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Kinda Makes Me Smile

by Al Bloch

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  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    It's Al singin' songs!

    Includes unlimited streaming of Kinda Makes Me Smile via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 5 days
    Purchasable with gift card

      $10 USD or more 

     

  • Streaming + Download

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    Purchasable with gift card

      $5 USD  or more

     

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San Simeon 02:12

about

We got some new summer tunes for you from righteous Brother Al Bloch. Kinda Makes Me Smile. Songs about stuff. Sung by Al. Hell yeah.

Let’s see what Al has to say about this.

Al: The five songs on this EP were written in January 2021, when I was dealing with the winter blues in Norfolk, VA and dreaming of the warmth and hopefulness of Summer in Eastern Virginia. I attempted to make each song peppy and happy, maybe even zippy and snappy, but a few of the tunes didn’t achieve that goal. Kinda Makes Me Smile documents the moment on one January morning when I opened my shades in the morning and the sun was actually shining, filling me with hope. “The sad, sad world gets bathed in the blue, blue skies.” “Rock And Roll Show” is a distant memory I had of a good friend who had a crush on a certain female rock and roll guitar player. “Her eyes they sparkle just like diamonds, and her hair is made of pure afro.”

“Don’t Give Up On Me” is as sad as an Al Bloch song has ever been, written as I sat around feeling old (which I am) and useless (which I am not). It was just a feeling I had for a very short period of time, which I tried to capture with this song. “Lived a long life, but I've made some mistakes. Lost my way through the valley of days. Don’t give up on me.” “Lost And Found” is just a bundle of images that will mean a lot to me and a few others, but mostly just sounded good while driving the song to its inevitable conclusion. “I stumble through trees, and I bumble through bees, and I’m not afraid to do as I please.” “San Simeon” details the failed attempt by me and some buddies to break into the Hearst Castle, or Xanadu as it’s called in the film Citizen Kane. Dino, Sylvio, and I found that the fence around the castle was just too high for us to scale. Plus, we were drunk. The story may or may not be true, depending on whether or not the reader is a current or former California State Trooper. “Dumped some gas into Dino’s van, for our road trip to San Simeon. We headed north on the PCH, till we got to the Hearst Castle gate.

All tunes were written on my trusty Taylor acoustic guitar, and made into killer tracks by my buddy Hunter Johnson (from Roanoke, VA) who instinctively added the perfect drum part to each song, injecting some much needed gusto and heft to the songs. Also, Kurt Bloch (from Seattle, WA who is incredibly my BROTHER!) fed the tunes into the KB Hit Factory Way-Back Machine at his studio, Strictly Vintage, and added that special extraterrestrial spice that only he can bring to the dinner party. Kurt is badass, and I couldn’t have done this without him. I hope you like the songs. They’re very different than the songs on my last two records: It Was All Once Bright Jewels and Protest Songs, but I think they’re pretty cool, and I sincerely hope you enjoy the crazy sounds! Presented for your consideration, Kinda Makes Me Smile, five new Al Bloch songs for Summer 2021. Thanks for listening. AB

TD: it is also quite different from Al’s brilliant and ass-kickin’ My Favorite Martian - Martian Chronicles, Los Angeles 1990's CD, and his historic The Deans Live December 31, 1981, 66 Bell and the historically delightful Wenis - The Donut House, Seattle 1980. For the true Al Super Fans, we have a few Al Bloch's Summer Of Fun Super Party Mixtape lying about! If you somehow have not yet joined the Al Bloch True Believers Club, it is time to get on the train!

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released July 9, 2021

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Al Bloch Norfolk, Virginia

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