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FROM THE ARCHIVE - "Came At a Loss" Home Demo (2017)
🕑 Added 2021-01-01 22:52:44 +0000 UTCHappy New Year, Beloved Patrons! Dan McGowan here, bringing you a special recording from the Tea Club archive.
In October of 2017, me and Pat made this demo of what would become The Tea Club song "Came At a Loss" on our album If/When. This demo just features Pat on the 12 string acoustic guitar and me singing and overdubbing harmonies. I had just written the lyrics and the harmonies, and I remember setting up in our church while no one was there to record my voice.
This is one of my favorites from If/When, because I feel like lyrically I really nailed what I was trying to convey. However, this original demo includes a verse that was ultimately omitted from the record, that further explore the shadow side of nostalgia that I was dealing with. Here are those lyrics.
And I still can recall
That the day I learned how to sing
Was the day I got drafted to war
And it's hard to unsee
That it's me who keeps it alive
When I know that it came at a loss
And here's a picture of me and Pat from around the time this was made.
This recording of "Came At a Loss" was performed by:
Patrick McGowan - 12 String Acoustic Guitar
Dan McGowan - Vocals
Comments
Shaun, thank you so much for this thoughtful comment. It means a lot to us <3
Thank you, Shaun! We worked really hard on everything you mentioned. It’s a “have your cake and eat it too” mentality I think lol. It’s a little greedy but a worthwhile artistic pursuit I think
This is a Beautiful performance. On this album your pop sensibilities really shine and it's really wonderful that you know when to practice restraint and create masterfully crafted ear worms like this song but you never forget your roots and really go for the jugular when you need to. That is Just one of the many strengths of this album, your ability to give the songs what they need and not over indulge since the last song somehow isn't over indulgent it's basically cinematic!
Thanks, Derrek. I remember being blown away when Dan sent me this recording. I had sent him just the guitars and he sent me this back and i was floored!
Loved that Vancouver show, Colin. I think it was one of the best shows we did the whole tour.
Thank you, Scott! Would love to hear it!
First song of yours that I heard. It was when you guys came to Vancouver in 2019 with Thank You Scientist and Bent Knee. What a great show. I was hooked instantly :)
Love this song... I have a video of you guys playing this live from the last tour- I recorded it on my phone the quality is pretty good if ya want it,
I really enjoy hearing 'acoustic' (aka stripped down) versions of songs--especially in their growth phases. I especially liked that you guys worked in the vocal melodies here in the chorus, which to me really makes this song shine and plants that hook firmly into the ear drums.
