52 PICK UP
Vic Ruggiero, Chris Murray & Lauren Napier
Hear the Art, See the Music, Know the Stories
A MULTIMEDIA BIO ART PROJECT
by Andy Kahn
WHY 52 PICK UP
At the end of March 2020, as the world shut down, I celebrated my 52nd birthday. While talking on the phone with Vic in April, we discussed how strange the world was becoming. It was during this period of talk over the Spring of 2020 that the idea began for recording music to go along with my stories and art. Over the course of the next 18 months, we spent 120 hours in the studio during 4 sessions. Laying down the pieces that have materialized into this album 52 Pick Up is a uniquely personal multimedia memoir where Every Story Sings a Song & Every Song Tells a Story combined with art and music, this cooperative collaboration is a musical reflection of my life, co-created with amazingly talented artists and friends.
A little bit about myself, by the time I was 16, I had meet John Lennon, pissed off Neil Diamond and asked Billy Joel out for dinner. Growing up in New York City and spending my summers in Venice, Italy. I got exposed to a certain perspective of the world. At the age of 27, after living a unique, interesting New York-style life, I suddenly found myself moving to California, and I'm coming up on now, having lived out here 27 years. I was seeking the Promised Land and I left my home in New York City with California on my mind. I am I said now coming up on living in LA longer than I was living in NYC; I guess I have become a Los Angeleno.
52 Pick Up is a composite of songs that are renditions, interpretations and rearrangements. There are a few commonalities among the various song s on this album. All are traveling "road songs" to some degree or another, a whole bunch are from the New Yorkers view of California, and some are songs I just wanted to hear Vic, Chris or Lauren sing. The album was done over the course of almost 2 years. With the final tracks having been built upon, crafted, and evolved. So without too much vibrato, I will say this my stories are all true to the best of my recollection. This project with its art, and music help me to weather the funky storm of the past 2 years. I truly hope that you enjoy what I've written here and how this project is presented.
Sincerely,
Andy Kahn
SIDE 1
Promised Land - C. Berry
American Tune- P. Simon
Ape an - R. Davies
Late in The Evening - P. Simon
I Am I Said — N. Diamond
When I Paint My masterpiece - B. Dylan
SIDE 2
Los Angelenos - B. Joel
Let me Roll It - P. McCartney
Ventilator Blues - K. Richards
Two of Us — Lennon/McCartney
Never Been to Spain — H. Axton
Carnival - N. Merchant
Picasso's Last Words - P. McCartney
Bio
Vic Ruggiero
Touring for over two decades with NYC based old-school-reggae-ska group , The Slackers, as a one man blues band, and as a sideman and writer for several groups including Rancid
Chris Murray
Chris Murray began his career in 1987 with Canadian ska group King Apparatus, later relocating to Los Angeles, pioneering a solo acoustic approach that has now become widespread in the genre.
Lauren Napier
Renaissance woman, published writer and poet, she began her musical career in Germany but recently relocated to the US for a while. Her style could be described as goth-country/folk and country poet.