A Tunesday Interview by Brian Hammond   As some of you are aware, the beloved Bob Jordan has finished his once a week Tunesday project.  I think it went quite excellently, ending up with 49 songs of def jams.  I'm actually quite blown away, especially by how quickly he would crank out new, finished songs.  It can take me many hours to record bass or tinker with a mix, let alone write and record a song per week.  Here's an interview with him where I get to ask everything that I want to in regards to his musics.                                                                                                                                                  BH:  I'll start by saying that the Tunesday project has provided mucho inspirations and fun times for me over the past year.  What were your ideas going into the project and were there an inspirations from any prolific artists in particular?   BJ:  Creating music is something I've always found blissfully fun.  With each project I work on I like to introduce something new to the process, be it an instrument, technology, partner, or in this case... a deadline.  I've always been a fan of concept albums, but unfortunately, they aren't very prevalent.  When I heard about Sufjan Stevens' plan to produce an album for every state I was dumbfounded.  Too ambitious?  Who's to say?  Maybe he'll stop at 2, but "Come on feel the Illinois" is a remarkable accomplishment, and it may not exist had he not set his sights so high.  When I announced my plan for Tunesday to friends, the primary interest seemed to be the following:  How long before the song quality suffered?  I wondered this too at first, but soon recognized this as a potential self fulfilling prophecy.  So I kept that in mind week after week, never wanting to just deliver "something" for the sake of the project, but something that could stand on it's own.   BH:  And how!  I think these songs more than just stand up on their own.  The worst I have thought of a rare few of these songs is that it would make a really good b side.  Are there any songs that you'd single out as a b-side on this collection?  You can name or not name songs.  On the flipside, are there any tunes that you were unusually proud of?  I know it's weird to single out songs when they're like your children!  We can say that of course all of these answers will or can change in the future...   BJ:  I won't name them, but there are maybe 4 songs that I really just can't stand to listen to anymore.  I was okay with them on the final night I worked on them, but everyday since I'm just plain bothered by them.  Then there are a bunch that would be a good b-side fit... possibly a few in the middle of disc 2.  When I think of songs that I'm unusually proud of, they all seem to have similar qualities.  They came naturally, yet they aren't familiar.  Wierd how those 2 qualities can coexist.  A few that fall into this category would be Static, Candles on the Cake, Noia, Sustain Sustain, That Spark, and Ghost Rider.   BH:  Funny, there are somwhere around 4 songs that I usually skip too (which isn't bad out of 49).  I wonder if they are the same ones.  The favorite songs that you mentioned are all favorites of mine.  I was thinking of going in to a song by song breakdown a la the 69 love songs liner notes book, and we can talk about whatever comes up during that, if you're game.  What do you think?                                                                                                                               BJ:  69 Love Songs - another in my list of inspirations.  Let's go ahead with a song by song breakdown, and maybe throughout that we'll discover whether or not we're skipping the same tracks :)   BH:  Sounds good.  I feel it would be perfect for each of us to have a bottle of wine during this; maybe at some point it'll evolve into that, but in the meantime we can imagine such a vibe. "The Other Side of Jupiter"                                                                                                                                                  BH:  What were your thoughts during week one?  For some reason, I was expecting acoustic guitar and vocals, almost demo-like songs.  Instead, we get a six and a half minute, robotic rock thing.   BJ:  Haaa!  I like your description of it!  I had downloaded some freeware a while back that had some beat making capabilities.  It's awesomely terrible... or terribly awesome depending on your point of view.  Coming off of recording Yesterdays Rein, which featured the omission of electro altogether, I was eager to reintroduce myself to synthetic percussion.  I wrote the song initially as a piano ballad, and it sounded quite nice as such... but a little 1 dimensional for the song that would serve as an introduction to Tunesday.  The lyrics say a lot about where my thoughts were in terms of the project... Expectation can skew judgment.  Now for that wine...   BH:  Does this mean that you're off work?  I have three hours to go here on the west coast.  That's okay though!  I was actually going to ask you about the drum programming because it sounds a bit different.  I like it a lot.  I guess the freeware has the capability to pan the drums in a unique way I haven't heard you do before?  I like the role of the narrator in the song - the fact that he has many thumbs, a huge "cranium" and comes from pluto.  So is this you telling yourself not to think too far ahead or not to try to make the greatest thing ever?  Also, I should mention that on almost every one of your (20+) albums you sequence the record in the exact order you record each song, often with little blueprint.  This is usually hard for me to wrap my head around as I am always thinking about sequencing; whether it needs to be thought about so much is something I still haven't figured out.  It's made a little more sense to me to be able to follow this project week by week... Very cool.   BJ:  Not off work, but the work day is now behind me, and a margarita is now in front of me (sorry wine)!  The freeware I used has some good features, I'm sure all of which are trumped by any popular product of this nature, but still, it has a good cheeseball quality to it.  When writing the lyrics for the song, while driving in the car as I often do, I recall laughing out loud.  It's an odd thing to laugh out loud when you're alone - especially if you're the one making yourself laugh.  I think what was so funny to me was not so much the words, but singing it as I would imagine an alien "sing".... robotic like.  No elegance.  And to your other question... I'd say both.                                                                                                  BH:  Speaking of lyrics, when and where do you usually write them?  You must have some kind of system down, having written some lyrics once a week for a year.  Also, does alcohol come into play with either writing lyrics (or music) or recording songs?  I sometimes feel that even a small amount can help make a bridge from 9-5 work life errands family life to creative music making worlds.  I also want to know the lyrics stuff because I would like to write some soon and haven't in a while.  I'll also add that at some point I thought this song was too long, but now I don't.  Also, we can move into the next song unless you have more to say about "Jupiter".   BJ:  My lyric writing often occurred in my commute to/from work, but also in the studio, in the shower, in bed, wherever.  Frequently, with Tunesday, it was the concept that was more a hurdle than the actual words.  Alcohol would often be with me in the studio - but not the car ride!  And even in the studio, most of the time I'd forget I'd poured a drink, especially once things started flowing.  At the end of the night it'd go down the kitchen drain.   By all means, let's go beyond Jupiter...   BH:  Sounds good.                                                                                                                                            "The Pressure"   BH:  One of my favorites.  There are a lot of things I love about this.  The robotic backing vocals low in the mix, the muffled quality in the beginning, the emotion in the chorus, etc.  I have two technical questions.  I like the way the real drums make an appearance only in the middle.  How did that come about and did you use a click track for that?  Also, how did you achieve the backwards echo for the vox on the chorus?  I wanna know cuz I wanna do it on a song or two...   BJ:  I recorded the real drums over the electronic drums, which acted as the click track.  I actually recorded them over other parts of the song as well, but decided it was best used sparingly.  For the backward effect I did the following:  a) recorded vocals, b) reversed the track so that it was backwards, c) added reverb to it, d) reversed the track again so that it was forwards again.   BH:  Sweet, I gotta try that trick.  I remember you saying that you had a few written songs to be used for slow weeks.  How did that work out?  I seem to remember a song was left over from the Yesterday's Rein album.  I dig the nonsensical keyboard parts in the middle of the song.  How did that come about?   BJ:  I had a bunch of song pieces... like a spare parts inventory, prior to the start of this.  Most of these ended up as parts of songs on disc 1.  Beyond that, Buffalo and Headsies were the only other songs pulling from the spare parts.  It was a welcome security blanket out of the gate, when I didn't really know how feasible the weekly thing would be.  The keyboard part was a fortunate result of experimentation... playing with the speed and pitch of random notes while they're recorded onto a slowed down version of the song, and then ringing the song back to normal speed.  The tail of it landed on key but wasn't held out long enough.  So I time-stretched the notes thereafter, custom fitting them to the song.     BH:  Great!  More stuff I gots to try.   "Static"   BH:  I feel that this song is a bit uncharacteristic for you in terms of how gloomy it is, maybe in an 80's way.  The first time I heard it, I was in a sensitive mood and it put me in a dark, powerful place.  I think I now know what the song is about, but I prefer to have the meaning open ended, so maybe don't tell me the meaning unless you really want to talk about it in specifics.  Maybe you could talk about the mood of the song.  It's powerful!   BJ:  Nothing in this song was pre-meditated, it just seemed to come together by accident.  When it was still a shell it reminded me of something from 80's cinema, and that certainly influenced what I did with it vocally.  It wasn't until after is was done that I realized (on a conscious level) the similarities with When in Rome's "The Promise", both in style and meaning.   BH:  Interesting, I don't know that song or band.  I was thinking New Order or The Cure or something.  Oh yeah, how are you writing lyrics in a car or shower?  Do you have a pen or are you just remembering everything?  Are you asking yourself how the song makes you feel and what mood could have possibly brought you to the music or are you asking yourself what at all would be worth singing about?   BJ:  Most of the time I'll be toying around with melodies and singing jibberish over music I recorded earlier in the week.  Sometimes the jibberish makes sense, and the words connect with the mood naturally.  I'll sing it wherever I am tirelessly to etch it into my memory.  Then, when I'm in the studio I'll write them out and often rework them into something that fits the form of the song.  Also, especially during the thick of the Tunesday process, I was constantly on the lookout for anything in my day-to-day life that would spark lyrical inspiration.   BH:  Cool.  I'm a fan of the gibberish method too.  Sometimes I get too attached to the gibberish though!                                                                                                              "Cliche Hero"                                                                                                              BH:  I dig the singing in the last verse.  How did that come about?  Initally, I didn't give this song enough chances.  It's nice.  I like the instrumental chorus with the guitar solo thing going on.   BJ:  I was definitely just having fun with this one and not taking it too seriously.  Something had to be said about the God-awful movie I'd just watched - Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D.  That movie took all of the classic death defying moments in cinematic history and jammed them all into one sad reenactment.  I mean, there's even a highspeed runaway mineshaft train ala Temple of Doom.  It was so disturbing that I had to write about it.   BH:  So this has been one of my three or four "skippers", but I listened to it this week and I liked it a lot more.  I think I would consider it more of a good b side now than a skipper.  I remember you talking to me about this song when I called you to tell you I was engaged from Texas last March, haha.   BJ:  This isn't a skipper for me, but I don't seek it out for a listen either.  Oh, and, cannot wait for wedding, so happy for both of you :)   BH:  Thanks man, I can't wait to see you and everyone!                                                                                              "Telling Myself"   BH:  I have a special liking for this one.  I like the idea of you wearing a mask, posing as whoever you think of while dreaming.  I like the idea that you can still ask that mask self whatever questions, because they might be a higher dreaming self or something.  I really like the pacing of the song; it seems patient.  Good emotion too.   BJ:  Dreams are powerful.  I don't think we've done enough to explore why we dream and how dreams can be used to learn, to heal, and to evolve.  Now, while writing this, my iPod shuffle chose "I Save Cigarette Butts" by the Butthole Surfers.  In the intro he says "I had a Dream" like 10 times.  That's gotta mean somethin right?   BH:  This is one of (at least) two songs that focus chiefly on dreaming.  The other one (If Alex Can) focuses  on dreaming with someone else, which is written about in a great way by Carlos Castaneda in the books The Eagles Gift and The Art of Dreaming.  He also writes about perfecting a "double", a dreaming body in which one can be two places at once.  I think you'd dig them.  The Butthole Surfers provided a perfect omen.  Always listen to the omens.  :)  Also, if I'm correct, we get the first use of your vocoder on this song.  I feel the vocoder plays a major role in the Tunesday project, usually in an emotional way.  I love it.   BJ:  To clarify, it's a talk box (Frampton style), as opposed to a vocoder (Mr. Roboto).  It's fairly common for these to get mixed up, and I may have been guilty of calling it a vocoder myself.  Anyway, the vocoder is on the wish list.  The solo at the end of the song was my first time playing with it.  I'm not doing much that can't be done with a wah pedal, but my ability to use my foot while playing is pretty terrible.  The talk box is easy.   BH:  Well, whatever you're doing with it, keep doing it 'cuz it's awesome!                                                                              "Smile"   BH:  I like the effect on the vocals, the part where you yell "one of these days!" and the drums get all fill-y, and the doogie howser-esque ending is beautiful, corny, reflective, and strange in an awesome way.  What say you about this song?   BJ:  Most songs on Tunesday have a steady bpm.  In fact, I'm pretty sure the first 2 songs have the same exact bpm.  Maybe you could put together a cool mix of Jupiter and Pressure some day!  This song is a favorite of mine because it's outside of the box, very loose, comfortable, and I like the vocal emotion.    BH:  I would love to!  Actually, I would love to remix a bunch of your stuff if I find myself with the time to one day.  Did you write the ending seperately on a keyboard?  Also, the song reminds me of an Italian ballad on the chorus.  Maybe some of your heritage showed itself on this song...  For some reason this song reminds me of "Forever Loving" from Three Ingredients for the One Thing.   BJ:  About the keyboard ending... the song originally ended sooner.  Then I came up with a keyboard part that would serve as a comedown.  The bass drum kick during the ending was the final kick of the original ending, arranged via cut & paste and then looped, which gave me something to lay the extended ending over.   BH:  Excellent.   "Makius Paintius Gratius"   BH:  I'm having a hungover brunch at a bar by myself and they're playing Menomena.  It sounds great - have you heard them?  They do some chopped up stuff like you.  You said this song had to do with watching a lot of childrens' shows.   BJ:  They're great... you introduced me to them awhile ago.  And like alot of bands you've shown me, it takes a couple of years before the rest of the world catches up and realizes how good they are.  I don't do alot to find new music, so I trust in friends who have similar tastes.  That, and for the past year, I watch alot of Yo Gabba Gabba.  My daughter's addicted to it, and there are certainly worse shows to be hooked on.  They've introduced me to alot of new bands like the Little Ones, The Salteens, Trembling Blue Stars, and I'm From Barcelona - plus they're featured bands I already loved like Of Montreal, The Shins, Money Mark and Apples In Stereo.  How cool is that?  If I could pick a show to be on, it would be Yo Gabba Gabba hands down.  And the song I'd perform would be Makius Greatius Paintius   BH:  I like that a lot.  I've not heard any of the four new bands you mentioned.                                                      "Know It All"   BH:  Another one of my favorites.  This started a run of songs that are favorites of mine.  I dig the emotion of the song.  Where is the drum sample from?   BJ:  The drum sample is a severely slowed down clip from Creedece Clearwater Revival's "Ninety Nine and a Half".   BH:  Cool, a favorite sample from our hip hop days!   BJ:  Yeah, it's almost like it was made to sample, with the exception that the first downbeat actually has the tail end of a vocal echo.  I eliminated it by rearranging the structure slightly.  In those early days of our hip hop adventures I picked up alot of vinyl... without any filter really - thrift shop giveaways.  I haven't added anything since then... but it's a fun, bazarre collection.  Creedence is great, but alot of it is only marginally okay... yet, odd as it may seem, even the worst of it has provided inspiration when I needed it most.    BH:  Yeah, I got a lot out of listening to your old thrift collection too!                                      "Why All the Drama"   BH:  Song makes me feel strange every time.  Well done.  My favorite part is when you say "all the time" - it reminds me of a Janet Jackson ballad that was out when we went to Florida the summer after 10th grade - It gives me those kinds of vibes.  The "talk box" provides awesomeness in the emotion department!   BJ:  This song comes from a strange place, and I feel it really stands out from the rest.  In the early days of Deer, when guitar was not part of the equation, I often tried my best to make my keyboard sound like a guitar by using effects.  The instrumental part of this song features a guitar & synth duet, and I tried to make the parts ambiguous.   BH:  The solo is one of the many great parts of this song, i feel.  That chorus just opens my gap - takes away part of the shield that keeps one whole and strong, and opens the part that makes one feel and create and leaves things to chance,  My friend Jermaine felt it immediately on the chorus too.  Got us talking about R. Stevie Moore - I feel he achieves similar things.  Easily on of my favorites.   BJ:  There's something about music that's hard to quantify.  I can hear an R.Stevie Moore song and think "this guy is genius... how'd he come up with this?".  But if I transcribed the chords and the words onto paper, I might not see anything genius about it at all.  That was an important thing for me to keep in mind during Tunesday.  I used to be concerned about coming up with a chord progression I haven't explored yet.  Now I realize, that even though it matters, it doesn't matter a great deal.  Maybe my next project/experiment will be an album full of songs all using the same chord progressions ;)   BH:  I think it has something to do with opening that gap i was talking about.  You just feel certain things more sometimes when this happens and a listening can notice that feeling.  It's not easy to do and yet most people could do it if they really wanted to maybe?  I think it often feels like an accident, to me at least.  And it's not always accessible when convenient.  What do you think?   BJ:  I'm right there with you... it feels like a happy accident   BH:  It's almost like something unexpected comes out of you, and therefore it's more you than you understand...   "Saucin' and Soakin'"   BH:  Another fave of mine.  Reminds me a little of Apples in Stereo.  One thing I like is how there's a balance of simplicity and catchiness with unpredictability.  I love how it seems like a never ending chorus without being on the actual chorus for a long time.   BJ:  Everything on this song was done before the vocals, or even the idea of vocals.  I suppose having to fit them into the song around the pre-existing parts resulted in the off kilter format you mention   BH:  Hah, I wouldn't have guessed that.  What gave you the idea to put a sample from our Knitting Factory show at the end?  As usual, I love the backwards element.   BJ:  It's a party tune, but it needed the party atmosphere.  That show was one of the most memorable nights of my life, and it was definitely a party.  It just so happened that the clip I decided to use from the live show ended on the same key as S&S.  It was too perfect   BH:  "No Rhyme" Very nice song.  One time I was walking around listening to this song on my ipod and I felt a bit lost in the world.  One thing I love about your music is that it usually is uplifting and full of simple and deep insights, but it doesn't seem to be afraid to be weak, dark, or unsure of itself...   BJ:  A lot like how I am I suppose.  Creative arts can serve not just as an outlet, but as a tool for self analysis.  You never know yourself as much as you think.  I've written lyrics that seemed like nonsense at the time, and then heard it later in life and realized that they were more me than I could understand.   BH:  Well, your bravery and truthfulness is appreciated.  Any thoughts on the song?   BJ:  Just that it has some structural uniquities compared to the rest of the collection.  For 1, it has one of the longer intro's, with an instrumental chorus before any lyrics.  Then, when the verse kicks in, so does a layer of live percussion over the drum machine.    BH:  I don't remember the live percussion; i'll have to listen again.   "Candles on the Cake"   BH:  I gotta know how the two "halves" of the song came about.  It almost sounds like two different songs going back and forth.  The tempos of each part are very different.  The last minute or two is perfection!   BJ:  Most of the time I have a melody in my head, figure out chords, and then apply whatever percussion I think fits the mood.  This was the complete opposite.  The percussion was composed as a stand alone, and then I came up with music to fit the different parts.  A great way to inspire something new is to throw out the routine; build the house from the roof down.   BH:  There's a certain desperate feeling in this song that I like.  The funny thing to me is that the lyrics have to do with the tradition of making silent wishes at the birthday cake.  The music makes the lyrics feel really deep and the lyrics make the music lighten up a bit.   BJ:  It's interesting how many traditions people follow without ever questioning where they come from.   "Criarrhea"   BJ:  Ha!  I guess that's all that needs to be said about this one huh?  This one is obviously influenced by having to deal with the highs and lows of parenthood, and I think it's in need of it's own diaper change :)  Often a skipper for me, but occasionally entertaining.   BH:  Haha!  Probably my number one skipper, and contender for worst title of a Deer song of all time!  It certainly has its merits though.  Actually, I just listened to it and remembered that it's pretty good.  I like the instrumental parts after the first chorus and the momentum the song gains.  I think the title and lyrics are my least favorite parts of this one.  For some reason I think of the title and the effect on the chorus at the same time, haha.  I do like that I get to learn a bit about parenting experiences (and many other things!) from a good friend through music over the years.   BJ:  It's funny... when I first presented the complete Tunesday set to your cousin, the first thing he said was "Criarrhea ?!?!?".  Yup, let's move on.    BH:  Alright!   "I Should Cuckoo"   BH:  This song has been very pleasant to me.  Makes me feel good.  Takes it's time.  It reminds me of "Pink Lemonade" from Popcorn Trails.  How did this one come about?  One of the more soothing songs on the Tunesday project for me, along with "Telling Myself".   BJ:  Cool.  I'm glad to hear that point of view.  I hadn't thought about it, but I do see the "Pink Lemonade" resemblance.  If I don't have some personal experience to draw from, and I'm feeling short on lyrical ideas, I'll think about people I'm connected to and what they might be experiencing and feeling.  This is one of the songs that I rely on the put-myself-in-their-shoes method.  In hindsight I think it's too damn long though.  If I could go back for 1 last edit, I think I'd cut out the 2nd verse and chorus altogether, making it more digestable.    BH:  Yeah, I don't think the song really sounds like Pink Lemonade, it just sort of feels like it.  I have a version of this song in my head with different, more non sensical lyrics, haha.  I think I thought at first that it was too long as well and could be structured a little differently, but now I just enjoy and trust.  It's amazing... your overall arrangement instincts are darn great considering that you were writing and recording each song in a week!   BJ:  Thanks man, I appreciate the sentiment.  I'm hearing it now to get reacquanted with it, and remembered that this song features another sample from our old hip hop days.  During the chorus listen for an additional layer of drums from the Monkees song "Mary Mary".    BH:  Whoa, I can't remember ever noticing that!  I'll have to listen again today.   "Out of Sync"   BH:  I love this song.  I like the sci-fi feel, the backwards vocal, the half speed / double speed thing, the stop / starts and the interesting verse structure.  There's an emotion to the chorus that rules.  Reminds me of John Locke in season 5 of Lost.    BJ:  Are you kidding me?!?  Wow... You just hit the nail on the jughead dude.  This song might as well be called "Lost, Season 5".  That creators of that show did an amazing thing.  They started out giving the audience flash backs, and then flash forwards.  So, if you think about it, the characters in the show might not have been yet... but we we're always time traveling.   Also, around this time I had watched Southland Tales, which also deals with Lost-like science fiction.  With this "sci-fi" song (as you put it), I wanted to have the lyrics affect the structure, so I did things like cut and paste the part of the verse that sang about cutting and pasting.   BH:  I think I remember you mentioning Lost when you finished this song.  I feel a certain sadness for John Locke during the chorus sometimes.  Random question - do you consider some songs in groups based on when you did them, like these three songs or those eight songs go together?  i know i do sometimes, but it's probably based on how i'll download like 5 songs at a time sometimes...   BJ:  I do.  I also would say that I was cognisant of the fact that "Out of Sync" would mark the end of the 1st of 3 discs.  I was satisfied with how this first leg of Tunesday had gone, but I was glad to close that chapter.  These last few songs really drag on.  I needed to freshen things up, and was glad to start on disc 2.   BH:  I didn't realise that you were thinking of the songs as fitting on discs, interesting.  By dragging on, you mean the long endings of Out of Sync and Cuckoo?  Or you mean the process or style was dragging on?   BJ:  Well... I always burn discs of my work-in-progress, to hear in my car that has no iPod hookup.  It wasn't until I was almost out of room on the first disc that I became aware of how many discs I would ultimately fill, and how many songs would potentially be on each.  The process and the style were becoming stale.  I'm not saying I didn't care about making the songs good, but there's a certain bar that's set for an album opener... a song 3 & 4, etc..  When you're putting it together you're thinking... "this is the 1st song on the album... it's gotta grab some interest, it's gotta kick a**!".  When you're working on the 15th song you're thinking... "is anyone still there?"   BH:  I hear ya.  I would imagine that was part of your motivation to sort of do away with the album format for this project.  It's weird - sometimes I feel like three or four songs are like lonely and need more "siblings" and then like thirty songs need do be divided up or have songs cut.  It's strange how songs are grouped based on one's peer group's attention spans or their habits based on the day's current format limitations or lack thereof.  I often think that it would be cool to make an album of songs that get better and better, with the best song being last, but I don't think I have the courage!   BJ:  I tried to keep in mind the fact that someone might only tune in to Tunesday once, and it could be any week.  Any of the songs could have been that persons 1st song.  Having that mindset helped motivate me each week.  On the other hand, I was having my own creating & listening experience that involved every song sequentially, and it's hard not to let the next song be influenced by the ones that preceded it.  I wonder what would happen if I had amnesia, forgot all of the songs I ever made, and began making music all over again.  Maybe it would be really similar... or maybe it wouldn't even be the same genre.    BH:  That would be funny if we were working on the 20th II Smooth and the Rhythm Funktion / Trinity album!  I'm kind of glad you're not doing Musings Part 14, but at the same time, I think it would be pretty brilliant!   BJ:  ...and terrifying ;)   BH:  One idea for an upcoming project would be to make each song with the idea that it wouldn't be heard by anyone!    BJ:  That's a deep thought.  I don't think I could do it.   BH:  Hahaha.  I don't think I could either, although I think I do think stuff like that when I first start making something. "Happy Anatomy"   BH:  Great jam.  I like the funk rock element.  That sampled acoustic guitar sounds so warm and saturated, I love it!  It's one of my favorite of your upbeat instrumentals.  The ending is a nice shift.   BJ:  This is one of the more rockin tunes I've ever done.  When it was still new to me, every time I heard it I had to dance.  The feedback at the time was all positive and it really got me fired up about the project again.  I felt that same warmth... it felt more alive than alot of the songs up to this point.   BH:  It seemed to me that there was a momentum building too, along with Out of Sync, which to me is an upbeat fave too (I had been getting more excited from "Saucin", "Drama" and "Know it All" too).  I can see how it may have led to the next (warm sounding) song.   "Noia"   BJ:  You bet... and I wanted to capitalize on the feeling I got from Happy Anatomy, which I largely attributed to my temporary abondonment of the digital percussion.  I also mic'd my guitar amp instead of going line-in, hoping to capture something that felt more real and comfortable.  This is one of my faves for sure   BH:  I like this song a lot too.  I walked around a lot with this song on headphones.  Reminds me of spring.  I like the Beach Boys sounding falsetto (it also reminds me of this guy Panda Bear from Animal Collective) in the second verse.  Just thinking about the song is making me happy.  I've been working on mic'ing guitars as opposed to line-in, but I still don't know if I'm making it sound better.  What are your thoughts?  Great production by the way.   BJ:  I guess what sounds "better" is arguable.  Let's just say that it sounds different, and different is good.  I'd probably experiment with it more, but it's loud.  My studio is in no way sound proofed and I'm often working on stuff late at night.  Recording with a line-in allows me to create in stealth mode ;)   BH:  I guess what I mean is that the two methods have sounded much more similar for me so far than I had thought.   "Premeditated Hatred"   BH:  This song doesn't remind me of most Deer songs.  How did this one come about?  The beginning confuses me to this day!  It sometimes sounds more like a full band than usual.   BJ:  The lyrics ("take a chance on being something not the same") inspired the singing style - which I guess you can say is not traditional Deer.  I'm glad you felt it sounded more like a full band.  When you're recording alone in a quiet basement studio it can be difficult to channel certain emotions in vocals, especially rage.    BH:  Haha I didn't excpect you to mention rage.  Also, this is the last of the songs that I've skipped a bunch of times.    BJ:  Ditto.  This is a frequent skipper for me as well.  There are parts of it I really love, especially the guitar work in the last half of the song.  I guess I just don't do rage well.  You never know unless you try, right?    BH:  One of the things I like overall about Deer is when you represent the undesireable feelings.  It's rare for you, but it provides a balance to the mostly uplifting songs that take up a lot of your discography.  It makes the positive songs more believeable.  I think the album Plan Be was really fascinating for me for that reason.  Often your best songs are the ones that are more upbeat or peaceful, but you're down to represent yourself in the thick of confusion once in a while.    BJ:  It's like the old phrase "without the bitter, the sweet just aint as sweet".  I think there is a profound truth to that saying.  I prefer to write songs with a positive vibe because I prefer to listen to music with positive vibes; but if that vibe is not there, it can't be forced.  And it's certainly, gladly, not always there.  If it was, how could I appreciate it?   BH:  Totally.   "Urownus"   BH:  Another favorite of mine.  The music sounds as isolated and far away as the lyrics suggest.  I think you did a beautiful job on this one.  The robotic voice adds a disconnected feel too, reminds me of that jed robot song by grandaddy.  also reminds me of some of the feels on request timed out (the ending especially).  i like how this song can really fit into any situation.   BJ:  There were a number of factors sending this song to the outer limits.  The root melody of the robot voice is played from my old IBM PS2 computer.  It has a program that turns the computer keyboard into a piano keyboard.  I hooked the output of that to the talk box.  The phaser effects on the chorus are done twice, panned, and out of sync with eachother; and my vocals are slightly pitched upward.    BH:  I'm glad you did all that because it sounds great.  How did you pitch up the vocals?   BJ:  Thanks.  I did this in post production.  There's a resample/timestretch feature in Magix (the recording software I'm currently using).  I'm quite certain anything out there (Pro tools, Garage Band, etc.) has something similar.  Most of the stuff I use is pretty outdated, but it seems to get the job done, and I'm comfortable with it.      BH:  I'm sure I have it too, but I've only figured out how to pitch up by an octave or to change the actual note of the track selected.  I need to figure out how to replicate slowing down the tape a little to make the voice sound a bit higher, beatles style, but that's just me!   "Allowance for Poison"   BH:  Another favorite of mine, and candidate for favorite overall song from the Tunesday project.  I'm not sure it has hit written all over it in an obvious sense, but I've been in love with this song for many months.   BJ:  Awesome, great to hear!  Initially I didn't know what I thought of it.  The harmony during the chorus is almost eerie,  but over time the whole song has really grown on me.  Whenever I hear the opening guitar I feel Springtime.  It's nice.   BH:  Yeah, to me it has a great combination of haunting and breezy carefreeness to it.  Interesting key changes in the second verse.   BJ:  This song has one of my favorite lines... "Sometimes I wonder what happens if a mosquito bites a mosquito bite / And what if it sucks up the prior mosquito saliva, will he be itchy flier?"  Still makes me laugh :)   BH:  Haha.  I think I figured that one out only recently...and then forgot it again.   "Shake N Break"   BH:  One of the catchier songs on Tunesday.  I'm always happy shortly after this song starts.  I like the short chorus.  I guess I never really thought about what this one is about.    BJ:  I have to honest... I skip this one frequently.  It has to do with a work situation, in which I was begged to fix something that was completely unfixable... and I pretty much knew it, but still tried because there was such desperation in the request.   I can't say for certain why I skip it, but maybe it's because it reminds me of that difficult situation.   BH:  The only thing I can think of that maybe isn't great about the song is the change part, but that's without listening to it in a week or two.  Overall, the song has done me well.  I'm glad you made it.  I think of "Headsies" as a distant cousin sometimes.   BJ:  Yes, I would definitely put Headsies in a similar category... I guess we can cover that madness shortly   "Buffalo"   BH:  At first I thought you were moving there when I heard this!  I was nervous.  I love the slowed down vocal part.  The drums are from your early 90's computer right?  It's kind of different how the music keeps going in the second half.  The song reminds me of someone talking to themself.   BJ:  I wrote all of the lyrics to this while driving a rented moving van to and from my sisters place.  I was picking up a dining room set they were giving me before they moved to Buffalo.  I had the music, sans vocals, on a disc and just played it on repeat for the 2+ hours I was in the vehicle.  It was an ode to them, wishing them the best in their migration north.  You're right about the drums, good call.  Every time I hear this song I like it better than the last time.  I like it's simplicity, and I like the varied parts in the instrumental ending, with elements arriving in the song that have not appeared before.   BH:  Cool story.  I take it as all the optimistic and melancholy feelings one might have in a situation like that.  I think one of my favorite things about the song is that it feels very comfortable with itself.  I like the idea of playing something on repeat in a car or wherever to help with lyric writing.   BJ:  I often write lyrics in the car, without a paper and pad.  The next time I might not remember it exactly as it was, but I'm sure it's close, and whatever differences occur I figure are for the best.  This was different because I don't normally have such a long stretch of time alone in a car.  My daily commute to work is a mere 10 minutes tops.  So, I was able to do the whole song, and sing it repeatedly, drilling it into my memory.    "Rain Cubed"   BH:  One of a handful of weather or season themed songs from this project, which is nice because of the nature of this one year, song by song in order idea.  I dig the Big Audio Dynamite sample.  You mentioned that you were influenced by a Wings song while coming up with the keyboard part at the end.  Do you remember which one?  I've noticed on facebook that New Yorkers seem to talk (mostly complain) about the weather a lot, at least in the past year.  I figure that maybe this has caused you to write a bunch of season themed tunes for your local mates.   BJ:  The keyboard parts in Band on the Run are legendary, particularly in the first 2 minutes; but I can't say that it was 1 particular song influencing me.  I was just feeling Wings.  I think it's Paul's (and Linda's I suppose) very unabashed use of keyboards.  And yes, there has been some extreme weather in the northeast this year, and we New Yorkers like to b**ch about it for sure.  What gets people the most is when it's relentless.  A day or 2 of rain is refreshing.  A week straight is depressing.  I think you can apply that to almost anything.    BH:  I can relate to the endless rain feeling in seattle.  I guess people have been talking about it back east because there has been weird weather for the area (crazy snow, rain, heat, lack of it).  Sometimes I think Where's the Sun? was written for us in the northwest.  I think you do a great job with all the weather songs by the way.  I would have guessed the first two minutes of Band of the Run too, but it makes sense that Wings in general were an influence.  I love all their keyboards too.    BJ:  Writing about the weather is natural.  It affects us all, which is why it makes easy water cooler conversation, and song lyrics all the same.    "Elimination Game (Rematch)"   BH:  This song has been a grower for me.  At first, I didn't listen to it a lot.  For some reason, a few months later it came on a Tunesday shuffle that I was listening to on the bus at night coming home from a good recording session and it was the best part of my ride.  From then on, I've been a big fan of this song.  I'm probably not right here, but it reminds me of Jacob and The Man in Black from LOST haha.  I'll also use this as an excuse to mention that your drumming has steadily improved and I'm really impressed.    BJ:  I have some regrets about this song.  I think, if it hadn't been done within the Tunesday timeline, I would have been glad to take a few more days to work on it.  I'm happy with some parts, particularly the vocals and bridge, but it seems incomplete, specifically during the dark instrumental parts.  Of course, that's not to say I don't appreciate your compliment regarding the percussion :)  As the project moved on week to week I started using live drums more and more.  Primarily because it became far less time consuming to do it live than it was to map out electronic drums.  Even if it took me 2 dozen takes and I had to cut, paste, and loop the "good" measures to build the track, it was still a huge time saver.  Not to mention, I was digging the vibe it was giving the music overall.    BH:  Yeah man.  I would have to say that overall, I've really been digging the increased use of more live drums, electric bass, and electric guitar.  It's been great throughout the Tunesday project and I feel like it has added a great feeling to Deer overall dating back to Plan Be and A Game.  I feel like you've been mastering those three instruments really well over the last few years.  I think my initital feeling for this song was that the parts weren't always smoothly put together, but I never think that anymore, so you must have done something right.  The fact that you write and record such complex songs in one week blows me away.  I wouldn't mind trying it one day, but I'm sure my stuff would be way less completed sounding and whatnot.  My favorite things about the song are the vocals and how all of the parts flow.   BJ:  I think it was the Guppy recordings that sparked alot of that.  I was really spoiled having Ryan on drums.  He's a beat machine!  Since that project I feel like I've been trying to fill the void.    BH: That makes a lot of sense.  He's a total beat machine!   "Squashing Beef"   BH:  This is kind of a pure Deer song to me.  Kind of reminds me of a Popcorn Trails song a little.  Or something you would play solo at a show.  Reminds me of the first song on Blue Spruce that you played for us at Hofstra one time (Another Glass of Wine).  I'm very thankful for these types of Deer songs.   BJ:  I was really excited about this song when I wrote it, and remember playing it live for Erika prior to recording a single note of it.  It was constructed how you'd imagine most songs would/should be, writing both the lyrics and music (on accoustic) together.  This is actually not so normal for me.  Usually I have a lyrical idea, or mood in mind, but nailing that down always seems to come well after the musical body of the song has been recorded.  The Blue Spruce song you mention was definitely of the same nature.  Good call.   BH:  It reminds me of some of the Pickled Hearing songs a little too, for some reason.  I guess it's the folk side of Deer.  Do you ever get input regarding unfinished songs from Erika or anyone?  I would imagine not so much especially on this project?   BJ:  That was the only song in this project that I let Erika in on prior to recording it.  And, that's pretty typical, since I do a lot of writing in the studio.  I'll record the moment I feel I've got something that works.  There's hardly ever an opportunity for me to second guess anything, which is probably best.  I'd probably never finish a song otherwise ;)     BH: I think I want my next project to be more like this.  The one I'm working on now consists of all song ideas glued together that have been brewing for almost a decade!  I don't think I'm capable of doing something like that again!  :)   BJ:  All I know is, whatever you showed me at Ryan's wedding blew my lid off, and I'm desperate to hear it again.  Seriously.  I'm glad I have that comming.   BH:  Great!  Well, having you listen to the finished project is probably the top reason for making the album.   "Headsies"   BH:  On one hand this doesn't seem like a top tier Deer song, but it is one of my favorites.  I always love listening to this one.  I like the second half of the verses especially.  I like all the parts.  Good ending.    BJ:  A top tier skipper for me.  I don't know where this song came from, really.  It's a C side at best, if something like that existed.  I guess it was necessary in the grand scheme of things though.  It was one of the more adventurous, experimental songs.  It gave me a break from making something digestable.  I suppose the lyrics pretty much say that now that I think about it.    BH: That's really funny to me!  I would consider it at top 20 tunesday song for me, and probably my favorite from the middle of disc 2.  I would consider playing this song for people that have good taste in music.  The only part that I don't quite love is the chorus I guess, but the weird backround sounds (as well as the rest of the song) balance it out.    BJ:  I guess the key thing worth noting here is that I would have left this song on the cutting room floor had it not been for this project's format.  Beauty is in the eye, or ear, of the beholder.  I'm so very glad this would-be-orphaned song found a welcome, loving home :)   BH:  I feel the same way.  It's been a little hard for me to imagine which songs I would cut from this project were this to be a regular length album for the same reason.   "No Dice"   BH:  This was kind of a grower.  I thought it was okay at first and then sort of forgot about it.  I remember getting into both Headsies and this one at around the same time, weeks after first hearing them.   BJ:  When you mentioned earlier that some songs could be grouped, like they were related to eachother... well, Headsies was the end of a litter.  Likewise, I would say that No Dice is somehow related to No Rhyme.  Oddly, I never thought about it until now... but the fact that their titles are so similar is just too funny.    BH:  Very interesting.  I would have guessed that litter to have ended with Bread and to have started with Shake and Break.  I'm not sure why though.  Anyway, this song has been in my head many times.  I like particularly the chorus.  I also like the fade out during the last verse into the instrumental chorus.  One similarity with No Rhyme - they both have instrumental chorus parts.  Both songs feel relatively serious, but No Dice is a little lighter?  No Rhyme reminds me of a walk to the grocery store on a cloudy day and No Dice reminds me of a sunny walk home from work.   BJ:  There's a shared seriousness I suppose.  That, and a shared sound, like they're made by the same band... which they are of course, but not all of the songs seem to be.  I can't put my finger on it, but Lyrics aside, I think the chorus has a De La "daisy age" feel to it.   BH: Maybe the chorus has kind of a 70's hazy chord progression, like Seals and Crofts or Steely Dan, which are some of the types of sounds sampled a lot by early De La?  Both songs are kind of minor key folk rock i guess.   BJ:  Yeah, I think that about puts a finger on it.    "Bread"   BH:  I didn't love this at first, but it's actually been in my head a lot in the last few weeks.  The are really good verses remind me of the band Quasi (and a little bit of Mates of State).  The chorus stays in my head for a long time.  The ending is nice too.   BJ:  I'm with ya.  At first I wished I'd done the lyrics differently (specifically the "happiness is better..." part); but at this point, I couldn't imagine it any other way.  I always really liked the slow parts, maybe because there aren't many parts as slow throughout the Tunesday collection.  Also, it's funny you mention Mates of State... I feel like this song could have worked well as a duet, had there been a willing female participant.   BH: That's what reminds me of Mates of State, and Quasi.  The songwriting of the verse as well as how it's easy to picture a girl doing the backup is very Quasi.  I should send you some; they're favorites of mine.  The chorus part is a bit corny, but the fact that I think of it often now says something good about it.  I might not play this song to introduce someone to Deer or Tunesday for that reason, but it's a song that I keep coming back to.  I feel that it's hard to change a lyric once the idea comes to you sometimes.   BJ:  Yes, especially when you have so little time to second guess it.  Most of the time it was maybe 2 or 3 sessions in the studio... roughly 3 hours a clip.   I'm not saying it to be boastful, honestly, but the thought that these were a week in the making is a farce, and it makes me wonder what I'd be capable of I were able to commit my full attention to it.  Then again, who ever gets to commit their full attention to anything?  And would having total attention dismantle the contributing inspirations?  Okay... I just had an LI Tea, so I apologize, but I'm exactly where I'm at, and that's good, that's happy, and that's bread ;)    BH: Nice.   "Sustain Sustain"   BH:  For some reason, this feels like the start of a new album to me.  I feel like it kicks off a new feel that stays with the next bunch of songs.  This I think is one of the better Tunesday songs.  The chorus is really good, and powerful.  Lots of colors and feelings on this one.    BJ:  Yeah, this one makes the cut.  It seems to me more like a verse-less song, with alternatig choruses.  But that's what I like about it, it's all punch and kick, no bob and weave.  The concept is one that you will soon experience first hand.  Planning something as big as a wedding can become a tremendous load to bear.  Not to say that it isn't wonderful, but part of the big day's celebration will undoubtedly be for a return to normalcy.  And as time passes, your memories fade to the limits of the photographs taken, which will only reflect the wonderful, and not the load you beared.  This shouldn't scare you, but you should know, you have a wild ride ahead!  I'm super psyched for you both, you'll do great, and many, many congrats!   BH:  I figured that was what the song was about.  Planning a wedding has been a little bizarre, but the stress that comes with the smaller details is still ahead.  I'm sure it'll be just fine.  Can't wait to see you guys in my town in the summertime!  Thanks for the perspective.  It helps.  Sustain Sustain reminds me a little of The New Pornographers.  What do you think?   BJ:  I think I like that comparison :)  I suppose it's got a little bit of that feel to it, sure.  When I wrote it, I was reluctant to release it.  I wanted to hold onto it until the end of the Tunesday collection, thinking the lyrics would be suitable.  Then again, I thought that about Happy Anatomy too, because of the sampled dialogue thanking the listeners.   BH: I like those thoughts.  If you do a single record based off of Tunesday, maybe you could use one of those as a last song.   "The Anomaly"   BH:  Very good.  My favorite part is the singing chorus before the music break.  I like the use of the Blue Spruce instrumental kind of hidden in the backround at the end.  How did that come about?  Where did the instrumental parts come from?  What's the unusual sound?  Reminds me of one of those mechanical laugh devices.   BJ:  The sound you speak of is a guitar.  Well... it's a toy guitar of Olive's.  The batteries are not quite dead, but no longer able to provide whatever the guitar needed to function normally.  It was gifted to her from the neighbors as such, and as soon as I heard the warpedness of it, I knew I had to capitalize.   It made other similar sounds, but this one just fit like a glove.  I feel like the instrumental parts have a sort of latin feel.  I have no idea where it came from, but I liked it enough to stretch it over many bars at the end.  I wanted something to "happen" at the end that was indicative of the lyrics.  When I wrote this I was high on Lost, and bringing something from another time or universe into the mix made alot of sense.  Zaxu was the first song that tried out for the part, and it won it.   BH: By the way, Zaxu is a great title!   That part fits in perfectly too.   "Underdog"   BH:  Definitely one of my favorites, but not likely a hit.  I would connect this with 'Popular' on disc three a little maybe.  I love the warped guitar along with the bass and strange vocal effect part.  Killer.  I like how the ending stetches on quite a bit.  This might be a stretch, but I feel like this song paved the way for a certain type of darker songs that would follow here and there?   BJ:  Ahhh... yes... the darker side of Deer.  It's there.  It's not prevalent, but it surfaces here.  Now that you mention it, not only does it bear some tonal similarity to "Popular", it bears a similar message.  This is one of the few songs I use a keyboard bass instead of a real bass - during the 2 break downs.   BH: Wow, I didn't realize that.  The keyboard bass is nice and deep, which is one thing I've liked about the bass playing on your last handful of albums.  This is a great song.   BJ: Thanks.  I remember hearing a criticism about early Deer.  It was something like... "where's the bass?".  At first I was insulted.  Then I was gifted one from Erika, and once it became part of the equation I agreed with that question.  I'm proud of everything I've done, but the early stuff sounds hollow in comparison.   BH: I actually think the early stuff is perfect without it and the new stuff is perfect with it.  But yeah, your deep bass playing has been ace.   "The Realest Realist"   BH:  This one sounded good enough at first, but I was suprised on how much it grew on me.  A well crafted song.  I really dig it.  What are your thoughts on this one?   BJ:  I almost never hear it, but when I do, I'm always surprised why.  It's sneaky.  There are little nooks and crannies that aren't obvious at first, especially as the song develops.  Headphones can take this one miles ahead of itself.  It's not top 10, but it deservers more credit than I normally give it.   BH: I love the backwards keys on the chorus.  I would probably rate it in the better half of the project.  You're right about it being sneaky.   BJ:  Definitely worth noting... There are a couple other parts as well... they're not obvious, but certainly make an impact.  When I was young, and nieve to the way a song was formed, I just accepted it as it was.  I think it was better then.  Now there's a trap that's easy to fall into.  It's the trap of dissection.  "Oh... I love when the keyoard does blah blah..." or "the effect on the guitar is yada yada".  Once you know how a song is constructed, how music is made, that's a hard trap not to fall into.  I think it's best when the sum of all the parts are just absorbed as is, and all of the analytics are removed from the listener.  I can remember some times when someone (probably you... hehe) mentioned something about a part in a song that almost seemed transparent to me.  Then, once I recognized it, I couldn't return to when I couldn't.  I know I'm probably not explaining myself very well, and perhaps nobody will understand what I'm talking about, but it is what it is.  That said... maybe I shouldn't describe what I think is sneaky about this song and leave it be :)   BH: Definitely keep some of those tricks to yourself.  I love the mystery too.  Another song that reminds me of this one is "Leaves" in that it doesn't seem like a big deal, but everything clicks in a certain way, making it more memorable.   BJ:  I like that you followed up my "leave it be" comment with a mention of "Leaves"; and I think you hit the nail on the head.  It's harder to break down a song when all of the parts click... it's like they snap together... and as a result, aren't as easily measured on an individual level.   I guess that can be applied to many things in life.   "That Spark"   BH:  Another favorite of mine, and part of a really great Tunesday streak in my opinion.  The parts of this song also fit together very seamlessly, even with the tempo change, well done.  I'm wondering how the writing process went for this one...   BJ:  This is one of my favorites.  It's gotten to the point where I barely recall how it came about, which might add to the attraction.  I know that at the time, as well as now, I was pretty thrilled with the percussion, and the tempo change.  I'm hearing it now, to refresh my recall, and it's no where near as long as I always consider it.  It's packed with a nice variety of music.  The song... is... sound.   BH:  Agreed.  This one does sound very natural and very good. "Birthday Girl"   BH:  There's a really good mood to this song.  Did you go in thinking that this would be a birthday song?  For a birthday song, I like how the whole ending is instrumental.  The playing (drumming?) seems a little loose, which I like.     BJ:  This was going to be a birthday song from the get go.  For a b-day song, it had to feel like a party.  The drumming is what I like most, and least about it.  I was definitely going for more than I was capable of, so it's far from perfect, but it still came out better than I could have hoped.  Also, there's a pretty heavy Apples influence on this one.    BH:  The drums are one of my favorite parts too.  Good job.   "The Popularity of Popularity"   BH:  A really cool song.  This has been in my head a lot of times.  I always think that this song is a lot longer than it is.  For I while, I thought you were saying "This is something that I could TELL US ABOUT!", which I liked as much as what you really say, although the real words make more sense.  I love the slowed down vocals and the somewhat odd song structure.  What drove you to write this one?   BJ:  I suppose a few things contributed... to the idea at least.  It's like, something can be defined as "Popular" because of it's qualities, not because it's actually favored by most.  That's wierd to me.  When I think of the "popular" people when I was in high school, they weren't necessarily the most loved by the general populous, they just shared popular qualities such as looking good and being athletic.  The same applies to "pop" music.  It's good looking and athletic, but not necessarily the most loved.    "Ghost Rider"   BH:  This song has deep sadness to it that i dig.  There's happiness and love in there too.  I usually think of two very different scenarios when I think of what this song is about.  I like that about it.  This song also reminds me that around this time, you were getting on a pretty good roll with getting good drum sounds.  I think there's some reverb in there, but was there a different approach?   BJ:  The drums were recorded as usual.  What made them different was, as you mentioned, the reverb I put on them in post-production.  For some reason I almost always leave the drum and bass tracks clean.   I got a few compliments, specifically in regards to the percussion, and now I'm sure it's something I'll be more likely to experiment with in the future.   "Leaves" BH:  One of my favorites, and perhaps the biggest grower from this project for me.  I really thought the song was a pleasant, but no big deal song at first, but it became one of the chief songs in my head for like three weeks.  One of those songs where the parts just fit together well?  I like how there are like four parts to the song but it only seems like two.  Another great drum sound.   BJ:  Thanks man!  This is a top pick of mine as well.   It doesn't try to be too much, it just seems right.  I like how the drums came out too, with the 3/4 time cymbal hits.  This was one of the songs done around the time of the Tunesday Invitational songs.  How cool that Scott's song was "Big Leaf", without either of us knowing each others song?  Sure it was autumn, so it's a likely topic; but still... I love when that sh*t happens.   BH:  That is cool.  During the project, or looking back, do you kind of feel like the songs belong to a bunch?  I feel like some of the stuff on disc 3 (and the last 4 or 5 on disc 2) has a newer feel...   BJ:  Definitely.  Disc 1 seems ages old.  I don't know how to explain it.  Well... let me try... When I really like what I did last week, I'm listening to it a lot, and it's influencing the current week.  That might go on for a string of songs, kind of linking them together until I tire of whatever it was I was subconsciously capitalizing on; in which case, I try my best to explore new territory - either in writing, instrumentation, or production.   BH:  Makes sense.  Have you had any daydreams of ideas for future Deer music that you wouldn't mind sharing?   BJ:  A few actually.  I wouldn't mind doing another instrumental album, a la Ice Breaker.  There's also been some talk about a Guppy resurgence, but we'll see.  Most likely, next up will be an all-keyboard album... which would be the flip side of Yesterday's R