Jam Notes Podcast

BW Derge

BW Derge (drums) and Nick Ring (Guitar) - 20 years of jamming together, few actual songs written, no band name (yet?) – but 100s of recorded jams. So we’re talking about them on the podcast. All rights reserved.

  1. Songwriting, Recording, and Raging Against Machine Covers (Jam Notes Podcast)

    Jan 14

    Songwriting, Recording, and Raging Against Machine Covers (Jam Notes Podcast)

    Nick talks about writing songs, debates with Ben aboutthe importance of recording quality, and both discuss Rage Against the Machine’salbum of cover songs (Renegades of Funk)   Talking about a jam from April17, 2024 (Maynard’s birthday). Talking about “funky monkeys,” “Brass Monkeys,”and Nick’s brother Trevor’s band FermentedBeats (from Pittsburgh, with clarinet). Ben notes the energy and poeticmastery of Kendrick’s “Not Like Us,” influencing his mood during the jam, whichis grungy, smooth “like ice on a lake,” with loops and unexpected turns. ·        Quick banter about their unused Lander accountand collaboration. ·        Discussion of releasing an album by Christmas. Nota Christmas album, just timing the release… and as of January, it’s still notstarted. ·        Joking about Christmas, Hanukkah, Tet, theWinter Solstice, and Saturnalia. ·        Intended as a “quick funky jam” but stretched to10 minutes. ·        Acknowledgement that their jams often divergefrom the original intent. ·        Chord choices reminiscent of Rage Against theMachine (Battle of Los Angeles era). ·        Discussion of Rage albums (Evil Empire, Renegadesof Funk covers, Devo’s “Beautiful World”). ·        Reflection on Devo’s ironic/depressing themes of“de‑evolution.” ·        No loops initially; use of reverb, lightoverdrive. ·        Tempo shifts, experimentation with half‑timereverse loops. ·        Hit drum rims accidentally, sometimes turnedinto purposeful rim shots. “I meant to do that” ·        Recording briefly cut off; hosts joke aboutbeing “electrocuted.” ·        They speculate whether the U.S. government orextraterrestrials shut them down. ·        Decide aliens are simply “fans of the podcast.” ·        More complaints about Ben’s old drum kit… ·        Reference to Jack Funk and songs like Good ForYour Soul and Mad Maestro. ·        Nick explains adding new sections to old songs,giving them fresh life in live shows. ·        Emphasis on saving ideas for the right momentwhen recording an album. ·        Clarification of what a “demo” is. ·        Debate between recording individually vs. live“ping‑pong” style. ·        Agreement that their music thrives on organic,improvised jams. (C) 2026 20 years of jamming together, few actual songs written, noband name (yet?) – but 100s of recorded jams. So we’re talking about them onthe podcast. All rights reserved. Jam Notes (ep. XVIII): Aliens are Fans of the Podcast

    21 min
  2. New Birthday Song (Microwaved Blunts?)

    06/23/2025

    New Birthday Song (Microwaved Blunts?)

    Jams from the past, starts pretty chill. “The BirthdaySong” (not THAT birthday song) written in memory of a friend who passed away in high school. Stories from high school – tool and cigarettes. Solid drumming and great guitar and vocals. One of thebetter recordings of this song. Shout out to the old St. John’s class of 2007. Does smoking ADHD meds do anything? ·        Reminiscing on old attempts at album·        Nick sings in this one! ·        Buy The Sun Will Eat You, Too here - https://www.amazon.com/Sun-Will-Eat-You-Too/dp/B0DN5XV875·        Watch a short story about suicide prevention - https://youtu.be/cogngx-9nis ·        Does anyone have an old copy of “Braining Wheelsof the Train”?·        Communism and Rage Against the Machine… andblindness.·        Becomes more of a jam, talking about smoking. ·        Microwaved blunts? Why was that a good idea? ·        Sounding like they know what they’re doing…·        The old me is a younger me…·        Don’t be so hard on your old self… in thiseconomy? ·        June* 2025…·        Information about “Remember Me, Nothing”:https://bwderge.com/remember-me-nothing-novel-by-bw-derge·        New Jack Funk song: https://youtu.be/_GkKMxmFkEw?si=4njuzsltG-t4SIMZ·        Why it might be better to write books instead ofsongs…·        Nick is King Jack? (Full length album on thehorizon?)

    21 min

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BW Derge (drums) and Nick Ring (Guitar) - 20 years of jamming together, few actual songs written, no band name (yet?) – but 100s of recorded jams. So we’re talking about them on the podcast. All rights reserved.