On Top Of The World grows into a 3-track EP

I waffled for a week as to whether I’d invite Charles Stella to do one of his awesome dub mixes for this song.  It is, after all, not in any way Reggae or even Ska, this is a Rock song with a capital R.  Can we do dub mixes of Rock? Oh why yes, Catalonia, we can, as evidenced by the result. I like how the EP flows with the single, then the dub, then the instrumental version (which is simply my original mix with the vocals muted).

I similarly waffled about asking Shannon to draw a cover for this one. Because I had absolutely no idea what it might be.  And I had a bit of dread about what it could be, and I wouldn’t want to waste Mr. Wheeler’s time.  The song is about a rock star on top of the world having a grand time and their fans are happy and they are happy and everything is great. I didn’t want the cover to be a picture of that, exactly. There had to be a twist.

That was a few weeks ago, and Shannon was, at first, similarly stumped as to what to draw.  I made it clear – we don’t have to do this one – I have a perfectly good temporary cover and I can just keep that, but if you have an idea….

Well, I’m very glad I asked him, because a few days later, arrives in my inbox: a cat in a top hat smoking a bubble-pipe on top of an apparently flat-ish earth on the shoulders of charming elephants dancing on a mighty turtle. Whaaaat!? I cheered out loud.

On Top Of The World was done, boom.  Myles Boisen mastered the audio for my mixes, Charles mastered his mix, I put the pieces together here and voila.  A Berkeley Cat Record.

As of today it’s live in aaaaaaall of the streaming services; Here’s a widget with links to a few of the more popular ones:

https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/ericdin/on-top-of-the-world-ep

And here it is in our beloved Bandcamp, long may they camp:

Turtles, turtles, all the way down.

cover art for On Top Of The World

My latest single – On Top Of The World – popped out today!

This is a fun power-pop mod-rock glam-romp through some of the fun parts of stardom. I didn’t want to include the downside, as that story has already been told – in plenty of wonderful songs like Ziggy Stardust and Bad Company’s Shooting Star. No, we didn’t need another demise of Elvis dead on the toilet number, it’s been done, and it’s depressing. This is about a star just winning at everything, and they love their fans, and their fans love them, and it’s alright.

You’re making every scene
In every young kid’s dream
You’re on a roll now and no one can get enough of your sweet time

You play by your own rules
Only you know the plan
Your biggest fan just bought Milan we’ll throw a party for you there

And your age it never shows
And thy legend ever grows
You don’t even have to try, why,
You are on top of the world
And it’s alright

Don’t need to own a car
Arrive by shooting star
You land on stage in golden heels and cue the band in on one hand

The crowds are going mad
Around the block they stand
Waiting for hours bearing flowers, you sign programmes, on the run

And like sunshine in the rain
All the colors shimmering
You don’t even have to try, high,
You are on top of the world
And it’s alright

Eric Din – Guitars, Bass, Vocals, Drums, Tambourine and indeed Cowbell

Recorded and mixed by Eric Din

Audio mastered by Myles Boisen

Produced by Eric Din for Berkeley Cat Records

© 2024 Eric Roy Dinwiddie
King Roy Music, BMI

New SKAAAA single — RrrrrrrABB!tUS, MAXIMUS!!!

This idea popped into my head on January 1 around noon, and I dove right in at my home studio. It’s definitely my 2024 New Year’s song, with vibes of optimism, joy, humor and hope for brighter, rabbity cabbity times to come. Finished the mix just this Monday, sent it to Shannon, he drew the rabbituses, Myles delivered a fab masterus, and here it isimus! Not two weeks later. Apparently it’s true that bunnies reproduce quickly. Carpe Diem, my friends <3
-Din


Here are the elaborate lyrics:

Rabbitus Maximus
Rabbitus Maximus
Rabbitus Maximus
Rabbitisimus Maximus
Rabbit
Rabbitus Maximus

Bass, Guitars, Vocals, Vibraslap, Gongus Rotatus, Hammond Organus, Drummus Wranglitus, Tape Echo Fiddlus, Compositionus, Arrangementus, Purrformed, Recorded and Producifused by Eric Din

Audio Masterus Maximus by Myles Boisen, Suuuuper Genius

Artworkus by Shannon Wheelerus Coffeetoomuchus the 1st

Released January 13, 2024

© 2024 Eric Roy Dinwiddie
King Roy Music, BMI

Charlotte in the Garden of the New Futility

Hey! Wow! New single. Dropped this morning. From a tree. Next to a marmot. And Charlotte.

Waving at the neighbors “Hi!” as the waves crash in,
They look at me and don’t know why, like “Hi, whatever,”
No one talks anymore, no one walks in this town,
Hardly notice myself when I take a look ’round,
Chasing my lost angels through the smog and glory,
Elvis and The Runaways gaze from the HOLLYWOOD sign

And on the gridlock freeway,
Tuning in to float away

Never never never never never sleep, never, never never slow down,
Got a bridge back home to sell ya, and the moon as well
No one talks anymore, no one walks in this town,
Hardly notice my shoes when I look at the ground,
All of these lost angels are gone forever,
Never lookin’ back again, no never never,

And on the zombie freeway,
Casting directors casting doubt,
I’ll never be in your spillway,
I’m not in your secret club,

As I walk in the mall, with my eyes lookin’ down,
Staring at the glowing, gleaming showing,
Now I know the way, following what it say,
Never need to wonder, everything’s easy,
These machines will preen and vent spleen for me,
Waving at my hologram now, the neighbors smile,

And on the scarlet carpet,
Margot Robbie strides away,
And in the garden, Charlotte
Watches a charming marmot play,
And in the garden, Charlotte,
Margot Robbie strides away

——

Guitarscape, Fender P-Bass, Vocals – Eric Din
1965 Ludwig Drums – Michael Urbano
Recorded by Michael Rosen at East Bay Recorders
2nd Engineer – Austin James Hicks
Produced and mixed by Eric Din for Berkeley Cat Records
Mastered by Michael Romanowski at Coast Mastering
Artwork by Shannon Wheeler

© 2023 Eric Roy Dinwiddie
King Roy Music, BMI

Barbercontenheimerglobbus

Resharing this from my Substack..

In which..

Ba Ba Ba, Ba Barbarella, Ba Ba Ba, Ba Barbenheimer, Ba Ba Ba, Be Bop a Thing..

Hello! It’s Caturday and there are things to be done. Cats to be played with, guitars to strum. Rivers to jump in, if it can be arranged.

What of the movies? Barbenheimer, or as I prefer, Oppenbarbie. Will I set foot in a movie theater for the first time in lo these many years? I might. I hope it’s not too loud. My last movie theater experience was bad. Too loud, and, lots of commercials! Yes, commercials. You pay the cover, you pay for parking, you buy the popcorn, you’ve paid, right? Captive audience, commercials. No mute button. This plus internets has made me stay home for my movies. But.. Barbarellaheimerbarbenopalypse.. I think it’s on. I may need to experience this moment of popular culture in its undiluted form. The Barbie preview – I pulled it up on Apple TV yesterday, and wow. I think I like. As for Oppenbabyheimerdude, I have read quite a bit about him, and his brothers, and his colleagues and friends and lovers, over the years. A fascinating and complex man to be sure. Epic moral dilemmas, giant world-changing science with huge secret team in the desert, why not? What we need is both films, side-by-side or even overlapping, to save time and maximize popcorn value. I’d sit through commercials for that.

OK, CONTENT! All of this is content. The writers and actors strike brings up so many fascinating issues. AI does its inevitable advance and hoomans try to understand it. An amusing feature to all this is the ads I see on FB and elsewhere – telling me to use AI to write blog posts or songs. I find it darkly funny that people would spend money to buy ads and target me with that message. I can spell out the reason, that will never appeal to me in any way at all: THE MEANING OF LIFE!

The meaning of life. I enjoy writing, creating, recording, and all of these things. I do them because they are fun. I learn things about myself, by doing them. I might entertain some people, or even inspire them, sometimes, by creating and sharing things that start in my imagination. So, no, thank you, dear AI company, I think I’ll not have you doing the fun bits instead of me.

Hey, my second solo album comes out August 1! This is the title track, sort of, and it may address some of these hot topics. Be well, stay cool and hydrated, <3 E

Down Home Shindig

About a year ago I visited Down Home Music for a wee panel-ish discussion with author Bill Kopp, on his fab 415 Records – Disturbing The Peace book tour. After the event, the good folks at Down Home asked me if I’d like to come in and do a solo set sometime, and sure enough, that’s what I’ll be doing this August 12 right around 2PM.  We’ll have a flier for this soon I think, and I’ll share it up on the accursed socialnets then, and for now, here it is on a wee down home bloggy post. Pop on in, say hi, it’s free! On a Catursunday, no less.

7-22, Updating with flier 🙂

Misinformed single is now available and we are tickled

Log rolls downstairs, alone or in blogs..

Hey! I haven’t written here in a while, and I’m excited to pop in and share a few items this morning.

I just released a new song called Misinformed. It’s on Bandcamp now and will hit the streaming contraptions in about a week.

This is the first track on my CONTENT album, which has an official release date of August 1, a CaturTuesday. Why a few months out? So we can release some singles in advance of it and have some fun putting some light on a few individual songs before publishing the whole kaboodle. So here’s an ask – (“ask” is a noun, now, I’m dealing with it..) – my ask is that you give ‘er a listen and if you dig it, buy or share it or both. Elaborate, no? This is our marketing strategy. YOU are our marketing strategy. And regardless of any of it we send you big kittycat love on this auspicious Caturday.

On August 12, also a Caturday, I’m singing a few songs from both my STREET PARTY and CONTENT albums, at Down Home Music in El Cerrito, around 2PM. I’ll be doing this solo, with an acoustic guitar, perhaps telling a yarn or two about my creative journeys and whatever comes to mind, we shall see, and y’all are invited to pop in and join me. The good folks at Down Home will have copies of both albums on CD available for sale, for any CD-inclined cats among ye. We’ll call it my book tour, even though, it’s not a book. It is content, however, I can confidently say.

Lions and Tigers and Bots

News items, links, and bears! Brooklyn Vegan ran a lovely preview of Street Party, last week.  The album is now on all the fancy streaming services, linked to from here. The CD is available by mail order directly from me, have at it here.  What else?  It’s exciting to get this into the world, finally!  Lyric sheets and track credits are in the individual Bandcamp song pages, such as this one.  Please enjoy, and feel free to share any ol’ which way!  Thanks <3

Photo by Thomas White (on some drums he played on this very album!)