Hi All,
In my quest to keep on mixing it up, this time around I have a fairly straightforward pop/rock/ska tune as opposed to my typical electronics or prog-rock type stuff.    It's certainly not the norm for me, but hey, I still had fun doing it!   
 
https://soundcloud.com/steve-cocchi/and-i-know-that
 
 
Edit: Mix 2 at the same link above.
 

Sounds like maybe the love child of the B-52's and Devo. I thought it sounded fun and whimsical. Some really cool Jazzy parts in there and sweet solo work keep it interesting and entertaining. Not what I'm accustom to hearing from you. This one reminds me of the happy dance I do when I get something real good, real cheap. Like BFD3 for $99. I think this will be my next happy dance anthem.
Nice sounding production brother

Full marks for originality. I'd bring the vocals up and the bass down. Or maybe narrow the toms a little with some eq?  I think the bass is eating up some energy and leaving less for your sparkly upper register stuff. To me the tambourine felt like it was being featured, like a main course. You might try is as parsely . . . maybe drop it a db?
 
That ending is pretty tight! Well done!
 
cheers,
-Tom

Steve,
 
You are really moving in many different directions! Interesting tune, I like Grants categorization of B-52's and Devo. Mix is really very close, but I'm not sure the hi-hat sits all that well. You should also maybe pan the tambo away from the hi-hat so it is clearer when it is playing and when it is not.
 
Everything else is pretty darn good!
 
Regards,
Dan
 

Grant - thanks!  I never would have pictured B52s + DEVO but what the heck... I'll take it!   It is supposed to be a fun tune (or at least not very serious) so I'm glad it's coming across.  And the solo was a fun one too.  Huh, I never thought I would have a happy dance anthem.  
 
Tom - thanks for the detailed critiques, definitely appreciate it.  No arguments on the bass - I had actually made it bigger just before mixing down but now realize I may have gone just a bit too far. Then again, Bapu may disagree.    For the toms... yeah, I did catch that after the fact but figured I'd wait and see what others thought.   And yes, the ending was my little slice of "something more" in an otherwise intentionally straightforward tune.  
 
Dan - ditto, thanks!   Yeah, it is a stretch for me but I like the challenge of keeping things more simple.  I'll have to revisit the hi-hats since nothing really jumped out at me before.  And since both you and Tom mentioned the tambourine I'll have to re-listen to the whole kit... there  really aren't that many hits that it should stand out.  Maybe something between the hihats and cymbals is going a little funky, not sure.     But I appreciate the comments since I really did miss that completely!   One of the downsides of being too close to a mix...   

Love me some Ska.
Great song and instrumentation. The offbeat guitar needs to either have some top taken off it or come down in the mix imo. Very cool though Steve.

Nice one Steve, showcasing your formidable versatility. Catchy tune too, I was reaching for my imaginary pork-pie hat and skinny tie

Daryl - thanks!   I've always liked that Ska feel even though I don't really know all that much about the genre.  So I figured maybe doing a song would help with that - Google was my friend when it came to "how to play a Ska drum beat".          EQ on the offbeat guitar part - added to my to-do list!
 
James - thank you!   I've always liked when people have a certain recognizable "style" since I can never seem to stick to any one thing for long.  So I guess at least some level of versatility is the only thing I can fall back to!   In this case it includes a pastry hat and fashionable neck-wear.  
 

Sorry it took me awhile to get back here. I'm glad I dropped by...great song!! I especially like the way you synced your vocals to keep with the beat. Very creative and original I think. Just the right touch or horns in there too! Excellent work!

Thanks, Tim!   I appreciate the comments.   The vocals did take a few tries to keep up the pace though.  
 
...And with that said, I've uploaded a slightly reworked mix based on the comments above (including swapping out Rematrix for the new Valhalla Plate verb on the vocal bus).