chriscarlmusic - Tumblr blog

[chriscarlmusic]

Like Your Damma and Me – Of all the songs I have written, none have been more challenging or more satisfying than those that welcome each of our grandbabes into our lucky lives. This one celebrates the safe arrival of our Eva Fay Shore. Even though, like her sister, Eva slept through this when I sang it to her when she came home from the hospital, it was still very emotional for me. As will surprise no one who knows us, Ann and I take immeasurable delight in our roles as Bompa and Damma. 

[chriscarlmusic]

Hal and Jule – The story my grandfather use to tell of meeting his duet partner always ended with his chuckled remembrance that his brothers and friends warned him not to fall for Jule O’Brien. “All you’ll do is carry her sheet music,” they would say. The first verse tells of a job that Jule and her sister Kitty had, playing and singing at the Boston Store on State Street in Chicago’s Loop. They were selling sheet music in the days before radio. As it turned out, Bomp had a good singing voice as well and was a natural entertainer, and they did so for most of their life together. Although they sang in bars and resorts in Chicago, Indiana, and southern Wisconsin, their lucky grandchildren felt their best performances were in a tiny cottage in northern Illinois. What memories …

The magnificent whistle in this song (a nod to the beautiful whistle my grandmother had) is provided by my dear friend Dave Beutel. Amazingly enough, his grandmother, like mine, was named Julia O’Brien. Even more remarkable, his Julia was born in Miltown Malbay, in County Clare, the same tiny Irish town as our Moroney clan. While Dave and I cannot find a common ancestor, we are sure, given our similar world view and his musical inclinations, we must be cousins in some form or fashion.

[chriscarlmusic]

Farewell, My Michigan – Right after the decision to move to Illinois in the middle of the pandemic, I was overcome by the need to try to express my gratitude for all Michigan has given to us.

I came to the Mitten a total mess – no plan, no confidence, no clue. I left with all I wanted in life and more than I ever could have hoped. Along the crooked trail to maturity (should I say “Old age?”), I encountered so many wonderful people at every turn and the encouragement and help we all need to find our way. In this song, I try to thank a state that is battered by weather, by its reputation for volatility and grit, and by its contentious politics by recognizing the kindness of its people. I couldn’t have found a better place to raise a family. While we are happy in our new city, when we use the word "home," we are just as apt to be referring to our beloved Michigan as not.

[chriscarlmusic]

Thinking of June - Who knows where some songs originate? This one has an especially murky provenance. A friend shared with me and our Lansing music-making gang a beautiful piano piece she had composed. I found it haunting, and, for some inexplicable reason, the tune and its title, "Of June," brought to mind a June from my long ago high school self. The words wrote themselves, and my friend generously let me use (and hopefully not ruin) her beautiful creation.

[chriscarlmusic]

The Notes You Don't Play -- At some point, a good musician will come to the realization that the music we wish to create needs both sounds and silence to have its best impact. Restraint can be harder to exercise (at least for me) than finding the correct notes. Similarly, being quiet at the right moment can be a powerful tool in conversations and all means of communication. As in music, learning this can be a lifelong endeavor.

[chriscarlmusic]

Fine Road Song – There is nothing like the joy triggered by freshly packed suitcases, good tunes, and my girlfriend and I off on a road trip. Eventually, I suppose this exuberance may fade, but I sure hope not.

[chriscarlmusic]

Deep in My Heart – Written to mark the safe and joyous arrival of granddaughter Zoe Aurelia Shore into our lucky lives, this reflects some of the emotions we have felt in welcoming the next generation. As we have learned from Zoe’s cousins, Mia and Finnegan, and her sister, Eva, this stage of life holds gifts we could never have imagined. If there is a more heartwarming experience than watching your children love their own, I’ve yet to know of it. I sang this to Zoe the day her mom and dad brought her home to Brooklyn from Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan.

[chriscarlmusic]

Fiddler of Dooney – This is an adaptation of a William Butler Yeats poem. My cousin Mickey Ranahan O'Donnell sent the poem to me and Matt and Cousin Pat Moroney after we played music at her dad’s 80th birthday party. This recording was, after many years, made whole by the fine fiddle added by Mike Moroney of Dunedin, New Zealand. Although the lines of our lineage have yet to prove any degree of cousinhood, Mike’s talents show what two Moroneys working together in different hemispheres can do. I sorta think we have too much in common musically not be related somehow. Lá fhéile Pádraig sona, Mike!

[chriscarlmusic]

Here by the Sea – For the past couple of Februarys and, we hope, many more to come, we have fled the wrath of winter by heading to Hilton Head Island. There, with Michigan friends, we ride bikes on the beach, walk without boots, keep an eye out for alligators and magnificent birds, enjoy the tree-lined lanes, and perfect the mediocrity of our pickle ball “skills.” Mostly, of course, we enjoy the company of friends in a setting that reminds us how lucky we truly are.

[chriscarlmusic]

My Blue Sky – I could never overstate the impact that my Ann Kathleen had in turning around my life. Her positive attitude is the perfect balance to my darker instincts. While I like to think we have each become better people together than we could have become without each other, there isn’t much doubt who needed the most help.

[chriscarlmusic]

Lake Effect – One of the elements of winter life by the glorious Great Lakes is the curious phenomenon called “The lake effect.” Until I lived in Michigan I was not fully aware of its impact. While this song moans about the rapid shift from sunshine to blizzard and back again, sometimes in minutes, the lake effect can be both beautiful and fascinating. Until, of course, you have to shovel it. Now on the side of lake where the lake effect usually means more sunshine but much colder temperatures and now in a condo, the shovel issue is more a memory, which is OK. Still, this beautiful body of water cannot -- and should never -- be ignored.

[chriscarlmusic]

I’m Still Here – As a friend of mine likes to say “This aging ain’t for sissies.” Coping with the minor annoyances of getting older is, for me (so far), way more a gift than a burden. While using a bit of humor, the song ain't exactly fiction, let's just say.

[chriscarlmusic]

This quick little tune is the product of trying something new (to me) on the guitar. Putting a capo on the fourth fret, but leaving the first string open (the "Open E") has a fun impact and resulted in this very simple little piece. The other instrument is my octave mandolin.

[chriscarlmusic]

For a Soldier—At the age of 18, my dad, a lifelong city kid, saw his first combat in the Battle of the Bulge, 4 years to the day before he became a father with my birth. His unit endured more than 130 days of combat and one of the worst European winters of the century. The intensity of his experiences with the carnage and the cold never left him. The idea for this song came many years ago, on a bitterly cold Michigan winter night, as crystalline snow swirled outside. As I washed dishes in a warm house that included my two high school aged sons, I wondered how anyone could live out in such weather. The thought struck me that my dad had done just that, as the mutilation of war surrounded him. I also recall him telling me that the shovel, for a couple reasons, could be the best friend a GI had. On his papers, his complexion was listed as “ruddy.”

(Obviously, this recording is, like me, is getting older. I should replace that one line with "so many years ago," as the "50 years" is now almost 80.) (Also, the brilliant bass on this recording is provided by my brother Matt.)

[chriscarlmusic]

It is way too easy to forget to enjoy fully the quotidian magic that surrounds us. These snapshots of favorite summer scenes reflect life along "our" lake, you know, the one we share with about 12 million other people, most of whom consider it theirs as well.

[chriscarlmusic]

Waiting for You (for Eva) – The day before daughter Julie’s scheduled Cesarean to deliver her second baby was one of the longest days we’ve known. There to care for big sister Zoe, Ann and I and the anxious parents endured the trial of a couple postponements. We tried everything we could to try to make the time go faster. Nothing worked. The joyous arrival of Eva Fay, of course, made it easy to forget the agony of the wait. I wanted to remember it all, so I wrote this. I love the "feel" of this song, as it echoes the bright and loving persona of our darling Eva. She brings such joy to us!

[chriscarlmusic]

For My Brother—All my life I admired the lifelong friendship that my grandfather had with his brother Emmett. While looking at old photos one day, it dawned on me that I have almost the same situation. One of the nicest surprises I ever received was coming home from college and Matt proudly showing me that he had taken up guitar. That alone has brought a lifetime of gifts to me, so I thought it only fitting to write this for him a few birthdays ago. On this recording, Matt displays the versatility of his talents by playing the bass, electric guitar, and Dobro. His brilliant merging of the main theme of the old song “More,” echoes the first thing we ever played together.