Jim Batcho, upon my arrival in Kathmandu, wrote: "Say hi to the monkeys for me. In the ongoing war between them and feral dogs, the monkeys are clearly the superior species." That thought always stayed with me while navigating the somewhat functional chaos of the city.
Later I recorded the two guitar tracks of the song, imagining one track was the dog and the other the monkey. Later, Jim laid down the percussion element, which became the monkey to the guitars' dog.
At one point I watched a monkey snatch the hat right off of an unsuspecting Japanese tourist's head. What he wanted with that man's hat remains a mystery.
credits
from Annapurna,
released January 30, 2013
Gino Brann - guitars
Jim Batcho - percussion
Guitars recorded in Nepal
Percussion recorded with Michael Laveck at Mica Mountain Works
Mixed and mastered with Michael Laveck at Mica Mountain Works
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