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Middletown

Tom Adams, our friend and frequent collaborator, and I wrote this song about the opioid crisis. From the get go I must say that my input was limited to the basis of the first pre-chorus and the second verse. I feel most fortunate to be listed as a co-writer and Janice was delighted to provide harmony. Tom produced, mixed and mastered the project.

To quote Tom: "In 2016, over 64,000 people in the US died from opioid overdoses (painkillers, heroin, fentanyl). To put that number in perspective, that’s more Americans killed by opioids in 365 days than were killed during the entirety of the Vietnam War. Opioids in America are more than a crisis, they’re a national emergency. I read an article recently in the USA Today about the opioid crisis in Middletown, Ohio. Having lived some of my childhood in small Ohio towns, I had a connection to this type of town."

He sent me the article and the song began. The three of us hope that we can share with you some of the feelings that we had during the production of it and we welcome your thoughts. Thanks for listening.

I've been listing the technical details of our J&B productions lately so here's what he did.

Tom: vocals, electric/acoustic guitars, keyboard, production, mix and mastering. Tom's Website
Janice: harmony vocal
Bud: Janice vocal engineering
All other tracks are royalty free loops and RealTracks as arranged by Tom.
Recorded in Logic Pro X
Plug Ins : Nectar 2, Neutron 2, Ozone 8, Tonal Balance, Waves LinMB, Waves, L3-LL Multi Limiter, Scuffam Amps S-Gear, Waves Vocal Rider

Middletown

The only sound in Middletown
are the sirens screaming in the night
Stores closed up and the mill closed down
And another angel’s taking flight

All we got is family getting smaller everyday
Friends have turned up missing guess they couldn’t stay

She got that call again you know it’s happened twice
All his answers shot into a vein
Round here dying’s just another part of life
But No No Not this way

she is just too wasted to turn another trick
The kitchen table’s always such a wreck
her only son is chasing their next fix
And trying to cash her unemployment check

lined up at the pawnshop whatever they can sell
It’s sad to see how my hometown gave up and went to hell

She got that call again you know it’s happened twice
All his answers shot into a vein
Round here dying’s just another part of life
But No No Not this way

©2018 Thomas Adams/Bud Merritt

The movement and the melody here captivated me. I listened more intently than I usually listen to things.
I think it's a really compelling "groove."

My suggestion;
The lyrical subject matter is very intense. I'd rewrite this (maybe about something else altogether)...and back it down some with regard to content and message.

Feel free to ignore my opinion...but understand that I really like what you've done.

I'd love to say, "I enjoyed my listen"... but the truth of this crisis (brought on by politicians who gave our industrial might away in deals that robbed us of jobs, dignity and purpose) is that it is massive and growing. It makes the truth of the song quite painful. Our political system is so corrupt that only the wealthy can run for office... or buy some low life weasel who would sell his parents to gain wealth and power... for those in power.

The production is great, the lyric is true... but I suspect Martin is trying to tell you, "It won't play well in Sheboygan... or Nashville." I hope I'm wrong and that it sparks a movement of people seeking truth and ways to bring good, honest jobs back to this country. Not everyone needs a degree that leads to less than rewarding work or inability to really contribute to society... not to mention haunting student loan debt. We need machinists, technicians, electricians, programmers and great technical schools.

Sorry for the rant. This song has all the bones but really is intense. Best of luck with it. ----Dave

Hello J & B,


I enjoyed your tune, nicely done.


Calvin


http://www.soundclick.com/bands/0/calvinstewart

Great collab folks.Well thought through and produced
Travis

@Martin Lide
@Dave Rice

Over my years at JPF I’ve tried multiple times (and failed miserably each time) to explain that we produce songs simply because we love to “say something” and we enjoy the production process. And that's it. That “something” could be whimsical, about love lost, love regained, redemption, nature or perhaps, as per this tune, even intense, i.e., the gamut of experiences and observations that create the beginnings of a song for all of us. For this song we felt and feel strongly about an important and topical subject - that became the "something to say."

I think the difference resides in the objective...what lies beyond “saying something” via a hopefully high quality production. Our objective is not based on pitching or viability in a certain market, etc. I think I can speak for our collaborators when I say that making music is a meaningful part of our lives but we all have passed the years when it dominated. We went through periods when making music had completely left our lives and later returned in a low pressure atmosphere to work in. When "something to say" drops by we write/produce a song, share it and let the proverbial chips fall where they may. When folks like what you did it ices the cake big time. When they don’t or are equivocal it gives you great insight into what others think and that often help you improve. We are always learning and music production for us is certainly a journey - not a destination.

We understand many folks write for how it will play in Peoria. This can be out of necessity (making a living) or for the desire to have a hit or for the fun of the pursuit. That’s great. Go for it!!

We are making zero value judgements - just a rambling attempt to explain our different (not better!) approach.

Cheers thanks for your time to comment!

J&B

Thoughtful, powerful.
I like that it's anti hit material.

Vic

Totally understand and respect your point of view. I got that. And I wouldn't have said anything, except...

Unlike most songs on this site and everywhere else, including my songs...imho, this is not just another song.
Imho...the music of this one is something very very good. To my ear the interwoven heaviness on the drum puts the melody and movement into an extremely emotion evoking place.

Your message is real and is nicely married to the music. "Turning tricks" etc is a very dark and hard reality.

Re: Dave's Sheboygan- imho...this music is at a level that could be a hit.

Please understand that my critique is not based upon what I find to be negative about the song...but how much I like it.

@Martin Lide

Hey, no worries. I just have to go on my old guy rant about why we make music at least once a year

The closest we’ve come to pitchings songs is posting them on Songtradr. I don’t really consider that pitching as it’s passive on our behalf, i.e., if a buyer discovers your music there and wants to license it then it all happens automatically. We would never write a song specifically to be marketable. The power of today’s home “studios” and the ease of collaborating via the net makes it fun to explore genres we never dreamed of working in back during our traditional bluegrass years.

We spend hugely more time mountain biking, hiking and trail building than with making music.

It’s all good. And we do appreciate that irrespective of lyric content you liked the production. Thanks for mentioning the drums! Tom is amazing with drum loops and really tailors them to the tune

J&B

Love this song y'all. Great, and heart breaking at the same time.

Songwriting.

Does.
Not.
Get.
Better.
Then.
This.




Period.

J & B and Tom:

Freakin' outstanding piece of music!! Loved my listen...Kudos!!

Malin

Thanks Calvin

J&B

Thanks Travis for listening and the nice comments.

J&B

Such a sad but true every day event everywhere.Really nice grasp on the situation.Great job y'all. Mike

wow I really like this
Really good production. Harmony is really good.
Good song guys

Thanks Vic. When producing songs a hit is about as far away from our objective as you can get!

J&B

I thought the tune was powerful and really well put together.

The performance and production on Janice's vocals were one of the highlights of the song. The percussion track and sound was another. I really liked the drums on this one.

I thought the lyrics fit the song and style perfectly and wouldn't change a thing.

The mix is really good. It's not perfect but it's damn good. If Tom spends any time updating the song or mix at any point I would have him pay special attention to the acoustic guitar panned left. It sounds good but it could use a bit more space/depth when it is 'holding down the fort' and maybe a touch of EQ to sit it in the mix just a bit better. The bones (drums and bass) were excellent. The electric guitar riffs sat really well in the mix as well. The main vocals sounded fine but I felt it was missing an edge that would have matched the lyrics even better. I can't really put my finger on it but maybe a bit more aggressive sound on that lead vocal (I know it's an artistic thing; sorry I can't be more specific on EQ or whatever). In any case, it sounds good now, and give my regards to Tom on a song well done.

I liked it!

Peace,
TC

Janice & Bud, this is all to real of a write, but thats what fires our emotions.. great job, super sounding track I thought.

Lane

Thanks David!

J&B

I enjoyed the listen Great mix

That makes us even happier to have been a small part of this production!

J&B

Thanks Malin. We do appreciate it!

J&B

Thanks Mike.

J&B



We all appreciate that.

J&B



Thanks and we appreciate you mentioning the write, drums, harmony, Tom's guitar work and all your thoughts in general. I'll pass it on to him. As I'm sure you've heard - mixing is never finished...just abandoned and although the proverbial fork has been stuck in this one feedback is always welcome. Thanks again for taking both your time to listen and share your thoughts on the production.

J&B



Thank you lane. Yes, it is real and so many families have been hurt by this in many ways.

J&B



Thanks!

J&B

J&B& Tom,

This is an exceptional write. I just came from listening to a Vic Arnold song where he was slightly concerned about his lyric message. Like I told him, stories good and bad are part of the cinema/songwriting industry--when they're presented without trying to influence/enhance real evil or harm, they actually may bring more attention in helping someone by the realization of awareness--this is me, or this is my friend. Great production/performance--well done all! Entertainment has always depended on dramatizations, such is artistic expressions within cinema & music.

steady-eddie