This song is one of my favorites from the Everything But Anchovies days. It was written in 1988. As was pretty typical, Tim wrote the lyrics, I came up with the initial musical idea, then we finished writing the music as a band --fleshing out all the parts for guitar, bass, and drums together during practice. I think it's a prime example of the reggae-flavored rock we played.

This was recorded in early 1989 in Full Moon Studios --really the basement jamming space of the house where we all lived from Spring 1988 to Spring 1989. That was the year after Jon finished college, when we had a manager and played quite a lot of gigs around Ithaca. The house was in the Eastern Heights neighborhood of Ithaca, which is referenced in the lyrics. This song was one of our most popular songs, and it was always a blast to play live.

The recording was made on my Teac 4-track reel-to-reel tape recorder with a rented mixing board. We recorded a base track live with maybe just four mics on drums, bass, and electric guitar mixed to stereo. We then used the remaining two tracks to overdub acoustic guitar and vocals --with both vocals recorded and mixed to one track.

This ended up on an album called "Brown Carpet & Full Moon". There are some band photos here.

The moon is currently waxing towards a full moon on the 12th. Pack a picnic!

-Andy

Full Moon Picnic

on the full moon
pack a picnic
we'll take a walk 
out to the eastern heights
and soon
when we've eaten 
we'll talk until 
the sun lights up your eyes

    I have heard
    you can't be seen 
    by daylight
    but tonight you share
    the bread you bake
    with me

roll on
the horizon
you look as though 
you're much larger than life
am I wrong
or do the clouds
veil your face
like that of a new wife

  on the full moon
  I want to meet you down by the water
  on the full moon 
  I'll fill your glass under the willows
  on the full moon
  I want to show you all the secret places
  on the full moon
  I look up into your face
  on the full moon

often
you deceive me
with open arms 
I try to coax you
out from
hiding places
that you find
walking through the world today


Tim Odell -- 7 March 1988 except
iv by Andy Wyatt -- 25 September 1988
©1988 Everything But Anchovies