NOTES: This is all in service of a new form of improvised, collaborative composition: three takes, recorded separately, then combined.

Over sixteen variations and videos, each released one week apart from July 15th 2020 - November 15th 2020, the contributors evolved, and in some cases even the "scaffolding" (original four guitar parts) are removed.

Scaling the Whales is my third experiment with this improvisation process: the first is the newly remixed Seattle Guitar Circle 'Anniversary" CD (released on Sept 30 in honor of Bill Rieflin's birthday: http://www.steveball.com/SGC) and the second is the newly remastered, remixed Los Gauchos Alemanes "Tiny Beast" CD (also coming later in 2021.)

The original, four-guitar version was written by Trey Gunn in 1988 at Red Lion House, and kept alive on League of Crafty Guitarists tours from 1988-1992 by Steve Ball.

These lyrics and vocal melodies by Steve Ball. Sung with a beautiful intensity by the dearest, most living / loving: Dolette McDonald.

This 2020 remote recording project was initiated by Octavio Salas.

Limited Edition CD release is coming in 2022.

Produced by Steve Ball.

More information:

www.dolettemcdonald.com 
www.tonylevin.com
www.noragermain.com
www.gretchenyanover.com
www.notesbyben.com
www.facebook.com/commandermander

Special note for those reading this far: each of the instrumental players were asked to improvise up to three complementary takes (audio + video) against a white or black background on top of the original guitar quartet. I then added multi-layered vocals, also initially mostly improvised.

As evidenced here: no one knows precisely what will emerge when everything is mixed in (up!).

* * *

Scaling all the Whales

keep it going

the ocean boiled over one degree at a time
opinions cracked open like a knife in my spine
your bull-shape blew up in your smarmy snarky face:
a scowl in a permanent parking place

I’m living on bench with a flock of birds
and drowning in the stench of your ten-cent words
digesting contradictions in twice-baked lies
disgusting implications to hypnotize
and wash away the witness the tightness the brightness
and gloss the eff all over the wrong in your rightness
can’t shine enough blacklight on these decades of darkness
to shovel the shite from these mountains of whiteness

ring out wrung out wrong all out loud
bring up bang up crank up the crowd
buck up eff up suck to big
bring home the bacon but push up the pig

blast my ass(ets) out of here, can’t withstand this atmosphere
we can’t share this tiny sphere, I can’t breathe this poison air
can’t survive this hack attack, get this dead whale off my back
tweet twit twitter broadcast fails
fat eff fingers tip the scales

wasted water washing time
dried up weather cracking leather
heavy feather falling farther

passing out balloons to a porcupine
while blowing bloated bubbles on borrowed time
and give up every winning we’ve ever won
‘til all accounts are bouncing at zero sum
where hoarders deeply bury their common cents
and landlords exponentially raise their rents
before for it gets too late and the Son goes away
we trade a wall of ice for two weeks of pay
and write off every comment as sad denial
and pray that retribution will take awhile

Scaling all the Whales

so bat your lashes and touch your face
the gesture readers all know your place
and check your privileges at the door
you won’t need privileges anymore

get my family out of here I can’t pay away this fear
we can’t fix this disrepair we can’t breathe this poison air

heavy water, missing birds
full of fiction empty words
spray on father, barely bother

this dream eroded our common sense
while landlords exponentially lose their rents
before it gets too late and we fade away
and trade one thousand lives for a week of pay

* * *

lyrics and vocal melodies by Steve Ball
© 2020 - 2023 Ballistic Music