As You Heard Me - Songs From "Hello George"
A book with music and music with a book
Both a book with music and music with a book, “Hello George,” a novella, and “As You Heard Me,” its accompanying soundtrack, form the latest collaboration between longtime partners in The Cucumbers, Deena Shoshkes and Jon Fried.
“Hello, George,” by Jon Fried, is the tale of an aspiring young music publisher in search of a reclusive songwriter. Full of fun, love, humor and the frustrations of life in and around the music business (circa 1990s and beyond), the story leads us on a search for what’s real, what’s imagined and most importantly, what we hear and how we are heard.
“Hello George” is published as a chapbook/e-book with accompanying music “As You Heard Me,” – the actual song demos referred to in the novella, plus bonus tracks (“More Songs by Daisy for Barry”).
THIS IS THE TIME
New music out now!
“This is the Time“ is a group of three songs I wrote with my friend, lyricist David Graham.
I have piles of songs and demos that I tend to hold onto. Often, I think, oh, maybe I should get a band to play this one, or that recording I made is a bit sloppy, or the song isn’t good enough to share. However, at this moment I felt an urgency to present these songs, as is.
This really is quite a time. We could use some help and always more love. We’re looking up to the love goddess herself, Venus… begging her to come down and show us how it’s done.
Two of the songs are my homemade productions, and "Come On Venus" was transformed from a simple guitar and vocal demo into some fun pop ear candy by producer Troy Stavros.
“With her latest track, "Dance the Night Away," Deena is reaching back to her earliest days and crafting something that is reverent and askew at the same time. On the track, Deena and the Poor Man's Opera take the '80s honky-tonk of Dolly Parton and Joe Ely and run it through a sort of alien filter. The result is a track that emulates those classic boppers, but maintains a certain plastic self-awareness. Also, it helps that the track is just pop-rock perfection. This is a JAM.” - John Gentile