PG Music Home Forums General Discussion User Showcase Evangeline

I’ve freed up some space on Soundcloud and I think that I’ll be using it for future posts on this forum, it seems to be the smoother choice and BIAB radio is connected to it.
I like Bandcamp but it sometimes nags or prevents free replays of songs.
Bandcamp has a stats page that tells you if your song was played end to end or partially. 30 to 40 % of mine were partial plays, that’s alright, it probably was repeating something from earlier in the song and maybe you had to take the cat out or walk yer elephant or something anyway. My point to all this is, I have a quick fade out on this song and it’s an attempt to hide the ghastly clam of a converted midi file Bass note that decided to abruptly cut off. I converted to a wav file when extracting it into my DAW.
I know that flex tool in Logic Pro should be able to stretch this note and do the same for the converted piano chord. I had already done my EQing of bass and drums and found a nice amp and tuned it in for my guitar soloist when I discovered the ending, so sue me. BIAB does so much of the work for us, but I consider my mixes to be a nice homemade demo that a professional could work with or start all over with.
Everything is in service of the song, if your song is good then anyone should know that’s it’s good even if presented with only your voice and one instrument.
If you’ve made it thru all this then I have the highest respect for you and it’s totally alright to criticize my mixes or how much reverb and delay are on the vocals or why I can’t keep my voice from distorting and cracking. Have a great weekend and thanks for listening.

[Link no longer valid]

Evangeline
© 2018 Kenny Leverett

Red eye flight from shaky town
Tonight I’m finally homeward bound
From Hollywood’s political scenes
Of bleeding hearts in limousines
It ain’t everything that it’s cracked up to be

I can never sleep when we leave the ground
I just need to move around
Shuffle thru all the magazines
And try not to make a scene
It ain’t everything that it’s cracked up to be
And it ain’t you and me

When I get back home to Evangeline
Where I can be a simple man
With my simple dreams
Making love in the morning light
I know that I’ll sleep better at night
And everything in the world will be alright
When I get back home to Evangeline

One day I’ll leave this circus town
And keep my feet on solid ground
And life will be everything
That we’ve dreamed it’d be
For you and me

When I get back home to Evangeline
Where I can be a simple man
With my simple dreams
Making love in the morning light
I know that I’ll sleep better at night
And everything in the world will be alright
When I get back home to Evangeline
When I get back home to Evangeline

Midi Fender Bass
Midi Acoustic Piano
RT Nashville Even 8 Drums
RT 406 Acoustic Strumming Guitar
RT 2934 Acoustic Folky Sync 8ths Guitar
RT 2035 Mandolin Soloist
RT 1260 Electric Guitar Soloist

Kenny,

You just keep knockin' 'em outta the park!

This is a great listen (everything you do is).
An Excellent write. Rockin'!
Good BAND. Just the right a mount of everything.

A vocal with Heart.

Loved it.

(a bit of an Isbell vibe on this - awesome.)

fj

Man, those vocals! Such a great voice.

Excellent songwriting here, Kenny. I listened without reading the lyrics and you had me hanging on every word.

Mix sounds great too.

I enjoyed this, Kenny. The timbre of your voice suits the song just right.
I liked the lyrics, which describe a frequent theme but in a very visual way. These especially caught me ear:

"I can never sleep when we leave the ground. I just need to move around, shuffle through all the magazines and try not to make a scene. It ain’t everything that it’s cracked up to be, and it ain’t you and me."

Great stuff.

John

Kenny,

This is absolutely great! Love the vocal and production.

Belongs on your next album...

Bob

Kenny, you done made me even more homesick. Great lyric delivered with raw passion. Loved it.

I really enjoyed my time with this song, and I even enjoyed your way of thinking that comes through in your songs.. And your thoughts.

I have a quick fade out on this song and it’s an attempt to hide the ghastly clam of a converted midi file Bass note that decided to abruptly cut off. I converted to a wav file when extracting it into my DAW.
I know that flex tool in Logic Pro should be able to stretch this note and do the same for the converted piano chord. I had already done my EQing of bass and drums and found a nice amp and tuned it in for my guitar soloist when I discovered the ending, so sue me. BIAB does so much of the work for us, but I consider my mixes to be a nice homemade demo that a professional could work with or start all over with.

That Kenny is what you know it is all about... so speak your Mind.

Well done Bro,

The song is terrific, the fade out is fine, the protestations seem odd but the songs and the delivery are what matters.
Distortion is often desirable.

Hi Kenny,

Clicking onto one of your songs is like being a kid and opening a Christmas present. You do know what's waiting but you know you're gonna like it. And you know how to wrap a song with a perfect band and vocal. Your vocals are always captivating. the dgy timbre in your voice causes your vocals to explode like a 4th of July bottle rocket.

And you are so right - "if your song is good then anyone should know that’s it’s good even if presented with only your voice and one instrument." That, in my opinion, is the true virtue of the song. When you get down to the bare bones, is it still a great listen? if so, you know you did good. And you always do good. Thanks for the ear candy. Loved it!

ALan

Kenny, I don't know if you saw my previous comment which I have now edited, I had trouble hearing your track at first, but disregard that! Now that I could hear it, it's great! But that's the norm for your work! This has that raw wonderful sound that I love! Great vocal and song! Thanks, Torrey

Kenny,

Like all that has come before this, your writing, arranging, singing and production glisten with musical competence. The first thought that came into my mind as I listened was, "This is a man who knows how to make good music". It's so true. The lyrics to the first verse pulled me into the song hook, line and sinker... terrific writing!

Each time I listen to one of your songs, I find myself reflecting on your lyrical images and your musical twists and turns and making mental notes for my own future work.

It's definitely enthusiastic thumbs up from me for this creation

All the best,
Noel

Kenny,

Noel already praised the first verse, so I`ll have to second that; its great writing!
Everything works on this - " in service of the song" as you put it so well.By the last chorus its hard not to sing along.
Excellent work!

Robert

What a cool track. First the backtrack has such a cool feel to it. super vocal and lyric. Loved the guitar super tone. But I must say the mandolin was such a nice touch. very cool

Kenny

Excellent write -loved the vocals nice and gritty. Band sounded good and I agree with Scott the mandolin was indeed a excellent.
Very nice songwriting.

Peter
(played it all the way through!)

Kenny,

Killer work on this—love those opening lines . . . your vocal on this is sweet; full of heart. And the lead guitar work on this, however you did that, is just perfect. Excellent work—great tune!

All the best,

Deej

I really enjoyed the lyrics for this one! Awesome job. Thanks for sharing.

thank you floyd,

I can always count on a good and friendly response from you

and it means a lot to me

Your kind words are appreciated

Isbell, I thought so too, but it's not a calculated thing

he comes thru the subconscious I think

kinda burned into the brain cause I like it so much

Dave,

thank you so much, your support and kind words

keep me going

John,

I really appreciate that you stopped by for a listen

and thank you for your kind words

i thought that second verse could interpreted a few different ways

but mostly the discomfort and dislike of being and traveling alone.

Bob,

I'm so glad that you're hanging round these forums again,

I appreciate your support and kind words

Yeah, I read the whole dang thing, wont do that again, HA. THis is a top song, in every way, has a Jackson Browne feel to it. Thats a very good thing to me. Love it kenny!!! Cliff

Kenny, liked this very much...mix was real nice, and overall I thought the composition hung together perfectly, music/vocal/lyric. I had to go back and read your comment about the quick fade at the end b/c I wish it wasn’t there, but I understand why you had to do it. Great performance as well, thanks for sharing it.

"When I get back home to Evangeline
Where I can be a simple man
With my simple dreams
Making love in the morning light
I know that I’ll sleep better at night
And everything in the world will be alright
When I get back home to Evangeline"

Man, what a chorus! You never disappoint and we always look forward to a new Kenny song.

"...why I can’t keep my voice from distorting and cracking"

We have a suggestion: DON'T TRY! What you describe to us is simply soul and heart. Americana (and other genre's) have plenty of vocalists with what you describe and we like EVERY one of them. It's a gift...treasure it.

The write, the aforementioned vocal, the BiaB Band and the production are all in the pocket.

Terrific!

J&B

Kenny,

now the other forum members have already said everything that needs to be said about this great sond...

Very well written and performed. Love the vocals, amazing...

TC Stefan

Thank you so much for the listen and kind words,

sorry that you're a feelin' homesick

Some really good writing here. I love your two verses so much I wanted to hear more about this character.

I can hear the J. Isbell but also maybe some Jackson Brown.

And your Vocal suits the vibe perfectly.

Good song writing and a delightful up-tempo rocker!


Keep up the great work!

Ah, it was just morning rambling

thanks for the listen and kind words

Ray,

thanks for dropping by for a listen, I knew that I could count on you for an honest take on that quick fade ending.

meanwhile...
everybody talkin' 'bout
protestations, revelations ,constipation, procreation, devastation, manipulation

all we are sayin'...

What a tune! I can't believe how catchy this was from the get go. I definitely can see myself humming this in my head for the day. That aside, your vocals are strong and memorable, and there's some great progressions as well.

Top notch stuff, you should be proud! Thanks for sharing

Nice one Kenny, my kinda country, not too rocky, and certainly not pop.

Thanks Alan,

I always appreciate your kind words and support

I was down in Texas recently and drove by the old "Wishing Well" club.

It's closed now and barely standing... another bygone era

Hey Torrey,

Glad it worked on second try, I really appreciate your listens, support

and very kind words. I always look forward to your next song.

Noel,

As I read this I'm thinking I could say the same things about you and your

writing and songs.

I definitely appreciate your kind words, I admire your knowledge of music

how you can break things down and give us all a better understanding of some of the

classics. Your arrangements and harmonies especially always impress

(knock me out) on your song postings. I always read your postings because

there's always something to be learned, they have great value.

Really enjoyed this - good strong chorus. Great powerful vocal too

Robert, coming from you I take that as a great compliment

you are such a strong writer! I'd love to think that someone's singing

along to that chorus

Hey Scott,

Thanks for your kind words and support, I love that mandolin mucho cada vez

(very much)

Hey Kenny,

That was a lot of info man.

But I love this song dude!!

Very nicely kicking pop-rock song with very catchy chorus, reminds me a little of The Jayhawks. Great powerful vocals and excellent mix. Mandolin and the solo guitarist sound very nice.

Janne

Peter,

thanks, loved your latest song posting

Kenny,

Very cool all American sound like only you can give us
We love the mandolin soloist.

Rob and Anne-Marie

As Floyd said, another killer song!!! I'm always expecting something great when I see you've posted, and NEVER disappointed. This is wonderful! Mandolin sounds custom....perfect for the song. As a Californian, I particularly appreciated this....


From Hollywood’s political scenes
Of bleeding hearts in limousines
It ain’t everything that it’s cracked up to be

You are sooooo right!! Great stuff Kenny!!! Take care. Greg

Kenny,

Super vocals! Such a great voice.
Your vocal is always splendid.
Band sounded good and I also agree with Scott and Peter, the mandolin was indeed a excellent.
Very nice songwriting.
Enjoyed my listen a lot.

Best regards.

Shigeki Adachi

Thanks so much!

Ember,

how nice of you to stop by for a listen

thanks for your kind words

Cliftond,

Sorry you had to read all that, I probably do my Jackson Browne

imitation every time out without even thinking about it.

glad that you liked the song, appreciate your listen and kind words

Thanks for dropping by for a listen

I appreciate your kind words

Thanks J&B,

You're always very kind with your words and support

and it always means a lot coming from you guys.

TC Stefan,

Thanks so much for dropping by for a listen,

and the kind words

Thanks Lawrence,

love your songs

Deryk,

Appreciate you dropping by for a listen

and for your kind and encouraging words

Graham,

thanks for the listen and the kind words

Hey,

thanks so much for taking time to listen and comment

I appreciate your kind words

+1! Loved it Kenny.

Thanks David!

Thanks Janne,

love the Jayhawks, hadn't thought of them but it reminds me of them a little bit too.

Thank you Rob and Anne,

I always appreciate your support and kind words.

great song, made me think a bit of Levon Helm's stuff, and don't forget your fishing rod when you go ....

Hello Californian!

Thanks for the listen and kind words Greg

Thanks for those very kind words

Hi Josie,

Thank you for dropping by for a listen

and for your kind words

fiddler2007,

Thanks for dropping by for a listen,

Levon is in my DNA of listening and learning. I had forgotten that

the Band had a beautiful waltz song called Evangeline.

I think it featured the lovely and incredible voice of Emmylou Harris.

I appreciate your kind words.

When I saw the title, I knew I was gonna like it. My wife’s name is Evangelina but everybody calls her Benji. This has a great rockin Americana feel to it. The perfect tempo. Your vocals kill! Good selection of RTs to service the song. Really good write and band is in the groove to deliver the goods. First class all way, Tom

Tom,

So glad to hear from you,

thanks for the listen and your kind words