 Pat
Huggins & A Damn Good Band:"Write On!" (to be released circa July 2009) Hello world! I’m proud to present the third “Pat Huggins and A Damn Good Band” CD. In one sense, I guess you could say this album was begun when I first composed “Lobotomy” way back in 1980. Or, regressing even further, it’s possible the seeds were sowed as a kid while reading “Mad” magazine or listening to songwriters who were slightly left of center (Roger Miller and Ray Stevens come to mind, for example). Regardless of the initial inspiration, in reality, two of the songs in this collection were written in the 80’s, three in the 90’s, and the rest were composed between 2000 and 2006. My method for deciding which songs will go on an album is somewhat random, I must admit. More often than not, the final selection is typically based on whatever seems like the most fun at the time. I have a fairly large backlog of unrecorded material, so coming up with 12 or 13 tunes usually isn’t a problem. “Write On!” was at the top of my to-do list, so it was one of the first songs chosen and the working title for the project as well. Musically speaking, it was a nod to all of those great horn/funk records that I listened to in the 70’s. I used a funky groove and a semi-clever play on words (hopefully) to describe the songwriting process. As with my previous albums, this collection is pretty much “audiobiographical”, and was written while in a variety of moods - ranging from reflective to ironic to tongue-in-cheek. As always, I had a lot of fun making this record. To all of the musicians and singers who helped me bring it to fruition - and to those of you listening to the results of our efforts - I extend a heartfelt “thank you”. Pat Huggins P.S. And now that I think of it, a couple of other words come to mind as well. Write On! |
 Pat
Huggins:"Shoal Music" PH0808 (released August 2008) Dear listener, This is not really a typical album project--where you walk into a studio, record a bunch of tunes, and six months later emerge with a finished product. These are demos I made from 1985 to 1991 while I was trying to eke out a living as a musician and pilot in and around Muscle Shoals, Alabama. Although I never stopped writing, aviation eventually won out in the sustenance department as I began flying more and gigging less. I didn’t make a proper album until 2004 when I released Swede Home Alabama. I had a lot of fun making these recordings, and got to play with some damn fine pickers and singers in the process. It would have been a shame to let the tapes waste away in a closet somewhere. They had almost reached the point of no return when we rolled ‘em on a tape machine in 2007, so I decided to enlist the engineering expertise of Jimmy Nutt in the recovery and restoration process. I salute him for a job well done. The genesis of this collection began in 1985 after I bought an Akai MG1212 multitrack recorder, which Robert Byrne kindly offered to let me set up at his lake home (affectionately called Bob World). Robert engineered the first 3 or 4 recordings (including The Danger Zone), but invited Alan Schulman to run the console once we nixed the drum machine and started using Owen Hale. We made music off and on for the next couple of years with Owen on drums, Ralph Ezell on bass, Bill Hinds on guitar and Steve Nathan on keys. Shades, That’s All, Settin’ Myself Free, and Fly By Night are a few of my favorites from the Bob World sessions. In 1990 I met David Hood, Rick Kurtz, and Brian Owings at Raintree Studio (Lenny Leblanc’s place) for an all day session that produced Turn It Up, Hungry All The Time, Bread and Water, and Comin’ Through The Radio. The following year Bill Hinds accompanied me on several acoustic demos (including Long Night) at Lee Daley’s Mossy Cave Studio. On a cold and rainy November 24th, 1991, Lee engineered a session at Snakeman Studio with me, David Hood, Roger Hawkins, and Bill Hinds. I had intended on recording four songs, but had to settle for I’m Just Proud To Be Here and The Blonde-Headed Blue-Eyed Blues after one of my guitars and some other gear was stolen a few days earlier. Oh well, that’s my luck. A few years down the road I hired Lee to transfer the MG1212 tapes to his Fostex B16 and we overdubbed miscellaneous guitars, saxes, keyboards, percussion, backing vocals and rerecorded several of my lead vocals as well. This collection is the result of our efforts. I hope you enjoy listening to these demos as much as I enjoyed making them way back when. Pat Huggins June 18, 2008 The Kingdom of Bahrain |
"The Lost Causeway" serves up even more tasty morsels of music. Check out the rousing gospel/soul number called "Everyday", followed by "Dirty Dog" and its fetching New Orleans-style rhythm. Other titles include a dreamy Gershwin kind of ballad called "Lazy Forever", a down-home dobro number called "Runnin' Away", and a Randy Newman-esque lyrical piece called "God, Damn It, I Love You". Including the title cut, there are twelve additional songs which round out this album. |
“Swede Home Alabama” opens up with “Easy Street” and its playful groove, optimistic lyrics and soaring guitar break. “A Long, Long Way To Go” rocks harder with a country rhythm and a raw blues guitar solo. “My Secret Love” is a tender wistful ballad and “That’s What I Want, That’s What I Need” offers up J.J. Cale-ish cool and scorching slide guitar heat. “Walk On Water” is a foray into rough’n’tumble southern rock with a handclap beat and riffing guitar. Very different from the final track, “Pure Love”: an intimate affair with a lone Pat on vocals, guitar and lapsteel, almost whispering his confession into the microphone. |
Pat
Huggins & A Damn Good Band:
Pat
Huggins & A Damn Good Band: