week five

Sin Sin (lyrics by Claudia Brevis, music by Skip Brevis & Claudia Brevis, 2011) is a song we wrote for a placement in a teen horror movie.  We did a great recording of it at the time with CE Smith singing it!  It didn’t get picked up but I’m thinking it sounds like it would be good for the HBO series True Blood. I’ll have to get it submitted for that. I like playing this one live with my band — it has a nice swampy feel with slide guitar and fiddle.  Lots of fun.

Well today is Mother’s Day and i’m thankful and happy to say I’ve got my 90 year old mom here with us to celebrate. We went out to Pete’s Tavern for brunch with my mom and in-laws and Dylan. My other son Casey is in China gigging. We spoke to him this morning and he told us he ate scorpion on a stick last night and his friend ate fried tarantula.

We had spaghetti.

The Stingers are gigging  Tuesday night (5/14) at the Red Lion.  May 14 also happens to be Casey’s birthday and he’ll be in Singapore so we’ll miss being with him!  Come on out and we’ll celebrate in his absence!

I’ve been working all week with justjohn mixing and finishing up this Willie & the Swagga album.  Getting closer and having a ball doing it!

And, I also wanted to let you all know that our buddy Sam Tsui released his album yesterday.  Go check it out.  Here’s the first video from it.

i’m off to watch some Game of Thrones!

see you next week.  Sin Sin coming right up.  It might take a few more minutes to finish uploading, so if you get here before it’s done, please come back!

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Hammer of Love (words & music Skip Brevis, 1990) is an original I wrote way back in the day when the Stingers had a recording contract — album fell apart, long story — but since then I’ve always done it in my Skip Brevis Band set and I have a great track on it though I’ve never recorded the vocals.

Some day I’ll get it recorded fully.

I’m a little late getting this week #4 video up tonight cause i was recording my final vocal on another song so we can start to mix this Willie & the Swagga album.   And earlier, the wife and I and the inlaws were out and about going to a barn dance (yes I said barn dance) and then dinner, and of course there was the obligatory Sunday nap, and this morning I had a meeting and, blah blah busy day.

I wanted to let you all know — any of you local pianists tuning in — i’m holding an Advanced Piano Clinic on May 20th.  For current students, interested old pros, musicians looking to broaden their styles…details are HERE.  Do RSVP if you plan on coming cause there’s only so much space in the studio.

more next week!

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Drown On Dry Land  (lyrics by Claudia Brevis music by Skip Brevis, 2011)

week three

I asked Claudia to write me a lyric a couple of years ago when I was feeling a little depressed.

We were in the Poconos and I was trying to write something myself because when you’re feeling down you’re supposed to be inspired.  It works for everyone else, but nope I was blank, had nothing, lethargic, so Claudia — who is my muse — wrote this for me.  The lyric came first  and i think it took me 15 minutes to put her words to music and then another 15 minutes for me to be in the best mood ever!

You want to talk bipolar?  hello.  But that’s the way it is. Everyday both of us wake up to write and somedays it’s easy and some days it’s like pulling teeth, but when it works nothing feels better!

This song was slated to be on the upcoming Willie  & the Swagga album but I decided to wait on this one cause I want a full choir and orchestra and that’s a little beyond the scope of what I’m doing with my Willie album….so, it’ll be on the next one!

Drown on Dry Land!  (more next week)

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Time To Go Home  (words & music Skip Brevis, 2013)

week two

Week 2 of my original song series and this song, Time To Go Home, is brand spanking new, also inspired by some great salvation stories i read a few weeks ago.  I wrote it on guitar but when it came time to record it tonight I decided to play it on piano.

Well, today was my mom’s big 90th birthday bash in Pearl River. Thank God for my cousins Alyssa, Lisa and Vicky  for pulling this party together! All my mom’s friends from all over came and she was glowing the whole afternoon.

We got there early and my cousins had put up poster boards of pictures of my mom and dad all through their beautiful 60 year marriage and of all the kids and grandchildren, and in almost every picture my parents were dancin and I remember so many good times, and there were rough times, but through it all my parents danced!

Claudia and i are dancin a lot around the house these days.  I guess dancing is key to a good life, but the pictures made me a little sad cause i miss my dad.

I just got off the phone with my mom and the first gift she opened tonight was a bottle of Tanquery gin so she cracked that bottle open and now she’s rubbing off all the scratch offs she got as gifts. She’s a happy girl tonight!

love ya mom!

Here’s Time To Go Home.

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Change My Way (words and music Skip Brevis, 2013)

week one

Well, my year of cover songs is over and today begins my year of one original song every week!

Change My Way is a new song.  I was reading some great redemption stories and wrote a series of songs based on those stories.  Change My Way was the first.

So, what have I been up to this week without blogging daily?

I am musical directing the Hello Dolly tour, not that I am touring – I will just teach it in New York. I’m approaching the Jerry Herman score like it’s an old ragtime piano piece and I’ve been having a blast listening and practicing lots of Scott Joplin and Fats Waller.

My mom and sister are coming to town Tuesday and we’ll have a little get together at the Red Lion at the Stingers gig!  Come on down (4/16 10pm) and say hi to my mom!  We’re celebrating her 90th birthday next weekend and getting an early start!

So, here’s Change My Way!  Hope you like it.  More next week!

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