The Transient Sessions: New York City - "Against The Grain"

The Transient Sessions

Against The Grain is a new song and has yet to be “officially” released. The recorded version for the album is actually a bit different than what I do here. One evening in NYC, I was waiting to take the stage and had no idea what I should start with. It needed to be a song I connected with personally but also upbeat enough to properly meet the listeners where they were at. Typically, an audience is more riled up at the top of a show having just come in from their busy lives. The lead off songs need to meet them and direct them where to go. At the time, I wasn't feeling inspired by any of my upbeat tunes and couldn’t get the lyrics of a new song I was working on out of my head. The problem was that the new song, Against The Grain, had a unique droning tempo that wouldn’t hold up on a solo guitar. It sounds great with a band but when played solo had a little too much slack in the rope. So I began playing the song with this tempo to help cut out the musical fat and showcase the lyrics more. It gave the song a 60s, Dylan-esc protest type vibe. I actually based the strumming pattern off of Dylan’s version of Love Minus Zero / No Limit from his Rolling Thunder Review tour. Waiting to take the stage, I gave the song a facelift and found the tempo treatment served the lyrics really well and injected the energy needed to start the night off. And just like that, an alternative version to a song that had yet to be released and barely played live … was born. Something about the way the chords roll creates a nice bed for the lyrics to lay upon. It feels really good to play. I feel confident and strong in this song. When I set up to record this batch of video sessions I was really struggling with entering into the music. I felt off and rudderless. Just at that moment, I remembered this version of the song and gave it a try. From the very first strum I was recalibrated, comfortable and dialed-in. Sometimes all you need is the right song.