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mugsy Jun 13 2012 at 11:55 AM	I have been listening to Unity Band almost non-stop for the past two days and am really enjoying it! Chris Potter is an excellent addition, and all four seem to really jive together. I can’t help noticing a huge similarity between part of Roofdogs and John McKee from Roy Haynes’ Te-Vou! Anyone else hear this similarity?
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yossarian Jul 31 2012 at 11:05 AM	Mexican flat roof or not, this song reminds me of The Red One more than the other songs mentioned here.
Tom Rudd Jul 19 2012 at 10:20 AM	For some reason there is a perception in America that Mexico is not a safe destination to travel to these days. I was going to book a vacation last March and was discouraged from doing so. That’s to bad.
bucky1960 Jul 19 2012 at 9:11 AM	i have read that in places like Peru and Mazatlan the yards are very small. the roof of a house, reportedly, allows larger spaces for dogs and i suppose kids to play. good place to play!? RIGHT. i agree that the roof of a house in Mexico could get pretty hot for a dog and/or a kid to spend any time on during the day. maybe during the daytime, when the risk of being robbed is lower, the dogs are brought down or inside only to be put back up as night falls. as for cleaning up the waste, could be like at any dog owners home. one tells the kids to go out and pick up after the dog but in this case it would be go up to the roof and pick up the poop. if this is the case i wonder if the kids gripe about doing this job too like my kids? lastly, some might think having a dog on the roof is cruel. different cultures, different norms i guess. wonder what PM was thinking about when he came up with the title for this song? "Roofdogs" still reminds me of Are We There Yet. anyone else? ruff.
trutone Jul 18 2012 at 9:09 PM	just think about it, so every house now in mexico has stairs up to the roof, now your gonna leave fido up there all day in the mexican sun, who’s gonna clean all the doo doo and wee wee, and bring it down sounds like a house of cards to me when i have flown over the rooftops down there sure as hell didn’t see any dogs at night, good entertainment fodder though ruff ruff
mugsy Jul 18 2012 at 12:36 AM	Hey Trutone: If you Google "roof dogs in Mexico", you will find that Mountain’s story is actually quite the reality. I also asked my wife, who has spent a lot of time in Mexico - and it is true: the dogs live on the roof and act as guard dogs for the home.
trutone Jul 14 2012 at 5:29 PM	mountain, thats a very colorful gringo interpretation of a very narrow mind sited view of mexico, man u gringos no breadth or depth.
blisterfree Jul 14 2012 at 5:15 PM	Er, non-PMG album, I should’ve written.
bucky1960 Jul 14 2012 at 11:35 AM	when listening to Roofdogs it reminds me of the song Are We There Yet?. AWTY puts me in a car on a long road trip with kids in the back seat screaming are we there yet? Roofdogs sends me to South America, some place like Lima Peru, where guards are whistling (sp?) to each other. Anyone get the same feeling?
blisterfree Jul 13 2012 at 9:35 PM	Love what Antonio, and especially Ben, are doing behind and between the main melody line in this tune. Very hip instincts and interplay here. Album on whole is surprisingly solid compositionally for a non-PM album. No filler material, either, or whatever might pass for filler whenever PM is in the room, which is to say not a whole lot.
hman01 Jun 29 2012 at 2:23 PM	It’s also interesting to note that the title of this song would be pronounced differently depending on what part of the country(USA) you are from.Some people would say roof rhymes with hoof.But down here in the south,roof rhymes with aloof.I wonder which way Pat says it? Just thinkin’-which is a dangerous thing for me to do!
Tom Rudd Jun 29 2012 at 9:45 AM	Thanks for that mountain, you learn something new everyday!
mountain Jun 28 2012 at 3:32 PM	Amazing what you can learn from Pat’s music. I am assuming the track Roofdogs is named after the Perros De Techo, or roof dogs, that are a common sight through Mexico. Because of the flat, wide roofs common to houses in the country, there are no sloping tiles or gables to discourage burglars. This, combined with the often extremely cramped streets open up many buildings to the possibility of being broken into not from the street but from above. Roof Dogs are intended to prevent this, warning the home owner of any intruders. Left almost entirely alone, they focus their belligerence on anyone who passes too close to their building, barking frantically at the slightest provocation. Even worse, this will often set off nearby Roof Dogs, the noise spreading out until all the Roof Dogs in the area are barking. This sort of noise is a common sound in Mexican towns at night and some tourists have claimed it makes it very difficult to sleep.
dgaw59 Jun 27 2012 at 6:26 AM	I hear some quotes from PM’s solo on "Lonnie’s Lament" from the Kenny Garrett record. "Roofdogs" has some typical "Methenyesque" touches but it also has two great features: Potter’s crazy solo and a great title.
mugsy Jun 25 2012 at 3:51 PM	Fendweller - Yes it is the same song. Although, the similarities (IMHO) are much greater on the Roy Haynes version (1994) than the original Parallel Realities (1990). It is all great music!
Chris Digger Jun 25 2012 at 8:58 AM	It reminds me of LOOPY from BREAKING THE CYCLE of MARBIN.
fendweller Jun 25 2012 at 5:55 AM	That’s the same John McKee that’s on Parallel Realities, right? Which came first?
trutone Jun 24 2012 at 8:58 PM	all you have to do is transcribe the harmonic movement of both songs and see if there are similar devices that are used, if u check out the song book one can cleary see that. thats whats so great about pat and pmg its all about content i thinks
hman01 Jun 24 2012 at 12:23 PM	It’s interesting to see what people hear in this song.But when I was listening to it this morning,a song called "African Skies" by Michael Brecker from "Tales of the Hudson" popped into my mind.I know Pat played on "Tales",so there MIGHT be a connection to "Roofdogs" or it could just be me hearing things. Chord wise as well as a little melodically "Roofdogs" kind of hints at "African Skies" .The key is slightly different,down a half step maybe,and the melody is elongated,not as quick as "African Skies".But the overall underlying groove is about the same. That’s my overanalysis. That and 2 bucks will buy you a cup of coffee.(42 cents,back in my old mans’ day!).
mugsy Jun 21 2012 at 9:36 PM	S - You are correct! I didn’t hear the half-life initially, but it is most certainly there. And, When We Were Free is clearly in the background as well.
s in Boston Jun 19 2012 at 3:00 PM	Mugsy, Roofdogs reminds me of John McKee, When We Were Free, and Half-life Of Absolution.
radeem Jun 14 2012 at 10:18 PM	I’ll fill in the blank.PM’s G-Synth solo was Fantasmagorical. I LOVE it!!!!
naut Jun 13 2012 at 5:41 PM	I’d have to find Te Vous to check, so can’t say at the moment. But "Roofdogs" is a great tune. Antonio’s learned some things from Roy. Potter’s soprano is terrific. Pat’s synth solo is _____. "Signals" is another strong Sanchez track. Great album, mugsy.
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