Bob's Book Club is neither a book club, nor a band. Although it could be both, it's really just the title of my first CD release.
The title of the CD is tongue-in-cheek. What if you had a book club where basically nobody but yourself read the books? What would you talk about? What if there were no catered dinners and free flowing bottles of expensive wine to partake in when you and the club got together? What if there were no dinners at all? What if nobody could discuss, in between forkfuls of salad, the nuances of character, metaphors, foreshadowing and the emotional gravity that lies somehow underneath the words of a really well written book?
But what if your book club consisted of a bunch of really talented musicians and all they were doing was reacting to what was already on the table? What would they say?
I found out. A loping bass line and bongos for Ruth May. A bright fiddle for Frank's brave story of survival and triumph as a child. A co-vocalist who imbues a song with her own personal and musical joie de vivre. A singer who channels the hopeful spirit of a teenage girl rising above the fate that she doesn't deserve. A haunting cello and a piano that sounds like rain for a tale of survival and a second chance. A drum part, that maybe because of the drummer's own personal experiences of circumstance and fate, perfectly captures the emotional pain of an extended hospital stay where life and death hang in the balance. An electric guitar solo that has a turnaround of a poet. And more.
Here I found the nuances of character, metaphors, foreshadowing and the emotional gravity that lies somehow underneath the words of some really well written books.
In the true spirit of a book club, the musicians helped me to better understand the books that I had read. They have also inspired me to read some more books... and write some more songs.
| musicians | |
| bob eschenbrenner | acoustic guitar, mandolin, background vocals |
| mike sciotto | drums, percussion, background vocals |
| rick mullen | bass, double bass |
| pete smith | electric guitar |
| adam holzman | piano, organ |
| marc muller | pedal steel, fiddle |
| amir eldan | cello |
| jenny goransson | piano on Dearest Kitty |
| singers | |
| jack eschenbrenner | "Simple Abundance," "Will You Die for Ireland?" and "Walks Alone" |
| mary jacobsen | "The Things We Learned," "What If?" and "In the Shadow of Lingshan" |
| kj denhert | "Say a Prayer" |
| alison hartwell | "Time's Short," "Dearest Kitty" and "Letters" |
| joey merwin | "Matters of Consequence," and "Christmas Greetings/Pieces of a Dream" |
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