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THE STORY OF MR. ANONYMOUS
interview with Mr. Anonymous
HOW DID THIS ALBUM COME TOGETHER
When i first started compiling music for the album, i had a concept in my mind of making the "ultimate chill vibe" cd with acoustic guitars and dancehall rhythms. i really wanted to make an international flavored party cd for people to relax and rock to by the pool, on a roadtrip, on a boat, etc. at the time, all of the music i was writing and recording on acoustic guitar seemed to fit into that style,
Jeep and Michael Rose Hanging Out in the Studio
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so it was easy to stick with that concept. some of the tunes were completed with lyrics and melodies and others were just instrumentals. being a lifelong fan of reggae and dancehall music, i was hearing the voices and melodies of my favorite jamaican artists in the songs i was writing. on my last cd "cool & easy", i worked on a couple tracks with Michael Rose from Black uhuru. we had talked about working together again, so i called him up and things took off from there.
IS THERE A MESSAGE OR THEME TO THE ALBUM
There are a lot of different themes on the album. if i had to pick one, the overall concept of "embracing and appreciating the moment" is the main one. there are songs about appreciation for love (HARMONY BUS) and sex (SEXY) and good vibes (GOOD VIBE) and parties (PARTY TONITE) and family and children (BRING THE YOUTH). the song MR. ANONYMOUS is about attraction. the song ALWAYS is about taking a step back to listen rather than talk... etc. the songs all sort of fall under the same umbrella.
WHO IS MR. ANONYMOUS
The name mr. anonymous represents the collaborative spirit of the album, and is kind of a pseudo name for me as an artist and producer. although i wrote and performed most all of the music, i sang on about half of the material. it seemed like anonymity to a certain extent was the best way to present and feature all of the artists on the cd, kind of like a collage as opposed to a single artist cd.
HOW DID YOU HOOK UP WITH ALL OF THE ARTISTS
It all really started with Michael Rose who i had worked with on my previous album. he got me in contact with Cutty Ranks who put me in touch with Barrington Levy and so on. the whole process was very random. for example, i had just finished recording a track with Cutty (in kingston), and we were talking about drummers. i mentioned Sly Dunbar, so he called him on his cell phone and handed the phone over to me as we were driving in the car. we talked and Sly said he would do the track if he liked it. he ended up bringing Sky Juice(the original percussionist for Black Uhuru) along for his session. earlier that same day,
Kingston, Jamaica
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i was hanging out at Cutty's house and his protege from Spanishtown, Dr. Innocent , came over to work on lyrics. he had heard the "Mr. Anonymous" track that Cutty had already finished and wanted to do something on it as well. some of the artists i met for the first time hanging out in the studio. Turbulence was hanging out in the yard of the studio right at the time i had finished recording Sly and another dj named Danny English. my engineer Fatta saw him on the monitor, and we called him in to check out the track. he liked the groove and dj'd the track right then. for Bounty Killer, i left a copy of a track at the front desk of my hotel for his manager to pick up. she said he would do the track if he liked it....later that night, she called me and said Bounty wanted to do the track, and i ended up going over to Shaggy's studio to record with him. Dave Wakeling had done some shows with my band on our last tour, and we had discussed working on a song or project together. i sent him the track and so on.
HOW WERE THE SONGS CONSTRUCTED
Most every tune started as an acoustic guitar riff, and most of the songs with guest artists were written with their voicing in mind. for example, the song "SWING" was written with the Barrington Levy trademark "shidley woy" in my head. every time i played that song to myself, i couldn't get that sound out of my head. another example is the melody and phrasing for the song "GOOD VIBE". i had Michael Rose and Dave Wakeling singing both of those parts in my head before i even set the guitar down. other songs were composed on my groovebox. these songs were the more dancehall/hiphop vibe, and the dj's i picked were for their rhythmic delivery and tonal quality. with Cutty Ranks and Bounty Killer, i just sat and listened!!!
SO YOU BASICLY HAD MOST OF THIS IN YOUR HEAD FROM THE START
Pretty much...my biggest surprise was the song "SEXY". i had had this rhythm on an 8-track cassette since 1996 (maybe earlier), and i always loved the music but could never find a vocal melody or words to fit over it. on a whim i sent the track to Frankie Paul, one of my all time favorite singers. when he sang his idea over the phone i was blown away. it's one of my favorite tracks on the album, by far!!!
WHO WAS YOUR FAVORITE TO WORK WITH
It's hard to pick a favorite because all of these guys blew me away. i would have to say the "experience"
Sky Juice Recording on the Track "Always"
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of hanging with Cutty Ranks probably sticks out the most. it was my first trip to kingston, and he let me stay at his place. he took me to his old neighborhood where he grew up and introduced me to the family that took him in as a kid. he turned me on to all of his local food spots and bars, and i basicly tagged along on all his errands like the barbershop, carwash, local herbal doctor, domino game, etc. Cutty is intensely musical and constantly writing and reciting lyrics. he's extremely smart and has a lot to say. he stands right in your face tapping your chest while he raps, always projecting a message. i'd wake up every morning with a track blasting out of his stereo and he'd be singing lyrics into his dictaphone. one afternoon, Dr. Innocent came over and all three of us sat out in Cutty's backyard on cinder blocks smoking spliffs and writing lyrics. i just listened and took it all in. Cutty is a straight up respectable guy, and i wouldn't trade that experience for anything!!!
ANY FUNNY INCIDENTS OR BAD EXPERIENCES
The most embarassing incident happened with the session in miami with Robbie Shakespeare. Robbie is probably my biggest hero as a musician and the tracking went great. he really liked the tracks and laid down some amazing bass grooves. after the session, i tried to cash a travellers check at every check cashing place you can think of in miami. nobody would cash my check. i had already signed the check over to Robbie, so he had to come with me, and the entire night ended up being a nightmare from my perspective. picture standing in lines for 3 straight hours with your absolute"hero" trying to make things cool. he was totally relaxed about it and kept saying"...just relax jeep" and "...no worry yourself" while i was screaming at the ladies behind the counter.
WHERE DID YOU RECORD AND HOW LONG DID IT TAKE
The basic tracks were recorded in colorado at Airshow, Coupe studio, Velvet recording studio, and Phil's place. in jamaica, i tracked at Shaggy's studio, Anchor recording studio, Naciamaj, and a private studio in miami where i tracked Robbie Shakespeare. i took 3 separate trips to jamaica and the actual tracking process for everything took about 6 weeks.
WHAT INSTRUMENTS WERE USED
I used a Roland Groovebox MC303 for all of my drum programming, synth sounds, and moog bass. i also used an old Kramer stick bass on a couple tracks. the guitars were a 1957 Martin D18 acoustic and 1968 Gibson ES 345. the only guitar amp was a Marshall MS-2(mini amp that straps on your belt). for live drums, i used a Tribes 18" kick, 6 1/2" snare, and sabian 13" hihats. i also used a Line 6 Delay Modeler, and megaphone.
ANY FINAL THOUGHTS
"Mr Anonymous" has been the most fulfilling musical project of my life. the sounds and vibes on the album are kind of like an audible diary of the entire experience. i have truly been blessed to work with such amazing talent. there is so much spontaneity and life in every one of the performances. i really feel like the album truly captures the best of the best!!!
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