Creating the most epic song on our ‘A Day of Rainbows’ album

“Well ... what a year that was ...”

The key song on our album ‘A Day of Rainbows’ - and the first written - is WELL … It’s a simple song at the start - just acoustic and slide guitars, keyboards and vocals, with a great tenor sax solo from Mike Wilkin.

The second half is created around a B to F chord sequence (the so-called Devil’s Interval) that grows into a rollercoaster climax. I wanted this climax to express the tempestuousness that was going on in my life at the time, so we created a hyper-percussive arrangement designed to sound something like a crazy steam engine in a thunderstorm. Co-producer Nick Moorbath at Evolution Studios did a brilliant job realising this, using midi instruments layered around a conga track, a demonic sax improv joining before the runaway train finally crashes into the buffers. The gentle passage after the chaos is a mash-up of my wife’s voice, our dog splashing through a stream, and an Andalusian flamenco busker.

WELL … features just three human musicians and only a handful of ‘real’ instruments: two guitars, piano, Hammond organ, sax (and voice). But by the end there are over a hundred tracks of midi and effects delivering the powerful emotional journey I was aiming for.

WELL … is one of my most personal songs, and still one that I’m most proud of. Check out the full length video here.

Right now we’re writing and recording a brand new set of songs launching throughout 2024. Why not get in touch to find out more - we’re on all the links, top of the page. And meanwhile check out ‘A Day of Rainbows’ and other songs here on our website and at: https://linktr.ee/vegsandcars Thanks for reading. And listening!