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  E.G. Phillips, Ducks With Pants

Outlaw The Dead

E.G. Phillips - Outlaw the Dead

A Bridge Too Far (MacArthur Station)
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A Bridge Too Far (MacArthur Station)
"Renaud’s vocals effortlessly draw the listener into the intricate world Phillips has constructed, making them an integral part of the overall aesthetic."
-- ThoughtsWordsActions

"...
effortlessly blending the sophistication of jazz and bossa nova with the raw emotion of blues and the timelessness of classic rock....mirrors the ebb and flow of emotions one might experience while waiting in a quiet station during the night"
-- Skylight Webzine


"The emotionally-charged female vocals breathe a softly melancholy mood into this spellbinding track."
— 
Boulimique de Musique
Lyrics:
I’m across the Bay, like I’ve been before
Stuck at MacArthur Station at this ridiculous hour
It’s a frigid little purgatory surrounded by the highway
Waiting on this open air platform after missing a connecting train

Once again the one connection on which I’m forced to rely
Is the one I can’t rely on at all
Well, as you know, I always thought we tried
To go A Bridge Too Far

My days glide by as I knock about
In markets unripe and rotten and a garden of my doubts
Yes, I know my trajectory is not one that will sustain
I may not be right in the head but I don’t need you in my brain

Your solutions are no better than only getting by
Don't plug holes, just refill the reservoir
Well, as you know, I always thought we tried
To go A Bridge Too Far

A mad man rants, my signal’s failed
The whole damn world’s determined to go off the rails
There’s no shelter to be had from the constant traffic stream
If we took part in a Turing test I couldn’t tell you from the machine

We could talk in a language that’s plain and forthright
But that would require us both to disarm
Well, as you know, I always thought we tried
To go A Bridge Too Far

Well, as you know, I always thought we tried
To go A Bridge Too Far
Well, as you know, I always thought we tried
To go A Bridge Too Far

Credits
Grace Renaud — vocals
Christopher Fortier — guitars, electric bass
Kevin Seal — keys
Chris McGrew — percussion

Released August 9th, 2023
Recorded at Wally's HydeOut, Hyde Street Studio C in San Francisco

Recorded by Gary Hobish
Mixed by Chris McGrew and Jaimeson Durr
Mastered by Gary Hobish, A. Hammer Mastering

Produced by Chris McGrew

​Artwork by Mario M. Noche

Written by E.G. Phillips

Notes
The East Bay train station in which this song is set is one where I've been stuck many times — at night when you are alone in the dark, it can be a time for quiet reflection, or in this case a tumultuous inner dialogue, one rooted in conflict, as implied by the allusions to the WWII movie the refrain quotes.

On this song, the vocals are handled by Grace Renaud, a vocal coach and minister of music. She is currently the music director at St. Paulus Lutheran Church as well as pianist and cantor at Grace Cathedral. Ms. Renaud has also served as the interim music director of the Queer Chorus of San Francisco and directed Soul Shine, a jazz combo accompanied by a choir of 25+ volunteers and professionals.

It Ain't Good to Be in Love with You
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It Ain't Good to Be in Love with You
"a fabulous heartfelt confessional"
— Amplify Music Magazine
​

"plunges us into a luxurious, complex sonic landscape that feels both delicately complex and vibrant"
— Thoughts Words Action

"Phillips concocts a fusion of lyrically potent ballads, spiced with his idiosyncratic blend of humor and silver-screen-worthy visuals"
— 1st3 Magazine

"disarmingly and eloquently, that bitter-sweet reflection on relationships that aren’t going the way you hoped, the reality of love laid bare"
​— Dave Franklin, The Big Takeover
Lyrics
The suffocating sky
Won’t yield no light
The hazy hue hides
All sun and shine

It’s been an all day eclipse
With hints of apocalypse
It’s the last words
I heard from your lips

It Ain’t Good To Be In Love With You
It Ain’t Good To Be In Love With You

I was standing up on stage
With so many thanks to say
When I came to your name
I saw you walk away

Was it a slip of my tongue?
Was your praise better unsung?
Something about your departure
Really stung

It Ain’t Good To Be In Love With You
It Ain’t Good To Be In Love With You

I tried to apologize
In case you thought it a slight
But it didn’t quite feel right
When you smiled and said good night

A mistake taken as disrespect?
Or case of my benign neglect?
Maybe you didn’t know
You had that kind of effect

It Ain’t Good To Be In Love With You
It Ain’t Good To Be In Love With You
Credits
E.G. Phillips — vocals

Ethan Levitt — tenor sax
Christopher Fortier — guitar, electric bass
Kevin Seal — keys
Chris McGrew — percussion

Released July 14, 2023
Recorded at Wally's HydeOut, Hyde Street Studio C in San Francisco

Recorded by Gary Hobish
Mixed by Chris McGrew and Jaimeson Durr
Mastered by Gary Hobish, A. Hammer Mastering

Produced by Chris McGrew

Artwork by Mario M. Noche

​Written by E.G. Phillips


Notes
Although it leads with a slyly and subversively distorted guitar, with its soulful B3 organ, lushly stacked horns, and a powerful tenor sax solo that really “digs in,” this track feels like a throwback to the big band era.

The inspiration for this track was the orange apocalyptic veil San Francisco found itself under a few years back, something the East Coast recently experienced as well. (I had nothing to do with that — it was in no way a promotional gimmick for this track and I was no near Canada when those fires started)

The weirdness of that experience was what got this song started and as I was writing the first verse the phrase 'the last words that I heard from your lips' was just one of those things that seems to come out of nowhere, but immediately feels right and tells you were the song needs to go, with an implicit question that needs to be answered before it's over.

I am the One Who Ghosts
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I am the One Who Ghosts
"...one cannot help but slip into some kind of regal period jazz fantasyland ..."
​— The Spill Magazine

"Vilaseca’s sultry vocals add depth and emotion to the song, drawing the listener into the intricate narrative."
-- Skylight Webzine
Lyrics
Wish I’d made my escape
With the coming of the plague
It was the perfect opportunity
For me to exit this stage
And quietly slip away — for

I am the one who ghosts
A magician in a puff of smoke
The soldier who abandons his post
I am the one who ghosts

They’d been dating when he was still trying
To break into the local scene
Then he disappears 'til she spots him
On the cover of a magazine
Oh, I know his routine — for

I am the one who ghosts
That fog that burns off on the coast
The substance of our sworn oaths
I am the one who ghosts

As a child I was told I had a high threshold for pain
Emotions — they’ve always been a different thing
I get drawn into negative space
Can’t have a voice or a face

Stuck on rope bridge
Spanning a pitiless gorge
On one side the earth lies
Bitter and scorched
For the rest I’ve brought my torch — for

I am the one who ghosts
That word the gets lost in your throat
That last little bit of hope
I am the one who ghosts

I am the one who ghosts
A magician in a puff of smoke
The soldier who abandons his post
I am the one who ghosts
Credits
Mar Vilaseca — vocals

Christopher Fortier — guitar, electric bass
Kevin Seal — piano, B3 organ
Chris McGrew — percussion

Released Sept 6, 2023
Recorded at Wally's HydeOut, Hyde Street Studio C in San Francisco

Recorded by Gary Hobish
Mixed by Chris McGrew and Jaimeson Durr
Mastered by Gary Hobish, A. Hammer Mastering

Produced by Chris McGrew

Artwork by Mario M. Noche

​Written by E.G. Phillips


Notes
When I started writing this one, I had in mind Walter White's infamous declaration "I am the one who knocks" from Breaking Bad. I thought this was an interesting, assertive approach from which to talk about the pattern of behavior we've come to describe as "ghosting." It seems like something people are more likely to accuse others of doing or be flippant about when they do it themselves. Along the way the song became more confessional, and, as is my want, cynical.

The atmospheric instrumentation is the result of that alchemy that develops between veteran musicians who have performed together many times and have created many records together as found with Kevin Seal, Chris McGrew, and Christopher Fortier --who have been playing together in various bands since the mid 90s, including progressive punk band Griddle and psych rock outfit Seal Party. Fortier in particular is a tour-de-force here, providing some spectral David Glimor-esque riffs while Seal offers up a concise but bluesy and soulful piano solo.

The vocals are by Barcelona native Mar Vilaseca, who's smokey voice producer Chris McGrew heard when she was performing at the Black Cat jazz club in San Francisco. He thought she would be a good match for this track which he felt needed some "sang'n" to complement its sparse sonic landscape.
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