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Live At Jettison Studios

by Isaiah Matthew Harris

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1.
Today, I bought a guitar From a nice man named Steve It's got a faint aroma of wine I didn't notice until after leaving And it's in great condition Oh it's got real nice action Oh yea, it plays like a dream And Steve said he was glad It'd be in good hands with me He said he plays in a church band And volunteers with the elderly I said, "Steve, you're a better man than I could ever hope to be." And we laughed and I went on my merry way And then I came home to find The styrofoam container From my lo-mein last night Chewed up and strewn About the living room And I had to laugh at the sight 'Cuz I knew that puppy dog couldn't help himself It smelled good and he just had to have a bite So I said, "hey, little guy, I'm not mad. No, it's alright." And he wagged his tail and licked my face And went on his merry way
2.
I met Rodney in Chesterfield Valley At St. Louis Bread Company He informed me that he and Casey Were considering touring And it filled my heart With oh so much pride To have them invite me Along for the ride But I told him I can't commit to that Because of my own aspirations I have Playing for children in hospital wards Performing in homes With no amps and no cords Finding the willpower, time, and money To earn a music therapy degree But outside my window Sweet, chipper melodies White-throated sparrow Singing from her tree But now with winter's Cold fast approaching Won't be much longer 'Til she is leaving Monday I got a cortisone shot in my ass To ease this inflammatory aching I have Radiating from my lower back Into my legs, man, makes driving a drag Nurse gave me prednisone and Tramadol And Methocarbamol to help me to fall Asleep when I'm lying in my bed at night Fitfully tossing myself side to side My student's dad, Eric, was in a car wreck Decades ago, chronic pain in his back He recommended I see his PT And I know I'm too sedentary December 18th I go under the knife Laryngoplasty performed by Eisenbeis Read an essay he wrote about doctors' neckties And whether they promote HAIs I'll be sedated at Mercy round noon Get an incision to hopefully improve Timbre and volume whenever I speak Which he said I shouldn't do for a week After the surgery, I must, consciously Concert to cease these compensatory Habits I've formed quite instinctually The incessant throat clearing But then all of those Sweet, chipper melodies Will they still so Far out of my reach? Oh, now with winter’s Cold fast approaching These are the questions I find myself asking
3.
Oh, Cherokee 01:31
I saw the drummer from Sleepy Kitty At the premiere screening I was attending Last evening at Foam Coffee & Beer He looked busy, probably writing a piece for his magazine Hope he prints one about me this year Oh, Cherokee! God, what a scene... It's a bit too hipster for me So bourgeoise and faux artsy But I wouldn't mind playing here regularly I spend most my time out in Maryland Heights and the burbs And I rarely journey out here But my music's in All The Bosses And Casey had asked me to play with her At Earth Alchemy's Grand Opening Halloween Costume Party And my girlfriend made these Super tiny Superman capes we're wearing
4.
Illinois and Florida Indiana South Dakota Maryland I've been there twice One time with my sister She went with me when Taryn died Oh, and also West Virginia 'Cuz my friend Phil was a member of A church called Beautiful Savior And I went with him on a mission trip To an impoverished mountain town there Michigan I should go again To visit with my godparents And when I was a kid my family went Vacationing in Wisconsin I went to Pennsylvania With my high school girlfriend's father To bring her back from ballet camp Where she'd been felt up by some dancer My friend got a farming internship Afew years ago in New Mexico And I rode with him while he drove So he wouldn’t have to go so many miles alone We stayed overnight in Amarillo But the most I saw of Texas were the hotel pillows Then I rode the train home through Colorado Watching snow capped trees roll by the windows While the guy next to me evangelically spoke of Warren Haynes’ solos He had me listen to Whipping Post From an Allman Brothers show I found it awfully boring Though I tried not to let my indifference show
5.
You have a way of doing what we do I do truly admire So it's no doubt true My admiration for you Has had no small influence over The way I play guitar and sing my songs Oh yes, your work informs them most And I swear I do not mean to rip you off I hope it doesn't get your goat Because Mark Oh, Mark Oh yes, Mark Mark, you're my hero You're my guitar hero You're not the type of guy to lay back Resting on your laurels You've written tunes That are surely to prove Themselves to be immortal And oh how I listen to them Time and time again Ålesund, Track Number 8 Young Love, and Ben's My Friend And Sunshine In Chicago
6.
My father died in 2002 It was my junior year of high school He had a flute he kept on the sideboard He always wanted to play but never learned He had cassettes of Herbie Mann & Hubert Laws He'd play on the tape decks of vans that belonged To Tom McCullen, and to Richard Portner A couple of men who my father worked for Rolling and bagging, delivering newspapers But always swung home to record Ghostbusters Saturday mornings mid his longest route I'm sure that he loved me Of that, I've no doubt But I was living at my aunt and uncle's house at the time When my father died and Autumn's friends came by To tell me And I ran up the stairs crying Cuz I'd been blocking The phone line with the Internet When my father went
7.
The autumn leaves Blow in the breeze And suddenly You are nowhere to be found I wait for you All afternoon But when evening comes You’re nowhere to be found Fickle and fair-weather Friend that you’ve been Why should I care When you reach out again? You’re busy, I know But then again I could be the one to phone Or send a message The summer breeze Blows through the trees But suddenly You are nowhere to be found Searched up and down The whole world round No matter where I go You’re nowhere to be found

about

Songs about my life, which, much like my life, are a little rushed, a bit out of tune, and slightly rough around the edges...

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I had planned to play Dan a few tunes I'd written.

He asked, "why don't I set up the mics?"

I apprehensively agreed.

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"If he weren't such a talented finger-style guitarist, you could take these songs as a kind of outsider art, stream-of-consciousness lyrics and all. But the twist he gives to these songs is to seek grace and beauty in seemingly insignificant interactions.

Much of the charm on Live at Jettison Studios comes from Harris' free association and seemingly tossed-off lines, but a few songs show traces of more careful craftsmanship.

...he hits Sufjan-esque levels of family history, decades-old guilt and scene-specific detail." - Christian Schaeffer, Riverfront Times

Full review here: bit.ly/2jFy3eF

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credits

released December 4, 2015

songs and photography by
Isaiah Matthew Harris

recorded November 15, 2015 by
Daniel Mehrmann at Jettison Studios
jettisonstudios.com

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all rights reserved

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about

Isaiah Matthew Harris Saint Louis, Missouri

Isaiah is a teacher, songwriter, and composer in St. Louis, MO.

He enjoys cooking & baking, frequenting antique malls, sleeping on the couch with his dog, Davey, and spending far too much time on the internet.

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