[Harp-L] Climb Jacob's Ladder (Paul Messinger)

["Paul Messinger" <paul@xxxxxxxx>]

Hello Again Folks:

 

I've heard some of the very kind and very encouraging comments from the
Harp-L community concerning my band Climb Jacob's Ladder and our debut CD:
DooWatchaDoo, and wanted to take a few moments to thank you all.

 

As some of you know, the band name Climb Jacob's Ladder was to honor the
life of my son Jacob, who passed away 3 years ago at the age of 21 . our
only child .  A few months later, as part of my grieving process I guess, I
'heard' a harmonica line in my head, which was then followed by the process
of crafting a song, "Jacob's Ladder."

 

I wanted to play the song . I wanted to speak my son's name . and was
fortunate to find the right mix of people to make music with . As we were
all songwriters, the music became a dense mosaic of the different and
diverse styles we wrote in . 

 

If anyone is interested in checking out the tracks, I've found that the
BandCamp link is really user-friendly, has all the graphics and liner notes,
plus two free downloads . one of them the title track (DooWatchaDoo), and
the other a tune that Howard Levy contributed grand piano and harmonica to .

 

The song, written by guitarist/vocalist Gary Mitchell, was originally called
'Think About It', and the recording we made is on the CD (which I think is
really exquisite) . but when Howard added his parts to it, we decided to
make it a completely different track, which we re-named 'Re-Think About It.'

 

I also want to note that my good friend Joe Filisko played on three tracks
(tracks 3, 5, and 7), which I found really compelling . as his parts were
played in the style that he plays, but within the context of our songs .
which are not at all in the styles that he usually plays . So that, in my
mind, is one of the really interesting things that happened in the course of
creating a recording of this music .   

 

The aforementioned BandCamp link for the CD Tracks is:
http://climbjacobsladder.bandcamp.com/

 

Over the past month or so, I've been editing and releasing (in order of how
we played them that night) some performance videos of the Climb Jacob's
Ladder CD Release Show in September 2011 . Joe Filisko and Eric Noden opened
the show . (Joe also guested on a version of 'Death Don't Have No Mercy,'
which will be released within the next few weeks) .

 

Last week we released the performance version of the title cut,
DooWatchaDoo, and placed the other videos on the same channel . the link can
be found at:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUOwsfneZMA
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUOwsfneZMA&list=PL0EEC05B73EE95B2B&index=7&;
feature=plpp_video> &list=PL0EEC05B73EE95B2B&index=7&feature=plpp_video

 

So friends, thanks again for the very kind words, support, and encouragement
. I'm interested in hearing from y'all with thoughts and feedback . this is
all very much a work in progress . 

 

Finally, I want to make mention that my 'approach' to the use of harmonica
has been very much to find ways to make it part of the 'fabric' of popular
music, whatever the style . 

 

As Producers are presently not knocking our collective doors down to drag us
down to studios to play on sophisticated and diverse styles of popular
music, it's my belief (and opinion), that we as a community need to write
our own songs .  that include harmonica as part of the 'fabric' of the sound
. 

 

In this way, musical parts currently played by keyboards or horns or
guitars, (because that's what the public is used to hearing), can be heard
played with harmonica . 

 

So, that approach is very much a part of the music we've been creating .
which also means that it's not all about the next flashy harmonica solo .
it's always about the song . and the harp parts are hopefully crafted to
support the song, not the other way around . 

 

As always, kindest, warm regards, 

Paul Messinger/Chapel Hill NC