Zen Ten: Puissant presentations of power pop, ballsy backbeats, Beatle-esque hooks and U2 textured tracks.

14 MP3 Songs
ROCK: Acoustic, POP: Beatles-pop



Details:
The CD Catorce is a collective work featuring classic-hook acoustic rock songs, and timeless, haunting melodies delivering to the listener a passion and expression that comes through on every cut. Vocalist Brian Downes delivers masterful performances on Catorce, and makes these songs memorable and permanent. Catorce brings to reality work that started years ago between song writers Michael Caisse, Richard Cowdrey and Brian Downes, along with Elliott Cowdrey, Steven Thellen, David Redding and David LaTorre. The following is from a sit down with producer and song writer Richard Cowdrey.

Where was Catorce recorded?
It was recorded primarily at Zen Studio from 1997 to 2006. In the late 90âs Zen Studio was located in an old building erected during the mill era in Lowell, MA. What I find so interesting in the recordings we made there is the sound of that big room. When I listen to the tracks âPerfect World,â âThis Time Its For Real,â and âAshes to Ashesâ in particular, I am immediately transported. I hear the rich acoustics of that great, old space. The CD also contains tracks recorded at Blue Recording Studio (just prior to it being sold to Marcus Siskind and group), and the great Megaphone Recording Studio in Portland, ME...talk about great sounding studios.

Does Zen Studio relate, then, to the original name of the CD âacústico eléctricoâ?
Yes. If I have my translation is right, it means âelectric acoustics.â Like a lot of musicians trying to record their material as cleanly as possible, I use some direct sources out of necessity. This is because nice sounding rooms are expensive to record in. So it was with Christmas morning-like glee that I listened to the master reels of what became Catorce and I heard the acoustics of the various sound rooms Zen Ten had played in. I have a new appreciation for what an acoustic space can add to the sonic dimension of a recording. Itâs like in the movie "Rattle and Hum" when U2 is rehearsing the song âDesireâ in that hollowed out railroad station. When you watch the movie you hear the room like a giant wave. I hear the sound of Blue Jay Recording Studioâs sound room (a truly special place) in the opening of the track Drowning Man. The lead guitar is played by my good friend and great talent, David Redding, and the personality of the room comes right through.

How did you decide on calling the CD âCatorceâ? Which, if my translation is right, is Spanish for fourteen?
Correct! After listening to how unabashedly the guitar sounds, writing, tempos, key signatures, etc mirrored those of U2, and the fact that Brian and I were heavily influenced by the Irish rock group, I thought that I would use a subtle nod to U2 fans by referencing the opening line of the U2 song "Vertigo." Perhaps only U2 fans will get it, but in the end it really references that this Zen Ten album simply has fourteen tracks.

You did the mixing and mastering on this CD?
Most of it, although my good friend, Steven Thellen, mixed "The Little Things" at his Meritage Studio, and "Reason to Live" was mixed by Will Sandalls at Blue Jay Recording Studio.

How does it feel to have all of these songs, written across several years, finally released?
Putting to disc so many of the songs I wrote with Michael Caisse and Brian Downes is very satisfying and it has been a long time coming. Songs like âAll Of My Life,â âSilver Side of Goldâ and âOne More Tryâ are songs we wrote long ago, but just now have found a release. Michael and Brian are such a great songwriters; they always brought the best out of me. It was quite a journey to revisit old master reels, too. It allowed to me to, once again, appreciate the musicianship and song writing ability of both of them.

How far back does your collaboration with Brian Downes go?
At least 25 years. Brian essentially made all this material possible. He delivers real feeling, both vocally and lyrically, on all these tracks. While he carries the day vocally on Catorce, his co-writing on nearly every cut shows a classic sensibility with modern notions of arrangement and structure. I think the work of Brian Downes is remarkable. And I believe that it is so not just within the narrower scope of independent music, but within the broader context of the music industry.

Your brother, Elliott Cowdrey, is also a collaborator and performer on Catorce.
I think my brother has performed on every recording I have ever made. He is a great musician who has been a tireless supporter of his band mates and collaborators over the years. He is also a co-writer on "Terrible Beauty" and "Reason to Live." And the unmistakable darkness shines through, so to speak (laughs). He is a great talent and he has an upcoming release called Metric Tensor which is going to be fantastic, and I am looking forward to working with him to pay him back for all the support he has given me on my recording efforts.

Michael Caisse also has many co-writing credits on Catorce. Do you remember the first time you performed with Michael Caisse?
Yes. It must have been the mid 1970's. I was introduced to him by my good friend and collaborator, Steven Thellen. At the time we were a semi Black Sabbath cover band without a drummer. We played in his living room with these big amps, you know, just practicing to go deaf later in life. Anyway, I had just met him but I was immediately impressed with his drumming. He was obviously influenced by Carl Palmer, Bill Ward, Neil Peart, and the like, so he was quite accomplished. And he was, and is, somewhat of a musical paradox, because he simultaneously embraces truly indie music--I mean well off-the-beaten path artists. Anyway, I had never seen chops like that before. But what is most memorable about that day, though, is that at the end of a long, final jam, after he smashed, cracked and banged the living hell out of his drum set, he kicked it over. I mean the whole kit--kicked over. Keith Moon. Cymbals and all. Goodnight.

What was the first song you ever wrote with Michael Caisse?
I would have to check with him, but I believe it was the song âStrangers,â which appeared recently on the Zen Gallery CD and sung masterfully by Paul Bracken. Song writing always came naturally to Michael. He is great at turning a phrase. He also possesses the knack for bringing the listener to the edge of the abstract, but in clever ways does not blur meaning. Thatâs quite a trick and he has done it time and time again. Michael also has a great ear for arrangement and harmony. He has done it time and time again. I hope to work with Michael directly on a project soon. We have a lot of material that went recorded but unfinished. I was listening to some things recently and I came across a song he and I wrote called âHere By Meâ and I can't wait to start the production/writing process on that one and many others.

Some tracks on Catorce features the drumming of Amadeus Kuba Majerczyk.
Yes. He has such a great drummer; he has great instincts and is a world-class talent. I am thrilled to have him on the record. He is also doing some work on the CD Metric Tensor, my brother Elliott Cowdreyâs upcoming effort as well.

You also have other percussionists on the record. How did that come about?
When I was listening to the masters, I was hoping to keep as much of the original performances as I could. An example is Terrible Beauty. The basic tracks were recorded first and then some time later the vocals and guitars were added. The drums were played masterfully by my good friend and great drummer, David LaTorre. Instead of trying to make a 14 track CD sound uniform, I tried to make each track have a sonic signature and personality, and with David LaTorreâs help on Terrible Beauty and Silver Side of Gold, I believe I was able to achieve this.

The contrasting terms "terrible Beauty" begs the question...what's the deal?
Years ago a friend of mine was telling us about a concept (I think it was from Russian literature) where someone's inner passions and pain is sealed off from the outer world and that this has a self-defeating, self-consuming result. It was called "Nadrayvat" the way I recall it, anyway. The other part of it was that there was an ironic beauty to this affliction. Pretty heavy, huh? She wrote a poem called Terrible Beauty. Brian, my brother and I made a song out of it. It is a favorite of mine because it is delivered forcefully and clearly, but lingers and flirts just enough with the abstract.

As you mentioned earlier, many of the guitar sounds on the CD are a remarkable in their reflection of the guitar sound of Dave Evans, a.k.a The Edge, of U2. I hear that influence on several of the tracks: "The Little Things," "All of My Life", "One More Try" "Perfect World" and most notable the track "Ashes to Ashes."
Too much? (laughs). "Reflection of the guitar sound" is a nice phrase to use. You could have said 'you shamelessly ripped-off The Edge!' But that's why I asked you to write this for me. Yeah, I really love that textured sound. It is more than just echos. The repeats are in time. I have made recordings with more traditional guitar solos and guitar work, including a chord-melody release of Joe Pass tunes several years ago. So I wanted to make the electric guitars on Catorce more airy and percussive.

Did you use any particular equipment on Catorce that your fellow musicians and engineers would enjoy hearing about?
Pretty standard stuff, I think. I used my old Fender Stratocaster for most of the electric stuff I added. I used my 70's Penco acoustic on a lot of the record. I think you can really hear the character and brilliance of the guitar on the song "Ashes to Ashes." Tuning is a constant struggle with her, though, she doesn't travel well. For amplifiers, I used a Lexicon Signature 284 through an Ampeg V4 bottom and a Roland JC-120, Shure SM57 for close, AKG C-414 for the room. As a format, a lot of the stuff came from 2" and the rest from ADATs, which I brought into my aging Lexicon Core-32 system. I used Cubase and Adobe Audition for the editing and mastering.

What is up next for Zen Ten?
While I am sure about the Zen part, it is the Ten that I can't get a hold of. This may be the last Zen Ten effort, but there are new Zen things in store! I started writing again and that, paradoxically, made me want to go back and finish this material now before I got ahead of myself.

And in the very near future, I am looking forward to releasing a record with Paul Bracken and Michael Caisse. But what is on the front burner these days, is the work that's being done at Steven Thellen's Meritage Studio. I an excited to be a part it, too. David Redding and my Brother are both working projects with Steve, and these are without a doubt the most interesting, honest music I have been involved in. Hold on!