How do you get one of your favorite musicians on a song? You ask them!
I was a trucker for a long time. I had trucker friends. One trucker friend was over at the house visiting and having drinks and told me he had a story for a song for me.
I tell the story in the video. I did what he had asked of me.
The Cutting Room, New York City. Video for “Two Weeks (featuring the Charu Suri Trio).”
Around that time I started building an album with Keri and friends online. I was a fan of Charu Suri’s and wanted her on board but didn’t know if she’d be busy, or if she’d laugh at me.. there was only one way to find out!
Charu Suri was not only friendly and excited about the project, she invited Keri and me to play “Two Weeks” live with her at The Cutting Room in New York City. A little about Charu:
Charu Suri
Rags and Ragas, with bassist John Patitucci, drummer Joe Lastie, drummer Steve Gadd, and pianist Kobi Arad, is an album of healing. I was ill when it came out. I listened to it while getting better along with a couple other records. That playlist of healing is important to me. Sure she’s played Carnegie Hall a bunch. Sure she travels the world making all kinds of music for all kinds of people. She’s also a journalist. She’s also a teacher. But to me, it’s the healing. She just makes me feel better when she plays that thing the way she does.
I messed up a little on the words of our performance in New York. I was so taken back by how wonderfully Charu was playing, I missed a cue. She can be a relaxing day by the water or a full blown gale force. I love how she does piano.
Working with Charu Suri is one of the highlights of my musical journey. She taught me a lot and continues to educate in her music and her words. She is the sound of heals and good vibes around this place. She’s important to us. The Charu Suri Trio did a wonderful job.
This boy from Oklahoma…
I think about this character in this song a lot. I think about spending two weeks drunk in a bar in Manila. I think about how great the band is…
Back to home.
A note about the mixing on the album and this song.
Mixing is something I dabble with but I wouldn’t say I do it professionally. I would say that about the mixers on this album. That is why I asked them to mix us. I wanted to sound good, not like my mixing. haha.
Brady Jo mixed most of the album, Bkbirge mixed “The Warning.” This particular song was mixed by Adam Whittaker at Deluxe Mixing, however. I was really trying to include all these amazing people I knew. Adam is a mixing master. I highly recommend him for your recordings. All three gentlemen are what I call “pros.” Amazing folks.