"One Time" is from Tales of the Troubadours - It was one of the last songs that we created. This albums went through quite a few changes - Originally we were going to release 12 tracks as an album and 5 different songs as an EP before the album. The EP was a partial 'concept' idea, "Pull Me" was the fist part of this batch with another song "Push Me" at the polar end of the EP. "One Time" was going to be stuck in the middle. This song was written in a completely different way then the rest of the album - this beat was fleshed out almost in it's entirety before Colin even heard it. I had the urge to add banjo along with organ to the instrumental but opted to leave it out because it felt cluttered.
Colin wrote all the words without my input - there is only one other song on the album that came together like this: "Running Away" (THIS song however was created in a very abstract way itself). This is interesting because the entire album is a mash-up of my musical thoughts and lyrics with Colin's lyrics and themes. Colin would set the tone for the lyrics and I would match to him and we would re-asses and revisit segments. This song allowed him to freely roam through the instrumental without me poking my ideas into it.   
I'd also like to point out this song contains Analyrical's 2nd singing part - I didn't help him or dub his sung parts. I like to think that this song still fits between "Pull Me" and "Push Me" - my bridge lyrics speak to the idea that no matter where you are or what you are doing, you are either being pulled to something or (conversely) pushing someone towards something. People play both roles simultaneously and continuously.    

MaLLy started gaining momentum with his first release "The Passion" - oddly enough I started recording this project with MaLLy, our version didn't see the light of day though. TQD had slipped me some of his lesser known projects (both are available on his Bandcamp). "The Moment" was my first exposure to him. It was clear, powerful and uplifting. I mentioned his presence once before, but hearing it will make the concept clear. He is blessed with a voice that demands attention, he jumps out of your headphones. Coupled with clever lines, deep metaphors and just enough ego to make you envy him - his verses quickly become mini-anthems. 

On more than one occasion he references 'The Renaissance' - this is what he is building. It's a return to classical Hip-Hop with the knowledge of today. MaLLy sounds at home over ear-knocking drums and thick samples, or with his go to producer: The Sundance Kid filling in with synthetic synths and atmospheric noise. He is one part familiar/one part new, the perfect union of old hip-hop soul with new energized sound/ability.      

This trailer for his newest project "The Last Great" showcases his great use of metaphor and creative process. The album is a head knocker from front to back - showcasing MaLLy at both highs and lows of his life. He will be releasing a video for "Winner" sometime in the very near future, otherwise his YouTube Channel is full of visual goodies. 

I thought I would profile some songs off "The Tales of the Troubadours" - starting with this one.
Dust Storm was created because I had recently become obsessed with the FourOnTheFloor drum pattern - you know what I'm talking about. Constant kick on the downbeat, make you shake your rump type stuff. I had never created a song with this pattern throughout the entire track - I got the kicks sounding nice and picked up the bass.
The blues felt right at home - so I ran with it. It's a classic 12 bar pattern, Colin decided it would be cool to play with the turn around segment and repeat a phrase instead of a classic hook. We initially got the song idea from a friend of mine, we posted on Facebook for ideas to write a song about and my buddy responded "Dust storms, cause that shit is real."
Right before the center I wanted the energy to pick up, adding the swirling guitar solo, along with the syncopated snare hits achieved this nicely. I wanted the center, or the 'eye of the storm' to be calm, so I broke the beat down and put my voice all alone in there. After the eye comes the chaos once again, and then the song tails off into the distance.
It's the perfect opener for this album - come hear us perform it Feb. 9th at Hells Kitchen in MPLS.