THE VALIANT KNIGHT
Back in the preposterous year of 2020, I was inspired by my pal James Valliant to work up a guitar instrumental. The Valiant Knight came together quickly and I made a fun video to go along with it. Here it is:
The 2020 version is a demo—and a fine demo if I say so myself. The drums in the demo are fake drums. A computer program. Since then, the magnanimous Kenny Aronoff recorded his real and mighty drum performance(s) for the song. I spent a good bit of time over the Christmas holiday reviewing Kenny's performances, listening for the best takes, and preparing the track for recording. I’ll record the definitive version of The Valiant Knight in the next few months.
TRADEMARK
I'm working up a cover of Eric Johnson's Trademark. I finished off the last track—the bass guitar track—last night. I’ll begin mixing it this weekend. That’ll take 3 or 4 days. I’ll then make a video for it.
I'm pleased as punch with the tune. I didn’t want to just copy EJ's guitar solos so I came up with quite a few variations for the solo sections which, I hope, complement the song's melodic themes. The bass (performed by me) sounds cool. The drums (performed by me) sound cool—alas not Kenny Aronoff cool, but still cool.
MORE KENNY A!
Kenny recorded two new songs for The Sunshine Man in December. He totally nailed both. I had struggled to find a satisfying tempo for the first song. Kenny found a sweet groove immediately and the song feels great now. He also recorded 8 Ball which I shared here on Substack recently. I count 9 distinct parts in 8 Ball and Kenny rocks them all.
Finally, I prepared Kenny’s drum tracks for the two songs he recorded in December 2023. One is The Muse and the other is a favorite of mine that's untitled at this point.
HAPPY 2025
I wish you and yours a marvelous 2025. We have 1,440 minutes each day. Make 'em meaningful.
Cheerio!
-Lance 🎸😎👍
