I Am the Portuguese Blues
Encyclopedia
I Am the Portuguese Blues is the eighth full-length album released by Starflyer 59
. With this album, the band returned to its past in multiple ways. The band's earlier albums had been characterized by loud guitars, but later albums saw the band progress to a softer sound, incorporating keyboards. I Am the Portuguese Blues saw the return of the sound from earlier albums, as the band was stripped just to Jeff Cloud
on bass, Frank Lenz
on drums, and Jason Martin, the only person to perform on all of Starflyer 59's albums, handling guitar and vocal duties. In addition, the album has a monochromatic cover, similar to those of Starflyer 59's first three albums (Silver
, Gold
, and Americana
). Many of the songs on I Am the Portuguese Blues were written years earlier as demos for an album to follow Americana. They were eventually scrapped, as the band decided to take a different musical direction for The Fashion Focus
. The old demos were refined and combined with several new songs for I Am the Portuguese Blues. In regards to the title of the album, Martin, the band's frontman said,
Starflyer 59
Starflyer 59 is an alternative rock band from Riverside, California that was founded in 1993 by Jason Martin, brother of Ronnie Martin of Joy Electric. While Jason Martin has written nearly all of Starflyer 59's songs, the band has included a number of different musicians over the years, including...
. With this album, the band returned to its past in multiple ways. The band's earlier albums had been characterized by loud guitars, but later albums saw the band progress to a softer sound, incorporating keyboards. I Am the Portuguese Blues saw the return of the sound from earlier albums, as the band was stripped just to Jeff Cloud
Jeff Cloud
Jeff Cloud is a former bass guitar player for rock band Starflyer 59. He joined the band after the album Americana had been recorded, and remained a member until after the recording of the album I Am the Portuguese Blues. From 1996 until 2002, Cloud was member of the electropop/synth pop group...
on bass, Frank Lenz
Frank Lenz
Frank Lenz is a drummer from Southern California who has done work for many bands and artists, including but not limited to Starflyer 59, Daniel Amos, Crystal Lewis, Duraluxe, Map, Charity Empressa, Kevin Max, Cush and The Dingees.-Biography:Frank Lenz started taking drum lessons when he was eight...
on drums, and Jason Martin, the only person to perform on all of Starflyer 59's albums, handling guitar and vocal duties. In addition, the album has a monochromatic cover, similar to those of Starflyer 59's first three albums (Silver
Silver (Starflyer 59 album)
Silver is the name generally used to refer to the self-titled debut album of rock band Starflyer 59, released in 1994 on Tooth & Nail Records. It has acquired the name Silver due to its cover art....
, Gold
Gold (Starflyer 59 album)
Gold is the second album by Starflyer 59. Just like their first album, the title of the second album was based on the gold cover chosen for the album's cover. It was originally released in 1995...
, and Americana
Americana (Starflyer 59 album)
Americana is the third full-length album by Starflyer 59. It was the last of the band's three consecutive albums featuring monochromatic covers...
). Many of the songs on I Am the Portuguese Blues were written years earlier as demos for an album to follow Americana. They were eventually scrapped, as the band decided to take a different musical direction for The Fashion Focus
The Fashion Focus
The Fashion Focus was the fourth full-length album released by Starflyer 59. This release marked a significant change in the band's sound. Where previous albums had focused on loud guitars in the style of shoegazer bands such as My Bloody Valentine and Ride, The Fashion Focus had a softer sound,...
. The old demos were refined and combined with several new songs for I Am the Portuguese Blues. In regards to the title of the album, Martin, the band's frontman said,
“I thought the title was odd. There are a couple of proper blues riffs‚ on there, but mainly it is just a rock and roll album -- no tricks no gimmicks.... And, oh yeah, I’m Portuguese.”
Track listing
- "Wake Up Early" – 2:53
- "Unlucky" – 2:11
- "Teens in Love" – 2:53
- "The Big Idea" – 2:53
- "Worth of Labor" – 2:48
- "Not Funny" – 2:34
- "Sound on Sound" – 2:34
- "Destiny" – 2:24
- "No Revolution" – 3:33
- "I Need Some Help" – 2:44
Personnel
- Jason Martin - Vocals, guitar, engineer, art direction
- Jeff CloudJeff CloudJeff Cloud is a former bass guitar player for rock band Starflyer 59. He joined the band after the album Americana had been recorded, and remained a member until after the recording of the album I Am the Portuguese Blues. From 1996 until 2002, Cloud was member of the electropop/synth pop group...
- Bass guitar - Frank LenzFrank LenzFrank Lenz is a drummer from Southern California who has done work for many bands and artists, including but not limited to Starflyer 59, Daniel Amos, Crystal Lewis, Duraluxe, Map, Charity Empressa, Kevin Max, Cush and The Dingees.-Biography:Frank Lenz started taking drum lessons when he was eight...
- Drums - Aaron SprinkleAaron SprinkleAaron Sprinkle is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer from Seattle, Washington.-Career:His career in music began in high school with a group called BellBangVilla. BellBangVilla became Poor Old Lu and they released a number of albums . Aaron Sprinkle also sang and played...
- Mixing - Troy Glessner - Mastering
- Brandon EbelBrandon EbelBrandon Ebel is the founder, President & CEO of Tooth & Nail Records. He founded the label in 1993 in California, USA. The label has since grown to include sub-labels BEC Recordings, Solid State Records and Uprok Records...
- Executive Producer - Kris McCaddon - Art direction, design