Tune Tag #57 with Ryan Stubbs aka Miter, Pt. 2: Daft Punk, George Duke, Frank Zappa, Don Williams, Barry Manilow, Guided By Voices, Puhdys
For the first time in Tune Tag history, we offer the addition of newly-recorded cover versions of many of this edition's songs...all played and sung by our Tune Tag guest, Miter!
Howdy, Ryan!
Tune Tag is pleased to welcome of Washed Memoir in Real Time
Miter is the solo recording project of Ryan Stubbs, a Denver-based artist. Ryan is a lifelong practitioner of rock, and has shared stages with artists such as Liz Phair, Nathaniel Rateliff, Kings of Leon, the Decemberists, Devotchka, Cake, and many others. He’s played festivals such as CMJ and Austin’s South By Southwest, and venues such as Red Rocks (near Denver), and the 9:30 Club.
Stubbs’ “Miter” moniker was revived for 2022’s synth-heavy LP, Shelled, and retained for Miter’s current and primary music release and distribution vehicle, the Substack publication: Washed Memoir in Real Time. The best way to listen to and support Miter is to subscribe to Washed Memoir in Real Time.
Ryan attempts to write, record and release one fully-produced Miter song per month via Substack. He also initiated the Substack record label/artist collective, LABELABEL, and congealed the Substack music video and variety show, Salon Du Monde, Fremont, the soundtrack to which features a compilation of some really great indie musicians found on Substack. The cassette and mp3 version of the compilation are exclusively available here: https://labelabel.metalabel.com/salondumonde.
Last week, we enjoyed the Tune Tag company of of The Bus:
Next week, join us (subscribing is a good way!), when we’ll offer some homemade Tune Tag cookies and milk to of Cognitive Wonderland!
Here’s Ryan’s first Tune Tag foray, from back in January:
Ryan’s personal note to you: Like seltzer water, revenge is a dish best served cold! After being thoroughly embarrassed by Brad Kyle in our first round of Tune Tag, I’ve been in training! Think of the training montages in Rocky IV: Me in a remote Russian cabin lifting Communist wheelbarrows full of vinyl, while Drago uses high-tech Soviet punching bag contest games and steroids:
I realized that no matter how many musical steroids I took or how much time I spent weighing Pere Ubu 45s for purity, I’d have to do something truly exceptional... Something that would make music history. I, Miter, will not only tag a tune, but I WILL COVER THE TUNE THAT I TAG!
OK, full disclosure: My original pitch to Brad was to play ANY tagged tune. I soon realized the insanity of that proposition, and decided to only work on the ones I, myself, tagged. To my credit, this was still a substantial amount of work and a fun challenge!
Please let me know what you think of my cover versions; I appreciate any thoughts or comments. I like these songs, so it feels tough to live up to them. I really don’t want to ruin these cool songs, but whatever, ya gotta do what ya gotta do! Thanks!
Ryan’s song #1 sent to Brad: Guided By Voices, “Wondering Boy Poet,” 1994
Ryan’s rationale: I picked this Guided By Voices track for a few (very sly) reasons: First, I already had this pretty simple song recorded. The recording was done on my phone using Google Recorder. Second, GBV is an important touchstone for me from a songwriting and production standpoint: The lo-fi recording aesthetics are part of the charm along with the voluminous and prolific output of Robert Pollard: Lots of little throwaway gems. Like this one.
I’m not the foremost GBV scholar, but I’m a fan and have been appreciating Vampire on Titus lately. Absolutely bonkers that Pollard & Co continue to put out good records!
And it’s not just Pollard! Tobin Sprout is great too, and some of my favorite moments on their records is the juxtaposition of Sprout and Pollard as songwriters with a perfect one-two punch! On Vampire on Titus, it is “Gleemer” followed by “Wondering Boy Poet.” And so, here’s a bonus track, recorded again on my phone with an acoustic guitar then with some touch-ups in Ableton.
BONUS TRACK by Miter: Guided by Voices’ “Gleemer”:
Brad’s song #1 sent to Ryan: Barry Manilow, “One Voice,” 1979
(2022 remote, multi-voice arrangement):
Ryan’s response: I am sort of interested in trying to cover this, but I don’t think I can commission hundreds of people to sing with me online. I assume the connection to Guided By Voices is the connection to the word “voice” and the many voices “guiding” Mr. Manilow.
Brad’s rationale: I like the sudden transition of Guided By Voices to the “One Voice” of Manilow, joined quickly by many voices…taped in 2022, back when voices had little choice than to sing as one. Manilow originally recorded this as the lead and title track of his 1979 Arista album, One Voice, produced by Barry and longtime collaborator and partner-in-climb, Ron Dante, who recently turned 79.
Always a Fanilow, I remember, at the time (‘79), that “One Voice” was notable in that Manilow is credited as the sole songwriter. I had become accustomed to seeing his name as a songwriting credit on many songs, of course, but always with at least one collaborator.
As a point-prover, there are ten other songs joining “One Voice” on the album, and six were written by Manilow, each with at least one collaborator. Is “One Voice” the lone song in the vast Manilow canon with just his name underneath? I have not a clue, but, I’d say it’s a safe bet!
Related: The first of a 3-Part recreation of a mixtape I assembled in the 1980s:
Ryan’s song #2: Daft Punk, “Digital Love,” 2003
Brad’s response: Gonna take a wild guess: Could Ryan have taken the “voice” references of the first two songs, and given us a song where Daft Punk have delivered a severely (and nearly unintelligible) electronically-processed lead vocal?
Ryan’s rationale: “Digital Love” is a great song, and trying to cover it increased my respect for their hard-hitting electronic production. I guess they go “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger.” This one has some real guitar pop sensibilities, as well. It is a simple progression, riff, melody, etc., but extremely catchy. It is surprisingly long and walks the line between pop hit and club banger at the same time.
Initially, I recorded a simple acoustic version of this song, thinking that would be the easiest way to operate. But, no….the challenge of this song is in the production and the recording.
The Miter version has a bit of a Telecaster twang to it along a fairly faithful rendition of the structure. The solo in the song would take me too long to learn verbatim, so this is (clearly) an improvised take. I primarily used an assortment of Ableton Live 909s and samples for the drums. The keys are all soft synths using Ableton Pigments. I layered a bunch of guitars for the main riff, along with one synth, and I have two different guitars doing the rhythm, often together.
The vocals were pretty challenging to get to a place that felt OK. These are pushed a bit more into the robo-realm using a plug-in (Waves O-Vox):
Using the power of the internet, I found that, on their 2001 Discovery album (and their “Superheroes” song, starting at about the 0:21 mark), Daft Punk sampled Barry Manilow’s “Who’s Been Sleeping in my Bed” (written by Manilow and Marty Panzer) from the album, One Voice.
Brad’s song #2: George Duke, “I Love You More,” 1979 (Napoleon Brock, lead vocal)
Ryan’s response: Oh wow. I did not know that “Digital Love” was a George Duke sample! This kind of connection is why the kids gotta subscribe to FRONT ROW & BACKSTAGE!
Also, it is just the intro to this song? What a gem, and kudos to Daft Punk for turning that part into an entire song. My George Duke knowledge is pretty limited: I have one collaborative album of his on vinyl, and have a general sense of respect, but not much beyond that. The bass in this song is incredible. What a jam!
Brad’s rationale: This is a Tag that gently presents itself at one’s feet: Daft Punk used a sample from George Duke’s 1979 track, “I Love You More,” from the latter’s Master of the Game album. So, here it is in its entirety (above), introducing (to me, anyway) the fine vocalist, Napoleon Brock! Before he sends it, I’m going to guess Ryan counters with one of Brock’s Zappa-era vocals, or possibly, a Duke session with Frank.
At the 51st Grammy Awards on February 8, 2009, Napoleon won a Grammy for his performance of the song “Peaches en Regalia” with the band Zappa Plays Zappa, which also featured Steve Vai and the senior Zappa’s kid, Dweezil Zappa. The song originally appeared on Frank Zappa’s 1969 Hot Rats LP.
Ryan’s song #3: Frank Zappa, “Uncle Remus,” 1974
Brad’s response: Looks like we may have both Duke and Brock on this track…certainly they were both on the Apostrophe album sessions. “Uncle Remus,” though, is a Duke/Zappa co-write, with Duke on piano.
Ryan’s rationale: Thanks to Wikipedia, I found the Zappa/Duke connection. I immediately thought of my favorite Zappa song from high school: “Uncle Remus.” And holy heck, that song was actually co-written by George Duke! I did not know that [I assume we get a Johnny Carson Meme here].
Also, I did not realize that this song was about the civil rights movement. Upon reflection, the lyrics (written by George Duke) are super interesting, including the whimsical and almost absurd-sounding lines that carry a lot of weight. A weight that may even be heavier over time.
I do feel a little awkward singing a few of the lyrics, but overall, the song is great and a fun challenge. I changed the key to make it a little easier for me. I went with mainly piano and vocals with some psychedelic improvised guitar interludes:
Brad’s song #3: Don Williams, “Good Ole Boys Like Me,” 1979
Ryan’s response: Alright, I think the connection here is the lyrical reference to “Uncle Remus.” But, also an interesting pick juxtaposed with the Zappa/Duke tune. The subject matter here is also challenging. I suppose I interpret this as being both a lament and ode to Southern culture. I have some Southern roots and family.
Not that it is a large part of my identity now, but I have some empathy for the character painted in the song. The reference to Uncle Remus and the complexity of that character/narrator, which can be seen as both racist and historically interesting, is a fitting and powerful lyric in the song.
I’m not very familiar with Don Williams, so learning and listening a bit more was a treat. What an amazing country music voice!
Brad’s rationale: Williams (in, “Good Ole Boys Like Me,” a song written by Bob McDill), mentions Uncle Remus right off the bat.
Ryan’s song #4: Bonnie “Prince” Billy (Will Oldham), “Death to Everyone,” 1999
Ryan’s rationale: With some intrepid Googling, I found that Will Oldham/ Bonnie “Prince” Billy, once covered a Don Williams recording, “Pancho.” With that knowledge, I wanted to propose and cover a song from an album I revere highly: Oldham’s I See a Darkness.
OK, I partially chose this song because it is two chords, and seemed pretty easy to cover. It was more challenging than I suspected. I felt like I needed to go with the full version instead of an acoustic version. It is a simple song, but the interplay of the instruments and the voice and the sentiment all go together. I even had to break out some acoustic drum recordings for this one to make it work.
The song is great. It is a bleak yet comical and hopeful view of death. The song makes me think of the great Substacker,
, and her publication, Death & Birds. Yes, this must be the Death & Birds theme song:Brad’s song #4: Puhdys, “Death of a Clown,” 1989
Ryan’s response: OK, I have no idea about Puhdys. I guess the connection is the word “death”? I learned that they are a German band and have two “Dieters” in the band (Birr and Hertrampf), so it probably has something to do with this:
Brad’s rationale: A song I’ve always thought was all Kinks, was actually released worldwide (except in the U.S.) as a solo single credited to lead guitarist, Dave Davies, in 1967. According to Wikipedia, “the song was co-written with his brother Ray Davies, who contributed the 5-bar ‘La la la’ hook; Ray’s first wife, Rasa, sings this phrase as well as descant in the second verse, while Ray himself sings harmony in the refrain. Nicky Hopkins played the distinctive introduction, using fingerpicks on the strings of a piano. The song also appeared on the Kinks album, Something Else, released later in 1967.”
Well, I've now listened to all the songs and Ryan's covers and I can say right off the bat that it all makes for a perfect soundtrack to a dog walk.
Ryan -- I was already a massive fan of yours. I have had a doll made up in your likeness and have it comfortably surrounded by a shrine of framed security camera images of you shopping at Walmart wearing Crocs. But hearing these covers showed that my fanboyitude could only deepen.
I was impressed by the range of styles you used to capture the essence of Guided By Voices, Zappa, Daft Punk and Bonnie "Prince" Billy. I hope these covers get compiled into a proper covers album. Though I'm sure there are legal issues around that for covers.
And reading as you attempted to match sonic wits with Mr. Kyle was inspiring.
Brad -- I had never heard that Barry Manilow song before. The original or the 2022 version. It was great to see that, and to be amazed at how strong his voice still is despite the 45 plastic surgeries he's had. I was not familiar with Don Williams or Puhdys, so thanks for that! I did appreciate Ryan's guess that it had to do with The Simpsons.
Most of all, I appreciate all you do, Brad, the work it clearly takes to assemble these TuneTags. And I'm happy that Miter's music is getting exposed to more folks across the world.
Like Herbie Hancock said: "Rockit!"
https://youtu.be/GHhD4PD75zY?si=cDv-bIROGaO_w1xt
What a fun and interesting way to add a twist to the Tune Tag magic!
I really enjoyed the connections, particularly that Manilow - Daft Punk - George Duke w Napoleon Brock bridge (or shall we call it junction? 😂). Amazing.
My favourite cover was Daft Punk. Incredibly hard to cover that song. Mammoth task, especially production-wise. Impressive work.
As for the tracks themselves, my favourites were Uncle Remus and Death to Everyone (because hello bluesy vibes).
Thank you, Brad and Ryan, for brightening up my Tuesday!