Jim Lamarche - SAVING LIVES

Thursday, 2 June 2022

PROJECTION

fake a smile

no one knows you're broken

demi lovato

P R O J E C T I O N

volume up . 720p

story below

optimized for night vision

a jim lamarche remix

composed & performed by Mark Clifford

assembled in photoshop, logic audio & final cut

featuring the Roland System 8

read more of Jim's blog posts here

http://jimlamarche.blogspot.com/

PROJECTION

the story behind the song

Recorded 43 years ago in a community college 8 track studio in London Ontario (all analog). Ah ... to be 22 again - we kinda knew what we were doing but were clueless at the same time.

In 1979, my old friend & musical partner Mark Clifford returned to finish his third & final year (Music Industry Arts) there after we had performed together in Major Hooples out of Kitchener. Touring in the large format was epic. Blast actually. Thunder Bay to Halifax (and everywhere in between). Hundreds of shows - serious fun.

Turns out, Mark's intimate & accelerated recollection of turbulent times closing out that torrential year (particularly amongst band members) lives on. A difficult memory. It felt like a 747 (landing), careening off the runway at 200 mph and crashing into a forest.

and so there's a dark departure, followed by a welcomed arrival.

Crafting layered taped vocal loops (not unlike the U.K. band 10CC did just a couple of years earlier on their monster hit 'I'm not in Love'), only in a much humbler recording environment; playing all the instruments - including sitar which he still has, and engineering it himself.

Listening now (4 decades later), it almost defies all logic that such a beautiful song production could possibly be created in such a rudimentary place (w/fondness). It's almost inconceivable that it gently unfolded into such a brilliant conception in such a quiet, unassuming setting (Fanshawe College), flying under the radar since.

Major Hooples - 1978 (Matador - Galt/Cambridge)

(left to right)

Peter Beacock - baldwin piano, B3 organ, mellotron, arp synthesizer, vocals

Jim Lamarche - guitar vocals

Ed Miller - drums

Keith Stahlbaum - bass, vocals

Mark Clifford - guitar, vocals

Mark, (living in his hometown, St Catharines now) sent a .wav file to me a week ago (late Oct 2022), vaguely remembering it before doing it up after imagining a new mix launch after a few listens, enjoying it more & more as it evolved. Finishing an audio remix first, then seeing pictures; faces. Out of Logic and into Final Cut we go. So here we are.

I'd like to think that it's a fresh take on a classic caper. Relevant? ... oh ya.

JL.

see the ONE LIFE album/page here >>>
http://www.jimlamarche.ca/onelife/

see the new TWO LIVES album/page here >>>
http://www.jimlamarche.ca/twolives/

see the new THREE LIVES album/page here >>>

http://www.jimlamarche.ca/threelives/

listen to the youtube album ONE LIFE >>> HERE
(play all)

jimlamarche.ca

Wednesday, 1 June 2022

CURIOUS WAYS 22

I'm lost in your lullaby

C U R I O U S W A Y S 2 2

composed & performed by Jim Lamarche

square-dance (imagine) - Embro Ontario. July. 1964

from the album - old friends. 1986/87

assembled in logic audio and final cut

first remix Toronto. Aug. 2018

second remix Woodstock. Nov. 2022

stars, fading forever lies

volume up - 720p

there is no hope for

An extended family square dance - Embro July 1964.

Granny & Grandpa right down to us grandkids.

They always thought Ricky was a bit peculiar but this?

Bringing Brad and not even hiding it?

Jesus, this is embarrassing.

Other boys like them there

all under the radar.

Some gender tension there I guess.

They didn't care - love them for that.

Ya Ricky & Brad, whatever

I mean, who cares?

The rest of us had fun.

Square dances later in secondary school

a safe & structured intimacy

in gym class - who knew?

All very heterosexual.

I lived for Friday mornings back then

at 10:45 - noon in 1970/71.

All legal.

see the ONE LIFE album/page here >>>
http://www.jimlamarche.ca/onelife/

see the new TWO LIVES album/page here >>>
http://www.jimlamarche.ca/twolives/

see the new THREE LIVES album/page here >>>

http://www.jimlamarche.ca/threelives/

read all of Jim's blog posts here

http://jimlamarche.blogspot.com/

listen to the youtube album ONE LIFE >>> HERE
(play all)

1987 - spiral studio

58 phoebe street, toronto

C U R I O U S W A Y S 2 2

it's nuclear cartoons

I just ran w/it.

jimlamarche.ca

Tuesday, 17 May 2022

RUSSIA VS. THE WORLD

Ukraine is the teenage girl who wants to leave home and join a rock band because her boyfriend is the guitar player.

R U S S I A V S T H E W O R L D

Ok, someone help me out here. There’s a war in Ukraine and I just don’t get it. They’ve been flirting w/NATO (essentially the U.S.) for a decade by slowly/quietly importing U.S. sympathizers & financiers running the show now (lovers sneaking through the bedroom window when parents are asleep & crawling into bed with their little girl); wanting to be part of ‘the west’ (promises of money, jewels & gold) and the Motherland (USSR/Russia) is saying no (foot down)! How is that fair? Better question? Maybe it’s none of our business OR is it? Ah, poor Ukraine needs our help. Sounds suspect to me.

Sounds more like the U.S. would like to set up shop (missile launch sites pointed at Moscow) right in Russia's back yard, while raiding the pantry (billions in resources there). Is it any wonder Mother Russia is pissed? It's just common sense.

Ukraine is the teenage girl who wants to leave home and join a rock band because her boyfriend is the guitar player. Parents need to let go at some point yes? Question is … what are they holding on to? Answer: that little piece of the world/them, that they can still call, theirs. Even better, why are we even there? Why are we interfering?

So whatever. Ukraine saying they’ll become neutral if the motherland backs off BUT, US/NATO continuing to supply them w/state of the art war toys? Sorry but WTF?? What do you really think is going to happen here? Oh right. Once Putin takes Ukraine, then he’ll want all the Baltics then maybe ‘world domination’ like Hitler wanted? Just STFU!

NEWSFLASH: dictators are abundant here too, only they wear $10K suits and sit in board rooms (benefitting from 'legally' tricking you while convincing you that the bad guy? ... is over there - pointing), so just don't give me that but ... but horse shit. What’s most disturbing? We are on the brink of WW3 only this time nuclear! Freedom you say? You are being fooled (hook, line & sinker)! This pandemic winding down? Multiply that nightmare by 1000! All their fault tho right?

Worth it? Yes. To a select few (and their hundreds of millions of devoted followers), convinced that their interests are protected by their patriotic virtue, freedom fighter fortitude. Dictators all look & sound different and they're everywhere (not just Russia). Our dictators are just a whole lot less obvious but equally deceptive & cunning. I am left with one overwhelming sentiment here ...

Leave them alone! It’s none of our frikkin' business FFS. They were in Cuba in ’62 (our back yard) and it pissed us off and we threatened them w/nuclear and they left! They don’t get to feel the same now? If nothing else? Hypocrisy is abundant in the west and the Military Industrial Complex remains hungry. Money & power rules. It's a trillion dollar investment. Regular exercise is required. We don't own them. Let Ukraine remain neutral, oh and NATO? Get the fuck OUT of there!

in closing:

Throwing rocks at a hornet’s nest can only go bad. Our future is in the hands of a few dozen men who want & need to break them & take what they think is theirs. It was never yours ... doesn't belong to you.

Let it Be. (Mic drop)