Author Archives: Pittsburgh | PA | Songwriter
The Warm Auction Drops OFFICIAL VIDEO for “Darkness, Learn To See”
A series of oil paintings, by singer-songwriter Rob Eldridge, arranged in video. Lyrics shown in music video.
“New Sounds, Old Tools” by Leon Thompson
The year 2020 was a bane and boon to Robby Eldridge. The historic pandemic forced him and other American musicians to delay projects and tuck away their tour gear for who-knows-how-long. Frontmen like Eldridge, leader of Pittsburgh, PA’s popular rock outfit Steelesque, are starving for stages, and fans of live music are just as hungry. Not. Fair. At. All.
Fortunately, Eldridge is among those artists who looked at 2020’s offering of solitude as a gift. He conjured something new in the studio: The Warm Auction.
Currently, The Warm Auction is a four-song collaboration between Eldridge and Steelesque bandmate and friend Sam Baldigowski. The Warm Auction is still a work in progress — Will it be the name of the band or the album? — but Eldridge and Baldigowski have laid strong groundwork with quasi-completion of the first four songs, which they will release for public preview as an EP on Dec. 23. The EP also features Nashville/PGH recording artist, Shawn Mazzei, on lead guitar.
The duo hit the pause button on Steelesque to “make new sounds with old tools,” Eldridge says. They succeeded. Vintage instruments (with the exception of programmed drums) carry the songs, which are laced with themes of change. The sound is light, easy and enjoyable — technically and musically — but there is depth here, too; the lyrics are sublime at times. So if you’re looking for what’s destined to be popular in 2021 — trite pop hooks blended with sugar-soaked lyrics that attempt to make some sorta (non)sense outta COVID — look elsewhere. Warmth abound on The Warm Auction — just as intended.
“Sam and I have always flushed out my songwriting ideas,” Eldridge says. “He’s a very patient listener and usually knows exactly what I’m aiming for with my songs.”
Baldigowski appears on mandolin, pedal steel and lap steel guitars on The Warm Auction, and it’s clear that he enjoys his role as Eldridge’s support player. Baldigowski confidently and competently balances Eldridge’s voice, which is Eldridge’s finest instrument. Eldridge is featured on guitar, bass, keys, banjo, percussion, and programming on The Warm Auction, but his voice is the star.
Eldridge is an unabashed disciple of The Church Of Mick And Keith, and his Jagger-meets-Dylan-meets-Lennon baritone has traditionally been the glue of his live and recorded works. However, on The Warm Auction he now uses his voice as a means to an end. The near-whispery, no-stretching-necessary authenticity of Eldridge’s voice on The Warm Auction bolsters his songs’ credibility. There is a strong marriage of music, melody and lyrics — no overshadowing allowed. He’s hit a high point with that marriage.
“I am very much conscious of that,” he says. “I used to emulate many (artists) and was self-conscious of my voice and how it sounded. I’m not focused on that now when I write and tell a story with my voice. I just sing and let the emotion influence the inflection and delivery of my voice. I’m not sure why I didn’t realize this earlier in my career. I think with Steelesque I gained more confidence in my songwriting abilities. I was more forthright in expressing what I heard in my head with the fantastic musicians that believed in me.”
If an election was held to see which song opens The Warm Auction — and that could still be up in the air — the winner would be “Darkness, Learn To See.” Eldridge and Baldigowski open the song with a seamless countdown that is underscored by a chorus of crickets.
“One…two…three…fo…”
Then, suddenly, there is a quiet kick into double-time. Slide guitar slithers over banjos, bass and drums. The windows are down, and things are a bit dusty, but this is a cool, fitting invitation into the mind of Robby Eldridge. So go along. He’s in the driver’s seat and “in the midst of living” (he says on his Web site).
With a play on words, Eldridge nudges us to pay more attention to the darkness that might face us, so that we can change and find light on the other side: “Some sidestep the mourning./They never open the door./They just keep walking/Right past it.”
Eldridge says “Darkness, Learn To See” is a reflection on his recent, hope-filled transition to becoming a single father. “My world became more visible within the darkness I resided in for many years,” he says.
He channeled those feelings through the chorus of “Darkness”: “And I never feared the alone./Still a king but I/lack a throne/A place to call my home/and turn my key.”
Love, change, inspiration and hope also punctuate the other three songs on “The Warm Auction” EP: “Loving Well,” “Sit In Irons” and “Coming In Real Thin.” “Loving Well” might be Eldridge’s tongue-in-cheek nod to the Stones’ “Loving Cup,” but he’ll never tell, and he doesn’t have to. The song stands on its own as a dense metaphor, and it’s catchy and mellow from the onset. (What’s NOT relaxing about bongos, tambourines and a Wurlitzer piano?)
“The ‘Loving Well’ should be in everybody’s life,” Eldridge says, “What’s a life without love, right?”
Like “The Loving Well,” “Coming In Real Thin” and “Sit In Irons” make for excellent earworms. “Coming In Real Thin” starts with an almost eerie western feel, and then Eldridge’s voice comes to the front: “The dreams come alive/in my bed./You’re trying to make sense of it all./Just taking in your environment.” Each chorus repeats the song title on a descending scale — almost making it dreamy.
“Sit In Irons” is more sonically straightforward. Petty-like in its delivery, Eldridge has a blast with his lyrical cadence. Baldigowski helps keep matters a bit quiet, until he and Eldridge burst into a fuzzy and loud yet hopeful refrain: “Rest your head up/like another hangover/a cool glass of water is what you do/So make the most/of your chance/Change your colors./Replace the blue.”
Eldridge speaks to “you” throughout The Warm Auction, but just who is “you?” Is it family, friends, society, or the man in the mirror?
“There’s a cast of characters that have been ‘you,’” Eldridge says, “and I’ve learned many lessons from each of them.”
Outside of the upcoming preview EP, four other songs could potentially make the final cut for The Warm Auction: “Energized American,” “Pinwheel,” “Dead On the Vine,” and “She Can Change A Man.” “Energized American” is a poetic, Springsteen-esque look at working class America — and a great homage to Pittsburgh — and it is the most visual, image-evoking song on The Warm Auction. Tentatively, the set ends with “She Can Change A Man,” a playful, Lou Reed-ish roll call of characters in a story of a downtrodden man and the girl that gives him hope.
More recently, Eldridge wrote and recorded a rough version of a new song called “Change Moves The Needle.” He’s mulling whether to include it on The Warm Auction. Given the first word of its title — and its musical and lyrical consistency with the rest of the project — he should find a place for it.
“Winter is coming,” they say in Game Of Thrones, and it promises to be a long one. (Thanks, COVID!) So if you find yourself in “the midst of living,” or if you’d like to hitch a ride there, connect with Robby Eldridge and Sam Baldigowski on The Warm Auction. Change is only a few songs away.
•The Warm Auction is available (12.23.2020) on all streaming platforms including Spotify, Apple Music, iTunes, YouTube, Tik Tok, Amazon Music, Bandcamp and more.
•Leon Thompson is a writer based in Vermont. (wunwish@yahoo.com)
The Warm Auction – Dec 23rd!
The Warm Auction EP Art Revealed
Thank you to Craig Larson for the great pics! Look for the new self-titled EP, “The Warm Auction” on December 23rd 2020.
The Warm Auction Preview
The Covid19 pandemic wasn’t all that bad in how it nourished a song writing phase. At some point you have to decide what you’re going to do with the isolatory time you are afforded. I split time between fitness, reading and songwriting. Life changes always bring decisions to your doorstep. Songwriting is never explicit for me. The words always have to travel through a lense of censorship for a few reasons not worth getting into. Understanding who you are, through months of self reflection, can be discussed with people in your “circle” (which gets smaller as we age) or it can simply be written. The Warm Auction was an idea that easily became productive. The songs and ideas came fast. The concept of the TWA was a play on words that created the template for the songs. I wanted to create a warm production sound in my own studio using classic recording techniques and vintage instruments (auction purchased). My only departure was with the drum programming using Logic X Drummer. A modernized tool for sure. You can change the drummer’s playing style by choosing different presets, tweaking the generated pattern using various settings, or having Drummer regions follow the rhythm of another track in the project.
credits
release date: December 23, 2020 on all streaming platforms.
Robby Eldridge– (all words & music)- guitar, bass, programming, keys, banjo, percussion, all vocals
Sam Baldigowski- pedal steel, lapsteel, mandolin
Shawn Mazzei – lead guitar, slide guitar
Mastered by Dan Bozek
Songs:
Loving Well
Hey, how many times, can I drink from the same watering hole?
Well I guess it’s been- close to a hundred days in a row
Ain’t no doubt that it tastes good – at least the way that it should
Well my feet are so sore yea- they done gone through hell
There’s a worn path, back and forth, from your loving well
The way I see it- it seems so clear- when you walk so far
but you seem so near- when your heart belongs to a complex kid-
it’s hard to remember what you did- and our souls won the war-
Yes they done gone through hell- they’re walking hand in hand-
Back and forth- from your loving well-there’s a worn path – back and forth
From your loving well…
Turn it up some heart yea- roll it down to the well yea (repeat)
Darkness, Learn To See
Some sidestep the mourning-never open the door- they just keep walking
Right past it- there’s no healing by looking in it’s eyes-
Or kneeling at the feet- that broke you- my only disguise came from-
Standing in the darkness- with a match in one hand-
and a candle in the other- well I chose the darkness-
it’s where I learned to see- where my mind can be-
A little more like me
(chorus)
and I never feared the alone- still a king but I -lack a throne
A place to call my home – and turn my key
So I took the pass- I walked down the road- it was paved-
With so much meaning-well I dragged my feet-
that were filled with indecision- I was behind- all the living
And I found the race to be long-it was filled with some forgiving
And company with the living-well I chose the darkness-
it’s where I learned to see- where my mind can be-
A little more like me-
(chorus)
Sit In Irons
Behind the eyes- lives the yearning – while the house burns away
Don’t ask why- be discerning- how far can you walk in a day?
Inject some meaning-kick aside that strife- the momentum
Will show the way- so keep on – keeping on- is all they seem to say
(refrain)
The say (repeat)
Soon enough-you’ll turn the corner- find calm water- you sail to prove
Sit in irons- take some time to think- go on liberty- and have a few
Rest your head up- like another hangover- a cool glass of water
Is what you do- so make the most – of your chance- change your colors
Replace the blue-
(refrain)
The blue (repeat)
Coming In Real Thin
The dreams come alive- in my bed- you’re trying to make sense of it all
Just taking in your environment – and you feel left out from the riddle that you told- and there you stand- try to deal with all the banishment- because nothing went as planned
(chorus)
So you’re coming in real thin- yes you’re coming in real thin-
I spent a little time- in my head- trying to make sense of it all
Before I send along my sentiments
I got myself in the middle of the road- with outstretched hands-if you’re coming around looking for punishment- you know these aren’t the right hands.
(chorus)
“Steelesque Keeps It Loose”
Steelesque’s Song Swan Goes The Distance by Elisabetta Croce
Song Swan, the latest release from Pittsburgh-based Steelesque, is equal parts homage and experiment. The 4 track EP is exemplary of the band’s unparalleled genre-melding ability, one which finds strength in heavy hooks, unexpected transitions, and immense sonic range. While influence is alive and well in Song Swan, the sound is anything but derivative. Frontman and songwriter Rob Eldridge is no stranger to pushing the envelope. The EP is the band’s third release following 2017 album Toro Toro and 2012 debut EP Johnny On the Spot. Eldridge sings and plays guitar and Wurlitzer with Eric Drake on lead guitar, Jerry Courtney on bass guitar, Ron Castelluci on percussion, Bruce Virtue on drums, and Sam Baldigowski on pedal steel and lap steel. Song Swan seamlessly blends elements of jam band funk, indie blues, and rowdy rock and roll for a distinct, sensational sound.
On the opening track, “Waive It,” Steelesque keeps it loose and liquored up with bouncy guitar riffs, heavy with distortion. Eldridge’s hoarse, smoky vocals add a rough and tumble vibe to the track’s otherwise jam band style twang. Keeping it low with a kind of with-me-or-against-me raunch, he sings, “I know it may seem a little rude now—I ain’t the boy that likes to wait.” Bluesy interludes dissolve into heavy guitar solos as backup vocals enter in for the song’s refrain, “waive it.”
The assuredness of “Waive It” drum rolls into uncertainty with “Horses Trampled.” An indie-rock drum beat overlaid with cymbal rolls suddenly breaks into a gallop: a staccato cowbell paired with a muffled riff. As Eldridge sings, “Horses, they trampled inside my head / I can’t let go of the things that you say”, subtle synth enters, imposing an uneasy, psychedelic quality on the lyrics and adding a little of Q Lazzarus’s “Goodbye Horses” to “Horses Trampled.” The early transitions foreshadow the paranoia-fueled fusion of classic rock and slight moments of synth-rock. Uptempo guitar riffs punctuated with exclamations of “woo!”, “come on, run!”, “run baby!”, give the track a fierce, unbridled quality. The last minute abandons earlier uncertainty in favor of a big-bodied guitar solo with tight, squeaky riffs and a few eerie bends that fade out stampede-like. “Trampled Horses” is an example of sonic reckoning at its finest.
“Gunslinger” is a true last stand, opening up in a cascade of tinkling chimes, hazy and mirage-like. Wailing guitar chords trail off as the listener is dropped into a jam session where Eldridge enters with smoky, conversational vocals. The badass lady sharpshooter anthem is a tribute to American frontierswoman Calamity Jane: “Woah she’s a gunslinger / not afraid of anything.” The track opens up as Drake’s (lead guitar) slower, melodic bends give way to yet another unmatched, homage-paying, uptempo guitar solo. The last two minutes of the EP demonstrate not only the band’s raw talent, but also their faithfulness to old school rock and roll. Steelesque reminds that experimentation is the product of a vast array of cross-genre influence; the result is a sonically surprising EP that doesn’t hold back. Song Swan is ultimately a testament to Eldridge’s ability to evoke a kind of auditory synesthesia by way of an original, electrifying, sensational sound. Steelesque has carved out their place in the Pittsburgh music scene, opening for heavy hitters like The Sheepdogs, Cracker, White Denim, Edgar Winter, The Fixx, and Big Country. Song Swan furthers the band’s already expansive catalog of Americana summer anthems that you’ll certainly want to hear live (whenever that may be).
Can’t Wait For Summer
Steelesque To Release New EP July 1st!
Steelesque is very excited to drop their 3rd EP, SongSwan. SongSwan was engineered by Dan Novak, at Aardvark Studio, in Steubenville, OH. The band recorded 7 songs live in the studio environment. We decided on 4 songs that would make the record.
The EP will go live July 1st on all major streaming services (Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Pandora, YouTube, Tik Tok, etc)
Musicians Wanted For Recording Project
Any musicians into a songwriting project? Recording capabilities readily available. It’s called “The Warm Auction”. Currently myself (guitar, bass, some keys, banjo and vocals) and Sam Baldigowski (mando, pedal steel). We have some demos for review. All musicians interested please message me or Sam.
My Facebook Robby Eldge (Eldridge)
