have a version for the homies who have spent money for ALL ACCESS — please find that below. But then I recorded a cover of my own song, just on my phone in the kitchen, and added a little bit of commentary afterward. That one’s free right here for e’ryone.

Demo-ish, Free version of In the Winter

Who’s to actually say which is the more worthwhile version? I mean the paywall one’s got the full production treatment: drums, electric guitar, a roving bass, organ (including an organ-led instrumental break that I’m pleased with), that took me a couple days to really nail down. The other one I did in a few takes on my phone. But I did add a little commentary at the end, so who knows?

Also, I’ve definitely found that “lower quality” demos of songs sometimes work better than their official release counterparts. Or at least there’s something interesting about hearing the initial sketches of certain songs. You can find lots of home recordings by Alex Chilton for Big Star songs, and the most obvious example might be the Esher Demos, by the Beatles in preparation for the White Album (“Esher” pronounced “eeee-sher”.

Pretty bold to invoke the Beatles on a post featuring my own song, eh? Maybe not such a coward after all, huh?

KEEP SCROLLING, PAID FOLK!