Album Descriptions Archive

The 2010 industrial hard folk/rock album featuring drummer Dave Eisenhower. Featuring all original material. Music inspired by many forms of media (movies, news, Internet) and expressing the struggles of technology and chaos in our world today. Includes an electric remix of “Chaos Factory” from Immaculate Misconceptions and a modern update for “Ones & Zeroes” (originally recorded for Homegrown Music in 1997). with an appearance by Michael Hickey. 20-page booklet and exclusive artwork only with CD edition.

For years, dePrisco performed music from (or inspired by) the civil rights revolution of the 60s-70s, but he remained relatively apolitical in his own recorded music. All that is about to change. After the folk-blues excursion of his previous album, Catch the Squirrel, it was time for something a bit different. Something meatier.

The latest album by dePrisco, Chaos Rise Up, was largely inspired by the Bush years and the ways in which media – particularly digital media – have impacted our lives. Part protest rock, part anthemic social commentary, Chaos Rise Up melds a dystopian view of technology with a critical reading of our responsibility to hold ourselves accountable for its use. The album draws from dePrisco’s rhetorical, leadership and social influence studies while attending Bloomsburg University as a non-traditional student. Going to school part-time and working full-time in the software industry gave dePrisco unique inspiration. He reflects on the “culture wars” that have preoccupied us for the past decade as well as technology’s role. When pressed for a description of his music these days, dePrisco comments, “It may be a bit presumptuous, but the best way to describe my music right now is if Tom Waits and Beck got together with producer Dan Lanois. Since that combo is not likely to happen, I figure there is a niche for me.” When pressed for a two word description – necessary for the sound bites/bytes we all need – dePrisco says: “hard folk”.

Bucking the trend toward download-only music, Chaos Rise Up features lush artwork and a full booklet of stories/lyrics. Mike Hickey also contributes blues guitar on “Ones & Zeroes.”

 

 

Chaos Rise Up, is also available at Endless Records, our (only) local record store located at 203 West Main Street in Bloomsburg (The Moose Exchange building). Their hours are Thu-Sat 12-8, Sun 12-6. Visit the Endless Records web site.  Or, to learn more about the Moose Exchange, visit their site too.

“One small step for Jeremy, one giant leap for squirrel kind.” – Town Park Squirrel

“If Cat Stevens, Beck and Ian Anderson had a love child, delivered by Tom Waits in a cold dark studio by candlelight.” Jeremy

One of WVIA FM’s top picks for 2007

Catch the Squirrel is a collection of folk-blues material written and recorded in Bloomsburg, PA. Included in this selection of 12 songs are Jeremy’s rendition of the Tom Waits classic “Jockey Full of Bourbon” and an interpretation of the Leadbelly song, “Ox Drivin’ Blues”. Instrumentation includes acoustic and electric guitars, and a wide variety of drums and experimental percussion instruments (some of them home made). Song topics range from the Indian fakir Satyananda and life in prison, to hopeful escapes to the shore and the adventures one has during the long, dark winter.

“There are spectral images, memories, shadows all about… a collection of tunes that take you through the trials and tests of life, judgment, lessons learned, false perceptions, realizations, and finally points to a brighter future.” – Mickey Maguire

“Often, with a certain lyrical alchemy, Jeremy makes us consider some aspect of life in a brand new way. As always, he is simultaneously conversant with mundane and sublime worlds, with Jersey tolls, or living through a lonely and cold, cold night.” – Dr. Stephen Schrum

Catch the Squirrel is also available at Endless Records, our (only) local record store located at 203 West Main Street in Bloomsburg (The Moose Exchange building). Their hours are Thu-Sat 12-8, Sun 12-6. Later in August, you will also be able to get my new album Chaos Rise Up there, and perhaps catch me in some in-store performances in the Fall. More to come. Visit the Endless Records web site.  Or, to learn more about the Moose Exchange, visit their site too.

Immaculate Misconceptions, recorded in June 2006, is an all-acoustic CD featuring music from and inspired by the play Immaculate Misconceptions by long-time collaborator Stephen Schrum. The play opened on June 16th and 17th, 2006 in Greensburg, PA. There was a reprise performance in Oct 2006. Fans can purchase the album of full-length songs and read about the making of the album below.

My first solo album in seven years (since Cadillacs & Tarantulas), Immaculate Misconceptions was primarily an acoustic offering. The music was first premiered in Stephen Schrum’s monologue “Immaculate Misconceptions” at the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg. The play is a humorous, and sometimes serious tale about Catholic grade school and high school, finding the humorous and serious aspects of the positive (and negative) role models of Schrum’s youth. With references to secular events (such as the Kennedy Assassination and the NASA moon landing), as well as more religious happenings (the world’s oldest nun giving sex advice, another nun teaching Marriage Class and, of course, Vatican II and the Baltimore Catechism), Schrum seeks to discover how his Catholic school education shaped the college professor he is today. The play premiered in Greensburg, PA in June 2006,

Even though Steve only needed short snippets of music throughout the play, it was very hard to contain the creativity that resulted from our collaboration. The writing also took place during what is usually a productive period for me (Winter/Spring), and my location in a new studio facility only added to the inspiration and possibilities. So along with the smaller segments that he requested, I fleshed out an entire album’s worth of material. In retrospect, it may be some of my best work to date. The music on this album is primarily acoustic with light percussion (hand drums, brushes).

For years I’ve been consciously avoiding outright political or ‘activist’ music. My spiritual beliefs (heavily impacted by Buddhism and Sufi poetry) along with my rhetorical studies led me to believe that music was not necessarily the most effective medium for such expression. So instead I went inward, examining my life and values, and chose to either learn other people’s music or write about less controversial subjects. I felt that there was just so much more to figure out before affixing my thoughts to songs that would be part of my creative legacy. Then Steve came along with his play and, well, it was like a fountain opened. Many of the ideas that had been kicking around for so many years finally found a catalyst. A number of other factors conspired to lift my ban on topical songs. Everything from current world conflicts to my reading, to becoming a home owner. The result is a collection of rather raw and, at times, humorous songs. Steve’s experiences often triggered something similar in my own life, or related to something going on in the news. Probably the most difficult part was determining: Am I writing this for Steve… for myself… neither? I tried not to self-censor too much, and prefer to look at this project as a part of a larger journey.

Immaculate Misconceptions is the first project to come out of the new location of Mothership Studios in Bloomsburg. Mothership is a small project studio that has grown from an idea to a reality since my first recording, Mandala in 1999 when I was based in Harrisburg. Today, Mothership is an incubation tank for roots music and experimental projects, both solo and collaborative. Very early in my career I had an interest in sound recording, so I prefer to do all of my own production and engineering. That’s a double-edged sword because it is easy to get caught up in the technology. With this project, my recording philosophy was to capture the freshness of the songs without getting too worried about technical matters. So there are rough spots, for sure, but I think the energy, spontaneity and honesty shows through.

Music or Politics? Maybe the listener shouldn’t care what I, personally, think. But behind every artist (whether it is me or anyone else), there is likely a group that feels the same way. In many places, like the Middle East and throughout Africa, music is often the only thing people have to communicate their message. In some cases, artists and producers are even executed or banned from state-controlled media. So when those of us with the power (and it is Power) can reach out with our music, I just think we should. Out of politeness, politics and religion tend to be avoided in discussion. I’d like to see that change, but in a civil, non-violent way.

Infamous Quotes:

“Five years ago, I couldn’t have predicted the music that I’ve written here. So, five years from now, who knows!” – Jeremy

“Strive for perfection, achieve excellence!” – Steve

The music on this album is primarily acoustic with light percussion (hand drums, brushes).

1. Immaculate Misconceptions 1:51
2. Transition 0:45
3. Our Town 2:29
4. Hard Day Comin’ 3:16
5. Minor Organ 0:49
6. Usher Chant 2:14
7. Mother Taught Me 1:56
8. Tempest 6:13
9. Sister 2:46
10. Shadow Box 2:36
11. Chaos Factory 4:05
12. Incidental Madness 0:14
13. Chindra’s Lament 2:25
14. Questions That I Ask 3:12

Bloomsburg to Bangladesh (Blue Buddha Records) is a self-titled album that showcases the collaboration of roots songwriter Jeremy dePrisco and Bangladeshi tabla player Ahm Mostafizur (Bulu) Rahman. Formed in 2003, Bloomsburg to Bangladesh has performed throughout Central PA and have been featured on WVIA’s Homegrown Music with George Graham (billed as Moonlight Masala with artist Tom Dennehy).

Bloomsburg to Bangladesh consists of 11 tracks of East/West fusion with anthemic lyrics and full arrangements, as well as some stripped-down acoustic instrumental music. Instrumentation includes guitars, flute, tabla, harmonium and tasteful use of sampling. Subject manner ranges from whaling to teen violence and fairy tales expressed through sometimes dark characters and situations. A tribute to songwriter Tom Waits is also given with Jeremy’s rendition of “Yesterday is Here.”

Jeremy’s third self-produced release, Bloomsburg to Bangladesh is truly a celebration of intercultural possibilities. Several students from the community and singer Nandini Sengupta contribute to the Bangladesh Nationalist Party song “Prothom Bangladesh.” Jeremy co-wrote one of the songs with lyricist Paul Rodericks from India.

About the album…

After Cadillacs & Tarantulas I wanted the next CD from Blue Buddha Records to be more complex, and more produced (filled out instrumentally). I also knew that the next album would have an Asian feel, incorporating elements of the Indian music that I had been listening to for many years. While I hesitate to use the term “world music” (see sidebar), I definitely saw myself moving in the world music direction. There is no specific date that served as the genesis of Bloomsburg to Bangladesh. Rather, a string of separate, loosely related events brought it together. Recording experiments in 2000-2002 proved I had the technology to pull off some of the things I wanted to do, even if I didn’t know players of various instruments originating from the subcontinent (tablas, sitar, mrudangam). In late 2002, I collected some fully-produced songs from earlier years and decided to tentatively title the collection “Sankhya” a sanskrit word that means “an attempt to explain the nature of all existence by dividing it into purusha (that which is unchanging), and prakrti (matter).”

 

Sankhya was going to feature several of the songs that eventually made it to Bloomsburg to Bangladesh (She’s A Zombie, Men At Sea, Mikey Might, Mangalam) as well as a few others that did not make the cut (Morning After, Children of Light, What’s Reality, Know All Things and I Saw the Face of Jesus in the Icecubes of My Drink). All of the songs involved some level of computer-aided production, whether it was drum samples or sound effects.

But as I thought about Sankyha, I wondered if the title (and at times, the whole album) would work. Fans and press had enough trouble with the word “Mandala” from my first album, often mistaking it for Mandela (as in Nelson from South Africa) or a host of other equally incorrect permutations (Mancala, Mandolla, etc). While I joke about this now, it is something that I hoped to avoid in the future, so I decided to stay away from obscure terms and references. Still, I still think of those songs in the context of Sankhya because they had a consistent production sound and darkness to them.

Computer problems in 2002 slowed down production on Sankhya. Then, my work with Bodó Band in 2003 put Sankhya on hold even further, and when I came back from our West Coast tour, I found that I no longer heard the Sankhya collection the same way. My interest in live acoustic instruments was at a peak, and I had become entrenched in a study of character writing (continued from C&T). I had become fascinated with the work of Tom Waits, so I wasn’t interested in sitting in front of the computer aligning drum tracks. Rather, I was doing more people watching and outlining for non-fiction writing. My post-Bodó Band intercultural exploration took me right into an exploration of Bangladesh through my friendship with Bulu and the local Bengali community. All of these experiences and interests tossed aside all pre-conceived images of how my work would come out on CD next time around.

Tablas have been my favorite percussion instrument since the first time I heard Zakir Hussain in the early 90’s. So finding a tabla player in Bloomsburg was a major stroke of luck. I felt so fortunate to be working with Bulu. As we’ve developed the act, we’ve tried many things. Recording live shows helped us develop an ear for what worked and what didn’t. The more shows that we did, the more requests we got for a CD, so we knew we’d have to put something together, even if we just made them ourselves. The live tapes weren’t usually production quality and had various problems (crowd noise, poor balance of instruments, etc.) so I turned toward a multitracking approach, starting with some of the songs from Sankhya. Throughout 2003 and Spring of 2004, Bulu was studying in the Master’s program at Bloomsburg University, so his time was quite limited.

By the end of the Spring, momentum for our project (and the offshoot Moonlight Masala with Tom Dennehy) had grown to the point where we knew we really needed to focus on putting something together. After doing C&T as a home-brew project, which saved some money, but took tremendous amounts of computer time, I knew my next CD would feature professionally designed artwork and that we’d have them pressed rather than do CDRs. As the summer approached, I began discussions with OasisCD manufacturing, and we secured the services of local photographer Marlin Wagner.

What we ended up with on Bloomsburg to Bangladesh is a collection of songs from various stages of my writing, as well as a cover and some Bengali songs. (See song notes for background on each song). For the central concept of the album, I wanted to keep some of the darkness of Sankhya, expanded by some instrumental and vocal pieces that would add contrast. This involved some rather difficult creative decisions, which included dropping an eight-minute opus based on the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam (The Morning After) which I hope to release at a later date, possibly as a single.

Collaboration was central to Bloomsburg to Bangladesh, not only in the writing of She’s a Zombie with Indian lyricist Paul Rodericks, but also in the recording process. Bulu’s insight into what makes a good album or song arrangement were at times brilliant, and helped me craft something that we could both be happy with. In one case we were down to the wire trying to finish the CD, and one suggestion from Bulu made all the difference and even helped me solve on of the technical limitations of my project studio. Working with Nandini Sengupta and the chorus of students on “Prothom Bangladesh” was also a tremendous experience that helped me build on my interests as amateur ethnomusicologist. The acceptance from and support of the Bengali community in Bloomsburg is tremendous, and we thank them for their support.

I see myself developing a cycle of sparse instrumentation on one album, then more complex production on the next. It’s possible this pattern will continue, since once again I am interested in minimalist works and character-based writing. As before however, there’s no way to tell exactly where things will go. Bulu has done such a good job assimilating his talents with mine, and exploring US culture. I look forward to getting to Bangladesh sometime so that I can share the experience to bring this project full circle, from Banlgadesh back to Bloomsburg.

*World Music – a sometimes loaded term that can be interpreted as referring to any non-Western music. The term is often used in relation to non-mainstream music or music that is not considered part of “popular culture” but rather traditional, ethnic, or indigenous. Use of the term is not looked upon with favor by some ethnomusicologists because it serves to continue the perception that Western music is the main (or only) reference point we have for looking at other music. In the United States, “world music” is largely used as a catch-all marketing category for sales and doesn’t always reflect the true nature of the music. Ironically, within the US we have a number of music types which are themselves part of the “world music” landscape: Blues, Zydeco, Cajun, Appalachian, Bluegrass, etc. In the end, all music can be viewed as “world music” because we’re all part of a single world. So instead of using “world” do describe something, it is better to use the actual region of the world and local music name, such as Hindustani (from Northern Indian) or Cuban son.

 

10-song CD released in 2002 (the CD actually includes a bonus track). The songs on this collection are stripped down, in an Americana and Folk-Blues style. Dark, character-based songs and a funky bonus track. The recording is available on CD only, and Amazon won’t carry it due to the non-standard packaging. Once the original run is gone, that’s it.

When I returned to writing and recording after the release of MANDALA, two sets of songs began to develop. One set was a natural extension of the MANDALA material, featuring multiple instruments, sequencing and rather ambitious production techniques. Those complex songs soon got out of hand as my computer struggled to keep up with the sequencing requirements, and I struggled to find hard drive space for all the parts. It was obvious to me that those songs were going to take more time to develop.

The other set of songs was more acoustic, and spoke from a slightly different place in my psyche. In the wake of MANDALA, I knew I wanted something gritty. Something simple. Something more real, and less flashy. Thus began Cadillacs & Tarantulas. Cadillacs & Tarantulas (C&T for short) represents a departure from my ultra-produced recording methods, and marks a return to the more acoustic format that I have been known for since the early 90s. The songs are more intimate, and more closely reflect my live shows. When recording the songs, more emphasis was placed on the energy and tone of the performance than technical proficiency. I wanted to highlight the vocals and the lyrics.

The decision to keep things simple was just as much a practical consideration as it was creative. Given enough time, I knew could have recorded all of these songs with full arrangements. The question was, how much time did I have, and how crazy did I want to get? MANDALA was two years of recording and mixing, and I knew I wasn’t up for that again. As usual, my yearly winter sinus problems would contribute to significant time away from the project. Towards the end of the project I reached the height of my illness, with almost all of March 2002 spent with severe sinus problems and that NyQuil numbness I hate so much. The decision to strip down the production turned out to be wise, for there was no way I would have had the time or energy to do otherwise.

Most of the CD features more honest songs. These darker songs include a couple lost gems from my archives, but most of the songs were written between 2000 and 2002. It felt good to have fewer songs about me, and more songs about ideas and strange characters.Even though I may make them occasionally, comparisons with MANDALA really aren’t fair, since that album was written and recorded under completely different circumstances. I don’t think you can really call it a follow-up to MANDALA either. C&T is more a Jeremy dePrisco record than anything I’ve released thus far. I purposely wanted to work on this project alone, from writing to mastering.

The debut folk-rock album featuring drummer Joe Schrum, some guitar by Jim Nowak and some bass by Matt Homiak.

12-song CD released in 1999. Progressive folk-rock without the bad attitude. MANDALA features some of the same songs from the 1997 Homegrown Music collection recorded in a full-band format with drums and electric guitar. If you love the Backstreet Boys, you’ll absolutely hate MANDALA. The recording is available on CD only.

What is the music on Mandala? If you like Britney Spears, you will absolutely hate my music. In the past, I’ve been compared to the following artists: Lyle Lovett, Jethro Tull, Jim Croce, Cat Stevens, Gordon Lightfoot (??), Rusted Root, The Grateful Dead, and The Goo Goo Dolls. (Inclusion in this list does not necessarily represent endorsement.)

1. Just A Matter of Time – Rock – This song was the end result of a yearning to be more than a friend to a close friend of many years. Soloists: Intro JD, bridge is a combined guitar part of JD, JN and LD.

2. Promises – Folk/Rock – This song was derived from a conversation I had with my fiancee once. I guess the main message is that rings and things aren’t as good as keeping the promises we make to our loved ones. Soloist: JD

3. Give Me A Break – Rock – One of my newer songs, “Give Me a Break” is a self-evaluation of priorities that seems to have been prompted by the circumstances surrounding song #1 (see above). I saw how my life was falling apart, and how I had been fooled in many ways. Soloist: JD

4. The Shadows On My Wall – Progressive Folk – Written in a very early, dark, period of my life, this song has grown to have multiple meanings. I believe it was written shortly before, or shortly after a breakup which I initiated with a college girlfriend. Things were just going nowhere, and it yet it seemed I would always remember her. “Shadows” has taken on some rather autobiographical meaning since then, as I try to deal with my own darkness, and the fact that relationships don’t always last. Special thanks to Mike Maguire for helping with the original version, and for creating the lead break. He never wanted a songwriting credit, but to this day I’ve tried to re-create his magic. Soloist: JD

5. Someone to Touch – Folk – This is just an analysis of people and motives. Kind of tongue in cheek, but true to some extent (I hope). My fear of flying kind of peeks in, and my distrust of money as well. Soloist: LD

6. Word Traffic – Country Folk Rock – For every 10 songs I write, many are admittedly ambiguous. However, this one hits the nail right on the head. In general it’s about the music industry, told with references to driving and traffic. And, I suppose, there’s some politics in there too. Now, if I could just come up with a verse about HMOs! Soloist: LD

7. Morning Blues – Blues – A true story if there ever was one, this song was written around 5 am at a close friend’s apartment in Philly. We had seen some blues and folk entertainment that night at the Tin Angel, and I realized it was my turn to write a blues song. The song wasn’t finished for a little while, and the girl I was visiting never knew it was about her until it was too late. For years I played it, right in front of her, and she never put 2 and 2 together. Soloist: JN

8. I Ran Away – Rock – This is the end result of songs #1, #4 and #7. The song pretty much tells the story. Soloist: JD

9. What Have You Done Today – Folk – Largely influenced by Buddhism and the writings of Joseph Campbell, this song is riddled with metaphors even I don’t remember writing. I think it may have been the result of a writing exercise where I took various unrelated words, and tried to tie them together.

10. Taller – Folk – Every songwriter has one of those “Oh, I’m getting older, and I have to reflect on my life” songs. I am no different. The sample at the beginning is (you guessed it) me at 3 years of age. I left the naughty nursery rhymes out, but the one went something like this:

Mary had a little lamb
She tied him to the heater
And every time he turned around
He burned his little peter.

The children playing at the end was recorded at the lake at Gifford Pinchot campground, south of Harrisburg. Soloist: LD

11. Why – Progressive Rock – Even to me, this song is strange. It has gone through some changes in the past few years, especially for this recording. The song doesn’t work well live because there are so many parts and different levels. In the studio, I was able to take it places, and maybe took it a little too far. This is from the same place as “Shadows” (see above), and comes from the same kind of self-discovery I talk about in “What Have You Done Today.” Soloist: JD, filler part at end by LD

12. Breathe Deep – Folk/Rock – This song could not have come at a better time. It says neither too much, or too little, but says what needs to be said. It goes out to all the people I’ve written about above, and to all the people who have inspired me in the past. Soloist: JDIt goes out to my father, not just because he likes the song, but because he’s in the song. It’s really freaky to have your father go out of his way to learn and play one of your songs when it means so much to you. It’s even weirder to sing it with him.It goes out to the friends I’ve lost along the way, (for whatever reason) and the tears that were shed in the process.It’s about dying, (physical and otherwise); the fear of dying, and the threat of every day life.If there ever was a phrase that wraps up my existence, or the work I’ve done as a musician it is: “You are more than you can feel or see…”

Personnel:
Jeremy dePrisco – Acoustic & electric guitars, voice, bass,
percussion, mandolin, samples, keyboards
Joseph M. Schrum (formerly of Rogue, and Cadillac Jack) – Drums, Roland electronic drums, congas and marimba
Lou Damon – Occasional backing vocals on tracks 2, 5, 9, and 12
Lead guitar on tracks 5, 6, and 10
Jim Nowak – Lead guitar work on tracks 1 and 7
Matt Homiak – Bass on tracks 5 and 11

This is an extended list of credits. It’s hard to thank everyone by name in the small space a CD provides. When possible, I’ve provided links to the companies and services I would support in the future.

My most immediate gratitude goes to: Mom & Dad, Audra, The Musicians, Ian Anderson & Jethro Tull and Buddha

For technical assistance: George Graham, Ed Debes, Danny Demelfi, Matt Homiak, Jim Nowak.

Friends & relatives, but especially: Mike Maguire, Steve Schrum & Dianna Bourke, Mike Kattner, Bill King (my lighting specialist for many years), Amethyst, Roger Schoch, The Isenbergs, John Hearity, Pete Longo, Jason Palmer, Jaster Deebo, David Booth, Jason Ramsland, Thom Greco, The Rainbow’s End, Karen Wisotzkey, Maria Wilson, Donna Gildner, Liz Hametz, Elizabeth & Dell at D&T, and Tenzin Dhongthog & Joel Gysan from International Campaign for Tibet.

Companies & Organizations:
Roland, Fender, Alesis, Microsoft, Avery, Cakewalk, Folk Alliance, Carvin, Audio Technica, ART, Shure, Wray’s, C&C Music & Ray Carb, Johnny Moratto, Journal Newspapers, Oasis Duplication, Martin Brauen, Sean Simmers, Russ @ Smiling Otis Designs SAMAYA Foundation

Thanks to all the teachers & professors, musical & otherwise, co-workers past & present, and everyone who has encouraged me over the years (including Ed and Kathy’s cats, Linus and Schroeder.)

Mixed and mastered by Ed Debes. Mixing assistant: Andrea Shearer

Written, produced, recorded and engineered by Jeremy dePrisco

Copyright & Publishing 1999 Jeremy J. dePrisco

All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized duplication of my CD or any soundfiles on this site is a violation of applicable laws. ASCAP

UPC code by WAMA http://www.wamadc.com

CD Graphic Design by Russ Cox @ Smiling Otis Designs

Photo Credits:

Kalachakra Mandala image reprinted with permission © 1985 Martin Brauen

Cover portrait by Sean Simmers