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DEAD MAN'S FLOAT

from BIG AS LIFE by HAMELL ON TRIAL

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  • Hamell not only records music, performs live, does independent writing, he also paints. All of the images below, and many you see as the accompanying artwork on the digital releases, are Hamell paintings. These vary in size and price, but are all acrylic on canvas. Hamell paints scenes inspired by the 'underground' and 'disenfranchised' of our society. Ed uses bold and bright colors in his paintings which contrast the darker subject matter, championing the underclass, drawing you into the characters he depicts, endearing you to them and sparking emotions one might not anticipate.Hamell is also available for specific painting commissions. For serious inquiries to purchase Hamell original art contact Emily at hamelltv@gmail.com
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about

I remember distinctly that I wrote this in Provincetown Mass over the course of a week while my ex-wife and I were vacationing there. I had the riff which to my mind reminded me of something Richard Thompson might do, and was trying to empty my mind in the hopes something might pop in and inspire me. The ocean was the muse. I had been to some folk nights in New England and everything seemed a bit too complacent to me which may have inspired the tone of the lyric. I initially thought the 'grouse' word was a cheap line, and I wrote a few other drafts with that removed but I couldn't shake the image of the guy and his bird in a Robinson Crusoe type way looking for communication and intellectual satisfaction so I ended up choosing the initial draft. I was collecting sound effect CDs too at the time and that circus music came from an audio collage I had made on a 4-track cassette Fostex recorder just for my own amusement.I'm proud of the arrangement and production which Jeff Cole played a big part of.

lyrics

I had to leave the circus, a stand-in for the skunk, the elephants were dying and the clowns rip roaring drunk, I hid out on the highway until I made the town, I asked around where could I stay but no one made a sound.. I queried the town crier, I asked 'Whats wrong with your throat?' He cracked a smile said ' This here's the style...this is the Dead Man's Float!!'

I was desperate to get hired, I built a cardboard house, I had a guest named Friday, a fine specimen of Grouse, we met with silence for a job, they thought I was a looter, I hustled tips, I got a deal on a second hand scooter. Me and Friday we left that town with his beak he carved a note, said Had to Run, Had Too Much Fun You Can Keep Your Dead Man's Float!

We pressed across the U.S., Lord knows that desert's tough, endless seeking for a home 'til Friday squawked 'Enough!" The city lights were blazing the noise was deafening, at last some conversation, we could stay there 'til the spring! Then I heard a megaphone blast a chilling quote, it said, "Silence please get on your knees and dig, dig, dig the Dead Man's Float!

The Dead Man's Float...how easy it would be...but not for me...

credits

from BIG AS LIFE, released October 7, 2013

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HAMELL ON TRIAL Austin, Texas

Hamell on Trial is loud, fast music informed by politics, intelligence and a wicked sense of humor.
1995-Mercury Records-Big as Life, The Chord is Mightier Than the Sword.
1997- Choochtown
2003-Righteous Babe Records-Tough Love
2005, Songs For Parents Who Enjoy Drugs.
2007-“The Terrorism Of Everyday Life,” (Edinburgh Fringe Herald Award)
2012-New West Records -The Happiest Man Alive. ... more

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