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Giants

by Chris Michels

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1.
Knowledge Seeker - Michels/Waite I've here seeking knowledge I've wasted half my time I hope that you're still with me This happens in our lives
2.
Rose Water 05:02
Rose Water - Michels taste of iron, taste of copper, skinned knee, cedar spruce aroma from the bakery, the mix of several foods faces, firmiliar faces, that i've mostly seen before they've all come together come to gather one time more a drink of rose water to ease yourself right a nip of rosewater to synch you up tight a drink of rose water a nip of rosewater oohhh what makes you want things, its what your shown its what you see, what you come to know longings not living, thats where it ends brush yourself off there and begin again a drink of rose water to ease yourself right a nip of rosewater to synch you up tight a drink of rose water a nip of rosewater oohhh theres a bottom theres a top, theres a knife and theres a mop many things hidden in what you see and what you think what you think's not always real. open up and cast your reel what you catch is up the stream if you only dare to dream
3.
Never A Bun 01:42
Never A Bun - Michels no permanence is ours in cathedral or cave as an ever-lasting guest no field or plow is our kneaded dough never sent to flame drying in the sun, awaiting bake stiffened there in the sun dough to stone, never a bun dreary faces glare the stone, rolling 'cross the land (they) let it roll till its force is spent, (and it) vanish(es) into sand into the sand it goes, into the great unknown and then you prove whats next by tempting fate and kneading dough no permanence is ours no field or plow is our
4.
'Cliffs Of insanity' - Michels here at the cliffs of insanity we try not to jump off onto a ledge is this insanity? this is our stop he summed it up in just two words oh how it hurt to hear those words my whols life in just one breathe this monster never sleeps here at the cliffs of insanity we try not to jump off onto a ledge is this insanity? this is our stop into another new millennium we've seen one just the day before onto the floor is this linoleum? what are we hear for?
5.
Shadow 04:56
Shadow - Michels shadows grow in us when we dont know what we have we dont think we have it but we have just what we need very clear signs but we deny everything in view very clear sign but we refuse to make a move shake the shadow, red to black and back again shouting in my thoughts clutter in my head coffee in my cup, butter on my bread very clear signs but we deny everything in view very clear sign but we refuse to make a move shake the shadow, red to black and back again shadows grow in us when we dont know what we have shake the shadow
6.
Michigan Sand - Michels/Oakerland take me to each time of night cuz I intend to stay up right instead i sleep before too long the words she say drift me along my eyes travel round as the spoke turns now teach me a lesson 'bout my life take me to each time of day shes in the lake by the first of may she handed me an ivory spoon told me to build a sharp harpoon my eyes travel round as the spoke turns now teach me a lesson 'bout my life going on our way in the sand each and every may take it to the sky or the sand watch the willow sway maybe it's the sky or the sand that makes me feel this way i know i'll come back someday to that michigan sand i' find way back to michigan sand if you wanna play in texas, you gotta have a fiddle on the band..... if you wanna play in michigan you gotta learn to dance on the sand my eyes travel round as the spoke turns now
7.
I Moved In Last Week - Michels i moved in last week, had stuff in boxes moved stuff. stashed things. this here that there i painted some walls, hung a photograph shelves with novels, stands with guitars, lamps and blankets: all of my shit i move everyday its not very hard. wasted, i feel its not my fault. i have my reasons but i think they're mine. i know I'm here its a feeling. you can't prove me wrong. I'm block headed dont let my things take me over gunna know just who i am who i am is a feeling inside i can't describe it, i feel alive though in the kitchen the clock is ticking
8.
Play Out 03:19
Play Out- Michels got a lot to learn, a lot to learn settles my doubt it'll all play out play out cooking rice, got a lot to do not much to do, if i only knew play out. play out. written or not, it'll all play out got a lot to to hear and a lot to know if i'd never know, then i'd still go play out i will make a promise i won't break
9.
Wolf's Head 03:01
Wolf's Head - Michels Wolf's Head seams scary, cold and grey, stone of silence somber quake inside me yells, my heart speaks up i dont want to do this, i just wanna give up the earth still rests beneath my feet, supporting me and the moon she shows her face sometimes to great me the skys so wide i hope someday i'll find it weathers coming in taking me over and over and over into a red ball of yarn, soft and new it costs a nickel court the earth. love the moon. wed the sky.
10.
Song For Oceans - Michels 'cuz it fits without question into any space its aloud and it bigger than anything pacifist endowed theres a song for oceans in me but I'm a stranger, no birds-eye-view learn from the ocean, let the waves pass through deserts, sandy, rocky surf and turf reside gate 'tween mainland and water, two worlds collide theres a song for oceans in me but I'm a stranger, no birds-eye-view learn from the ocean, let the waves pass through theres a lover screaming into the wind learn from the ocean and start again theres a long for oceans in me oceans in me
11.
Giants 17:26
Giants - Michels/Benson the first time i used my eyes there were two giants standing over me at first my heart began to race i didn't know what they might do to me the blue one reached out his arm and pulled me out of my bed he lifted me 10,000 feet and just kissed me on the head the first time i used my ears a sound wave came through the air a sound wave from an unknown source hit me like a running horse the giant sang that song alive, a song about his lovely wife and when the song came to an end the giant sang that song again first time i used my ears, i heard the giant's song first time i used my eyes, damn i felt alive *This version of 'Giants' contains music and lyrics from 'Atoms Aren't Small' by Michels, 'Pick and Grin' written by Michels/Benson and the monologue from 'City Spirits' -also by Michels.

about

Chris Michels - Vocals, Guitars, Basses, Keys, Drums, Artwork, Recording, Mixing & Mastering
Alex Riesenbeck - Plays Drums on Tracks 1, 5, 8 & 11

Jake Waite - Co-wrote Track 1
Jim Benson - Co-wrote Track 11
Cindy Oakerland - Wrote a lyric in track 6 though that's probably news to her
Recorded by Chris Michels August 25 - September 29, 2014 in Harbor Springs, MI



Song Histories



Knowledge Seeker
by Michels/Waite

This tune was written and performed in a very early version of SDHJ with Niq fronting the band, Matt on kit and myself on Bass. I can't remember much of writing the song, but I know Jake Waite came up with the opening guitar line which I always liked. After a good number of years on the shelf I recently began performing the song with my live groups and it found its way onto this release. Alex plays drums and I played the mono drawbar organ on my tablet device.



Rosewater
Michels

I wrote Rosewater this past winter (2013/14) while living in Ann Arbor. At the time I had gotten back from some extensive western U.S. living/traveling and a good number of songs came pouring out. I was remembering many childhood memories fondly and created a new conglomerative vision in my head of a commmunity gathering of loved ones, maybe an entire small village or something and I just let the pen go. While Tracking a half year later, this was a last minute addition to the album after cutting another song I wasnt getting anywhere with. The original version in my minds ear was more of a bluegrass thing, but I wanted the album to groove, so I put a big beat on it and lent some beatboxing. I also like the tune because there aren't many good harmony songs on the album. I can ownly really afford a limited version of my recording software, so I only have 8 tracks to work with per song, so the entire album is mixed in my own kind of way; I'm self taught. I think the Beatles used 4 or 8 tracks if I remember right.




Never A Bun
Michels

This song came about when I was living on a farm in central Oregon. If we, if the workers on the farm wanted wheat-based items such as bread or pasta we had to bake/make them ourselves from the flour that was milled there onsite, which was realy fun and I had a great time teaching myself bread baking. I came across a poem about some dough that had dried in the sun and had turned to stone and never became a bun. Looking back it was all that baking and the poem that inspired this song.
All the instruments on this track were recorded straight-to-loop-pedal a couple years ago for an online release I made entitled "Cathedral and Cave" (which is a lyric from the song). I considered doing an all new version but I liked the original drum machine version. I re-recorded the vocals though.




Cliffs Of Insanity
Michels

A lot of my time-out-west was spent rock climbing. Cliffs Of Insanity is the name of a particular area in Indian Creek south of Moab, Utah where I did some of my first climbing. The expansive red canyons, fragrant sage and beautiful people I encounted there felt very magical, though as the months turned to years of doing a lot of amazing things so far from home, I was longing for more music in my life, more musicians to play with which was very rare in SW UT. One morning our gang desided to go to The Cliffs Of Insanity and I had basically had my fill. I suddenly wasn't feeling it, you could say. I couldn't go climbing another day. I was done. I stayed at camp and I wrote two songs this is one of them. I was struggling with myself and was very low at the time. Living in the middle of nowhere in the desert had gotton to me and I needed to jam. This has a sister song, aside from the one written the same day, written a year earlier in the desert of Oregon called "Dust Devils" that was on "Cathedral And Cave" but did not end up on the disc you are listening to.




Shadow
Michels

Another tune I wrote in Ann Arbor. Being in a new city can be hard. It's hard to find the people you realy jive with, and we gotta remind ourselves that we're ok. Kind of nerdy but I think "Shake the shadow" may be from Lord of the Rings I dont remember. I listened to 80000 hours of NPR that winter and if anything came from it it was some good fam time and a few tunes.

Alex Riesenbeck did some great drumming on this version that we tracked in his garage amongst an array of bikes, car parts, nick-nacs, pollywogs and 1980's speaker cabinets. On this same day we recorded some drum tracks for the upcoming Dede And The Dreamers album. I was discussing some recording technique earlier but I will take this opportunity to mention all the drums on the album were done with 2 mics. With my limited number of tracks (8-per-song) for the entire album I made the sacrifice mostly in the drum department but I think it turned out fine. I used 1 mic (same I used for all vocals) in front of the bass drum, but out about 2 or 3 feet out so it gets some of the right side of the kit ( from drummers perspective, which is how it's mixed). Then I use an overhead a few feet above the kit pointed at the snare drum. The only other mic on the entire album is a sm57 used for all electric guitar and nothing else. It isn't that I prefer these mics, its that I am more interested in the music itself, so I just use what I'm told will be good, and don't experiment much (in terms of gear). When it comes to recording technique however, I'm very experimental. I do try though, to remain simple and consistent.



Michigan Sand
Michels/Oakerland


Originally written for rock band much like this version, I wrote Michigan Sand in Highschool. It became a  Grass Monkey song (my bluegrass-esc band formed in Marquette, MI in 2007). Singer Jake Shea lent the vocals for most early versions of the song. I think I wanted it on this album because it's kind of like unfisnished busssines. I want to play this song live, and I want to play all the songs on this album live and I want people to know them and get exited when they start. It's all really just means to an end; that live show, so here it is. This song was going to be track 2, then moved later in the album for the physical CD, then I almost cut it all together and its back in its original spot in the album.



I Moved In Last Week
Michels

Though this song came about during the week I moved to Ann Arbor, I think it's a kind of a fictitious character that I'm singing about. I do mention things I was moving (novels, guitars) but I had no stands, paintings, shelves, or some other things i mention. I also didn't paint any walls. But my sister and her husband did have those things and painted some stuff so the song is from 2 perspectives maybe and the music too is contrasting between this beautiful yet complex melody and a tension filled melodic crescendo. Musically, this song is a great example of some wise words my guitar teacher told me "good musicians copy…..great musicians steal". Shocking yes but let me know if you figure out what 2 songs I took the chords from! But thats for Stu Ford to figure out.





Play Out
Michels

One settling feeling when living in Portland, Oregon was that things would play out. If i was patient, time would pass and my petty troubles would be ok, and that thought allowed me to smell the roses….I wrote it in The Pink House thanks Scott I love you bud! That guy saved me from drifting nowhere. It's on How The West Was Fon but that was with a fake drummer and I really like having Riesenbeck on drums! Also tracked in the garage.





Wolfshead
Michels

Look this climb up online. It's in Wyoming. The words are about me not climbing it. It's also about love.






Song For Oceans
Michels

The first time I went to the Pacific Ocean I wrote two songs. One I got to play with Jimmy Olson and John Driscoll at blissfest 2012, the other was Song for Oceans. "Cause it fits without question into any space it's allowed and is bigger and anything pacifist endowed, theres a song for oceans in me but I'm a stranger, no birds eye view. Learn from the ocean, let the waves pass through." This was recorded in the same fashion and on the same day as Never A Bun. See Never A Bun



The Giants
Michels/Benson

This is another old song. The old songs on this album are Knowledge Seeker, Michigan Sand and this one which you may have already realized contains some other songs. I like live music and I like to be spontaneous and this studio track embodies that. The song plays out and is then followed by some improvised singing, some some poetry of sorts read over an alternate take of the same song, concluding with another song I wrote with Jim Benson in the same era. Don't ask me why I buried the track inside another song. I originally wanted it to sound loose (and it does!) I used 4 instruments on the recording which cost under 100 bucks a piece) and they aren't tuned well. So maybe thats why. But I had fun and its all for your pleasure…..and mine too!
When Jim and I wrote the song I didn't realize that it was about being born but yes thats what its about. It reminds me of many Grass Monkey shows and I look forward to enjoying the song live for a while in the rock band setting. Lets keep it loose people lets have a good time eh?
I also added an s to the end of the title just now. After 8 years…ha
Pick and Grin is an outtake I couldn't part with. It was also written by Jim Benson and I so it seemed fit to tag it at the end here.

credits

released December 31, 2014

Recorded by Chris Michels August 25 - September 29, 2014 in Harbor Springs, MI

2014 Chris Michels. www.ChrisMichelsGuitar.com
WARNING: ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. UNAUTHORIZED DUPLICATION IS A VIOLATION OF APPLICABLE LAWS.

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Chris Michels Michigan

Fusion guitarist Chris Michels adds a tasteful hint of folk and jazz to his jamming and songwriting. Always striving for a good lyrical hook, he has a large catalog focused on musicianship AND goofiness that is very tight- and very loose at the same time. ... more

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