D. Brown Fisher

Album: BLOOD on the TAKE

Producer: D. Brown Fisher

Co-Producer: Tim Bond

Released 2008 in USA & Europe

Recorded at Bundyhill Recording, Austin, Tx

Mastered by Jerry Tubb, Terra Nova, Austin, Tx

D. Brown Fisher’s Blood on the Take

1. These Old Blues

"Why must we cry, as our children die?"

The CD's opening track is an old fashion Rock & Roll anthem, which is especially appropriate for a song about the futility of war. It's not about the war on terror or any war specifically, but rather a brief treatise against the mentality of war and the way in which that mentality is purposefully manipulated to divide society. "Rather than addressing a problem itself," says Fisher, "our society tends to act as if the problem is actually a noun that must be defeated. Whether it's the war on terrorism, on drugs, or on poverty, we need to have the mentality of resolving these problems, not killing them."

Musically speaking, Carolyn Wonderland's lead guitar on this track captures her quintessential signature style, while Wayne Sutton's power cord work reinforces and enhances the rhythm. Along with the solid pocket laid down by Lefty Lefkowitz on drums and Speedy Sparks on bass, Fisher's acoustic guitar rides this wave of pure Rock & Roll. The song speaks for itself.

2. This or That

"When everything is a circle with no sides at all"

Both lyrically and musically, this is a song about the false paradigm of polarization, of having to choose either this or that, of having to be either with us or against us, with no middle ground. It's about how simplistic black and white thought excludes all the myriad colors in between, and how it leads us to focus on the minute details dividing us rather than the common thread of humanity uniting us. The chorus of dualistic western ideas is contrasted with the metaphysics of eastern thought that come through in each verse, and the intent is to open eyes to the possibilities other than the bad ones commonly provided. "It's about the wheel of distraction," says Fisher, "We have infinite options, if only we'd stop believing other people who tell us it's either this way or that way. We need to reawaken the strength of unity in diversity America used to have."

As the lyrics of the chorus and verses alternate between dualism and transcendence, this idea is also reinforced by the music itself, which features a circular cord progression looping around one way and then back again the other way, and it serves as a good example of the subtlety of Fisher's song structuring technique. From the very beginning of the song, the trumpet of Ephraim Owens sounds as a clarion call signifying the awakening from the false paradigm. Speedy's effortless, gentle, swinging bass is impeccable, providing the song with a strong groove, and Carolyn's support lead guitar in the verses plays nicely around of Fisher's vocals. The extended lead at the end is pure Wayne Sutton, always at his best when he's given the space to open up. The music represents that old soul sound of the 50's with its influences on old school rock n roll.

3. If I Only Knew

"It's a crying shame for you to do"

Based on a poem originally written about an ex-lover, the song was transformed, through moments of crisis and a need to find the ear that needs to hear what needs to be said, into a direct appeal to the powers that be. It gives voice to the widespread emotional impact of the actions of our so-called freely elected leaders on our most precious interests. "It addresses the depth at which these new realities, such as those created by the Patriot Act, affect our rights and liberties, and the very freedom to do whatever it is we wish to do in order to justify our existence and play a positive role in society," says Fisher. "Once again war is used as a false model, to propagate fear and institute these systems of control, and it's sad and unnecessary." The song is frank in its reminder that what goes down here is in our names, we the people, and as such is our responsibility.

Wayne leads off the song with tones reminiscent of Pink Floyd's David Gilmore, and Ron Sio's subtle background guitar work enhances the weight of the song. Fisher's acoustic guitar provides a striking contrast to the otherworldly feel created by the pair of electric guitars, and Michael Hale takes over the drum kit with a great example of his ability to texture a song. Sparks' seamless bass work emphasizes the impending mood of the song within the song, while Fisher's distinct vocals are here more conversational than lyrical, in a style reminiscent of Johnny Cash or Tom Waits.

4. Child of Lady Liberty

"America, America, why is the world here is questioning thee?"

This track is a clean, straight up, old school folk rock song. Cast in the folk tradition of living the ideals that America was founded on, it represents "we, the people" and the idea evolving within us as a culture and a nation. But to Fisher, this idea has been usurped by our baser natures. "The very idea at the core of America, which is the idea of freeing the individual from serfdom to monarchs and allowing each individual to preside over his own kingdom, comes with a responsibility that calls for a choice. Do you want to work for and with the group, or do you work solely for yourself, to create your own empire and rule over others? How many of us are really gracious enough to rule as a benevolent person, like George Washington when he passed up the chance to be king in order to honor the principals on which the country was founded? The powers that be have made their choice obvious."

Lefty keeps the beat on drums, while Wayne evokes the tonal landscape on lead guitar. Fisher's strange acoustic strummings can be heard filling the spaces, and Speedy, who nicknamed the song "The Grandbaby of Isis", provides the rhythm on bass. The song is profound in its simplicity, and the music works with the words to create a poetic reduction of ideas. The child metaphor is in reference to the fact that we contain in our society ideas passed down from much older civilizations, and rather than cherishing these and preserving them for our children, we are behaving like spoiled brats, pissing away our human heritage.

5. Let Freedom Ring

"Never ending armies of this rhetoric, attacking us with these cliches... like... Let freedom ring"

The words of this song cleverly turn cliches on themselves, simultaneously mocking and evoking the timeless ideals of freedom. It's about the point where our ideals overtake our reason, and interfere with our humanity. "America doesn't need to put these economic embargos in place in an effort to starve people into complying with a certain agenda, because we can use our resources and our reason to achieve the intended result much more efficiently, and much more humanely. We're using extremely destructive forms and there is no need."

The guitars of Wayne and Carolyn are braided together, evoking images of long forgotten battle fields in the morning fog, of tense warriors gathered shortly before the impending battle. Neither guitar player heard the other's take before playing their own, yet they weave together beautifully into a haunting melody. It reaches outside of time, to a place where humanity stands eternally poised at a crossroads where spirituality and the nature of our existence begins to come into focus. "Here in America," says Fisher, "we can choose at any moment to do something completely different. The question I think people should ask themselves is, when these mad men, intoxicated with power, took over our country, did you take advantage of them in order to profit yourself, or did you try to point out the destructive nature of what they were doing."

6. Where is the Love

"Scored by the number, sold by the pound, Taxed at every corner, distracted by the sound"

This song is a New Orleans dirge, a celebratory wake carrying the coffin not only of the Bush administration but of the current power structure. It's a call out of the base propaganda being used to manipulate the populace, and a funeral march for the paradigm to which we've all been subject. The clever wordplay of the lyrics offers an interesting twist on social class issues. "When the human being is treated as an economic commodity, that is a dangerous form of thought," says Fisher. "The idea that people are nothing more than numbers and statistics is frightening, but it's really only your reality if you buy into it."

The song is based on one of Fisher's old poems called Dominoes' Fall, but it was completely reworked to become a song by extracting the most rhythmic sections and restructuring the verses. Ephraim's trumpet shines once again, and Tim uses some of his studio tricks to multiply his trumpet into a full horn section by the end of the song. Michael's drums bring the marching band effect, and Tim also adds the tasteful swing piano. The song evokes the sound of New Orleans, and represents a march from old traditions to new changes.

7. Man in the Morning

"Kind of crazy, them all making their living, My tax money paying to prosecute me"

Fisher wrote this song in March of 2003, shortly after being released from jail, where he was incarcerated for lawfully protesting the impending, unprovoked, lie-based invasion of Iraq at a downtown Austin rally. Out of the 100 or so people arrested over 2 days of protests, only Fisher and fellow protester Carolyn Wonderland fought the charges and rejected a series of plea deals until they were eventually completely exonerated. "This song is dedicated to Bret Podolski," Fisher says. "He drove back and forth between Houston and Austin countless times in order to act as our defense attorney. In fact," adds Fisher, "I'll give him all the royalties... no, wait, no, no... maybe I'll split the royalties from this song with him."

The song tells the story of the arrest and subsequent trial in a humorous tone, but it also tells a larger story of the unfortunate state of affairs at which we've arrived in this country, where the government routinely violates the Constitutionally guaranteed right of the people to peaceably assemble, while billing the taxpayers in a futile effort to sustain these preposterous conditions.

Preston Dukes makes his first appearance on the CD, and his guitar work jumps out and takes the reigns of the song. The galloping rhythm of the guitar work conjures up images of a wild-west chase, an outlaw riding full speed in front of a hotly pursuing posse who hopes to catch him and drag him back to the hanging judge. The sound of the jailhouse door slamming at the end of the song was provided by Devin Fisher, Darren's son.

8. One in the Cell

"Only to sell these blankets that smell of diseased treachery that was made out of greed, To cloak and disguise this tragic comedy, but the humor it seems always lost here on me"

This song is based on Plato's parable of the cave, in which the Greek philosopher compares the human state to being trapped in a cave, where only the shadows cast on the cave's wall from the motion of life outside can be seen by the people held captive in the cave, who eventually come to believe that those shadows are the true reality. "In a sense," says Fisher, "we're all watching shadows of reality and believing a story that someone is making up, but once we realize this and crawl out of the cave, once our eyes have time to adjust to the light, we can see things in a new perspective that more accurately reflects reality."

The song is based on one of Fisher's old poems, which is essentially about the human condition, about the different prison cells of the mind, body, and soul in which we continue to trap ourselves. Out of all the songs on the CD, Preston requested to work on this one because he identified with the concept, and at times you might think your listening to a Cream song, because the guitar is reminiscent of a young Clapton.

9. When Is It Lord

"Why is it, Lord, that you let your name Shield such faceless acts of hurtful pain?"

"It's a gospadelic testimonial," says Fisher when asked about this song. "A lot of people are doing a lot of hurtful things using God as their excuse. There are too many false messengers. It's a prayer asking God to shine his light." The song poses questions directly to God concerning the why, where, what, when, and how of the seemingly inconsistent and hypocritical behavior of some of His most vocal followers. "At a certain point," adds Fisher, "either the God is false or the religion is false."

The song is instrumentally understated, with Ron Sio playing an ambient, floating guitar and Tim Bond working the church organ. Hale's steady drumming adds a fuller texture to the song, and the layering of Fisher's vocals as it builds to a crescendo creates the sense of a growing multitude praying to the metaphorical ears of God. Perhaps the main question asked in the song is; when will Christians begin to follow the teachings of their own faith?

10. Whatever Reasons

"Since you have no borders, every army is at your front, Children fighting on these orders, for this corporate takeover of our lives"

This is Fisher's most forthright commentary on the war of terror, and it's aimed directly at the Bush administration. The song draws focus to the tremendous burdens and strife caused by the invasion and occupation of Iraq, and it serves as a reminder to Americans that this unmitigated violence and all its ramifications were created in our name. "I see people causing others to suffer greatly just so they can gain more wealth and power," says Fisher, "and I see other people working very hard in an effort to alleviate this suffering that has been caused in our name. We are the only ones who can bail ourselves out of this mess we've created, and we should be sure to do it as constructively as possible."

Carolyn does some unique stylistic gymnastics on the guitar that can almost be mistaken for a keyboard, while Lefty and Speedy hammer out the rhythm on drums and bass, respectively. Toward the end of the song Wayne jumps in for a duel guitar finish with Carolyn, while Fisher's acoustic guitar wanders the chords and jumps in and out of the rhythm, creating a sense of tension and release. Despite the depressing nature of the subject matter, the song seems to finish on a hopeful note as the falling guitar chords suddenly reverse in a triumphant upstroke, signifying an inevitable release from "this strife and burden."

11. Land Ho

"The rest are left upon the decks, chaos rules the wheel, And steers into oblivion, our fates a treasure to steal."

From the very beginning of the song, Ephraim's muted horn sets the mood, hovering over the narrator like the albatross from Coleridge's Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner (a big influence on the lyrics and musical imagery of this song). Tim's engineering mastery is on full display here, as he uses a variety of natural sounds to create the ambiance of an ocean vessel on open seas. Bond also uses his tenor banjo and his accordion to mimic the rocking motion of a ship rolling on the waves. The song is based on a Fisher poem written long ago, but here it has been transformed into a theatrical song in the tradition of Tom Waits or Frank Zappa. "We wanted to create the timeless feel of a ghost ship," explains Fisher, "floating through history, dealing with the eternal issues that mankind has always dealt with. It's about how the choices we make in our lives are reflected in our human condition."

The song also features the drunken pirate choir, consisting of Tim, Preston, and Fisher, and though there are no records of their respective blood-alcohol levels at the time, it's rumored that between the three of them they were at least nine sheets to the wind when they recorded the vocal tracks. (Fisher's edit: This last paragraph is unsubstantiated by anyone present at the studio that night... except the author, who was obviously oblivious at the time, too)

12. Let Freedom Ring (Instrumental)

This early version of Let Freedom Ring consists of Lefty, Speedy, and Wayne playing together live in the studio, and it is presented here completely unedited. Only Lefty's shaker was added to the track. After hearing them play it together in the studio, Fisher liked the version so much he wanted to include it on the CD. "This is my favorite track on the record," he says, "and I enjoyed it so much I wanted to share it with everyone else. It's the epitome of live studio magic." Give it a listen and you'll know what he means.

For more information on this CD & Fisher, check out: www.dbrownfisher.com

Contact for Distribution Info & more:

ToneGlobe MusicPO Box 684761toneglobe@gmail.com
(512) 921-4977Austin, TX 78768