PORTRAITS is a collection of songs Emily and I recorded in the basement of a stone house near Providence, Rhode Island in the summer of 2003, with the help of some friends. Last year I got my hands on the original ADATs and realized I still loved the music but couldn’t stomach most of the lyrics. So, sticking with the original concept of rendering a bunch of bite-sized, slice-of-life portraits, I started over with the words and the whole thing came back to life. With the aid of Victor Reynolds and Kate McLoughlin, I recorded new vocals and instrumental overdubs, creating this hybrid recording which, though not strictly Jack O’ the Clock, seemed to have enough band members contributing to refer to by that name.
At the time that I wrote these songs, in my early 20s, I was primarily focused on contemporary classical composition and had the ridiculous notion that I’d outgrown songwriting. As a result, when I did pick up my dad’s old Martin it was off the record, and these front porch songs, unburdened with big ideas or ambitions, just flowed downhill in the direction of pure pleasure.
I’m grateful to Rochelle Hannon and Roger Vaughan for opening their home to me that summer, and Roger for contributing some of the best bass lines I’ve ever heard to a few of these tracks. Also to Brad Mehlenbacher, courtesy of The Rolling Blackouts and Daily Mouse, who came in one day, listened to the songs once, then breezed these graceful drums over them as if he’d known them for years.
–Damon Waitkus
Reviews:
Vanguard Online
Here Comes The Flood
2003 MUSICIAN CREDITS:
Damon Waitkus – acoustic guitar, bass (1,2,4,6,13), flute (5), drums (11, 17)
Emily Packard – violins
Brad Mehlenbacher -drums
Roger Vaughan – bass (7, 11,17)
Recorded by Damon Waitkus at Roger and Rochelle’s in Smithfield, Rhode Island, Summer 2003
2023-4 MUSICIAN CREDITS:
Damon Waitkus – vocals, guitars, hammer dulcimer, piano etc.
Victor Reynolds – bass, guitars, piano, vocals, etc.
Kate McLoughlin – bassoon, vocals
Recorded by Damon Waitkus at Orchard Hill Studio, Brattleboro, Vermont, and Victor Reynolds in San Mateo, California, 2023-2024
We also sampled some unreleased past contributions by:
Ivor Holloway – tenor sax and clarinet
Art Elliot – organ
Jonathan Russell – clarinet
Dave McNally – mellotron
See individual tracks for more detailed musician information.
Mastered by Myles Boisen at Headless Buddha Mastering Lab, Oakland, CA