Peter Dizozza's Recordings of

Songs from The Golf Wars,

produced by Major Matt Mason, U.S.A.

for Olive Juice Records.  

Recording commenced December, 2001, mastered January 5, 2003, postproduction completed, May 2003

AVAILABLE NOW -- also from itunes! 

READ THE REVIEWS   ONE SHEET (pdf file)

Track Listing

01. Gated House and Garden -- Harold and Jack Aashimoto with the Dueling Pianists

02. Jealous for Their Joy (a meme)

03. Square One ("Set the Prisoners Free") -- The Dueling Pianists

04. Prisoners of War ("Don't Leave Me Behind") -- Jack Aashimoto alternate version of J.T. Casaubon

05. I Hope the Day is Soon -- Chorus

06. Cul-de-sac -- Pablo Baldo

07. Living in Freedom Again -- Jack Aashimoto

08. Now That You Run from Me -- Jerome Belson

09. Make Your Own -- a recitation

10. Forests of Neurosis ("Inner World/No Flies on Me") written with Steve Espinola -- The Dueling Pianists

11. Take Me, Love -- Thankful Widgeons

12. Work so Hard from Nine to Five -- a recitation

13. Work & Play -- Dueling Pianists

If You Belonged to Me by Kenny Davidsen -- The Dueling Pianists

Lobotomy Laundry by Toby Goodshank and Abbey Soft -- The Dueling Pianists

Flipside of the Sun by Steve Espinola -- The Dueling Pianists

back to The Golf Wars Project Page

THIS IS AN ALTERNATE COVER TO THE ALBUM

Visit Olive Juice Music.

Return to Golf Wars Project Page

Peter Dizozza: Songs of “The Golf Wars,” produced by Major Matt Mason USA at The Olive Juice Music Studio between Nov.2001 & Jan. 2003. This album contains Peter Dizozza’s recordings of his Songs of “The Golf Wars” (2002). The StS Edition includes a live recording of “Shipping the Satellite” (1997). “The Golf Wars” is a musical play with script and score by Peter Dizozza, © 2002 Cinema VII, written for La MaMa E.T.C.’s Experiments ‘02 Reading Series and produced by The Williamsburg Art and Historical Center for its World Peace Exhibit, September 2002. Track 13. recorded by Joe Bendik at his Exile on 13th Street. Tracks 1-14 Mastered with post-production by Alex Abrash at his Burns Street Studio between February and May, 2003. 1. Gated House and Garden 3:34 2. Jealous for Their Joy (a meme) 0:27 3. Square One (Set the Prisoners Free) 2:26 4. Don’t Leave Me Behind (Prisoners of War) 3:15 5. I Hope the Day Is Soon 4:11 6. Cul-de-sac 3:41 7. Living in Freedom Again 3:05 8. Make Your Own (spoken) 0:13 9. Forests of Neurosis (a/k/a “Inner World” or “No Flies on me.”) 3:16 10. Take Me, Love 3:25 11. Making Love (spoken) 0:22 12. Work and Play 2:29  13. Now that You Run from Me 3:05 14. Wonderful Girl (First Recording) 4:02

M. Matt Mason: Guitar on tracks 5, 7 & 10 Joe Bendik: Guitar and Percussion on track 13 Steve Espinola, Co-Author, Voice and Keyboard on track 9 Victor Varoli: Guitar on tracks 6 & 9 Alex Abrash: Percussion on track 6 Peter Dizozza: Words, Music, Voice and Keyboard (The electronic DS140 by Yamaha.)

StS Bonus Tracks 15-25 are “Shipping the Satellite,” a newly recovered live performance recording of May 9, 1999 with the two songs and incidental music (with Adrian Bewley, Jeffrey Lewis, Amy DiLucia, Faith Palmer-Persen, Samona Shearson, Peter Dizozza and Michael Arenella).

OliveJuiceMusic.com CinemaVII.com

The music composed and performed in this album attempts to function within the parameters of equal tempered tonalism.  

Song notes:

1. Gated House and Garden – Harold/Ensemble 03:34

AABB AABB CC AABB AABB AAAA

In “The Golf Wars,” this song becomes an analogy to the golfer upon the 18 holed green, a voluptuous slumbering giant, the coyote’s prairie. 

Nirvana’s songs inspired the verse’s chord movement, its key alternating between the tonic (I) and its minor third (iii)

Russian (specifically, Scriabin) influence appears in the bridge, which is in the key of the flatted sixth (bvi).  The flatted major two (bII) becomes the four (IV) chord to the flatted sixth. 

Matt underscored the Gilbert & Sullivan-inspired bridge with a “house music” beat. 

The third verse adds a contrapuntal instrumental melody.

The Luis Bunuel film, Viridiana, inspired the song’s lyric. 

 2. Jealous for Their Joy (a meme) 0:27

This meme actually arose out of a confession; it became an obsession, neutralized through repetition.

In The Golf Wars, when Jack Aashimoto alters the course of, or rather, destroys, his own path to happiness, the dueling pianists suggest that he was jealous for his own joy.

 3. Square One (Set the Prisoners Free)– The Dueling Pianists 2:26

Although the vamp feels like a Charlie Brown song with pipes like in Manfred Mann’s recording of “My Name is Jack,” the inspiration for this song was a great, economical and lean pop song by Fastball called “Out of My Head.”

The first half of the chorus is in the key of the tonic’s minor sixth, and returns to the tonic for its second half.

The cadence is bIII6, bVII, I. 

Square One is the name given to a Lou Rodgers Golden Fleece program that I participate in, where people introduce their new projects, such as “The Golf Wars,” so it also functions as the Square One theme song. 

In The Golf Wars it is the grand statement of vacationers trapped in a Waco-like standoff at a Hawaiian Golf Resort. 

 4. Prisoners of War (Don’t Leave Me Behind)– Jack/Ensemble 3:15

This song began as an assignment for Lach’s Antihoot.  He gave performance preference to people who had written songs about current events, hence the lyrics directly arise from a New York Times article on the Taliban prisoners of Camp X-Ray in Cuba’s Guantanamo Bay, this lyric I imagined being sung by the tallest of them, basically the only still at large, Osama Bin Laden. 

In The Golf Wars, Jack Aashimoto is the prisoner left behind when all the others (he calls them his buchannons) are captured.  He is left raging in the sand. 

Its style is pop rhythm and blues ala Marvin Gaye, nearly always substituting for the tonic chord, its IV chord. 

 5. I Hope the Day is Soon – Ensemble 4:11

This song arose from the energy unleashed by a great song, “Black Hole Sun” by Soundgarden. 

Following the World Trade Center demolition, I saw a TV documentary about the subdued nature of prosperity.  It suggested that everyone, no matter how fortunate, wants, for the sake of anonymity, to be considered middle class. 

The song’s false ending cadence duplicates the insane grandeur of Simon and Garfunkel’s production of Paul Simon’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water.” 

This song opens Act II of The Golf Wars, which begins 10 years later, on the eve of the second golf war. 

Matt plays guitar. 

 6. Cul-de-sac -- Pablo 3:41

Cul de Sac is the title of an entertaining British film written and directed by Roman Polanski.  The song describes the 10 year relationship between local New York entertainer, Pablo Baldo , and his foreign bride, Thankful Widgeons, and draws from him both crooner and vaudevillian. 

 7. Living in Freedom (Again) – Jack/Ensemble 3:05

Jack’s song is an anthem for Public Enemy Number One.  Thanks to Ronnie Rodgers, who originally sang this song, it developed as you hear it today.  Matt plays guitar. 

 8. Now That You Run from Me – Jerome Belson 3:05

Joe Bendik, recorded, plays bass, guitar and programmed percussion in this song, which, although in C, never plays the C chord.  Many of my early songwriting ideas appear in this song. 

 9. Make Your Own 0:13

This is the second half of one of The Golf Wars limericks. 

10. Forests of Neurosis (a/k/a Inner World or “No Flies on me.”) – Dueling Pianists 3:16

This is a songwriting collaboration with Steve Espinola who sings and plays the two marimba leads.  Like “Prisoners of War,” it is also the result of a Lach open mike theme night request for collaborative songs.  Learning about this theme night as it was happening, Steve and I signed up to play, wrote the song, exquisite corpse style and performed it immediately thereafter. 

The chords, D Bb G C D Ab F Bb get warped by the melody into D Gm(Bb) G9 C2 D Fm Fmaj7 Bb2.

In The Golf Wars, this song reunites the dueling pianists. 

11. Take Me, Love – Thankful Widgeons and Jack Aashimoto 3:25

This song’s bridge recalls a great Billy Joel song, “Allentown.”  Performing this song in London at the 12-Bar, I was touched to see audience members holding hands.  T. S. Eliot coined the phrase “liquid siftings” in Sweeney Among the Nightingales.  Matt plays the guitar. 

12. Making Love 0:22

This meme is a follow-up to the “make your own” porn limerick.  The USSC definition of pornography, “I know it when I see it,” leads to the realization of its first instance, upon eating from the tree of knowledge by which Adam and Eve, knowing they were naked, shattered paradise. 

13. Work and Play – Jerome Belson/Ensemble 2:29

Another anthem, its chorus inspired by the 80’s Brazilian pop of Elis Regina.  Work and play may be the same thing but life is nothing if not for the making of, rather than the eliminating of, distinctions. 

It begins in G.  The major two chord (A) becomes the V of V (D), the A and D chords played concurrently as a Dmaj7, 9 chord.

The Olive Juice recordings of Major Matt Mason USA are the result of his experiments in sound design.  The keyboard is the DS140 keyboard by Yamaha. 

Hi there!
Here's this week's playlist of ALTERNATIVES No.3. for Novi Sad's radio 021!!!
Radio stations that broadcast ALTERNATIVES

radio City - Subotica
radio Spektar - Sombor
radio 021 - Novi Sad
radio Kikinda - Kikinda
radio Santos - Zrenjanin
radio NTV - Banja Luka
radio Kiss - Loznica
radio Sabac - Sabac
radio OK - Vranje (twice a week)
radio City - Nis
(all in all, covering area, in two countries, of over 2,000.000 of potential listeners. Some of those stations could be heard and in Croatia, Hungary, Bulgaria & Romania)

radio stations that broadcast ALTERNATIVES:

radio 021 - Novi Sad (Vojvodina)
radio BOOM 93 - Pozarevac (Serbia)
radio Kikinda - Kikinda (Vojvodina)
radio Kojot - Zrenjanin (Vojvodina)
radio OK - Vranje (Serbia)
radio Fast - Nis (Serbia)
radio Kragujevac - Kragujevac (Serbia)
radio Prizma - Kursumlija (Serbia)
radio City - Subotica (Vojvodina)
radio Slon - Tuzla (Bosnia & Hercegovina, Moslem-Croat part)

Am looking forward for your new material!

Thanks!

Predrag Strazmester
Rodoljuba Colakovica, 6
21000 Novi Sad
Serbia & Monte Negro

ALTERNATIVES No.3. radio 021
================== 23. X 2003.

1.) THE PSYCHEDELIC BREAKFAST - "The Wind Blows Over Ground" Pyramid/2FN/Offord
2.) SION WHILEY - "Virtualism" Headshaker
3.) BEING 747 - "Weathergirl" Wrath
4.) BLUMPKIN NATION - "She Sings To Me" BM
5.) RUDY - "Booty" Huge
6.) DELORIS - "Happy New Year" Scientific Laboratories
7.) PAULA KELLEY - "A New Time" Kimchee
8.) TENDER TRAP - "That Girl" Kill Rock Stars
9.) THE FLIPSIDES - "Punk Underground" Fat Wreck
10.) THE BITTER LITTLE CIDER APPLES - "B.L.C.A." Pink Hedgehog
11.) THE PEACOCKS - "Innocent" Asian Man
12.) THE MONSTERS - "I'm Going Away, Girl" Voodoo Rhythm
13.) BEAVERSHOT - "Burning With Desire" Raucous
14.) THE FLAMING SIDEBURNS - "Street Survivor" Art Rocker
15.) NONE MORE BLACK - "Dinner's For Suckers" Fat Wreck
16.) BANGS - "New Scars" Kill Rock Stars
17.) LENOLA - "Speed Of Light" Homesleep
18.) KING DJANGO meets THE SCRUCIALISTS - "I Don't Wanna Work That Hard" Grover
19.) ROOT DECO - "Sunrise I Travel" RD
20.) CLIVE STAR - "Something Special" Reverb
21.) PETER DIZOZZA - "Gated House & Garden" Cinema VII
22.) BOG'S VISIONARY ORCHESTRA - "Ben Layden"

ALTERNATIVES No.31. (April 23, 2004)
===================

1.) JOE STRUMMER & THE MESCALEROS - "Get Down Moses" Hellcat/Epitaph
2.) DESCENDENTS - "Blast Off" Fat Wreck
3.) JET LAG - "Shine On" Get Hip
4.) END7 - "One The Verge" End7
5.) THE DUTCH FLAT - "Uncle Jesus" Wantage USA
6.) THE CRYSTAL METHOD - "Born Too Slow" V2
7.) FLETCHER HARRINGTON - "One More Lesson" Lopie
8.) BOBBY BARE Jr.- "Valentine" Bloodshot
9.) THE DECEMBERISTS - "Leslie Anne Levine" Kill Rock Stars
10.) EARTH THE CALIFORNIAN LOVE DREAM - "In The Garden" Random
11.) STUFFY/THE FUSES - "I Can See Your Machine" Wrath
12.) STEREOPHONICS - "Moviestar (live)" V2
13.) THE USED JOHNNYS - "The Agenda For 21th Century" t.u.j.
14.) PETROGRAD - "July 20th" Noiseworks
15.) PETER DIZOZZA - "Living In Freedom" Cinema VII

From ILR (Australia) ON AIR @ http://www.kaosfm.net 
New Additions to all playlists this week:

"Gated house and Garden" Peter Dizozza (Olive Juice Music) /03-03-2004
"Don't leave me behind Prisoners of war" Peter Dizozza (Olive Juice Music) /03-03-2004 

-------------------------------------------------------
ISON LIVE RADIO INTERNATIONAL NETWORK - PLAYLIST REPORT
-------------------------------------------------------
PROGRAM : KAOSFM - World Underground Music Show
WEEK : 10
-------------------------------------------------------
01. "Walkin with my best friend" - Stephen Kiely (REQUEST FROM: gary climbe)
02. "Obey the cowgod" - Green Jello (zoo / ehk)
03. "Time is an afterglow" - DarlingD (Sws Music)
04. "She gives me nothing" - Instant Species (Independent)
05. "Twisted Cupid" - Slow Train (Collision)
06. "Corduroy Dancers" - Imaginary Bill (Independent)
07. "Don't leave me behind Prisoners of war" - Peter Dizozza (Olive Juice Music)
08. "Long to be LAtin" - Oho (Acoustic Rainbow)
09. "Heal" - Shawn Deena (Independent)
10. "The perfect Wait" - Future Kings of Spain (Collision)
11. "There you were" - Grayson Wray (Impressive Music)
12. "in 1671" - Grayson Wray (Impressive Music)
13. "Destiny" - Shawn Deena (Independent)
14. "Smash down doors" - AloneMe (Nettle Records)
15. "Let fate decide" - Jaded (Independent)
16. "He's mine" - Tommy Ray O'dell (TRE / EHK)
17. "Caffeine Thrill" - Speedtrucker (AARON / EHK)
18. "Gated house and GArden" - Peter Dizozza (Olive Juice Music)
19. "15 seconds" - Belasco (Collision)
20. "Waltz for an injured man" - Belasco (Collision)
21. "Back and forth" - Welcome to Florida (Independent)
22. "Take your own advice" - Danyluk & card (Acoustic Rainbow)
23. "One promise Lane" - DarlingD (Sws Music)
24. "This hurtin" - L.V. Dabbs (Independent)
25. "Bleed" - Imaginary Bill (Independent)

ISON LIVE RADIO INTERNATIONAL NETWORK - PLAYLIST REPORT
-------------------------------------------------------
PROGRAM : KAOSFM - World Underground Music Show
WEEK : 12

-------------------------------------------------------
01. "Heal" - Shawn Deena (REQUEST FROM: Fiona)
02. "The season of my heart" - Rick Lang (Acoustic Rainbow)
03. "Long to be LAtin" - Oho (Acoustic Rainbow)
04. "Under your spell" - Lament (Independent)
05. "Gated house and GArden" - Peter Dizozza (Olive Juice Music)
06. "If I can be with you" - Lee Cave-Berry (Independent)
07. "Need you" - Christy Bowles (Earthwide Music)
08. "Waltz for an injured man" - Belasco (Collision)
09. "Twisted Cupid" - Slow Train (Collision)
10. "Didar" - Kourosh Zolani (www.songsalive.org)
11. "The airport song" - David M. Bailey (Acoustic Rainbow)
12. "15 seconds" - Belasco (Collision)
13. "One promise Lane" - DarlingD (Sws Music)
14. "Obey the cowgod" - Green Jello (zoo / ehk)
15. "Take your own advice" - Danyluk & card (Acoustic Rainbow)
16. "The perfect Wait" - Future Kings of Spain (Collision)
17. "Don't leave me behind Prisoners of war" - Peter Dizozza (Olive Juice Music)
18. "Gift" - Poppies (www.songsalive.org)
19. "Time is an afterglow" - DarlingD (Sws Music)
20. "Rain on my party" - Goldee Heart (Independent)
21. "Destiny" - Shawn Deena (www.shadowscreamers.com)
22. "All I breathe is you" - The songs alive collective (www.songsalive.org)
23. "Yours Truly Redux" - Lee Cave-Berry (Independent)
24. "Makanou" - Yaya Diallo (Independent)
25. "Rythm of your laughter" - Traysee (www.songsalive.org)

-------------------------------------------------------
ISON LIVE RADIO INTERNATIONAL NETWORK - PLAYLIST REPORT
-------------------------------------------------------
PROGRAM : KAOSFM - World Underground Music Show
WEEK : 16

-------------------------------------------------------
01. "Its hard believing" - The Drive (REQUEST FROM: James johns)
02. "If I can be with you" - Lee Cave-Berry (Independent)
03. "Yours Truly Redux" - Lee Cave-Berry (Independent)
04. "Waltz for an injured man" - Belasco (Collision)
05. "Obey the cowgod" - Green Jello (zoo / ehk)
06. "The airport song" - David M. Bailey (Acoustic Rainbow)
07. "Long to be LAtin" - Oho (Acoustic Rainbow)
08. "Heart to heart" - Goldee Heart (Independent)
09. "One promise Lane" - DarlingD (Sws Music)
10. "The perfect Wait" - Future Kings of Spain (Collision)
11. "Makanou" - Yaya Diallo (Independent)
12. "He's mine" - Tommy Ray O'dell (TRE / EHK)
13. "Heal" - Shawn Deena (www.shadowscreamers.com)
14. "Take your own advice" - Danyluk & card (Acoustic Rainbow)
15. "Under your spell" - Lament (Independent)
16. "Bleed" - Imaginary Bill (Independent)
17. "Time is an afterglow" - DarlingD (Sws Music)
18. "Rain on my party" - Goldee Heart (Independent)
19. "Caffeine Thrill" - Speedtrucker (AARON / EHK)
20. "Destiny" - Shawn Deena (www.shadowscreamers.com)
21. "Gated house and GArden" - Peter Dizozza (Olive Juice Music)
22. "15 seconds" - Belasco (Collision)
23. "Don't leave me behind Prisoners of war" - Peter Dizozza (Olive Juice Music)
24. "Twisted Cupid" - Slow Train (Collision)
25. "Corduroy Dancers" - Imaginary Bill (Independent)

ILR Playlists Week 20

TH LW HP WI WORLD INDEPENDENT
01    -    01  01 "Don't leave me behind Prisoners of war" - Peter Dizozza
02    -    02  01 "Jungles of Dagenham" - Paola
03    -    03  02 "Maybe I'm a dreamer" - Warren Muzak
04    -    04  01 "Your Enemy" - Citizen Kane
05    -    05  01 "Its hard believing" - The Drive
06    -    06  01 "The Spider Song" - Nutronstars
07    -    07  01 "Generation" - Mahoon
08   03  03  02 "The truth" - Tim Chaplin
09    -    09  01 "Fine Looking Woman" - Jason Chesworth and the Pocket co.
10    -    08  08 "Take your own advice" - Danyluk & card

Chart legend: TH = Position this week, LW = Position last week, HP = Highest position thus far
WI = Weeks in chart

Subj: Re: ILR Playlists Week 20 
Date: 5/25/2004 11:11:27 AM Eastern Daylight Time
From: info@isonliveradio.com
To: Dizozza600@cs.com
G'day peter,
Yes. It means lots of people like your song and have voted for it!
All the best,
Sean

-------------------------------------------------------
ISON LIVE RADIO INTERNATIONAL NETWORK - PLAYLIST REPORT
-------------------------------------------------------
PROGRAM : KAOSFM - World Underground Music Show
WEEK : 21
-------------------------------------------------------
01. "Queen of nowhere" - Soulscript (REQUEST FROM: Mike)
02. "Don't leave me behind Prisoners of war" - Peter Dizozza (Olive Juice Music)
03. "There you were" - Grayson Wray (Impressive Music)
04. "Bleed" - Imaginary Bill (Independent)
05. "Just jiggle" - Keven Brennan's Revival Tent (Boo Music)

"If you make the connotation with the Gulf War you're half way there, I think"  Dan Herman, Radio Crystal Blue. 

Radio Crystal Blue

NEW MUSIC SAMPLER  Pete Dizozza "Square One" - The Golf Wars www.petedizozza.com
Nadine Goellner "Only You" - Remember My Name CD www.nadineg.com
A Brief View Of The Hudson "Movin' The Gold Around" - Go North To Find Me EP www.abriefviewofthehudson.com
Natalia Zukerman "Little Heart" - On A Clear Day CD www.nataliazukerman.com
Katy vs. Evil "Delicious" - Katy Vs Evil Volume 1 CD www.katyvsevil.com

SPECIAL HOLIDAY SEGUE (July 4th, 2004)
Hollies "Sandy (4th Of July, Asbury Park)" - Clarke, Hicks, Sylvester, Calvert & Elliott CD
Elliott Smith "Independence Day" - XO CD
Bob Dylan "Chimes Of Freedom" - Another Side Of Bob Dylan CD
Black Diamond "USA" - www.prismmusic.bigstep.com
Tragically Hip "Fireworks" - Phantom Power CD
Denise Barbarita "In July" - Beauty Lied CD www.myshytune.com

Tom Gillam "High" - Dallas CD www.tomgillam.com
Christene LeDoux "Bus To The Ocean" - little lighthouse CD www.christeneledoux.com
Joanne Juskus "Meet You There" - s/t CD www.joannejuskusmusic.com
Naomi Sommers "no more" - Flying Through CD www.naomisommers.com
Kali Z. Fasteau "Tomorrow?" - Oneness CD www.kalimuse.com
Diana Krall "I'm Pulling Through" - The Girl In The Other Room CD 
Kirsten Thien "Still Love The Rain" - She Really Is... CD www.kirstenthien.com
Barbara Morillo & Shrine "You Are The Sun Light"
Peter Dizozza "Living In Freedom Again" - Songs of The Golf Wars CD www.cinemavii.com
Too Human "New Surrender" - true CD www.toohumanonline.com

more airplay 

From The Vertical Slum, Columbus, Ohio, March 3rd, 2004

November 1, 2003

from Trakmarx issue 12, December, 2003:

Peter Dizozza – “Songs Of The Golf Wars” – Cinema 7/Olive Juice Music
“Songs Of The Golf Wars” in an extremely intriguing proposition. “The Golf Wars” is a musical play – script & songs written by Dizozza – recorded here with Major Matt Mason USA & his Olive Juice pals as: “The Songs Of The Golf Wars”.

Like a marginally more introverted Magnetic Fields – Dizzoza not only works predominantly with keyboards - but also embraces the notion of the ‘pop’ song as a big show tune. The carefully annotated sleeve notes leave us in no doubt that a higher level of intelligence than is usually attributed to ‘pop’ musicians has been employed during the making of this record. Eccentric, eclectic, fiercely individualistic – the words could well have been specially commissioned for the work of Peter Dizzoa.

I found it (almost) impossible to digest “Songs Of The Golf War” as anything other than a complete whole. Singling out any one track above another would be a massive disservice to every other track present on this wonderful disc (contrarily, having said that: “Living In Freedom”, “Forests Of Neurosis” & “Take Me, Love” did capture a small portion of my heart from the very first listen).

Tracks 15 to 25 contain “Shipping The Satellite” – a live performance from 1999 featuring trakMARX favourite, Jeffery Lewis, amongst the assembled host of performers.

NYC & Olive Juice have announced yet another remarkable talent - & Mr Merritt would be strongly advised to watch his back.

Evan Halshaw – tMx 13 – 11/03

from antifolkonline, December 4, 2003 and The Yale Herald. December 5, 2003  Volume XXXVI, No. 12 

There is nothing about Peter Dizozza’s Songs of the Golf Wars that doesn’t take getting used to. Nearly nothing on the album is immediately palpable—most of the lead parts are played on an electronic keyboard, the lyrics measure at least an eight out of ten on the what-the-fuck-o-meter (“When it comes to porn son, I have this to say to you / Make your own, make your own, or I’ll make you make your own”), and Dizozza’s voice is perpetually underscored by cigarette hiss (although, somehow, you get the feeling he was born that way). And if all that were not enough, the genre is musical theater.

Songs of the Golf Wars is actually the soundtrack for a low-budget, surrealist musical penned by Dizozza and produced in New York in 2002. This is not, however, an “original cast recording,” as Dizozza has arranged the songs for a studio context and sings almost all the vocal parts himself. And as risky as this sounds (imagine Phantom of the Opera sung entirely by Andrew Lloyd Webber), after a few repeat listenings, the sincerity comes gushing through. Suddenly, the music is melodic, the lyrics charming, and Dizozza’s voice actually strangely comforting. “Gated House and Garden” is particularly noteworthy—the periodic bursts of support from an unseen chorus and the occasional sneaking in of a drum-n-bass loop a perfect opening for this opus of the absurd.

The album comes with fifteen or so extra minutes of bonus tracks, culled from a live recording of one of Dizozza’s past productions, but they are somewhat forgettable when compared to the Golf Wars songs. What the album is really missing is a full band—even some simple percussion would fill some of the emptiness that makes the music inaccessible at first listen, and Dizozza’s creativity is worthy of all the cymbal crashes and string arrangements that the genre of the rock musical has to offer.
- M.R.  (Milo Rivers, as credited in antifolkonline.com)  —Daoud Tyler-Ameen (as credited in The Yale Herald)

“Songs of the Golf Wars”  

Again defying the corporate music aesthetic, Peter Dizozza unleashes a new bash of piano driven quirkiness for those whose minds open to something other than radio-friendly mediocrity.  Stewing together disparate elements such as folk, Ben Folds Five southern rock, alternative, laid back rock and punk attitude (if not punk sound), Dizozza has made a grafting so unique, your poor Top 40 friend who hasn’t been house broken artistically speaking will probably be left looking like a quizzical human RCA dog, head cocked, ear twitched and bafflement on his face.
I’m being complimentary, you realize. With a musical core of Peter and his piano (and some other interesting musical elements to add texture), he lays out an audio play with a sense something akin to They Might Be Giants but a sound all his own. If you’d like to challenge yourself, meet Peter.

- Kristofer Upjohn Review from The Pine Bluff Commercial (June 9th, 2003):  

Peter's Songs of the Golf Wars is out now and the the CD Rocks with production from Major Matt Mason USA.   There are Guitars, Beats and Dizozza.  The CD is Purely Dizozza and it is great.   Happens to be in my car stereo right now. -- http://www.antifolkonline.com

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