“Dreams for Dinner” is the 2nd single from Laurasia’s upcoming album, “Brotherhood: The East River Songs.”

The tune was penned by composer/guitarist Patrick S. Noonan with lyrics by vocalist Galen Brandt. The band performed this song live in 1975-1976.

In this new recording, Atlanta-based vocalist Alfreda Gerald takes the lead, soaring over layers of Patrick S. Noonan’s guitars, Jonathan Levi’s violins, and Paul Lieberman’s soprano saxes. New Orleans bass legend James Singleton holds down the bottom, with Atlanta session musician Scott Meeder on the drum kit.

Guitarist/producer Noonan describes the sound he was trying to achieve on this tune:

“In my original conception, I was going for an open-tuning, slap string acoustic guitar sound that was inspired by Joni Mitchell. Galen’s lyrics are confessional, so it wasn’t a big leap for me to reach for Joni. For this new version, we slowed it down, opened it up, lowered the pitch by a full step, and then let that mysterious middle really cook, really come to a boil. I asked our sax player Paul Lieberman to channel the late Wayne Shorter, who worked a lot with Joni, and I loved all his takes so much I created that swirling crescendo, that fugue of saxes. Of course, Alfreda really kills the vocals, bringing a really fresh new interpretation to the story. She inspired me to add some additional layers of acoustic guitars that echo some of the great acoustic sounds that Cassandra Wilson sometimes goes for.”

Music by Patrick S. Noonan
Lyrics by Galen Brandt

• • Alfreda Gerald vocals
  • Patrick S. Noonan guitars, autoharp
  • Jonathan Levi violin
  • Paul Lieberman soprano sax
  • James Singleton bass
  • Scott Meeder drums

Produced by Patrick S. Noonan & Jonathan Levi

Recorded by:

• Trammell Starks, StudioMagic (Atlanta, GA)
• Tim Stambaugh, Word of Mouth (New Orleans, LA)
• Additional recording in Atlanta, Boston, Cetona (Italy)

Mixed by Trammell Starks / Mastered by Bruce Barielle