Track 12 "Go" - 'One Way' Album Preview

One Way is available now -Hear the album free and Pay What You Want at http://dannyrossmusic.com/records.php Or get it on iTunes!

NOTES
I think"Go" is the hidden gem on the record. It's certainly the most creative use of strings - I found myself listening and studying "Eleanor Rigby" "God Only Knows" and Sufjan Stevens "Jacksonville" among others. I love the Radiohead "No Surprises" guitar sound and Matt Wigton's creative bass line in the last minute of the song. I also love how it transitions into the last song "One Way." Musically, I believe this is my most mature work. Lyrically, I was trying to evoke that overwhelming feeling when facing the enormity and beauty of nature, and the struggle to surrender to the big picture and live each day with such clarity. In fact, a few years later when my grandfather past away I found this song to be helpful, and think of him now when singing it live. Funny how meanings of a song can change as we get older...

FACTS
Music and Lyrics, String/ Horn Arrangements by Danny Ross
Written in Ithaca, Fall 2005 (Age 21)
Inspired by: Radiohead, Nick Drake
Produced by Rob Guariglia and Danny Ross
Recorded Spring 2008 at Galuminum Foil Productions;
Engineered by Jeff Berner
Except Piano Recorded at Bunker Studios
Engineered by Aaron Nevezie, John Davis

Instrumentation:
Danny Ross – Vocal, Piano
Carl Basler – Electric and Acoustic Guitars
Fred Kennedy - Drums
Matt Wigton - Bass
Dave Melton - Rhodes
Leo Adamov - Violin
Rachel Golub - Violin
Corrina Albright -Viola
Jody Redhage - Cello
Paul Nedzela - Bari Sax
Mike Maher - Trumpet
Evan Smith - Tenor Sax


LYRICS

Lost in thought

The sinking sun extends its glow

Let me go

Holy wind

And oceans singing violins

Will you forgive my sins?

And let me in

Take these words and go

Go home

Make a choice

And hear the timbre of my voice

And oh my God I feel so much

Let me trust

Take these words and go

"One Way" Released Today on iTunes, Pay What You Want??

Hey Folks,

And a dreary autumn day to you too. You may have seen me recently with my eccentric family on television puking after a wild balloon ride in Colorado. You may have also seen a rehearsal film of my last performance of "Thriller" before my untimely death. But you haven't seen this...

Pay What You Want! --Yes, Radiohead did this too... -- It's very important to me that my friends, fans and even awkward acquaintances own the debut LP Danny Ross Presents One Way as 4 years of sweat and soul went into it. So I'm letting you head to the following site, play the whole album for free and Name Your Own Price (Free shirts, EPs, Mix Tapes and Love Notes are also involved): http://dannyrossmusic.com/records.php

And also... One Way is released today on iTunes!

So you have 2 viable options 1) Name Your Own Price for the physical album and other free stuff or 2) Download One Way from Steve Jobs directly. It's a better deal than a Denny's Grand Slam Breakfast (if that's even possible). Thanks and fill in the gcal -- we're playing next Sat Nov 14 @ Rockwood Music Hall. Catch you on the flip!

- Danny?


"What Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter Danny Ross strives for is truly awe-inspiring...One Way is a compelling, confident and creative masterwork from one of New York City's most promising young talents." -- Greg Robson, Absolute Punk

Track 11 "Waiting On The Wheel" - 'One Way' Album Preview

One Way is available now on iTunes. Play "Waiting On The Wheel” and the whole album free at http://www.dannyrossmusic.com

NOTES
I was hoping to articulate some of the unintended consequences of growing up in this song. A lot of my songs are about individual relationships or insights into a personal philosophy, but this one concerns a relationship with people in the outside world and certain expectations. It's one of the truest lyrics I've written. Also check out the guitar solo, it sounds that way thanks to our killer ax-man Carl and our drummer Fred, who is constantly forcing us to think outside the box even when it's not his instrument.

FACTS
Music and Lyrics, String Arrangements by Danny Ross
Written in NYC 2005 (Age 21)
Inspired by: Muse, Coldplay
Produced by Rob Guariglia and Danny Ross
Recorded Spring 2008 at Galuminum Foil Productions;
Engineered by Jeff Berner

Instrumentation:
Danny Ross – Vocal, Piano
Carl Basler – Electric and Acoustic Guitars
Fred Kennedy - Drums
Matt Wigton - Bass
Dave Melton - Rhodes
Leo Adamov - Violin
Rachel Golub - Violin
Corrina Albright -Viola
Jody Redhage - Cello


LYRICS

Waiting on the wheel

Floating in the harbor

The sun is rising high

Though summer’s wasting away

Feeling like a stone

Drinking on a Sunday

I’m filling up my mind with nothing

I found this broken home

Along the open water

My banner waving high

Through all the weather I survived

And I returned in no parade

A sinking anchor, broken chain

Now I’m washed up

In the shore of my own weight

The more that you know

The more that it’s nothing

And where can I find that feeling of home?

Well isn’t it the same?

Yes, I received your postcards

But I cannot relate

Though I can’t throw them away

Cause I don’t know what to say

The wind carried me the right way

I’m right but I am wrong in some way

Cause the more that you know

The more that it’s nothing

The more that you wind up being alone

And all that I’ve shown

Must lead to something

But where can I find that feeling of home?

Waiting on the wheel

Drinking into Monday

This ship will find the current someday

But all that I know

And all that I’ve suffered

Has only arrived at being alone

In all that I’ve shown

I’ve believed in something

But where can I find that feeling of home?

Track 10 "This Is Just A Test" - 'One Way' Album Preview

One Way is available now on iTunes. Play "This Is Just A Test” and the whole album free at http://www.dannyrossmusic.com

NOTES
The idea here was to create something that rocked as hard as a Rolling Stones song, with big guitar chords, but on piano. I think "Gimme Shelter" was a big influence at the time, and certainly you can hear "Sympathy for the Devil" in the intro. But this is the oldest song idea of mine to make it on the record, and the intention was to make it a big fat jam - Freebird style. Not surprisingly it's become our hardest rocking song live. And lyrically, this song is the most different on the record -- it's not about introspection and growth -- it's about wanting a girl, pure and simple.


FACTS
Music and Lyrics, Horn Arrangements by Danny Ross
Written in Long Island, NY 2002 (Age 17)
Inspired by: Rolling Stones
Produced by Rob Guariglia and Danny Ross
Recorded Spring 2008 at Galuminum Foil Productions;
Engineered by Jeff Berner

Instrumentation:
Danny Ross – Vocal, Piano
Carl Basler – Electric Guitars
Fred Kennedy - Drums, Percussion
Matt Wigton - Bass
Mike Maher - Trumpet
Evan Smith- Tenor Sax
Paul Nedzela - Bari Sax
Dave Melton - Organ


LYRICS

This is just a test

Damn I’m failin’ it

You’ve got my head in a mess

Feel like bailin’ this

And when I’m sitting to rest

You wink and blow me a kiss

This is just a waste

Still I’ve got to say

I’m obsessin’ on the dress you’re in

When you walk away

I want to be in your head

At the end of the day

I’m losing my nerve for you

Cause I’ve been chokin’ from the smoke

That you wear like perfume

And now the dance floor’s shakin’

But I’m not playing the fool

Ready get set and go

You wanted a show

You’ve got me sweatin’ and stoned

Now I’m out of control

And I won’t take no

Take my hand tonight

I’m takin’ you home

Give me what I crave

In your wicked tricks

You got a hold a’ me like a hypnotist

And it’s got me pissed

Just how much you know it

So I suck in for air

I run and duck from your tease

But you seeped in my system

Like some kind of disease

Papa never taught me

These kinds of birds and bees

Track 09 "And The Trumpets Sing" - 'One Way' Album Preview

One Way will be available October 6, 2009.
Play "And The Trumpets Sing” and the whole album now at http://www.dannyrossmusic.com

NOTES
To me, the perfect pop song is "You Won't See Me" from The Beatles "Rubber Soul." So I came up with this poppy piano part with a moving bass line, though the vocal sounded closer to The Beach Boys "Be True To Your School." I definitely took the ideas of starting and ending with a string theme from Pet Sounds. And in fact, most of the production ideas stem from there too. But it took me forever to come up with the line "And The Trumpets Sing." I didn't love it and I'm still slightly unsure about it. The song builds and builds and... Bam! The big moment where all the instruments stop and the homerun line is sung..."Blahh" But after trying and trying, I kept coming back to "And The Trumpets Sing" so there must be something to it. Anyway, my favorite part about the song is the handclaps and the way the song stops dead in the middle and the strings play completely out of time. Hope you dig!


FACTS
Music and Lyrics, Horn and String Arrangements by Danny Ross
Written in New York 2004 (Age 19)
Inspired by: Beach Boys (Pet Sounds), Beatles (Rubber Soul)
Produced by Rob Guariglia and Danny Ross
Recorded Spring 2008 at Galuminum Foil Productions;
Engineered by Jeff Berner

Instrumentation:
Danny Ross – Vocal, Piano
Carl Basler – Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitars
Fred Kennedy - Drums
Matt Wigton - Bass
Mike Maher - Trumpet
Evan Smith- Tenor Sax
Paul Nedzela - Bari Sax
Leo Adamov - Violin
Rachel Golub - Violin
Corrina Albright -Viola
Jody Redhage - Cello



LYRICS

Well I was walking around

With my head to the ground like I could never win

But all the winds have been changing

And shifting the pages of the narrative

Something’s happening

There’s bells a-ringing

And newspapers printing

Sunlight into spring

And the trumpets sing…

Well I burst into town

Like the first in a crowd

And I raised my chin

And taking one look around

Through the sights and the sounds

Somebody touched my skin and said

‘Something’s happening’

There’s people breathing

And I still believe in love through everything

And the trumpets sing…

All I know is that you got to begin

But there’s no telling how or when

And though you’re looking out the door again

You can only survive in your skin

You can win

Track 08 "Always On My Way" - 'One Way' Album Preview

One Way will be available October 6, 2009.
Play "Always On My Way” and the whole album now at the new http://www.dannyrossmusic.com

NOTES
Around this time I started to really pay attention to lyrics. I was obviously listening to a lot of Dylan, in particular the early acoustic albums The Times They Are A-Changin' and The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan. I was beginning to understand that the lyric and the singer are by far the most important elements in pop music. A lyric shouldn't only fit the sound of the melody, but they should be able to stand away from the song on their own, both telling a story and invoking all 5 senses. After a few good lines were written sometime in London, I ended up finishing this song in one night at a cafe on 23rd St and 3rd Ave - all before I sat down with a guitar or piano to write the music. I also took to heart something Dylan said: it's always good to have a song set in a train. Amen.


FACTS
Music and Lyrics by Danny Ross
Written in New York 2005 (Age 21)
Inspired by: Bob Dylan, Ryan Adams
Produced by Rob Guariglia and Danny Ross
Recorded Spring 2008 at Galuminum Foil Productions;
Engineered by Jeff Berner

Instrumentation:
Danny Ross – Vocal, Acoustic Guitar, Harmonica
Gordon Hartin - Pedal Steel
Dan Conklin – Backup Vocal


LYRICS

On a train, through a window

Some trees are moving backwards in the rain

In a car full of strangers, reading papers

On their way to any place

And I packed up my suitcase

Just to leave it far behind me with the shame

Now I am on my way

Vibrations of the stones of the bridge

That connect her with me

Packed into a deck of cards

I can’t recall a single memory

I can’t explain how loving you

Became a game I didn’t care how to play

But I am on my way

Again I’m on my way

See I’m a river at a bend

Moving forward to the end of a new morning

And though I look behind

I’m destined to arrive into the dawning

The silence shakes the lights and the windows

Wishing I could do the same

But writing out this letter

Must be better than moving forward through the pain

Well I can’t predict the future

But tomorrow seems to right what’s wrong today

And so I am on my way

Once again I’m on my way

See I’m a river at a bend

Moving forward from the end of an old evening

And I swear I’m right

But won’t I ever find what I’m believing?

On a train through a window

A muddy path is leading to the shore

My head is pressed against the glass

Though time I swear is pressing even more

I guess it’s easier for a man

To always have one foot out the door

Will it always be this way?

Am I always on my way?

Track 07 "This Ancient Bridge" - 'One Way' Album Preview

NOTES
This tune was an attempt to get to the core of my favorite British rock from the late 90s, early 2000s. Moody, melodic, dark, beautiful, heavy. I even wrote it in London. We tried to make the first part as atmospheric as possible with an array of guitars, synths and strings, and then just rocked the hell out of the second half, which is almost twice the speed. I also took a page from Jeff Buckley playbook and just sang "oo" for the whole section. It took awhile to get the lyrics right - wanted to evoke the proper images, and I like the bridge language -- "I'm suspended but I'm sure to break." One of my 2 or 3 favorites songs on the album...


FACTS
Music, String Arrangements and Lyrics by Danny Ross
Written in London 2005 (Age 20)
Inspired by: Radiohead, Ryan Adams (Love Is Hell era), Coldplay ("Politik"), Jeff Buckley
Produced by Rob Guariglia and Danny Ross
Piano Recorded at Metrosonic Studios;
Engineered by Harley Fine
All Else Recorded Spring 2008 at Galuminum Foil Productions;
Engineered by Jeff Berner

Instrumentation:
Danny Ross – Vocal, Piano
Carl Basler – Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitars
Fred Kennedy - Drums
Matt Wigton - Bass
Dave Melton - Organ, Wurlitzer
Leo Adamov - Violin
Rachel Golub - Violin
Corrina Albright -Viola
Jody Redhage - Cello


LYRICS

That simple kiss

This ancient bridge is falling

From everyone and everything

That olden crystal moon

This piano out of tune it seems is calling

And I’m hopeless for that starting place

So far away

What difference does it make?

When you can’t retrace the path you’ve laid

This morning rain

Those city chains are falling

I’m suspended but I’m sure to break

Cause though I can feel the ground

The surface isn’t sound

It seems I’m falling

Well I’m not looking down again

So far away

What difference does it make?

When all that’s left behind me falls away

There’s nothing left to guide me now but faith

Play "This Ancient Bridge” and the whole album now at the new http://www.dannyrossmusic.com
One Way will be available October 6, 2009.