Except For the Tuna - Michi-lu-ca - Mp3 and Ringtone

I had this posted on my website for a while... thought I'd move it here for safe keeping. :)

'Except For the Tuna' is a song that was written in 15 minutes during a songwriting exercise at Rock and Roll Camp 2008 located at Michi-lu-ca. The concept of the exercise was to pull a random object out of a box and then write a song about it quickly and perform it. This song was written by myself, Jessica Bosserdet and Kellen Beckwith about a can of Portside brand tuna... Together we formed a band called 'The Vegans.' (Nathan Schleicher was in the room while we were writing the song and even performed with us various times on our extensive 3 concert tour during camp and Bass Lake... he is a very important 'special guest' but isn't officially part of The Vegans.) It is a just silly song that might just get stuck your head for better or for worse... The song took on a life of it's own and spread throughout camp and the Bass Lake music festival that followed. Fans of 'The Vegans' clamored for a recording of the song to be released. We love our fanbase so much that we we got the band back together and recorded it. Campers, staff, counselors, Bass Lake attendees... this is for you. :)

Listen/Download: Except for the Tuna

Get the Free RINGTONE HERE.

The Vegans are:
Dan Vaillancourt – Vocals, acoustic & electric guitar, bass guitar, organ, tambourine, and electric drill
Jessica Bosserdet – Vocals, Tuna Can, biscotti maker, and microphone dodger
Kellen Beckwith – Vocals, commentary, cowbell, and road trip

Special Guests:
Nathan Schleicher – The African choir, clapping director, and hat collector
Lauren Schleicher – Vocals, clapping, and scarf wearing
Erin Peck – Vocals, clapping, dancing, and commentary
Emily Carlson – Vocals, clapping, violin, and veganism

Looking for cool Dan Vaillancourt Merch or want to donate a couple bucks to the cause? Donate or Buy Merch on the Merch Page

Song #26 - Zoey & What Goes Around

The last in the series of the alphabetical fictional stories! YAY! I think this is a fitting one to end with. :) This series has been one of the most fun and exciting writing experiences I've ever had! I hope you've enjoyed getting to know all 26 girls.

So Zoey... Anyone who lived in the 80's or sees high school kids wearing 80's clothes will probably think this song is funny. I was kind of obsessed with the 60's when I was growing up... so I can understand the facination of a decade past... sort of. haha. I got to play ridiculous lead guitar too so that was fun... ha! This song would be lots of fun with a rock band and some harmonies and intertwining vocal parts!

Listen/Download Here: Zoey & What Goes Around
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Zoey & What Goes Around

Zoey seems to be stuck in the 80's
A little ironic because she's just 16
She never even set foot in that decade
But somehow the Reagan Era trickled down
A box in the basement, she found my Atari
She wears a Frogger shirt she found at a second-hand store

CHORUS:
Honestly, I never thought I'd see it again
What goes around comes around
And what comes around will go.

Zoey is always quoting 80's movies
From Ferris Buller to E.T. to Breakfast Club
Most of her friends have this fascination
Even her boyfriend French rolls his jeans
She's rocking the jams and she wearing her jellies
She knows all the lyrics to every WHAM! song

Zoey plays a mean air guitar
Every time Eddie comes on the radio
She found my old key-tar in grandma's spare room
I should have smashed it at my band's last show
she saw photos of me with my long hair
She never quite looked at me the same

(c) & (p) Daniel L. Vaillancourt (ASCAP)

Song #25 - Yvette & The Zoo

Yay for Y! I've always kind of wanted to write a bluegrass'y song like this. You can thank my dad for taking me to all those bluegrass festivals while I was growing up... He's a heck of a picker and grinner... :) While I was writing this song I realized why it was so brilliant to have an ice cream stand in the shape of a giant ice cream cone. I see one every time I drive through Perry, MI on M-52. :) Still not quite sure about the logic of the giant Paul Bunyans, Deer, Cows, chairs... etc that I see while I drive around the country. ha. Kids are heavy. We should all have pet kangaroos... (Yours is pink but mine is blue.)

Listen/Download Here: Yvette & The Zoo
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Yvette & The Zoo

Yvette screams, “I want ice cream!”
She saw the giant cone on the side of the road
Double scoop of superman
Keeps her quiet for ten minutes or so
Yvette says, “Are we there yet?”
100 miles is forever when you are 4 years old.

Yvette says she is thirsty
She spilled her water about 10 miles back
Yvette is like peanut gallery
And we have front seats to the backseat
Stops at rest stops are starting to stress me out
100 miles seems like forever when you've got a 4 year old

Yvette says that she's tired
She wants to take a nap about 98 miles too late
“But wait honey we're almost at the zoo.”
“Don't you want to see the giraffes and elephants?”
“Daddy, please won't you carry me?”
Every single mile feels like forever when you're carrying a 4 year old

“Yvette, wake up. Don't you want to see...
...Lions and Tigers and Bears?” “Oh my back is killing me.”
“Yvette don't you wish we had a pet kangaroo?”
“I'd put you in the pouch, let her carry you through the zoo.”
Yvette got a second wind at the end of the zoo trip.
The 100 miles home seems like forever...
So, we got a hotel room.
With a view.
And a Pool.

(c) & (p) Daniel L. Vaillancourt (ASCAP)

Song #24 - Xandra & The Next Thousand Years

The all awaited X! hah. Everyone wanted to know what I was going to do for XYZ. :) Xandra is a pretty cool named... It is a form of Alexandra. I wrote this one on the acoustic but soon realized that it was better suited for the electric. This was a fun one to do... I added an ebow track too because... hey ebow is fun. Someday I want to be in a band and just play the ebow... :)

This is about one of those friends that can calm you down without even really having to do anything but listen... Their very presence is calming. We learn from these old souls, not to get stressed out the little things.

Listen/Download Here: Xandra & The Next Thousand Years
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Xandra & The Next Thousand Years

Xandra takes a sip of her tea
Chamomile with a hint of honey
“Honey, why don't you pour yourself a cup, it'll calm you down?”
“And sit with me and tell me whatever is on your mind.”
She smiled at me and held a cup in her hand
I almost forgot all the things that are worrying me
And she poured me some tea.

Xandra listens to me
Ten. Eleven. Midnight. One. Two. Three.
A.M. Eyelids struggle. I doze off in my chair.
She looks at me when I awake and brushes the hair from my face
We walked to the kitchen hand in hand
And I almost forgot all the things that were worrying me
And she poured me some tea

Xandra has calming eyes
Like she's known me for a thousand years
Reincarnation always seemed so strange to me, but maybe it is true
“Xandra, I hope I spend the next thousand years with you.”
She laughed and she turned her head to me.
I realized that most things just aren't worth the worry
And she poured me some tea.

Ending:
Xandra has a way with me
When I'm worried
The way she looks at me
So comforting
Like Chamomile tea
Xandra has a way with me
And she pours me some tea

(c) & (p) Daniel L. Vaillancourt (ASCAP)

Song #23 - Wendy & Her Wanderlust

W in the ABC series. I was writing one of the other songs and this one just kind of came out and really came together when I recorded it. I think Wendy is one of my favorite of the series. A story of Wendy told in the voice of her companion. I have been so fortunate to be able to tour around the US and make lots of friends that I have stayed with... I can imagine many years from now going on a big road trip to visit everyone. :) I also know that looking back on an events like my first tours... I seem to forget any of the bad parts and the more time passes, the more perfect everything seemed.

FACTS:
-There is a late night radio show called 'Coast to Coast AM' that used to be hosted by Art Bell, that I now love and was first introduced to me by the guy that I first toured with... We'd listen to it on all night drives. It is on an AM station nearly anywhere in the USA: Check out coasttocoastam.com to find out what station is on near you.
-Hard to believe that it wasn't that long ago when you were paid "gas money..." It would actually fill your tank... a few times.
-I really want to put strings on the chorus if I record it!
-This song is pretty darn long... but I'm fine with that.

Listen/Download Here: Wendy & Her Wanderlust
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Wendy & Her Wanderlust

“Wendy, Was is 1993? When you and me drove across the country?”
'Coast to Coast' on the Radio... Late night companion, Art Bell, out on the open road
Guitar in the backseat of the car, we played for tips at the local dive bars
Drinks and dinner were always on the house, we'd sleep in the car or some stranger's couch
That was the best time of our lives, I'd give anything to go back in time

CHORUS:
“Wendy, Where did the time go?
Wendy, when did we get so old?
I remember when each other was all that we needed.
Tips would fill our gas tank and would feed us.
If I knew then what I know now...
I'd change everything.”

“Wendy, why didn't we stay out on the road just as long as we possibly could?”
“Wendy, why did we do all the sensible things that everyone told us that we should?”
In the days of cheap gasoline, everyone said what we needed was equity
So we bought this prefab house in the hills of KY, and on weekends we moonlight in the bars of Cincinnati
We've made quite a life in these KY hills, But I'd trade this house away to go back to our highway days

Sometimes late at night I still get the notion to leave it all behind and drive out to the ocean
To see what Walt Disney did to New York City and to see how the rest of the world has changed
I wonder what are friends are up to now, It's hard to tell from a yearly Christmas letter
So they took their Christmas card list, made a few calls, set their destination to spare beds and couches
Bags were packed light, guitar in the backseat and they took a road trip filled with friends and memories.

(c) & (p) Daniel L. Vaillancourt (ASCAP)

Song #22 - Victoria & Her Trophies

This is V of the ABC series... I wrote this song while I was teaching at a rock and roll camp about a month ago... Kids these days have all sorts of pressures to be better that the next kid... and a lot of kids are overbooked... and really feel the pressure of it... I think I may have spit on my microphone when I recorded it.. ha. Kinda of sounds like it.

Listen/Download Here: Victoria & Her Trophies
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Victoria & Her Trophies

Victoria is probably plotting against you. She always has to win...
First place. Never second. Doesn't want to disappoint...
Her father. Her Mother... Tell her she needs to win.
They need bragging rights at cocktail parties, your trophies are their prize.
She'll do whatever it takes. She'll do whatever it takes.

CHORUS:
Victoria is everything they wanted her to be.
All of the finest schools and the finest things.
But everything is not fine. Everything's not fine.

Study hard or sabotage, Its hard to be the best...
At everything and all the time... she's got her game face on.
5 hours a day for her beauty rest. 19 hours cramming to be
Their perfect little princess, their overqualified queen.
She'll do whatever it takes. She'll do whatever it takes.

Victoria. Valedictorian.
Bittersweet victories. They show you off to all of their friends.
They gave you everything, but didn't give you what you need...
She's never quite good enough but she just wants to be loved.
She'll do whatever it takes. She'll do whatever it takes.

ENDING:
Everything is not what she needs.
And the best is never good enough.
Everything is not fine. Everything is not fine.

(c) & (p) Daniel L. Vaillancourt (ASCAP)

Song # 21 - Unity & Her Hippy Parents

OK... so U was the hardest to write of all of the songs in my ABC series... I have the rest of them done now too... and will post them once I get them recorded.

I looked up girl's baby names that begin with U... You may not be surprised to find that there aren't very many... at least in English... Lots of them in other languages. I decided that Unity was interesting and that you'd have to have hippy parents to give you a name like that.... and I took that idea and ran with it.

Listen/Download Here: Unity & Her Hippy Parents
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Unity & Her Hippy Parents

Unity is picking olives from a tree
Organic farming. Her parents, they are hippies.
Garlic, olives and avocados
Not to mention an orchard full of fruit trees
Unity wonders how the rest of the world sees them
With their homemade clothes, dreads, and of course they are vegan

CHORUS:
Unity is trying to fix all the problems in this great big world
And it's oh so natural for her
Brothers and sisters trying to fix all the problems in this great big world
And it's oh so natural

Unity is a middle child in a total of seven
Resides in California on a little slice of heaven
They have a bunch of crazy ideas to make the world work
If you have a few hours, you can sit and scratch the surface
It is easy to be optimistic in the California sun
But I'm still not sure how organic vegetables will save the world

I've had a crush on Unity since we were just thirteen
My parent's have a booth at the farmer's market next to hers
We talk about world peace, politics and the avocado crop
Crinkled her nose when she found out I eat meat so I told her I'd stop
I asked her if she'd like together to discuss her philosophies
I couldn't wait together with Unity

(c) & (p) Daniel L. Vaillancourt (ASCAP)

Song #20 - Tina & Her Circus

I wanted to try and write a melody line similiar to the old organ parts at circuses (and ball games...etc...) following the events taking place... rises and falls... and I decided to put a little organ in there too... the real deal. :) Chances are you've known kids like Tina... Putting shows and are constantly doing things that have thier parents running to stop them... haha

Listen/Download Here: Tina & Her Circus
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Tina & Her Circus

Tina was so tiny and she walked the tight wire at the circus
And the flying trapeze, ended with skinned knees
Death defying stunts always gathered gasps from the crowd
Ohhs and Ahhs... Whew she made it through

CHORUS:
What did we tell you Tina?
Listen to me Tina!
Someday you're going to fall

Tina was the ringleader, encouraging her friends to try
To the dismay of the spectating parents
Short attention span. Long bouts of energy for Tina
Vividly imagining the jungle gym is a big top

Keep up with Tina, All the while trying to stay sane
Somersault from the highest point
Was the grand finale and it almost ended bad
But at the last moment, they ran to catch her

Tina was tired, finally laid down on the park bench
Her parent's sighed... Thier life is a circus
The sleeping circus star was carried to the backseat of the car
And tomorrow will be another circus of a day

(c) & (p) Daniel L. Vaillancourt (ASCAP)

Song # 19 - Summer & The Great Outdoors And Inside Jokes

Here is a song about a girl named Summer. I get to spent a week at camp each year teaching at a Rock and Roll camp... and have learned all about camp culture... I was a little confused for a while but after a few years I'm starting to understand all the hand motions and jokes... haha. I see why people love to go to camp (at least this one)... it is this awesome little subculture and community of people... People go to camp all through school and then become counselors. I know people who get married at camp... and/or met their spouse at camp... etc. If you've worked at a camp you'll understand this campy little song. Camp has SO many inside jokes... each year/week/day... some live on forever. I threw a couple little hints of inside jokes in the end... for the campers that will hear this eventually. :)

Listen/Download Here: Summer & The Great Outdoors And Inside Jokes
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Summer & The Great Outdoors And Inside Jokes

“Summer! Summer... time to go to camp!”
A now familiar phrase at the end of June
The first time she was scared out of her mind
But soon it became like a second home
She had friends that she couldn't wait to see
And by the end, she never wanted to leave

CHORUS:
Along this gravel road, you'll find a wooden sign
That reads -Welcome to Camp. Leave your troubles behind.

There is something about camp that other people don't understand
It is more than waterfront sand, hand motions to all of the songs
It's more than crowed cabins and campfires every night
You catch a glimpse of truth in each others faces at moonlight
Acoustic guitar comes from across the lake
You could sing camp songs, the whole night long.

A camper from grade to middle to high school
She became a counselor, She spends the whole summers
She sees her friends and sing all the songs
Oh the great outdoors and great inside jokes
Bandannas, Crocs, Tye Dies, bathing is optional
If you find love at camp, you know it must be real

Oh the great outdoors and great inside jokes.

(c) & (p) Daniel L. Vaillancourt (ASCAP)

Song #18 - Rosalie & The Ocean In Her Eyes

Here's 'R' for you. The first line came to me while I was working on something on another song... and went from there... I love the smell of the breeze coming off the ocean in New England... I like writing these songs about someone, as told through the eyes of someone else... all at the same time telling the story of the narrator also. I used a little bit of an irregular chord stucture for part of the verses...

Listen/Download Here: Rosalie & The Ocean In Her Eyes
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Rosalie & The Ocean In Her Eyes

Rosalie... Lived in a house down by the ocean
Rosalie was at home down by the sea
Salty New England Breeze
Filled her lungs every morning, every evening
Coffee tastes better out on the porch swing
Where she can see the tides coming in

CHORUS
Rosalie is always beautiful
I see her dress blow in the wind
The ocean in her eyes and her eyes out on the ocean
And my eyes on her

Rosalie married me out on this beach
Just forty very short years ago
All of our kids gone and grown
And have families of their own
There isn't anything I wouldn't trade in this life
To sit with my wife and watch the tides coming in

Oh I hope and pray every day
That we can spend forever and a day
Watching the river flow into the ocean
And watching the rain drops falling down
Time is a river, memories the rain
We spend our days watching the the tides coming in

Ending:
Eventually it came time for Rosalie
To leave this world behind
So, I scattered her ashes in the great Atlantic Sea
And I watched as the tide was coming in

Rosalie, She was always beautiful
I watched the ashes blow in the wind
The ocean was in her eyes and her eyes were on the ocean
And my eyes were always on her

(c) & (p) Daniel L. Vaillancourt (ASCAP)

Song #17 - Quinn & The Waves Of Lake Michigan

Well... 'Q' was not as hard as I thought it was going to be. :) The melody popped into my head at some point in August... and was inspired by driving Lake Michigan to get to WI and on the way there I saw the near full moon shine on the lake and on the back I saw sunshine and sunset... It still amazes me. I've taken many roadtrips to the Lake and my friend Eric taught me how to body surf last year... apparently people also "really" surf on the lake... The waves get pretty big. And although I had already written the song, I got to go take a road trip to spent Labor Day weekend on the camping on the coast... :) Ahh... how I love the third coast... and I'm always amazed when people living in MI have never seen it!

I think this is the first song that I've ever written that I go up into my falsetto for the melody... even if it is just for one word. :)

Interesting Facts:
- Lake Michigan has the world's largest freshwater dunes line the lakeshore. (Including the Sleeping Bear Dunes.)
-Millions of people annually visit the dunes/beaches at state and national parks and lakeshores.
-The Lake is the sixth largest freshwater lake in the world.
-The Great Lakes shoreline is equal to almost 44 percent of the circumference of the earth, and Michigan's Great Lakes coast totals 3,288 mi/5,294 km, more coastline than any state but Alaska.

Listen/Download Here: Quinn & The Waves Of Lake Michigan
(Donate or Buy Merch HERE)

Quinn & The Waves Of Lake Michigan

Quinn had never been to Lake Michigan
Even though she lived so close
He told Quinn, “It was a sin...
... Not to swim in the waves with the August Wind.”
“Besides there are dunes for climbing...”
“Sleeping Bear and her cubs.”
“If no one else will take you, I will drive you there myself.”
So there packed up his car to go.

CHORUS:
Everyone loves a little road trip
Everyone wants a little romance
Everyone needs a little vacation in the summer...
So, let's go to the coast

Quinn had never been in Lake Michigan
She was afraid to get in over her head
The waves are at least as tall as she is
And he wants to teach her to body surf
“Quinn, One, Two Three!”
“Follow me... Run into the waves.”
“If no one else will take you, I will drive you there myself.”
“Come on. Get into the water let's go!”

Quinn never wanted to leave
She had seen sunshine, sunset, and moonlight...
Like she'd never seen them before
She'd run through the dune sand and the dune grass
Sometimes we don't notice what is so close
Until we take a chance and get in over our heads
“If no one else will take you, I will drive you there myself.”
So, come on get in the car, let's go.

(c) & (p) Daniel L. Vaillancourt (ASCAP)

Song #16 - Penelope & The Hour Glass

I wrote this one in a little cabin while I was teaching at camp. It was inspired partly by the kids in the early verses and walking out to a camp fire, that I was late for and seeing all of the stars... There is nothing like seeing stars in the middle of nowhere... Really awe-inspiring.

This is another one of the songs that takes a dark turn in the middle... BUT it ends with hope.

Listen/Download Here: Penelope & The Hour Glass
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Penelope & The Hour Glass

Penelope wants to be everything and more.
Just a child. You should see her smile.
Full of dreams. The world's an oyster and she is a pearl.
She'd give it a whirl. outgoing girl.
Innocent eyes see beautiful things.
Innocent mouth always sings.

Chorus:
Starlight. Star Bright. I wish upon the first star I see tonight.

Penelope, teenager, trying to fit in...
with the other kids, with the other sins.
Did what she could to run with the crowd.
She was loud. At least for now.
Penelope held everything inside.
Ambitions slide. Easier to hide.

Marriage then divorce, baby on the way.
Bills to pay. Works all day.
No one seems to care she's a mother to be.
What about dreams? What about me?
It's always harder when things don't go as planned.
Hour glass. Sinking sand.

Penelope gets older, the world seems to change.
Isn't strange? Things rearrange.
Schedules and pocketbooks, bills pile up.
Isn't it enough, just to not give up?
Dreams are fading now, she's running out of time.
In a bind. Forgot her lines.

Penelope, gray hair, frail bones.
She's going home... alone.
Her daughter turned out just like her.
Last chance or so it seems...
...Is her granddaughter, she teaches her to sing, to believe, to follow her dreams.

(c) & (p) Daniel L. Vaillancourt (ASCAP)

Song #15 - Olivia & Her Former Lives

Yay for Olivia! Olivia does sort of remind me of myself... haha... I was writing stories by 5 and wrote a play or two by 7 or 8. I was/is a strange child. :) This song is helped out by my friend Jack Johnson on sax again... Thanks Jack.

Interesting Facts:
I wrote this song knowing that Shakespeare had invented the name in a play called the 12th Night and that her name means "Olive tree." That was the sort of spring board for this song. Then later, I looked it up on line to post some liner notes and found that the lyrics are even more fitting with the meaning and background of the name... I wanted to post a good chunk of the explanation... I have a few of the name songs where I'm a little more dead on than I would have thought. I found out she is also one of the patron saints of Music!

The Following is from: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Where_does_the_name_Olivia_come_from

ETYMOLOGY: The name Olivia in its Latin context means "an olive tree or branch". The name Olivia is a symbol of fruitfulness, dignity and beauty.

ORIGIN & HISTORY: Introduced in its modern spelling by William Shakespeare in his 1599 play The Twelfth Night, the name may have been coined from the olive plant or as a feminine form of Oliver. Olivia is also derived from the early Italian name Oliva, meaning olive.

Before 1624 Palermo had four patron saints, one for each of the four major parts of the city. They were Saint Agatha, Saint Christina, Saint Nympha, and Saint Olivia. Saint Olivia is the patron saint of music. The beautiful daughter of a noble Sicilian family, at 13 years old she was kidnapped by Muslims and taken as a slave to Tunis. Impressed by her virtue and beauty her abductors permitted her to live as a hermitess in a cave. However, after she began to perform miracle cures on the local sick, many Muslims converted to Christianity. Consequently she was imprisoned, tortured and later killed.

FASCINATING FACTS: The name Olivia is said to create an interest in the deeper aspects of life. With a Destiny number of 5 a person with the name Olivia is most likely destined to be a free spirit. They'll grow to have the adaptability, inventiveness, and sense of adventure that allows them to take great changes with stride. A person with this name is said to be an eccentric, introverted thinker who is both analytical and mysterious

Listen/Download Here: Olivia & Her Former Lives
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Olivia & Her Former Lives

Olivia is always climbing trees
She thinks that she can fly
She might have been a bird in a former life
What a strange, strange child...
What a strange, strange child...

CHORUS:
O O O Olivia
It's a wonderful thing, It's a wonderful thing... Olivia.

She's camped out for the twelfth night in a row
Waiting for the aliens to come
Something about a dream. Something about a sign
What a strange, strange child...
What a strange, strange child...

She recites Shakespeare at lunchtime
She seems to know all the lines
She acts out scenes on the playground
What a strange, strange child...
What a strange, strange child...

Olivia sees the world differently
and I don't think that's a bad thing
I think she reminds me of myself
What a strange, strange child...
What a strange, strange child...

Ending:
She might have been a bird in a former life...
She might have been the bard in a former life...

(c) & (p) 2008 Daniel L. Vaillancourt (ASCAP)

Song #14 - Normandy & The Nurse's Salute

Here it is... Song #14... All the kids/staff at the Rock & Roll Camp seemed to really like this one, and have been bugging me to get it posted. (Umm... Here you go Kellen :) Finally got it posted) My friend Jack Johnson stopped at my house on the way up to camp and played some sax for me too. Good times.

So, sometimes this song kinda gets me a little choked up... I think about kids that have to go through live like this and I've had a lot of friends and family in my life get diagnosed with cancer lately.

Normandy has a bunch of parallels to WWII's battle of Normandy D-Day. IF you remember a couple things from your history classes... you probably can pick them out.

Listen/Download Here: Normandy & The Nurse's Salute
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Normandy & The Nurse's Salute

Normandy. She is braver than me
She seen more beds in hospitals that a child should ever see
Jokingly... she said soon she'll be bald like me
Her sense of humor gets her through chemotherapy
She always makes the nurses laugh and she sticks out her tongue
They all have funny stories about what Normandy has done

CHORUS:
Another day. Another victory... in the battle for Normandy's
Life against an invisible enemy
She made it to another birth day. She turned 13
That 6th of June was a Delightful Day
Another Day another Victory. A Victory for Normandy
Against the odds she made it to see 13

Normandy has seen things that she should never see
All her friends around her are sick or dying
Sometimes she calls for her mother in the middle of the night
But the bad dreams don't go away when she turns out the light
She's made a lot of friends. She always tries to make them laugh.
Some of them got better and some of them have passed

Normandy's nickname is the general
She calls the doctors her allies and the nurses her troops
To Normandy, all the nurses they salute
The little things that get her through the day
Doctors said she wouldn't make it to see 18
But on her 18th birthday, she came to visit and say...
“Another Day! Another victory! Another victory for me!
You said I would never see 18!” She stuck out her tongue and yelled..
“Oh yeah, Here I am... I'm 18... Look at me!”
“Another Day! Another victory! You said I would never see 18!”
So she stuck out here tongue and said, “Well Look at me!”

(c) & (p) 2008 Daniel L. Vaillancourt (ASCAP)

Song #13 - Mary & Her Lies of a Saintly Life

Mary is # 13 of the alphabet series... This is a play of two nursery rhymes (Miss Mary Mack and Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary) and Saint Mary.

Interesting fact:
I didn't really do this on purpose initially but Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary is an English nursery rhyme; an alternate first line is "Mistress Mary, quite contrary."

Listen/Download Here: Mary & Her Lies of a Saintly Life
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Mary & Her Lies of a Saintly Life

Mary in New Year City
Wears her little black dress to the martini bar
High Heels. Silver earrings.
Diamonds shimmering around her neck.
Short Dress. Long Legs.
Stretch out from under the table.

CHORUS:
Mary quite contrary to popular belief...
Is not as saintly as she seems
Mary quite contrary to popular belief...
Is not as saintly as she wants you to believe

Mary is the other woman
He has a wife in the suburbs
Business Suit. Money Clips...
Stuffed with hundred dollar bills
Multiple Martinis.
With tips bigger than her old paychecks

Mary is feeling guilty
But not enough to trade this life in
Cigar smoke swirling
Like thoughts floating through her head
Once she saw a photograph
of his beautiful wife and kids

She used to be her mother's perfect child
Now she is the perfect mistress
She still goes home to Iowa at Christmas time
But her stories are all lies
Her mother still believes she's the girl
Growing up seemingly innocent in Iowa

Mary wants you to believe... Her life in New York City
Is perfect and pretty.

(c) & (p) 2008 Daniel L. Vaillancourt (ASCAP)

Song #12: Layna & Turning On and Off

Layna is the 12th song in the alphabet series. Thomas Boles was nice enough to sing some rock and roll backing vox. :) Layna is one of those girls where the boys all like her and the girls can't quite understand why... She turns the boys on and turns the other girls off. She's kinda crazy too. This is one of my favorites of the series so far. :)

Listen/Download Here: Layna & Turning On and Off
(Donate or Buy Merch HERE)

Layna & Turning On and Off

Layna is a firecracker
She was born on the 4th of July
Stubborn and Beautiful
Fire in her eyes
She has a way about her
The was hard to resist

CHORUS:
Lately she is on and off and on again
Layna is a little bit crazy
Lately she is on and off and on again
Layna really turns them on

Layna has a bit of a temper
She'll bunch you in the face
Without thinking twice about it
She'll put you in your place
You better stay out of her way
Or you'll get what you get

Layna looks across the room
She's got her eyes on you
That red-headed temptress
You don't know what she'll do
She buys you a drink
You're the envy of the room

(c) & (p) 2008 Daniel L. Vaillancourt (ASCAP)

Song #11 - Kathryn & Her Big Belt Buckles

# 11 in the alphabet series. Kathryn is normal girl, someone everyone has always known, and is a little rough around the edges... It just takes one person to see something special and beautiful in her... In this case, it is a beautiful nervous love. It makes the world go around.

Interesting Fact:
Ummm... please don't ever ask me to whistle on demand... haha... I was just sort of hyped on coffee or something when I recorded this and was kind of whistling while I was setting up the recording stuff and it ended up in the song...:) It was just a fluke of nature that it worked. HA!


Listen/Download Here: Kathryn & Her Big Belt Buckles
(Donate or Buy Merch HERE)


Kathryn & Her Big Belt Buckles

Kathryn wears big belt buckles
And at least a 5 gallon hat.
She always plays Patsy Cline on the jukebox
So call me crazy, but I think I'm falling in love
So call me crazy, but I think I'm falling in love

We all know Kathryn and her family
All of us have driven by the ranch
It goes on and on forever with a thousand head of cattle
Seems like forever, I think I might be falling in love

Chorus:
Like bull rider at a rodeo, I'm hanging on.
For dear Life.
Like a bull rider at a rodeo, I'm hanging on.
For dear, for dear Kathryn

Kathryn is like a diamond in the rough
but it all smooths out when she smiles
Snake skin boots and overalls
I can't get over her, I think I'm falling in love
I can't get over her, I think I'm falling in love

There is something about that rancher's daughter
That keeps me up at night
Keep on waiting until the time is right
To tell her, I think I am falling in love
Keep on waiting until the time is right
To tell her, I think I am falling in love

I can't wait to tell her, that I think I'm falling in love
I think I'm falling in love... Oh I think I'm falling in love

(c) & (p) 2008 Daniel L. Vaillancourt (ASCAP)

Song # 10: Joanna & The Grace of God

Goodness Gracious! I started 'J' a few times before I wrote this one... I wrote all the way up to 'M' before I finished this one... This is # 10 in my alphabet of names series. It was a hard one to write... but I like how it turned out... there are lots of little twists in there. It always amazes me when people lose everything but are still not bitter... This is the third song I've written where someone dies so far... hmmm.

Interesting facts:
-Joanna means - "God is gracious" and is derived from the hebrew word for 'Grace'

-"The Joanna" or "the old Joanna" are nicknames given to the piano.

Listen/Download Here: Joanna & The Grace of God
(Donate or Buy Merch HERE)

Joanna & The Grace of God

Joanna, gracious and polite
Says, “The stars are the angels of the night.”
Grandmother's house is her home
The only family she'd really known
Her mother grew up on this farm
Her father grew up down the road
They saw the same stars and the same moon
It was the grace of God that saved you

CHORUS:
Joanna looks up towards the stars
She said a prayer for her mother and her father
Joanna looked up towards the stars
Fireflies rise from the horizon

Out of tune piano, play those old songs
Joanna and her grandmother sing along
Just like her mother used to do
She thanks God everyday for sparing you
Joanna's faith never fades
She is her grandmother's saving grace
They sang the same songs to the same tunes
It was the grace of god the saved you

The fire burned hot and the fire burned bright
But the angels were watching Joanna that night
Her parents never made it through
But the angels protected you
From the fire that consumed...
Your parent's lives... you were two
....It was the grace of God that saved you

They saw the same stars and the same moon
It was the grace of God that saved you

(c) & (p) Daniel L. Vaillancourt (ASCAP)

Song # 9: Isadora & The Never Ending Wait

Song #9 in the alphabet of songs series... A little 2 chord rock song... This might be the most rock that my voice has ever sounded... and the simplest song I have ever written.

This is a sad song with a sad ending... Sometimes things don't work out. Sometimes it is hard to understand why... I think about this when I see bad car accidents... what about the people waiting for them to come home.

I sort of wrote this song thinking about the way my friend Thomas Boles would write a song... and luckily for me... he is visiting me from CA and I went down in my basement and told him I need him to do a little rock and roll backing vox... and he did... I think it helps to make the song.

Listen/Download Here: Isadora & The Never Ending Wait
(Donate or Buy Merch HERE)

Isadora & The Never Ending Wait

Isadora... Just can't ignore what's going on.
Cigarettes... smoked the whole day long
Fretting... over what might be going wrong
Fretting... His guitar and played that song...
That he taught her, played it the whole night long

CHORUS:
Nothing turned into something.
And as quick as it began, it was over once again
No one turned into someone
And just as it began, it was over once again

Isadora... broken up and on the floor
Closed... all the windows... all the doors.
Wood... stained with ashes and tears
Would... you believe she waited all these years
and like a bad sitcom, it replays all night long

Isadora... curses, fist clenched in the air
Accident... on I-95
Never... ending wait to see him again
Never... Did she think it'd end this way
Alone in her bed all night long


(c) & (p) Daniel L. Vaillancourt (ASCAP)

Song # 8: Hannah & Her Sketchbook

Hannah is the 8th song in my alphabet of fictitious stories series... Hannah reminds me a few people I have know through my life... I think that people are drawn to artists (and musicians for that matter...) because in their art, they see a little glimpse of the way that they see the world.

I recorded this song very late at night, with the window open, playing softly...

Listen/Download Here: Hannah & Her Sketchbook
(Donate or Buy Merch HERE)

Hannah & Her Sketchbook

Hannah signed her name on the page...
On which she drew a picture of you
Charcoal on paper never looked better
Than when she handed that picture right to you
Hannah always carried that pencil
Was quick to capture what she'd see
And he Said, “ I must admit I kinda like...
What Hannah sees in me.”
He Said, “ I must admit I kinda like...
What Hannah sees in me.”

Oh sweet Hannah. She gets that look right in her eye
Oh sweet Hannah... It's like she is still surprises...
At what the pencil will do.
Her eyes sparkle as she draws pictures of you.
Her eyes sparkle as she draws pictures of you.

Hannah was always kind of shy
Never quite knowing what to say
She let her pictures do most of the talking
And you know was hard to complain
Because everything she draws is beautiful
Makes you envy the world that she sees
He Said, “ I must admit I kinda like...
What Hannah sees in me.”
He Said, “ I must admit I kinda like...
The way Hannah sees me.”

Hannah seems to see the world
In shades of black & white
Coffee, cream and her sketchbook
Makes for a wonderful night
Sometimes she will let me join her
Oh how I love those nights
I must admit I like the light...
in which Hannah sees me.
He Said, “ I must admit I kinda like...
The way Hannah sees me.”


(c) & (p) Daniel L. Vaillancourt (ASCAP)

Song #7: Gladys & Gambler's Mentality

I picked up the Mandolin for this one... Or should I say Person-dolin as my friend Nathan says. :) This is a play on Gladys Knight and the Pips... and political correctness. haha.

Interesting fact:

Pip = A dot indicating a unit of numerical value on dice or dominoes.

Listen/Download Here: Gladys & Gambler's Mentality
(Donate or Buy Merch HERE)

Gladys & Gambler's Mentality

Gladys was a gambler. She'd only come out at night.
She'll roll the dice when the stakes are high. You can bet your life.
She'll never give up, never say die
Never knows when it is time...
To quit while she's ahead
Just go ahead and quit while your ahead

CHORUS:
She's got a gambler's mentality
Or should I say “female-ity.
It's a sickness, a malady
I think that you'll agree with me
She's like a melody to the rhythm of the dice

Vegas was her second home. Reno was the first.
Atlantic City was like a summer cottage, but wait it gets worse...
She stop at every reservation, every riverboat...
From Nevada to the Jersey shoreline

From MGM to Excalibur, everybody had heard of her
Gladys is like royalty, the gambling queen
She'd win as much as she'd lose, then lose what she would win
As soon as one game ends, another would begin

And I say, “Gladys... Why don't you quit while your ahead!?”

Song # 6: Frances & The Summer of 1953

Often I hear people asking about details of situations after their parent's die... Sometimes they never find the answers... but wouldn't it be awesome if we found a diary detailing part of their life. It is an interesting to think back generations and what they were like as teenagers...

My friend Thomas Boles helped me out on backing vocals.

Listen/Download Here: Frances & The Summer of 1953
(Donate or Buy Merch HERE)

Frances & The Summer of 1953

Frances was my Mother's Mother
When we cleaned out the attic we found her diary
Grandma never told many stories
I hadn't heard half as many as Grandpa would tell in a day
I opened the cover. Light filtered through the dust.
My grandma was a teenager again

CHORUS:
Oh the Fish are biting and the living is easy, Why don't we stay outside...
All summer long... I got got my bike to ride and we ain't got no need for pools
We got the swimming hole and everybody knows, It's the coolest place you can be
We all agree we had the best summer, it was 1953

The next page... Enter Grandpa.
She talked about the first time they met
She was with her friends at the swimming hole
He was coming back with a mess of fish
He went up to her and introduced himself as Freddy
And invited her over for a fish fry

And every page was filled with adventures
That Frances and Freddy had
All summer they stayed side by side
And stayed that way for the next 50 years.
September Twenty One was the last entry
“I'll never forget the summer we met in 1953”

Erika & The Silver Screen

Dreams don't always turn out the way we thought they would/should... But sometimes they still work out. I wrote this one without a chorus... It has the little bit of repetition at the end of the verses but I just let the storyline carry the song. I did stereo vocals and panned them left and right.

Listen/Download Here: Erika & The Silver Screen
(Donate or Buy Merch HERE)

Erika & The Silver Screen

Erika's in Arizona doing laundry for the hotel
Be she wants to be in the movies in LA
Erika's folding towels, folding sheets for the hotel
But she wants to be folding the script back learning her lines
-She Acts like nothings wrong. She Act like she's content.
But she'd rather be acting on the silver screen

“Hey Mama. Hey Papa. I want to move away.
Get on the bus, move to L.A.
Hey Mama! Hey Papa! I'm sick of this hotel.
I want to be a movie star. Shop on Rodeo Dr.”
-They Act like she is crazy. They Act like she's a fool.
Because she'd rather be acting on the silver screen.

Erika's fighting tears back, knowing that she may never leave.
This hotel seems it may steal her very soul
She just can't leave her family. They love her. They need her.
This hotel was her Papa's lifelong dream
-The Act of loving family. Can Actively be hard.
When you'd rather be acting on the silver screen

Papa saved his money. Mama went without.
And they build a little stage in the hotel
It doubles as an acting school. She doubles as the star.
People come from far and near to see the show.
-She Acts on the stage and teaches little ones to Act.
And they Act like she's a star on the silver screen.

(c) & (p) Daniel L. Vaillancourt (ASCAP)

Song #4 - Dayna & Her Combat Boots and Spikes

Dayna has become one of the favorites of my series on the 50/90. :) It's an unlikely love story that took twenty years to materialize. Sometimes people don't change... and sometimes that's a good thing.

You get a little mouth trumpet at the end... I just doing some scatting and busted into it...

I don't really know German... but I thought it was funny. :) It may be the first song I've written with a line in another language... I can't think of any other ones.

Listen/Download Here: Dayna & Her Combat Boots and Spikes
(Donate or Buy Merch HERE)

Dayna & Her Combat Boots and Spikes

Dayna's always playing the fool but she'll make it up to you.
Because Dayna is a hell of a girl but she never quite knows what to do
An army brat, she moved around, she'll speak in German when she meets you
“Sprechen Sie Deutsch? Wunderbar! Sehr Gut! Volkswagen...”
Sarcastic is her middle name, at least that's what her mother says...
And we all know that Mother's always know best.

CHORUS:
She skips a little when she walks. She sings a little when she talks.
She sings, “la la la la la la la... La ti da te da da da

She never does what you tell her to. You'll never catch her in a dress
Combat boots to her high school prom. You can imagine the rest.
She almost caused a riot as she walked down the stairs
They reminded her about the dress code and marveled at the spikes in her hair
She was never at a school quite long enough to make friends or enemies
But her escapades at the '88 prom will go down in history
Her escapades at the '88 prom will go down in infamy

She went to her 20th reunion with combat boots, hair spiked.
Two decades later... She still looked gorgeous... He thought from the corner of the room
He'd dreamed of a day when she'd be his bride and he would be her groom
He walked up and they spoke in German. They hit it right off.
It was no time at all before they got married and she finally wore a dress
She and her bridesmaids wore combat boots, hair spiked.

(C) & (P) Daniel L. Vaillancourt (ASCAP)

Song #3: Caroline & The DJ in Her Head

Part 3 in the Story Series. My bet is you know someone like Caroline. This song features my alter ego on Human Turntable and backing vox... I posted an updated version with my friend Thomas Boles on backing vox too.

Listen/Download Here: Caroline & The DJ in Her Head
(Donate or Buy Merch HERE)

Caroline & The DJ In Her Head

Caroline's going out on Saturday Night
She puts on her Favorite Dress
She's dressed to the nines, going out at 10
She's going to meet all of her friends
And next Saturday night
They'll do it all over again
She'll do it all over again

All of her friends like girl's night
Going out for dancing and drinks
There's something about that dim-lit club
That makes them feel young again
And Next Saturday Night
They'll do it all over again
They'll do it all over again

The next time seems like the last time
But it never quite feels like the first time
The years keep on changing but
They never quite see it in each other's eyes
But in the mirror they all talk to themselves

Caroline doesn't really care
About the club or who is there
Because even when she's not at the club
She dances to the DJ in her head
And Everyday...
She'll do it all over again.

The next time never seems like the first time
But it always feel like the last time
The years keep on changing but
They never quite see it in each other's eyes
But in the mirror they all talk to themselves

Caroline's going out on Saturday Night
She puts on her favorite dress

(c) & (p) 2008 Daniel L. Vaillancourt

Song #2: Betty & The Constant Battle of Fire and Water

This is part 2 in the my alphabet of fictitious stories Series. This is really a song I thought about writing while I was down in New Orleans this year... I was reading the history of the city on a walking tour and through out the years it has burned or been destroyed by hurricanes many times... but it always heals. New Orleans is an amazing place with amazing people. (And SUPER amazing food.)

Interesting Facts:
http://www.frenchquarter.com/history/elements.php

Listen/Download HERE: Betty & the Battle of Fire and Water
(Donate or Buy Merch HERE)


Betty & The Battle of Fire & Water

Betty, before banquets, used to cater... to men.
Times were hard down in New Orleans
She did what she had to just to make ends meet
Things got worse, before they got better
But things got better.
And at least for the most part every thing's fine

CHORUS
She makes Jambalaya, makes a mean gumbo with alligator sausage
It'll burn your mouth off if you don't wash it down
It's like a constant battle of fire and water.

Everyone said pack what is precious and leave
But everything that is precious seems to be lost
But she found her dignity, found her courage, decided to stay
Things got worse, before they got better
But they got better.
And at least for the most part every thing's fine

Destructive history that you can see from the outside
It's easy to see, why Betty didn't want to leave
She is like the city, and this city always heals
You can see the water lines and where the buildings burned
But things are getting better
At least for the most part
At least most of the time
The city's constant battle with Fire and Water

c&p2008 Daniel L. Vaillancourt ASCAP

SONG #1: Abigail & Her Library

The first song in the series is a song about Abigail...

Interesting facts:
-Abigail means "Her Father's Joy."
-St. Lawrence is the patron saint of Librarians.

Listen and/or Download: Abigail & Her Library
(Donate or Buy Merch HERE)

Lyrics:

Abigail & Her Library
Abigail is inquisitive. Her nose always in a book
Words are her great escape. She rarely looks you in the eye.
She'd rather be in her fantasy. The ink across the page.
Leather bound or paperback... eventually she'll read them all.
Or so she says.

CHORUS:
Abigail wants to know everything
All of the details. So don't leave anything out.

Abigail was her father's joy. Everyone knew it to be true.
Her eyes would his smile, as he walked into the room
She'd follow him into his library. A story was sure to ensue
Her father must have known everything. He'd read all the books in that room...
Or so he said.

Abigail knew something was wrong. Her father had suddenly taken ill.
Prayers were said to St. Lawrence, seemingly to no avail
It wasn't long before her father passed. Abigail never was the same
She keeps that picture of St. Lawrence as a bookmark as she attempts to read them all.

All the Books in his Library
All of the details
Don't leave a single one out
Abigail wants to know everything

c&p 2008 Daniel L. Vaillancourt (ASCAP)

Q & A: 50 Songs. Written & Recorded in 90 Days.

WHAT?
Okay... So to fill everyone in... I am doing what has been called the "Marathon of Songwriting Challenges." It is the 50/90 Challenge... Attempting to write 50 songs in 90 days. I am trying to record demos of all 50 too. In case you flunked math... that is one song every 43.2 hours... for 90 days. Crazy... yes. More about it here: www.5090.fawm.org/

WHY?
Why not? I did a song a week for the last 20-some weeks of 2007 as a personal challenge... and 14 songs in a February as part of February Album Writing Month. I decided that since gas prices, an aging car, and a few more reasons kept me from touring this summer... I would do this crazy challenge instead.

WHAT DO YOU WIN?!
Nothing. Lots of folks ask what will I win if I finish... Nothing... However if you like new songs... YOU WIN! :)

FIRST 26 SONGS - SERIES #1
I decided to write a series of songs about 26 fictitious people... all the titles and first words of the songs will be of a girl's name... Each song will be a name in alphabetical order... (Like naming Hurricanes.) i.e. Abigail, Betty, Caroline... Etc... Of course with any fiction... there is a little fact.

HOW DO YOU RECORD THEM?
I record a live version of the songs with a couple of microphones... Sometimes I will do an extra backing vocal. You might hear me breath, my lips smack, the neighbors dog bark...

CAN I DOWNLOAD THE SONGS?
Sure can. I'll be posting all the demos... Feel free to donate or buy something via the Donate and Merch link of the right of the page... Every little bit helps. :) ... and every $4 buys a gallon of gas.

WILL YOU WRITE A SONG ABOUT ME?
Maybe I already did.