BAY AREA AMERICAN/ROCK SINGER/SONGWRITER DEBORAH CROOKS ANNOUNCES NEW EP WITH RELEASE OF THE SINGLE “INDIA STREET”
Nationally touring songwriter and recording artist Deborah Crooks announces the release of “Something Special”, a breezy 3-song EP showcasing her live sound and California sensibilities, September 1, 2015. The first single from the project, “India Street,” was released Tuesday, June 16, 2015. Crooks, whose past recordings— including the acclaimed 2013 release “Little Bird” produced by Art Khu — have received global airplay, placed on the PBS TV Series RoadTrip Nation, and included on the recent Songs from the Fog compilation, recorded and co-produced the track with her longtime bandmates amid working on a new KCDC recording.
A followup to Crooks’ 2013 release, the dynamic full-length Little Bird, the three songs on “Something Special” reflect her California roots and peregrinations. "India Street is loosely inspired by being lost in San Diego but is really a meditation on various expressions of faith; "Room 223" is a classic he-done-me-wrong narrative, set in a 50s vintage Travelodge; while "Something Special" recounts an early fascination with the legend of Bigfoot, in the song, a metaphor for transcendence.
As she did with "Little Bird," and the collaborative KCDC project "Your Own Reaction," the project was recorded with drummer Mike Stevens at his Lost Monkey Studio, with guitarist Kwame Copeland and bassist Andrew Gibson rounding out the band.
“I was in the studio with the band working on the next KCDC (the band she co-leads with Kwame Copeland) CD earlier this year and we found we had some studio time left to play with. We decided to record some of my “stray songs,” those tunes that alway make it onto the set list but had yet to be recorded.”
On the surface, “India Street,” is about trying to find one’s way in a strange town, but really it’s about the various ways people demonstrate their faith in life. While Crooks has made numerous trips to India over the past decade to study yoga and voice, she wrote the lyrics while on tour in Southern California, reading directions on the way to a San Diego venue — where there is an actual India Street.
“It’s one of those songs I’ve been playing live for years now, and it finally seemed time to record it,” said Crooks of guitar-driven tune.
The same can be said for “Room 223,” a song she wrote as a challenge to herself while staying in a vintage Travelodge that was once frequented by Roy Rogers. “How can you not at least try to write a country song?” Crooks asked herself, and penned a song that leans decidedly toward country swing.
“Something Special,” another California-based song, recounts the songwriter’s early fascination with the legend of Bigfoot. “I’d long forgotten my childhood obsession...until I read an in-flight magazine and found Bigfoot fever is still very much alive!”
Crooks celebrated the release with a show at Awaken Cafe in Oakland, CA, on August 29, 2015.
“Something Special,” available everywhere September 1, 2015, by Deborah Crooks. Featuring Mike Stevens on drums, Kwame Copeland on guitars and Andrew Gibson on bass. Engineered, recorded and mixed by Mike Stevens at Lost Monkey Studios, Hayward, CA.
Listen to and buy “Something Special” at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/deborahcrooks7
For more information, contact birdinthetreemusic@gmail.com
