From the desk of Scott McGinn:

Now that you have purchased and are enjoying FD Automatic’s new album, I’m sure you have some questions about all the fabulous songs. You don’t? Obviously you haven’t been listening!

I think if you need to explain what a song is about, then the song probably needs more work. HOWEVER, I’ve been told that a lot of people are interested in knowing some of the “Hows” and “Whys” behind the creation of a song. So here goes:

RED SHOES 2014: The original title is just “Red Shoes”. We added the “2014” when we re-recorded it, as a tribute to one of our favorite bands, RUSH and their album, “2112.” Seems kind of odd now that I think about it.

The song came about when I was messing around on my guitar, playing an old novelty song called “Big John” – the one that made Jimmy Dean (not James) famous. I worked up the rhythm for it and had the main vocal ideas, but just hadn’t hit on the right opening line, to get it started. The next day I was in downtown Wheaton, Maryland when a bus passed by with an ad for COSMOPOLITAN magazine on its side featuring an alluring blonde wearing…well, let’s just say I thought “shoes” would work better in the song than what she was actually wearing.

CHICAGO: I’ve only been to the airport in Chicago, and I never saw the hit musical/movie either. I came up with the riff and chorus while I was mowing my lawn.

Have you ever looked at someone or met them briefly and somehow created a whole fantasy in your mind about who they are and what they do? No? Neither have I.

That’s really, really weird.

And illegal in some states!

THE GYPSY SONG: My paternal grandmother was a “spiritual advisor” so I claim some “gypsy” blood in my lineage.

This song was inspired by watching one too many old WW2 movies after a night of drinking and partaking in the activities that one usually associates with late night drinking.

And LED ZEPPELIN.

And THE BEATLES.

And The Tidewater Dinner Theatre.

TOO SMART TO BE SO LONELY: For this song, I picture two people sitting in rocking chairs on the front porch of a white Southern mansion, highball glasses in hand.

That’s all.

TRUST-FAITH-DEVOTION: We combined a little INXS with “The Sound of Philadelphia” on this one. We didn’t have enough money to pay our engineer to mix the whole song, so you can tell when he quits near the end. (I put sugar in his gas tank though. Ha!)

COME ON BACK INSIDE WITH ME: This is actually based on the first “date” I had with my wife Teri. We had planned to spend some time together in Virginia Beach, but after a couple of days she had to go back to Washington, DC where she lived.

However I, fortunately, kept talking her into staying one more day.