Third single from the self-titled Balcony’s Paradise album. “Seabird” is a cover of the Alessi Brothers hit from the mid 70s.

Few things in this world are as obvious as singing songs about missing. There is a lyric with that subject that carries the claim of universal validity – “Seabird, seabird, fly home,” it says. When longing leads a person into the valley of tears, when the news no longer interests and the full moon robs the mind, then there is at least: a song.

The original: a secret hit that has been serenading lovers in various clusters and age groups at the afterhours for many years. Why only there? Two twin brothers who have been writing luminous soft jam rock ballads since their debut in 1977. For this cover release from Balcony’s Paradise, they describe the path of their song “Seabird” on the album.

“Seabird always had a special place in our hearts from the start. When we recorded our first LP on A&M Records, Bones Howe, our producer didn’t feel that Seabird should be on the album. Bobby and I had the master reels of our LP and we were going to meet Bones at A&M the next morning to present our finished album. Bobby and I spliced in our demo of Seabird at the end of the master reel. We sat with the big shots at A&M and Bones Howe, and we listened to the entire album. We’ll never forget the look on Bones Howe’s face when the demo of Seabird started to play. He didn’t say anything and when the song finished, Kip Cohen, (music director for A&M) said that he thought that Seabird was too strong a song to be at the end of the second side of the album so he moved it to the end of the first side. 

       It is always an honor for Bobby and I when someone records one of our songs. Now, once again Seabird has found another home to spread its wings. We are proud that Balcony’s Paradise has recorded their own version of Seabird and are about to release it as a single.” – Billy and Bobby Alessi (The Alessi Brothers)

Watch Alessi Brothers’ “Seabird” on YouTube

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The Balcony’s Paradise album has been getting some good reviews to date, like these ones here: Berliner Zeitung  Kaput  nbhap.com

“Outta My Way” video premiere at Doubtful Sounds

“True Love” video premiere of “True Love” at Backseat Mafia

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In March 2019 Lorenz O’tool from Chuckamuck (Berlin) and Jeremy Tayler (Australia) got together in Victoria. The setting: a lonely and idyllic house on the coast. The stage: a balcony looking towards Tasmania.

The two friends have lived in Berlin together, toured Europe with Chuckamuck, and share a love of the good life which they indulged in together and immortalised on 4 track.

Instruments are shared around. Hippies have called it: “Perfect symbiosis”; Snobs: “All take and no give”; Surfers: “So natural”; The guy down the road: “Yeah mate!”

What’s recorded is the atmosphere, no stinky little booths, just a deck with a small coherent set up.

Don’t be thrown off by the noise of birds, mates dropping in, conversations, land cruisers and mowers. Just let it in and surrender to the mood!

This is not a studio production, and no White Album. It’s 35 minutes to lean back, escape reality and without urge for anything, be nothing.

So you can all get to know Balcony’s Paradise, we did an interview via email:

 Hi Lorenz and Jeremy. One of you is from Germany, one from Australia. How did you meet?

Jeremy: We met ten years ago in Berlin. Lorenz and his friends took me in under their wing. From my fuzzy memories we snuck into clubs and climbed building sites…generally trying to find the best spot to have a drink and smoke. Lorenz was in Chuckamuck already then, but I don’t remember doing much music apart from some freestyle rap.

Lorenz: It was that night I played a fucked up concert in a filthy cellar with my band Chuckamuck in Berlin, and suddenly this curly guy stood in front of me and said: your good friend Tom – who was in Australia at that time – told me to get in touch with you…a few days later he moved to my place.

You recorded the album on a verandah. Can you tell me about the set-up you used.
Lorenz: Jeremy’s got a nice small coherent set-up on his balcony. I brought some microphones from Germany and we bought the first available 4-track tape deck we found. Then we caught the best moments during this month on some quite old tapes from his Landcruiser. More often it does not need more.

Any overdubs?
Lorenz: We didn’t do many overdubs, just some piano, solos and backups. One day we visited Jeremy’s mother in Melbourne – a classical violinist – and overpowered her with a one take. Ciao.

How isolated were you? Any complaints from neighbours?
Jeremy: Not very isolated, we have neighbours on both sides, but they are polite, god-fearing people. Also, the beach is 50 metres away, so there was an audience sometimes. But you could say of course that for most people’s standards this is very isolated.

I like your choice of covers. There are some pretty well-known songs (like the Beatles and Toots and the Maytals) plus some others – unless you’re a fan – from Townes Van Zandt, Merle Haggard and Johnny Cash. What was the process in choosing what songs to record?
Lorenz: It was the right time to cover songs which I always wanted to play. Some of the songs I already played in solo concerts.

Jeremy: These were the songs which at that time we were celebrating and playing.

I can’t help but notice that pretty much all the musicians you cover are outsider rebels – even Cash and Dylan. Does this make it a concept album?
Jeremy: No, it wasn’t about executing a plan, it was just about friendship and joy and these are the songs which we bonded over.
Lorenz: The concept is a collection of well harmonized tracks, could have been a coincidence.

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