ZANECHARRON

FOLLOWTHROUGH

This

2

Recorded, mixed & mastered by Zane CharronAugust 2010 - July 2011

Photos by Julian FuhrmannCover design by Manfred Pollert

Zane Charronguitars, bass, percussion, vocals

Detlef Neulscister and additional percussion on ‘Friend of the Devil’Weissenborn lap steel on ‘Shenandoah’

Niels Cremerharmonica on ‘Everybody’s Talkin’mandolin on ‘I Miss the Rain’

11

10

The first track was recorded in August 2010 in my tiny workroom/studio, but when my first child was born in September I pushed off the recording until January. In February the three houses next to us were torn down and construction began on a large apartment building, 10 meters from my “recording studio”, therefore quiet recording time was only available on weekends, when I was often away touring. On the weekends that I did ma-nage to have free I had to basically kick my wife and son out of the apartment to record (babies can’t seem to cry in tune, strangely). So if you occasionally hear cries of hunger or a house being torn down have no fear, it will soon pass.

Having done all the production myself this time I learned much more about the fine details of recording an album than I did at the beginning. Though I’m glad it’s finally completed, I’m already looking forward to using the knowledge gained for the next pro-duction, whatever and whenever that may be.

Many thanks to Detlef and Niels for guesting on my album, it is better for it. And once again many thanks to my wife Sylvia for sticking with me and my strange job for so long. And Timmy, if you can read this, listen to your mother.

record was a long, difficult task.

3

Friend of the Devil – This was one of the first songs I learned from a neighbor when I started playing guitar in 1989. I’ve arranged it here with a bit of bluegrass flair. My friend Detlef Neuls makes a guest appearance playing cister (or cittern, an instrument similar to the Irish bouzouki).

Follow Through - The passions and interests we have as children and young adults often fade with the years as “real life” takes over. I’m determined not to let this happen to me.

The Joker - People in Germany often think the song is called “Space Cowboy”. I came up with the guitar arrangement and people love it whenever I play it. What could be bet-ter than that? When I recorded it I had just gotten my new Telecaster and couldn’t resist playing a twangy country solo on it.

Everybody’s Talkin’ - “Midnight Cowboy” is a favorite film of mine and this song from the soundtrack captures the breezy but bittersweet feel of the movie. Listen for my buddy Niels Cremer blowing the lonesome harp near the end.

Shenandoah - One of my favorite traditional American songs, this is an old sea shanty and tells of a trader falling in love with a Native American girl and wanting to take her westward. To me it’s a song of homesickness and of wanting to see your homeland again (a feeling I know well). Detlef Neuls plays the Weissenborn lap steel making it sound like, in his words, “a lazy river”.

For the Love of It - I have always admired people who could make a living doing what they love. And now I’m one of them. Hooray for me!

Caravan - I always wanted to play this classic melody from Duke Ellington though I struggled to learn it as a solo arrangement. But I was determined and finally nailed it after several failed attempts. There is a little bit of everything in here: Chet Atkins’ “boom-chick”, jazzy walking bass lines and even a Spanish tremolo break. ¡Olé!

4

Blinding light soon gives way to grayShadow fills the sky, threatening the day

It opens up, giving new birthMakes its way down to the earthStrikes the ground, I feel its worth

How I miss the rainThose thoughts still remainBut it’s never the same

Thunderheads blot out the neon sunThe smell of dusty earth carried on the wind

Years from now I’ll still recallThe sweet release before the fallNow that it’s gone I miss it all

How I miss the rainThose thoughts still remainBut it’s never the same

One day soon I’ll find the timeFor a long-awaited return across that great blue divideUntil then oh how

I miss the rainThose memories remainBut you can’t go home again

I Miss the Rain

Z. Charron

9

8

Finger’s Fantasia – “Fantasia: a composi-tion free in form and inspiration, usually for an instrumental soloist.” I was inspired here by the music of Peter Finger, whose cliché-free compositions alternate between fast, hectic passages and ones of melodic beauty, mystery and invention. In the best tradition of his albums I even added an extra dose of reverb. :^)

Raindrop Rag - A short but sweet piece in a faux-ragtime style. The 3/2 overlapping pattern was very common in the music of the early 20th century and it works especially well on guitar. Ragtime is dead, long live ragtime!

The Hobo Song - A friend of mine used to play this tune regularly on the deck of a seafood restaurant in Florida overlooking the Indian River Lagoon every Sunday afternoon. It reminds me of those heady days when I was just starting out as a professional musician and the world seemed full of possi-bilities. Good times, thanks Dave.

I Miss the Rain - When I was a kid growing up in Florida thunderstorms would roll in every afternoon about 4:00pm like clockwork during the hot months and pour down with ferocity for 20 or 30 minutes. Very menacing and quite humbling. We seldom get those kinds of storms here in Bavaria, and I do miss them. Listen for Niels Cremer once again on mandolin.

Remembering Linda - My take on this haun-ting piece from guitarist Mike Christiansen is very different from how he originally played it. When I perform this someone always asks about it afterwards and is often disappoin-ted that it’s not on my first CD. Well, here it is now!

Good Night, Timmy - Poor Timmy, trying to lie down and take a little nap while just 10 meters away heavy machinery is boring deep holes in the ground and excavators are loading trucks full of dirt. Life is tough being a baby. Schlaf schön.

5

Follow Through

Z. Charron

I’m gonna leave all my friends behindLeave everything I ever knewAnd hope that motion helps me findSome inner peace, somewhere newSomewhere new

You can check off the listIt’s not yet safe to dawdleHesitate and you’ll lose the raceBut you’ll find a home

I’m gonna leave all those dreams behindGonna make a life and follow throughAnd hope this yearning leaves my mindOh inner peace, I dream of you, dream of you

You can make the most of a lifetimeIf you don’t burn out too fastYou can go the distanceBy always looking forward without forgetting ‘bout the past

It’s a long, hard climbFinding your placeIt’s a waste of time‘Cause it’s all that we have, time’s all that we have, it’s all that I have

I’m gonna see all my friends tonightGonna make the time for something newA tempered balance is hard to findBut I’ll find way and follow through, follow through

If not for the love of it, for there surely can’t be moreIf not for the joy it brings, that fills us to the core

It’s one in a million that finds the key, who finds a wayTo make his best friend the thing he does, everyday

If not for the things we do, ‘cause the words we speak are not enoughFor our souls to seek a spirit needs a precious thing to hold

It’s one in a million that finds the key, who finds a wayTo make his best friend the thing he does, everyday

You won’t find me taking my life oh so lightlyYears pass and passions fade but oh, not this time

You‘re one in a million if you find the key, if you can find a wayTo make your best friend the thing you do, everyday

If not for the love of itIf not for the love of it

For theLove of It

Z. Charron

6 7

Follow Through

Z. Charron

I’m gonna leave all my friends behindLeave everything I ever knewAnd hope that motion helps me findSome inner peace, somewhere newSomewhere new

You can check off the listIt’s not yet safe to dawdleHesitate and you’ll lose the raceBut you’ll find a home

I’m gonna leave all those dreams behindGonna make a life and follow throughAnd hope this yearning leaves my mindOh inner peace, I dream of you, dream of you

You can make the most of a lifetimeIf you don’t burn out too fastYou can go the distanceBy always looking forward without forgetting ‘bout the past

It’s a long, hard climbFinding your placeIt’s a waste of time‘Cause it’s all that we have, time’s all that we have, it’s all that I have

I’m gonna see all my friends tonightGonna make the time for something newA tempered balance is hard to findBut I’ll find way and follow through, follow through

If not for the love of it, for there surely can’t be moreIf not for the joy it brings, that fills us to the core

It’s one in a million that finds the key, who finds a wayTo make his best friend the thing he does, everyday

If not for the things we do, ‘cause the words we speak are not enoughFor our souls to seek a spirit needs a precious thing to hold

It’s one in a million that finds the key, who finds a wayTo make his best friend the thing he does, everyday

You won’t find me taking my life oh so lightlyYears pass and passions fade but oh, not this time

You‘re one in a million if you find the key, if you can find a wayTo make your best friend the thing you do, everyday

If not for the love of itIf not for the love of it

For theLove of It

Z. Charron

6 7

8

Finger’s Fantasia – “Fantasia: a composi-tion free in form and inspiration, usually for an instrumental soloist.” I was inspired here by the music of Peter Finger, whose cliché-free compositions alternate between fast, hectic passages and ones of melodic beauty, mystery and invention. In the best tradition of his albums I even added an extra dose of reverb. :^)

Raindrop Rag - A short but sweet piece in a faux-ragtime style. The 3/2 overlapping pattern was very common in the music of the early 20th century and it works especially well on guitar. Ragtime is dead, long live ragtime!

The Hobo Song - A friend of mine used to play this tune regularly on the deck of a seafood restaurant in Florida overlooking the Indian River Lagoon every Sunday afternoon. It reminds me of those heady days when I was just starting out as a professional musician and the world seemed full of possi-bilities. Good times, thanks Dave.

I Miss the Rain - When I was a kid growing up in Florida thunderstorms would roll in every afternoon about 4:00pm like clockwork during the hot months and pour down with ferocity for 20 or 30 minutes. Very menacing and quite humbling. We seldom get those kinds of storms here in Bavaria, and I do miss them. Listen for Niels Cremer once again on mandolin.

Remembering Linda - My take on this haun-ting piece from guitarist Mike Christiansen is very different from how he originally played it. When I perform this someone always asks about it afterwards and is often disappoin-ted that it’s not on my first CD. Well, here it is now!

Good Night, Timmy - Poor Timmy, trying to lie down and take a little nap while just 10 meters away heavy machinery is boring deep holes in the ground and excavators are loading trucks full of dirt. Life is tough being a baby. Schlaf schön.

5

Friend of the Devil – This was one of the first songs I learned from a neighbor when I started playing guitar in 1989. I’ve arranged it here with a bit of bluegrass flair. My friend Detlef Neuls makes a guest appearance playing cister (or cittern, an instrument similar to the Irish bouzouki).

Follow Through - The passions and interests we have as children and young adults often fade with the years as “real life” takes over. I’m determined not to let this happen to me.

The Joker - People in Germany often think the song is called “Space Cowboy”. I came up with the guitar arrangement and people love it whenever I play it. What could be bet-ter than that? When I recorded it I had just gotten my new Telecaster and couldn’t resist playing a twangy country solo on it.

Everybody’s Talkin’ - “Midnight Cowboy” is a favorite film of mine and this song from the soundtrack captures the breezy but bittersweet feel of the movie. Listen for my buddy Niels Cremer blowing the lonesome harp near the end.

Shenandoah - One of my favorite traditional American songs, this is an old sea shanty and tells of a trader falling in love with a Native American girl and wanting to take her westward. To me it’s a song of homesickness and of wanting to see your homeland again (a feeling I know well). Detlef Neuls plays the Weissenborn lap steel making it sound like, in his words, “a lazy river”.

For the Love of It - I have always admired people who could make a living doing what they love. And now I’m one of them. Hooray for me!

Caravan - I always wanted to play this classic melody from Duke Ellington though I struggled to learn it as a solo arrangement. But I was determined and finally nailed it after several failed attempts. There is a little bit of everything in here: Chet Atkins’ “boom-chick”, jazzy walking bass lines and even a Spanish tremolo break. ¡Olé!

4

Blinding light soon gives way to grayShadow fills the sky, threatening the day

It opens up, giving new birthMakes its way down to the earthStrikes the ground, I feel its worth

How I miss the rainThose thoughts still remainBut it’s never the same

Thunderheads blot out the neon sunThe smell of dusty earth carried on the wind

Years from now I’ll still recallThe sweet release before the fallNow that it’s gone I miss it all

How I miss the rainThose thoughts still remainBut it’s never the same

One day soon I’ll find the timeFor a long-awaited return across that great blue divideUntil then oh how

I miss the rainThose memories remainBut you can’t go home again

I Miss the Rain

Z. Charron

9

10

The first track was recorded in August 2010 in my tiny workroom/studio, but when my first child was born in September I pushed off the recording until January. In February the three houses next to us were torn down and construction began on a large apartment building, 10 meters from my “recording studio”, therefore quiet recording time was only available on weekends, when I was often away touring. On the weekends that I did ma-nage to have free I had to basically kick my wife and son out of the apartment to record (babies can’t seem to cry in tune, strangely). So if you occasionally hear cries of hunger or a house being torn down have no fear, it will soon pass.

Having done all the production myself this time I learned much more about the fine details of recording an album than I did at the beginning. Though I’m glad it’s finally completed, I’m already looking forward to using the knowledge gained for the next pro-duction, whatever and whenever that may be.

Many thanks to Detlef and Niels for guesting on my album, it is better for it. And once again many thanks to my wife Sylvia for sticking with me and my strange job for so long. And Timmy, if you can read this, listen to your mother.

record was a long, difficult task.

3

This

2

Recorded, mixed & mastered by Zane CharronAugust 2010 - July 2011

Photos by Julian FuhrmannCover design by Manfred Pollert

Zane Charronguitars, bass, percussion, vocals

Detlef Neulscister and additional percussion on ‘Friend of the Devil’Weissenborn lap steel on ‘Shenandoah’

Niels Cremerharmonica on ‘Everybody’s Talkin’mandolin on ‘I Miss the Rain’

11

ZANECHARRON

FOLLOWTHROUGH

Distributed by

ZANECHARRON · FOLLOWTHROUGH Best.-Nr. 319.1480.2

ZAN

ECHA

RRON

· FO

LLOW

THRO

UGH

B

est.-

Nr. 3

19.1

480.

2

1 Friend of the Devil (J. Garcia/J. Dawson/R. Hunter) 3:45

2 Follow Through (Z. Charron) 3:38

3 The Joker (S. Miller) 4:42

4 Everybody’s Talkin’ (F. Neil) 3:32

5 Shenandoah (Trad.) 3:18

6 For the Love of It (Z. Charron) 4:54

7 Caravan (J. Tizol/D. Ellington) 2:39

8 Raindrop Rag (Z. Charron) 1:36

9 Finger’s Fantasia (Z. Charron) 2:56

10 The Hobo Song (J. Bonus) 3:16

11 I Miss the Rain (Z. Charron) 3:52

12 Remembering Linda (M. Christiansen) 3:21

13 Good Night, Timmy (Z. Charron) 3:18

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