Monsoniland

****Song Release**** (Click link at end to listen)

Ever since I read the Zombie Apocalypse Handbook, I’ve been fascinated by zombies. (By the way, in an outbreak, the very first thing you should do is destroy the staircase in your home—zombies can’t climb.)

I also love the creative freedom zombies give me in music: the excuse to use strange sounds, unusual textures, and off-kilter musical palettes when writing songs.

One night in downtown Atlanta, I was sitting in a rustic, slightly sketchy bar when the idea of a zombie motorcycle club hit me. I could practically see them—undead bikers revving their Harleys. (Zombies don’t ride Hondas. Don’t be ridiculous.) They wore torn leather jackets and German war helmets, with skeletal hands and rib bones pushing through half-zipped jackets.

That image became the foundation for this piece. And of course, you have to include a creepy cemetery section, right? It made for a perfect middle passage.

For the main riff, I used my ‘97 Telecaster with a Univibe wah thru an Electro-Harmonix fuzz peddle. Once I locked into the cadence of the first verse, the rest of the song came together fast.

Enjoy “Zombies Don’t Run”

https://monsoniland.com/monzombies/ZombiesDontRunFinal.mp3

With Duran Duran...

***Song Release*** (Click link below to listen)

I’ve always loved experimenting in the studio, and there’s something especially magical about doing it with someone else. Back in the day, I worked with reel-to-reel tape, throwing odd ideas down just to see where they might lead, then layering sounds to discover what emerged. I found that a technically minimalist approach often produced the best results—it forced me to focus on what I had instead of piling on more gear or thinking too much.

I’ve often thought of myself as a painter of sound, with the recording medium as my palette. This piece came together with my friend Terry Douglas. He was teasing me for disappearing into my basement studio for days at a time, so I had him vamp over an instrumental we’d just recorded, and that’s how “Goupdaddy” was born.

Terry came up with the name. When I asked him what it meant, he didn’t have the slightest idea.

Enjoy “Goupdaddy”

https://monsoniland.com/em_mastered_24k_test1/GoupDaddy%20vm8.wav

***Song Release***(Click link below to hear)

Back in the late ’80s, when I was working my daytime computer gig, I had a friend who was going through a rough patch in his marriage. He seemed cheerful enough at work, but every now and then he’d slip in a comment about how things at home could be… well, a little challenging. His wife always struck me as perfectly pleasant when I met her, but I got the sense she required a bit more emotional maintenance than he was looking for.

I’d ask him now and then, “So, how are things with your wife?” He’d give me this dry, almost guarded response: “I’m happy. I’m doing just fine.” Very deadpan, very “don’t ask for details.”

I’d catch myself later at night wondering what was really going on, and that curiosity is what sparked this song. Sure, it’s embellished—that’s the privilege of artistic license. Names withheld to protect the innocent, of course.

I’ve always loved that subtle lead line in whole notes that runs alongside the verses. For this part, I grabbed my 1978 Les Paul Custom to give it enough sustain to cut through the vocals so not to trail off too soon.

PS Yoko might not be so ‘Happy’.

Enjoy “Happy”
(Chelsea Austin singing backups)

https://monsoniland.com/em_mastered_24k_test1/Happy%20vm9.wav