Recorded Beck’s song off his 1998 Mutations album back in 1999. I played the 12-string acoustic guitar, sitar, and did the lead and background vocals. This was one of the songs I sent as demo when I applied to go to the Musicians Institute in Hollywood, California. I attended there for about nine months or so.
The song is lo-fi and made from a Tascam 4-track recorder. Pic was taken in around October 1999 when I first arrived to Hollywood.
Back in 1997, at the Battle of the Bands event at Highland Park High School in Dallas I performed in my brother Bob Guittard’s band as a sitar player. I betcha no one has ever played a sitar there before or after me there at HPHS!!
At the gig, I came out dressed in Indian gear with sandals and sat on a cushion.
Kids in the audience screamed, “What is that!?!”
My brother sang lead vocal and played acoustic guitar. I sang back up and the played the sitar. Another guy named Graham Cathey played the percussion. It was a trip.
The “Rise” album is a set of songs, that I hope, capture the times in which we live.
At the heart of it all is the message to stay true and be happy amongst the chaos in the world that is often pushed at us through the propaganda lense of the media.
The songs were done in a rough do-it-yourself lo-fi Psychedelic folk-freak way because this is what I do. Some of the songs were rather improvised especially with the lyric.
“Rise Up America” was written just about the time of the G20 summit in Pittsburg in September 2009. It is meant to be a sort of wake up call for Americans and also people around the world. It has already been recorded by an artist in Italy.
The album was recorded on my 8-Track Tascam machine in Portland, Oregon, Dallas, Texas, and Sofia, Bulgaria.
Credits:
Jim Guittard: Lead and background vocals, electric lead and rhythm guitars, acoustic 12-string guitar, bass, shakers, percussion, drums, keyboard, and effects.
My wife helped out on the vocal for Roller Coaster Ride.
All music is written by Jim Guittard.
All lyrics are written by Jim Guittard with the exception of “Independence” which the words are adapted from the “Declaration of Independence.”
Simplistic Psychedelic instrumental I wrote and recorded in Portland, Oregon in April of this year. The video was filmed in Simeonovo, Bulgaria by Katia in July.
Do-it-yourself album with various artists who are mainly lo-fi. I’m the 9th track.
1. Waterplea – That One December’s Eve 04:14
2. Left Limb Stef – About You (with The Left Limbs) 02:59
3. Solarein – Cube (Reprise) 02:30
4. Project Bluebird – Firewatchers (with BlackHeart) 05:53
5. Bill Strange – Dance On Fire 02:59
6. brokenkites – wood between the worlds 05:13
7. Fili O (so cool) – shakespeare’s sonnets 04:10
8. Karl Mundt Project – frivolous and spurious 03:26
9. Jim Guittard – You Can Not Knock Me Down 02:37
10. Hippocrypt & The Metro Gnomes – I Fell Off Bonnie When I Was Young
11. half past sun – What I usually hide 03:36
12. Le Cirque Hanté – Surya 04:54
13. Artwood – While I was waiting for you
14. Quint Baker – Hand 02:20
15. The Peach Tree – For Marie 03:13
16. aiRless pRoject – baby you can drone my car (lowly trip) 07:54
I’ve got to figure out which are my strongest 20 songs. I’m submitting it for some project and want to get your input.
Let me know which songs you enjoy the most or think is unique high quality interesting or whatever. You can list 5 or so so that it is not so overwhelming.
The albums are:
96/98 (1996 – 1998)
Busted In Bulgaria (2008)
The Notorious G.I.D.D. (2005)
California Daze (2002)
I wrote the music and first verse while living in Hollywood, California in 2001 or 2002. The rest of the lyrics was written by Dominic Campanella who plays with the Quarter After.
I came across xtranormal.com and made this little piece. At Xtranormal.com you can write little scripts and make animation figures act them out. The site is cool. I had to pass it on.
“Gangster”-Got to put a Sitar, or a couple of droning Tambouras on this.
“Breaking the language barrier”-Cool; reminiscent of “Backstreet Girl”, especially Brian’s Accordian part!!
“Hoola Hoop Song”-I REALLY like this song! “Byrdsian” harmonies! I’m wanting to hear a Major 7th chord in the chorus somewhere…
“8A Class”-Almost a “Folkie Jan & Dean meets John Riley”. It’s also cool to hear you doing your job in class!!
“Be Real True”-Very “Beggars Banquet”!
“Babas On Their Bench”-REALLY like this too! I’d like to hear a Greek Bouzouki (Beatles-”Girl”) playing those guitar lines.
“I Wanna Go To The Moon”-Jim, is this open tuning??? If so, it’s VERY EFFECTIVE. Again, would love to hear Sitar here.
“Kakvo Pravish”-I like the ’50′s Sci-fi effects!!
“Listen to your voice”-More Sitar!!!
“Rico”- DAMN GOOD SONG.
“Pernik”-VERY NICE. Again; some Mandolin, or Greek Bouzouki, something like that.
“Stachkata”-Nice; didn’t light my fire, but good.
“Survival Mode”-Same as above, good lyrics though.
“This Is Random Song”-Is it “Only A Northern Song”??? Jim; these are better lyrics here than you may think…
“What’s your role in life”-I think it’s a GOOD song that could be a GREAT song…
“Don’t Know Jack”-Love it! Dylanesque writing.
“Raga Train”-Again; GOOD song that needs SOMETHING to make it great.
“The Sun Shines Today”-Jim; THIS IS A HIT SONG!!! I’d love to get my hands on this, and do some arranging, etc.
Are you walking through dried leaves for that sound effect???
That really took me back to the mid & late ’60′s; walking through the Eucalyptus leaves in Burlingame/San Mateo.
Christian Bryan ”Craviola 990″ June 9, 2008
To download the “Busted In Bulgaria” album for free: Click Here
JIM GUITTARD is a 4th Generation Musician and 2nd Generation Writer.
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