There I Am (video)
There I Am (audio)

Nothing lyrically serious here…just a little eight bar blues for Peter and Janice to riff on. We hope you enjoy it, comments are always welcome and we appreciate your time to listen. Thanks to PeterF for playing and to PG Music and their fine musicians who are always there when you need them!

Janice: Vocal / Rode NT1 mic / Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 USB interface / Nectar 2

Peter: Rhythm guitars and solo guitar / whatever he does

RT 1546: Bass, Electric, CountrySwing Sw 085 / Neutron

RT 2731: Organ, Rhythm BluesSlowSwingMike Sw 085 / Neutron (B3 Grit) / EMT 140 Plate Reverb sim

MIDI SuperTracks 2848: Piano, Rhythm BluesSlow128Mike Sw 065 (comped from multiple generations) / Addicted Keys Modern Upright / Neutron / EMT 140 Plate Reverb sim / Ozone Imager

RealDrums: BluesRock128 - Snare - HiHat / Neutron (Added Snap) / MT 140 Plate Reverb sim

DAW: Logic Pro X

Mastering: Ozone 7 Advanced


There I Am

© 2017 Janice and Bud Merritt / All Rights Reserved

been up, been down, now I'm sideways

i'm miles and miles past giving a damn

i've moved four times in five months

no matter what road I travel there I am


my past won't quit fighting my future

it's gonna be a battle to the bitter end

i nearly had love and nearly had fame

"nearly" hangs on like a sad friend


i keep trying trying to check my baggage

looking for a man who'll help me unpack

it's always more than their carry on limit

nobody's gonna cut this girl any slack


been up, been down, now I'm sideways

i'm miles and miles past giving a damn

i've moved four times in five months

no matter what road i travel there i am

Great groove, love it

nice guitar work

Janice sounds so good, great vocal!

love the sound of that organ

fine collaboration

enjoyed

Kenny

Yeah!!
Janice has her usual great phrasing and tone, and Peters guitar is talking to me.
I love this, nice one!

Thanks Kenny. Yep I like that organ too -- never used it before. I put a Neutron B3 grit preset on it.

J&B

Hi there J&B.

Well, you know I always love a blues and it doesn't get much better than this, plus it's nice to see a blues venturing away from the traditional 12 bar chord sequence.

Sublime guitar from Peter - reminded me of early Peter Green.

And what can I say about Janice that she hasn't heard me say a hundred times before? It doesn't matter what you turn your hand to, Janice, it always has that same magical quality which gives me goosebumps.

Bud - great mix my old friend!

Loved the whole thing.

ROG.

Oh Yeah!

Loved everything about this. Janet sounds her wonderful self, peter rocks on the 6 string and the video is great. Bud's on heck of a knob turner on those controls!

We particularly liked this couplet:

my past won't quit fighting my future
it's gonna be a battle to the bitter end

That organ is outrageously good! Smokin' all the way. We totally loved it! Kudos to all of you on a job better than well done.

Alan & Di

Wowser. Loved this tune. Janice and Bud this is asuper vocal, backtrack and mix. Peter loved the guitar work. Very cool phrasing, tone had some serious bit to it Well done..

hi Janice and bud ,peter great colab everything very sweet sounding great vocal guitar work was outstanding nice crisp mix thanks for sharing eric

Thanks man. That's pretty much the way we felt when Peter sent us the tracks!

J&B

We're gonna keep this one short and sweet:

You guys know the blues!

Rob and Anne-Marie

Thanks Rog! Janice smiled big time when she read your comments. I thought I had a decent mix going and my asking you to put your ears on it resulted in it hitting that sweet spot. Without even changing a pan or any track gain your notion of where to tweak some EQ and add a bit of compression were spot on. I much appreciate that.

J&B

Kenny
Thanks for the review.
It was a lovely track to play to and backing up Janice is a real privilege.

Peter

Dave
Thanks for that.
Hope the guitar was saying all the right things!

Peter

Janice / Bud / Peter,

Excellent! Love the slow burn feel of this...

Bob

Thank y'all! I bet you liked that couplet Like we talked about it expresses the same sentiment as two lines that you recently wrote. But, I must confess that mine was "appropriated" from a line I heard in the Jusitified tv series and wrote it down thinking it might work in a song. So yours was based on songwriter talent and mine...well. Glad you liked the organ. The Neutron "B3 Grit" setting worked well.

We appreciate the great review!

J&B

Hey Scott, thanks for those words. We appreciate your music a lot and it's nice to hear that you enjoyed our little 8 bar ditty.

J&B

Rog
Thanks for the guitar compliment - much appreciated.
I agree with your comments about Janice & Bud they always deliver no matter what they turn their hands to.

Peter

PB&J!

(HA! ...couldn't resist that!)

This is SO easy to listen to. Smooth and Excellent - in every regard.

For "nothing lyrically serious here" this is a very fine blues write.

I'd say that Janice is "at the top of her game", but how can I when that is where she ALWAYS is.

Peter's guitar work is exceptional! Your best ever, man... it SINGS.

And another (ho hum) crystal clear production and mix from the master. Perfect drums. Nice B3. Everything "in place". Ho hum.

SO easy to listen to.

fj

I sure do love the blues and this one has all the good stuff! Some super guitar work and a stellar vocal. The write is engaging and some great lines in there. The sound of the mix and the individual instruments is outstanding. This is a top shelf production. Bravo to all three of you! Tom

Thank you Eric. Really like your new tune.

J&B

WOW!!! Those are some tasty blues! Cool blues concept. A clever write, and awesome production and mix. Janice and Peter have performances simply dripping with some great blues sauce. Wonderful job on EVERYTHING!! Take care. Greg

Thanks for the listening to the blues!

J&B

Alan & Di
Thanks for the kind words glad you liked the song.
Peter

Hello, Janice & Bud, Peter

Janis is really lively when she sings the blues.
Peter's guitar is also very pleasant and powerful.
Super Collaboration!
Very enjoyable listen.

Best regards.

Shigeki Adachi

Thank you for a wonderful listen.

Hey Bob, love that description. Thanks!

J&B

Another song that raises the bar.......

Collaborations are probably my favorite song posts here on the forum. Individually, there is so much talent to choose from. Collaborations always bring us up to the next level to strive for -

Top notch write, arrangement, mix, performance and certainly a top notch, professional recording. Love the ending... and the video. Superb collaboration.

Interesting note about the videos that YouTube provides us choices to view next after watching your video production.

First, there's one from Ken Tamplin telling us he can teach us how to sing any song --
all the while we're listening to Janice's over the top vocals - knowing she is in a class by herself... Yea, Ken, tell us more...

That's followed by a DIY video detailing how to repair your guitar with baking soda and super glue -- after it's exploded trying to play the blues like Peter....

A little further down is a video DIY to make a Sound Recording/Foley Room as if that would help me mix a song with the finesse and clarity of a Bud Mix......

Funny videos that reinforce that you guys rock...

Charlie

Thanks a lot Scott glad you liked my contribution.

Peter

PB&J Hhahahaha!

Thank you very much floyd. Receiving a review like this for our blues number is very much appreciated -- particularly after the passing of Janice's favorite blues singer Gregg Allman. His vocals on Low Country Blues were a great inspiration for her five years ago as she began singing more blues.

Peter certainly did nail it...very expressive playing.

And, hey, thanks for the "ho hum" shout-out and if I EVER feel my productions are the quality of yours I'll issue one also!

J&B

Thanks for the comments Eric.

Peter

Thanks Tom. I was worried that I'd come up with another overly abstract lyric that might not work well in a blues format. I'm really happy you liked it. Regarding the mix, "In Neutron I do Trust!"

Thanks again -- very much.

J&B

Great playing and singing. Love the blues.

"Simply dripping with some great blues sauce" Thanks for that! If the tune evoked that feeling we are completely satisfied with the effort

We always appreciate your remarks Greg.

J&B

Floyd
Really appreciate those comments.
Peter

Cool. that's all - COOL!

J&B, Peter, everything in this one works great! The vocal just carries this song along in a wonderful way and the guitar work is perfect along with the tone on that thing! Another fine piece of music! Thanks, Torrey

Thanks! Glad you like some blues

J&B

Thank for listening and commenting!

J&B

Lawd have mercy y'all.

This is sweet cream butta.

I gotta have more.



Great job. Love it!

Thanks a lot Tom. Bud's mix is certainly beautifully clear and complimentary.

Peter

Charlie, your positive and supportive review means a lot to us but, man, to describe those videos was just too cool. We had to go back and find them

And your mixes always sound great to us!

J&B

I'm late to the party but man am I glad I heard this! Everything that I wanted to say has been said but as a lover of blues I will add this is better than a lot of the blues you hear on the radio or Internet.

This is a keeper.

Greg
Thanks for those kind words.

Peter

Thanks for those comments Shigeki.

Peter

Thanks for listening Charlie!

J&B

That's a plenty for us!

Thank you.

J&B



Those comments are much appreciated Torrey! Glad you liked it.

J&B

David, your reviews are priceless.

Thanks!

J&B

Thanks Mario. That is much appreciated and especially from a blues lover.

J&B

What?! I HAVE to apologize. I have listened to this song many times since it was posted and would swear that I commented! I looked twice this morning and can't seem to find them, so I am sorry for that! I find it wrong to enjoy something to this extent and not extend a "thank you!" for sharing it. So...Thank You!

The soul button on this thing is on 11. Man, the vocals get me! I would say how awesome Janet's vocals are; but it's like stating the "sun is bright." We all know it; and it almost makes you look stupid having said it. Great job!

The guitar work is another vocal, if you ask me. I know what it's saying. It's speaking my language. There are no words, only feeling. To me, that's what this style should be. With this song, it is! I really enjoyed it!

The production is one of those things that I appreciate soooooo much...because I can't do it! I sit back and get to witness the greatness of others. I love the production in this. Everything has it's space and fits together to the point of not noticing it. Again, that's what THIS music needs! It's a little bit "showing off" by knowing all the things NOT to do, or add. That's a special kind of brilliance to me.

Lastly, thank you, thank you, thank you, for adding the video that you did. I really enjoy this style of video as opposed to the kind that are acted out. To me those distract or many times color what YOU thought the song was about. This fit just right to me. Well done in my book.

Ok, I'm feeling much better having said that. Now, I just close this window without hitting "submit" right?

Thanks -- a lot! Soul button at 11? How cool is that!? Couldn't have better described what we were aiming for. And, yes, Peter's guitar was perfecto for the whole vibe and particularly the vocal. And thanks for mentioning the mix with a shoutout to Izotope for Neutron's masking meter. Really glad you felt that way about the video. We couldn't agree more. I never liked videos that connect all the dots and leave you with a memory that was, in effect, defined by the video and not your interpretation of the lyric.

We appreciate it all!

J&B

Wow Janice & Bud - what a tune! The organ was a great touch, wasn't expecting that! Not to mention Janice nailed the vocals. You two should be proud of this one!

Great sound and vocal.
I hear a super organ and guitar.

Excellent song as usual.

Sergio

Thanks Sergio...Peter did, for sure, do some super playing!

J&B

Just came back from a short break and would like to thank everyone I missed for the comments on this song.
It was an enjoyable experience and it's always a privilege to be on the same track as Janice.

Peter

Janice, Bud and Peter,



Yet another gold medal to add to your treasure chest!

This is stunning. I thoroughly enjoyed everything about this. As I was listened to Janice's vocals, the word "exquisite" jumped into my mind; Peter's guitar work gave me the word "brilliant"; and when I thought about the mix, the boxes for clarity, balance and professional got enthusiastic ticks! Everyone has done so well with this creation.

I love the way the lyrics flow in the hook line



Really exceptional on all levels!

All the best,
Noel

I have to say that's so low down of the three of you. Just low down.

Noel, it is ALWAYS a treat when you comment on one of our songs. Thanks for everything you said and when mention the lyric it means even more...given your depth of understanding of lyrics and the beauty of your writes.

Thank you!

J&B







We are soooooooooo low down it seems like up!

Thanks mr gruve

J&B