JON DONNEGAN'S SOLO EXPERIMENT
Am I going solo from Dragonfly? No, far from it! Dragonfly is getting more of my time and energy now than ever before. "Strictly Black Tie" is simply a project that I've been working on on the side for the last several months. I've been mapping it out on home recordings. I am playing all of the instruments on this project...guitar, bass, drums, organ, you name it. This is no way a dig at the other musicians in Dragonfly; the reason I'm doing all the instruments myself is to basically see if I can! (So far, the answer seems to be yes.) Along with a batch of songs written specifically for SBT, I'll also be recording some of my old favorites. A lot of the music is very experimental, and the whole process has involved much trial and error and mucking around with sounds to get them like I want them. I'm hoping to have some clips of songs to post soon...and speaking of recordings...Dragonfly are due to return to the studio soon! No worries, Dragonfly is still my first priority. Ego and the idea of "solo stardom" have nothing to do with this; it's really just me exploring other directions and playing Todd Rundgren for a little while. SBT could well end up being several albums long. Here's some of the original songs written for it thus far:
Shiri (Inspired by actress Shiri Appleby, this is a straight ahead tune with some strange bits in it.)
Wednesday Morning (Another whimsical one.)
Rose Petals (A ballad written for my good friend Katie, this one has some unique effects on the vocals.)
World (A fitting opener for the album...or at least one of them!)
Seven Summers (A straight ahead jam fades in and out of some weird places.)
All God's People (A simple acoustic song dedicated to the memory of my dear friend Erik Braunn.)
Make It Easy (Inspired by E.L.O. , this could end up becoming a Dragonfly track.)
And a few of the songs I'm covering:
Watching And Waiting- Moody Blues
Across The Universe (Versions 1 & 2)- Beatles
Couldn't I Just Tell You- Todd Rundgren
Five Years- David Bowie
Calling America- Electric Light Orchestra
I've Gotta Get A Message To You- Bee Gees
Matilda Mother- Pink Floyd
Titles- Barclay James Harvest
While My Guitar Gently Weeps- Beatles
As you can see, it's a pretty diverse bunch of songs...and that's just some of it. Don't know yet if any of the songs from this will end up being performed live by Dragonfly, but I'm also not ruling it out. While the project isn't exactly a concept album, it will both begin and end thusly:
"LISTEN TO THE SOUND OF THE WORLD GOING 'ROUND"
Check back soon for updates, and as always, check the Dragonfly news page frequently for band updates.
Best Wishes,
Jon Donnegan