Today marks the release of my third novel soundtack. Not “novel soundtrack” as in especially original or unique—hopefully it is also that?—but as in the soundtrack for a novel. I used to pitch this new book as the last book in my “Atlanta Trilogy,” but it turns out book four is probably also set in Atlanta.1 So maybe last in the “Words & Music Trilogy” is a better pitch.
Eventually we will dance with all the streaming services, even the evil ones who do not dance so well, but for now, you can listen here.
The first two soundtracks were accidental. True, it’s hard to accidentally record fourteen songs, and then eight more, but when I started writing both of those books I did not plan on writing songs that went with them. Weight of Sound was my debut novel, and at the time I could barely accept I was really working on something I’d try to get published, never mind also working on a soundtrack. There was a song called “Gardenia” that kept being referenced in the text, though, and once I understood how important it was, I decided to try find someone to write the music, and then record it—a move that led to thirteen nore songs being written and recorded.2
After herding all those musicians for Weight, I vowed to never make a soundtrack again. Anyone who has read Songs By Honeybird knows that those plans changed. The second time was different, with fewer songs and a core band playing on most of the album, so the wrangling part was a little easier. And while the music came as a surprise, it wound up playing a larger role than I first expected.3 I understood how it important it was to one of the book’s subplots, but as we started working on the songs the music began to spread throughout the book, in ways I had not planned.
King Cal started differently than the first two novels in several ways. I had the title first, which never happens for me—titles are hard, and often only get finalized after several rounds of revision. I also knew the basic structure of the novel. After reading Mrs. Dalloway in a Zoom Book Club, I wanted to write a novel that covered one day in someone’s life, but someone with more money worries than Mrs. Dalloway had, so I knew the book would cover twenty-four hours.4 Finally, I knew there was a songwriter at its center, which meant there would be a soundtrack. Again.
I didn’t know much about Calvin at first. I knew he was young and that he had to work at a crappy fast food job, that he wrote songs, and that he had left his hometown. It was Calvin’s music that helped me discover the rest of the characters: the best friend who provides vocals, the family that provided inspiration (in positive and negative ways), and the other musicians who inspired him (in positive and negative ways). I also knew that he wrote bedroom pop songs.5 For the soundtrack, then, I needed someone well-versed in world of home recording, and my friend Kris Hauch eagerly took on writing seven of the nine tracks.6 The opening song sets the mood for the whole project:
I’ll be talking in more detail about the origins of individual songs, and about the other two songs on the soundtrack, written by my third-grade chess partner, Jeff Jensen. This the first time that the soundtrack is appearing ahead of the book, I thought it would be good to let the music speak for itself for a few weeks. As I said, King Cal feels like the third book in a trilogy, one connected more by themes than characters, and maybe you can hear that in the songs.
Oh, and the current working title for that fourth book is No Musicians. Let’s see if that holds true.
1 A good friend and loyal reader once called me the “Anne Tyler of Atlanta. I’ll take it.
2 My friend Bob Fenster interviewed me about this:https://thememusicadd.wordpress.com/2018/01/28/peter-mcdade-and-the-weight-of-sound/
3 You can read more about the way this second soundtrack grew and morphed here: https://peterjmcdade.com/all-i-didnt-know/
4 Thanks to Circle Link, Nancy Gardos, and Aric Green!
5 There are many articles about the many permutations of the genre, but once I saw NBC News had a story about it, I knew that it had reached the blandest of mainstreams: https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/music/what-s-bedroom-pop-how-online-diy-movement-created-musical-n1131926
6 Check out the many great albums he has recorded under the name “Norway House” here: https: //norwayhouse.bandcamp.com/
King Cal follows aspiring musician Calvin, who loses his girlfriend, band, and best friend in one day. As he struggles to balance art and survival, this coming-of-age story explores the devotion, creativity, and sacrifice required to build a life in music.
Learn moreConversation with Michael Amos Cody, moderated by Zach Steele.
As drummer for the rock band Uncle Green, Peter McDade spent fifteen years traveling the highways of America in a series of Ford vans. While the band searched for fame and a safe place to eat before a gig, he began writing short stories and novels. Uncle Green went into semi-retirement after four labels, seven records, and one name change; Peter went to Georgia State University and majored in History and English, eventually earning an MA in History. He teaches history to college undergrads, records with Paul Melançon and Eytan Mirsky, and lives in Atlanta with his family.
