Saturday Morning Soundtrack -- "Breakeven / Fast Car" performed by Mike and Ashley (Special Edition!)

This week we're going to break format a little bit as Dan Joyce from Green Chamber Studio and I join forces to take a look at a mash-up of two great songs performed by two great musicians (one of whom happens to be our friend and former guitar player, Mike). This is one you don't want to miss!

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"Breakeven / Fast Car" performed by Mike and Ashley (2013)

Kap: So, Dan, it's nice to be able to sit down here and kind of wax philosophical about music being performed by someone we actually know, don't you think?


Dan: Yup, It's good to see that Mike still plays (and sings). When we decided to do this, I sat down and tried thinking about Mike, which led to thinking about the old band, and naturally that led to me needing a couple of beers.


Kap: Only a couple? That's maybe a good sign, who knows? Needless to say, we're both big fans of Mike, obviously, and it's great to see that music still plays an important part in his life, just as it does in your life and mine. With that in mind, what's your favorite "Mike memory" or story?


Dan: I don’t actually recall how Mike ever joined the band. In my memory, he just appeared one day and started to play. I’m sure this is an over dramatization of actual events.


Kap: You know, I don't really remember how Mike joined the band either--I figured you were responsible for that. Or that maybe he just materialized out of thin air, as you say. However it happened, we got really lucky.


Dan: Oh yeah. Mike’s unassuming style disguised some pretty sick chops when it came to guitar. For the most part, Mike let the guitar do the talking. He was not a bombastic player and most of our suggestions for integrating more emotion into his performances were not well-received.


Kap: I also don't remember Mike ever playing a wrong note. I'm sure he did from time to time, but I can't recall it ever happening. And more importantly (and too simplistically), I just always had a good time playing with Mike and with you, of course. You were both fun guys to be in a band with.


Dan: I have a number of fond memories of jamming alongside Mike, but ultimately these memories culminate in the band’s final show. In front of a (loosely) packed auditorium, we launched into Guns ‘n Roses, “November Rain.” From behind the keyboard, I watched Mike, with his nonchalant demeanor, swagger towards the front of the stage to belt out his best emulation of Slash’s sinister guitar work. There were no guitar spins, stage slides, or wild antics. It wasn’t necessary. The fury of each note leaped from the strings like arcs of electricity. As the solo ended, Mike stepped back to join the rest of the band. Showmanship and musically all in his own way.


Kap: You and I have talked about this before--how we basically knew nothing and did everything the wrong way--and your story about Mike provides a pretty good example of this, I think. We were always pestering him about being more "outgoing" on stage, but the truth is Mike already had/has a pretty great presence. He's good at what he does. You're right that he's not bombastic--not dropping to his knees mid-solo and shredding with his tongue or anything like that, not silly or show-offy about how he plays--but he definitely makes his presence felt. There's a kind of dignity to it that, let's face it, I find ways to avoid in my own life as much as possible, but that I really respect in others.

As for that night in the auditorium, I remember it being packed (not even loosely so). Which is to say, that place held about 350 people, I would guess, and it was pretty much filled front to back. Perhaps my memory is playing tricks--maybe we played to crickets--but I recall it being a pretty sizable (and vocal) crowd. None too shabby a turnout for a group of guys that basically never played a large, paying gig. I remember that moment you talked about, when Mike takes the solo, and I recall introducing him. We'd arranged it so that the spotlight would hit him when he stepped forward toward the front of the stage (not sure if he liked that or not), and I still think it was a pretty nifty bit of lo-tech showmanship. Mike sold it well, and (of course) sounded great and kind of grungy, as well.


Dan: Well said, man. Honestly, I can't remember how many people were in the auditorium. The lights were bright and I was far too worried about playing the correct notes! I do distinctly recall the noise of the audience--Brian's brother yelling his name, and I'm fairly certain my dad called out for us to play Knockin' on Heaven's door (something he still requests on a regular basis, even now).


Kap: Oh, yes, "Knockin' on Heaven's Door." Classic GNR. Which (in a round-about way) brings me to this song, I guess. It's a far cry from "November Rain," and I am wondering what you think about the arrangement. I'll start us off by saying that I absolutely love it. Tracy Chapman's "Fast Car" is one of my all time favorite songs (so heartbreaking!) and though I'd never heard The Script's "Breakeven" until now, I can see why Mike and Ashley chose to mash up these two songs. 


Dan: In the end, it's all related. I have a book on the 40-year history of progressive heavy metal (at first it sounds like a narrow subgenre, but it's surprisingly deep). The author explores the origins (from bands like Black Sabbath and Judas Priest) and how bands experimented with highly technical musicianship and concepts, breaking away from the hair-bands in the 80's or the grunge/alt rock in the 90's. My point being this: Music is a very tangled nest--which is why it's so fun to explore.


Kap: "Tangled nest" is a good way to put it. Though this mash-up sounds natural, like these two songs were meant to go together. They share a similar chord progression, sure, but there's also a kind of interesting thematic resonance between the two songs--as though together they form two sides of the same story (the dramatic irony in that pairing being, perhaps, that neither singer knows the other feels the way they do). "Breakeven" is a bit poppier (I think of Jason Mraz, sort of), but using that opening riff to "Fast Car" ties them together well in terms of mood. It's not a pairing I would have ever put together myself, which is probably why I'm that much more excited about how cool it sounds.


Dan: There is a special elegance in the way that Ashley and Mike pair the simple instrumentation with dynamic vocals on their “Breakeven/Fast Car” cover.The listener is drawn close the music and invited to feel the emotion and to share the heartbreak with the duo. When lyrics and music are stripped bared to the bone, the least we can do, as the audience, is to allow ourselves to be exposed and absorbed into the bittersweet melody. Here, the songs are presented without backstory or precedent. You do not have to be familiar with either song to connect with the lyrics and tone. When the very spirit of the song can coax memories and emotions from guitar strings and harmony, something powerful has been created.


Kap: I totally agree with you about how the music (and the vocals) invite us as listeners to create a story around the lyrics. Can I also just say that Mike has a great falsetto. (I'm a sucker for falsetto--one reason I like John Frusciante's music as much as I do--and Mike doesn't disappoint.) 


Dan: Mike's backing vocal was a surprise--and a very good one at that. 


Kap: What do you think of Ashley Lewis's voice?


Dan: Ashely's singing is brilliant. Her voice is both powerful and vulnerable. It works to make an emotional connection with the listener that stays strong throughout the entire song. I listened to the original version of "Breakeven," and perhaps it is because of the accompanying instrumentation or the overall production of a studio version, the song sounds less alive. Ashley awakens an urgency in the lyrics that feels vivid and true.


Kap: That's another point we both agree on. I thought Ashley's singing of "Breakeven" was actually better than the original.


Dan: I really like her version of "Breakeven." To be honest, I got a bit bored watching/listening to the music video of the original.


Kap: Same here. Love "Fast Car." I can take or leave "Breakeven." That said, what I like about Ashley's interpretation of that song (beyond her strong voice) is that she doesn't rely on gimmicks or overindulgent runs (a style that's become something of a cliche of pop music now) to show off how talented she is. She lets the singing (and the lyrics) speak for themselves. It's clean, clear, classic, and it keeps the focus more on the song itself as a complete composition, instead of on one aspect: the singer's talent. The writing equivalent would be a really indulgent line that sticks out from its story like a sore thumb. It might show off a certain facility with language on the writer's part, but it distracts from the narrative at hand, makes us realize we are in fact reading by breaking that fictional dream. It's why writers "kill their darlings." In Ashley's case, there's no darlings to kill. Just a great melody you can get lost in.


Dan: And Mike's accompaniment on guitar/vocal helps with that, I think.


Kap: Absolutely. On that note, I'm probably going to go back and give this arrangement another listen. But before we close this week's installment of Saturday Morning Soundtrack, do you have any final thoughts?


Dan: Only that this was fun and I can't wait for these two to post more videos.


Kap: That makes two of us.

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Please, feel free to leave a message in the comments below. And, if you would like to write a Guest Entry for the "Saturday Morning Soundtrack" series where you creatively respond to one of your favorite rock songs, don't hesitate to contact me with queries.