Painter Fingers
Still Friends
“Painter Fingers” is the artist behind the brains of Dallas native, Travis Charles Hagan. Looking at his socials, you see an approach that is as simple and honest in its approach as his music, and that’s what attracts me so much to this song. In a world of overproduced singles, snapped beats and uber-tight guitars, this song bleeds honesty and space in its arrangement, production and lyrics - here’s my review.
The song itself is nearly 20 years old. Composed in 2004, Travis rediscovered it this year during some down time brought on by those Texas ice storms that have a way of paralyzing the Lone Star state. He obviously took advantage of this downtime by discovering close to a 100 compositions he’d never released, and made a goal of starting to release the ones he was most found of - you can hear it in the performance.
By his own admission, his studio is not packed with all the latest gadgets, but what he could help teach so many of these hot shot producers and young kids is to fight for the authenticity of the track. You can have a basic DAW, a couple of SM57’s and still pull off a beautiful work of art. Case in point, listen to the melody work in conjunction to the electric guitar tone. Note choice on the frets are perfect as the guitar descends in tandem with the melody, and notice how when he jumps up an octave in the first verse, so do his voicings. Smart arrangement right there - really bonding the music and melody together. He implements this practice throughout the entire song; hand claps to drive the beat and bring the happy, the sparse use of a tambourine, warm keyboard patches and a gentle drum tone. I also really dig the kick pattern as the song starts - fluttered, compact, anxious - given you a hint of bigger things to come.
I love the lyrics he uses right be the chorus, as well as the hook of the chorus itself - “but if you in town here for a while, I’ll sing to you until you smile, ‘cause all at once it feels like summer. I’m glad we’re still friends.” How touching is that? That’s like CSN and Shawn Colvin, all in one. On the back end of the chorus, he gives us a really nice hippy happy groove that borderlines on a Motown feel - accentuating the happiness of the vibe. Please listen to that section a few times, especially the bass line. If you’re not moving in your seat or dancing, there’s something wrong with you.
Second verse brings it all back down for a few measures before the band comes back in to keep the intensity moving. Chorus hits strong again with that honest hook and simple delivery, and I can’t get over how cool it is to hear a pristine track that focuses on tone, not effects. The instrumental section that follows the second chorus is such a great breakdown, such a great visual groove. I love independent artists like this who aren’t stuck in the confines of a three minute song. It the jam is good, take a ride - don’t cut it short because you think that’s what radio wants. The final chorus and jam outro is a repetition of the hook, and you can imagine the crowd singing along with ease - great way to drive the point home. Lovely track, Travis!
Scroll down, get out his socials and other tracks and show this guy some love. He’s doing it for the love of music, the love of art - he’s doing it for all the right reasons. “It Makes Her Happy” reminds me of something you’d find in a Farrelly Brothers movie and soundtrack - and the lyrics will make you smile. It’s such a cool take on writing music and art, and why we do what we do. As a bonus, it’s got a nice trumpet solo, too. ;) “What Matters Most” has another great guitar track and once again a beautiful set of lyrics. Lovely work, Travis. Hope to see you perform some day soon!