k a l a m a t e a by just plain bill



			Just Plain Bill’s fourth CD, Kalama Tea (Calamity), was recorded in 2005. It was also the last project that drummer Ted Clark participated in. Two ideas the band wanted to achieve for the project were 1) to record all of the instruments and vocals themselves, and 2) to write some longer songs. It also features experiments with drum loops and drones, as well as, many keyboards. The band also used the project to explore computer recording with Peter Jansen, who produced Patrick’s solo CD Ink Block Fingerprint in 2004. Here are notes about each of the tracks… Track 1- Liarville Douglas created a Rhythm Ace drum loop that runs throughout the song, but it is most evident at the beginning and the second verse. Although Douglas wrote the guitar melody, Ethan and Patrick suggested the harmony guitars. This is one of the most politically overt songs Just Plain Bill has recorded. (Of course they're all political, really.) The middle contains spoken word, Moog synthesizer, prepared piano loops, and a backwards guitar. Patrick added 4 other harmony guitars to his and Ethan’s harmony guitar solo. Track 2- Down Peter used the computer to create the weird choppiness of Patrick’s acoustic guitar. Douglas played fretless bass on the intro and fretted bass during the rest of the song. Ethan played the electric tremolo guitar and Patrick played the solo. To make the song shorter the band decided to cut a longer ending and guitar solo. This song also contains a prepared piano loop that is prominent during choruses. Track 3- Faster Dalidog The inspiration for the lyric came from a Salvador Dali painting and a Russ Meyer movie poster. The band began incorporating the multitude of drum loops on this track very early on, which led to the drum loops on other songs. Patrick’s distorted lead vocal was recorded with a Green Bullet microphone through a guitar amplifier. Douglas also used distortion and a synthesizer pedal on his bass part. Besides the synthesizers that Patrick played, he added an electric piano that Peter suggested. Track 4- Private Universe Douglas wrote this song for his wife. Douglas originally wrote the doo-doo vocal part as a guitar part. Ethan came up with the string bending guitar riff. Patrick added the strange synthesizer line, which Peter suggested. The song began with a much straighter approach, but the more the band rehearsed the song it began to take on the groovy 60’s psychedelic flavor of the recording. Track 5- 5 More Minutes This was the first attempt at an extended song. Ethan played most of the guitars, including the solo with the feedback squeal. Douglas played the sitar part. It's a real sitar. Played in a sitting position. Really. Patrick added xylophone, feedback guitar, and arranged the drum loops. Ted added the wonderful hammered dulcimers. There are two parts and Ted played each in one take. Track 6- Lithium Martini Patrick wrote this song shortly after Warren Zevon’s death. Ethan sang it, which was his first full song lead vocal. Again, the drum loops played a large part of the song, in this case influencing the Caribbean-lounge beat. Peter did the spoken words during the synthesizer middle. Track 7- I Don’t Know Patrick wanted to write a rocker with an 80’s type keyboard part. This is the result. It also features a pop bottle keyboard loop, some more computerized guitar chopping, and the cowbell from hell. Douglas provided the fuzz bass part on a Fender Bass VI. Track 8- Shoulder to Shoulder Patrick wrote this for one of his sons. He and Ethan did the volume swell guitars that sound like strings. Patrick also played the vibes and mellotron. There was an earlier much denser mix that de-evolved back into this. Track 9- It’s All Too Much Peter suggested this cover of the George Harrison/Beatles song. His concept was to start this great song out sparsely and then build it up and up with layers as the song progressed. Douglas, Patrick, and Ted played the dulcimers at the beginning. The horn lines are Moog synthesizer. Track 10 The Last El Dorado Douglas wanted a different approach to his composition, which he felt was a typical waltz ballad. Maybe another time he'll get what he wants. The lap steel guitar, orchestra chimes, mellotron, delay pedal bass, and the Theremin-like sound from the Moog made it less typical. The extended ending happened during a completely different session. Peter then melded the two sections together to create one long song. Track 11- Kalama Tea Douglas’s brother suggested calling the next JPB project Calamity, but written as a pun after Patrick’s hometown. Patrick’s lyric is a series of real-life calamities from Kalama. Ethan played the wah-wah guitar solo. Douglas again used a synthesizer pedal on some of his bass parts. The drums are a combination of loops. A story from the Longview Daily News about the album can be found here.
	Listen LITHIUM MARTINI IT'S ALL TOO MUCH lyrics for the album can be found here