Like many blues songs, this one is pretty much based on a true story. This was also recorded on a digital four track (you can’t play all of the instruments at once). The last track recorded was the harp solo, and it was improvised as if playing live with a band.
Runnin’ Round Free, - © 2004 Brian Kelly
I was on a four hour drive north on vacation, pretty much day dreaming as I-75 rolled under me on a sunny day with just a few clouds in the sky. Out of nowhere, the phrase “Smoke in the mirror, like clouds in the sky.” popped into my head. I liked it. The basic gist of the song came after the phrase. Once I had a phrase and a message, the rest of the song was finished before I arrived at the motel.
The song was recorded on a digital four track. The last track layed was the piano solo. It was totally improvised, just as if it were a live performance.
Smoke in the Mirror, - © 2004 Brian Kelly
I was in a local band rehearsing one night when the guitar player said “I always thought a cool name for a song would be Gray Sky, Gold Leaves.” That night the rest of the song came together for me and the next night I returned to rehearsal with not just chord charts, but sheet music courtesy of a this cool software I had. It could turn out sheet music with the exact fonts of commercial music.
One challenge during rehearsal is that the drummer wanted to hear how the drums went. I said there wasn’t a CD and he said “well can’t you find one?”. It took a while to explain that no CD existed, as I had just written it the night before. The sheet music was so commercial looking, the band thought it was just a song written by a guy with the same name as me.
A lyrical duality is worth noting. Summertime was a girl I knew. But the song also works with Summertime as a season.
Gray Sky, Gold Leaves, - © 2004 Brian Kelly
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