Snow Day

It snowed hard here in Maine. As I looked out into the backyard and the snow was accumulating fast, this song appeared in my head. I began to sing it. Then it got stuck in Miss Hazel’s head. So we grabbed the kid’s Mac and recorded our little Snow Day song so it can get stuck in your head too.

Snow Day is on Spotify

Put on your Gortex. Give me a shout. Hurricane’s a blowin’. It’s snowin’ out. Pack up your sled dog. Put ’em on the run. Leaping through the piles of snow, having lots of fun.

Hooray! Hooray! There’s no school today. It’s a snow day it’s a snow day! We can all stay home today. Hooray! Hooray! There’s no school today. It’s a snow day it’s a snow day! It’s all postponed until another day.

Jim Bob phoned and he wanted to say: Hooray! Hooray! There’s no school today. It’s a snow day it’s a snow day! We can all stay home today. Hooray! Hooray! There’s no school today. It’s a snow day it’s a snow day! It’s all postponed until another day. Put on your Gortex. Give me a shout. Hurricane’s a blowin’. It’s snowin’ out.

Nine million years of JEM Songs

Music and Lyrics by J.E.Moores

I’ve been writing little ditties and songs since 1986 in journals. Some of those songs became recordings for Rain Station, Time Brats, and other musical projects. All my journals are hand written, and I was concerned that if I ever lost them, I would lose my songs. So I took a few days and wrote them all out and made a JEM Song Book. Now I have a handy back up copy of all my songs from 1986-2014 in PDF format where ever there is an internet connection. I hope others will enjoy playing some of these little songs I wrote.

Have FUN!

J.E.Moores

All Alone. Latest song by Rain Station.

All AloneIt is indeed a wonderous thing when Mr. Mark Harvey comes to play his guitars. It’s not easy getting both of us in the same room at the same time, but when it happens, I think it’s what we’re on earth to do. Make music together. Here’s another fun clunky ditty we put together for you to listen to. With your ears.

Give The World

Rain Station

You’ve got a lot to give the world. Open up to see.
It’s all right there for you right now – the possibilities.

You’ve got a lot to give the world, it’s plain to see.
All you really need to do – set your mind free.

All the world is in a rush
Years go by and never touch
On anything or anyone, or any meaning
We’ve just lost our feelings
Until I’m not me any more.

You’ve got a lot to give the world.

Listen hear: RS-17.mp3

Hold Your Love

Hold Your LoveNow that I’m a parent, time means more to me than it ever has before. Life gets so busy, it’s unbelievable. To find time to spend with my sweetie seems impossible. I don’t know what to do, I miss her so much. When we do find that time to relax with one another, it’s so special. Of all the things that are difficult about parenting, it’s not the child that’s difficult. It’s finding the time to still be you that is difficult. Remember to hold your love. It’s so simple… and yet such a challenge to get there.

Listen hear: RS-05.mp3

Lazy Day

Lazy DayEvery year after day light savings, and Spring is ready to go “Boing”, the sky seems to get brighter and brighter each day until my whole face is a squinting wrinkle. My whole face hurts from squinting the last two days. Now, I don’t want to complain about the nice weather, we all want the winter’s cold to take a break. I like sunny days as long as I can slumber about, and do very little. I am a night person. I have a lot of energy at night, but during the day, I just want to find a warm shady spot, and snooze. It’s always nice to have some company. Turns the whole thing into a Siesta. Ahhhh, Siesta.

Listen hear: RS-06.mp3

Get Outta The Way

Get Outta The WayWhen you’ve gotta get there and get the job done. Who else is gonna do it? No one. You’re gonna do it. This song is for driving down the road. Driving down the road going to work. You’re gonna get the job done. And when it’s done it’s gonna be done right, and then you go home. It’s all in a day’s work. Now get outta the way.

Listen hear: RS-16.mp3

California

CaliforniaI recorded the vocal track over and over today on RS-11. I tried every voice I have. Deep, dark and close to the mic, big and loud far away from the mic… soft and stoney… this is the closest I got so far. A regular relaxed, just “me” voice. I’ll try to learn the song from here, and record a better vocal later on. It takes a while for it all to sink in. These raw versions really help me prepare for the final sessions. Hopefully Mark will be over Sunday to juice up what I’ve recorded thus far.

California is a song I wrote in 1997 after I moved from the Bay Area to New York City. I missed California, and it was getting to me. I only lived in NY for a few years, and returned to CA, my adopted home. This place just has a vibe I jive with.

Here’s the latest tune: RS-11.mp3

Dread Pirate Roberts

Dread Pirate RobertsMy daughter was going on and on making up a story about a pirate and a princess. I got to thinking about the Dread Pirate Roberts, and what may have happened after he and his Princess Bride sailed off together.

I was going to watch American Idol, but instead, I wrote and recorded this silly little song: RS-15.mp3

Smiling Bright

smiling brightI feel really rusty. Or do I? I say it’s more like I just don’t have total confidence in myself yet. It’s been a while since I’ve rocked for the Rain Station, so I feel the need to saturate myself into the project to get warmed up and ready. I don’t feel like I’ve hit target yet. Gotta get into the sweet spot, and the only way to get there is to just keep working until you find that groove.

It’s been nearly 8 years since Mark and I have recorded, but it’s been eons since we’ve recorded on my gear. After our first 4 track recording, Criminal Goat (original release date: May 3rd, 1837), all other recordings were on Mark’s gear. When he asked last week to come jam on my Mac I was surprised, and wasn’t sure I was ready. I still don’t feel ready, and he’s already come and gone. However there is nothing I want more than a project right now, so it’s heaven sent. This little project is saving my life. Otherwise I would fall more and more away from being a weirdo musician.

I’m a little caught up in a thing called life right now. My kid is nearly the age to start Kindergarten, I own a business that is nearly 10 years old, and art, music, and free time all took a back seat. Art is strange stuff. It doesn’t exist until you make it. It’s hard to prioritize an invisible thing that doesn’t exist yet over a wee one yelling “Daddy! Where are you?” or “One of our vendors shipped $6000 worth of product to a wrong address, we’re out of stock for at least two weeks…” What happened to days of $350/month rent in bad neighborhoods, obnoxious arty room mates, and lots and lots of time to make bad art?

I love to make music, but I’ve never pursued it as a career. It’s too personal and spiritual for me to push it commercially or something, even though I hate that kind of arty sentiment. I guess I like the fun part, and don’t even bother with the work of getting it “out there”. Rain Station doesn’t play live very often, and when we have, it’s usually just the two of us with acoustic guitars in a living room or basement. Our recordings are unique in that we both play multiple instruments, so we’d have to grow extra arms to play out. Why turn fun into work? We like to get together and record tunes for the love of doing it.

I’m hoping Mark can get over here often, because I can’t stop fooling around with the tracks. I say keep adding tracks, creating different versions until they really pop and come to life. To be honest I already find myself thinking and writing in a “Rain Station” mind set, whatever that is. We’ve always been dark, moody, and introspective. When I record solo, I tend to be very silly and record humorous stuff like: Mitchell Vaillant’s Toe Nails, but when I hear any music Mark and I work on together, it sounds so… Rain Stationy.

I had a drum track that didn’t work out so well, but I used it to record guitar to, and then just got rid of the bum drum track. I can’t wait to hear what Mark does to this: RS-14.mp3