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Put your hands on the remote! browse music »The Stray Dog Cafe by Thom Beckman
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fave it Folk Pop | Delicate
13 tracks | 36 minutes
Released Oct 2002
on Thom Beckman
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- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 02:30 Scene From A Truckstop lyrics BUY MP3 02:30 Scene From A Truckstop lyrics "GIFT MP3" 02:30 Scene From A Truckstop
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 02:55 Mouse Hunt lyrics BUY MP3 02:55 Mouse Hunt lyrics "GIFT MP3" 02:55 Mouse Hunt
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 03:01 The Stray Dog Cafe lyrics BUY MP3 03:01 The Stray Dog Cafe lyrics "GIFT MP3" 03:01 The Stray Dog Cafe
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 02:33 Dear Miss Radio lyrics BUY MP3 02:33 Dear Miss Radio lyrics "GIFT MP3" 02:33 Dear Miss Radio
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 03:02 Tv '72 lyrics BUY MP3 03:02 Tv '72 lyrics "GIFT MP3" 03:02 Tv '72
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 03:29 Riding A Dead Horse lyrics BUY MP3 03:29 Riding A Dead Horse lyrics "GIFT MP3" 03:29 Riding A Dead Horse
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 02:54 If You Say So lyrics BUY MP3 02:54 If You Say So lyrics "GIFT MP3" 02:54 If You Say So
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 01:47 A Brief Intermission lyrics BUY MP3 01:47 A Brief Intermission lyrics "GIFT MP3" 01:47 A Brief Intermission
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 03:21 Lighthouse lyrics BUY MP3 03:21 Lighthouse lyrics "GIFT MP3" 03:21 Lighthouse
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 03:48 Carpathia lyrics BUY MP3 03:48 Carpathia lyrics "GIFT MP3" 03:48 Carpathia
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 02:55 Sidewalking lyrics BUY MP3 02:55 Sidewalking lyrics "GIFT MP3" 02:55 Sidewalking
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 01:32 Roadside Attraction lyrics BUY MP3 01:32 Roadside Attraction lyrics "GIFT MP3" 01:32 Roadside Attraction
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 03:12 Dance of the Lava Monster lyrics BUY MP3 03:12 Dance of the Lava Monster lyrics "GIFT MP3" 03:12 Dance of the Lava Monster
Combining a taste for pop craft and classical acoustic, strong anthemic compositions lie side by side with more introspective moments, the two building up a soundscape to a familiar and friendly sonic place where the mind can wander.
Bio / Background
Acoustic records can be a surprise. Sometimes even a surprise to the artist.
That is certainly the story with Thom Beckman's Stray Dog Cafe.
Combining a taste for pop craft and classical acoustic can be a sticky proposition; but once in a while something like Stray Dog Cafe comes along and forces you to re-evaluate the state of acoustic music. Strong anthemic compositions lie side by side with more introspective moments, the two building up a soundscape to a familiar and friendly sonic place where the mind can wander like the passenger that counts mileposts along the side of the highway.
As a song cycle, the tunes seem to naturally flow, like the fantasy soundtrack to your road trip from Tahoe to Salt Lake, taking breaks in the little places, where the locals have a story to tell. In listening to Stray Dog Cafe in this way, it all coheres into a seamless whole.
↓ more ↓Even Thom was surprised to discover that the compositions all belonged together, the journey of the composer taking shape musically in the moment.
The songs on the album began humbly enough on a simple 4-track cassette. Initially, the tapes contained the atoms of songwriting slated to be part of something completely different; part of a project where Thom was the primary songwriter and intended for loud electric guitars.
The songs had plans of their own, however, because a new batch were inspired by a favorite nylon-string guitar... that guitar is largely responsible for the direction of Stray Dog Cafe.
Hiding out in The Torture Chamber studios, Thom was able to give the songs an opportunity to gel and take shape, layering on ideas and building textures. The limits of recording on 16-track analog and restricting himself to a small group of acoustic guitars helped to ensure that the songs stayed simple and elegant, but with some opportunities to stretch and find new sounds with familiar instruments.
Although there are no vocals, the songs are lyrical-- the stories hummed in the fret-buzz and intertwining melodies. Enjoy Stray Dog Cafe for what it is, a most pleasant and unexpected surprise, and a hell of a good acoustic album!
-Tim Thomas
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