Singled Out: Brian Boggess Group

For me, songs don't necessarily evolve in a purposeful manner. Most of the time I just wake up with a woody to write a song. Such was the case with "Indigo," the first track from my Debut EP.

Several years ago I was on a bit of an avant jazz bender chasing it down with a shot of prog even though I generally play in a more traditional rock idiom. The song opens with a compositionally unusual riff in 6/4 time which sort of naturally popped out based upon influences or being under the influence at the time. I was surprised when it drew a bit of attention from other NYC musicians and even considerable confusion as to what exactly I was playing. It sounds heavy and a little threatening. I thought it would be intriguing to follow up with some sweet jazzy major sevens mixed with simple power chords on the verse. The chorus is another series of power chords where I threw in a quick outside C# to spice things up the way some people put ketchup on spaghetti. A few Texas pull-offs tossed in for good measure, I felt like I had a tasty dish.

Lyrically, "Indigo" is not a specific linear narrative. It's a moon in the gutter urban noir...a collage of snapshots skipping through puddles of fantasy, romance and nightmare. On the surface it's about a street prostitute, but it's more of a word poem that depicts the mood or tone of New York City as seen through the eyes of a fictional individual. As much a portrait of the city as it is of a person. A bit of urban ennui reflected off surfaces of rain and neon. There's an abrupt shift in perspective in the last line of the chorus as a reminder that there's always a human being behind individuals too easily dismissed and marginalized simply as a stereotype.