Lots to be thankful for—especially all the wonderful moms. This 5th RRRR release is for all the MOMS out there. Here are two guitar instrumentals written: HELGAGATAN & LOVE YOU MORE.
HELGAGATAN is a quiet street in Stockholm – still one of my favorite places ever—Linda lived there. Helga is also my grandmother’s name – my mother’s mother (min mormor). Dan Tinker had just opened up Thunderground Sound Studio up and Helgagatan was the first song I recorded with him. Dan’s friend Tom Anderson from Cleveland was there in the studio that night too. Tom was a well-known studio engineer and producer who over the years had work with Paul McCartney, Van Morrison, Commander Cody, and the list goes on. They set up three microphones: a room and two pencil mics crossed like an X. I’m pretty sure this was the first take, tuned in open G (my favorite tuning). I remember at the end of the playback Tom reacted with a grin and a “nice.” Linda likes it too.
LOVE YOU MORE is a guitar-in-the-round style song. This song is new and recorded in 2020, down here in my basement studio. It was getting close to Mother’s Day, and I was missing my mom. And I wrote this for her. Even though I had tuned the guitar in some odd way—half-standard/half-open G, this song, it just made sense. The phrase was her favorite way to say goodbye or see you soon or talk to you tomorrow. Thanksgiving was always, it seemed to me, like my mom’s favorite time. My sister likes this one too.
credits
released November 22, 2021
Turky-Turky-Turky! Art Work by Frida
Helgagatan
J Shogren—guitar. Original recordings at Thunderground Sound Studio (Laramie, WY); Dan Tinker, engineer & Tom Anderson, assistant engineer; Original mastering by Jim Wilson. Remixed by J Shogren at the Stump (Laramie, WY); Remastered by David Benyamin (Paris, France). Original is on Jahamericana (2007), JAHA!#1
Love You More
J Shogren—guitars; Recorded at the Stump (Laramie, WY); me, engineer; Mastered by David Benyamin (Paris, France). New.
This album speaks to the continuum of African diasporic culture that is central to the vibrant canon of Americana folk music. Bandcamp Album of the Day May 29, 2020