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So Happy!

by Rick Vines

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1.
So Happy It's the end of a perfect night here Without you Everything feels just so right yes that's true I'm gonna take a photograph I'll pout my lips just right I smile for the camera show you my pearly whites I'll show you that I'm happy I'm so happy Can't you see I'm happy So Happy I could cry I'm so happy I could cry Everyone we know is here they ask about you I tell them what they want to hear I tell them we're both just fine I'm gonna take a photograph With all our old friends I smile for the camera This fun just never ends I'll show you that I'm happy I’m so happy Can't you see I'm happy So Happy I could cry I'm so happy I could cry What this picture won't let you see is how I feel inside The tears that roll down my face Those aren't tears of joy Instrumental I'll show you that I'm happy I'm so happy Can't you see I'm happy So Happy I could cry I'm so happy I could cry I'm so happy I could cry I'm so happy I could cry
2.
She stood barefoot, naked in the vast open spaces amongst the tall pines and stared at their reflection in the water She was ecstatic at the thought of leaving all the things she hated and hoped those memories would fade like water into rain soaked clay She floated in the aqua blue until the moon rose in the eastern sky She was silent and staring at the stars Then she said, I don't ever want to leave this place I won't ever want to leave this place The morning came without a whisper as the rain drops made concentric circles in the water and the sun climbed gently in the sky She floated in the aqua blue until the moon rose in the eastern sky She was silent and staring at the stars Then she said, I don't ever want to leave this place I won't ever want to leave this place I see heaven in your eyes
3.
We stand in the line at the Costco with giant cans of beans We are proud of our purchases We're smart, we know a deal We mow our lawns in the summer We rake our leaves in the fall We blow the snow in the winter Our yards are very neat This is what life is like here in suburbia There is nothing here you'll find that will disturb ya Sometimes the neighbors kid here will perturb ya It's boring but it's safe We dress in business casual We have a house by the lake We're gonna pay off that mortgage And finally, live our dreams Which were, I can't recall what we're doing here at all I'll meet you at the mall This is what life is like here in suburbia There is nothing here you'll find that will disturb ya Sometimes the neighbors kid here will perturb ya The streetlights still glow bright Each and every night Though there’s nobody in sight We’ve got our doors locked tight
4.
D'Lila 03:10
I met her at the Waffle House She had on a see-through blouse I could see her minnie mouse tattoo Murphreesboro Tennessee Not too far from Nashville, we were on our way to Bonnaroo Oh so many bands to see She smelled nice like patchoulli She was born in 1983 She asked if she could ride with me I said "sure, why not and certainly" We were off! Her hair blew in the breeze D'Lila (4X) She whispered soft into my ear So soft that I could barely hear She touched my leg when she leaned in to talk Told me she was up for anything then winked and laughed and she began to sing with the country music radio I think I love you
5.
I did not come here today to die I do not need to apologize I did not think it would be crime to stand on the street and bide your time But I feel like I can't breathe though No I can't breathe no No I can't breathe I feel like I can't breathe though No I can't breathe no No I can't breathe I feel like I can't breathe though No I can't breathe no No I can't breathe Sometimes you need to stand your ground I'm sick of getting pushed around Sometimes you need to draw the line I guess it's here I'm drawing mine But I feel like I can't breathe though No I can't breathe no No I can't breathe I feel like I can't breathe though No I can't breathe no No I can't breathe I feel like I can't breathe though No I can't breathe no No I can't breathe If I don't get out of here alive If I don't get a chance to say goodbye To my wife and all my kids Tell them that I'm doing this for them I feel like I can't breathe though No I can't breathe no No I can't breathe I feel like I can't breathe though No I can't breathe no No I can't breathe I feel like I can't breathe though No I can't breathe no No I can't breathe
6.
Your eyes Your lips The way they look under Autumn moon Our souls They sing Together and forever in perfect tune And the world can just stop spinning When I have you in my arms On Nights Like this Each kiss Divine I thank my lucky stars that you are mine My love My dear I know we'll be together for all time And the world can just stop spinning When I have you in my arms On Nights Like this Your eyes Your lips The way they look under Autumn moon Our souls They sing Together and forever in perfect tune And the world can just stop spinning When I have you in my arms On Nights Like this
7.
Woodstock 04:24
I came upon a child of God He was walking along the road And I asked him "Tell me where you going?" And this he told me Said "I'm going on down to Yasgur's farm gonna join in a rock and roll band gonna camp out on the land Try and get my soul free" We are stardust, we are golden And we've got to get ourselves back to the garden, back to the garden Then can I walk beside you I have come here to lose the smog And I feel to be a cog in something turning Well maybe it is just the time of year maybe it's the time of man And I don't know who I am But life is for learning We are stardust, we are golden And we've got to get ourselves back to the garden, back to the garden By the time we got to Woodstock We were half a million strong And everywhere there was song and celebration And I dreamed I saw the bombers Riding shotgun in the sky turning into butterflies Above our nation CHORUS We are stardust, we are golden And we've got to get ourselves back to the garden, back to the garden we are golden And we've got to get ourselves back to the garden, back to the garden
8.
My head in my hat my feet in my shoes You can think what you want you can go where you choose My life can change with the turn of a page I am an imaginary man I used to think that I had it made the protagonist in my humble charade scene after scene as it builds to the end I am an imaginary man I am an imaginary man I am an imaginary man You lay this love at my door Say you've never felt like this before I look around for my next line Love like this is so hard to find I wish I could cast these pages aside I am an imaginary man I try to escape from the pull of the past I stand on my toes I look through the glass I cannot explain what I need you to know I cannot remain in this story alone I do not know exactly what to do next I am an imaginary man
9.
Hitchhiked my way from St. Augustine I was just 19 I was making my way in the world As I walked along the road that day It finally sunk in that I'd never play with Coltrane But, I was making my way in the world I was making I was making I was making my way in the world Found my way back home I fell in love Too much of her, was still never enough I was making my way in the world I don't remember who caught the bouquet I still remember how she looked on that day And we were making our way in the world Then our Daughter was born with hole in her heart Tore our world apart Dark clouds loomed above, year after year Doctors and Hospitals Fight back the tears But we made it through that I don't really know how Now she's making Now she's making Thank god she's making her way in the world Now I play this guitar and I sing you this song I imagine that Coltrane’s up there playing along We all have a story that we rarely tell Some of it easy, some is hard as hell But we're still making our way in the world Yeah we’re making We're still making Somehow we're making our way in the world Yeah we're making Sometimes we're faking But mostly we're making Our way in the world Our way in the world Our way in the world Making our way in the world
10.
Secrets 02:53
I can convince myself I'm alive Without excuses or foolish pride Leave all my options open and cry For all the spirits that roam my mind And call on angels to stand by my side When I need them to help recognize All the trouble I find myself in And the feelings that I've never felt The feelings that I've never felt There are no answers here for me to find Only questions that seem to bind Me to struggle with getting the help That I need to hold onto my heart And keep it together in some way That allows me to be here today And gives me the strength to say What do you know about it anyway What do you know about it anyway Why do you feel so far away Is this so different than it was yesterday Are all of my thoughts just drifting away It's not important to prove that you'll stay Time to reach out and not to reach in To bury the secrets that blanket our dreams Of forgiveness and stillness and faith That we've never seen face to face That we've never seen face to face And to get the hell out of this place And get the hell out of this place

about

RICK VINES PRESENTS DEBUT RECORD SO HAPPY

“It gives me the strength to say…what do you know about it anyway” -­‐Rick Vines, “Secrets”

Songwriter Rick Vines strives for energy. He lives for the energy of the song, evoked by its meaning and its story. He cherishes the undefined, unpredictable beauty when people join together to create a moment, timeless in sound. And with his debut record So Happy, he realizes into tangible form his own energy poured forth into a selection of ten songs that speak the truth.

He set out to make a record with wide appeal, not necessarily demanding of the listener’s full attention. But should one choose to tune in and listen closely, one would find meaning and significance in the melody and lyrics. In this respect, So Happy succeeds.

The ten track album is clean and polished, but not so much as to dehumanize the sound. Recorded at IV Labs studio in Chicago (notable output from IV includes jam rock Umphrey’s McGee, soul singer Cole DeGenova, and hip-­‐hop band Sidewalk Chalk) the record treats themes diverse and far-reaching, from self-referential social criticism and light-­‐hearted mocking to deeply personal stories of loss, faith, love and redemption. This range also expressed in the multiplicity of genres that appear here is juxtaposed with a consistent sonic palette, giving the record a cohesive and listenable character.

The record begins with the title track “So Happy,” featuring Bassist Tadd Santos’ driving bass line, pop style handclaps and a vocal performance reminiscent of an uplifting REM tune. But the happy go lucky sound masks the lyrical content, a commentary on selfie culture. The way we present ourselves on social media isolates us from one another, and even ourselves. How much time do we spend staring at smiling faces, erroneously assuming that the grass is really greener? How often do we tailor our own images so that someone else assumes the same? Examining the twisted hypocrisy of consumer culture, Vines accompanies this theme of isolation with “Giant Can Of Beans,” employing this contrast of sonic style and lyrics: the sound is whimsical with washes of guitar and keyboard accompanied by melodic interjections from lead guitar. Still we keep “our doors locked tight.” Vines uses his experience to craft a way of looking at the world, both thankful for the comforts of house and home while critical of the effacement that comes with that life.

To create So Happy Vines was joined by an all star cast of studio musicians with considerable accomplishments in their own right. Each gets time to shine. Guitarist Chris Siebold stands out on the Allman Brothers styled blues rock track treatment of Joni Mitchell’s “Woodstock” where his thick tone and searing licks cut through the driving rhythm beds filled out with the Hammond B3 organ. His more sophisticated side shows up on the jazz ballad “Nights Like This,” evoking Jim Hall or Barney Kessel with a classic archtop guitar sound alongside pianist Dave Gordon’s chordal support. Drummer Gerald Dowd (holding a longtime post with prolific country singer-­‐songwriter Robbie Fulks) is heard in full force on the classic rock tune “D’Lila.”

All of these elements are seamlessly woven under the direction of producer Anne Heaton. Vines reached out to Anne with his catalog of work in 2016. She weighed in on song and studio selection, as well as arranging, tracking, and even composing and performing original vocal parts. “In my heart of hearts I’m a collaborator,” she says of her style, which often gives “more leeway to explore and break rules.” Her presence is powerful on the lush vocal arrangements at the end of “I Can’t Breathe,” Vines’ tribute to the tragedy of Eric Garner’s choking death at the hands of New York City police officers. From the perspective of Garner, Vines sings “tell my wife and kids, I’m doing it for them.” With a wife and child of his own (whose struggles and stories appear in the semi-autobiographical “Making My Way”) Garner’s death strikes close to home.

This debut record brings a heavy dose of disillusionment and self-deprecation, tempered by humor and hopefulness.

At times the record is sincere, personal, and deeply sensitive. Other times it is acerbic and incisive. Perhaps it is the force of years that allows for this double‐edged introspection. But this music can speak to song lovers anywhere, of any age. Some will nod in understanding or shake their heads in commiseration. Others may learn or be called to think about the world differently. Some may just sway back and forth
while doing the dishes. “So Happy” is vital and important for all these contexts,

credits

released August 17, 2018

So Happy
Anne Heaton - Background Vocals, Piano
Rick Vines - Background Vocals
Gerald Dowd - Tambourine

Heaven In Your Eyes
Anne Heaton - Background Vocals
Rick Vines Piano, Synths

Giant Can of Beans
Rick Vines Piano (Intro)
Anne Heaton Piano (Solo)

D’Lila
Rick Vines Moog Synth
Anne Heaton Synths, Background Vocals

I Can’t Breathe
Rick Vines Piano
Dave Gordon B3 Organ
Background Vocals
Kelly Donlea, Robinlee Garber, Anne Heaton, Dave Gordon, Shane Hendrickson, Rick Vines

Nights Like This
Dave Gordon Piano

Imaginary Man
Rick Vines Guitar, Background Vocals, Djembe, Percussion
Gerald Dowd - Percussion, Marimba

Woodstock
Rick Vines Acoustic Guitar, Tambourine
Dave Gordon B3 Organ
Background Vocals
Kelly Donlea, Robinlee Garber, Anne Heaton,

Making Our Way
Rick Vines Acoustic Guitar, Piano, Background Vocals

Secrets
Rick Vines Piano


All Tracks
Chris Siebold -Guitars
Tad Santos Bass
Gerald Dowd Drums

Produced by:
Anne Heaton and Rick Vines

Engineer
Shane Hendrickson

Mixing Engineer
Scott Gerow

All Tracks Recorded at IV Labs Studio, Chicago IL
Mixed at Battery Lane Music, Nashville, TN
Mastered at Independent Mastering, Nashville, TN

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Rick Vines Chicago, Illinois

Rick has an broad music sensibility that draws from Folk, Jazz, Rock and the New Orleans sound. He incorporates all of these elements into an honest and straightforward expression of extraordinary songwriting that is not over crafted. He has a warm and almost conversational delivery that can be both intimate and stark, sometimes in the same song. ... more

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