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Mike Keneally and myself have been performing as an acoustic duo since 1995, when we did a show (now heavily traded) at the Better World Galleria in San Diego for a Taylor Guitars party. We hadn't rehearsed, and yet we were shocked at how easily seemingly inadaptable tunes like "Day Of The Cow" and "Spoon Guy" fit in with acoustic naturals like "The Desired Effect."

Years later, when Taylor Guitars approached us to become clinicians on their behalf using the acoustic duo format, we had no idea what an impact it would make on our musical lives. Suddenly we had nearly the entire Keneally repertoire on call in strange, exciting new arrangements that we were able to take on the road nationwide - ultimately more often than the electric band was able to tour. All the acousticity inspired Keneally's 2001 album Wooden Smoke, and it finally broke down my own barriers to songwriting as well. "Bear Divide," written acoustically in 2002, was the moment View was born.

"1988 Was A Million Years Ago"
Recorded by Marc Broer at NPS Studios in May, 2004 in Hilversum, The Netherlands
Written by Mike Keneally © 1994 Spen Music

OK, so this one's half-plugged. Mike played a true acoustic while I played a 5-string fretless; this was one of the first times I dared to bring it out in public. We've been doing this complex little number as a duo for years, and this is definitely one of the better versions of it. A little backstory—this was tracked under the kind guidance of uber-Euro-Keneally-ite Co de Kloet, at a very professional NPS recording studio in Holland, during an off-night of rehearsals for the Vai/Metropol orchestra shows in May of 2004.

"Supermarket People"
Recorded by Clinton Vadnais on 11/14/03 at Falcetti's Music, Springfield, MA
Written by Bryan Beller
© 2003 Panorama Ataraxia Music

Ah, the fear and terror of a swamp-groove tune with a three-minute bass solo, stripped of all accompaniment but one acoustic guitar. (OK, that guitarist being Mike Keneally, it wasn't that scary.) This View tune was debuted live at the start of the Keneally/Beller Taylor Acoustic Tour of November '03, but it took a few shows to jell as well as this. Major props to local hero Clinton Vadnais, who got a gorgeous room-mike + board recording of it.

"Dee 'n' A/Bear Divide"
Recorded by Clinton Vadnais on 11/14/03 at Falcetti's Music, Springfield, MA
"Dee 'n' A" written by Mike Keneally © 2001 Spen Music
"Bear Divide" written by Bryan Beller © 2003 Panorama Ataraxia Music

Same show, same lineup. Proving there is no end to the joy of drop D tuning, Keneally and I worked up a medley that showcased his fingerpicking technique just long enough for me to get up my nerve. I needed it to play both parts at once of a tune ("Bear") that was double-tracked on the View version. Another tour debut, with a different twist at the end of the track

"Backwoods"
Recorded on 3/27/02 at Mars Music, Omaha, NE
Written by John Patitucci
© 1990 Litha Music and Iccutitap Music (ASCAP)

I've been screwing around with this beautiful solo-bass piece on the Taylor Acoustic/Electric Bass for years, but I never worked it up into official form until the Taylor Clinic Tour of March, 2002, when an arrangement suddenly just clicked for me. It's the only solo tune I can think of that I've ever felt comfortable playing live, and this performance was the best--and last--of the tour.

Again, from the last Taylor clinic of the March '02 tour. Of all the songs on Keneally's 2001 release Wooden Smoke, I think I wish I played on this one the most. The tune lends itself remarkably well to an acoustic duo arrangement, and I suppose this is what I would have done on the record if Keneally only had the common decency to ask me to do it. But more than that, this is a great example of what the Keneally-Beller acoustic duo sounds like when we're both clicking on all cylinders.