Listed below are the Jeff Severson solo CD projects along with samples from each recording. To order, mail $15 plus $3 s&h for each CD to Monkey Boy Studios, 2510 S. Third St., Arlington, Va. 22204, or if you prefer payment by credit card, use the "Add to Cart" buttons. Payment will be securely processed by Pay Pal.

Flashback

Flashback is a collection of some of my favorite cover songs through the years. "Josie" by Steely Dan kicks off the CD. It is from a live recording at the Guitar Masters concert in SD with the great Mike Miller on guitar. Mike and I have been friends for years and he is truly one of the finest players in the country having played with Chick Corea, Frank Zappa's band, George Duke and Gino Vanelli. Toto's "Rosana" was an 80's song that always stuck with me and I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. "Ricki Don't Lose that Number" by Steely Dan you can also see on my youtube account under bravebone. "Waiting for a Star to Fall" by Boy Meets Girl is pure pop genius followed by "Daisy Jane" by the band America. Others include "Rhiannon," "Piano in the Dark," "Bus Stop" by the Hollies, "Woodstock," "Tiny Dancer," and "Do It Again," also by the Dan.

Songs Without Words

If you were to ask me which of my CDs I consider to be my best work, one that shows off my best playing and writing, I would have to say this one. Ten years and ten thousand hours later, I think I'm getting closer to where I want to be musically. People seem to love the second cut, "Someday", a simple song with a boom/chick beat and hopefully a melody that sticks. "Duke's Dream House", was written for a high school classmate. I had the inpiration for the song after a tour of the Black Hills tourist town, Silver City, and went home to write it. I named it after Duke and only found out later that Duke was buried in Silver City. "The Chester Fields", is for my Dad and the plains town he grew up in. While "Put Me in the Mood", hopefully does, the next tune, "After the Summer," went through some extensive editing to reach its current state; too many notes, Jeff! Finally, "Banana Cabana", was a cabin Sally and I stayed at on the island of Bequia with a perfect climate and even better views of the ocean. I spent a lazy week staring at the water and putting this song together -- playing it now always takes me back. "Song Without Words," is the sound of the wind in the fields.  

No Escape From Planet Jeff

Hot Springs Tonight, Deadwood Tomorrow Return to the Homeland features three vocal songs: "Lisa Marie Jet," a story about a man, a woman and an airplane, "Icebreaker," -- Kenneth has issues with his new Dad -- and the title track, two honeymoon cities in his home state of South Dakota. The CD begins at breakneck speed with "Bisontentacles," a solo 12 string guitar tune that blazes like a prairie fire. Performed on his Kevin Ryan guitar in a CGCGCD tuning, "The Hutterites" is an ode to an Amish like society from Transylvania that settled in the Dakotas in the 1800s.

Severson covers the classic surf song "Pipeline," playing both the bass and lead lines simultaneously -- an amazing feat! "Arthur Lee," the lead singer for the 60's band LOVE, features a pizzicato violin sound accomplished by muting the strings with the palm of the right hand. A favorite on the CD is "The Man from Manassas," a minor key ballad in DADGAD tuning with unusually beautiful changes.

Whether you are prairie minded or home on the waves, "Hot Springs Tonight, Deadwood Tomorrow," is a rare combination of composition and virtuosity, writing and performance, GOOD SONGS PLAYED GREAT, that will make you feel at home -- and the singing isn't bad either!

Listen...

Creepin ©
Cry Baby ©
I Rob the Freight Train ©

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"the songs reflect a beautiful talent and soul!"   b.a. fletcher
"truly amazing!"  e. glover
"this one just kicks butt!"  p.moerman

12 Angry Women, the new CD by fingerstyle guitarist Jeff Severson shows his talent a step beyond; "I tried to put 'fire' in the tracks", Severson says, "when I play live the performances have power and an immediacy that you often lose in a studio recording. This CD is my best attempt at capturing the spirit of the songs."

Starting out with a slap bass intro and finger percussion on the wood of the guitar, the first song, "Shadows of Love", is pure upbeat pop that sounds like a Rave Up in a tent revival. Followed by "Roundabout", that Severson says took him forever to arrange with all the parts and moving bass lines that somehow retains the integrity of the original recording by the group YES. "On the last chorus, I whacked the guitar about as hard as you can", Severson says, "all the tubes in the studio were lighting up".

The third song is a cover of Elizabeth Cotton's "Freight Train," that adds melodies from diverse influences like Blondie, the Who and fellow songwriter Cal Everett. Somehow the train keeps on track with all the riders from different worlds. "Crybaby" is the soulful piece that follows with slapback echo and long reverb showcasing the haunting melody. There are two songs by the 60's group Left Banke as well as 8 originals on 12 Angry Women, to make this a musical event worth a listen!

"Excellent fingerstyle guitarist!" says Eric Brace, The Washington Post.

Whole Inner Stalking, the latest solo guitar work by Severson features "Barrytown," by Steely Dan, "Walk Away Renee" by the Left Banke, and 8 original compositions that have caused listeners to ask "how does all that sound come from one guitar?" The sonic beauty of a Kevin Ryan Mission Grand Concert guitar soars on the moody "Rodanthe" and "If I Had My Way." The exotic tunings in the upbeat numbers such as "Klimblim," by Don Ross and "Sky Blue Water" push the art of acoustic guitar to the limits.

This is Severson's finest hour; the compositions reach a rare beauty, the technique is flawless, and the performances are breathtaking. A must have for guitarists and music lovers of all idioms.

WIREHAND -- solo acoustic guitar --10 original fingerstyle compositions by Jeff Severson. "All the years I played rock music I always had an acoustic guitar laying around. All my electric songs were written initially on an acoustic. Back when I wore short pants, I used to listen to Leo Kotke. You can hear his influence in some of these recordings. About five years ago I started to appreciate the sound of a solo acoustic and began studying the masters of fingerstyle guitar. Through learning their techniques and coming up with some of my own, these compositions started to appear. You can hear the evolution of my playing styles in this CD from the song "Wirehand" to "The Opposite of Winning."

"Learning to play guitar with two or three parts going on at the same time was a real challenge. What was even more challenging was the recording -- I redid most of these 3-4 times until I was happy with the delivery and technique. Through the process I learned the subtleties of making an acoustic stand on its own. The guitar that helped me through these growing pains was a Breedlove Ed Gerhard Signature model prototype #3. Stand up, Ed, and take a bow......"

Wirehand was recorded at Monkey Boy Studios in Arlington, Va. from 1999 to 2001. There are 9 originals and one cover by Rod Stewart Gasoline Alley.

Blue Love is an acoustic driven CD laced with songs (and vocals!) to prick up your ears. "Blue Love," the title song, is a dark rich masterpiece in the style of k.d. lang and Chris Issac. "Christian Girl" is an Indian raga with drums and guitars a go-go. "The Tower" has been called a dangerous ballad that tells the tale of a food service worker who loses it all, and climbs a tower with a rifle. The encrypted lyrics of "Long Distance Traveler" tell of the separation in a soured relationship and in "Party Town" they party all the time "drunker than Peter O' Toole on his birthday."

"That's What Love Is" is a song written for Severson's wife and played at their wedding on Bequia Island. The rock show goes on in "Hunting Knives in a Tumble Dryer" and is a testament to how the music never leaves.... The hidden track "New Virginia State Song" is a Randy Newmanesque parody of a state song that was never even close to getting the finals for the actual Virginia State Song Contest but line for line is laced with enough humor to strike a chord with any state resident.

All instruments, vocals and writing on Blue Love was done by Severson except for drums and bass on the song "Blue Love". The tunes were written over a period of 10 years and recorded 1999-2000 at Monkey Boy Studios.