“Vacation” is in quotes because musicians never really take vacations. Even if we don’t have concerts coming up, we are always practicing and plotting our next projects. Lawler + Fadoul spent July getting down to some serious R+D on our next extravaganza. Tentatively called “Clickable,” the program is going to be a staged concert that focuses on music that is normally not heard on concert stages (jingles, TV theme songs, hold music, video games…) and yet has a distinct pull on our psyche, making us want to buy the product, watch the show, or click through to the next video.
We spent our summer creative time talking about what kinds of music we might use, composers we want to commission, and elements we want to have in the show. Exciting though that was (and you will be hearing more about it in coming weeks), it was nothing compared to what I did in August! I became a parent!
My wife, Aine, had a healthy impishly cute baby girl, Frances! Oh man, she’s adorable:
Most of the month of August was spent on informal maternity leave…alternately gazing at the little cutie, changing diapers, catching naps whenever possible, and making up songs with such great titles as “Diaper Switcheroo” and “Floppy Head Baby Buddha.” Paul’s wife, PBS reporter Jenny Marder, wrote a really interesting article about lullabies , at least partly inspired by a conversation she and I had before Frances was born. I had been trying to learn some lullabies to get ready for parenthood, and somehow the best ones all turned out to be murder ballads! Anyway, now that I am a parent, I’m hoping Jenny will write an article about the impulse to create songs or rhythmic chants whenever a squirmy or fussy baby is in one’s arms. I’ve observed that phenomenon in myself and my wife, and virtually everyone who has come to meet Frances, even our non-musician friends. It’s like a biological imperative. Someone should study it!
Speaking of Paul and his wife, did you know they became parents last November?
Their healthy, impishly cute baby boy, Kai, was born (conveniently) right between our CD release house concerts and our November/December tour! Check out this cuteness:
Lawler + Fadoul: The Next Generation has begun.