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Eyes on the Rise

by Cory Seznec

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    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Deep of Time, Eyes on the Rise, Aux pieds de la gloire (bande-son), Backroad Carnival, and Beauty In The Dirt. , and , .

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1.
Chop It Up 04:22
chop, chop, chop it up, knees on the ground picking up the cherrywood flakes all pink on the grassy mound grassy mound Hook it up, tie it with the right knots Hand it to the bearded men who route and plane in the name of God Name of God and the waves break against the hull of the riverboat from where they came only the winds know Load, load, load it in, lay it in the right way Even when it's tied down it'll still take its own shape its own shape feel your warmth, in the comfort of my dreams rudest part of the lonely days are when you make for to leave lonely day, lonely day... and the waves break against the hull of the riverboat from where they came only the winds know lonely day, lonely day...
2.
Up on Blue Ridge Mountain, there I’ll take my stand x2 Pistol in my pocket, rifle in my hand I’ve been all around this world Hang me oh hang me I’ll be dead and gone x2 It’s not the hanging that I mind it’s lying in the jail so long I’ve been all around this world Working on a new railroad I’ve got mud up to my knees x2 You know that John Henry, he’s so hard to please I’ve been all around this world Hang me oh hang me I’ll be dead and gone x2 It’s not the hanging that I mind it’s lying in the jail so long I’ve been all around this world Mama and Papa and little sister make three x2 They’ve all come to see me, hanging from the gallows tree I’ve been all around this world Hang me oh hang me I’ll be dead and gone x2 It’s not the hanging that I mind it’s lying in the jail so long I’ve been all around this world I’ve been all around this world…
3.
Run rabbit run before the red fox gets you No place to hide you Better sprout wings and fly No place to hide you Better sprout wings and fly Jump deer jump before the timberwolves gets you They’ll tear you limb from limb Better grow gills and swim They’ll tear you limb from limb Better grow gills and swim Gotta run, gotta jump, gotta swim, gotta fly Just to get by, just to get by Better hide, keep quiet, out of sight, out of mind Just to survive, just to survive Get up man get up and face the god awful music Thought that was so bad Well the worst has yet to come Thought that was so bad Well the worst has yet to come Can't see what's real unless it's symbolized Can't see the world unless it's dressed up nice Can’t see love unless it’s in a pretty disguise Gotta run, gotta jump, gotta swim, gotta fly Just to get by, just to get by Better hide, keep quiet, out of sight, out of mind Just to survive, just to survive
4.
Rainy Season 03:34
5.
Bunco Artist 03:09
He told you about how to pull half a million just looking deep in the riverbed Keep your ears to the floor turn a dollar on a highway girl named China Red Turn a rundown ghost-town in tribal lands into blackjack slot-machine heaven Downmarket trash is sellin real fast at your local 7-11 Ooooh, he’s a bunco artist, jackleg selling you a bill of goods Ooooh, it shines like silver, rings like mud, rings like mud But something ain't right when in the middle of the night The phone starts a-ringing Thought the loan would cover your home and give you some extra cash to play with St Nicholas throw the gold bags out the window Save us from the collection agency Cause my man said we're buying but now I can't find him And he's got my money Ooooh, he’s a bunco artist, jackleg selling you a bill of goods Ooooh, it shines like silver, rings like mud, rings like mud
6.
Riding the train of thoughts to the end of the line Wondering why no one else is along for the ride Trying to open my eyes But I’m hypnotized And the train keeps hallucinating my mind In an artist squat in Strasburg St Denis Pot smoke homilies and graffiti The art is the act To enact is an art Spray up the world and save all the refugees Hey hey for heaven’s sake I’m a real genuine fake You’ve been paying your own piper and calling the tune By your own thoughts you’ve been fooled If you admit it you’d give it all away But just like me you’re a real bona fide genuine fake Marcus plays the markets while standing on his head Hustling bustling muscling his way for his bread The money’s a myth A contract with A bunch of crabs in a bottomless bucket Ernestine plays it clean never cracking a smile Earnestly solidly going the extra mile But in her heart it’ll all come apart When she takes off her face and sees there’s no one inside Build your cloud-capped tower up into the sky Alleluia living in a digital paradise But if the real’s already fake then the fake fake makes The true hoax seem like a lie Hey hey make no mistake I’m a real genuine fake You’ve been paying your own piper and calling the tune By your own thoughts you’ve been fooled If you admit it you’d give it all away But just like me you’re a real bona fide genuine fake Hey hey for heaven’s sake give me a break make no mistake I’m a real genuine fake You’ve been paying your own piper and calling the tune By your own thoughts you’ve been fooled If you admit it you’d give it all away But just like me you’re a real bona fide genuine fake Honest-to-goodness Unadulterated Undoctrinated Undisputed Unadulterated Authentic The real McCoy…
7.
Red Road 04:18
White stockings in the winter grey Don your dark furry overcoat No time to tarry and look so deep Into the future that we wrote Oooh ooh ooh The time has come again Oooh ooh ooh Just sink into my arms as we Tear down that long red road Kicking up dust that paints us in coats of crimson and stains our clothes Casual waltz through others' lives Seeking refuge from the stacked deck I'll show you how to live with fire in your eyes If my heart you'll show me how to protect Oooh ooh ooh The time has come again Oooh ooh ooh Just sink into my arms as we Tear down that long red road Kicking up dust that paints us in coats of crimson and stains our clothes In the valley of the clouded forest Sun weighs heavy on the skyline You dance around, I hear the sounds That brought me to you by the by Oooh ooh ooh The time has come again Oooh ooh ooh Just sink into my arms as we Tear down that long red road Kicking up dust that paints us in coats of crimson and stains our clothes
8.
I walked the line in 69 From Mexico to Texas on a peyote high And I heard the music of the crown Coming from your majesty upside down From a place of real sorrow Singing down in the dirt Not from something we feel Just when we’re hurt Peasant under grass Singing your song Aside the long narrow road We’re walking along Moon man is on the hill Sitting in his blue chair quiet and cool Violins play sweetly All the angels gather round To toast the sun and listen to the sound From a place of real sorrow Born in the sky Not from something we feel When a part of us dies Peasant under grass Singing your song Aside the long narrow road We’re walking along Soon soon vibration moon touches song to soul Boom boom no jewels compare to dancing lights Their warmth for us to share I saw the sun fly from its perch A shooting star through blackest night
, colors burst The sky was chanting wide and strong
 How every peasant would belong To a place of real sorrow Beyond any tear Not from something we feel Or something we fear Peasant under grass Singing your song Aside the long narrow road We’re walking along
9.
Well he saw himself when he was young Speak or be forgotten Raccoon skin cap and a wood-carved gun Remember or be forgotten Saw his lover oh so fair Running towards the mesa Open book in her hands, eyes fixed out there Seeking her enchanted mesa Saw a sea of faces in their own little worlds Dreaming up their mesa Turning dead leaves into gold and stones into pearls Conjuring their enchanted mesa Old Paul Clifford sitting on his steps Living in his mesa Sipping his tea watching the sunset On top of his enchanted mesa Saw droves of people trying to flee The bombed out broken mesa A million pawns of the powers that be Crying for an enchanted mesa Peek underneath the slippery veil Grasping for the mesa Walking that dark gossamer trail Blinded by the mesa Oh Lord gonna walk that trail Oh Lord can't you hear my wail Oh Lord gonna walk that trail Oh Lord gotta try lest I fail Well he saw himself when he was small Speak or be forgotten Going through pachysandra looking for a ball Remember or be forgotten Peek underneath the slippery veil Grasping for the mesa Walking that dark gossamer trail Blinded by the mesa
10.
Raleigh and Spencer are burning down Lord, there ain't no more liquor in this town No, there ain't no more liquor in this town What you gonna do to wet those lips When this whole darn world's gone dry? When this whole darn world's gone dry? I've been all around this whole wide world I've been down to Memphis, Tennessee I've been down to Memphis, Tennessee I've played cards with the king and the queen Shot them dice with old Jesse James Shot them dice with old Jesse James Raleigh and Spencer are burning down Lord, there ain't no more liquor in this town No, there ain't no more liquor in this town I've pawned my shoes for a bottle of booze I drink it, I lay down and die I drink it, I lay down and die Stomp down the flowers that grow round my grave But they'll rise and bloom again Yes, they'll rise and bloom again Raleigh and Spencer are burning down Lord, there ain't no more liquor in this town No, there ain't no more liquor in this town
11.
Chopstick lipstick arithmetic everything’s dandy Patty cake hoe cake tax break cotton candy Top notch hop scotch stopwatch chocolate by the pound See the sounds of color and hear the colors make vivid sound Ever since she left me spellbound This whole world is one weird merry-go-round Wrapping toe-tapping snap your fingers red ribbons and white lace Knick knack paddy whack cut her slack give the girl some space A high diddle diddle and a fee fie fiddle diddly dee The world is full of ghastly ghosts and talkedy trees Ever since she left me spellbound This whole world is one weird merry-go-round Ever since she cast her cursed curse There’s something strange with the universe Eeny meany higgledy piggledy eentsy wheentsy drift off to sleep When the gobbledygook freaky freak does his evil creepety creep Jabberwocky jibber jockey full of bourbon and rye You want to get to heaven you better put on your jacket and tie Ever since she left me spellbound This whole world is one weird merry-go-round Ever since she cast her cursed curse There’s something strange with the universe Whippersnapper knickerbocker jackrabbits on the loose Harlequin parliament drinking all the jitterbug juice A hoonanana jocomo fina nananay Spy dogs flag boys sparring for one last Mardi Gras day Ever since she left me spellbound This whole world is one weird merry-go-round Ever since she cast her cursed curse There’s something strange with the universe
12.
13.
Roll De Ol' Chariot Along x3 If you dont' hang on behin' Oh People, roll... If your devil's in the way just roll right over him x3 If you dont' hang on behind If your mother want to go she shall wear a starry crown x3 And she must hang on behind
14.
J’ai marié un ouvrier, moi qui était si vaillante fille Mais c’était pour me dispenser d’attraper grande reproche Mais où es ton ouvrier ? Viens danser avec moi. Oui viens danser avec moi dessus l’écor du Tennessee. Sur l’écor du Tennessee tu quitteras ton cheri, tu quitteras ton cheri à plus jamais le revoir.  J’en ai de ses gros navires qui naviguent sur l’eau, et soit disant pour te proposer de travailler Au bout de deux trois jours, deux trois jours et trois semaines, oh la belle se mit à pleurer l’ennui de sa famille.  Sur l’écor du Tennessee tu quitteras ta famille, tu quitteras ta famille à plus jamais le revoir.  Ne pleure donc pas la belle, je t’achèterais une robe de soie jaune, qu’elle soit de belle couleur, de l’or et de l’argent.  Je ne pleure pas de toi, ni pour ton or ni ton argent. Je pleure pour ma famille que j’ai laissée là-bas.  Sur l’écor du Tennessee tu quitteras ton baby, tu quitteras ton baby à plus jamais le revoir.  Dessus l’écor du Tennessee tu quitteras ta famille, tu quitteras ta famille à plus jamais le revoir. 
15.
Kulowahed 02:29

about

Musical wanderer and self-designated “uncertified ethnomusicologist” Cory Seznec is back after a hiatus of nearly 5 years. The Franco-American artist returns here with "Eyes on the Rise", an intimate, stripped down affair in anticipation of a more “produced” album to be released in 2023. For his latest production, Cory teamed up with musician/producer/arranger Daniel Mizrahi and recording engineer Fred Jaillard at the latter’s studio in the center of Paris, cherrypicking among Fred’s panoply of gorgeous vintage instruments including an old 1919 Gibson L-1 guitar, a 1930s single cone National Resonator guitar, a Hammond organ, and much more. Cory performed all the songs live in the studio with no click tracks over three days, sometimes accompanied by Daniel, after which several other guest artists added their fairy dust, all with the idea of keeping the album as matte and unvarnished as possible. 


Eyes on the Rise is a sort of contemplative stock-take of Cory’s work over the years: two songs, the African rumba inspired Chop It Up and the buzzy, syncopated Red Road were originally recorded with his brother Yann on their album "Jagged Land"; three others, the apocalyptic gospel tune Enchanted Mesa, the Cooder-Newman inspired Bunco Artist and the soulful Peasant Under Grass are songs from his halcyon days with the eccentric world roots trio "Groanbox" (Peasant is a composition by partner Michael Ward-Bergeman); several others are songs he has been playing for many years such as the deconstructed old-time tune Been All Around This World, the Kenyan guitar number Msichana Auma, and the spiritual Roll The Old Chariot Along. Also featured are newer compositions like the mournful ballad Run Rabbit Run, the meditative instrumentals Rainy Season and Kulowahed, the non-sensical blues of Chopstick Lipstick, and the Alan Watts-meets-Paul McCartney tune Real Genuine Fake. Added to the mix are two re-arranged traditional tunes: the banjo-driven Raleigh & Spencer and J’ai marié un ouvrier, the Cajun version of the ballad House Carpenter.

The light touch of several brilliant musicians can be heard throughout the album: Clarinetist extraordinaire Robby Marshall on Bunco Artist and Enchanted Mesa, singer Julia Zech on Red Road, upright bassist Lucas Henri on Mesa and Roll the Chariot Along. To bring it all together, Daniel, Cory and Fred added texture in the form of ambient electric guitar, pedal steel, harmonium, piano, organ, percussion, mandolin, and more.

credits

released November 11, 2022

Recorded at Fred Jaillard’s studio in Paris, France

Mixed by Fred Jaillard
Arranged & Produced by Daniel Mizrahi, with Fred Jaillard and Cory Seznec
Mastered by Jean-Etienne Loose
Artwork by Tom Baxendale
Photography by Jason Gardner 

Field Recordings (Rainy Season, Msichana Auma) by Cory



All music composed by Cory Seznec (ASCAP/SACEM) except Been All Around This World (trad), Peasant Under Grass (Michael Ward-Bergeman, ASCAP), Raleigh & Spencer (trad), Msichana Auma (Herbert Misango), Roll The Old Chariot Along (trad) and J’ai marié un ouvrier (trad).

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Cory Seznec Paris, France

Somewhere between musical wanderer and uncertified ethnomusicologist dwells the artist Cory Seznec and his unique world.
A French-American in Paris, Seznec’s fingerstyle guitar-playing is syncopated, polyrhythmic, cross-pollinated, and idiosyncratic. He also sings, plays old-time banjo, and wades in the deep river of American song.
(above photo by Jason Gardner)
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