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Character Witness

by Doug Hoyer

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    High-bias cassette tape of "Character Witness", with inner credits. Limited to 88 copies.

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1.
Hide & Seek 02:38
I’m looking for my baby I’m looking for you What could you possibly hide that’s worth looking for? What could make me reference maps and local lore? Just you. I’m looking for my baby I’m looking for you What could coax me away from the world that I know? What could change my mind about what I’m living for? Just you. And if our eyes should finally meet and end this game of hide and seek perhaps we’ll play again but until then I’m looking for my baby I’m looking for you I’m looking for my baby Are you looking for yours too?
2.
Looking back at summer camp where they found crepuscular love In the twilight of their youth, getting busy at dawn and dusk Hand in hand at archery, together striking cupid’s bow Disappear while kayaking until it’s time to go back home Where they’re never together Here and now They’re never together Here and now Now her heart skips a beat when her lover answers the phone Between texts and emojis, it’s hard to read the tone Oh, what she’d give for restless nights and dirty laundry on the floor For arguments over Netflix or what to buy at the store They're never together Here and Now
3.
Runaway 03:39
You're waiting for someone, but I'm right here. Same old song. Tired hands hold you close every time you feel alone. You find it so hard to move knowing we can't stay. Let's runaway. Let's runaway. Wish we could stay; it's time to runaway. They say we don't belong, but here we are standing strong. In our eyes. In the dawn. Try again and build our home. It's so hard to move knowing we can't stay. Let's runaway. Let's runaway. Wish we could stay; it's time to runaway. Let's runaway.
4.
Partner 04:35
I don’t know how to tell the captain But I think that he’s wrong about this one I don’t know if the bullet holes Match the shells from the scene of the crime How quickly he dismissed the footprints That we found hidden out on the trail Sometimes it feels like he’s trying to sink us But we prove him wrong time after time I know you hear the words They say behind your back I notice how you hold your tongue Instead of biting back I’m so proud to have you for a partner I’m so glad to have you by my side I’m so proud to have you for a partner 'Cause I need you to be here, By my side, cause you know, What it’s like To be on the outside Staring at a body with your morning coffee It’s the paperwork that’s jarring To reduce someone down to a sentence As if it’s proof that they were alive So we cope by crafting some puns Oh, your sideways glance when you’ve got a bad one Helps me with my way to deal In the silence of our drive So why does it hurt to see you leave at the end of the day? We go to empty homes when really we should say I’m so proud to have you for a partner I’m so glad to have you by my side I’m so proud to have you for a partner 'Cause I need you to be here, By my side, cause you know, What it’s like To be on the outside
5.
i just want to feel safe in your arms fall asleep in the back of your car drive on through to a brand new town again where we can out our brand new names you’ll be Billie and maybe I’ll be Zane we’ll find a fresh start where we can try all over again i just want to feel safe in your arms fall asleep in the back of your car drive on through to a brand new town again we can dye our hair so that we don’t rent a room with cash and burn our clothes become the kind of people that we hope that we could always be and when it’s all been said and done we run
6.
Uh oh I can’t sleep The thought of you is waking me 8 hours to toss and turn Are you awake in return? I keep on counting countless sheep Instead of seeing you in my dreams Uh oh I can’t sleep The thought of you is waking me Deep in the dead of night My pulse is beating in double time Reliving every word I said I can’t wait to see you again Uh oh I can’t sleep The thought of you here next to me Uh oh I can’t sleep The thought of you awaking The thought of you awaking The thought of you awaking Next to me
7.
New Recruit 04:58
I didn’t think this job would last. Just a summer gig to keep the car full of gas. I was like you, so carefree. Now I’ve got conference calls waiting on line three. Choking on the words: “Middle management is all I’ve ever wanted”. I just can’t seem to remember my old dreams. It’s hard being the big boss, making all the tough calls, every hour, daily. To climb the corporate ladder a little faster, you’ll need a friend like me. I wish I’d learnt how to play guitar, start a cover band, Guns n Roses, CCR. Can’t you picture me on stage, stealing the show with November Rain? I know what you’re thinking: you see me sinking in the depths of memories. It’s hard not to look back down another path; would I see a friend in me? I don’t know. So welcome to team. Here’s your cubicle with everything that you need. And after work, beers on me; meet at the Chilli’s just down the street. I think that you’re a good fit if you stick with it you’ll go far in this company. And maybe in a few years you’ll replace the seniors and you can be just like me. I know you feel complacent but if you’re patient you can see yourself in me. You’ll be the boss like me. Can’t you see yourself in me?
8.
Hive Mind 03:45
Sometimes I wonder what it was like Before the cloud fused our minds Did we know anything or nothing at all? My brother has a friend whose implant was wrecked And he had to wait for hours for the drones to arrive. So he opened up his eyes and he was blinded by light And he couldn’t close them even if he tried The horrors that he saw could not be described His vocabulary left in the hive mind No words on his tongue No thoughts as all He was as naked as we come Sometimes I wonder what it’s like To be lonely late at night To disappear and leave it all behind No humming in my mind No thoughts that aren’t mine But how can I be wondering this at all?
9.
Carry On 03:41
Sift through the crowd at the station Sift through your purse for the keys Feed the cats, talk to the plants Fall into your routine Reheating yesterdays dinner Thumb through the book that you read At quarter past ten, get ready for bed Fall into your sleep Carry on deep into the night Sing a song that might shine a light And I hope that you know You’re not alone So many people rubbing shoulders So many faces passing by Nobody speaks, they all want to scream or look into somebodies eyes Carry on deep into the night Sing a song that might shine a light And I hope that you know You’re not alone You’re not alone
10.
I try to lift I push and I pull I’ll do anything to reach my goal I’ve always worked hard I try to live clean Get a good sleep to follow my dreams But now that I’m here It feels empty Without you I look in the mirror and seek symmetry I feel uneven since you left me So I try to focus On my routine Without you They say what doesn’t kill you Makes you stronger in the end I must be in the middle Or starting all again Some days I feel like dying Some days I wish I’m dead I feel my beating heart A muscle on the mend I regulate The breaths that I take Measure each minuscule Movement i make I had no control When you walked out the door Without me I always imagined that you’d be so proud To see my desires cheered on by a crowd. But what does it mean to be king of the world Without you?

about

After living in America for the past 4 years, former Edmontonian Doug Hoyer has returned to Canada with his 5th album in tow.

“Character Witness”, released by Mangled Tapes, is a collage of sketches, crafted tales of various lonely figures fleshed out. From runaways and the cops that chase them, camp counselors who fall in love, futuristic dystopias, sellout businessmen and bodybuilders, Hoyer’s latest album is a humorous reflection on the despondency and internalization of modern life.

credits

released May 17, 2019

All songs written and recorded by Douglas W. Hoyer in various apartments in Chicago, IL and Athens, GA.

"Partner" was recorded by Ben Fitzpatrick in Edmonton, AB, and violin on "New Recruit" was arranged & recorded by Emily Jane Powers.
Mastered by Jon Martin at Green Recording Company in Lethbridge, AB.
Artwork by Douglas W. Hoyer, cassette layout by Aaron Parker

All songs SOCAN/BMI 2019 Douglas W. Hoyer

Danielle Sines - Vocals on "Hide and Seek"
Emily Jane Powers - Violin & Vocals on "Carry On" and "New Recruit"
Fallon McDermott - Tenor Saxophone on "Runaway"
Maren K. Elliott - Viola on "Partner"
Maria Elena Martire - Drums & Vocals on "Partner"
Maureen H. Murray - Trombone on "New Recruit"
Zia Mizera - Violin on "Partner"

Thank you to all the talented women who played on the record, the many friends we made while living in America, as well as Michael Hamm, Alec Jensen, David C. Mahler, Aaron Parker, Matthew "Mangled Tapes" Belton, and of course Maureen Murray

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Doug Hoyer Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island

Singing you some songs.
doughoyer@gmail.com

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