In The Evening

Our first J&B tune in quite a while is different in style and length - hey it’s less than three minutes! 🤪
Every evening just before bedtime Janice takes a short walk to enjoy the night birds, sky, tree frogs, fire flies and more. Recently while we were mountain biking the words to this tune sorta popped into Bud’s ole head. Peter worked closely with us on the production and played some fun and different parts. We were surprised and very pleased that it was accepted for a popular Spotify user playlist. As always we much appreciate your time to listen and hopefully comment. Many thanks to PeterF and PG Music.

Janice: vocals, chords, melody, arrangement and mix
Peter: guitar solos/fills, sitar, horns, arrangement and mix
Bud: lyrics, arrangement, mix and mastering.

Tech stuff and lyrics:

Vocals: Rodes NT1 Mic, Nectar light EQ/reverb/compression — nothing else.

Piano: MIDI SuperTrack 2835 Rhythm 70sBritPopMike > Logic Pro Punchy Grand Steinway > Waves CLA Unplugged
Comped from multiple generations

Bass: RealTrack 700 Electric, PopHalfNotesPush DI > Logic Pro Direct Power Bass Amp Sim

Rhythm Guitar: RealTrack 637 Electric, Rhythm RootsRockDirty DI > Logic Pro Designer Tweed Guitar Amp Sim

Drums: RealDrums RockRoots > Waves CLA Drums
Fills comped and cymbals doubled

Izotope Ozone Mastering modules: EQ > Stabilizer > Impact > Imager > Dynamic EQ > Maximizer

IN THE EVENING
© 2024 J. Merritt, B. Merritt & P. Fulham

V1
some days ole sol can be too bright
that’s when I look forward to night
I want to be awake to gaze at the moon
there’s no need for me to seek high noon
Chorus
I always come alive in the evening
listening to the night birds singing
surrounded by the glow of fireflies
I no longer think of blue skies
Turnaround (4 bars)
V2
when the full moon is shining bright
that’s when my spirit takes flight
walking through a field of silver dew
with every step my soul renews
Chorus
Solo
Bridge
when I see the sun rise I’ll bid the night adieu
but my moonlit dreams will always come shining through
Chorus
Outro

Janice & Bud,

Hands down my new favorite from you guys!

The lyrics, melody, production and OUTSTANDING vocal by Janice makes this song a complete knockout.

Love Peter's laid back guitar and Bud's full warm mix.

"when the full moon is shining bright
that’s when my spirit takes flight
walking through a field of silver dew
with every step my soul renews"

Yeah, I absolutely love this...

Bob

"when the full moon is shining bright that’s when my spirit takes flight" alone is worth listening to this song, I got goose bumps all over the place.
Amazing song, amazing vocals, amazing production and amazing guitar work.
An the sitar is SOOOO cool.
Perfect!

Bob, we so appreciate that. Every word of it.
And to have you mention the lyric is extra special as you are such a great writer.

Thank you!

J&B

Thanks Bob.

Peter

HI, Janice and Bud.

Pleasant '70s pop sound. Easy listening!

As usual, Janice's vocal is excellent, as it the harmony.

The horns were a treat, and the sitar with the descending riff had me laughing!

some days ole sol can be too bright...

My favorite trivia question that people know the answer to, but often forget: "What's the name of our sun?" The "bonus" trivia question is, of course, "What's he name of Earth's moon?"

Really nice song here.

It has kind of a warm, sunny '60s radio hit feel to me, back in the days when you may have had a group like the Stone Poneys who gave a lot of attention to the parts that they used in the instrumentation and the variety of sounds in the mix, you know, the good old days. With ladies you could sing and folks who could play!!!

🙂

It has that kind of warm and happy, thoughtfully produced type of sound to me.

Good job!

It's always a pleasure to listen to your songs and Janice's great voice.
Laurent

Janice, Peter, Bud, wow, now THAT's a song and a half! Great lyrics, powerful vocals, killer guitar (and sitar!) and super production. Such a strong song, professionally executed. Excellent!

Glad you liked those lines. BTW Janice took the photo of the trees and moon that I later added her to. The vocals were all one take with no editing. And Peter recorded his bits quickly. Meaning it all came together in short order other than Bud’s mixing. 😀 Thanks for all you wrote!

J&B

Every song you guys have on Spotify is on my Favorites Playlist. Man, I really love this one. Heard it a bunmch and always feel it's too short. Yet it is so long on goodness. Love the stuff Peter added, and Janice is... well, my all-time favorite. Bud, you are the mixing and mastering master for sure. Everything sits so perfectly. Man, these lyrics are quite special. They are a stroll, as is the melody --the whole thing invites an evening stroll.

Luna? 😀

Glad you liked the tune and, yep, that sitar riff was cool. A wee hint of hippyness!

Thanks!

J&B

Another winner from the Big Three!
As usual great vocal, harmonies, guitar, and mix.
This brought me back to the 1960's so thanx for the memories.
Janice, Bud, and Peter, I loved this one!

Hi Janice, Bud and Peter.

This is fantastic listening. I loved the journey. The image below is a really good representation of what I was looking like and what I was feeling as I listened.



The melody, the harmony, Janice's exquisite vocals (lead and harmony), the superb lyrics and Peter's awesome guitar work sat so very comfortably on my psyche.

What a great chorus!

• Quote

  I always come alive in the evening
  listening to the night birds singing
  surrounded by the glow of fireflies
  I no longer think of blue skies

These lines are highly visual and I felt like I could almost reach out and touch the fireflies.

Then when verse 2 came along...

• Quote

  when the full moon is shining bright
  that’s when my spirit takes flight
  walking through a field of silver dew
  with every step my soul renews

...I felt like I was the character in the song.

From start to finish, I was with you all, all the way, and fully involved in the unfolding story.

Terrific everything!
--Noel

This is a little package of sunshine.
Details and the feel are wonderful.
The turnaround is a perfect piece in the construction.
Fab vocals, lyrics and performances mix n mastered just right.

Thank you David for all you said. And being mentioned with the Stone Ponies is extra special!

J&B

Thanks a lot.

Peter

Thanks David.

Peter

Appreciate the comments David.
Peter

Hey team!
Clever, catchy tune. Fantastic write both musically and lyrically. Pleasure to listen to. Different in a very good way. Super vocals. Arranged and played professionally. You shouldn't be surprised it's made to the spotify playlist - it's good. Mix is pro.
Thank you for sharing.
Misha.

J&B...man that was really, really good!...I agree with Bob...maybe my new favorite from you all...love the tempo, cadence and the ebb and flow of the gentle melody...Janice, you killed it with your vocals and Peter's solos were perfect...Bud , I am always amazed at your production skills and the lyrics are so relaxing and flowing...not to mention a sitar riff (a little Beatle's touch...why not?)...I absolutely loved this one!

Thank you!

J&B

Outstanding as always. Never sounded better.

Well we will add a wow also. 😀 That is a wonderful review and it is much appreciated.

Thank you!

J&B

Great song, lyrics, vocals and arrangement. Janice is always impressive.

Thank you Marty. We had hoped that you would enjoy this one. The positive nature of it reminded us someone! 😀

All you wrote is much appreciated!

J&B

Thank you Mario and we’re happy it brought those memories!

J&B

I concur with Bob: new favorite!

The harmony is delicious. And the vocal is an A+.

A tuneful tune that is a joy to listen to. I can see why it was put on the playlist.

The production is pristine and well mixed.

Noel, you are too kind!
It is a real treat for you to quote the lyric since we so appreciate your lyrical skills.
"From start to finish, I was with you all, all the way, and fully involved in the unfolding story"
We can't ask for more than that which describes or should about anyone's objective with a tune.
We hugely appreciate your time, the image and the generous comments!

J&B

What could be more beautiful than hearing the night birds singing in the moonlight, very heartfelt image. "with every step my soul renews" describes perfectly Janice's walk and your love of nature.

Very smooth and calming song, beautifully flowing melody and when sung with such a pleasant voice and lush harmonies, this is a winner. Peter's guitar paints the night and the glow of fireflies nicely. The arrangement and the mix are high quality, I especially enjoyed how the horns give that extra spice. Somehow reminded me of Fleetwood Mac.

Janne

We appreciate that Ray. It was a fun production. And Thanks for mentioning the turnaround.

J&B

Ha....congratulations!....I don't think I've ever written one less than 3 minutes, I'm a failure!

On a serous note, this sounds great especially with Peter on the axe.
Good mix and some sweet BGV.
Very well done all around and a great listen.

Wow! We really appreciate that very supportive review. Thanks Misha!

J&B

Great job guys! Bud had some great ideas for this song, both in the writing and the production. I never would have thought of putting in that sitar, and had no idea Peter played it. No need to hear it from me, but I can't help but telling you that you all have a winner here. I always appreciate Janices' vocals, but man she really does well here - both in the lead and harmonies. Thanks for posting this!

Brad

Janice at the Top Of Her Game. But then, when isn't she?
Killer harmonies (of course).
A good piano-based production. Peter's fills/leads - nice!. Sweet sounding Bass. The sitar is a wonderful surprise - fits perfectly...
The standard Perfect Mix.

A delightful song. Definitely goes on the favorites list. Love the Chorus. And that smooooth melody...
One of your best!

fj

And we loved your review. You mentioned everything we could’ve hoped to achieve. Thanks!

J&B

Thanks!

J&B

Man, I love this song! I like everything you three produce, but this has to be one of your all-time best I think. Perfect!

Thank you!

J&B

Thank you for the kind words!

J&B

Thank you so much for mentioning nature, the vocals, the write, the mix and Peter’s work with guitar and horns. You commented on every aspect we hoped to achieve and it is much appreciated.

J&B

Hi Janice, Bud and Peter,

What else is there to say than 'Wow'. It's a great song, good band and a lovely singer in every aspect!
And I saw I wasn't the only one with this kind of compliments. But you all earned them.
I also saw I was very late exposing my feelings about this song. But better late than never.
Again; I enjoyed it. It's still bouncing in my head. I only need to get the lyrics right.
By the way; one 'nit'... It's way too short!!!

Hans

Thank you! We too felt Peter’s playing was perfect for the vibe.

J&B

J&B/Peter

This has a more pop oriented sound than your usual work! The vocals are exceptionally well done, especially the harmony parts!
Peter's contributions are great also! The guitar solo also adds to the pop/rock sound of this track! It puts me in mind of an early 70's Rod Stewart/Small Faces sound!
Great sound and production!

Thanks, TB

Thank you Brad. The little sitar bit was all Peter’s idea. Thanks for mentioning the write and the production. It was fun. And Janice enjoyed arranging and singing the vocals - all one take. But she doesn’t say she’s ready to record until she has it all worked out in her head. I (Bud) just go along for the vocal engineering ride. 😀
We appreciate all you wrote!

J&B

Now that is a supportive review. A big wow and thank you. The mention of the piano is appreciated given the amount of comping we did. I struggled with the “proper” bass amp and settings so another thanks for your comment. It got placed on a 70’s vibe Spotify playlist and I think the piano, Peter’s tracks and the harmony contributed to that.
Thanks for all!

J&B

Thank you Dave!

J&B

Nice melody, lyrics, well sung. great harmony on the chorus. The guitar break was cool especially the sitar line echoing.

Thank you Hans. We are happy you liked it and we kept it short hoping to get it on an Americana or Folk Rock Spotify playlist. They tend to like short songs. But it will be a rarity for us! 😀

J&B

Thank you Torrey for all you mentioned. We love Small Faces and Stewart’s early work so the comparison is understood and appreciated. And another big thanks for mentioning the vocals. As I (Bud) often say
Janice’s bluegrass years still show when she does one take “car horn tight”
harmonies.

J&B

I liked your song, thanks for sharing!

I enjoyed your lyrics and vocals. Janice's voice reminded me of Karen Carpenter.

Peter's guitar work was tasty, too!

Glad you liked it Elliot! Peter had a great idea with the sitar for sure.

J&B

Glad you liked it! Janice’s vocals definitely fall in the Karen contralto range.

J&B