The Not Embarrassed Fanboy

It is completely evident, by now, that I am a bit abnormal. My interests don't seem to be inline with other 30 something males. A glowing example of this is my, relative, obsession with teen dramas. This was probably never as apparent as this Tuesday when I headed down to the Firebird to see a band I had limited interest in just because the lead singer, Taylor Momsen, is none other than Jenny Humphrey from one of my favorite shows Gossip Girl. As it turns out, she put on a helluva show and has a very powerful voice.



Judging by people's reaction when I say I like Gossip Girl, I know this is, apparently, socially unacceptable, but I am left wondering why. To me the fact that I like these teen dramas is about Nature verse Nurture, and what people do not realize is that is not an all-or-nothing proposition. The fact that I love boobs and soft skin is nature. The fact that I have never cheated on a girl is nurture. I was raised by my mother. It should stand to reason that I would have acquired a certain amount of feminine interests, one of them just happens to be teen dramas. Also, I would genuinely prefer to watch a Romantic Comedy than an Action flick. The reality is I am just man enough to admit it, to not be an embarrassed Fanboy.

My obsession with teen dramas started with My So Called Life, which is still probably the best show to ever air on public television. I was an avid fan of Dawson's Creek and Felecity, watched the OC, and now my DVR is set to record One Tree Hill, Gossip Girl, and my favorite of them all Friday Night Lights. One of the things that is great about teen dramas is they have introduced me to a lot of great music. While I'd like to be super hip and trendy, standing on the cutting edge begging the world to follow me, I am not. I like what I like, and I have never been concerned with being the first to discover the "newest" thing because frankly a lot of those new, pretty, things suck. Once the shine of newness has faded the world realizes it made a mistake. Here is a video recap of some of my best discoveries.

Of course My So Called Life, besides being the best show ever, launched the career of Jared Leto. The heartthrob who I actually couldn't stand, dude was always breaking my girl's heart. That, by the way, is a learned behavior. But now he fronts 30 Seconds to Mars. All that started right here:



Probably my best discovery was Death Cab for Cutie on the OC. I had been hearing that name for years, but I honestly thought it was some thrash band or something, until this episode.

Sorry it won't let me embed it. Watch the clip HERE.

The One Tree Hill has been great about bringing new artists on the show and even launching careers of cast members.

I still love the Wreckers.



While I cannot give One Tree Hill credit for introducing me to Kate Voegele, as I had been following her on MySpace for quite sometime, what the show did to launch her career was really cool.

Again, no embedding. Watch HERE.

And my most recent favorite who I actually got to see at Off Broadway and will be playing at the Firebird in April, Wakey! Wakey!

Favorite Track - Felt Not Seen

Well, we finally made it. If you stuck with me through the review of my two solo CDs, the two EKe CDs, and the Whiskey Daydream CD, thanks! I am sure you are as tired of reading about my CDs, as I am of writing about them, but once I start something, I like to finish, and So Much Closer, Felt Not Seen, is a great finish.


This band has really brought me full circle. Whiskey Daydream was so deliberate, like I was obsessed with presenting an Alt-Country / Country-Rock sound, and while I love that genre and think my writing often falls there naturally, it is very limiting. With So Much Closer I am back to being stoked to have great musicians that want to play with me, and whatever happens happens. As a result defining our genre is damn near impossible. On Thursday we played with an awesome band from Nashville called The Compromise. We were chatting with their bass player, Adam, after our set, and he could not categorize it, "I kept thinking, what genre is this...it's good, but what genre." We have the same struggle, and I think we are okay with that.


Every band ends up having a defining member. I think most assume it is the singer, but that is a rarity. I defined EKe version 1, we switched just about every player at one time or another, and we still sounded, about, the same. EKe v2, once Scott Allen joined the band, is a totally different story. If Scott had never left the band, I may be still in EKe, but once he left, to me, it could no longer be called EKe because his presence was the dominant force. The same could be said of Brian Ruby in Whiskey Daydream. Once he left the band, Woody and I continued to play as a duo, but it was no longer Whiskey Daydream, same songs but a different entity had been formed. What is unique about So Much Closer is our defining member is the collective. Our drummer Patrick Enright, our multi-instrumentalist Patrick Swan, our bassist Chris Logan, and I all have very defined voices, and when all are singing it harmony it creates So Much Closer.

What Patrick brings to the kit is the complete opposite of what Woody brought to Whiskey Daydream. In all the bands I have been in I have never played with a drummer that was so calculated. He is never content to play the same beat and is busier than a squirrel preparing for winter. In his absence it would no longer be So Much Closer. The songs can stand on their own, but we would have to change the name because they would not sound the same. The same could be said of Swan. I would have to find someone that could play guitar, keys, and trumpet, plus breakout some of the most amazing harmonies these ears have ever heard, not likely to happen. Logan, well Logan is a rock. He, like me, isn't a schooled musician, but in a bassist I want feel, and that is what he brings. Plus his personality is so hysterical that he makes every event fun.

For these reasons, my favorite track off of Felt Not Seen is "Felt Not Seen." It is the only track in this seven CD series that was co-written. Swan provided the guitar melody, I contributed lyrics and vocals, and the collective developed the structure and defined the dynamics. Enjoy!

Felt Not Seen by So Much Closer by SoMuchCloser

Lyrics:

Man made fingers
Stretch towards heaven
They fold in prayer
Laser lights of lives in transit
Live in Transit

A waterfall of reds and yellows
Christmas’ kissing Easter’s Peep
Forming Halloween’s smile
It jack-o-lantern smile

Just a bridge it was a simple bridge
Taking me home momma taking me
Just a bridge it was a simple bridge
Taking me home
Da-da-dah-dow

Above a birdless midnight sky
Descends at eye sight’s edge
This moment a Trinity
Material, Motion, and Miracle

Material the Son
Born to provide passage
Carrier of souls
Receiver of prayers

Just a bridge it was a simple bridge
Taking me home momma taking me
Just a bridge it was a simple bridge
Taking me home
Da-da-dah-dow

Motion the Great Ghost
Trails of energy felt not seen
Omnipresent chill giver
Breath stealer

Miracle the Father
Provider of Physical Laws
Creator of motion
Creator of material

Just a bridge it was a simple bridge
Taking me home momma taking me
Just a bridge it was a simple bridge
Taking me home
Da-da-dah-dow

Inside Cover:



Back Cover:

Favorite Track - Whiskey Daydream

Whiskey Daydream is very special to me, not just because it represented a genre shift or because it was the first time that I formed a band with friends or the immediate success we had...Whiskey Daydream was deliberate. Previously I would find people willing to play with me, and whatever happened happened, but not Whiskey Daydream.

Throughout EKe I was drawing my influence largely from Edwin McCain, Duncan Sheik, and people I knew, like Rob Woerther. However, towards the end of EKe my influence had shifted to Ryan Adams, Son Volt, and Drive by Truckers. You could hear it in songs like "Monday Morning" and "Restless Sheets," so when Scott left the band in 2005, and it slowly morphed into something that was no longer EKe, I called it quits. A couple months later, when I was ready to start a new project, I went into it knowing I wanted to create an Alt-Country band, and I did.

Whiskey Daydream was formed in November of 2005 and ended in June of 2007. It was short lived but powerful. We were nominated for the Best Americana Band in St. Louis by KDHK and Playback:STL. We got second place in the Battle for the Ark which helped us fund this CD, and played a LOT of shows, going as far north as Michigan, holding residency at Ten Mile House and made a second home at Off Broadway. It featured Corey "Woody" Woodruff on drums, Brian Ruby on leads, and Benjamin Ash on anything we asked him to play (primarily bass).

I knew going into this week that I could not pick one song. I just love this CD too much, so what I have selected are the 2 songs that were really the catalyst for the creation of Whiskey Daydream. The songs that once written made me realize I was operating from a different place, and I needed to embrace it.

"Whiskey Days" Is pretty straight forward Country Rock. We brought in the amazing Scott Schwartz to lay some Pedal Steel, featured my acoustic, and a tasty country-clean lead by Ruby. Brian's fingers spoke country and blues, and his voice is very distinct on this track. The laid-back brushed beat of Woody's drums still makes me smile. I had spent years with super busy drummers, so to work with someone that allowed the song to breathe and grow was so refreshing. And you can never say enough about a solid bass player. Although Benjamin could literally play anything, he was a terrific bass player, just super solid.

Whiskey Days by Whiskey Daydream by SoMuchCloser

Lyrics:

Dirt road, Grandma’s house
Gravel drive and the tall cattails
That’s me on the motorbike
Grandpa waving me home

Those are days when lightning warned of thunder
And rain clouds meant it was time to play
Before these whiskey days

Left my summers in the Hot Springs
Flew north to the dirty city
Skateboard wheels carving fresh asphalt
Remember how the girls were so innocent and pretty

Those are days when lightning warned of thunder
And rain clouds meant it was time to play
Before these whiskey days

Trapped inside 4 walls
And the window is crying
The bottles empty turned over
And I know you’re not coming back this time
All I have left is your picture,
And the edges have faded
Take a step outside
Let the rain kiss my forehead
Turn your picture over
Gonna rely on memory instead

My last offering to you is the other song that made me realize I had moved beyond EKe. While "Whiskey Days" was more Country-Rock, I think "Layover in Louisville" lands in the Alt-Country category. What I love about this song is not the song itself, but the recording. The dynamic shifts are powerful, Brian's lead is probably the most aggressive and eager lead that has ever been on one of my CDs, we worked the feedback like a ghost violin, Benjamin and I using a cheap keyboard and two Pods where able to create one of the best B3 sounds I have heard recorded, and while all this cacophony was developing, Woody was content to lay back and let it flourish rather than over power it. For those of you that know Woody from his time with Alvin Jett and Phat Noiz or The Lucky Old Sons or All Roostered Up, know what an incredibly sick drummer he is, part of that is his ability to hold back and then explode when the moment calls for it. He is kind of like a suicide bomber; he is the quiet neighbor that you would never expect to display that kind of behavior, and then one day...BOOM!

Layover In Louisville by Whiskey Daydream by SoMuchCloser

Layover in Louisville

The dance halls are empty tonight
Like my glass of whiskey
Lay my head on the dusty counter
‘Cause the bartender’s nowhere to be found

On a Layover in Louisville
And I’m 300 miles from somewhere
On a Layover in Louisville
Feels like I’m headed nowhere

The sound of Whiskey River;
Its urgency lifts my traveled head
The Mark burns just a little
And my glass is half empty again

On a Layover in Louisville
And I’m 300 miles from somewhere
On a Layover in Louisville
Feels like I’m headed nowhere

I take my last swallow
Let the Whiskey go down slow
I pour myself into 15D,
And I wake-up home

Under Tray, Whiskey Daydream Logo:



Back of CD:

Favorite Track - the reality of monday morning

Alright, quick recap. You have caught me in the middle of a blog series based on my favorite track(s) from each CD I have recorded. Caught may not be the best word, it is not like my hand is deep in the cookie jar with only my elbow exposed as I fish out the last chocolate chip. Of course maybe it is worse, blog after blog of me talking about songs I have written and why I like them, could I be more of an egocentric prick? Possibly, but for a quick refresher, this is how all THIS got started.

It wasn't me, someone asked.


the reality of monday morning was very much a pinnacle yet transitional CD for me. It was the last CD EKe would ever record, but by many opinions the best CD I have ever recorded. It sold the most units, was the most favorably reviewed, received the most radio play...heck it even landed me my first gig at Mississippi Nights, a venue I had been trying to play since I moved to St. Louis.

I will never forget that call. I had recently sent press kits to every venue, radio station, and magazine in the area. I was sitting at my desk on a lunch break and my cell went off. I answered. On the other end I heard, "Hey this is Tim Weber (I may have pissed myself at that moment) from Mississippi Night." In my head I was screaming fuck-fuck-fuck-fuck it's Tim Fuckin' Weber - I cuss a lot when I am in shock. You have to understand this was my forth CD, and I had sent him everyone. My ex even walked Lost Angel into his office. I didn't think I would ever get this call. "Man, I have to tell you I NEVER do this, but I really like this CD, and I would like to set-up a show for you here."

This CD, the reality of monday morning, featured EKe v2.3. We were on our 3rd bass player, Mat Haynes, second drummer, Brian Sigmund (former percussionist), and had switched from guitar/keys to a dual guitar format with the leads being held down by Scott Allen, and Scott changed everything. He was (is) amazing. He played with soul and texture, and when required he would kill a lead. We became more jammy and somewhat Southern Rock. This was also the first CD without Rob Woerther. I decided it was time to move to a big boy studio, so we went to Smith Lee to track and the Double J Ranch for vocals and overdubs. John John engineered and produced the CD.



When I was going over the tracks on this CD, I immediately knew what my favorite track was. Although I love them all, "Been Down" had to be the pick.

Been Down by EKe by SoMuchCloser

"Been Down" received more radio play then any other song I have recorded. We were working with a radio promotion company at the time, and received lots of international play, as well as regional and local play. I know this sounds very David hasselhoff, "I am huge in Germany," but "Been Down" was actually the most requested song 2 weeks in a row on a small station out of Perth, Australia. I've always assumed they thought Been Down was like Down Under, but whatever. It was a cool feeling.

The song is actually about a movie I saw in 7th grade, The Town That Dreaded Sundown. Something about that movie stuck with me, so I wrote the song from the perspective of one of the victims. The story teller is outside himself watching the events occur. I let the girl get away.

Been Down

Intoxicated ignorance on a catfish Friday
There’s lovers in the parking lot calling his name
Bodies gyrate beneath my cherry glow
Beneath my cherry glow

There’s a cross swingin’ from the rearview
Tornado siren across the lion wind
Energy in the air but Momma I’m still alone
Oh Momma I’m still alone

Been down so long, oh my Momma
I’ve been down Momma, I’ve been down
Been down where the grass don’t grow no more
I’ve been down Momma, I’ve been down

Wet steal tapping glass
The crucifix pauses for a moment
He looks in and she looks up
Yes she looks up

Her torn dress disappears into night
There’s fire and lead across Emmanuel sky
My head it burns, I’ve got scarlet stains
I’ve got scarlet stains

Been down so long, oh my Momma
I’ve been down Momma, I’ve been down
Been down where the grass don’t grow no more
I’ve been down Momma, I’ve been down

There is another song that I really wanted to share. It was the closing track, "Time Disappears." By itself is a great song. It has timing shifts, a solid groove, and probably the best all out jam on the album. What it also has is a back-end hidden track. That is kind of a signature trick for me. I really like to hide tunes so those that are really listening get a little gift. What is so special about this hidden track is it was completely improvised. The band didn't even know we were going to do something. When they thought we were done tracking. I told them to throw a groove,and I would make up lyrics over it thanking all the people that had been supporting us. All I had was a list of the names of people we wanted to thank. To come off the cuff with music and lyrics and have it actually work is pretty damn impressive. It is long, so grab a beer, and give it a spin.

Time Disappears...Surprise Jam by EKe by SoMuchCloser

Favorite Track - Left Side of the River

A happy Saturday to you all. Today, my Favorite Track series moves from solo CDs to band CDs with Left Side of the River by my first band the Eric Ketzer experiment, EKe. This recording actually occurred during EKe v1.2.5. We had lost our original bass player, added a percussionist, and the keyboardist that played on this CD quit before the production was done. It was a very trying time for me. On this CD you will hear me on guitar and vocals, Tim Brosch on drums, Mike McDade on bass, Joe Sherrell on keys, and Brian Sigmund on bass.


This is not my best CD. I am just going to come out and say it. EKe was my first band and we had barely been together for 6 months when we started to record this. I was just so excited to be in a band that I rushed the process.

Allow me to backtrack and paint a picture: 1987, dark winter months, glass fogged from the marriage of poor insulation and brutal Chicago cold. In his room stands a sandy haired kid, skater shoes, french cuffed jeans, and a dingy Vision Street Wear t-shirt. Strapped around his neck by an old frayed shoestring was a hockey stick that he strummed as if he was Randy Rhoads. And with the full throat of a 12 year old he sang, "Wine is fine but whiskey is quicker, suicide is slow with liquor."

This is all I have ever wanted. Sure there were dreams of playing professional football, but lack of height and insane slowness thwarted those efforts. Music has always been my core, my escape, the one thing I knew I wanted to do for the rest of my life. When I finally formed a band, I thought all those years spent in dreams were finally going to come to fruition. Five bands later, I know how silly I was, but in that moment, I felt we needed a CD that reflected the band's sound. Once we had that the skies would open and a chariot with flying Pegasus would take us to MTV where girls would grovel at our feet and media moguls would pronounce us the best thing since Pearl Jam.

Left Side of the River is definitely rough around the edges, but it is also very pure. Almost the entire CD was one tracked. Accept for some bass fixes and adding in some lead parts, this was all captured on one Saturday in a basement studio of a friend of a friend. Again, Rob Woerther was at the helm. Together we can be dangerous because we are both so fringed and willing to try anything. When I was like "lets crank the bass and make it feel like a live show." Rob one-upped me with, "lets add some sub-freqs to it." Of course all I could do was throw up the Rock fingers. The whole things was a learning experience for me. Still we did capture some good stuff.

We added this note when we realized we had mixed the CD so bass heavy that it sounded rough if you were pushing the bass on your system too.

"Impressions of Dance" is one example of the great stuff that got captured at these recordings. Lyrically one of my most academic yet sincere songs. The first song I wrote for my ex who I met in college. She was a Dance major, and I was obsessed with all the arts. Having spent time in G.A.T.E. where they taught the singers to dance, dancers to act, actors to sing, etc. I had so much appreciation for her art form, and I used it as my muse. At the same time, I was familiar with the love story of Degas and Cassatt. Degas the famed Ballerina sculptor, and Cassatt his mistress who would never bare children, so she painted them as lovingly as a mother holds her own child. Musically, I was really beginning to understand effects, understand how placement in the change can create different sounds. On this track I was running a Vertigo Vibe with a back-end distortion and used a Wah to add accents on various parts. All these spinning influences stopped, and this song was born.

Impressions of Dance - EKe by SoMuchCloser

Impressions of Dance

On point I see you reaching the heavens
Arms extended you touch seraphim
The embrace of cherubs purified your heart
In dreams your wings are revealed to me

And waking you pirouette through my mind
Like so many Degas I’ve seen
And resting you bow your innocent head
Like Mary Cassatt’s child

You create abstract worlds with perfect lines
Movement of grace dissect dimensions
Bridge together by omnipresent spirit
And I try to deconstruct your mystery

And waking you pirouette through my mind
Like so many Degas I’ve seen
And resting you bow your innocent head
Like Mary Cassatt’s child

Impressionist visions
Formed by my thoughts
And I clutch you like
Pyle’s Mermaid

Modern motion usurps reality
Hypnotized by your fluid performance
As the curtain falls I remain entrances
Your essence gives me wind

And waking you pirouette through my mind
Like so many Degas I’ve seen
And resting you bow your innocent head
Like Mary Cassatt’s child

Back Tray:

Inside Cover:

There was one additional thing that happened on this CD that I just have to share. I always include poetry on my CDs. Poetry/Spokenword are my roots, so I feel like I need to pay homage to the bridge that got me here. This time Rob and I concocted something truly special. Using acid loops Rob made the tune, and I did the poem. One of my favorite things I have ever recorded.

"Jazz Sounds"

Jazz Sounds by Rob Woerther & Eric Ketzer by SoMuchCloser

Favorite Track - Lost Angel

Lost Angel, my second and last solo CD, to this day, is still probably my favorite CD that I have recorded, not my best, but my favorite. Let me explain the difference.



For me, best is an indicator of quality. Favorite, is indicative of enjoyment. This is not to say that the CD is not quality. The recording is spot on. But, I was still so young, had only played guitar for 5 years at this point, my writing was still developing, and my voice just continues to get better. When I listen to this CD, the tone of my voice is still thin, sharp, and lacks the maturity that I hear when I listen to my more recent recordings. However, when I listen to Lost Angel I am really pretty amazed at what Rob and I were able to accomplish.

Again, it was Rob Woerther producing and recording the CD in his studio. But if Unfulfilled Desires was a nice thin crust pepperoni pizza, Lost Angel would be a hand tossed, pepperoni, pineapple, and jalapeno pie with Ranch and Tapatio dipping sauce. I had a clean disc, a very earthy, folksy, disc, but at that stage in my career, that was not my style. I have always been a fan of effects and layering, so when we mapped out this CD, we decided to tear down walls...push boundaries. Rob was a new pro-tools devotee, and we were going to use every little trick he had learned to make the recording unique. Plus, I had now been in St. Louis for a few years, entrenched myself it the scene, so I was able to bring in a few guest musicians. Donald Williams (Sinister Dane, Sugardaddy, Getaway Car) played bass on a few tracks and brought a groove to those songs that I never knew was possible. Tim Moody (Sunny Daze, Naked Groove, Schwag) lent his lead capabilities to a couple tracks, and Joe Bingham (Autumn's Child) also contributed some guitar to one song. On top of that, Rob and I played anything and everything we could. "Desolation Angel," the opening track, actually had some distorted beat-boxing that we used to give it more rhythm. Musically Lost Angel, was the perfect representation of what I hear in my head. I'd think it, and Rob would make it happen.

Inside Cover...das Ketzer Collage



As you can tell, the layout was much better quality as well. This CD would signify the first time Nathan Hutchison did the design and layout for me. He would do the next 3 for me, as well. He also did half the photos. My ex shot the other ones.

Inside Fold...Angie shot this of Emily Turay back stage at a Dance Concert, and I loved the expression on her face so much that I had to use it.


All that back story to get here, the point where I reveal my Favorite Track. Because I knew I had committed to this blog series, I spent a few days this week listening to the CD, and I really struggled with picking my FAVORITE track. There are just a bunch of great recordings on the disc, but what I kept asking myself when listening is, is it a great song or a great recording. What I ended up with was one of the least produced songs on the CD, very little flash, guitar and vocals upfront, Rob added some pads to fill in the bottom end, and we brought Joe Bingham in to drop a nice acoustic lead on it, but what stands out for me are the lyrics, the story. I wrote this song as a wedding present for my college roommate, Billy Casseau. It was quite an exercise for me, one of the first times I stepped outside of myself to write, to paint someone else's story. The gift was more for his bride-to-be, Patti, so I sat down with Billy, got some details of their courtship (yeah, I said courtship...I am old school) and "Starting Today" was the result.

Starting Today by S. Eric Ketzer (2001) by SoMuchCloser

Starting Today

And I remember the first time our eyes they said hello
You were in copper skin your bare feet on the Aztec sand
In the soft distance you know I can still here that Mexican wind blow
The smell of the salt see and the taste of my cerveza
There are no sandy beaches in old Missouri

Starting today well my forever lies with you
Starting today oh my forever is found in your eyes
Starting today my forever lies with you
Starting today oh my forever is found in your eyes

Even after all these years I still look at you with innocent eyes
Like your second graders you know I’ve got my hands in the finger-paint again
And I use your inspiration to create my destiny
It’s the softness of your kisses; it’s the gentleness of your touch
It’s the way I feel inside tonight; it’s the way I feel when you wake up next to me

Starting today well my forever lies with you
Starting today oh my forever is found in your eyes
Starting today my forever lies with you
Starting today oh my forever is found in your eyes

Many years, you stood by my heart
Many tears, you know they were cried for love
Many fears, well I’m gonna kiss them all away
Many years, ‘cause forever is in your eyes

And as the Eiffel Tower you know it stares down upon me awake and lonely
I image the beautiful Arch is staring down on you
It’s the kiss of the moon; its light brings me near you
Across the great ocean and beaches where heroes died
Somehow we’re together, somehow when I close my eyes

Starting today well my forever lies with you
Starting today oh my forever is found in your eyes
Starting today my forever lies with you
Starting today oh my forever is found in your eyes

Yes, I know it was a six minute song, but I was painting a story that went from first introductions to the wedding. I am not going to smash 6 years into 3 minutes because some radio exec wants to sell an ad for hemroid creme. I hope you enjoyed the read and the listen. Stay tuned for next week and my favorite track from Left Side of the River.


Under the Tray:



Back of Disc, me and Rob...I had a small obsession with Hawaiian prints...

Favorite Track - Unfulfilled Desires

I was sitting around with some buddies after the So Much Closer New Year's Eve show at Luna Lounge, just talking music and motion, women and whiskey. Typical night. One of my friends was saying how impressed he was that we pulled off 3 hours of original tunes. Being that So Much Closer is barely a year old, and we only did 3 songs from my previous bands, it is pretty cool. However, after making some humble appreciative remark, my mind was thinking three hours is nothing. If we did every song every band of mine has done, we are talking an easy 5 to 6 hours. Then the question came, "Of all the songs you have written, which is your favorite." Wow!

That question is daunting. I have probably written close to 75 songs, maybe more. I know I have 4 notebooks filled with song breakdowns and lyrics. To pick a favorite seems impossible. So, I decided what I could do is pick a favorite by album and make a blog series out of it.

Before I dive in a few caveats. I am not starting with my first recording but the first CD I sunk money into. The first CD that I bar coded and someone else did the duplication and production. That CD was Unfulfilled Desires, recorded in 1999 and released in 2000.



Yes...yes, make fun of the uber cheesy photo shoot. I was barefoot and in a sports coat. I was confused, fragmented, a Cali kid that thought to be a singer/songwriter and appeal to a more mature demographic I needed to be upscale. Remember this was 1999. There were very few singer/songwriters getting attention around St. Louis. There was one production company that was bringing in solo performers for shows out at the Viking, and the crowds were older, so I thought that was the demographic I was trying to court. I did show more of myself on the inside, however.



Shorts and a button up. If you see me play tomorrow, that is pretty much what you are gonna get. Although I wear shoes now, after an incident at Cicero's with a broken bottle on stage. OUCH!

Unfulfilled Desires was recorded by my good friends Rob Woerther. I met Rob when he was hosting an open mic at Sally T's. There was instant chemistry between us and shared musical appreciation. At the time Rob was doing a lot of home recording. He had a nice ADAT set up and good mics, so I traded him a Gibson ES-120 for some recording time, and we went to town. There is a warmth on this CD that I have never been able to duplicate. This is also the only CD I have recorded where Pro-Tools or some form a digital program was not used. It is pretty sparse. I really just wanted something clean that I could use to book shows. For the most part it is me on guitar and vocals, Rob filling in the bottom with synth bass, and we brought in Ryan Spearman to play mandolin on a couple of tracks.

As I was going through the CD, listening to each track, reliving those moments it was a struggle to pick my favorite song. Part of me gravitated to "The One" primarily because the opening line, "You could have been the one, coffee eyes and careless curls." I can instantly see my subject, and I know the lyrics were soundly inspired by Tom Waits and his magical use of everyday images as descriptors...and the sky turned the color of Pepto-Bismol. But, as I listened to the song, I realized I had no idea what I was playing, there was no way I could play that song today. How could my favorite song from a CD be one I didn't even care enough about to remember. With that concept firmly ingrained, I decided to go with my go-to song, "Railroad Affair."

For years this was the song that I would play when I couldn't think of what to play. It holds a very special place for me because of its back story, the significance of influence, and the return to simplicity that it represents. As a young songwriter that had never really learned to play guitar, my first songs were very creative because I had no idea what I was doing, just moving fingers to make new sounds. Then as I learned more everything got extremely complex...lets finger pick, arpeggiate, and flat pick all in one song, AND let's throw meter completely out the window, each song must have a verse, a chorus, and a bridge, and lets go ahead and make all three completely unrelated. "Railroad Affair" is 4 chords. The entire song is 4 chords. There is no bridge, and the chorus and verse are the exact same progression, just a different attack. Yet, it works. Also, this is also the first song I wrote where St. Louis was represented as my home. Enjoy!

Railroad Affair by S. Eric Ketzer (1999) by SoMuchCloser


Railroad Affair

Three hundred nights I sleep alone in this broken down bed
These tracks are long and winding and they end in you

I hear the whistle blowing it’s not my stop
I peer through the cabin window, and I envision you

So many days I feel I am losing time
Seduced by the land and this railroad affair

Mile high in Denver and on to the San Diego coast
I see the lights rollin’ by, and I am calling out to you

Next stop the Frisco Bay, I wander these streets beside myself
I look in every storefront in search of you

So many days I feel I am losing time
Seduced by the land and this railroad affair

Across the empty plains I see the buffalo roaming
I watch the clouds form pictures of you

As the midnight moon descends upon Rivercity
I step from train and I hold on to you
Yes I hold on to you

Unfulfilled Desires was a short run and soldout quickly. It was the first CD that gave me hope that one day this would be my life. That has yet to happen, but the hope still burns, and I still love playing "Railroad Affair."

Inside cover shot at Sally T's at one of my early shows.



Back cover, more cheese.