A true passion project from Growroom Productions' co-founder, Lee Durham, this represents 4+ years of planning, execution and collaboration to bring his vision to life. A song-for-song cover of the classic album 'Cure for Pain' from seminal 90's band Morphine, featuring a handful of DC's most prestigious acts, luminaries from the Growroom Galaxy, and one of NYC's most eccentric bandleaders. 100% of the profits from this album will be donated to Public Justice Center
www.publicjustice.org to stand up for the rights of underserved communities through legal advocacy.
Keeping the source material close to heart, each artist was able to take their song in whatever direction they wished, which led to some truly original interpretations of Morphine's music. The melodies of Dana Colley's saxophones are expounded on to sometimes lush results, as in 'I'm Free Now' from Honest Lee and Frank Mitchell Jr. and Backbeat Underground ft. Brother GoodLove's impossibly funky 'Buena', and sometimes paired all the way back, as in Bumper Jacksons Duo's version of 'Candy' which turns the song into an intimate jazz waltz with lyrical clarinet by Ricky Alexander. NYC's MKMKMK takes 'All Wrong' into electronic territory, completely changing the melody and backing of the original and internalizing Mark Sandman's personal lyrics to fit his auto-tune dreamscape.
The title track, 'Cure for Pain' also explores new territory, turning the original 4/4 rock sound into a 6/8 ballad with DC-based Deborah Bond, belting the classic chorus, "Someday, there'll be a cure for pain," backed by soulful horns and Zach Cutler's Mayfield-esque guitar accompaniment. Aleutian Arc re-imagine's the acoustic finger-picking of 'In Spite of Me' to fit their dream-pop sound, incorporating drum machines and distorted guitar, and 'Let's Take a Trip Together' maintains the "low-rock" feel that defined Morphine's sound, but Gordon Sterling and Candice Mills use it to jump off into a 'Third Stone from the Sun' vibe for a jammed out mid-section, anchored by Don Godwin (Too Free) on bass. Three Man Soul Machine also maintains much of the original feel of 'A Head With Wings' but puts an instrumental soul-jazz spin on it, sounding like an unearthed gem from the Blue Note vaults.
Garage and punk rock are also embedded in Morphine's original sound, and Badassassins and Forrest Fire bring fresh energy to 'Thursday' and 'Mary Won't You Call My Name?' respectively, the former being imagined as a duet between the story's clandestine lovers with Judy Bad taking the female part to Dave Burns' male narrative. The two short instrumental bookend tracks from the original release get fleshed out into full length tracks with The MOD Orchestra taking 'Dawna' for a psychedelic ride and Dayvd Beach expounding on 'Miles Davis' Funeral' with dueling fuzz guitars and upright bass.
This first installment of Growroom Productions' "Interpretations" series sets the bar incredibly high, pulling from the cream of DC's incredible talent pool, with choice guests from NYC, and incorporating diverse backgrounds and genders to shine a new light on a classic recording. The icing on the cake is that all proceeds are going to Public Justice Center, to help achieve a literal cure for pain for many underserved communities.
released September 10, 2021
Original Painting by Steve Keene
stevekeene.com
All songs mixed and mastered by Lee Durham except where noted
The MOD Orchestra - Dawna
Greg Maly - guitar
Trevor Olexy - bass
Lee Durham - drums
Arranged by The MOD Orchestra
Recorded at Greg Maly's
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Backbeat Underground ft Brother GoodLove - Buena
John Wedeles - guitar
Reginold "RJ" James - drums
Brad Booth - keys
Gerald Pierce - bass
Dan Janis - tenor sax
Satya Thallam - alto sax
Brother GoodLove - vocals
Arranged by Satya Thallam
Recorded at American University Studio
Mixed by Alan Evans at Iron Wax Studio
Mastered by Mike Monseur
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Honest Lee ft Frank Mitchell Jr. - I'm Free Now
Frank Mitchell Jr. - vocals, tenor sax
Lee Durham - all other instruments
Arranged by Lee Durham
Recorded at Enea Diotaiuti's and Growroom Studio
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MKMKMK - All Wrong
Arranged, adapted, and performed by MKMKMK
Recorded at The Dreamfield
Mixed and Mastered by Abe Seiferth
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Bumper Jacksons Duo - Candy
Jess Eliot Myhre - vocals
Chris Ousley - guitar, bass
Ricky Alexander - clarinet
Lee Durham - drums
Arranged by Bumper Jacksons Duo
Recorded at Jess and Chris', Ricky's and Growroom Studio
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Three Man Soul Machine - A Head with Wings
Frank Mitchell - tenor sax
Carter Stevens - Hammond B3 organ
Lee Durham - drums
Arranged by Three Man Soul Machine
Recorded at American University Studio
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Aleutian Arc - In Spite of Me
KOVES - vocals
HearHERE - bass, guitar, keys, programming
Akna - percussion
Arranged by Aleutian Arc
Recorded at Growroom Studio
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Badassassins - Thursday
Dave Burns - guitar, vocals
Zac Conway - bass
Judy Bad - drums, vocals
Arranged by Badassassins
Recorded at American University Studio
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Deborah Bond & the Compellers - Cure for Pain
Deborah Bond - vocals
Zachary Cutler - guitar
Joe Herrera - trumpet
Matt Rippetoe - tenor sax
Lee Durham - bass, drums
Arranged by Lee Durham
Recorded at Deborah's, Zach's, Joe's, Matt's and Growroom Studio
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Forrest Fire - Mary Won't You Call My Name?
Dominic Elliott - bass, vocals
Lee Durham - guitar, drums
Arranged by Forrest Fire
Recorded at American University Studio
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Gordon Sterling and Candice Mills - Let's Take a Trip Together
Gordon Sterling - guitar, vocals
Candice Mills - vocals
Don Godwin - bass, valve trombone, engineer
Lee Durham - drums
Arranged by Lee Durham
Recorded at Tonal Park
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Slanigiro Renguez - Sheila
Arranged, adapted, and performed by Slanigiro Renguez
Recorded at Slanigiro's
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Dayvd Beach - Miles Davis' Funeral
Arranged, adapted, and performed by Dayvd Beach
Recorded at Dayvd's
