The Monumental City Music Story

I’ve been playing my songs in public since the 1980s, and although I’ve recorded them many times solo and with different bands, the final mixes weren’t really more than demos. So, as part of a sort of bucket list thing, I’ve decided to work on some better recordings.

When I went to register these recordings with ASCAP, I realized I needed a publisher, so I created Monumental City Music Publishing.

Monumental City is an old nickname for Baltimore, where I’ve lived since 2012. It’s known as the Monumental City, not because of its size, but because of its many monuments. (“Smalltimore” is another nickname for the city. ) And I’ve always enjoyed the paradox — that something “monumental” is also something small. Monuments are a form of public art, and some are grandiose, but others (like the roadside memorials to fallen cyclists) are quite modest. It’s a way of saying goodbye, while simultaneously showing the world that something of value existed. And that is the aspiration of Monumental City Music.

All the work here is written and produced by me. But there are two different recording projects: 1) Hug after Hug, 2) Bleach House 25, as well as a lyric sheet page — MCM lyrics. More info about Hug after Hug and Bleach House 25 is on their individual pages.

My goal here is not to achieve the level of recording quality of some legendary producer in a classic analogue studio, or even that of some contemporary DAW wizards. I just wanted to do some justice to the songs, so that everyone could hear them the way I do in my head.

Thanks to all the talented musicians who helped make these recording possible, and thanks for listening, Edward Weiss

This site is dedicated to the memory of Timothy (TimDawg) Dowd. In addition to more important things, Tim found time to attend almost every Bleach House show. He was both a gentleman and a scholar, and he is missed.