Emerge, by Vanessa Boyd

Emerge

by Vanessa Boyd

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1.	Grass Is Greener 03:21	lyrics	buy track
Grass is Greener Yes, the grass is greener on my side. Did you see what he was wearing? He was asking for it. It’s not about dying, it’s about getting sick.
2.	Impervious 03:37	lyrics	buy track
Impervious You’re a bastard for breaking my heart. I don’t feel a thing, I’m on top of the world. Fuck Dopamine, I ain’t feeling no pain. I’m impervious. Fuck giving out love, with nothing to gain. I’m impervious. Fuck meeting your needs, you can all come to me. I’m impervious.
3.	Hello, Hello 02:58	lyrics	buy track
Hello, Hello Hello, hello, I’m listening, and I’m here. Hello, hello, I’m listening and I hear the sound of your tears tracking your temples as you finally find you’re willing and able to love. Hello, hello, I’m listening, and I’m here. Hello, hello, I’m listening and I hear the sound of your smile lifting your eyes as you finally find you’re living your life for love. Honoring the dead, welcoming the new you.
4.	Cross Your Fingers 04:51	lyrics	buy track
Cross Your Fingers Cross your fingers and hope to live. The universe is dropping in, got a sit down meeting next week. Ready your proposal, prepare your budget total.
5.	Woe to the Cynic 02:30	lyrics	buy track
Woe to the Cynic Woe to the Cynic who has dared to dream again You are sensitive and your pain is raw skin. How’d you cut me down in so little time? I misunderstood your intentions towards mine.
6.	Arise 03:32	lyrics	buy track
Arise One after another they all go by, in my mind. I gather my steed, my sword and my shield. Come, come along. It’ll be so much fun. Wandering around, in all this grey matter. Push it aside, push it aside, don’t let it rise. Arise.
7.	Do It Twice 03:35	lyrics	buy track
Do It Twice Fuck your mother, fuck your father. Fuck your leaders, fuck your neighbors. Do it all. Do it twice. You swim to the bottom, no one’s in your way. You write your own story, yeah graffiti your name. What do you prove? You swim to the bottom just to prove you can. You write your own story, yeah you build your own set. What do you prove? Tell your mother, tell your father. Tell your leaders, tell your neighbors. Tell it all. Tell it twice.
8.	Good for January 04:25	lyrics	buy track
Good for January You know I want to sleep with you, right? I’m good for January. Can I put my moves on you? My, what delicate nostrils you have. My, what a beautiful skull you have. Good for January, I’m good for January. Tell you what, you and me, drink for drink. If I win, I sleep with you. And if you win, you sleep with me.
9.	Straight 03:21	lyrics	buy track
Straight I want you straight. I want you straight from the shower. No look, no style. All body all mind. I want you straight. I want you straight from the bottle. Don’t gauge my reaction. Don’t prepare the next move. I want you straight. I want you straight from the bottle. Don’t worry, don’t move.
10.	Seeded 03:01	lyrics	buy track
Seeded Somewhere in Arkansas, my anger slipped away, like the eggs I’ve been passing, every 29 days. And it feels good. In a Tennessee ditch I chose to live, through the holes in my lungs and the cracks in my ribs and it feels good. I have worked for all I have and my chances are seeded. It feels good.

about

Live in Boston
World Trance Americana

Emerge is Vanessa Boyd's entire set of music written and performed on the Moroccan hajhuj. Recorded live in Boston with Kyle Marshall on drums, the goal of World Trance Americana was to create a fusion of what VB learned from the ritual trance of Gnawa, the loose rock and roll leftover from Vanessa Boyd & the Yes Men in Appalachia, and life in New York City.

The Hajhuj [hajhouj, gembri, sentir]:
Electrified and Amplified
For any technical musicophile, the hajhuj is an instrument I brought back from Morocco that is used in Gnawa music, a ritual music of the Sahara.

It's a bit like a bass banjo; it's got three strings, one of which is the short drone string, and they're made of gut. The front is made of hide, usually goat skin, and the back is rounded wood. The neck is tubular and has no frets, and is originally only tied on to the head with leather straps. I tune mine to D (75 Hz), drone D3 (146.9 Hz), G2 (98 Hz).

My first adjustment was to have tuning pegs installed, which required some creative thinking because the drone string is attached to the neck in the middle of the three strings, so a peg there was impossible. We decided to put it at the foot of the body, below the sound hole.
The next thing was to find a good way to amplify this wise old acoustic instrument. After a few failed attempts, I found the K&K cello dual transducer worked best, with one placed inside the sound hole and the other in the center of the bridge. I ended up putting electrical tape along the wires leading to the quarter inch plug because they pickup noise. When amplified, sound techs need to watch for low-end feedback.

What's the difference? Emerge vs Pleasant Stay Hotel
Some of the tracks on Emerge also appeared on the 12" vinyl record, Pleasant Stay Hotel (2009). Emerge is a live recording after working the songs up with Kyle on drums. On tour we were joined by Cellist Brian Teoh.

credits

released July 14, 2011

Performance by Vanessa Boyd & Co. ©2010 ®2011
Vocals and hajhuj by Vanessa Boyd; drums by Kyle Marshall
Recorded live in Boston, Feb 2010, by Lenka Chludova
Mixed in Los Angeles by Eugene Toale
Mastered in New York by Allen Towbin
Words and music by Vanessa Boyd, ©2009 ®2011
Album art by Vanessa Boyd ©2011
V2K, 244 Fifth Ave, Suite V207, New York, NY 10001
www.vanessaboyd.com