Hey all,

“Songs From The Armory Volume 2″ is now available for download! Absolutely free for the entire month of February! Just click on the “MUSIC” link above and download away! It features songs written and performed with Tad McKitterick of Sidewalk Driver, Marc Pinansky of Township, Henry Beguiristain of Aloud, and Jason Dunn of The Luxury.

You can still get Volume 1, but now you have to pay for it. That’s what you get for being a waity pants.

Just a friendly reminder that “Songs From The Armory Volume 2″ will be available for download starting on February 1. Here is the very sexy, long-awaited track listing:

1. “Let’s Pretend” with Tad McKitterick of Sidewalk Driver
2. “Natalie” with Marc Pinansky of Township
3. “Younger Man’s Game” with Henry Beguiristain of Aloud
4. “Listen To Me” with Jason Dunn of The Luxury

Don’t forget to click on the “Music” button up above and download “Songs From The Armory Volume 1″ for free.  Only 10 more days til you have to pay, bitches!

The final week of the Songwriter residency begins with the familiar sounds of an old friend – Henry Beguiristain of Aloud.

Henry sweats integrity and pees justice.

It seems like I’ve played over a thousand shows with Aloud. They were a brother/sister band of ours back in the Scamper days. Through all the years of personnel changes, drunken late nights, and arguments about the relative merits of Family Guy (a truly terrible, unfunny show), Henry and Jen have been a fixture of my rock and roll life. So when I started this project, I immediately thought of Henry. Not Jen so much.

Henry has had a busy month, finally making an honest (if taste-impaired) woman of his longtime partner and now wife Jen. We only had about 2 hours of songwriting time before he had to rush off to do wedding-related business (pre-nup, hiding his money, finding a body double to fake his own death, etc.). Unfortunately, we spend the first hour arguing about Two and a Half Men and the virtues of sending poo in the mail to your enemies. (Check it out – www.pooyou.com).

When we finally did get down to the business of songwriting, we ended up with “Younger Man’s Game.” I’ve always admired Aloud’s gumption for taking on political and global themes in their songs, but I thought it might be fun to do the opposite – write a song about how as much as we try, we’re too old and cranky to give a shit. Henry happily agreed and we came up with a rocking number about all the things we used to but no longer care.

A few days after the writing session, I caught up with Henry as he was trying on tuxes:

Brendan: I don’t like to use the word irony much, but even I’ll admit – it’s pretty ironic that you’re about to get married to your long time musical partner Jen and you’re going to celebrate by playing your first solo show.

Henry: Well, my feeling is that a good, healthy relationship is about who is winning the never ending power struggle and this is my way of asserting my independence as a man, post-nuptials. Don’t tell Jen I said that, though. She’s my ride to this gig. This convo is off the record, yeah?

Brendan: Completely. So what was it like writing with someone other than your soon-to-be wife?

Henry: Not all that weird, to be honest. Nine times out of ten when Jen and I write together, one of us will have at least a piece of something ready, so I was more nervous about coming in empty-handed, which was kind of the point, anyway. But I think our session went well. It was easy and in a lot of ways similar to how Jen and I work on a songs. We spent a lot of time bouncing ideas off of each other and talking about what a terrible show Two and a Half Men is. I guess the biggest difference was that Jen and I have the luxury of time, so we can revisit and revise stuff after we let it sink in. We probably spend way more time poring over lyrics, too. You, on the other hand, are a goddamn lyric machine. I am envious of your powers, sir.

Brendan: Thank you. That’s one of the things I am learning in this process is that other people seem to take a lot more time with lyric-writing than I do. But that’s not a surprise – most people spend more time with general hygiene than I do as well.

Henry: Hmm… I was going to talk to you about that smell, but I assumed it was that tuna sandwich I left at the space a few days ago. So when we started up you mentioned that you usually write by yourself. I’ve been writing with someone else for so long that the thought of not at least having some sort of vetting process freaks me out. What’s it like on the other end? What does that horrible, horrible freedom taste like?

Brendan: I like both. I think I’m more likely to take risks when I’m writing by myself because (like most things in my life these days) it’s just me alone in my room. If I write a foul turd sandwich of a song, no one will ever hear of it again. It’s like it never existed. I don’t have to worry about waking up next to someone who’s respect I secretly lost by writing a song about Hobie from Baywatch or rhyming “today” with “Dave Coulier.”

But collaboration is really amazing, too. I love the process of walking into a room with nothing, spending a couple hours with someone I (ostensibly) like and coming out with a song we both created. It hits on this very basic experience of human existence. Making music together is something people have done since the beginning of time. Collaboration taps me into the history of music and the history of people, in a weird way. Sorry – did I just get too fruitbat on your ass?

Henry: It’s cool. When you mentioned Hobie I started humming the Baywatch song, so I think we’re on equally tenuous ground here. Speaking of, what the hell kind of name is Hobie anyway? What kind of a fictional lifeguard names their kid that?

Brendan: I won’t have your Mitch-bashing on my watch. So back to the song – what did you think of the final product?

Henry: I really dug it. It might cure cancer. Like I said, I never know what to expect in these situations, but I’m really happy with the way the song came out. The subject matter isn’t too heavy, but it’s not outright silly, either, and it’s actually kind of sweet. A lot of what I’ve been working on lately has been kind of heady, so it was nice to break out of that to remind myself that it’s okay to goof off in song a little. It’s actually been stuck in my head for days and I’ve been thinking of a bunch of different ideas for it if we ever get around to recording it. At this rate, I may even remember that I have to sing “Oh well” instead of “Oh yeah”. But I’ll be ready. Never you fear.

Brendan: Yeah, I’m happy with it, too. I definitely didn’t want to do a “joke” song, but I think it was clear when we decided to do this that there was going to be some sort of wit and cheekiness to it. It’s certainly better than our other idea entitled “Don’t Get Glitter On My Culottes.”

Henry: I’m still holding out hope. It’s a song that needs to be written. Tens of culottes in this country are ruined because of errant glitter at night clubs. Not even thrift stores will take them. We need to spread awareness about this issue.

Brendan: Besides our tour de force, what else can people expect from your first solo acoustic set?

Henry: Probably a couple of covers here and there and some really old stuff Aloud hasn’t played since the early aughts. I’m debating playing a few that we wrote but never did anything with. I don’t know. I’m still working stuff out, been going back and forth on a lot of stuff. I didn’t realize it until a few weeks ago that this is actually the first time I’m actually performing a show by myself. It’s a strange opportunity, and I want to make it a little more interesting than just playing current Aloud songs by myself. But not too interesting. I don’t want to blow my wad before we debut our supergroup. Should we make up a band name or something?

Brendan: I’m thinking we should go with something really pretentious like “The Spectres of Ignominity” or “Henry Wondercoat and The Sands of Time.”

Henry: How about HendoBrendo? Or Pearl Jam II?

Brendan: Either works for me.

Henry: So, are these songs going to be beautiful butterflies that die as soon as they’re played, or are there plans to record this stuff? Because I’ll tell you right now, I haven’t been consulted. And I’m litigious.

Brendan: No concrete plans, but Jason and I recorded ours so I don’t see any reason why we shouldn’t record them. I mean, keeping in mind that juggling schedules with eight busy musicians has been so easy so far.

Henry: We should make it happen. I’m not busy at all. Most days I just hang out on the couch in my underwear watching Real Housewives of New Jersey. Crying, mostly.

Brendan: You tell me that like I’m NOT in the tree across the street from your window right now with high-powered binoculars.

Henry: Why do you think I’m wearing my fancy Hanes without the holes in it?

Brendan: Look, I’m waving at you. Hiiiii!

Henry: I spilled cheese on my glasses, so it’s really hard to… oh wait, I see something moving. That big tree, right?

Brendan: Yup! That’s me. Hiiiii!

Henry: Hiiiiii! I’m waving back at you! Hiiiiii!

The final night of the Songwriter Residency takes place in the big room of the Somerville Armory this Thursday night. Doors at 8pm, $7, all ages.

You may be wondering what’s with the slow April in Boogieland.  When are the gigs, Brendo?  We’re tripping all over ourselves to see your music again, goddamn it!  Our lives are empty without you!

Rest easy, honkies.  Here’s the big announcement for which you’ve been waiting:  I’ll be playing every Thursday in May at the Somerville Armory.  What’s more – check out the great lineups I have uh… lined up: