Cover art by Fanya Imholz
Sandrine is now available for streaming and/or purchase at Spotify and iTunes.
June 1, 2021:
I wrote the original version of Sandrine around 1992-93. It sat on the shelf for many years, and it wasn't until Covid that I finally found myself with enough time to continue working on it. The original version was a double-tracked cassette tape (remember that ancient method of music reproduction?). I recorded the rhythm guitar part on the Left side, using my Rockman as the guitar amp/processor. Then while playing back the rhythm track, I recorded the lead parts on the Right side. And there it sat, gathering dust for quite a while. I pulled it off the shelf and started working on it again in 2020.
To me this sounds like music you might have heard on KBLX (a local Bay Area radio station that played adult contemporary easy-listening funky pop rock / soul music, not a lot of vocals, long songs and album cuts. Just the kind of background music you’d want to have on softly while parked somewhere late at night, with a nice view and your date next to you...setting the mood for getting to know each other better.
“Sandrine” is my daughter’s middle name. However, this tune predated her birth by almost 9 years. Back in 1990 I was heavily into flying small airplanes; I belonged to a flying club that rents planes to club member pilots. The owners of the club at that time were two French women: Isabel Arsonneau and Sandrine Budestchu. They were friends of mine; no romantic involvement. When I wrote the song it was apparent to me that some quality and mood of the song reminded me of Sandrine; hence the name. The fact that the song also sounds like make-out music to me is just a coincidence. Further deconstruction of this tune will have to be done with the help of a psychotherapist!
GUITARS: John Imholz
BASS: Ivan Lesnik
DRUMS: Kelly Fasman
Mastering: John Cuniberti