Veteran California singer-songwriter-guitarist JEFF LARSON has shared the lyric video for “Something of A Dream” ahead of the single’s release this Friday (March 8). With its warm California rock-rooted sound, the track marks the first release from the melodically sparkling ADOBE HOME album and features Gerry Beckley of AMERICA, who co-produced the 13-track disc with LARSON, on bass, electric lead guitar and organ. The album is out April 26 on Nashville-based Melody Place. Watch the colorful video HERE, read a Q&A below with LARSON, and pre-save the single HERE.
LARSON wrote eight of the songs on ADOBE HOME: two with legendary songwriter Jack Tempchin (of the Eagles’ “Peaceful Easy Feeling” fame); one with Beckley, and one with Robert Lamm of Chicago. It’s an album with subject matter that touches on people, places, and things with styles ranging from Americana, folk-rock, power pop, and some jazz elements. See the track listing below and read the album launch press release HERE. The album comes on the heels of IT'LL NEVER HAPPEN AGAIN, his acclaimed 2023 six-song tribute EP to the late iconic singer and songwriter Tim Hardin.
“Something of a Dream” Q&A with JEFF LARSON
“Something of a Dream” is the album’s first single. Can you talk about why you feel it’s a good introduction to the album?
JEFF LARSON: Of course, I’m partial to all the songs on the album, but it’s a mark of good songcraft to have one that goes from major to minor in its feel with a good hook to carry it on. I think “Something of a Dream” fits that.
The song has a gorgeous California rock-rooted sound—it’s a winning combination with an ear-catching lilting melody, ringing guitars, and resonant harmonies. Can you talk about what inspired the song musically?
LARSON: I love jangly pop-folk-rock music and bands like REM (“The One I Love”) and Real Estate to The Byrds, Beatles, Moody Blues, etc. It’s fun for me since the riff I play at the top of the chorus is something I’ve had around since high school. Things like riffs and melodies seem to hang around until they’re exercised. The pandemic was a bit of a reset of innocence when it came to songwriting and recording so a lot of things came out for me. I was just approaching things for the song and the feel. I also hadn’t written on electric guitar in a while, and this was one of several songs that originated from that so it’s fresh to me.
Gerry Beckley, with whom you co-produced the album, is featured on bass, electric lead guitar, and organ. What’s it like for you guys to work together?
LARSON: We have been collaborating in some fashion for many years now. The pandemic accelerated that activity with the downtime for songwriting, recording, and the back and forth on tracking instruments, backing vocals, and the overall production process. There is a backlog of material even now of my song recordings as well as his new solo release due in 2024, that I co-produced, sang backing vocals, etc. The issue for us is not output, it’s outlets. Melody Place, as a label, has been kind of enough to give this material a hearing and let some air out of the ballon for what tends to build up for me.
The song has open-ended lyrics about a romance: “And I remember the way you looked with your eyes so far away.” What inspired this song? The lyrics have a haunting feel.
LARSON: Lyrically, this came from observations of friends' relationships and my own past experiences. It has some longing, frustration, melancholy, and a little psychedelic imagery with a line like “from the desert to the sea inside.” I discovered the Days of Future Passed by The Moody Blues in 2021 (yes, just getting to it) and maybe some of that vibe came through.
The video has beautiful atmospheric images of the American southwest, the ocean, and adobe homes with the lyrics superimposed. Why do you feel this visualization is a good way for listeners/viewers to experience the song?
LARSON: I’ve always been attracted to songs that paint pictures with the music and lyrics. It’s one of those areas, if handled well, that can keep a song from becoming pedestrian. Regarding the imagery of the video, I worked with a neighbor I met around the time I started recording Adobe Home. Ryan Corey and I connected on shared musical interests, and he was a graphics designer with Smog Design in L.A. We discussed that it should connect to the album graphics which he designed and to make those come alive a bit. It fits the vibe of the song and provides a window into the album as a whole.”
Here’s the track listing and songwriting credits for ADOBE HOME:
1. Adobe Home
(Words & Music: Jeff Larson)
2. Something of a Dream
(Words & Music: Jeff Larson)
3. Pretty Soon
(Words & Music: Jeff Larson)
4. Hold Inside
(Words & Music: Gerry Beckley)
5. This Summer
(Words & Music: Jeff Larson)
6. The Name of the Song
(Words & Music: Jeff Larson & Jack Tempchin)
7. She Comes Around
(Words & Music: Jeff Larson & Gerry Beckley)
8. Better Part of the Morning
(Words & Music: Jeff Larson)
9. You Can Fly
(Words & Music: Jeff Larson & Jack Tempchin)
10. Even Though
(Words & Music: Jeff Larson)
11. Week of Rain
(Words & Music: Jeff Larson)
12. A Matter of Time
(Words & Music: Jeff Larson & Robert Lamm)
13. Santa Ana Sunset
(Words & Music: Jeff Larson)
ABOUT JEFF LARSON:
JEFF LARSON is a veteran singer-songwriter from the San Francisco Bay area. Musically, Jeff got his start under the wing of producer Elliot Mazer (Neil Young, The Band) playing in clubs and venues throughout the Bay area. As a native Californian, the influences are obviously present and reach from the golden era of L.A.’s Laurel Canyon singer-songwriter scene to the Bay area’s musical heritage and the tension between the two. While remaining a solo artist, he’s collaborated with Gerry Beckley and Dewey Bunnell of America, Chicago’s Robert Lamm, John Blakeley of The Sandals, and Eagles songwriter Jack Tempchin, among others. His prolific body of work created over the years has been released by various means and labels with licensing opportunities with JVC Victor Japan, Universal / Rhino, BMG and others from The Netherlands to Japan. “Larson’s earnest vocals and unwaveringly engaging folk-rock-country songs have an alluring feel,” wrote the San Jose Mercury News in 2011 about his album The World Over. “Larson’s warm, wonderful songs will grab you immediately and just get better with each subsequent listening. Every one of the 10 numbers here proves to be an individual gem.”
