STEVE WYNN--vocals, guitar
JASON VICTOR--guitar, vocals
LINDA PITMON--drums
DAVE DECASTRO--bass
Influences
Velvet Underground, Bob Dylan, Spiritualized, Neil Young, Primal Scream, Butterfield Blues Band, Television, Richard Hell and the Voidoids, Leonard Cohen, John Coltrane, the Auteurs, Gun Club, Serge Gainsbourg, The Who, Yo La Tengo, Howlin' Wolf, Peter Laughner, The Saints, Bo Diddley, Chris Cacavas, Flamin' Groovies, LCD Soundsystems, Modern Lovers, Albert Ayler, Allman Brothers, Lenny Bruce, Joni Mitchell, Thelonius Monk, Dusty Springfield, The Cramps, Faust, Miles Davis, Talking Heads, Green On Red, Lee HazelwoodTeenage Prayers, The Kinks, Judee Sill, Small Faces, The Who, The Fall, Beck, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Clash, RL Burnside, Neu, Big Star, House of Freaks, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Giant Sand, Roxy Music, Daniel Johnston, Dr. Alimantado, Johnny Cash, The Fleshtones, Sly And The Family Stone, Nuggets, Only Ones, Tony Joe White, Silver Jews, Ornette Coleman, Standells, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Randy Newman, Spoon
The days during my three weeks in Ljubljana were pretty simple. I would wake up early and leave my apartment on Trubarjeva Street and cross Dragon Bridge in search of a good cup of coffee which I would I would sip as I watched the vendors in the open market as they sold cabbage, purses, cheap watches and anything else that might be worth a Euro or two. I’d watch this panorama of commerce and barter and think about which song I would drag into the daily laboratory that was Chris Eckman’s home studio.
I had never made a record like this before. I was in Slovenia, far from my New York City apartment and in a musical world that had shrunk down to just two people—me and Chris, the multi-talented producer (Midnight Choir) and bandleader (Walkabouts, Chris & Carla). He had been wanting to make a record with me for many years and seemed particularly intent on stripping things down to my voice and my acoustic guitar and then building up another universe from there.
No band. No session players (until later). No passing of the baton in this relay race. Even Chris would hesitate when I tried to get him to play something. Guitar, bass, keyboards, vocals—if I could do it, I had to do it. And that’s why “Crossing Dragon Bridge” sounds different from other records I’ve done before but also more like the sound inside my head than anything I’ve done before.
But it’s not a record I would have made in New York. Or in Tucson. Or in Los Angeles, Tokyo, Moscow or Mali, It’s not like a record I would make on the moon or on Mars or in New Jersey. It has the sound and the mood and the sights and the overall vibe of Ljubljana. I swallowed the city whole and then waited for the meal to work itself into a digestive hallucination before spitting it out again each day at Chris’ place. And then it was back for a pint of Union beer by the river before starting all over again.
When I left Slovenia a few weeks later both of us knew we had something special. And then we proceeded to add the extra bits that would take the experience further. An eight-piece orchestra was added in Prague to a bunch of the songs and a woman’s choir in Ljubljana was added to others. Linda Pitmon, Kirk Swan, Chris Cacavas and Tim Adams (Teenage Prayers) chimed in from New York, Los Angeles and Germany bringing in elements of familiarity from my past and present.
Finally the whole thing was filtered through the creative and impressionistic mixing skills of Tucker Martine (Decemberists, Laura Veirs) and turned into the record that you hold in your hands. It’s a snapshot, a dream, an acid flashback, a tourist guide, a midnight snack, a morning cup of coffee—it’s the other world that happened around me and inside my head for three weeks last September. I hope you enjoy taking the trip back there with me.
DISCOGRAPHY
KEROSENE MAN 1990
DAZZLING DISPLAY 1992
FLUORESCENT 1994
MELTING IN THE DARK 1996
SWEETNESS AND LIGHT 1998
MY MIDNIGHT 1999
HERE COME THE MIRACLES 2001
STATIC TRANSMISSION 2003
...TICK...TICK...TICK 2005
LIVE TICK 2006
LIVE IN BREMEN 2008
CROSSING DRAGON BRIDGE 2008
with the Dream Syndicate
THE DREAM SYNDICATE (ep) 1982
THE DAYS OF WINE AND ROSES 1982
MEDICINE SHOW 1984
OUT OF THE GREY 1986
GHOST STORIES 1988
LIVE AT RAJI’S 1988
with Gutterball
GUTTERBALL 1993
WEASEL 1995
TURNYOR HEDINKOV 1995
other releases
THE LOST WEEKEND (with Danny & Dusty) 1985
TAKE YOUR FLUNKY AND DANGLE 1994
THE SUITCASE SESSIONS 1998
PICK OF THE LITTER 1999
MOMENTO (with Australian Blonde) 2000
THE EMUSIC SINGLES COLLECTION 2001
SMACK DAB 2007
CAST IRON SOUL (with Danny & Dusty) 2007
Congratulations on your wedding with lovely (former Miss) Linda Pitmon.
Guess you can..t play Grooms still waiting by the altar anymore ;-)
Anyways, all the best to the two of you and that we..ll soon have a reissue of "Here comes the miracles" - what with the announcement of upcoming releases of little Steves ;-)
hello steve, thanks for frienship. though i then lost track of your works, i was a very strong fan of your early work. it's now funny and pleasant to realise we have good friends in common, and we are sometimes backed by the same, great drummer. will come and hear you if you come to italy nex summer. all the best, peace and good luck--
We would not exist if Steve Wynn had never picked up a guitar...now wether that is a good thing or a bad thing is not up to us to decide. Thanks Steve! It's an honor LOWLANDS
Thanks for answering and being such an influential "friend"! See you in Faenza, Italy, this summer! People like you pull me out alive from the dying embers ;-)
hello steve..your new record is fantastic and "when we talk about forever"is my favorite song.. thanks for the emotion.. greetings from italy rob & lo. mo
Thanx a lot Steve!!! Hope to see you soon in Greece again. We dig your music a lot (especially the Dream Syndicate) and it's very special moment for us when we perform your song! Since the first time we saw you live on stage (back in 1986, remember?) we've been in the front line in most of your shows here in Greece.
Ahhhh then she remembered....what she said. Loved the vid bulletin. Your work makes my work easier - well, at least more enjoyable. Nothing like programming with a head full of good music and happy thoughts. ttyl, Steve.
