Barry Knoedl’s newest, continues a remarkable career. The versatile veteran followed 9 albums performing with producing partner Bill Kern, another 2 with Bill in The Badbeats, then going solo for Social Meteor, Nothing Personal and, now, Daydreaming.
Looking back, he reflects,” Music has always been a part of my life. I grew up with bands practicing in my house. From the first time I saw The Beatles on Ed Sullivan, I wanted to write songs, and record records.” This time around, the prolific composer is going slightly less with originals, drawing on material by Kern and others, stating, “The material is fresh, and maybe a little more diverse. That includes Robert Lamm’s classic for Chicago Transit Authority, “Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?” [It’s] an old favorite of mine. When I was teaching, I made an arrangement for my high school chorus to sing along with the school jazz band. I recorded my vocals on it a few years ago, just for fun. I decided to try to replace the horns with voices. I was so pleased, I put it on the album.” And the rest of the material? “The songs were the ones that were complete, and ready to be released. So you might say, I didn’t choose the songs. I just set the album tracks when I had enough songs for a complete album. Most are new or recently completed.”
Knoedl went way back in his catalogue for, “Don’t Be Blue”, another choice track. “I never throw a song out. There [are] times I’ve returned to a song I thought [didn’t work], only to hear it again and realize there is potential I didn’t hear before. “Don’t Be Blue” is one. It sat unfinished for years.” And has hit written all over it, a breezy, sentimental ballad that immediately catches your ear and keeps your attention. How did he come up with this can’t-miss melody? “Sometimes I get an idea for a theme, and try to come up with a melody that fits it, and build from there. Sometimes I get a melody in my head, and I try to put a placeholder line in to try to get a little further. Once in a while, the placeholder winds up staying, because it just works.”
Switching gears from artist to producer, he notes, calls for a broad overview. “A producer can be a leader, a coach, a manager - in the baseball sense - a director, a teacher, or a boss. It all depends on the dynamic of relationship between the producer and the artist. A producer needs to recognize when it is appropriate dictate how something should go, or allow a song to develop organically.” With Social Meteor, Nothing Personal and Daydreaming, it’s different. “[There’s] less pressure. When producing someone, I need to think faster than anyone else in the room. When I produce myself, I can experiment, try different things, stew over ideas and sometimes I can come up with something I hadn’t considered at first.” The objective remains the same. “Ultimately, it’s about controlling the outcome, and that’s what a producer does.”
Daydreaming is available now on CD, and all major streaming platforms.
Flames (Dwight Hobbes)
Mister Clown (Barry Knoedl)
It's Up To You And Me (Barry Knoedl)
Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?
(Robert Lamm)†
Losing Streak (Barry Knoedl-Dwight Hobbes)
Suicide Note (Barry Knoedl-Dwight Hobbes)
CD
- $9.00 (US) each.
Plus $7.30 Media Mail shipping (shipping discounts for multiple
copies).
Additional costs for international shipping.
Also available for digital download and streaming at iTunes • Amazon Music • Spotify • and all digital platforms
Produced & Engineered by
Barry Knoedl
Recorded & Mixed at Kno Studio, Tyler TX
Barry Knoedl - Vocals, Keyboards, Bass, Guitars, Percussion
Kelly Perkins - Guitar Solo on Daydreaming
Ray Knoedl - Guitars on Flames
Thanks to Jared Allen Shanklin for is help and encouragement
