The Fond Farewells

Track 03 - Beverly Hills

Not the Weezer song.

Written in July 1987, this is song #83. This was written while Welcome Mat was still around, but I'm not sure this one ever made it to rehearsals. It was probably too refined for that version of the band, anyway. We probably would have beaten it to death.

This is the only song I wrote that came from a dream. In Case Of Jerome (a favorite of ours during that era)  was playing it and I just had to get it down on paper before they stole it.

This one was written on my little Casio, which still exists and makes an appearance here. I had to play the part since I wrote it. it's all one-touch keyboard, so don't go thinking I have skillz. If you look at the lyric sheet below, you'll see the switch settings in the upper left-hand corner.

I'm glad we got this out to the world before Beverly Sills croaks. (She's 76.)  Necrophilia is not cool, man.

Here you go.

I'm gonna move out to Beverly Hills
I don't care what anybody thinks
I'm gonna say I know Beverly Sills
Then everybody will buy me drinks

Buy me beer, buy me wine
But I'd rather have water
When they ask how I know her
I'll say I'm her daughter
They will ask where's my dress
And make me sing an aria
But that would only impress
I don't want to go that far
(eee-yaaa)

I'm gonna move out to Beverly Hills
I don't care what anybody thinks
I'm gonna marry Beverly Sills
My mom says that the whole thing stinks

When on Rodeo Drive
I'll do as the natives
The apples fall from the trees
But only if you shake them
I'll get down on one knee
And give Bev a ring
I can only hope
That she doesn't ask me to sing
(eee-yaaa)

Track 02 - Breeding ground zero

"Breeding" is another one of the very early songs, written in June of 1987. It attempted to nail down some of the social issues of the era: love and loneliness, caring for the elderly, latchkey kids. This was one of the first songs we sent out to radio and press. A reviewer at Boston Rock referred to this song as "sing-songy." I guess she had a point.

For the new recording of the song, the word "modern" replaced "'80s" so the song wouldn't be dated.

"Breeding"  is song number 22 of the over 200 that I wrote. And here it is.

Breeding ground zero

Breeding is the problem of the modern man
He'd like to get it often but he don't have a plan
He'd like to ask a girl for a little take home
Wait for the right moment, don't be left alone

Bleeding is the problem of the modern woman
Make it go away but it just keeps on coming
Not safe in the '60s there's no more big chill
Take safety in the numbers of the little pills

Chorus:
Interrelationships
Watch the nuclear family go through fission
When meaning gets blown to bits
If only they were closer, they are wishing
But they'll never get the chance to say it out loud
No, they'll never get the chance to say it out loud

Needing is the problem of the modern youngster
The older ones called on to be an emotional dumpster
Dealing with crises when they're hardly past three
They can go to the mall or the house, they've got the keys
They've got the keys

Weeding is the problem of the octegenarian
No needing or concern for parent or guardian
Dying every day as the arteries harden
You can find the older people digging in their garden

Chorus

Original lyric sheet:

Track 01 - The Nice Channel

Since there's nothing new to say about the band, I decided to throw a song a week from Don't get up on this blog. One song at a time for a limited time. If you like what you hear and you want your own copy of the CD, go here.

First up, "The Nice Channel", written in March of 1987. The religious revival was already starting to take hold in Ron Reagan's America. I figured it was just a matter of time until they got their own TV station. Now they have many (Fox News, ABC Family, PAX). Back then, you didn't have the narrowcasting so prevalent today.

If you happen to have a label and would like to release the album, please let us know.

Here is the song.

Here are the lyrics:

We were worried 'bout the state of our country
Decline in morals, things turning for the worse
Crime and drugs and poverty among us
And no one's going to church

This is why we started The Nice Channel
We felt it best to cater to the bland
We hope you're watching The Nice Channel
Homogenization is going as planned

The object isn't to stimulate thought
Dirty feelings, don't want any of those
We deal in dreams to make you feel better
Pictures of children in funny home videos

We hope you're watching The Nice Channel
We felt it best to cater to the bland
24 hours of  Nice Channel
Homogenization is going as planned

Why aren't you watching The Nice Channel?
You may find our little venture odd
It's for your own good, The Nice Channel
Why? Because we're sponsored by God!

Join us, won't you?

(oh, it's so niiiiice...)

Original lyric sheet below. "15" means this is the 15th song I wrote that was worth keeping. And yes, the chords to the song are G, C, and D. "Nice" is typical of songs from that period - straight through, no breaks. The original song was 90 seconds long. Ad added the opening montage and organ part later, as well as the coda.

Lyrics: How things work

The first song I ever wrote that was worth a damn. It sounds like a song written by a friendless nerd who was unsuccessful with the ladies, which it was. Very new-wavy, like a lot of my songs.

How things work

Tab A into Slot B 
Instruction manuals are good for me 
Read them a lot, they tell me what’s next 
I can’t go wrong if I follow the text 

Filled with facts, easy to read 
They’ve got all the information I need 
I’ll say this though I get strange looks 
Some of my best friends are books 

Chorus: 
They tell me how things work 
This is how things work, work, work 
This is how things work… 

Got a girl? She’ll leave you 
For the lawyer in the BMW 
You can’t blame her, she’s a capitalist 
Making acquisitions and covering her assets 

She tells you how things work… 

I work hard with machines 
Switches, levers, lights all green 
A mover and a shaker I’ll never be 
‘Cause I won’t sleep with the executive v.p. 

He told me how things work… 

(You might learn something.)

(May 1986)

The Fond Farewells - the unheard music.

We sent some CDs out to various and sundry indie labels. Not a peep. I bet we end up releasing this thing ourselves somehow. I was so sure that someone would bite.

We're sending some demos out.

Ad did some research and found a few labels for us to try and convince them to release Don't get up. He asked me to put together a cover letter - here it is:

The Fond Farewells
Don’t get up

Hello, we’re The Fond Farewells. In your hands, you hold a sampler of our 14-track album, Don’t get up. It arrives in your mailbox fully-formed and ready for release. It was recorded in a basement, a living room and a dining room. The songs were written in an earlier life by a fucked-up and lonely twentysomething who is now not nearly as lonely and fucked-up (and certainly not as twentysomething).

Concerning who The Fond Farewells sound like, it seems that everyone hears something different. We’ve heard reactions from R.E.M. to Wilco to “British folk music”. If you ask Rob, he’ll tell you that it was meant to be sort of They Might Be Giants by way of Depeche Mode. But that’s just him.

Suffice to say that Don’t get up is very ‘80s and yet somehow timeless. It’s the sound of corporate America gone off its meds. It’s the realization that everyday life is bullshit, but what other choice do you have but to live it?

If you (and by extension, your audience) like songs about clairvoyant 19th-century industrialists, the dissolution of the modern family and crushes on opera singers and environmentalists, then Don’t get up may just be the CD you need to add to your catalog.

We would like to see if you would consider releasing Don’t get up. (We heard that you were a nice label.) Please let us know what you think – we’ve got David Geffen holding on line two, and you know how he hates to be kept waiting…

Thank you profusely for your time and attention,
Rob and Adam

The Fond Farewells are Rob (vocals, a little keyboard, lyrics and most melodies) and Adam (pretty much everything else).

Part 3 of The Fond Farewells Story: Asshole in front - Welcome Mat plays live.

As you may recall, Welcome Mat began rehearsing in the fall of 1987. Most everyone was new to their instrument. We started working on some of my songs through the fall and winter. I think Adam may have recorded some of our practices. I remember listening to one of the tapes - it sounded like quite a racket. Not very tight, but a lot of energy (a sentiment that we be echoed through one of the few reviews we received). Eventually, it came time for us to play live. To get gigs, we had to make a demo tape. We chose two songs, "Freedom of speech" and "Breeding ground zero." I don't remember where we recorded these songs, but they came out OK. (Maybe Ad could help me out here.) We sent the tapes out to clubs and local radio stations.

The first gig we ever played was on March 10, 1988 at The Ranch House in Mansfield, MA with Miranda Warning and Balboa Dance. The Ranch House was a big barn, as I recall. A few people we knew showed up. Even my parents were there. I believe we were the opening band. We kicked into "Breeding ground zero" and off we went. I had a lot of nervous energy as this was my first time performing with a band. I imagine I came off as manic. From listening to the live tapes we did, I also know that I didn't sing, really; it was more of a bellow. In the end, it was probably not very musical, but we got through it somehow. We followed up that gig with a live performance at WBRS on the Brandeis University campus in Waltham. Our early sets likely consisted of the two songs mentioned earlier, plus "How things work", "Friends Enemies People", "Dreams And Visions", "Fat mistress", "The Nice Channel", "Logical mind" and "Fatal Position".

Breeding, How, Nice and Friends will all be on our first CD, Don't get up.

About the songs - I'm not really sure where they come from, but I know for sure they're not the usual fare. A lot of them come from me being a misfit and generally not fitting in anywhere. At the time, I was working in my first professional job as a software engineer at GTE in Needham, so the workaday world tended to figure heavily in my songs. I guess that some of the songs are about not fitting in, realizing that you don't, and that it's all bullshit anyway, but you play the game because it's the only one in town. (See "How things work" and "Friends enemies people".)

"Freedom of speech" is a pretty obvious song about the loss of constitutional rights in this country. There will always be people who are trying to take away your fun. I wrote the song in 1986 - things haven't changed much.

"The Nice Channel" imagined a world where those who were fed up with modern entertainment would provide a pleasant Christian alternative. Little did I know. Quite a prescient song.

"Fat mistress" is about a cat named Sheba that belonged to the roommate of my first real girlfriend. Always hated that fucking cat.

"Logical mind" is about Adam. I lived with him for a year and a half. It didn't always go so well, but I still love the guy.

Now, right about this time, I was in the process of breaking up with the previously mentioned girlfriend. At the time, I was quite happy it was over, but I soon sank into depression, which was both a blessing and a curse. For the next year and a half, I was miserable, but it was by far the most productive songwriting period of my life.

Next time - Part 4, the blue period.

The new Fond Farewells band page.

Ad just refurbished it - go here and see what you think. We have a new biography up. I thought it was pretty entertaining. A damn sight better than my aborted "history of TFF" posts - I will finish that sooner or later. You'll also find some song samples as well as the title of our first CD. It's called Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. OK, it's really called Don't get up - thought of that one myself.

A song for you: Floor of chairs.

Here's something you don't hear too often - a song about public speaking. It's called "Floor of chairs". Somewhat inspired by Dennis Miller (back when he was funny). Song title is sort-of They Might Be Giants ("Boat of car" from the first album) - a big influence on me, which is weird, because we're about the same age. Song is here - feedback appreciated.

The Fond Farewells have completed recording.

Yesterday, Adam and I completed the vocals for our CD. We've been recording off and on for over a year. Shortly, we will have to start shopping it around to labels. We're hoping that someone bites. We're extremely pleased with how the songs turned out. It sounds great for a home recording. That's the state of things these days - who needs expensive recording studios any more? We couldn't have done this 15 years ago - we had to wait for technology to catch up with us.

The 14 songs on the album will be:

The nice channel - In your house - Jennifer cares - A visionary - Breeding ground zero - The time is now - Jesus laughing - Good idea - Beverly Hills - Bounce up and down - Friends enemies people - How things work - Photos of you - Good idea

If you have a pop label and you would like to hear some samples, go here or ask us for some mp3s.