Once a year, generally in the fall, I set up the recording studio and basically just jam. I cover a few tunes, but mostly it's Thom tunes; a lot just made up on the spot. I've got them going back a few years; I'll get them up someday. Click the links below
As my career in graphics, publishing, and web design was winding down, I told myself I would build something for me - I'd been doing it for other people for so long. Around 2018 I started hauling myself and the "recording studio" out to the shed and recording jams sessions: no agenda, just playing guitar and crooning. The October 2018 was pretty good and each year seemed to get better - it's mostly getting the sound levels and video framing right. The last one - October 2023 - turned out very well, so I decided to stick it on my old WeaselWorks website and invite a few folks if interested. While it certainly did not go viral, there was a satisfying number of views month after month. The idea of "Opus Vida" was born.
I started with the annual shed videos, the "Hey Old Guy" CD, songs I'd written and recorded since then, and some songs from Fourth Corner Community Church, around 30 song total. Seemed like enough to warrant a webpage. Gathering the files was easy enough, though some needed serious audio/video editing. The guitar collection would be included as well. I realized not all the guitars had recordings, and a few instruments I no longer had, most notably the '64 Stratocaster.
Lamenting that I had no recordings prior to 2001, I dug through a box of around 50 reel-to-reel tapes I'd been dragging around since 1974. BONANZA! I found tapes I'd completely forgotten about: Korea, Key West, SoCal, Oroville, and Bellingham. Everything above "Hey Old Guy: 2001"! Well, not quite. A feature of a number of tape boxes was the titles were in red felt-tip pen, as well a some writings I attributed to the same time period/locations. So I dove back into the tape box to see if there was any more red lettering. Basically hidden on a Julian Bream tape, in faded red felt-tip pen, I noticed "July 11, 1977 T. Jams," putting it in SoCal. So, that rounds out the songs from 1975 to 2002+. The guitars and their stories are below: click the pictures.
Dates are when I got them. Choose a song at the right and the song and guitar(s) will be highlighted. Thom tunes are colored. Some instruments in the early recordings I no longer have: the Strat, Giannini, Ventura and Bass.
GO THERE
or play the songs below
Snowfall
Four Dead in Ohio
Teach Your Children
Blues
It Ain't Me Babe
Rocky Raccoon
Skip
Like a Rolling Stone
Old Soldiers
Southern Man
The Journey
On the Beach
Rain Song
Wave
Will to Love
Sometimes
Said and Done
The Way It's Being Run Today
Blackbirdish
In the Sanctuary
Tonight's the Night
Judgment Day
Piece of the Pie
Half Mile from Here
Given Away
Firelight
Snowfall
Make It Right
Little Man
Anthem
Willy's Song
So Fine
Reason to Believe
Wild Ladies-Concert
Will the Circle Be Unbroken
Rock That Doesn't Roll
Amazing Grace
Gotta Serve Somebody
Here Am I
You Are So Good to Me
Beautiful One
Trust in You
Requiem
I Know Who You Are
Justified
Just In Time
Leader of Men
Wild Ladies
You're So Fine
Nostalgia