http://tuesdaysongs.high-fidelity.net/ tuesday songs performed by Kai Widmann http://tuesdaysongs.high-fidelity.net/20120508 http://tuesdaysongs.high-fidelity.net/20120508 After months of silence finally a new tuesday song. I have some days off and recorded a few tracks today. That's my take on Neil Young. It's an uncommon way of singing for me. Way too high. But it got better than expected, so I think it's worth sharing. Tue, 08 May 2012 21:20:39 +0200 http://tuesdaysongs.high-fidelity.net/20111216 http://tuesdaysongs.high-fidelity.net/20111216 Finally new stuff on tuesday songs, even though it is on a friday. I've been busy during the last few months, and even if I wanted my professional and/or my personal life kept me from posting new songs every week. And I got tired of posting old stuff. I surely won't find the time to post on a weekly basis again any time soon, but I hope that I can at least post a new recording every once in a while. The two songs today are not new, but there's no better time to post them than mid December, so here they are. These recordings were done with a colleague who played the piano. You might find "White Christmas" a bit strange. Well it is, it was meant as a joke. Fortunately it's so short, it's over in no time ;) Fri, 16 Dec 2011 16:39:44 +0100 http://tuesdaysongs.high-fidelity.net/20110803 http://tuesdaysongs.high-fidelity.net/20110803 I'm in Switzerland right now, so at least this and the next week songs from the archive will have to do (if I manage to upload new tracks at all). Luckily there's a WIFI internet access I can use about 20 minutes from my appartment. I'm in the Valle Maggia area, a region I've known since I was born. So I feel quite at home. All the huge mountains, forests, meadows, trees, cottages, waterfalls are quite beautiful to look at. It's a wonderful world. Wed, 03 Aug 2011 11:54:36 +0200 http://tuesdaysongs.high-fidelity.net/20110726 http://tuesdaysongs.high-fidelity.net/20110726 After all that stuff from "Die kaputten GØTTER" here's one from my later band "Hey Nonny Nonny". This song was originally released on a sampler we shared with some other bands, but we were not allowed to publish it the way we wanted. We are quoting the trumpet and a verse of Johnny Cash's "Ring Of Fire" in the middle part, so we requested permission to put it on a CD that way, but our request was denied. Since this was not our CD alone and we didn't want to risk not being allowed to sell it, we had to edit the song and get rid of "Ring Of Fire". The result was a very strange backward-part after the second chorus. Anyway, here's the unedited version with kind regards to Johnny Cash and his wife, who wrote that song ;) During the next weeks I'll be travelling and offline most of the time. So there may be some weeks without any tuesday songs. But I'll practice some new songs in the meantime, so I hope I'll be able to finally post new recordings in some weeks. In the meantime: have a nice summer. Tue, 26 Jul 2011 21:16:26 +0200 http://tuesdaysongs.high-fidelity.net/20110719 http://tuesdaysongs.high-fidelity.net/20110719 This one was recorded with and is dedicated to my dear friend Philipp. I guess congratulations are in order! Tue, 19 Jul 2011 21:25:41 +0200 http://tuesdaysongs.high-fidelity.net/20110712 http://tuesdaysongs.high-fidelity.net/20110712 It was 25 years ago today, on the 12th July 1986, that my first band, "Die kaputten GØTTER", was founded by AndrÉ, Holger and myself, somewhere in Denmark (hence the strange O with a slash). That day has influenced all days to follow a great deal, up until today. There would have been no follow up band "Hey Nonny Nonny" without that day. There wouldn't have been any Demo-Tapes, CDs or concerts. And I doubt that there would be any tuesday songs. So this date means a lot to me, and to celebrate this occasion accordingly, I've got two tuesday songs this week, representing two different aspects of our music, that stayed with us throughout the different incarnations of our bands. The first one, "It's Raining", is the funny country song (later followed by songs like "This is my Day" or "Desert in the Sun"), always a pleasure to play at concerts, while "Worlds Blue Innocent" represents our darker side, dismal and broody. This song can be seen as a predecessor to "Mental Vibration" or "Unfading" (alright, almost no one knows these songs, but Mac, I know you know what I'm talking about). It's mere coincidence that Holger didn't contribute to the writing of these two songs. In fact he was our main songwriter and none of those bands would have existed without his talent. I'm grateful that he stuck with me for ten years. Thank you, Holger! And thank you AndrÉ for starting it all with us. And thanks to all the people who jumped on that crazy train and enjoyed the ride with us, some for years, some for months and some even only a few days: Jura, Ted, Ecki, Martin, Götz, Handrin, Andi, Anne, Claudia, Steffen, Volker, Wolfgang, Philipp, Amin Jan, Nathalie, Dirk. Thank you all, it was and still is a pleasure! P.S.: I'm quite certain that I will improve those mixes during the next weekend after listening to them a few times. Because of my job I didn't have much time, mixing two songs in six hours is not an easy task, so come back here and check, I'll leave a note when I upload new versions. Tue, 12 Jul 2011 23:58:24 +0200 http://tuesdaysongs.high-fidelity.net/20110705 http://tuesdaysongs.high-fidelity.net/20110705 This one's dedicated to my oldest brother Götz, who is a huge Leonard Cohen fan (and a great singer/songwriter himself, see www.goetzwidmann.de). Besides I like this song a lot, too. Wed, 06 Jul 2011 00:14:07 +0200 http://tuesdaysongs.high-fidelity.net/20110701 http://tuesdaysongs.high-fidelity.net/20110701 All right, it's even later than last week. I was out of town and had no time to record or mix. I hope I will be on time next week ;) This is another song from "Spuren der GØTTER", the final tape I made with my first band "Die kaputten GØTTER". This year marks our 25th anniversary, reason enough to revisit those old tracks. As usual please don't listen to the lyrics too closely. Writing lyrics in correct english wasn't one of our strongest virtues ;) Sat, 02 Jul 2011 01:45:26 +0200 http://tuesdaysongs.high-fidelity.net/20110623 http://tuesdaysongs.high-fidelity.net/20110623 It has become a bad habit to post those tuesday songs late. Maybe I should call them "someday songs". Well, I have a profssional life as well and that's drawing all my attention recently. Anyway, this week it's at least not just another recording from the archive. I mean it is, but not just. I added a recorder (Blockflöte) that I wanted to have in that song ever since I recorded it more than nine years ago. Back then the song had to be finished for a birthday present, I didn't have the time to record another track and I never got around to work on it again. Not until today. So now this song is finally complete, no longer missing something in the instrumental part. And the new mix sounds better than the old one as well. Here you go, some nice country / americana. Enjoy. Thu, 23 Jun 2011 22:15:12 +0200 http://tuesdaysongs.high-fidelity.net/20110615 http://tuesdaysongs.high-fidelity.net/20110615 All right, this week it's a wednesday song again. I'm way too busy. There's a new Cake album out (Showroom of Compassion) and it's quite good. And this is a cover of a cover by Cake. The song was written and originally performd by Willie Nelson, but the Cake version is far better for my taste. So I tried to stay close to this. But I must admit I'm no way as cool as John McCrea (singer of Cake). Hope you'll like it anyway. Wed, 15 Jun 2011 21:38:39 +0200 http://tuesdaysongs.high-fidelity.net/20110607 http://tuesdaysongs.high-fidelity.net/20110607 After my holidays I have a lot of work to do at the office. I worked too much yesterday and I will continue to work too much for the next two weeks or so. No time for new recordings. So here's an old one. I never really was especially fond of the original version of "The First Time" by U2, but since it is easy to play I gave it a try some years ago and quickly started to like playing it. So I recorded this version for my wife's christmas CD in 2006. New material or remixes as soon as possible. Tue, 07 Jun 2011 21:45:42 +0200 http://tuesdaysongs.high-fidelity.net/20110531 http://tuesdaysongs.high-fidelity.net/20110531 This year marks the 25th anniversary of my first band "Die kaputten GØTTER". To celebrate this I want to post new mixes of some of the old songs from our final tape "Spuren der GØTTER" (which was later relabled as first tape of the follow up band Hey Nonny Nonny) every once in a while when I'm away from Berlin or don't find the time or mood to record something new. I'll start the series with the first song on the tape. "We Cry" was recorded first, in March 1989, while the rest of the tape was recorded in one session in the summer of 1990. This is a special recording, 'cause for the first time a decent drummer played with us (Maik Hahn of Shyboy) and we recorded on 8 track tape for the very first time. Luckily I still have that tape, so I could digitize it some time ago. Now "We Cry" sounds as good and as fresh as never before (at least I hope the mix turned out ok, I had to do it on mid price in ear phones and some computer speakers - not the best mixing gear!). Tue, 31 May 2011 21:51:07 +0200 http://tuesdaysongs.high-fidelity.net/20110524 http://tuesdaysongs.high-fidelity.net/20110524 After my last recording (Taken By A Stranger, see week 19) I had to go back to the basics, back to my boring self ;) So this week it's just guitar and vocals. I always wanted to do a cover of a Ben Folds song. Now I did a cover of a song from his band Ben Folds Five, but the song was written by the drummer Darren Jessee, the guy who also wrote the very first tuesday song "Blue Always Finds Me" (see week 1). So Ben Folds is yet to be covered. Tue, 24 May 2011 21:52:26 +0200 http://tuesdaysongs.high-fidelity.net/20110517 http://tuesdaysongs.high-fidelity.net/20110517 Our little son is on a trip with his kindergarten, he's away for the whole week, so we use our temporary childlessness to go out every night. Hence no time to record a new song (after "Taken By A Stranger" it's hard to return to my usual stuff anyway), so this recording from 2006 will have to do. It's again taken from "Perfectly Wrong", the record I made with my dear friend Philipp. I'm glad to have that in my "back catalogue" ;) Tue, 17 May 2011 23:18:54 +0200 http://tuesdaysongs.high-fidelity.net/20110510 http://tuesdaysongs.high-fidelity.net/20110510 And now for something completely different: A new recording and a very special song! This will be Germany's song for the Eurovision Song Contest next Saturday. Even though I prefer Lena's song "Push Forward" (see week 9) and even though I think Lena doesn't stand a chance of winning again I had to record this song. My premise was to use no synthetic sounds (at least none that aren't modeled after real instruments) and no guitars. Enjoy and please leave a comment if you like this song. Wed, 11 May 2011 01:24:32 +0200 http://tuesdaysongs.high-fidelity.net/20110504 http://tuesdaysongs.high-fidelity.net/20110504 It's a wednesday song again. My internet is down since Monday and I spent hours with support hotlines with no result. Because of this and because of other things I'm in a bad mood and that's not a good condition to make music, so I'll quit trying for today. Meanwhile another song from the archive. I'm glad only a very few people know all that old stuff ;) That song was written in 1988 and later performed by my first band "Die kaputten GØTTER". It was originally a guitar song, I recorded a piano only version in 2001 and then re-recorded the vocals and added guitars for a CD I made for my wife in 2006. Please ignore that the lyrics may be embarrassing ;) Wed, 04 May 2011 22:07:17 +0200 http://tuesdaysongs.high-fidelity.net/20110426 http://tuesdaysongs.high-fidelity.net/20110426 I'm sorry but it has to be an old recording again. I'm sick, my voice is gone, there's no way I could record a song today. Here's another recording I made with Philipp for our album "Perfectly Wrong": "The Unforgettable Fire" by U2. It seemed like a sacrilege to record this song, because the original is so important, so perfect, so holy. I never thought we had it in us. But we made it and since we finished our version I always think that the original is a wee bit on the fast side. Tue, 26 Apr 2011 20:32:21 +0200 http://tuesdaysongs.high-fidelity.net/20110419 http://tuesdaysongs.high-fidelity.net/20110419 Finally a new recording. And what a joy it was to make. I was joined by my dear friends Handrin and Miguel, so this is the first time I had help recording a new tuesday song. The song itself ain't new at all, it's been with me for many many years, though I hadn't played it for quite some time. It was one of the first cover songs I did with my former band Hey Nonny Nonny. Playing it with Handrin again, who was Hey Nonny Nonny's drummer, was like a time machine. Wed, 20 Apr 2011 00:07:34 +0200 http://tuesdaysongs.high-fidelity.net/20110412 http://tuesdaysongs.high-fidelity.net/20110412 As I feared I didn't find the time to record a new song. Maybe next week. This one was again taken from a record I made with Philipp. He took the song and converted it from 4/4 to 3/4 time. I didn't know the original when I sang it, so the changed beat seemed natural to me. I love 3/4 time anyway. I was quite surprised to hear Madonna's version after we finished the CD. I like ours better ;) Tue, 12 Apr 2011 21:45:26 +0200 http://tuesdaysongs.high-fidelity.net/20110405 http://tuesdaysongs.high-fidelity.net/20110405 Had visitors during last weekend until yesterday and the little one went to bed late, so no new song today. Here's another one from the archive and another one from The Church. Short and sweet and the second time I used a Hammond organ (the first song with Hammond will be posted at a later date). I hope I'll be back to recording next week, but I'm not sure. These are busy times. Tue, 05 Apr 2011 23:01:48 +0200 http://tuesdaysongs.high-fidelity.net/20110329 http://tuesdaysongs.high-fidelity.net/20110329 Bloody number 13. This one was really playing hard to get. I recorded about 50 or 60 versions of that song, but none got as good as I wanted it to be. In the end I lost all faith that I'll ever get it right. Well, I didn't. So I stopped trying to record the perfect version and started editing. I may be a lousy musician, but I'm a cutting room genius ;) So what you hear is an edit of maybe version 12 (I really should have stopped recording one week ago!) with some added instruments. It's not what I wanted for this song (some more instruments missing), but I really wanted to get rid of it ;) I hope you like it more than I do. Wed, 30 Mar 2011 01:50:28 +0200 http://tuesdaysongs.high-fidelity.net/20110322 http://tuesdaysongs.high-fidelity.net/20110322 All right, the song I wanted to record for this tuesday ain't finished yet, and I'm too tired, so I won't finish it now (the neighbours are surely grateful for that decision). So here's another one from the archive. It's taken from "Perfetly Wrong", a CD I made with my dear friend Philipp back in 2003. It's still one of my favourites on this album, I still love this song and I play it often. The song that was planned for today will be postponed until next week ... if I ever get it right. It's a new one I just learnt. Tue, 22 Mar 2011 23:47:56 +0100 http://tuesdaysongs.high-fidelity.net/20110315 http://tuesdaysongs.high-fidelity.net/20110315 I'm not the guy for happy music, never really was. I love slow songs. I love melancholy. But in light of recent events a really depressing song seems to be in order. Vic Chesnutt is one master of depression ... in fact he WAS, he killed himself about a year ago (a great loss!). His song "Sponge" is especially dark. I don't have a clue what he's really talking about, but somehow this song feels right on a day like today. It's a first take without any overdubs or edits, so it's up here with all its imperfections and flaws. Not in the mood for perfectionism today. Tue, 15 Mar 2011 22:32:14 +0100 http://tuesdaysongs.high-fidelity.net/20110308 http://tuesdaysongs.high-fidelity.net/20110308 This one's dedicated to my cousin Doris. She introduced me to Del Amitri and especially the song "Nothing Ever Happens" many years ago. It was her favourite song back then, and recently her life is just the opposite of "nothing ever happens". So this is to her. Hang on! Wed, 09 Mar 2011 00:44:28 +0100 http://tuesdaysongs.high-fidelity.net/20110301 http://tuesdaysongs.high-fidelity.net/20110301 Lena won the Eurovision Song Contest last year. "Push Forward" is on her new album and I like it better than the new ESC song "Taken By A Stranger". It's the first song I recorded in the new appartment, with some new equipment. Still getting used to everything. Wed, 02 Mar 2011 00:17:42 +0100 http://tuesdaysongs.high-fidelity.net/20110223 http://tuesdaysongs.high-fidelity.net/20110223 Yesterday I was sick, so this time it's a wednesday song. Sorry for the delay. The studio is up and running again and I'm working on a new track, but it's not finished yet (have to add some more instruments). In the meantime you can listen to the last song recorded by my old band Hey Nonny Nonny. It's our best work, I think. Wed, 23 Feb 2011 22:19:54 +0100 http://tuesdaysongs.high-fidelity.net/20110215 http://tuesdaysongs.high-fidelity.net/20110215 Due to some delays the studio still ain't up and running, so again I have to post an old recording. This one's dedicatd to Ruth, because today is her birthday and because it's her singing with me. The song was originally recorded for an album I made with my dear friend Philipp. Handrin was helping out on drums. Tue, 15 Feb 2011 21:24:15 +0100 http://tuesdaysongs.high-fidelity.net/20110208 http://tuesdaysongs.high-fidelity.net/20110208 I think Dido is a bit boring, but I always liked this song, especially the chord G minor that pops up when she sings "and I aways will be". Without that G minor I never would have covered that song ;) It's from the archive, the studio is still in boxes. Mon, 07 Feb 2011 23:04:33 +0100 http://tuesdaysongs.high-fidelity.net/20110201 http://tuesdaysongs.high-fidelity.net/20110201 Another one from the archive. No guitars whatsoever. And again recorded for my wife. Tue, 01 Feb 2011 22:58:09 +0100 http://tuesdaysongs.high-fidelity.net/20110125 http://tuesdaysongs.high-fidelity.net/20110125 I'll be moving in a few days, so the home studio is stowed away in boxes. No new recording today, but a song from the archive. I started recording an album of cover songs for my wife in december 2004 to give to her as a christmas present. But it didn't get finished, so she had to wait another year. So this track took one year to record and another year to get a final mix ;) Tue, 25 Jan 2011 09:39:48 +0100 http://tuesdaysongs.high-fidelity.net/20110118 http://tuesdaysongs.high-fidelity.net/20110118 A short, simple, plain and sweet folk song. And my first take on recording multiple instruments (see below) for a tuesday song. Tue, 18 Jan 2011 23:29:26 +0100 http://tuesdaysongs.high-fidelity.net/20110111 http://tuesdaysongs.high-fidelity.net/20110111 Elbow is one of my favourite bands. Very hard to cover, but this one is quite nice with just guitar and voice. Some more songs by Elbow will show up here within the next few months. Tue, 11 Jan 2011 22:07:52 +0100 http://tuesdaysongs.high-fidelity.net/20110104 http://tuesdaysongs.high-fidelity.net/20110104 First one, first take. This was written by Darren Jessee, drummer of Ben Folds Five, who now has his own band "Hotel Lights" Tue, 04 Jan 2011 21:10:17 +0100