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Track Listing:
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01. Wasteland 02. Time Away 03. All 04. Media 05. Gemini 06. Fortress 07. Pilot - Part 1 - Dream of the Pilot 08. Part 2 - Siren Song 09. Part 3 - Guidance 10. Part 4 - No Stars to Guide 11. Part 5 - Wind and Current 12. Part 6 - Legends of the Sea 13. Part 7 - I Am the Pilot |
Walkers walk in the wasteland, talkers talk in the wasteland
Dreamers die hand in hand - Lovers lie in the wasteland
Clocks tick in the wasteland, fear sticks in the wasteland
Lovers lie hand in hand - Dreamers die in the wasteland
Those eyes are wide - But wide eyes see nothing when you're
living underground
That child has cried - But cries mean nothing when you can't
hear a sound
Those skies are high - But high skies mean nothing when you
can't even fly
To soar or die - The tragedy;
Born in danger, born a stranger to a hopeful light
Born a shadow born as scenery of a world to rise above
Born an angel born a stranger to a common failing
Born in sunlight born a savior to himself - It's lonely in
the sky
Walkers walk in the wasteland, talkers talk in the wasteland
Dreamers die hand in hand - Lovers lie in the wasteland
Clocks tick in the wasteland, fear sticks in the wasteland
Lovers lie hand in hand - Dreamers die in the wasteland
I remember you
I remember when we stood so close
But your eyes seemed so far away
It's alright now, don't cry for me
I'm only scenery
I'm only scenery
I remember you
I remember your heart of gold
It was a heavy heart I'm told
Though I must go I cry for you
You have no wings
I remember you …Please remember me
Its lonely in the sky …I'm already dead
I remember you …Please remember me
I cry for you …I'm only scenery...
Standing over empty fields whispering the name I dream
Places I have never been growing near to capture me
Running in with arms apart pleading "will you please
take me"
Rush of leaves gentle breezes do I hear?
Empty skies, clouded minds growing clear...
Look inside call to "I" as I wait for a reply
Nothing there left to hear, answered with a sigh
Fantasies never touched by hands of real breathing life
Taking form, wait to steal time away
Giving in feeds the thieves it feeds their binge
Getting full, time to purge again
Fly My dream, I believe...
Would you lie to me?
I am the tide pool - deep thought to overrule
I am the poison air when I suffocate
I am the ocean - the vaguest notion
I am the wind when I'm blown away
I am the time and space, the tears upon my face
I am the clockwork of this warm machine
I am the fire inside, the rain to override
I am the whisper that sounds like a scream
All - I'm the star imploding
The silence and the violence - I'm the sun exploding
All - The atmosphere surrounding
I've become everything - I'm the sea inside, I'm drowning
I'm suicide when I die each day
Victim of the overwhelming urgency
I'm the heart that beats behind the wall
The engine of the universe around me
All - I'm the star imploding
The silence and the violence - I'm the sun exploding
All - The atmosphere surrounding
I've become everything - I'm the sea inside, I'm drowning
I know that hypnotizing glow…
Each second gone can fill with thirty lies
I won't relinquish my control and open up a door into my mind
They demonstrate how to hate
Hypocrites - always those who've sinned the most
First in line to cast a stone
So far we think from "Twenty One,"
A game whose rules have barely been explained
How far? Were they prepared to lie?
And nothings changed its all remained the same
A display - how to always get away
Nothing gained but the gaze of yearning eyes
Ever caught in feeding time
If this is an age played out on stage
And all the children watch the play
Think how it motivates their minds
Stripping away reality, a life submerged in fantasy
Naieveity will make us blind
One voice, collective we've become individuality of none
A thoughtless empty stare. A priceless unpaid fare.
For lifelessness it all has been prepared.
A nice escape to soothe your aches; Let's take a local
station break
We'll be right back so don't you go away...
In an age filled with rage defined by fear,
Who dictates what can stimulate virgin minds?
Who dictates who's in control?
If this is an age played out on stage
And all the children watch the play
Think how it motivates their minds
Stripping away reality, a life submerged in fantasy
Naieveity has made us blind
One voice, all alone...
Walking alone with the wind in my face by the stream
When I look to the water I see someone walking with me
Moon rising full with the harvest illumines the night
With each step there's another that shadows
Close my eyes - I can still feel you right beside me
Gemini - why are you following me?
Obsessed and confused by the symmetry - not random chance
Well I can't learn to stand when I'm down on my knees
Interdependence returning or so it would seem
Yet the circle still closes my world with a duality
Déjà vu - been here before and another time, too
Mirrored views - reflecting past yet still wait in the new
Walking a path with integrity - still not alone
Well it seems that as far as I walked I haven’t got home
The weight that I carry in memory burdening me
When the day comes I place it behind me I'll finally be free
In my eyes - a dawn and a sunset can look quite alike
Gemini - rising up into the night
You and I never really learned about each other
Every conversation led us to another wall
You and I never really took the time to bother
Or took the time to listen, to let the Fortress fall
Every night as I thought of things
I'd burn holes in my ceiling
Tried to see what was on your mind
And read into you feelings
Tried to realize just how I could have let you down
Tried to stop the stare at the wall you'd see through me
Once a boy not too sure of what
I found myself becoming
Soon my own with the touch of innocence
Will hold your hand
When you look into her eyes will you see I'm a man?
You and I you'll see and the pieces we might need
All the years the father I thought you were was not you
Pointless fears withdrew the little boy just trying to find
you
Holding on to all I can still trying to adore you
Shedding off the innocence the little boy you once knew
Renewed fears bestill the man as I try to find me
Father will we lose the years or will we try, can we?
Find our peace, our unity, the common link that we need?
Without knowing what becomes of us - we must believe
In my dreams there's a better place
Where we will keep on learning
Fading light from blackened holes
As the ceiling slows its burning
As the wind may turn they fan the Fortress walls
Turned to ashes with the burning as it falls
You and I never really learned about each other…
Pilot
Sleeping I can see the guide...
Sleeping I can see the guide
Setting sail from the other side
Naked to a distant star
That will take me far
Once a boy inside of me daydreaming visions of the sea
Had no course or latitude on my satin sea
Breaking through the carpet waves, far away from ocean storms
Still prone in my journey, lying safe and warm
I saw a ghost ship riding high
Flying the flags of infinity
A compass point I'm bound beyond
Through the deepest part of me.
I saw a shadow from the shore
Caught out of reach in the rolling foam
A compass point I'm left beyond
To start my voyage home
Sleeping I can see the guide
Setting sail from the other side
Naked to a distant star
That will take me far
Revolution below the waterline
Revelation in REM provides my sight
I heard a whisper from the sky
Spoke of a place I was never shown
A compass point I'm destined for
That I've already known
Sleeping I can see the guide
Setting sail from the other side
Naked to a distant star
That will take me far
At the waters edge I find myself again
Watching every wave like pieces of my soul
Thrown against the jagged shoreline, drowning in the air
Bitter like the salt, familiar, returning to my tears
As the seagulls are crying out my voice of memory
I'm reaching out to where the sky becomes the sea
Heaven and Earth - I hear them call to me
Is it reality or something that I dream
For all its worth - I can hear them call to me
As the fantasy melts and becomes real
An undefined unknown I am proud to call my own
And like the drifting wind change takes me to my home
And still they call to me, luring me closer to the to sea
Calling on new desires - formations of beliefs
Remaining is surrender without tasting life
Taken by the wind, no, not I
I traced a map from all the stories that were told
Whispered from generations, passed down from the old
When I saw the bearing leading from desire
Disheartened and confused I cast it to the fire
I sought direction in my Father's confidence
I took from him a compass trying to make sense
When I realized it pointed back at me
It smashed upon the rocks and fell into the sea
Call the wind - The winds of change flowing ever free
Catch the waves - Turn our sails so we catch the breeze
Carve the course - Each breaking wave a daunting mystery
Count the days - No compass, no sextant,
No navigator to point the way for me
See the light - A blinded boy - a rebel rich with fantasy
Sail the seas - When I was young I was a drifting ship
Upon the open sea
Now I stand at the water's edge - with only my memories
Devoid of direction, a penchant of pride for purpose and
dignity
Call the wind, catch the waves, carve the course, count the
days
Adventure forth, aspire heights, adapt, amend, arise and
right
See the light, sail the seas, search for self, sow the seeds
To your soul, taken scars, travel wise, travel far
We're captives of current
We're slaves to the wind
You smell the salt of where you're going
And taste the sea from where you've been
Poseidon hears your sorrows
The figurehead gasps for air
Or rides beyond the waters
Out beyond the ocean floor
I can rise up like a phoenix
Or spiral down like Icarus
We ride on wings - We ride on prayers
We go with the salt into the air
We ride on wings - We ride on prayers
We go with the salt into the air
Will I walk to Atlantis
Will I wash on your shore
Sometimes you need to feel like more than a legend
When being cast into the sky like a constellation
Only leaves you stranded and alone
Sometimes you can measure up to passionate praises
Sometimes you need to walk away, far away from home
Only leaves you stranded and alone
How can we be legends of the sea?
And when you catch the sight of land for the very first time
You realize there's only one answer to the question
No autistic confidant to lead the way
Fuck it all - you take the wheel and leave behind today
I am the pilot...
For once in your life you see that the light that has guided
your way
Comes from inside of your soul
Eyes open wide, I am the guide of the flight that I make
I am the one in control
I am the pilot...
FROM
SEASON’S END TO THE WATER’S EDGE
- album notes by
Stephen Glowacki
The title for The Water’s Edge came from the lyrics for Pilot, the only line to appear twice (both in the Siren Song and No Stars to Guide sections). Although the phrase has many meanings, the most predominant image conjured by the title, I believe, is perseverance. As Season’s End, we found a common love in music and tried to transform that into songs that were a direct reflection of us as individuals and as a band. As five close friends, there have been times when we may not have seen eye to eye and, at the extreme; we have temporarily suspended the band. Eventually though, we felt that the songs were strong enough and we had a real desire to share what we had done. So, during a hike on Mt. Lafayette in Hew Hampshire on a September day in 2001, Scott, Sean and myself talked very positively about bringing things full circle and felt it was time to reunite. Speaking to Steve OD that evening, he echoed our feelings. At the time of getting together though, guitarist Chris Maggio felt he was too deep into other musical endeavors, not least of which was purchasing a music teaching studio, to commit to coming back. Scott decided to expand his role and became our full time guitarist, rounding out what we later named TIME and TIDE. Through the subsequent two years we wrote, reworked and rehearsed the collection of songs that would become, The Water’s Edge.
Wasteland:
Like many of the songs on the album, Wasteland, was written prior to the bands reformation as TIME and TIDE. After the temporary breakup of Season’s End in August 1997, we all worked together in pairs on different potential projects. In November 1997, Chris came to the rehearsal space and he and I reviewed some material he had been working on. With the cassette machine running, he laid out many of the sections that would become Wasteland. I was blown away by the parts and the wheels started spinning about what we could do with the piece. With the birth of my daughter, Laura Anne, and the Christmas holiday, Chris and I didn’t get together again until January 1998. Tightening his already solid arrangement, the majority of the structure was put together effortlessly. We showed the idea to Scott, Steve and Sean and they loved it. I now feel this piece was the catalyst for getting us back together. The lyrics were developed around the title, “Wasteland”, as it came to convey the failure versus success of two boyhood friends. We used and “answer / call” vocal approach for the end section to further express that message. Upon our latest reformation and prior to our renaming to TIME and TIDE, the song was reworked quite a bit. Specifically, we tried about ten different midsection ideas. Ranging from solo guitar or keyboard renditions to full blown aural assaults, we came to the version you will hear (hopefully) on the album.
Time
Away:
Writing this song was probably the easiest thing we’ve ever done. We laid the foundation for the song in February 1998. A bass line from Sean was coupled with some melodies from Steve OD and Chris and the rest was history. Scott wrote the basis for the lyrics the first day we were developing it in the rehearsal room. The biggest problem we had with the song was realizing it was complete! We had tried moving into a more up-tempo section at the end but we looked around at each other and nodded in agreement, “it is done!”
All:
As previously mentioned, Scott picked up all the guitar duties, in addition to his position as lead vocalist. In September 2002 he played Sean and I a cranking guitar line in 7/4. We dabbled with it and put together a rough structure, and threw out the working title “Pinecone”. During a subsequent practice Steve OD was playing a nice piano section for us and it to fit nicely with Scott’s piece. I came down the next rehearsal with lyrics for a chorus and a few verses and Scott was able to hammer it all in place. At that point we were only missing the midsection. The missing piece came from something Sean and I had from a previous project that never quite got off the ground with our friend, Ray Lambert. We put all the pieces together and we had All! It was a fairly painless piece to develop; a rarity for sure!
Media:
With it's origins dating back
to October 1995, Media is one of the oldest tracks on the album. It was built
around a keyboard line from Steve OD to which dozens of various parts were
inserted, cut, inserted again and ultimately changed. Scott wrote some great
lyrics about the potential that television has to influence; thus the title
“Media”. We debuted the song
live in April of 1996 and it was even formally recorded in March 1997 at U.
Lowell by our friend Dave Gardiner.
Gemini:
In addition to Wasteland,
the seed for Gemini was written while
the band was on hiatus. Scott had put together a concept piece which also
included an older tune he and Steve OD had written called Echoes.
Scott had shown me the ideas and I was really excited to be working on a
different sound from the things we normally wrote. When the band came back
together we ended up putting a bit of a twist onto the original acoustic idea,
and a midsection in 3/4 was added to bring the song to it’s climax. The
challenge on this song was trying to find a feel for the beginning of the song,
and we realized the minimalist approach, as strange at that may seem to us, was
just the right touch. I think the general consensus was that this song really
came into it’s own during the recording process. Kudos to Scott for capturing
it!
Fortress:
The history of this band has
always been one of music forged through friendship. When those friendships are
jeopardized, the music suffers. For this reason there have been many times when
different members took temporary leave. It was during one such break for Chris
Maggio that the remaining four of us developed Fortress.
Steve OD had a majority of the music and lyrics, which, due to a very personal
subject matter near and dear to my heart, are probably my favorite on the album.
At one time in the writing process we had a separate section which was intended
to house a “voice-over” from the movie “The Great Santini”. The section
ultimately ended up on the cutting room floor, so to speak, and the change
really made the song gel, in my humble opinion.
Pilot:
…oh what a long journey it was! There is so much to tell about creating this song, I’m not sure where to start. The separate sections of the songs were written, primarily, out of order. Ironically, the very last section was the first that was touched upon. Prior to the concept crystallizing, back in September 1995, we had unknowingly written the seed for I Am The Pilot, which was actually part of the very first version of Voice Of Reason. The Pilot concept came about in February 1996. We had been working on a section with one of Sean’s frantic bass lines in 13/8, which had been part of our bass and drum duet, and a more sedate guitar line in 7/4. I had also been combing through those rehearsal tapes from the previous September and every thing seemed to click. I wrote out a draft outline of some lyrics which dealt with one man’s search for guidance throughout his life; and so was born, Pilot. The next sections that took shape were Guidance and with some lyrics penned by Sean, No Stars To Guide was also on its way. While on hiatus from the band, in September 1996, Chris had some pieces he was working with and he called Sean and myself to round out the ideas. One piece he had was a Fates Warning type of idea with a triplet feel in 7/4. When I listened back to the rehearsal tapes I was convinced that this could be part of next epic. We decided at that point to get back together and continue writing Pilot, focusing primarily on the opening section, Dream Of The Pilot and the tail end of No Stars To Guide. Steve OD came up with the main theme and lyrics for Siren Song and they really seemed to capture the feel of the big picture. The midsection and bridge were expanded and in the end the song came together easily (for us, anyway). Legends of the Sea was a collaboration between Scott and Chris with some of my lyrics, and although the main melody remained the same, Scott orchestrated some multiple guitar lines for the album version. The final and absolute toughest part to write was Wind And Current. We tried dozens of version of this. We changed the feel, changed the lyrics, changed keys, we even changed our socks; nothing was working. Finally, in April of 1998, after several band breaks, Steve OD came up with this piano intro in 5/4. From there, everything just fell together. When we re-united, sans Chris Maggio, who had other musical things on his plate, we polished up many of the sections and eventually arrived at the version you hear on the album. Whew…my hands are tired!
The album was recorded from June 2003 to June 2004, primarily at Sea Room Records, our home studio we built in 1996 in my garage. Although challenging at times, especially for Scott who engineered the album, this was a real reward to make. At the beginning of the project, specifically trying to capture the drums, it took us a bit of time to get our sea legs on (pardon the pun), but eventually we got in a nice rhythm. Sean had an especially easy time laying the bass tracks and they came together quite nicely. Scott and Steve OD toggled back and forth between rhythm guitar and keyboard tracks, which laid a nice foundation for the vocals. Most of the backing vocals went down with the lead vocals following suit, and the final recording step was to add the various voice-over effects.
Coincidental to the recording, we had been working with my sister Julia to create some base images for the artwork. We really wanted the artwork to reflect what we felt the album was all about and we felt strongly in putting together a complete package. I had some discussions with her about creating a ship that looked to be resting somewhat serenely on the ocean, but upon opening the CD jacket, a giant wave would be threatening to swamp the boat. The intent was again, to fortify the feelings conveyed in the album.
The making of The Water’s Edge all sounds so simple when broken down into a paragraph or two. It was a lot of work, but so very worth it. We hope some part of you feels the same.
All the best,
Stephen Glowacki