Broke-Down Deluxe Art Book

2. ArtBook copyright2020 AndyEppler Allmusicwritten,performed,programmed, recorded,mixed,andmastered byAndyEppler AlllyricsbyAndyEppler exceptwherenoted. AllartworkbyAndyEppler(ANDO) exceptwherenoted. Written,edited,andpublishedbyAndyEpplerand VelvetSyntaxPublishing andyeppler.com

4. Thisalbumisdedicatedtomylovers, myfriends,andmycatwhoall helpsavemeallthetime.

5. Welcome: Thisbookisacompanionpiecetothealbum“Broke-Down Deluxe”,whichisavailablewhereveryoulistentoorpurchasemusic. Istartedrecordingthesesongsbackin2017 .AsItypethisnow,itis Octoberof2020.That’salongtimeformetobeworkingonanalbum. WhatcanIsay?OverthoseyearsItooksomeextratimetolivealifethat wasn’tcenteredaroundmyproductivity.Iletthesesongsdevelopandchange inthestudioduringthatperiodandI’mreallygladtobesharingthemwith younow.Thankyouforyourinterest.Thisbookisintendedtoprovidesome contextforthealbumandtheideasassociatedwithit.Here,youwillfind lyrics,notes,andassociatedartworkforeachsong.Ihopeyouenjoythem. Guests: Iwashonoredtoworkwithtwoofmybestfriendstocreatea coupleofthesongsinthiscollection.Mr.GregBentonco-wroteand performedon“WinterontheMoon”andMr.TimOstdiekco-wroteon“I WannaGetHighForever”.TheseguysarewonderfulartistsandIhopeyou’ll gofindtheirwork.You’llenjoyit.Thisismesendingabigthankyouto bothGregandTimfortheircontributionstothiscollection. ForsomeofthephotographyinthisbookIturnedtosomefriends ofmineatacompanycalledSparkErotic.Theyareaveryrespectablegroup ofartistsandIlovethemverymuch.AlloftheshotsfromtheCanIGiveit AllUptoYousectionwereshotbySpark.Sometimesyoujusthavetowork withprofessionalsandI’mgladtohaveworkedwiththiscompany.

6. GoalsandThemes: Mymusicalgoalsforthealbumweretokeepmybandrelatively precisewhilelettingmyvocalpartsremainnaturallylooseandraw.It’ssoeasyto programallofthehumanityoutofsongsinthestudiobutsomehowIfeellike leavingtherawnessinwillbeimportanttomeovertimeastherobotsslowlyand forciblycorrectourfumblinglittlemonkeyhands.Thereisamomentafterthefirst chorusof“TheRobotsWillTakeControl”wheresome“robotbackground vocalists”takealittlesolo.Theyaretheonlyauto-tunedvocalsonthecollection andIthinktheystickoutlikeadelightfullyunsettlingsorethumb.Inaworldof automation,humanityshouldbecarefulnottoloseitselfinthenameofperfection. Perhapsoneofmyheroes,BobDylan,saiditbestwhenIgottoseehimperform. Whoknows?Icouldbarelyunderstandanythinghesaidallnight.He’san inspiration. Themesinthiscollectioninclude:desperation,isolation,depression,hope, connection,reframing,andhumanity’sfuturerelationshipwithsynthetic intelligence. Playingandprogramingallthevariousinstrumentsandsoundsforthis collectionwasajoy.Infact,muchofthisbookwilljustbemegushingoverhow muchIlovetomakemusicandthedetailsofthatexperience.So,bepreparedfor that.Almosteverysongwaswrittenonthepiano,unlikemostofmyprevious recordedwork;whichwasguitardriven.Ifeellikethatchangereallyopenedup myorchestrationinafreshway.Thefeelingoftransmittingasongfrommyheart intomymind,frommymindintomyhands,andfrommyhandsintoyourearsis completelymagickal.It’sutterecstasytohearthesoundsfittogether.Forme,it’s thrillingtofindtherighttoneforanelectricguitar.It’sbeenaseriesofeureka momentsandalifelongjoyforme.MyfirstrecordingswereontapewhenIwas twelve.Now,atthirty-five,Ifeelthesamelevelofcuriousnessandplayfulness.It’s amysterywhereideascomefrombutIliketopretendtheyareperhapscoming fromnearbydimensionswhereI’vealreadymadethem.PerhapsIcanfaintlyhear themonoccasion.SometimesIcancapturethem.Ican’tsayforcertainhowit worksbutIcansayIfeelluckytohavebeenabletocapturesomanyinmylife. I’vebeenveryluckythatwayandI’mthankful.

7. OverthelastfewyearsIhavereleasedseveralofthesesongsas singleswiththeirowncoverart.I’veincludedthoseunchangedartpieces herealongwithnewcoverartforeachsong.I’vetriedtokeepit uniformwhenappropriate. TheartpiecesI’vemadehereareallsomecombinationof watercolor,acrylic,liquidlight,photography,anddigitaldesign.You’ll noticesomevisualthemesinthework.Specifically,youmaynoticemy “YesVoice”motif.“TheYesVoice”ismypersonalartandlife philosophy.It’sthepracticeIusetounlockmybestandmost challengingwork.It’ssomethingItrytoremindmyselfofoftenandit’s somethingItrytopassalong. Ihopeyouwillsay“yes”totheart,hope,andlovethatisinside you.Theworldneedsyouruniquemedicine.

8. AlbumTrackOrder: 1.Intro 2.MuchLessUnder 3.LosingtheLobelia 4.WinterontheMoon 5.WhistlesintheDarkness 6.WhatDoesThatMeanforUs? 7 .HandinHand 8.BeautyLikeYou(aletterfromParis) 9.CanIGiveitAllUptoYou? 10.MyFinalHope 11.NothingbuttheRain 12.EatenbytheSystem 13.WeBuildtheGods 14.TheRobotsWillTakeControl 15.IWannaGetHighForever 16.Midtro 17 .Wait,WhatwasThat?!?(Instrumental) 18.MuchLessUnder(Instrumental) 19.LosingtheLobelia(Instrumental) 20.WinterontheMoon(Instrumental) 21.Whistlesinthedarkness(Instrumental) 22.Whatdoesthatmeanforus?(Instrumental) 23.HandinHand(Instrumental) 24.BeautyLikeYou(aletterfromParis)(Instrumental) 25.CanIGiveitAllUptoYou?(Instrumental) 26.HitstheFloor(Instrumental) 27 .MyFinalHope(Instrumental) 28.NothingbuttheRain(Instrumental) 29.EatenbytheSystem(Instrumental) 30.WeBuildtheGods(Instrumental) 31.TheRobotsWillTakeControl(Instrumental) 32.BaskinginaSimulatedSunrise(Instrumental) 33.IWannaGetHighForever(Instrumental) 34.Outro

11. Much Less Under way back at the start I was invited to know your heart but I've discovered that there's a space inside your head where angels fear to tread where truth is smothered goodness sakes alive what does it take to get inside your perfect armor? You keep asking me in but I can never get down to skin much less under much less under I know you're terrified to reveal anything beside your name and number maybe you can't see past the pain too terrified to explain but I'm le> to wonder and I wonder

12. Notes: I loved producing this song. This is about the third version of it that came through my studio. I kept rerecording the vocal track. I was trying to find the balance between a sweet heart trying to connect and a desperate heart in isolaAon. The song is about relaAonship, obviously, but more specifically It’s about the desire to connect and the awful feeling of being hidden from. The lead vocal track needed to embody both of those elements. In the end, I think the desperaAon comes across and the heartbreak seems as good an excuse as any to be so dramaAc. Then again maybe this character wouldn’t be so isolated if he quit yelling the se lyrics? I blew out my voice “singing” on this song. It took me about a week to fully bounce back and be able to start recording the background parts. I love the sound of these shredded vocal chords running through a warmly distorted tube. When compressed like this, it really pushes my beauty buHon. The natural wrecked meat distorAon in my neck blends so perfectly with the distorAon tones in the glass without losing the clarity needed for a lead vocal track. I really enjoy this kind of nuance in this art form. It’s something the average person won’t noAce and I figure thats the kind of thing this book is supposed to make space to menAon. The majority of the album will feature bass guitar tones that are distorted and a bit “hard”. I feel like it helps the bass stand out and gives it a texture that provides the low end while simultaneously adding crunch and buzz to the rhythm secAon. I think this is a useful method in these songs which were wriHen on e-piano; a warm and someAmes muddy sounding instrument. In Much Less Under, I hoped to introduce the full band for the album in the most energeAc and exciAng way I could. That’s why this song begins with the full band in full effect. It’s meant to be a sort of “welcome to this collecAon” moment.

15. Losing the Lobelia my life burned down this year and I did my best to quench you and just as trauma passes from me now so, my lovelies, went you

16. Notes: Crystal Palace Lobelia is a truly lovely flower. It grows in liHle clumps that are about six to eight inches wide. The liHle indigo colored blooms seem to glow in the early evening as the sun begins to set. They are seducAve and gentle things. They need preHy intenAonal daily care. I grew a big bed of them a couple years ago at the recommendaAon of my garden mysAc, Dave (pictured on the next page). Dave and I relished in the Lobelia each Tuesday morning that season as we sipped coffee, talked about life, and tended the garden. The flowers will always remind me of that year and all the hardships and trauma that eventually passed away from me. The flowers, no maHer how much I cared, eventually passed away. The lovely things and the terrible things, they all pass away. That makes them sacred. The lyrics for this song were wriHen as part of a free flowing improve wriAng session in my garden one sunny a>ernoon. I was smoking a joint and watering the flowers when, in my blazed stupor, I rhymed “quench you” with “went you”. It’s stupid. It only rhymes because of my lazy speech paHerns and it completely fails on the page. This stupid yet efficient liHle rhyme, which expressed so much pain and story, sent me into a giggle so I joHed it down into my notebook. The new challenge became making that funny liHle piece into it’s own song without making it a funny song. The content is sad and sweet and that’s where the heart of the song is. I think many folks might even breeze past my liHle joke but I’m glad I could share it with you here.

22. Winter on the Moon everything is grey outside (Benton/Eppler) it's ge[ng dark soon too but every single word you say I'm not an easy guy makes my dead heart swoon I guess you’re noAcing the coldness is overcome you read me like a sign by thoughts of you with neon vacancies in a world that feels like I hope I find my place winter on the moon I hope you'll stay for weed I hope you'll stay for weeks I'm at the edge of things I hope you’ll stay for me unwound a single thread I've got refurbished love I've got your number saved just take what you can get on speed dial number five will you remember me it feels like sinning when memory is all that's le> when I call, despite my pride when memory is all that's le> lately I've been feeling low when heaven steals my breath so I've been ge[ng high you are my rubber sole so I've been ge[ng high stay grounded All the end I hope that you will be mine you are my shining star you burn me once again I tear a giant hole in space and Ame for you got space and Ame for you got space and Ame

23. Notes: This is the song my friend Greg Benton (lead vocalist and songwriter for the band NaAve StaAon) helped me with. I had the chorus and the music recorded but I hadn’t wriHen any lyrics for the verses that I liked. That’s why I turned to Greg. We had been looking for a project to work on together for a while and when I brought him the song he seemed to immediately understand what I was looking for. I think he took a few days to fuck with it and then he sent back the vocal tracks you hear on the album. I love working with him because not only is he a great songwriter and friend but he is also an amazing vocalist. There is a wide open harmony we hit at 3:21 that is one of the really outstanding special moments for this collecAon. I was so happy when that got recorded and mixed. I knew we had a special song. Big thanks to Greg for bringing the song to the next level. The bass part in this tune is a synthesizer. It’s a low “creaky laser” kind of sound. For some reason, for me, it triggers a certain “space staAon” kind of vibe. I love a nice liHle themaAc element in a song like this. I feel like I went as far as I could without ge[ng into cheesy territory. The lyrics are coming from a place of loneliness and deep longing. I wrote this chorus a>er a huge heartbreak had numbed me out for a year or so. I imagined meeAng someone new who could light me up again. I’m a romanAc. I love to be in love. This song was sort of a love note to a future someone whom I hoped would one day exist. It was a fantasy that got me through some dark Ames but in the end I had to light myself up. Once I had myself lit again, I found new partners too. It was a good lesson for me.

26. Whistles in the Darkness I hear whistles in the darkness as I lay down in my bed tangled up ideas writhing in my head as they grow up from a whistle and they turn into a roar I wonder how long before I can't take it anymore I'm just trying to get through the night fighAng with a brain that I can't harness I'm just trying to get through the night shackled to the whistles in the darkness I hear advice from the doctors telling me to get high on their special medicaAon to help me believe the lie that I'm normal, or I could be if I'd get my dosage right but the whistles in the darkness would sAll haunt me every night

27. Notes: I have a history with insomnia. It might be the stress from running my own business. It might be the story that I’m going through in any parAcular season. It might be my finances. It might be my “aHenAon deficit disorder”. I can’t really say. I can say that I sleep beHer when I use the following tools and standards: 1. Wake up early and be producAve 2. CBD in the evening 3. MeditaAve PracAce 4. Finding something to focus on like an audiobook or counAng breaths. This keeps my mind from the scaHered “problem seeking” kind of state and into the “focused and a liHle bored” state. 5. WriAng down subjects or problems for later aHenAon. 6. So. Much. Cannabis. This song features two secAons where the music begins to break down and become a cluHered mess. In the second break you can hear a liHle clicking sound that is counAng out the fibonacci sequence throughout the chaos. It counts up to thirteen before the song resumes but the count is increasingly difficult to focus on due to the “whistles in the darkness”. That’s o>en how my sleeplessness feels. Like a cacophony of screaming people in a room where you are trying to read. In these breakdowns the piano takes the opportunity to show its range of textures and tones. The distorAon and warmth of the se[ngs here really make for a lovely soup. I find it to be very pleasingly dissonant.

33. What Does That Mean for Us? somewhere deep in space an ancient mind awoke sArred from peaceful slumber by half remembered joke about a man in his kitchen somewhere lost in Ame taking another toke are memories we meant to keep thinking that he could comprehend but now they’re roaming the truth he blindly spoke through the darkness but the man in his kitchen like liHle wayward sheep is the mind in outer space a memory is a moment when he looks out to the stars we allow to soak in deep he looks upon his own face we have to pay the price and we may find it don't come cheap I don't know my own power a moment is a lifeAme I get the feeling that no one does it always feels like now I've been shown I’m one with everything but when I need to make new memories but what does that mean for us? I sAll act like I don't know how what does that mean for us?

34. Notes: This is a song about the perspecAve of being completely connected to the universe and at the same Ame being completely mysAfied by it. Verse one deals with this idea of epiphany. I’ve felt these moments on occasion when everything seemed to make sense; like a magical puzzle of the mind that accidentally got solved while you were absentmindedly fumbling with it. These moments seem so important. They seem like propheAc visions that you’d want to share. In these sacred moments, the high strangeness of the cosmos has slowed down just for you to catch up. You hold it for a moment; like a fish in a stream. The truth writhing in your grasp is as real as anything. Slippery liHle fucking fish, you can’t really hold it very long without tools and training. I mostly let them slip out of my grip and become lost in the currents once again. The truth is that there is much mystery in the universe and the thinking mind has the right to consider all of it. The thinking mind has a license to fish those currents. Verse two deals with this idea of Ame and relaAonships from a universal perspecAve. It’s confusing to feel like you are one with everyone and everything and then later that a>ernoon run into some other person who clearly isn’t you. The chorus is the heart of the idea. I don’t know what it means to be human in the universe. I get the feeling that I may never understand. I know I need the other people but I also know we are the same thing. This is a song I filled with synthesizer and drum machines. The liHle drum machine playing against the acousAc set really makes my toes curl. I hear these machines used in hip hop and rap preHy o>en and I think they really open up a song while providing sexy liHle rhythmic moments along the way.

39. Hand in Hand once, hand in hand, we watched the universe unfold we saw the starlight shine through daylight we watched the colors saturate the world and found there was nothing in between us we've touched the beauty most have never even seen and we found it in each other our minds were churnin’ they were busAn’ at the seams crystal clear swirlin’ oblivion we were hand in hand a billion crystals filled up everything around us felt like remembering something simple my garden sang out like an otherworldly choir about our joy and how it feeds them our hearts grew bright almost burned away the sun our love went streamin’ through the cosmos the brightest light, the kind that no one could claim to own, destroyed all the shadows in our bodies

40. Notes: This is my expression of a psychedelic love song. It’s about being with a partner on a level that nobody else will ever really share. It’s a song about unity. It’s a song about the deep mystery of the universe. Its about two people melAng into each other. It’s a very human song. I tried to capture some of that raw humanity in my vocal track. I love these nice warm tones and sunshiny vibes in this tune. There’s a bit of a mournful quality to it as well because every sweet memory is only a moment. They are over in an instant and only retain the power you give it. So many of our greatest and most romanAc moments are lost to Ame and the “sea of forgeiulness”. Cherish your sweet moments. PracAce remembering them. That is how you hold them longer and laugh in the face of Ame. I recall standing in the garden, leaning against the house, my lover under my arm. We stared at the sky as the bright blue expanse pixilated into rainbow themed swarms of crystals. We were in love that day. There were no shadows between us on that day. It was perfect and now I protect it in my heart by remembering it well and rightly.

49. Beauty Like You (a leAer from Paris) my days in Paris were full ones dripping with paint and rosé swimming through marble near the Champs-Élysées I couldn't believe it was true but I couldn't find beauty like you your face in my heart like a locket couldn't stop me from reaching for the phone in my pocket just for a quick glance or two because I couldn't find beauty like you masterful hands over thousands of years have been working to make something true I walked all through l’Orsay cause I'd come all that way I scoured the Louvre too but they just can't make beauty like you no they just can't make beauty like you

50. Notes: In September of 2019 I went on my first art trip to Europe. I explored Paris and then Italy for three perfect weeks. I saw masterworks of art. I ate all the food. I drank all the drinks. I smoked a million cigareHes. I made friends. I collected stories of beauty and danger. It was nirvana. One of my main lifelines to familiarity was texAng back and forth with those close to me. One such person just happened to be one of the all Ame beauAes of the world. This person would occasionally grace my phone screen with texted images of their modeling sessions and flirty messages that made my heart fluHer. It was such a strange feeling to be walking down ornately decorated streets between museums full of historically significant beauty and finding myself opening my phone for another glance at my lover. SomeAmes the masters can only use their art to point at true beauty. SomeAmes the noble hedonist takes extra hits of beauty between museums. The arAst trying to capture the beauty of their lover is a common theme in the history of art. Have any of us ever really accomplished it? I’m not sure I ever have. Some beauty is impossible to recreate or capture with any skill set. That’s because it isn’t just about the subject. A lover sees the beauty of the subject overlaid with the radiance of their own heart, which is able to detect the stars and the perfect cra>smanship of the universe at play. A lover doesn’t want to look away. Thus, while staring into my phone, I walked into several signs and light posts while in the famous city of lights.