DB-AIR 24 Liner Notes by Joe Brotherton
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The Back Story to these recordings – I will try to be brief. Remember the pandemic? It sucked for all, but really for musicians. We had to cancel Doe Bay Fest 13. We decided artists and musicians needed a little extra help, so we started the Doe Bay Artist In Residence program (DBAIR). Many artists in residence ended up recording music during their Doe Bay residencies… in their cabins or in the Doe Bay Yoga Studio. I had long dreamed of building a recording studio at Doe Bay and was ready to move forward on that. (It would have been one of my notorious “Bad Ideas.”) Enter Kevin Colomby, an old friend from down the road who had also been a sound engineer for many large and small events at Doe Bay. Unknown to me, was that Kevin was a sound equipment design engineer for Burl Audio. Kevin had just completed construction of his recording studio, Hidden Valley, just down the street from Doe Bay. It took about one meeting for us to decide that the synergies were powerful and for us to form a joint venture. The plan was that we would invite a few of our Doe Bay Artists in Residence to record some music as part of their residency; no charge to the Artists… and see what happens.
We wanted to re-think (“disrupt” is too much of a cliche) some aspects of the recording process. We wanted it to be faster and more fun and to not have artists feel like they were at the gas pump watching the dollars tick away while they tried to create some recorded music. And it should be a state of the art audio experience. We decided to pilot our concept with one or two artists in August of 2024, and if it worked, we would do something real in 2025. We had no expectation that the “Pilot” would produce anything to share, and were caught off guard by how much fun it was and how good the end-product was. We hope you will agree. This is an eclectic compilation as you would expect of Doe Bay. I am really invested in this project.
My thanks to Kevin Colomby for shaking my hand 5 months ago; to Jen Edington, for running the Doe Bay Artists in Residency Program and to Jake Perrine for bringing the finishing touches to the recordings.
Cover Art – Jen Edington based on iconic Kris Orlowski photo, waist deep in Otter Cove serenading Doe Bay fest guests on the foot ferry.
And most of all Thank you to the Artists who participated. We ask the whole Doe Bay community to support our artists. Attend their shows, buy their merch and occasionally, for old times’ sake, shout out “Doe Bay, Doe Bay” just to see if it gets an echo!
I encourage you to put on your headphones and listen to all 23 minutes. If you need some context, the following are my “Liner Notes” and rough lyrics for each of these original tunes.
Lastly – Note to All Artists – There are a limited number of residencies available for 2025 and a smaller number that include recording sessions. If you are interested, write to artist@doebay.com with your summer availability and your interest.
I met Tito Ramsey when he was a 20-year-old (or so) playing piano… in my Seattle living room. He was dating Irene, my daughter Megan’s best friend and a member of our extended Brotherton family. Tito was selected to perform in Doe Bay Fest #1, which we audaciously labeled the First Annual Doe Bay Fest. He married Irene (Wood), the artist who painted the 13 Doe Bay Fest paintings you have probably seen in the Doe Bay Café. (That’s right, she painted one for DBF #13 – The Pandemic non-festival. That is how close it came to happening.) We have been lucky enough to welcome Tito, Irene and their children back to Doe Bay on many occasions. His band, Legs, is an all-time Doe Bay Fest favorite and he has been a repeat Artist In Residence. His photo is up in the café (the one with the crowd reflected in his Vuarnets). I asked Tito to be part of our DBAIR 2024 Pilot recording program at Hidden Valley Studio in August and to maybe write something for the occasion. His brother Jack Ramsey joined him for the residency. Jack is an extraordinary keyboardist/pianist. Tito and Jack showed up with a Johnny Hartman style croon we named Croon 4 Doe Bay and I will be disappointed if it doesn’t become our anthem (along with Doe Bay, Doe Bay). Listen to it three times and you will find yourself humming it all day long. The “4” in the title is because it was the 4th mix that made it to your ears. Zan Fiskum made this an incredible duet. She and Tito were never in the studio together. We were channeling Nat and Natalie. Alexis Mahler, Shelby Christ and Zan Fiskum also contributed some light harmonies… an embarrassment of riches, having those three in the room.
The world outside gets so stressful
Instead of being so blessful
We get caught up in so many ways
There’s a place you can go to get away
And if you know, you know, they say
Doe Bay, Doe Bay
The world outside gets so tricky
Instead of being smooth it’s sticky
We get caught up in so many ways
And if you know, you know, they say
Doe Bay, Doe Bay
I first heard Young-Chhaylee perform this song live at Doe Bay, years ago. It then became my anthem of hope during the pandemic, although all I had was a cell phone recording. But every time someone was struggling, I sent them that song. (Remember the worst of the pandemic; there were lots of people struggling and feeling isolated.) I think YANA had a nearly 100% success rate. I made it a priority to get a good recording of it because I love the tune. The mantra-like repetition of the message “You Are Not Alone” is a life ring. Craig Suede’s backing vocals and lead guitar are so perfect. Of course, that is no surprise if you know them; those two are joined at the hip. I used up a favor from Harlan Silverman just before he was taking off with his trio to tour in Germany. I sent him our rough cut and asked him for a cello track or two in the second half of the song. Remarkably, he responded in 2 hours with the work done for Kevin C and Jake P to mix in. The song now remains simple at the beginning but builds (from about 3:20 on), to a beautiful conclusion. Thank you all for your work on this.
Scared to death to let it all go
You are not alone
Started a new life away from home
You are not alone
And the night gets dark and cold
You are not alone
When the fear takes hold
You are not alone, no, no, no
You are not alone, no, no, no
Scared to death to just be
You are not alone
You stand in front for all to see
You are not alone
And your mind up and leaves
You are not alone
When you take that leap
You are not alone, no, no, no
You are not alone, no, no, no
Scared to death to fade
You are not alone
And your hair grows grey
You are not alone
Any youth is a life away
You are not alone, oh, I can say
You are not alone, no, no, no ♪ ♪
You are not alone, no, no, no ♪ ♪
No more fear for me
I have found my home
No more fear for me
I am not alone
Shelby Christ, Alexis Mahler, Joe Brotherton, Zan Fiskum, Kevin Colomby
Zan Fiskum came to Doe Bay, having been recommended by Doe Bay longtime friend, Jacob Miller. They were both graduates of “The Voice”. And what a voice Zan has. She wrote the song “Worth It” and offered to record it as part of her latest DBAIR residency. I hope you love it as much as I do. The strings you will hear come from another favorite of ours, Alexis Mahler. Enjoy! (And yes that is Zan’s voice that we overlayed in Croon 4 Doe Bay in a Nat King Cole/Natalie Cole style.)
Turn down the volume, I’d like to feel alone
The prescription drugs be the well I drink from
Can give me relief just know it’s not cheap
Could send you the bill, could you pay it quickly
I think that I’m afraid of you
But how can I be sure
What If I’m the one to cause harm to you
Can’t trust anyone
Pray that it’ll all be worth it in the end
Tell me it’ll all be worth it
I heard that you’re anxious if you try not to worry
Think that there’s something much worse out to get me
Write a brief description, can you please explain
Can I make sense to you when I don’t understand myself
I think that I’m in love with you
How can I be sure
What if I can’t love and I’m lying to you
Can’t trust myself
Pray it’ll all be worth it in the end
Tell me it’ll all be worth it
This burden’s too heavy from shaken breath pleas
I’ve scoured for answers, but none bring relief
Let me out in surrender, lift up my eyes
Come and meet me again with Heaven’s new life
Praying it’ll all be worth it in the end
Tell me it’ll all be worth it, ooh
Praying it all worth it
Tell me it’ll all be worth it
I will probably share a bunch of the hiking performances on our YouTube or Vimeo channel in early 2025. For years I have been taking artist friends on some of my favorite hikes out of Doe Bay; often ending in a swim at my secret spot in Mountain lake. I also surprise them, with 30 seconds notice that, while we keep hiking they are going to sing an A Capella tune, which I will record holding my phone over my head. Mikey Gervais and a very pregnant Kaylee Cole chose Little Heart and you can see the video below. I love this song as a fan of theirs and as a father and grandfather. The birds at the start are whistled by Mikey. His brother Matty and sister-in-law Charity provided perfect harmonies and Harlan Silverman added cello. Sing this song to anyone under two and you will introduce them to music and change their life!
Wake up little heart, wake up little heart
And grow little heart, and grow little heart
And sing little heart, and sing little heart
And love little heart, yes love little heart
All of the love, little heart, that you send
It makes more room for love to come in
So love little heart, yes love little heart
And smile little heart, and smile little heart
And play little heart, and play little heart
And love little heart, yes love little heart
If you grow weary and your heart fills with doubt
Remember, my darling, that your love can’t run out
So love little heart, yes love little heart
And dream little heart, yes dream little heart
And sing little heart, and sing little heart
And love little heart, yes love little heart
And love little heart, and love little heart
Oh yeah
I requested this song from Kaylee because I fell in love with it when I first heard it which may have been 6 or 8 years ago. I kept bugging Kaylee about where it was available, and she admitted that she hadn’t gotten around to recording it yet. I feel like I did the world a favor by calling the question and making this happen. I have listened to it at least 25 times in the last two months and like it even more than before. Harlan on flute…oh yeah… and then he drops in on bass providing substance while keeping the whimsy.
Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid
You’re gonna get paid, you’re gonna get paid
You’re gonna get exactly what you need
Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid
You’re gonna get laid, you’re gonna get laid
You’re gonna feel exactly what you need to feel
Don’t be ashamed, don’t be ashamed
You don’t have to play that game
There’s nowhere to go, there’s nowhere to be but here
The more you sing, the more you can sing
The more you sing, the more you can sing
The more you sing, the more you can sing and feel
The more you feel, the more you can feel
The more you feel, the more you can feel
The more you feel, the more you can feel and heal
And the more you heal, the more you can heal
The more you heal, the more you can heal
The more you heal, the more you can heal, it’s real
Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid
You’re gonna get paid, you’re gonna get paid
You’re gonna get exactly what you need
Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid
You’re gonna get laid, you’re gonna get laid
You’re gonna feel exactly what you need to feel
Don’t be ashamed, don’t be ashamed
You don’t have to play that game
There’s nowhere to go, there’s nowhere to be but here
The more I sing, the more I can sing
The more I sing, the more I can sing
The more I sing, the more I can sing and feel
And the more I feel, the more I can feel
The more I feel, the more I can feel
The more I feel, the more I can feel and heal
The more I heal, the more I can heal
The more I heal, the more I can heal
The more I heal, the more I can heal, it’s real
Kevin Schlanser played 5 of his songs for me over 5 years ago. All 5 are in my top 100 of all time and two are in the top 20. I am glad to start by telling you that, because it means you will hear the rest of them when we get them recorded. I admit to pushing Kevin to record Salty Spirit even though, as a parent of two kids under 4, he was sick with whatever came home from the kids’ school. I wanted Kevin Colomby to hear Kevin’s songs, even if his voice was not at full strength. This is a song I know well and hearing a little strain in Kevin’s voice has actually made me like it more. Harlan again added flute which fits the nautical story sound and beautiful cello on top. We had two “final” versions of this; one with more Harlan and one less. I had favored the idea of lesser, but fortunately our mix and mastering engineer, Jake Perrine, said I will do both and then you choose. We chose more over less, and I think it was a good choice.
Somewhere in deep dark sea I found my mind
Wandering on the ocean’s floor with old one eye
And long lost time
The salty spirit’s calling out to me
Eerily screaming, I’ve been hit boys
Manthe Wheel Brandish your Steel
It’s the life we’ve chosen, far away from home
It’s the life of floating, together but alone
And when we wind up rotting in a cold empty unknown
May our flesh be help to ocean life and salt preserve our bones
Somewhere in deep dark sea I lost my mind
Wondering of precious ancient sunken loot
And golddoubloons
The salty spirit’s calling out to me
Eerily screaming, I’ve been hitboys
Man the wheel,Brandish your steel
It’s the life we’ve chosen, far away from home
It’s the life of floating, together but alone
And when we wind up rotting
In the cold empty unknown
May our flesh be help to ocean life
And salt preserve our bones
Another Kaylee tune which she hadn’t published. It is a great way to finish this first-year compilation. Kaylee’s voice commands as always but these words are so well crafted. “The house is on fire, still I went inside…..and all those stories you told me.”
Goodbye Tennessee, I tried my best to believe
Goodbye Tennessee, and all those stories you told me
Pretty things, wedding rings
I fall so easily
The house is on fire, still I went inside
Turning to ashes, still I try
All of my love was never enough to keep you satisfied
Goodbye Tennessee, what you wasted so willingly
Whiskey over me
You were drowning, I was so naive
Pretty things, wedding rings
I fall so easily
The house is on fire, still I went inside
Turning to ashes, still I try
All of my love was never enough to keep you satisfied
Goodbye Tennessee
Goodbye Tennessee
Goodbye Tennessee
My baby, now I set you free
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Thank you for listening. This has been one of my favorite Doe Bay projects of all time. Yup, up there with the Doe Bay Garden, the Treehouse, Doe Bay Fest and the Buddha. I hope you enjoy it and share it. If this produces any money it will go directly to musicians. More to come in 2025.
