“Get Lucky” took more than 18 months to write. The duo came up with the chord progression and organ part early on, then asked Mr. Hakim and Mr. East to record a rhythm track. Mr. Rodgers laid down the guitar tracks at the Electric Lady Studios in Manhattan, where he recorded his first Chic single in the 1970s. He jammed over the tracks, playing his trademark chord inversions and chicken-scratch rhythms until the riff emerged.

It was on the train, with its steely rhythms, its rattle-ty bang, that is so often so stimulating to a composer – I frequently hear music in the very heart of the noise… And there I suddenly heard, and even saw on paper – the complete construction of the Rhapsody, from beginning to end. No new themes came to me, but I worked on the thematic material already in my mind and tried to conceive the composition as a whole. I heard it as a sort of musical kaleidoscope of America, of our vast melting pot, of our unduplicated national pep, of our metropolitan madness.

brittain ashford w/ musee mechanique

So I have the honor of getting to play with the amazing Portland based band MUSÉE MÉCANIQUE at the also amazing UNION HALL and I am so very excited about it. Both Micha and Sean possess a unique and haunting voice while maintaining complete control over their various instruments (read: SINGING FUCKING SAW). The rest of the band is equally mind blowing, playing assorted keyboards, melodicas, drums, etc. Their record, Hold this Ghost, was one of my favorites of last year.

So please come! If you only come to one show of mine this year– let it be this one.