My last trip to Las Vegas was a visual escapade to say the least. During my first-class flight, I had an opportunity to chin waggle with a true cast of questionable characters.
When I landed and got outside Wild Bill’s Gambling Hall, on the corner of Flamingo and Las Vegas Blvd., I could hear Karaoke singers inside belting out 80’s rock cover tunes. So I decided to stop out on the sidewalk, have a Corona Beer and watch the people going by. My visions of women kissing, men holding hands, hustlers, street tramps and grungy sidewalk guitar players trying to make a buck made me slyly smile with a cheesy grin. After all, it excites some people to be around the “criminal type”.
My guitar tracks on this CD are filled with tomfoolery and brouhaha, just like those scabs walking down the sidewalk. Now I’m not sure if my music will ever make it big in Vegas, but one thing was for sure that warm April day, there was plenty of Sidewalk Shenanigans to go around…
CD Tracks: (click on link for audio file)
- Sidewalk Shenanigans (Free MP3)
- Snazzy Jazz (Free MP3)
- Sunrise Serenade (Free MP3)
- Arpeggio Interlude (Free MP3)
- Gutter Sludge – (Free MP3)
- Backing Guitars – John E. Davis
- Lead Melodies and Solos – John E. Davis
- Bass – John E. Davis
- Keyboards – John E. Davis
- Drums – Dr. Rhythm
- CD Design and Cover Concept – John E. Davis
- Recorded at the Park Springs Recording Studio
Arlington, Texas, Summer, 2009. - Engineered & Produced by John E. Davis.
- All songs Mixed and Mastered by John E. Davis.
John E. Davis records for the Arlington Guitars record label.
All original music was written, performed and composed by John E. Davis. John E. Davis uses DiMarzio pick-ups and GHS Boomer strings exclusively. Bass tracks were recorded on a Fender Precision Bass. Drums were recorded using a Boss – Dr. Rhythm Drum Machine.
Guitar tracks were recorded on heavily modified Fender Stratocasters. Solos and backing tracks recorded with a modified Marshall DSL 2000 stack and a Boss ME-5 Digital Effects unit and recorded with Shure PG-57 mics in stereo. All backing guitar tracks were double tracked in two takes. I run a Marshall 1960A slant 4×12 cab with four Celestion speakers. That’s it.
Thanks to Guitar Center – Arlington for keeping me in strings and picks.
This CD was recorded and digitally mastered on a Fostex MR-16 digital recording console. CDs were remastered and recorded with a Macintosh G5 computer and OSX 10.4.11 music recording software. Recorded Summer 2009 at the Park Spring Recording Studio in Arlington, Texas. Special thanks to Britt for the use of the recording space.
Also special thanks to everyone who came to the studio to help with the recording of this CD. Also thanks goes out to all my friends who are a part of my existence, keeping up with correspondence, sending e-mails and helping with the daily operations of my crazy life. You know who you are. It’s your love and patience that makes all this music possible. I could not do it with out you.
To all my fans in the Shredder newsletter database who send in the comments and responses, Thank You. I had no idea when I started all this four years ago that we would have grown to more than 2,000 strong. Thanks to everyone who wrote in reviews of the last CD and gave me feedback on 180 Proof. Your passion and dedication is what drives me to make every new CD better than the last.
I hope you enjoy each track. — J.E.D.