Cool Down Now
The Cool Down Now project extended over the majority the first decade of the 21st century. It began in the autumn of 2001, in the midst of the high-tech meltdown, with the events of 9/11 in the all-too-recent past. Who could know what the decade would hold! But as the project progressed, themes of resolve and recovery, of journeys taken and not taken – and of attitudes and response towards the world’s challenges began to take form through the music.
Cool Down Now is in many ways an extension of our 1999 album, The Network Man, the title of which we have kept as our artistic name. The Network Man captured the highs and lows of one of the most interesting periods of innovation the world has seen. Cool Down Now became the “day after the party” project. But while some tracks are not totally upbeat, there is a theme of resilience and resolve built into this work. And perhaps that is what people need to develop further as we enter the next decade.
We started this project with the song Coming Up for Air, based on recovery from the high-tech era. We then looked at media control, global warming, and a number of other issues. The last song we wrote was National Goals. This was intended to be a hockey anthem. Yes, that’s right. A hockey anthem. That may sound strange – but then again, it was a strange decade. C’est la vie.
© Copyright 2009 Network Man Productions.
Turn Off The Heat
First recorded in August 2007, lyrics were created right on the music stand while playing the guitar live. A hard look at global environmental problems.
Gotta Get Away
A composite of four short songs put together: Down by the Canary; She Wants to Go to London ; Running Down the Road; and Long Way Home. Sometimes you have to get away to find your way back home.
Riboflavin King
Lyrics written in the middle of the night (can’t you tell?). Etienne learned the guitar to create this song. One more thing, regarding the Riboflavin King, you don’t always know what you’re dealing with, do you?
Trinity
Traditional new age style song. Written for Etienne’s late aunt, Sister Thérèse (Adéline) de la Trinité.
Big Car Blues
The evolution of this song has seen rampant consumption, excessive energy prices, environmental concerns, and near-global economic collapse… Blues!
Lost and Found
Created out of a desire to merge new age, trance and metal guitar styles. Quest, loss and recovery connect to the imagery and emotional drive of searching for someone dear or something important.
Lyrics
Searching all through the night;
Searching all through the day;
The quest never ends.
Lost? Not lost. Found.
Found.
Coming Up For Air
This song was written in the wake of the early-2000s high-tech meltdown, with the job losses and discouragement that accompanied it. Now, in early-2021, with a global pandemic at hand and numerous political and economic challenges, the song and video may be helpful.
The song is dedicated to our friend Susan Kemp (I’m there for you).
Camino
Reflecting on the Camino de Santiago de Compostela, Etienne’s 800km walk in northern Spain in the fall of 2006.
Mind Runners
Multiple tempo changes & musical attitudes, refined right up to the very end of this project. The forces of the media are extremely powerful. In olden days there were rum runners; today there are mind runners beware. We don’t expect anyone to be humming this song in a downtown café.
National Goals
National Goals is the last song on our 2nd album, “Cool Down Now” and was submitted to the CBC Hockey Anthem
contest as we finalized the album.
Hockey requires skill, determination, strategy and teamwork. These qualities are necessary to score goals; and to achieve goals, whether they be personal, local or national.