I’m very honored and humbled for “The Missing Book” to be an official selection at the MALDITO FESTIVAL DE VIDEOPOESÍA to be held November 15 at the Teatro Circo in Albacete, Spain.
For those unable to travel to Albacete, “The Missing Book” will also be shown online as part of the festival starting November 16.
Join me and boss guitarist Jules Leyhe for a one-of-a-kind live recording event to celebrate the release of the new album “I’ll Cover You in My Dreams.” Click here to purchase tickets.
Thanks to the Poetry in Motion Film Festival for naming my short film “The Missing Book” as an official selection in this year’s event. Poetry in Motion” is Colorado’s Premier International Poetry film festival.
A man came to me in my dream. He held a sharpened No. 2 pencil in one hand and a spiral notebook in the other. I didn’t catch his name, but he was interested in knowing about my new album. So, we sat at a marble table atop the Eiffel Tower (remember, this is a dream) and he asked some questions. I’ll call him the Interviewer.
Interviewer: You’ve been writing and recording original music for a few years now. What made you switch to cover tunes?
GR: I love writing and recording original songs. That said, I played for many years in a cover band called StationWagon, and I got to thinking recently about going into the studio and recording some of my favorite songs by artists I admire. I didn’t want to make note-for-note recordings of these songs, so I came up with the concept of a songwriter playing the songs in a dream.
Interviewer: For your earlier albums, you worked with a band, but this album presents a more stripped-down approach. Talk about that.
GR: I’ve known Jules Leyhe for a few years. He’s a fantastic guitar player and all-around great guy. As I thought more about this album’s dream concept, and as I played more with Jules, I realized it would be cool for just the two of us to make this album. Performing as a duo (me on acoustic guitar and Jules on electric) allows us to present these songs in a unique way. Towards the end of the project, we brought in Elisa Wendell to add her amazing vocals on some of the songs.
Interviewer: How did you meet Jules?
GR: Let’s see. It was right before the COVID-19 lockdown, during that time when some businesses were shutting down and some weren’t yet (but they’d probably be closing soon). I’d scheduled a recording session at Tiny Telephone with another guitarist. As it turned out, that guitarist couldn’t make it. Fearing it might be a long, long time before I’d get into the studio again, I scrambled to find another guitarist and that led me to Jules. We did that session and a few others over the years. And we became friends along the way. So it all worked out.
Interviewer: How did you decide on the songs?
GR: Now that the album is finished, I’m surprised that I didn’t struggle more to choose the songs. I love so many different songs (and so many different types of songs), and I have so many favorite artists. But these songs came together very quickly—like they were meant to be on this album together. “Isn’t It a Pity” is the only song that I added later in the process. I knew I wanted to cover a George Harrison song, but I wasn’t sure which one. Then I heard Jules playing slide guitar on “Isn’t It a Pity” and knew it would fit right in.
Interviewer: What was the process like for making this album? Did you rehearse the material or just show up at the studio and have at it?
GR: When I was sure about the song list, I wrote a creative brief that I shared with Jules and Audio Engineer Danielle Goldsmith. Jules and I met a handful of times to run through the songs. A couple months before recording, I had an opportunity to work for a month from northern Spain. I didn’t want to forget my tunes, so I asked the guy we rented our house from if he could find a guitar that I could borrow. Now, whenever I think about this album, I’ll recall the month I spent playing a loaner guitar in a beach house in Galicia. Not a bad way to practice.
Interviewer: You also included two original tracks on the album?
GR: That’s right. “The Dream” is an improvised instrumental that sets up album’s concept. I then end the album with the “The Dream Returns,” which features sounds that Danielle or I have recorded over the years. Like seagulls on Ocean Beach and kettle drums and various analog tape manipulations. Danielle is great at weaving these types of pieces together into a compelling soundscape.
Interviewer: Congratulations on the album. How do like the view from the Eiffel Tower?
GR: Thank you. It’s amazing up here. All I need now is an Aperol Spritz.
“I’ll Cover You in My Dreams” is available from Bandcamp, Spotify, iTunes, and other services.
Learn more about:
Jules Leyhe: here
Danielle Goldsmith: here
A musician sleeps and while sleeping dreams of performing dream-vision renditions of songs he loves by artists he’s long admired. That’s the concept of “I’ll Cover You in My Dreams.” Available now on Bandcamp, iTunes, Spotify, and wherever else you get your music online.
Featuring Jules Leyhe (electric guitar) and Elisa Wendell (vocals).
Here’s a trailer for a short film I’ve been working on for quite some time – like my whole life if you think about it. I plan on sending the film out to festivals and other places soon. Wish me luck.
Very special thanks to:
Theresa Calpotura – original score
Rae Steinwand – animation
Jacob Winik – mastering
Thanks to Loren Rhoads for interviewing me recently about my contribution to her collection of cemetery stories. “Death’s Garden Revisted” includes many interesting and entertaining essays, including “In the Shadow of Eldfell,” a piece I wrote after travelling to Iceland.
What’s my favorite song about a graveyard? You’ll have to read the interview to find out!!!
YOU CAN CHECK OUT MY INTERVIEW HERE:
https://cemeterytravel.com/2024/07/12/deaths-garden-contributor-greg-roensch/
You can also follow the link to find out how to pick up a copy of “Death’s Garden Revisited.”
Scroll down for a first look at the tunes included in “I’ll Cover You in My Dreams.”
A musician sleeps and while sleeping dreams of performing dream-vision renditions of songs he loves by artists he’s long admired. That’s the concept, in a nutshell, of my new album “I’ll Cover You in My Dreams.”
Featuring 11 covers and two original tunes.
Coming Soon.
“Dream of Sailing” is a short poetry-film set in a faraway hospital where the narrator, recently returned from war, imagines a life at sea. But will he ever leave the confines of the infirmary?
Thanks to everyone who played a part in creating this film.
