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Happy Halloween, ya'll! A little holiday love story...

A Laboratory in Honolulu

Thanks in advance for any listens and/or comments.

R.W. Davis: Lyrics
D.A. Hughes: Vocals, harmony arrangement
Me: Most everything else. BGVs, Hawaiian guitar, souvenir leis...

Style is _LAFTER.STY (Laughter Indie Rock Fast 16ths)
RealTracks in style: 995:Bass, Electric, HardRockLA Ev 120
RealTracks in style: 3627:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm CinematicPopHiSteady Ev 130
RealTracks in style: 1528:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm PopPowerBrightGritty Ev 120
RealTracks in style: 2810:Piano, Acoustic, Rhythm SmoothSoulFast16thsMike Ev16 110
RealTracks in song: 634:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm PopAmericanMuted Ev 120 (B:8ths)
RealTracks in song: 649:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm PopRockBritHeavy Ev 120 (A:8ths)
RealTracks in song: 3734:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm GrungeRockSteady8thsPhaser Ev 120
RealTracks in song: 2581:Synth, Rhythm PopBell8ths Ev 120
RealDrums in style:FunkRockSync^01-a:Closed Hat, Snare , b:Open Hat, Snare

Well, she told me a story
I knew couldn’t be true
Said she worked at a laboratory
In Honolulu

And the secret ferry boat
Sailed under the moonlight
While her fashionable white lab coat
Got washed every night

…And the things that they tested
Well, they sometimes escaped
It was sometimes suggested
That it wasn’t really safe
But there are things in this world
That just can’t be explained
And apparently this girl
Went home each night bloodstained

Cos werewolves and zombies really do exist
Better beware of the vampire’s kiss
And the two-headed dragon in the swimming pool
And the giant grasshoppers that just sit and drool
There’s a wicked witch and an ugly ogre
And a pack of dogs that like to play poker
There’s a blob of something that eats everything
And an evil angel with leathery wings
It’s not that King Kong is just a big gorilla
Or that he’s evenly matched fighting Godzilla
They’re all being studied to find a fatal flaw
A chink in the armor, a loophole in the law
File the nails on each deadly claw
Aloha!

Well, she finished her story
And she took me on home
She apologized for being boring
And accident prone

And the way she looked at me
It caught us both off-guard
While she was never very chatty
It hit me real hard

…Cos the things that they tested
Well, they sometimes escaped
It was sometimes suggested
That it wasn’t really safe
But there are things in this world
That just can’t be explained
I fell in love with this girl
And now she keeps me chained

Cos werewolves and zombies...

Well composed, well paced, well sung and well mixed.
I say: Well done!
Laurent

Ron,

Awesome song! The lyrics are very clever. Love the arrangement and mix. Great lead & BGVs.

Excellent work - this one has it all!

Bob

Clever write. That was fun and engaging. It kept me wanting to hear more of the story and a cool twist there at the end.....

Some of the lyric phrasing was awkward to my ear but it worked out for the greater good of the song.

HAHAHAHAHAHA

So very clever.
So very original.
And very DAD CRoW. Y'all have a truly distinctive style. I thought the band needed a name. (So I made one up).

Nice use of BIAB.
Good mix.
Cool write.
Good vocals.
Fun & Upbeat.

fj

Ron, what a very clever song
Loved your vocal and lyrics
Outstanding backing band and mix.
Loved it!

PS - Am I going to be forced to get a vaccination for this HP, Honolulu Plague?

A fun song!!! Better than the Wuhan lab I guess:). The track sounds great......vocals are crystal clear and well sung!! Nice work!! Take care. Greg

Well...

THANKS for the listen, Laurent!


Thanks, Bob! Yeah, those lyrics slay me. Dusty crushes the vocals as usual. I'm just hanging in there with the BGVs. But if I keep it low enough in the mix I can't spoil the song. Ha!


Appreciate that, Herb! Yes, the lyrics do a great job pulling the listener along. I really admire that, and it makes it fun for me as well. The twist in the end is very cool, but also (to me) ambiguous. Was the narrator an escapee returning to the lab? Or a new member of the menagerie? Or was the love interest the escapee? Or...??? Any phrasing awkwardness is my fault. I've been told I'm just like that. Sorry.


Gee, Floyd...Googled "DAD CroW" but not sure I'm getting it. It does sound cool. The name of our fictitious band came to my lyricist in a dream. We don't use it, but it does pop up in a lyric or two. Haven't posted one of those yet. "Fun and upbeat" is a nice capper. THANK YOU!!


Mario, THANKS for the listen! Y'know, we both made it through a GLOBAL PANDEMIC, so I'm going to say...No. There are probably enough antibodies in our bodies to make it through the Bubonic Plague. Ha! Glad you liked the song!

Good writing and timely with Halloween around the corner. But also a pretty accurate social commentary.

Thanks, Beth! Hopefully the commentary is more treat than trick.

D.A. hughes, DC ron, R.W. davis
D.A. DC R.W.
D.A.DCR.W.
DADCRW
DAD CRW
DAD CRoW

Fun stuff.
I'm not much on Halloween but always enjoy a good song.
The vocals are strong and consistent and do "sound" the same across your songs. A sonic thumbprint?
There are occasions when the phrasing of the lyric/melody makes me twitch but I think that works with the theme.
Good stuff.

Floyd, thanks for the detailed etymological journey of "DAD CroW". I could have stared at it forever and not cracked the code. But inspired and appreciated. It's starting to grow on me...


Ray, well, if a "sonic thumbprint" is a good thing, I hope we have one! Dusty's voice has a unique character that I'm quite fond of, and I tend to let his voice come through in my mixing choices. On straight harmonies I'll almost always pan the harmony ~20% right, run a high pass and leave them dry, so that will be a reliable sonic print marker. Another marker is panning BGVs off center using doubled voices split left and right. I also like for the lyrics to be audible, so the vocals are usually at least slightly forward. This song and most others follow this simple scheme. Don't do it to be boring (though it might be), I just think it sounds cool. But I deviate to serve the song, at least to my ears.

I used a different reverb/delay chain on this one, but achieved about the same overall vocal effect...

I'm going to count a twitch or two as a good thing on this song. Win!

Thanks for the listen!!

DC Ron.
This outstanding songwriting. A really great fun listen.
A pro level performance, recording and mix.
I'm blown away!
regards
Brian.

Great fun write Ron - excellent mix and I like you really clean vocals,
the backing worked really well
great job Ron

Carl

Hey, what gives, Ron? I stopped by the souvenir leis booth, but it was closed. Then I listened to this VERY cool song. LOVE it!! Man, those lyrics are super good --so many quotable phrases to perpetuate the holiday for the undead. A Labortory Lab In Honalulu is even fun to say. Wow, you got the whole crowd in those lyrics. Sensational song, Ron.

Hi Ron,

Fun and creative lyrics. Clever stuff!

Dusty sounds great, and I like your BGV's too.

As always the mix is top notch, sounds fabulous through the 'phones.

Enjoyed!

Thanks, Brian! Glad you enjoyed it.


Appreciate that, Carl! I keep Dusty's vocals as clean as I can so the lyrics can be heard and...well, I just love his vocals.


Dang, Marty, so sorry I missed you at the booth! Looked up Dallas so I could drop a lei off for you, but it's a bit far. Used to spend a lot of time in Scranton/Electric City when I worked for the Army. Not as scary as our lab in Honolulu but it has its terrors. Ha! Just kidding. Always loved going up there.


Thanks, Dave! My first and last mixes are always with headphones, though I use studio monitors and other sources in the process. I'll never forget the first time I heard a quality stereo recording on vinyl through studio headphones. Outlandos d'Amour, 1978. It shook me. I try to give headphone listeners a little bit of love in the mixes, so I appreciate that you appreciate the mix. Also the BGVs. The strokes of color provided by the BGVs and harmonies are a lot of fun to work up when I get to do them...

I like the mix, cleaver write, such a professional sounding recording!!

Thanks, Ronnie! A "cleaver write" is a nice Halloween turn of phrase. Ha!