Background, lyrics and more
When I see you
From "Easy Heart" (2014)
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About a lifelong curious longing after finding the mindset and attitude that can bring you in balance with yourself and everything around you.
About being in a state of "soul dissolvement" - with a mix between an urge to surrender to it, and fears of the consequences if you do - or don't.
The lyrics had it's startingpoint in a couple of chinese proverbs
This is one of my more "landscapeish" tracks. A pair of good quality speakers or headphones will not hurt your listening experience.
The "Easy Heart" album was recorded in the Congress House Studio in Austin, Tx i nov 2012 (that is, the basic tracks:accoustic guitars, mandolin & violin, bass and drums/percussion - see credits for more details).
For me recordingwise, it meant a new country, new town, new studio, new musicians (except Danny F who also played on my "It's almost love" from 2006) and new technicians. A lot of "unknowns and challenges", which was exactly the idea - to bring me out of my comfortzone and into so much new stuff, that it would be impossible to lean back on "business as usual"-routines. I had though beforehand asked my friends in Austin about a good and appropriate studio, and checked it out the last time I was in there visiting "The House of Songs".
It is crucial to have a good studio and top professional technicians for a session , especially when you only have short time to record - and Marc and André turned out to live up to it all.
We had three days for ten songs, including setup and rehearsals/arrangements. That's a lot less time than I am used to.
Tim O' Brien had flown in from Nashville a couple of days before, and we had some time together running through the songs. The other two only heard the songs in the studio.
As I don't dare to fly with my A-guitar (a danish handbuilt Kehlet from 1990), Tim had said that he could bring some of his own guitars for me to play on (fabulous collegial attitude). Of course the were top of the crops, including a Martin accoustic in the...Tim O' Brien-series (Martin has made a special series for him based on his taste and preferences - envy !)
Tim also asked his Austin friends about the best bass-player in Austin for the session. That turned out to be Glenn Fukunaga - who in all possible ways sounded and acted like "the best bassplayer in Austin". He is born in Hawaii, and when he dosen't play with Dixie Chicks, Bob Dylan or Robert Plant, he is a bookbinder. If you think it's hard to be a musician in Denmark - try US.
The sessions were relaxed and creative, and basically everything fell in place surprisingly fast after playing through each song a few times.
The blessing of working with musicians of this caliber is, that the only thing you basically have to be able to pull off, is to perform your music the way you think it should be sung and played, including the right vibe and dynamic changes (and writing a piece of paper with chords and the the presumed form).
If you can do that, these dudes will pretty quick find the best way they can support that musically, while at the same time listening and adjusting to the other players progress.
Easy Heart was nominated "Best folkalbum in Germany" by "Schallplattenkritik" - an association of musicreviewers in Germany, Austria and Switzerland
When I see you
(Music & Lyrics Lysdal)
I've danced on my lawn
I've danced in the wild
Been looking for reasons
since I was a child
I've wandered in the woods
Wondered if I ever could
find one like you
If I lost my mind
would you still love my soul
Or would you be scared
by my lack of control
What is this thing called love
That's what I'm thinking of
When I see you
My compas it is broke
I see life as a joke
When I see you
One step at a time is good walkin
Listening is better than talking
Why do we only dream when we sleep
Why this surprise by the things that we reap
I have my feet
on two different boats
I will be happy
if just one of them floats
My compas it is broke
I see life as a joke
When I see you
Those who can't hear the music
think the dancers are mad
The music, the music
there's nothing to add
Recording "Easy Heart", Austin, Tx (video)
Credits
As 99% of all recorded music is streamed, credits about the musicians, technicians, photographers etc. are gone.
So here is a list of the guilty ones, responsible for what you are hearing and seeing (and I am honored to work with them all)
MUSICIANS
Greg Leisz - Pedal Steel guitar (Joni Mitchell, John Mayer, Eric Clapton, Bill Frisell)
Danny Frankel - Drums/percussion (Rickie Lee Jones, Lou Reed, Marianne Faitfull)
Tim O' Brien - Mandolin (Mark Knopfler, The Chieftains)
Glenn Fukunaga - Bass (Bob Dylan, Robert Plant, Dixie Chicks)
Dan Hemmer - Organ
Bjarke Falgren - Viola
Jesper Bo Hansen - Synths (Glenn Hughes, Jesper Binzer, Anne Linnet)
Jens Lysdal Electric Guitar, Slide Guitar, Laud, Piano, Synth, Percussion
TECHNICIANS
Recorded by Marc Hallman in Congress House Studio, Austin, Texas
Assisting engineer Andre Moran
Dubs recorded by Jens Lysdal in Village Pond Studios, Slagslunde, Denmark
Mixed by Kristian Thomsen at King Kong Studios, Cph, and by Lars Nissen in Village Pond Studios, Slagslunde, Denmark
Mastered by Nikolaj Vinten in Supersonic
PRODUCED BY JENS LYSDAL
Photo by Elisa Hauerbach
Cover design Steve Averill
Pictures
Danny Frankel is the type of drummer/percussionist that builds a new set-up for every new song (check the video). That gives each track a different flavour, sound and drive, and because he is so musical and creative, he can find a combination that gives a lot of space for the lead part, while at the same time driving the rhythm-section. You have to be pretty flexible and openminded to pull that off all the time - and he is.
On "When I see you" he ended up with a handplayed wooden box
with a tom clad with a towel. Simple and well-working.
Glenn Fukunaga on this track plays chose to play the most basic bass-part you could think of. I had a slightly more complex idea before the sessions, but when you hear the whole arrangement (which Glenn had no chance of predicting) - it's perfect and all that is needed.
Tim O' Brien - who is a blugrass-icon with a fabulous tecnique and a great singer/composer was left with a similar simple part, just playing single notes on every third eight through the whole song (It seemed it was a first for him, and he performed without any complaints :-) )
Greg Leisz (who also played on "It's almost love") should also have joined the sessions in Austin, but it was not possible to make ends meet. So a couple of months later, I went to London to record his pedal steel guitar in Dyre Gormsens studio. At the time he was touring with Eric Clapton, but had a couple of days off, so we hung out and got the recordings done. Interesting to hear inside musician stories from a man who has played with "everybody" - including some of my personal favourites like Joni Mitchell and Randy Newman.
"The impeccable Greg Leisz" is Gregs' nickname :-) - and for good reasons. Apart from being a nice lo-key person, who everytime patiently gives everything he can to a session, Greg has an ability beyond everything I have experienced before, to immediately photograph and sense form, space, dynamic and dramaturgy of the song and the performer to such a depth, that his instrument never at any point is in the way for what's important - while at the same time contributing to the whole track in a substantial way. It's called class.
Bjarke Falgren - my good playingbuddy through a couple of decades, is playing the vibrating viola.
Jesper Bo Hansen has added some nice synth-fills