Hey there, and welcome to my new website, and thereby, my first blog at Bob Paltrow Music – we have arrived!

In this forum, I hope to be writing not only about my musical exploits and endeavors, but also a variety of subjects revolving around music making, aspects of recording and the creative process. I invite you to listen to songs from my new album “Always Here for You”, streaming right here on my site. I will be adding more songs (and albums) in the weeks to come.

The journey that took me towards producing this album began in December of 2011, when I asked my good friend (and associate producer) Brett Steelhammer to listen to the latest, greatest song mix I had put together.

Brett and I have this great working relationship where we give critique on each other’s work; share information we’ve learned about promotion, press, production, recording, mixing, etc. We push each other creatively; its a friendly challenge to keep ‘raising our creative game’ in the pursuit of artistic expression and excellence. It is invaluable to have peers like that. I have run a lot of songs by Brett, and on this day – after listening to this ‘latest, greatest’ track – he asked, “So, when are you going to do your album? When is it coming out? What’s your schedule? Who are your musicians going to be?” And I stammered, “ummm, well, I don’t know?” I hadn’t planned on doing a ‘band album.’ I have performed in many bands over the years, including The Patriots of Tomorrow, but recently, I have focused primarily on solo instrumental piano. Doing a band album wan’t on my radar, but I had about a half-dozen catchy demos that I had arranged in GarageBand that might have never seen the light of day. Which is kind of a waste, right?

So he pushed me into establishing a schedule while volunteering to engineer my first recording session; helped me determe what musicians I would bring into the project, and less than o month later, on January 7, 2012, we had our first recording session laying down drum tracks (by Brett) and bass, by Jeffrei Willson at Soundings of the Planet Studio in Bellingham, Washington. And so, an album was born.

But it didn’t stop there. There was my subsequent 50th Birthday bash in March – so, we assembled our group of studio musicians – including Brett on drums, Jeffrei on bass, Kelly Grotke (vocals), Chuck Kitterman (percussion), Cheri Nunamaker (lead guitar), Phil Heaven (electric viola) – for a St. Patrick’s Day themed affair, and consequently dubbed ourselves “Burning Clover” (thanks Jeffrei for the moniker!). Burning Clover is more of a musician’s ‘collective’, that also includes drummer and master percussionist Blake Cisneros of Seattle (also on the album), among others. I handle the brunt of the piano, keyboards and rhythm guitar work.

The music on the album is quite varied, and draws from a variety of influences. “Dalai Lama” is one of my heretofore never recorded live performance staples that’s been given an arrangement overhaul for this album. More rockin’; lots of Beachboy-esque monk-choir vocals on a bed of Zep-esque electric guitar accompaniment (I had fun doing those guitar parts!). Perfect for the Buddhist who just wants to be . . . . rockin’! And of course, the song is a tribute to a man whom I perhaps admire more than any other living person – probably the last of the great civli rights leaders of the 20th century, His Holiness the Dalai Lama of Tibet. People have asked me ‘how do you still do that song with so much energy every time you perform it?’ And the answer is, all I have to do is bring him into my mind and into my heart, and its like I’m playing the song again for the first time.

Other songs on the album include the title track “Always Here For You”, featuring the crisp, scintillating lead guitar of special guest Scott Greene and vocals by Kelly Grotke. Early responses to this song have repeatedly included the descriptor ‘Red Hot Chili Pepper-esque’ – which is more than fine by me! This was one of two brand new songs that I wrote AFTER I began recording the album. In late June, I broke my ankle tripping down my backstairs. My life was suddenly detoured and derailed and I found myself feeling helpless, stranded, and relying on the kindness of my friends to help me go shopping, take my trash out, do my laundry, on and on. During the course of my recovery, I was simultaneously frustrated by my helplessness, while filled with immense gratitude for my friends who are ‘Always Here’ for me. And I want to be ‘Always There’ for them. And so a song was born.

The other brand, brand new song’s origins, “Bad Girl Good Girlfriend,” began with a happy hour dialog on the front porch with Jeffrei in July, and ended with a smooth groove mix featuring Jeffrei on lead guitar. Its got a catchy hook. The challenge with this song lyrically was to not devolve into sophomoric musings on lascivious lust – or conversely, to get too cheesy with it. This is probably my favorite driving song on the album.

“To The Body” is a dynamic, epic rocker starting out with a jazzy, bluesy piano intro that splinters into an anthemic rocker featuring another meltdown guitar lead by Jeffrei Willson (who also contributes a funk-out keyboard riff on the track), with drums by his Underwater Radar bandmate Blake Cisneros. I air guitar this song every time I hear it. Seriously.

“Heavenly Body” – a love song from the sun to the earth – is one of those quintessentially-sounding nursery rhyme songs with a dynamic arrangement of strings, piano, bass and electric guitar. Featuring the lead guitar work of my long-time Patriots of Tomorrow bandmate Cheri Nunamaker; the peppy-poppy drumming of Brett Steelhammer; melodic, punchy bass lines by Jeffrei and the buttery smooth vocal harmonies of Kelly Grotke. The catchy whistle-hook was literally a last-minute addition to this epic journey of cosmological love.

“Kick Ass All Day. Make Love All Night” (aka ‘Monster Song’) was inspired by my cat, Crumb. I would have to say, this is a feel good tribute song to the more poppy hair metal bands of the ’80’s like Quiet Riot, Poison, Def Leppard, Great White, etc. This is also my working creed for living life to the fullest. Although honestly, I could be doing a little better in the ‘make love all night’ aspect of full living. Everything in its own time!

“Brooklyn” is a musical double entendre: a love song to a girl, and also to a city. This catchy tune draws its inspiration from my love of Broadway musicals, but with lyrics that are more folksy-Americana. And of course, more of those Beach Boy-esque vocal choirs ‘taking you back home again.’ The scratch track for this song was much more deliberate and ‘slow’ than what you hear on the album. While we were in the studio recording this track, Brett suggested ‘trying something different’, and his impassioned, crashing, slashing drumming on this piece fundamentally altered this piece in a driving, energetic way that is just really kickass. Can’t say it any other way!

“LMAO” is a catchy, funny, subtly hip-hop-esque comedic commentary on the perils of sharing your personal life on social media. “LMAO. That’s how I roll” is also n an invitation to just enjoy the blessing of being alive and find your joy.

The final track, “County Fair After Dark,” is a solo acoustic piano piece recorded at the home of Lydia McCauley and Kurt Scherer in 2011, and is more representational of what I like to term ‘neo-classical’ instrumental. Mysterious, dark, dynamic with ebbs and flows of movement, power and quietude.

I hope you enjoy the album! Peace out,
Bob