Assignments 2020
In the midst of the Lockdown, whilst realising that everything I usually do is a collaboration with a group of people standing in the same room, I came across a Lou Reed interview where Lou talked about writing the song Vicious and about how it was an assignment from Andy Warhol. Andy gave Lou the title and the first line and, according to Lou, the rest was easy because it became about finishing an assignment. The first difficult step had been done by someone else.
I then wrote to some fellow artist colleagues around the planet and asked them for an assignment - the title and first line of a song - Maybe there's a song they'’d like to hear that no-one's written yet?
ASSIGNMENTS #1 was released on Cassette (with download) and on all digital platforms via Ikarus Records, Switzerland in November 2020.
Song titles and and first lines were suggested by;
Jacob Wren
Paloma Ayala
Charbel Haber
Erin Hawkins
Renée van Trier
ASSIGNMENTS #2 released June 2021 on Cassette (with download) and on all digital platforms via Ikarus Records with song titles and first lines suggested by;
Kim Noble
Shawn Sides
Dominic Oppliger
Jen Rosenblit
Sahar Rahimi
ASSIGNMENTS #1 & #2 were recorded and mixed by David Langhard at DALA Studios, Winterthur.
Phil Hayes Sings, plays Guitar, Drums and a Bass
Daniel Nievergelt plays Guitars and Bass
David Langhard plays Piano.
For live shows, ASSIGNMENTS also features Dominic Oppliger on drums and Christa Helbling on bass
ASSIGNMENTS #1 and ASSIGNMENTS #2 were both "Albums of the Week" and made the best of 2020 and 2021 lists for songs and albums on the Sounds! programme on Swiss national radio SRF3.
Buy ASSIGNMENTS here
ASSIGNMENTS on Bandcamp
ASSIGNMENTS on Spotify
IMPUDENT (Hayes / Sides)
Swifts take "vesper flights" every day at dawn and twilight
we don’t
surfing on a silent breeze that curves around and moves the trees
but we don’t
they say that summers coming, come to chase the ghosts of winter
but what do you still want with me, and what do you think that you should try to teach me
that you might want to teach me
slow hearts, dust, winter skin, new light begins to tumble in to greet us
but every new summer comes wrapped in the memories of summers past and sweeter
put down the thoughts you’re thinking, we’ll shed no words for the ghosts of winter
but what do you still want from me, and what do you think that you should try to teach me
that you might want to teach me
