Empty House by Peter Hazen
My wife & kids left me alone with a proverbial Empty House for an entire 48 hours, which is the longest I've been without them for years. At first, anxiety set in: what would I do to make this precious time valuable?
Did I get all the laundry and yard-work done? Heck no! I got out my electric guitar - that I've had for 20 years and played with some great rock bands - and I got out my little amp and turned it up. And then I hit record. This little album is the result.
I spontaneously gave myself a 48-hour-challenge to complete both the songwriting and recording for a short EP. I sat down and scratched out the lyrics in the first 2 hours, and then practiced them a couple times each on my acoustic guitar. I opened up the floodgates, and felt the familiar rush of the muses arriving. I feel as though these songs were channeled through me from another place; they came almost instantly.
This year we lost two great musical heroes: Dr. John & Roky Erickson. Certainly, the manner in which these songs flowed from my pen and into my microphone was inspired by my own return to the psychedelic 1960s, and listening to a good dose of the 13th Floor Elevators and other underrated bands of that era.
Clearly, more could be done with more time and equipment. But I did what I set out to accomplish and I'm happy with it, and I hope that you, too, find something of value in these 29 minutes.
If you would like me to have more time and freedom to write and record new music, please support me by making a donation for this album.
Tracklist
| 1. | She | 4:54 |
| 2. | Perpendicular Lines | 4:12 |
| 3. | Empty House | 5:52 |
| 4. | Dark Fantasy | 2:56 |
| 5. | Workin' on the Railroad | 5:24 |
| 6. | Elected Official | 3:30 |
| 7. | Empires Out | 2:31 |
Credits
Peter Hazen:
vocals, guitar, keyboard, powwow drum, tin can, glass jar, trash can lid, etc.
License
All rights reserved.
Songwriter, guitarist, pianist, visual artist, gardener, teacher and father.
Sprouted & grown in New York State, hardened through many lake-effect winters, tempered by many years on the Maine coast, dazzled by the brilliance of nature & the cultures of man, amidst the dizzying spectacle of life, Peter Hazen cannot help but burst into song!