New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Q: How does it feel to be 62 and starting your rock career? A: "I'm having a blast. All the decades of life are song material, and it's all worth singing about and listening to. "
Usually when musicians get older, they turn to the American Songbook for new material, but Patrick Ames, a re-emerging songwriter in his early 60s, worked instead on creating a new suite of classics. His new LP release, Standard Candles, his fourth in as many years, combines rock, R&B, folk, and even street sounds and traffic, with new lyrics, vocals, and an attitude that's completely modern. Ames delights in the retro-contemporary sound. He works its angles to push his spirited storytelling on each of the seven new tracks, from presidential politics to kinky fetishes.
'Standard Candles' is a scientific (astronomy) term for stars of a known and unchanging brightness, that are used to determine the luminosity and distance of other stars, and Ames says he, "created a band that can musically apply that star-like standard criteria." For example, listen to the first minute of the rather hip-sounding, "You Can't Hurt Me Anymore," and you'll quickly discover there's a songwriter on duty — lyrics about escaping from an abusive relationship, complete with sirens. Track 2, Want to Believe, has this inescapable
James Brown-like groove while the lyrics question society's religious-like belief in technology. In Choreography, it's a story of a ballet between two future lovers, beautifully interpreted by the soaring vocal work of Ames and his backup singers.
NOTE: This is one project you may want to listen to all the tracks, because on track 4, In Nashville, it's the battle between two songwriters in a post-romantic public war, and on track 5, I Love Your Feet, it's a kinky-sex classic not heard since Randy Newman's, You Can Leave Your Hat On. Track 6, A Love You Can Store, true to Ames' age, is the best 25th wedding anniversary song you'll ever hear, while track 7, What Comes Out of Your Mouth, is an addictive sing-along party song, except it's about the sad shape of our current U.S. Presidential election.
Despite his age, Patrick Ames is a thoroughly modern, all-digital, totally independent songwriter and producer. He writes, performs, records, and arranges everything with his portable backpack studio that he takes everywhere - Mac laptop, USB microphones, portable MIDI keyboard, plus direct input for guitars - a setup that gives Ames' music the contemporary digital street sound he wants for the classic vibe he writes.
