THE TRIS SESSIONS Peter Dobson, Sue Cross, Michael Fickling and I had completed our A Month of Mondays CD when I approached them to do The Tris Sessions. They agreed to do it with the tremendously talented Peter at the helm as producer. I am grateful for their dedication on this project. The result is this collection of four songs. Tris Mareci is a gifted 13-year-old drummer, son of Lorie and Jim Mareci and brother of young Trent. The Mareci family has been supporters of my music for years. Tris grew up listening to the original songs of The Bytes, a band I had in the 80’s that included my sister Cat Bagley Parker and best friend Stefan Hillstrom. We lost both Cat and Stefan to cancer in the early ‘90’s. I have always wanted to go through some songwriting tapes from The Bytes primary original music era and finish a few songs. This could also give Tris an opportunity to take part in the process of creating and performing on a real recording project. The process was pretty basic. I emailed Tris ideas and received input from him every step of the way. Peter, Sue and I rehearsed the stuff and finally the Mareci family flew down from Idaho for a long weekend. With the help of master percussionist Michael Fickling we rehearsed for one day and went into the Track House in Santa Ana CA the next day and did basic tracks of the four songs. Everything we threw at Tris he handled magnificently and we treated him the same as we would any veteran drummer. His ideas were insightful and wise beyond his years. He really worked hard and was clearly in his element. Lots of fun stuff, like the end of “Lookin’ at a Heartache” where we kind of play on for a while, I kept trying to “knock Tris off his perch” and he valiantly played on steady and took all my punches, solid as a rock! The true value of this experience was to write and produce music for the simple love of doing so and passing that experience to a deserving musician of the next generation. Tris has a great future in music and I think this project will serve him just as he served this music well. What an outstanding young player and thoughtful ally every step of the way! We all look forward to playing with him in the future and watching him grow as a musician! One very special note: On overdubs, post-production and mastering Joseph Gauthier worked magic on these tracks. His tireless efforts gave a sonic depth to the songs. He is nothing short of a master of sound. We credit him with taking these tracks and literally bringing life to them. He is absolutely the unseen hero of this project. Peter Dobson and Sue Cross are responsible for the great Artwork and Design of the CD cover. Thanks for listening! Tom Bagley PIECE OF ME MAGAZINE LADY* WALKING UPRIGHT LOOKIN’ AT A HEARTACHE* c 2009 Bagley Cross Dobson Mareci. * Written posthumously with Cat Bagley Parker and Stefan Hillstrom PRODUCED BY Peter Dobson THE MUSICIANS Tom Bagley: Piano, Organ, Synth, Accordion and Lead Vocals Sue Cross: Bass Peter Dobson: Guitar, Vocals and Producer Tris Mareci: Drums Michael Fickling: Drum Consultant Chris Whynaught: Vocals Donna McDaniel: Vocals Andrea DeLancellotti: Vocals John Fullwood: Vocals RECORDED AT: THE TRACK HOUSE in Santa Ana CA Engineers: Rory Grahm, Travis Winrow, and Joseph Gauthier And JOSEPH GAUTHIER STUDIO Newport Beach CA FRIENDS CLAPPERS AND GRUNTERS: Jeff, Rita and Tom Parker Tom Pavlock Mike Hillstrom Larissa Evans Becky Sanders THANKS TO: Alana, Whitney and Cat Bagley Jim, Lorie, and Trent Mareci Edo and Shelly Guidotti Dedicated to the memory of Cat Bagley Parker and Stefan Hillstrom