Odds & Ends EP Conclusion:

As the kettle boils up in the background for another bru Steve asks "Well what do you think overall?"

I have to say that overall I liked what I heard. For this to be a collection of songs that never made it on to any of the Salterszo albums is somewhat mystifying, there are some great songs surely worthy of inclusion.

From the opening dual salvo of Life Goes On and Love Is Not The Answer, to the quieter retrospective moments like Always Love, there are some wonderful highs and lows on the sonorous journey of intonation for all who would dare to listen. Odds & Ends is a twenty five minute ramble over hill and dale that is as welcome a companion on a short time out, as a digestive is to a cup of tea. Not only that, but the fact it can be purchased for the sum of £0.00 from Steve's Bandcamp site and comes with a somewhat DIY cover that would have sat proudly on a Blue Peter, how to make your own album cover with some scissors and glue moment, simply adds to it's charm.

Reverting back to the, album is dead theory, I can't help but feel a sense of sorrow. All the latest evidence would seem to agree, most listeners are more than happy to simply download the one track they like and bypass all the others. But listening to Steve's new EP left me feeling more like that was the end of side A but what about side B? With the likes of audio steaming becoming more popular, mp3 still the masses choice of medium, undoubtedly, album sales will suffer, but on the other hand, vinyl is making a 'Rocky like' comeback.

Who knows as to the future of music and to what medium it will be listened on, one thing is for sure, there is a lot of talent out there, Steve's EP is proof of that. The titan that is today's music industry may have to move aside for the undiscovered, songwriting, bedroom, music producer and that can't be a bad thing, not a bad thing at all.

      

You can find 'Salterszo - Odds & Ends EP' at any of the links below:

Bandcamp

 Spotify

 iTunes      

Track Six: Ghosts

"So what's the story behind this one Steve?"

"My good writing buddy, Daryl P Hall, sent me some lyrics and at the time I had been messing around with a tune but had no direction as to the storyline. This is when you need someone to step into the frame and Daryl will always touch on subjects that I would never think of. It makes for good variety."

"Musically , I was listening to a lot of Tom Petty at the time and I wanted to do a straight up acoustic rock song. I usually fall upon a chord progression and then work on  a melody to match, that's how I write, I know no other way. Having the lyrics presented first calls for a different approach. For the lyricist there is freedom to write fluidly but then trying to match what can be sung to the melody you come up with can be quite restricting and so therefore requires modification to get a line to fit. I always try to stick quite close to Daryl's original where possible, after all, you want to keep the essence of his idea too."

Ghosts is an organic tune filled with acoustic guitar, organ and a nod to Mike Campbell on the melodic guitar solo. It's the last track on the EP and a fitting end to this symphonious journey, one I have truly enjoyed.

written by Daryl P Hall & Steve Salterszo
© PinetreeMusic 2014

Track Five: Something To Believe In

You say you need something to believe in...  Well so do I

On watching the accompanying video it would appear this is a protest song against those would be charlatans, who say they worship God, but really worship money, lots and lots of your money.

"I never wrote the lyrics with that in mind,  it was more to make the listener deliberate on whom, what, where and why we all need something to believe in. We all need hope, faith and belief in our daily routines otherwise we couldn't get out of bed in the morning. That was the essence of the song."

"So what about the video?"

"Well since the subject was that of faith, and I had just watched this youtube video on some infamous preachers and the mass wealth they are accumulating and how to even the atheist it's plain to see, how completely against the bibles teachings the whole thing is, it just fitted with the song. I may have not set out to protest against this loathsome practice but I have no problem standing above the parapet and expound how wrong it all is."

"I'm never comfortable with revealing the context of a song, I feel it's shutting the door, or robbing, the listener. I would rather they made up their own mind, that way the song has many meanings to many people."

"I know what you mean Steve, but then, I'd be out of a job..."

Something to believe in

You say you need something to believe in
Well so do I
Trust is so easily broken
You have to fall before you fly
There are so many paths for us to travel on
So many roads that we can take
Is their no hope but what we make

As it is as it was
You say just because
Found or lost
There's always a cost
Faith is where to begin
Something to believe in

You say you need something to believe in
Something to get you by
Can't spend your whole life wishing
When hope is in short supply
What do you do when ever your dreams fail
Who do you turn to when things go wrong
Is it having faith that keeps you strong

As it is as it was
You say just because
Found or lost
There's always a cost
Faith is where to begin
Something to believe in

by Steve Salterszo
© PinetreeMuisc® 2014

Track Four : Summertime

'Smiling away without even knowing'

Onto to track four a song entitled Summertime. This song is my favourite from the EP and truly encapsulates everything that is summer. It's silky smooth production just makes you feel like you're laying back on a meadow with nothing but blue sky above bathing under a glorious sunlight.

"There's more of an organic feel to this track was that on purpose?"

"I managed to squeeze an acoustic rock drum kit into my miniature studio and that's what gives the track more realism." says Steve. I'm not really much of a drummer and so have always relied on midi drum loops and although they can have the impact and take all the hard work out of micing up a drumkit, they always seem, to me, to be lifeless. I'd love to have there sound on all my tracks but getting a real drumkit to actually sound anywhere near good was a nightmare. That's the draw back of doing everything yourself and not having the money to pay someone to do it for you I suppose. Anyway when all was said and done and after wrestling with two mic's and much processing I think it turned out quite nice."

Sun so bright, 

I feel it's warmth upon my face
No worries in sight, 

Takes me to a better place

Grass so green and gentle breeze blowin'

Life's a dream when the laughter is flowing
Smiling away without even knowing
Raise a glass of fine wine
To the summertime

Clear blue skies, 

Not a cloud in sight to ruin my day

I can't disguise, 

How happy I'm feeling my cares all fade away

I love the summertime...

Sunlight starts to fade
Beautiful red and orange sky
In the cool of the shade
The sun disappears but only for now

by Steve Salterszo
© 2014 PinetreeMusic®