New Release!
“Not Now”
Woo-hoo!
I’m very excited to present a brand-new Holly Frost recording of a really-not-brand-new song 🙃
If you’ve ever seen me live (like, ever) or joined me for a livestream at some point over the years, there’s a pretty good chance you’ve heard this one. It’s pretty “old” for me… I have a clear memory of writing this seated on the floor of my apartment bedroom when I first moved to Los Angeles from Orange County back in 2007.
I’m fairly sure Orange Days was already mostly completed at that point, or close, and I was just kinda twiddling my thumbs waiting for it to be “done.” (I think I had to wait an additional year, since I moved to LA in May or June of 2007, and ODOLS came out in July of 2008.)
I mention this because Not Now was not a contender for Orange Days (though it was probably considered for Sweetheart).
At the time I still considered myself inspired by roots/folk music and traditional jazz, and had a handful of songs (like “Easy” and “Memphis Lee” just to name a couple) that I mentally grouped into that corner of genre. I wanted a fast-fingerpicking song (like “Countless Songs”) that was silly and fun and a little more country (not like “Countless Songs”) that would be a fun, lighter moment for a live set, and this song, “Not Now,” was borne from that attempt.
You might say, “why, LL, this doesn’t sound like a fast-fingerpicking song!” and you would be correct in regard to its current iteration. I played it like a fast country tune (and like two and a half steps higher in key I think!) for about a decade until it fell somewhat out of my favor. It was definitely in my set when I did my first tour ever (2008?), which happened to be through the South - the first run of which opening for the late great Justin Townes Earle, who became a good friend and who encouraged my guitar-playing, saying I “[could] really pick!”
Somewhere in the last few years I realized that, if I tweaked the chords/arrangement a bit, it could pass for an homage to some of my favorite old blues songs from the 20s and 30s… like:
… and ever since, it really has been one of those (like “Easy”) that has held up well, and continues to work in my current catalogue for Holly Frost.
While I couldn’t tell you with complete certainty, I’m pretty sure that this one was not really autobiographical in lyrical content. I had just broken up with the person I had been dating in Orange County before I moved, and he didn’t take it very well… so it might have had something to do with that, but I honestly think that if that situation was “source material,” it was slight and peripheral.
While I wouldn't consider Not Now to be one of my strongest songs ever, I still enjoy playing it after all these years, especially since giving it this new feel/life and collaborating with other players on it over the last few years during gigs and the like.
The times I’ve gotten to play it with someone on a horn (like Oliver Steck) is what really inspired this production - I wanted to give it a traditional jazz vibe with some slight gypsy-jazz elements. (A la Django Reinhardt)
I really enjoyed working on this since I love that genre and period of music so much, and I haven’t had many opportunities yet to try to recreate that on my own in the studio. It was a fun project, I learned a lot, and it got me all re-inspired to practice ukulele again!
Of course, I had Eduardo track drums and percussion on this one… and I did everything else 😅
Merit Badge for this release:
I’ll be giving away a Merit Badge on Release Eve during the Instagram Live listening party (July 11), and during the Crooner Coffee Hour release-day event(s) on July 12. In the drawing during the June Vault-Debut Night event that took place on June 18, Scott K was the live-attendee to win this one! 🎉 For-purchase badges will also go live on 7/12 🌟
I’m pretty proud of what I’ve been able to do on this one, and I hope you love it 🥹
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