Screaming Into A Void (And Into A Microphone)…

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Every time i make the decision to record music- whether originals or covers- i learn something new every time.

It SHOULD be that anyone who plays music on some spectrum of regularity can be called a musician. Despite the deep love i have for playing music, the intrusive thoughts and imposter syndrome i have will not let me do that. And while i don’t necessarily call myself as such; i certainly do share similar sentiments as those who are. Once you begin to play with, again, any sense of regularity, you begin to hear music differently.

i’ve always been attracted to certain chords (without having necessarily known what they were), or massively off time signatures. There have always been bands who stayed with me because of this; however, anyone who knows me well enough also knows that that the lyrics are a priority for me… You could be the greatest musician, but if the messages you’re putting out into the universe don’t resonate with me (sociopolitically or otherwise), it’s gonna be much more difficult for me to listen to (or enjoy) the music.

Some of the music i enjoy listening to would be consider ‘noise’ in some circles. i don’t get upset, because there’s plenty of music for everyone; we are not all going to love the same things. For me though, some of the ‘noisiest’ music makes the most sense in this chaotic world. Some of the ‘noisiest’ sounds connect to other movements in art, such as surrealism, poetry, and anti fascist organizing.
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Of course, one of the most well-known bands to eschew ‘beautiful sounds’ in favor of sonically matching the world’s absurdities is Napalm Death, one of my all-time favorite bands (granted, i have a lot of all-time favorite bands, but Napalm Death is one of them). Formed in 1981 in the West Midlands, UK; they are still creating- and sound as amazing as ever.

i have never thought about covering Napalm Death because again, i’m not THAT good. Part of doing Prosthetics And Drumstick Unite! though, is about exploring different ways i could interpret music, in spite of my limited playing abilities. It is about challenging myself every step of the way, mistakes and all. It is about the journey, whether or not i’m ‘good enough’ to be called a musician.

And having fun in the process.

So i said ‘why not?’ to covering Napalm Death.

There were several songs i wanted to cover, but i narrowed it down to three, and made it a mini medley, to match the energy of their catalog of short songs- they have a 5-minute track here and there, but overall, their songs tend to range from one to two minutes on average.

Of course (as a wink and a nod of course) i started off with ‘You Suffer’, which was once given an entry in the Guinness Book Of World Records for being the shortest song of all time (at 1.3 seconds); in this day and age of the internet’s relative ubiquitousness, the song has been seen as akin to a meme to some, as opposed to a portion of a whole theme of addressing injustices, which we saw with the band’s first album Scum, released in 1987, where ‘You Suffer’ is on. In other cases, it’s being discussed with the same weight as one would discuss philosophy. In fact, Benjamin Myers considers the song to be “one of the most important musical works of the 20th century”:

“If Scum represented creative conflicts – two bands operating under one name – then ‘You Suffer’ takes the idea of misery and anguish and chisels it down to something pure. It asks a question that could be posed to anyone who is acting upon a similar need to express, expel and expunge, or suffers from mental health problems, or is simply a human being acutely aware of their place in a chaotic world.”

Considered to be the ‘Godfathers of Grindcore’ (but of course expanding their sound over the years; they are most likely the most well known of their peers, and proof, despite all of the UK’s countless problems, bands such as Napalm Death could get exposure on television and never compromise their music, or beliefs. Punk culture has seeped its way into the mainstream in one way or another- there were shows such as Never Mind The Buzzcocks (despite it not being ‘punk’ in and of itself), so it’s not surprising to me that the band would be on a show like Skins, where in 2011 they performed at the famed Bristol Bierkeller, which has now since closed since 2018.

(Some folks may also be old enough to remember the infamous epilepsy-inducing segment of the Craig Charles-hosted ‘What’s that Noise’ kids show on the BBC in 1989, where the band made a guest appearance during the From Enslavement To Obliteration era.)

On Skins, the show (or gig, if you’re in the UK) was dated for Thursday, October 10; and yes, while there certainly are people who considered them to be sellouts for doing this, it’s very clear they’re not since, again, no significant values have been compromised. (Were there people who considered them to be sellouts in 1989?) i personally think it’s great that young people could be exposed to music which allows for questioning so much we’ve been conditioned to accept. The song they performed was the second song i covered for the medley, ‘Strong-Arm’.

While i don’t agree that you can negotiate with an oppressor; on an interpersonal level i concur with the song’s lyrics: “Spare the rod and you’ll arise… A strong-arm is for bleak times/But talk it through, gain insight.”

The final part of the medley is my favorite Napalm Death song, ‘Smash A Single Digit’ off of my favorite album of theirs, Apex Predator – Easy Meat. Vocalist Barney Greenway describes the album as being the “foundation as recognizing human beings as human beings, as opposed to objects of productivity, or objects of profitability.” The album was also, in part, created in memory of those who perished in the 2013 Rana Plaza garment factory collapse in Bangladesh. 1,134 people died as a result of structural failure and abysmal working conditions. The song (co-written by Greenway and bassist Shane Embury) is, in line with the album’s theme, decisively about labor exploitation and wage slavery.

Given my limitations, i took a few liberties with the arrangement: Besides the obvious usage of melodica, a major chord or two snuck in there… defeating the purpose of Napalm Death’s long held musical tradition i suppose. i’m also not as good of a screamer as Barney, Lee Dorrian, John Cooke or anyone else who’s done vocals (lead or background) for the band, so i hope things aren’t too bad.

Here, i do attempts at screaming, plus i’m playing a melodica, a desk, tambourine, and bass.

The next song i’m covering is a song beloved by Napalm Death (as they’ve covered it every time i’ve seen them (the first time being 1996); it is also a song which is quite timely, since we’re in an environment (once again) where people openly share the sentiment that punk and goth scenes hold spaces for right wingerism; in fact, there is this idea that ‘conservatism is punk’, despite people who hold this view tend to espouse status quo positions.

‘Nazi Punk Fuck Off’ (by the Dead Kennedys; written by Jello Biafra) called this very sentiment to question: “You ain’t hardcore ’cause you spike your hair/when a jock still lives inside your head”, and “When you ape the cops it ain’t Anarchy.”

As Biafra once said at a show (before ripping into the song), “If you’re no different from your parents, what are you rebelling against anyway? You’re fittin’ in.” The closing line of these very people “being the first to go” if something were to go down is quite fitting to this day as well, as you have many toxic ‘chronically online’ individuals feel safety in their echo chambers; however, when faced with consequences (by whatever means) of the outside world- or if asked to perform the roles they supposedly idealize, they lack accountability, and blame others for their inability to perform up to task. When one’s primary means of communication is online, there’s more of a propensity to react, as opposed to respond.

The In God We Trust, Inc. EP was reportedly the band’s response to the hardcore records being produced around the time. The first DKs album i ever heard was their first- Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables, and i truly enjoyed the experimentation and odd time signatures (largely due to Carlo Cadona/6025), the jazz-inspired riffs, the social commentary and the surrealist collage art (primarily by Winston Smith). It was also the first record i ever purchased off the Alternative Tentacles (AT) label, and i fell in love with watching that Vampire Bat go round in circles ever since. In God We Trust, Inc. (originally released as ‘Virus 5’ on AT) still shared some of those elements (again, partly due to 6025, who was very much gone from the band by that point); but instead of mid tempo anthems, they opted largely for speed- and it worked.

Speaking of Cadona; it’s fairly ironic that his one contribution to In God We Trust, Inc. was the opening song, ‘Religious Vomit’, when in later years he reportedly became quite religious.

(And yes, i know that Jello lost the rights to releasing any subsequent DK reissues as a result of the lawsuit which happened between him and the rest of the band; still, there’s nothing like playing these records, and watching the bat go round and round.)

While Napalm Death’s cover is perhaps the most well-known among them; i stayed a bit truer to the original, except i played the melodica on it. i also played bass, a desk, a cardboard box, and a tambourine. i did the vocals in one take- a VERY rare thing- and i like how it sounded, even if i messed up.

In God We Trust, Inc. is one of the records which taught me how to sing quick vocals… D.R.I.’s Violent Pacification EP (as well as the Dirty Rotten EP) also initially taught me.

In terms of bands, when i was coming up D.R.I. was always one of my favorites because of their massively strange time signatures. A lot of times, when people do things like that, it’s because they hear those patterns in their heads, as opposed to being traditionally educated on how to construct a 5/4 or 7/4 signature. Don Van Vliet (fka Captain Beefheart) would be the biggest example of this.

To add all of this to the military band precision of Eric Brecht and Felix Griffin’s drumming on those earlier records, matching the frantic energy of Kurt Brecht’s vocals contributed to expanding my mind at how experimental punk and hardcore could be…. Not to mention, of course, bands like the Meat Puppets, the Minutemen, Hüsker Dü and so many others did this for me as well.

i’ve covered D.R.I. two other times here- once in the very first post i did, and the other sometime last year: ‘Mad Man’ and ‘Draft Me’ (one of my all-time favorite D.R.I. songs), respectfully.

For this post, i decided to cover ‘To Open Closed Doors’ (another one of my all-time favorites), from Violent Pacification. Amazingly (and surprisingly), it is a song i have seen covered by… literally no one else. A song that reads more as an existential crisis than their usual social commentary, this is one of the songs i was certainly thinking about when talking about appreciating the construction of music, the more you play it. i always hear the song start on a different count than i think they actually intend for it to be, and covering it helps to better understand where they were perhaps intending to go.

For this cover i played, bass, a cardboard box (and a desk), tambourine and melodica. And of course, vocals.

The final cover of the day is of a band absolutely loved by deep music lovers (including myself)- and despite albums that ended up on the charts, are still deemed obscure in the larger scheme of things: XTC.

‘Living Through Another Cuba’ (from the 1980 album Black Sea and written by Andy Partridge) will continually be a timeless song as long as the ravages of US imperialism and waves of Red Scare-era tactics and sentiments persist. If i recall it was the first XTC song i ever heard, as it was included on Life In The European Theatre, an anti-nukes awareness compilation released in 1982 on Elektra Records. i instantly fell in love with the song. The compilation also featured Bad Manners, The Clash, the Au Pairs, Peter Gabriel, Echo & The Bunnymen, and The Doors.

‘Living Through Another Cuba’ directly references what is known as ‘the Cuban Missile Crisis’, which occurred in October 1962 (and not 1961, as the song states in error). While the US deployed nuclear weapons throughout the UK (among other places), the Soviet Union deployed them in Cuba, leading to conflict between the US and the Soviets- of course this would not be the last time these conflicts would occur. While i’m not particularly advocating for nuclear weapons here, it’s very clear that the US is okay with either they or countries they are aligned with to have them, but no one else. Partridge describes the song as being “total nuclear-war paranoia. That, and the uselessness of England – this completely and utterly useless little country whose significance in the world ended at the First World War.”

The US’s antagonistic relationship toward Cuba goes way back though: Lestor Mallory- the assistant Secretary Of State of Inter-American Affairs, produced a memo on April 6,1960 memo in which the objective was to ensure “The Decline and Fall of (Fidel) Castro”:

“The only foreseeable means of alienating internal support is through disenchantment and disaffection based on economic dissatisfaction and hardship.

If the above are accepted or cannot be successfully countered, it follows that every possible means should be undertaken promptly to weaken the economic life of Cuba.

If such a policy is adopted, it should be the result of a positive decision which would call forth a line of action which, while as adroit and inconspicuous as possible, makes the greatest inroads in denying money and supplies to Cuba, to decrease monetary and real wages, to bring about hunger, desperation, and overthrow of government.”

Just like France never forgave the people of Haiti for liberating themselves in 1804, the US continues to bestow collective punishment onto the people of Cuba to this very day (via the blockade as directed by the Mallory memo), for liberating themselves and ending the dictatorial rule of US-backed Fulgencio Batista in 1959.

While the song espouses a fear of an all-out nuclear war; the song could also well be about the US’s desire to eradicate any semblance of socialism or anti-colonial movements around the globe.

Beside its primary message, covering the song had me thinking of something else. While i love writing and creating music (and arranging these covers in my own way); similar to Andy Partridge, i don’t necessarily want to perform them. i’ve been in quite a few bands in my lifetime (and have performed on stage with said bands), but the stage is not where i want to be at this point.

i don’t mind doing the occasional performance (maybe once or twice a year), but i am perfectly happy watching my friends and favorite bands do the thing they love (and learn about some new bands in turn). i do not know if this perspective changed for me post accident, or if it was merely the passage of time.

Nevertheless, i (again) enjoy writing and creating music, and challenging myself by learning to play covers of songs i never dreamed i would be able to attempt. It’s obviously not as good as the originals; however, i hope these songs put a smile on someone’s face, and make their day better.

For this cover i played guitar, bass, desk, cowbell, claves, tambourine, melodica, handclaps and… vocals. i messed up a few times, but that’s part of the journey. i also changed the date to better reflect the accuracy of events, and updated a couple of lyrics. In terms of the arrangement, i was slightly inspired by an amped up interpretation by Underground System.

Also… Don’t mind my bad British accent…

When Life Gives You Lemons… Do Something Else.

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i absolutely forgot why i have essentially been using a bunch of boxes and a desk for percussion as of late for these covers, as opposed to the regular old drum set- until i went down to record the drums yesterday.

i’m running out of space on the computer.

Despite emptying most things out onto an external drive, the digital audio workstation (DAW) i normally used kept saying that i’m using too many tracks to record with, therefore it would not let me record. This of course, makes me wish i had access to an analog setup- but alas, a dream this will stay. i actually do have a Yamaha MG16 mixer (and when i’ve recorded drums on it, it sounds amazing). However, that’s all i can do on it, since it is only one channel.

With this bit of a current roadblock, it’s led me to be musically creative in other ways. i don’t know if i’d be playing the melodica as much as i do, if i were mostly playing the regular setup. It’s also reminding me of the days i didn’t have access to a lot of instruments, and i got a lot of mileage out of a desk, some doors, a keyboard and ukulele.

One of my favorite things about doing these covers (whether it’s the ‘regular’ setup or a more limited one), is that it enables you to truly listen to the construction of a song. One can definitely cover a song to the exact note; however, i am not that good, so i have to figure out how to navigate something that others are much better than me at.
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Despite not being able to record on the usual DAW, i was able to record keys,. fortunately. As i was figuring out how i was going to cover the song below, i started messing around, playing other songs (and learning new ones). i kept playing my favorite riff of all time (American Jesus), as well as recording a silly version of ‘You Are The Sunshine Of My Life’ for my partner, without realizing that the next day (May 13) was Stevie Wonder’s day of birth. As ‘hokey’ as that song could be in lesser hands; it’s that song’s chords which always made me love it.

In messing around, i also ended up learning the main theme to the Godfather film.

After letting myself get some distraction out, i got down to it and did my interpretation of PM Dawn’s ‘Paper Doll’. i covered the club mix version.

Coming out of the land of Kool & The Gang (Jersey City, NJ), brothers Attrell and Jarrett Cordes were seen as being an extension of the hip hop community, but of course were attacked by purists (like KRS ONE in 1992, infamously) for not being ‘true to the culture’, as they included more pop and ‘alternative’ elements.

Given Kris’ unconditional/uncritical support of Afrika Bambaataa in the name of lionizing his place in hip hop culture (despite his clear history of predation), i think ultimately, Prince Be has been vindicated via his criticism: “KRS-One wants to be a teacher, but a teacher of what?”

The first major single (‘Set Adrift on Memory Bliss’) famously sampled Spandau Ballet’s ‘True’; but it was not until i heard ‘Paper Doll’, where i was paying a bit more attention. Most people always seemed a bit more attracted to a song like ‘Die Without You’ (which appeared on the Boomerang soundtrack)- given the inordinate amount of covers, i take this to be true. ‘Paper Doll’ however, spoke to me more.

Again, i’m not musically adept, therefore i play everything by ear. i made the decision to use keys for everything- including the drum pattern, given that i was not able to record the drum set. Every single thing you hear was played by me, mostly on the Yamaha MODX6+, except for tambourine and (obviously) vocals.

Sadly, Attrell Cordes (aka Prince Be) passed on from the physical realm a decade ago, as he succumbed to kidney disease. If he somehow (miraculously) hears this, i hope he’s not too upset.

When i decided to do the covers i did, i did not realize it was going to be a memorial of sorts.

i also didn’t think about how the songs i decided to cover both have a very abstract set of lyrics, which ultimately read as (or reference) breaking free of the things which prevent us from seeing our fullest potential.

The thing about tributes, memorials and funerals though… they’re clearly for us here on earth, more than anything; and if we’ve been paying attention, there’s no shortage of tributes to Chris Cornell, the beloved vocalist of Soundgarden.

Admittedly, my two favorite bands hailing from that whole crew of OG Seattle/Aberdeen rascals are Mudhoney and Melvins; out of what’s called the ‘big 4’ though, Soundgarden is my favorite.

Sometimes, you can tell when the person who writes a bulk of the songs has history or experience as a drummer. Cornell, like James Hetfield (who also dabbles on the kit) can play complex, off-kilter riffs while simultaneously singing. Soundgarden’s songs are quite percussive and polyrhythmic (with no shortage of odd time signatures), which i of course, love.

Sub Pop and SST were a couple of the handful of labels i would buy anything that had their names attached to it, so i was familiar with the earlier days of the band. Soundgarden were also (if i’m not mistaken) the first band out of the Seattle area OGs to be signed to a major label- A&M, with Louder Than Love.

It was the opening track of their third album, Badmotorfinger though, where my all-time favorite Soundgarden song, ‘Rusty Cage’, was born. i appreciate the song for many reasons, but i’ve never heard anyone mention the song having blues elements, as many of their songs do.

It was a song i have always wanted to cover, but was scared to. It seemed like such a daunting task for someone who is not that great, like myself. However, after a long bout of air drum practice, i was finally able to figure out on some level what the great Matt Cameron was doing. Still, i was too scared to sit down and do a cover- that is, until the day i was inspired to attempt one, after watching the Musora series of ‘musical interpretation’ videos, where they have professional musicians cover songs either in their style, or a song they’ve never heard.

Before i found out about this series, i realized that doing my own interpretation of covers is something i do all the time, so it felt comfortable to see professional musicians engage in new experiences.

In regard to ‘Rusty Cage’ being covered, it was Riccardo Merlini’s interpretation that truly inspired me to want to do it. Like me, he heard the riff on the downbeat (at least i think it’s the downbeat- i always get it confused), as opposed to the upbeat (i think?) that the song is actually played on. Despite the song not containing any rhythmic illusions at all, my brain always twists the count around (until Cameron brings us back to earth), which is what attracted me to the song in the first place.

Obviously, please correct me if i’m confusing things. This is why i say i love playing music, but i have no idea what i am doing.

Cameron’s playing on the song is phenomenal, but Merlini’s playing (when playing it on the count the both of us heard it) makes it big and kind of funky, and when listening the way the riff is ‘supposed’ to be listened to, he gave it a bit of a Zigaboo Modeliste feel.

Therein lied my decision to do the percussion in that way.

While i got the drums, the verse riff (which is in the top 5 of my favorite riffs of all time) i figured would be even more daunting. Attempting it on melodica, i initially struggled immensely when playing the song at album speed. i began to practice it between 60 and 80 percent, and once i got that down i played it again at album speed- which ironically became easier than playing it slow.

Still, the cover i did was at 60 percent, which was sincerely one of the biggest challenges i’ve had covering any song on here. The saying goes: people always think playing extra fast is the most difficult thing; but many a drummer will tell you that playing at a slower BPM is one of the hardest things to do. And given that both the bridge and final portion of this song is all about the odd time signature, playing it extra slow is NOT easy.

Because i have no idea how to write about how i play drum parts, i made this quick explanation:

While the cover is at 60%, i did play a little of it at album speed, and with melodica it made me want to hear a Tejano band cover it really bad. With the 60% version, it made me want to hear a zydeco or New Orleans funk band/drum line cover it.

It also made me want to hear SUNN O)) cover it.

i played melodica, tambourine, cowbell, a cardboard box, a desk, a salt shaker, handclaps, and vocals. The original song has a bit of octave vocals on it (which i added), but of course being me, i had to add some sort of harmony to it. i am in no way, shape or form Chris Cornell- (a. he’s not alive, sadly, and (b. look at me- so the vocals are not… well, you know. i do hope you have as much fun listening though, as i did playing it.

Instant Inspiration…

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“The opposite of love is not hate, but indifference.”

While he did not invent the quote; it is predominately attributed to Elie Wiesel, the Nobel Peace Prize-winning author of Night, a account of his experiences at Auschwitz and Buchenwald, during the Nazis’ regime.

The most fascinating thing about the quote being famously attributed to Wiesel is that he was also well known to be a supporter of Israel and its Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. For Wiesel (who left this earth in 2016), his interpretation of ‘indifference’ is sorely lacking in intersectionality; because anyone who is a supporter of Israel- whether ardent or liberal- is practicing indifference to the long-held genocide of Palestinian people.

While it is crucial to value the stories of survivors of particular pogroms within the last century; we should just as strongly critique their contradictions and silence (or cavalier attitudes) when it comes to ongoing pogroms (especially when it is done in their name).

i’ve seen similar modes of indifference and resignation, when it comes to violence upon marginalized and historically (and presently) oppressed groups of people. It’s not until certain events affect someone personally, before they make the connections.

“And you find that what was over there is over here…”

This is not to say that people only catching on now are bad people- that is too simplistic/myopic of an argument, though it is one that would immediately be focused on. The larger factor is that we are conditioned to individualize struggle (or suffering in particular), and to see it as a ‘moral failing’, as opposed to a systemic one.
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i have spoken about my ‘love/hate’ relationship with pop music here in the past.

Pop(ular) music’s purpose in general is set up (by an industry invested in profits) to be a vehicle for escapism. However, there are always going to be artists to belie that objective. Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou was one of those artists.

Wham! was among a select number of British pop groups/artists that were well known in pop circles, but also crossed over into the hood: The Police, Thompson Twins, Robert Palmer, Culture Club, Tears For Fears, Human league, David Bowie and Level 42, among others.

Whether it was the jazz scales, the nods to dub or the Jam and Lewis production, there was something which resonated for many. It was certainly something deeper than what the industry demanded- which musicians such as Terry Bozzio (who originally came out of the Zappa universe before forming Missing Persons) learned the hard way.

After WHAM! (his project with Andrew Ridgeley) disbanded in 1986, George Michael soon gave birth to his solo artistic journey with 1987’s Faith. Despite the album’s success, the centerpiece of the conversation was still his looks. Like many an artist before (and after) him, he aimed to be seen as an authentic artist, as opposed to a ‘pop star’…. hence, his rebirth.

Listen Without Prejudice (Vol. 1), as well as all subsequent albums, became even deeper treatises on interpersonal relations, death/loss, imperialism/war, class inequities and superficiality. He’s even utilized satire and dark humor at his own expense at times.

i personally like some of WHAM!’s music, and i think Faith is a decent collection of well-written songs. But it was Listen Without Prejudice (one of the greatest album titles in the whole world) that made me actually pay attention to what an incredible artist Mr. Panayiotou actually was (is). It’s songs such as ‘Mother’s Pride’ which certainly led him to becoming one of my favorite lyric writers of all time, and i have no problem putting him on a list of favorite vocalists as well.

‘Praying For Time’ (released in August of 1990) was the first single released from the album. i was about to turn 14 years old. i was already a burgeoning angry punk kid by this point, but i still loved a well-written song, regardless of where it came from.

And while Listen Without Prejudice got me to initially pay more attention, it was the anti- Tony Blair/George Bush/Iraq war jam ‘Shoot the Dog’ (initially released as a single, then on his final album (of original songs), 2004’s Patience) which sealed it for me. When i first heard it, i felt it was akin to a Ministry song, with its Twitch-era vocal similarities, the Human League sample, as well as the satirical jabs at Bush. There was also a dig at funds being allocated for imperialism, as opposed to necessary community services.

Nine nine nine gettin’ jiggy
People did you see that fire in the city?
It’s like we’re fresh out of democratic
Gotta get yourself a little something semi-automatic yeah

Mustapha
Mazel Tov
The Gaza Boys
All that holy stuff
I got the feelin’ when it all goes off
They’re gonna shoot the dog

The Ayatollah’s gettin’ bombed yeah
See Sergeant Bilko having fun again
Good puppy, good puppy
Rollin’ on over for The Man

Cherie baby, spliff up
I wanna kick back mama
And watch the World Cup with ya baby
Yeah, that’s right!
We’re getting freaky tonight
Stay with me tonight
Let’s have some fun while Tony’s stateside
It’s gonna be alright
It’s gonna be alright
See Tony dancing with Dubya
Don’t you wanna know why?
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‘Praying for Time”s text-only video was reminiscent of ‘Sign ‘O The Times’, the title track from an album released in 1987 by Prince, an artist who considered his music’s messages to be just as important as the visuals.

Hurricane Annie ripped the ceiling off a church and killed everyone inside
You turn on the telly and every other story is tellin’ you somebody died
Sister killed her baby ’cause she couldn’t afford to feed it
And we’re sending people to the moon

But if a night falls and a bomb falls
Will anybody see the dawn?

Is it silly, no?
When a rocket blows up
And everybody still wants to fly
Some say man ain’t happy, truly
Until a man truly dies

Around this time, i was questioning what the concept of God meant to me. Albeit brief, i was also entering a period of misanthropy. There were many factors: seeing so many around me be bullied, as well as being a recipient of bullying myself; seeing how non-human beings were being treated, seeing what seemed like endless war (even then)- and so much more, led me to a form of pessimism regarding humanity. The older i got, the less i engaged in misanthropy; at this point i no longer do. But ‘Praying For Time’ eloquently expressed whatever thoughts and questions that were occurring in my mind at the time.

i go through periods where i listen to it repeatedly. The first song i wrote (after an almost 10-year break) was a song heavily inspired by ‘Praying For Time’ in honor of ‘Buy Nothing Day’, a day i have observed for over two decades.

About the song, George Michael states, “There comes a point where you have to write something which you’d had not written before, and which your interests in any particular topic or subject will inspire you; and that’s why i suppose eventually, most lyricists do approach wider topics than sex and love.”

“And you find that what was over there is over here…”

Hunger, war, criminality, state violence… Those are things that were to be considered ‘over there’- in non-Western areas of the world, and in ‘urban areas’ of the West. We are conditioned to not only compartmentalize calamities as something ‘we’ don’t experience; we’re also conditioned to view ‘giving’ as a competition of sorts. Those who ‘give’ more are viewed as more ‘moral’, regardless of what else they’ve done in life. If “God” has ultimately “stopped keeping score”, then there’s no significant ‘moral compass’ to adhere to; so those who hold the most power create the rules, and we are expected to uncritically follow them.

And charity is a coat you wear twice a year

This is the year of the guilty man
Your television takes a stand

People are beginning to realize that the mechanisms of capitalism which drive poverty and war, and decides what levels of criminality can benefit those who hold the most wealth and resources, have ALWAYS been here.

Despite this fact, there are still some who continue to be in denial, and continue to, again, individualize and moralize issues stemmed from larger systemic injustices- “So you scream from behind your door/Say “what’s mine is mine and not yours”.
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i covered ‘Praying For Time’ (somewhat) on acoustic guitar, around the time of George Michael’s passing in 2016. Listening to it again almost ten years later, i got the idea of covering it again. Usually if i am singing lead for these cover songs i tend to record vocals separately, especially if i’m not in the regular ‘studio’. However, as it was an instantaneous thing, i decided to just go for it and record everything on one microphone.

Before i thought of covering it, as i was listening i was crying a lot. i don’t have the greatest singing voice as it is, and in my cover you hear several flat notes (among other things). Even with all that, i hope i paid respect to what i consider to be one of my favorite songs of all time, in positive ways.

This is just myself and ukulele, and one microphone.

Regarding ‘Shoot The Dog’, Mr. Panayiotou said, ”I wrote it to get people talking, not to change the world and certainly not to cause offense. If it stimulates debate and makes people dance and laugh, I think it will have done its job.”

While he is correct that music itself is not going to change the world; he was one of the few of his stature to make decisive statements in his music about certain political figures… So of course this was going to cause offense, and despite the intent, he was clearly aware that it would.

In response to the ‘offense’, he said (in a 2002 ITV interview with Trevor McDonald), “You know, there’s some very big money possibly being waved around in terms of getting what the people in Fleet Street would consider dirt on me… I was not aware that (the song) would become a mainstream enough thing that we’d be sitting here tonight, but i’m delighted it is, because I wanted to do something to help.”

When asked why he thought he was “equipped to make these points now,” George Michael responded, “Well, I’d say why do you think I’m not? That would be my question.” He mentioned that he sat and watched the news like any other person, but due to his status as a celebrity, he is being told that he needs to shut up and simply entertain. There’s also the expectation, celebrity or not, that you aren’t supposed to have a voice, if you’re not directly involved in the ‘political world’: “And if we’re not supposed to know and not supposed to get involved in the discussion, then that’s why I made the record, you know, because i don’t believe that.” When told that the song is being looked at as a “publicity stunt” due to his “career (not being) what it was,” he responded, “This would be the most stupid publicity stunt anyone ever pulled. I mean, look at the publicity I’ve got out of it. I’m not stupid. i knew I was gonna walk into a wall of criticism because these are very reactionary times, but they’re also very urgent times. And i felt that I had to do this.”

i don’t know if i’d call George Michael a big ‘ol lefty (since i’m not aware of the full scope of his ideological leanings); however, given the scope of his lyrical content, i’d make a safe bet that, if he were still here on earth he’d still be fairly critical regarding the mechanisms of capitalism and imperialism on some level.

What is clear is that he certainly lacked indifference… as did Chumbawamba.

Along the lines of what was said regarding “stimulat(ing) debate and making people dance and laugh,” Chumbawamba said something similar, but much more specific. The cover of Revolution, their 7″ EP released in 1985, stated: “If our music makes you happy, but content, it has failed. If our music entertains, but doesn’t inspire, it has failed. The music’s not a threat. Action that music inspires can be a threat.”
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i don’t remember when it was exactly i first heard Chumbawamba; given that i hung out with Anarchists (and other folks on the left), i was exposed to Revolution and songs from their earlier period, (especially since i loved bands like Crass). i also loved Anarchist (and adjacent) artists, multimedia artists/culture jammers such as The (International) Noise Conspiracy, Emergency Broadcast Network and Negativeland, and Chumbawamba did a split with them called The ABCs Of Anarchism, inspired by the Alexander Berkman book of the same title, and released in 1999.

i feel like i was living under a rock, because i honestly don’t remember much about Tubthumper at the time of its release in 1997. i don’t remember hearing the song (and of course, purchasing the album) until much later. What i do remember was that in the early 2000s i lived with a housemate who was obsessed with both Zounds and Chumbawamba, and she played the Singsong And A Scrap album, repeatedly. Interestingly, i don’t remember if she played much Crass, or early Chumbawamba.

Chumbawamba in many cases, were location and time specific; even with that, there have been certain songs which have surpassed time and space. Aside from ‘Tubthumping’, the only other song i can think of which has reached the public outside of the hardcore fans (and choirs), is ‘Nazi’ (aka ‘On The Day The Nazi Died’), which was released on 1994’s Showbusiness! There were several remixes and reworkings of the song as well. This was another song i was sitting around listening to, then decided i would attempt to cover it.

A sea shanty-type song, it was inspired after the death of Nazi Rudolph Hess, and the commemorations of him which followed. Given that nazism was inspired by many of the laws and tactics done in the U.S. (which was written about in books such as Hitler’s American Model), i changed the lyrics up a bit, as well as updated them to match more recent events.

We’re told that after ’45
The numbers met with dips
But we’ve seen the files for miles and miles
held together with Paperclips

The preferred history they sell
With evidence clear that they lied
‘Cause they continue to come out the woodwork
Even after the Nazis died

They thought the prisoner at Metropolitan         
Was a symbol of defeat
But accountability was not met
And so Epstein kept his seat

And his hope of a “superior gene pool”
Would never materialize
Because on the 10th of August in 2019
Was the day the Nazi died

The society’s riddled with gluttons
Eating at humanity
They’re making a tasty meal of all
The petit-bourgeoisie

In spreading their ideology
Behind social media they hide
Which gave people the illusion
That every Nazi died

So if you meet with an historian
I’ll tell you what to say
Tell them that the Nazis
Never ever went away

They’re out there murdering protesters
And peddling racist lies

And we’ll never rest again…
Until every Nazi dies.

This is just lil ‘ol me, acapella style.

The Country’s On Fire… But There’s Always Music

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Well… The U.S. has always been on fire in one way of another since its inception, with its constant state-sanctioned violence, class war, enslavement, and all of the trimmings. But of course the conflagration’s becoming more obvious to those who have not been paying attention, either generationally or by choice.

While technically there’s never, ever been a ‘peacetime’ when it comes to the U.S. (for marginalized folks, and anyone who’s been the target of imperialism), music has always been made, either as a means to communicate what is happening, or to bring people a sense of calm as they go to fight the everyday struggles.

This post represents both elements.
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So many people have beloved punk elder Dave Dictor to thank, whenever they chant “No __________, no KKK, no fascist USA” at a protest.

The primary reference point for many in more recent years was Green Day’s performance of ‘Bang Bang’ at the 2016 American Music Awards; however, given the fact that they’re a Bay Area (California) punk band, it’s guaranteed they listen to MDC (Dictor’s long-running band), and most likely saw them at Gilman Street.

Born in Austin, Texas; MDC (which is an acronym for everything from Millions of Dead Cops, Multi-Death Corporations, Millions Of Dead Children, etc.) was one of several amazing bands from the area, such as Dicks, Big Boys, and D.R.I. They did eventually move to the Bay Area, and around this time they also released their first album, Millions of Dead Cops, in 1982. Like many of their peers the album addressed and critiqued capitalism and its many appendages and branches (such as state violence, homophobia, consumerism, racism, corporatism, and more). ‘Born To Die’ (the song where the chant was born) is a classic in the band’s catalog- in fact, the band reworked it in 2016 to add ‘Trump’ instead of the original ‘war’.

(i personally think ‘war’ is more fitting, since every president is a figurehead who ramps up war against the masses, whether that’s internationally or domestically… Yes, including Jimmy Carter. Please study what happened with Indonesia and the people of East Timor, among other things.)

For this cover of ‘Born To Die’, jesse (who is not really into hardcore at all) was kind enough to lend his voice to some gang vocals. Everything else (vocals, percussion, tambourine, cowbell, handclaps, bass, and melodica) is me.

i will be back on the drum kit soon; i’ve just not been in a headspace (or capacity) lately to go down and play a whole setup, even though i still have the desire to create and play music, which i have been doing- i’ve released a couple of EPs over the past few months.

i am hoping you who is reading and listening, enjoy these more ‘stripped down’ covers though.

The next song is from a band i have covered on this site before, despite already knowing i could never do them justice: NoMeansNo. They are one of my favorite ever bands in the whole entire world, and while i in no way have the musical chops to attempt even a quarter of this band’s catalog, i sometimes am up for a good challenge.

Like a majority of the covers i do on this site, i learn them in one to two days. Again, it is a challenge, and it is more for fun than anything else.

‘Joy’ is the opening track from their 1995 album The Worldhood of the World (As Such). It is a song i have wanted to cover for many, many years but never attempted, since (again) i am not a good musician. i have actually only seen one person ever cover it. As a lyrics person i actually don’t mind that the song only utilizes one word, and it truly conveys everything. The song sounds like pure joy, amid the sea of despair, cynicism, depravity and dark comedy of the band’s catalog. Not only is the song one of the greatest openers on a NoMeansNo album; it’s one of the greatest album openers of all time. It also contains one of my top five riffs of all time.

With so much happening in the world (from the hands of U.S. empire), i figured it would be nice to have a bit of a balance… by way of a band from Victoria, B.C. (Canada).

i sing here (obviously)… or yell? i also play percussion, tambourine, handclaps, bass and melodica.

i don’t cover a lot of pop songs on here, mainly for a couple of reasons:

  • i (again) am not a good musician. i know people consider pop music in general to be vapid and/or derivative; however, the level of musicianship to play it tends to be ignored. While some of the more modern pop songs are built off of samples and/or sound very mechanical, the people who get hired to play as the backing band for the biggest artists are top notch musicians who can play a diverse range of genres.
  • i am not a good singer. There’s not much else to say about that.

That said, ‘King Of Wishful Thinking’ by Go West is a song i’ve also wanted to cover for many years, but did not for the reasons stated above. i had no idea how i would have approached it. i almost considered trying it on piano, but i already knew it would not have sounded good.

‘King’ most famously made its presence around the world via the soundtrack of the 1990 film, Pretty Woman. Interestingly, i had the soundtrack on cassette when it came out, but i don’t recall anything about the movie, outside of one or two clips i’ve seen. i can’t even recall if i’ve actually seen it outside of those clips. In terms of the soundtrack, i don’t remember much about that either, except for three artists: Roxette, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Go West.

There was something about Go West’s song that was always the most memorable for me though; despite (again) primarily being a lyrics person, i am a sucker for specific chords and layers. Even the drum programming (by Peter Wolf) lacks the sterility of many songs of that era, and in future years. It also could not have hurt that significant players from the Michael Jackson and Earth, Wind & Fire universes participated in the recording: Jerry Hey (trumpet and horn arrangements), David Williams (guitar), Gary Grant (trumpet), Larry Williams (saxophone) and Dorian Holley (background vocals).

Co-writer Peter Cox’ Bill Medley-esque vocals also fascinated me when i first heard them. Go West were pegged solidly in the pop realm overall (particularly given that the main chord structure of the song is not unlike some other UK-based pop songs during that era), but those vocals were definitely giving ‘Blue-eyed soul’.

i was not aware there was a music video for the song up until a few years ago; the surrealist/absurdist ‘everything but the kitchen sink’ theme was a bit off-putting to me (especially when they brought the poor elephant and zebra in), and it immediately reminded me of the nonsensical spectacle that is the video to Michael Jackson’s ‘Liberian Girl’.

But then i began to think again about the concept, as i was working on the cover.

While it most likely was a logistical means of eluding any sort of copyright entanglements regarding the film; thematically, in the end it makes sense. The narrator is literally having a one-sided conversation, in regard to a romantic breakup which does not appear to be amicable- while it appears to lean on the side of the narrator being dumped, there’s no specificity as to whether or not this is the case. The person he’s separated from appeared to be a significant part of his world; and while he recognizes the futility of it all, he’s in sheer denial of the reality of the split. He specifically repeats before and during the chorus that he’s got to fool himself and pretend that the cessation of this particular pairing is one that he’s finally come to terms with. The stoicism he’s displaying on the surface is met with more than a tinge of hope- but deep inside, the shell has already cracked… and what comes out is the absurdity of the facade.

Continually telling yourself something that you yourself do not believe, makes about as much sense as that music video.

For the cover i make an attempt at vocals; i also play melodica, percussion, a salt shaker that a friend made for me, bass, tambourine and handclaps.

And coming full circle (in more ways than one), the final song for this post is another one i immediately fell in love with when i first heard it, but cannot explain why: ‘Coming Clean’ by Green Day.

i was a Green Day appreciator from the Lookout! days, so when they came out with Dookie, i was all over it. In fact, my first and only time seeing them was on the tour for this album- 17 March 1994 (at Irving Plaza), with another Lookout! band, Tilt, opening.

My two favorite Green Day songs of all time are ‘2000 Light Years Away’ from Kerplunk (1992) and ‘Coming Clean’. Do they have better-written songs than those two? Absolutely…. but i do not care.

There is validity to wisdom; however, if one claims to have life entirely figured out, regardless of age, i feel as if this person has ceased to experience life. If you are above ground, there are always experiences and mistakes to learn from.

i am about to be 50 this year, and i’m still figuring out what it means to be a being on this planet. Having experienced a near-fatal accident, i particularly am still figuring out, five years later, what it means to be in this amputee body.

17 though? That was an interesting age. It was when i started my first band. It was also the year after i officially came out to my mother that i was not hetero, and despite our (more than) strained relationship over the years she was supportive, in her own way. i don’t even think i felt any sense of significant relief in my reveal. There was nothing i recall that was celebratory about it. It just felt more as a ‘Why not?’ My guess is that she knew before i even told her, but i could not even tell you if she remembers this moment, as it was fairly uneventful.

When i first heard ‘Coming Clean’ i had no idea it was about Billie Joe Armstrong’s coming to terms with his bisexuality. i connected the song in relation to the general anxiety that comes with the liminal period between the finality of teendom and approaching adulthood. i’ve seen very few interviews with the band over the years (despite listening to the music), so i only found out about the actual meaning around 20 years later, and thus, i followed this knowledge up with a rabbit hole. i’ve seen so few interviews over the years, that i had no idea until recently there was actually Billie Joe and Tré lore. While Lars Ulrich and Kirk Hammett were amusingly (and beautifully) taking the piss at the hypermasculinity and queer-antagonism in the metal and rock scenes via the portmanteau of KLARS; and while they are open allies to queer and trans folks, they both (as far as i know) are heterosexual. i was also familiar with KLARS as it was going on in real time in the 90s, so while Billie Joe and Tré’s antics do remind me of that, at least one (if not both) of the pair is openly queer.

It all ended up making so much sense to me- and it made me love the song even more.

i initially was going to give this cover the full band treatment at some point last year, but as previously mentioned, i haven’t been in the headspace to do it. Speaking of liminal spaces…

About 15 or so years ago i used to play the ukulele all the time; it was always tuned to my favorite key of all time: F#m… at least i think it was.

Given that i still want to play music in some capacity (despite my headspace), i’ve currently been gravitating toward the melodica (obviously), and re-gravitating toward the ukulele. So of course, i did what i had to do, and learned the chords of ‘Coming Clean’ on the ukulele. In the initial version i did (just trying to work out the song), i ended up hearing a bossa nova beat in my head, so i ended up playing it in the way you are hearing it in this recording.

It’s just vocals, a ukulele and the salt shaker.

Thank you for listening… This post is dedicated to anyone out there who needs some positive energy, in the midst of struggle.

Also: Fuck ICE and fuck fascism.

Appreciating Chords (And Melodica)…

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This post has helped to confirm even more of what i already knew- i am not the greatest singer. i absolutely love singing (obviously), but i am not great at it. After legitimately hearing people who are tone deaf (some of whom are among my blood relatives), i’ve been doing my best in trying not to say i can’t sing. i mean… anyone who has functional use of a voice box can sing; it’s whether one can sing in a key that is decipherable to the respective song they are singing that is the key. As a giant fan of ‘bad singing’ (where it is my 5th favorite thing in the whole world) though, i don’t mind that.

i think singing, like playing an instrument, is a nice challenge for me. The songs i chose for this post were fairly spontaneous, because i do like the challenge.
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‘Plush’ by Stone Temple Pilots is a song i’ve loved from the moment i heard it. i have no idea when it was the first time i heard it, but it was definitely around the time of the single’s release. In the course of working on this post i remembered that i actually bought a cassette of Core (the album the song derives from) fairly immediately after hearing it- and that is literally all i remember. i obviously heard the rest of the album, but don’t recall any of the songs. ‘Plush’ was the only one that stuck with me. The other thing i remember specifically about the song is that it was incredibly hated by many, as it was seen as a Pearl Jam knockoff. i would not be surprised if Atlantic Records aimed to market them in that way, since the early 90s was an era where the industry attempted to pigeonhole a number of bands with the ‘grunge’ title. While a band like Mudhoney (especially in the 90s) sounded more like a marriage of Captain Beefheart and garage punk, Nirvana’s direct influences were bands like Pixies, Soundgarden seemed to have more prog/metal influences and Pearl Jam had more ‘jam band’ elements; i am not sure what a ‘grunge’ sound actually is.

But STP were not it. They were/are a lot more melodic than the sludginess of whatever the arbiters of consumer culture aim to market as ‘grunge’. And in the course of working on this post, it seems like many have come around to this song, with all of the other covers i have seen.

And i’ve just added to that. So if my cover is bad, i apologize in advance.
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As a person who tends to pay heavy attention to lyrics; in a rare instance, the chords were the first thing that grabbed me about the song. They were some of the most beautiful chords i have ever heard in my life, and as many a player of music says; similar to Stevie Wonder (or Bad Religion) chords, the ones of ‘Plush’ are something i have been trying to chase. The second guitar gives everything this hauntingly beautiful layer (that is missing in most covers, since most of the bands covering it has one guitarist). Robert DeLeo’s bass melodies are incredibly lovely as well.

On writing the riff, DeLeo said simply, “It’s kinda ragtime guitar.” After hearing that it made sense, because jazz (and diminished) chords are some of the most amazing on earth.

In terms of the lyrics though, Scott Weiland (who co-wrote the lyrics with drummer Eric Kretz) “A girl was kidnapped and then later found tragically murdered back in the early part of the ’90s. So it gave me fuel to write the words to this song. However, this song is not about that, really; it’s sort of a metaphor for a lost, obsessive relationship.”

After listening to the song one day, after a mini conversation i said “i’m going to cover this song.” i already knew i was not going to match the greatness of the original, but to be honest, that goes for any song i cover. It’s all in fun anyway, warts and all.
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i’ve been fairly obsessed with playing the melodica. People think of it as a toy, but there’s plenty of things you can do with it. From Jon Batiste to Ena Yoshida to Jon King to bands like New Order and the Smiths… the melodica can be used effectively. Again, like with my singing (or any other instrument) i’m not great at it, but fun is the operative word we should be focused on.

My favorite thing to play on the Suzuki Melodion M-37C though, is ‘Giant Steps’, a song that absolutely changed my life when i was 19 years old, and along with Herbie Hancock’s ‘Maiden Voyage’, contributed to me loving music itself, as opposed to specific bands or artists.

For most of the covers here i played the melodica with some percussion, vocals and bass; i think i added a bit of guitar here as well.

Getting back to the singing; one thing i am understanding more and more is my range. The songs i sang here might be easy for some, but in some ways was challenging for me.

My range is mostly in the ‘folk singer’ mode. i am not a belter at all (which is why you don’t see me covering a lot of songs where that happens, despite me loving a lot of that stuff. i suppose i am more of a belter when i am not being serious, but my actual singing voice, i don’t do very well in that. i am also not much of a screamer, even though i do occasional ‘screaming’, and used to do it a lot more in some bands when i was younger.

(i started thinking about how perhaps i should cover some Suzanne Vega, who’s one of my favorite ever artists. i think i could perhaps handle those kinds of vocals).
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i didn’t want just one song to be a post, but i had no idea what songs i could cover- then randomly, Chris Connelly popped into my head. He’s perhaps known by most as having Ministry and Pigface associations, but his solo works are fairly diverse, and absolutely amazing. He also co-wrote the lyrics to ‘Rapid Fire’ with Meshell Ndegeocello (from the album Weather), one of my favorite artists ever of all time, in the whole world.

Connelly wrote in his book Concrete, Bulletproof, Invisible, and Fried: My Life As A Revolting Cock that “99%” of the folks who were fans of the bands he’s normally associated with (like Ministry or the Revolting Cocks) hated his solo stuff. i do not know how true that is; however, if it is, those folks are missing out on some amazing music. i am glad i actually had an opportunity to see him back in the 90s, when he performed at the Limelight in NYC.

The song i chose for this post is one of my favorite songs of his, ‘No Lesser Of Two Evils’, from what he considers to be the “unfortunately named” Phenobarb Bambalam. He doesn’t seem to be that fond of the album. From what i recall, it was a pretty rough time during the making of this album (for many reasons, including the physical transition of a partner, which inspired the album on some level).

That said, while working on this post i did find out the album was recently reissued on Wax Trax! in 2023, with some extra tracks (plus a lengthy commentary by Connelly). i currently only have it on the original CD, but i used to have it on both cassette and vinyl as well. Anyone not familiar with him might automatically give the vocals some David Bowie comparisons. Actually listening to the music though, would automatically lose the comparison. This man has made so many solo albums and has been in too many bands to count, that to compare him to a singular artist would not be doing justice to the music.

The other thing about this post is that i never realized i’d been singing the lyrics to the song wrong the whole time. i don’t recall the cassette or vinyl having a lyric sheet, and the CD doesn’t have one either. Perhaps the reissue does.

i go to look up lyrics- and they could not be more wrong. Every single lyrics site had the same exact massively incorrect lyrics. i know i have gotten a bunch of the lyrics wrong, but this is too much. The cover i do does the best with whatever information i’ve been given, and what i know are the correct lyrics, despite sill (obviously) getting some of them absolutely incorrect.

The main riff of the piano has some bouncy piano (juxtaposing with the son’s sadness); however, the melodica makes it sound a bit more like the Smiths, or even a bit of Gang Of Four. The other thing that makes this song interesting is that it doesn’t have a traditional chorus.

The other thing that makes me happy is that i finally found a way to fit in the cowbell, which i think is in the original song as well.

If covering Chris Connelly was not on my ‘to do’ list for this blog, neither was the James Gang. i’m technically not as good as anyone in that band… at all.

But again, i am up for a challenge.

Similar to ‘Plush’; i don’t know where i first got exposed to them. i used to buy as much vinyl as i could find (since vinyl was much less expensive than it is now). i think the first records i got were a ‘best of’ compilation, and James Gang Rides again. Both of those had what ended up being two of my favorite James Gang songs- ‘Ashes, The Rain & I’ (from Rides Again– my absolute favorite song of theirs) and the Live In Concert version of ‘Take A Look Around’. i didn’t hear the original Yer’ Album version (which includes a third verse missing from the live version) until a bit later. Both songs have an instrumental coda, which give the songs the intended emotional resonance.

A lot of people point to songs like ‘Funk #49’ or ‘Walk Away’ as being favorites; however, while those songs are great, they have some pretty amazing album cuts, like ‘Things I Could Be’, ‘It’s All The Same’ (both from the Thirds album) and the two featured in this post.

Also similar to Connelly’s song, ‘Take A Look Around’ does not have a traditional chorus.. One of the more interesting things i discovered in the midst of doing these two songs is that they are both in complete juxtaposition to one another: ‘Take A Look Around’ is about not looking to the past and seeking to live a life of now, with joy. The narrator of ‘Ashes, The Rain & I’ is “Living days gone by”.

Speaking of incorrect lyrics; for the longest time i used to think the lyrics of ‘Take A Look Around’ were “Too many words to talk/and no one to hear them” as opposed to “Moments too few”, because again, i only heard the live version for a long time. i still cannot unhear it.

i am also amazed at how many variants James Gang records have. Many people talk about the multiple variants being released today; James Gang records have been repressed/reissued, remastered, released to various countries, and reissued yet again.

With ‘Ashes’, i played only the guitar and bass (with vocals), and ‘Take A Look Around’ was all of the other things previously mentioned.

i had fun doing these (despite any struggles i had along the way). i hope anyone who listens finds some positivity out of them.

The Melodica…

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It has truly been a while since the last post; in the midst of traveling, organizing, working on other projects, and of course, navigating life and all of its ups and downs, i decided to take a bit of time and create something- which is kind of like a ‘Fulfilling Teenage Wishes (part 1.5)’.

i’ve been fairly obsessed with the melodica i recently got; it’s an instrument i’ve always wanted to play ever since i heard Augustus Pablo), but never got around to it. i’m obviously not as good as Mr. Pablo, but i still have fun, experimenting with different music.

i did not have a lot of time to work on anything in the St. Anger Room,. so i decided to make use of the things i have outside of it, one being the melodica, a drum pad, and a cardboard box in particular.
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i went to see D.R.I. a few days ago (my second time within a year), and like always, it was a lot of fun. The main difference this time is that i entered the pit. Not only was it the first time i’ve done so in almost 30 years; it was also the first time i did so, as an amputee in a wheelchair. It felt absolutely amazing. It certainly brought back memories of seeing D.R.I. at L’Amour in Brooklyn in the 1990s, and the pit there being in the top 3 of the most brutal ones i’ve ever been in.

D.R.I. transitioned from being beloved in the hardcore/skate scene, to being one of the originators of crossover thrash- that mix of metal and thrash. One of the things that attracted me to them musically is their propensity for odd timings, and start/stops. And it doesn’t hurt that the lyrics are saying something.

i figured i would commemorate the moment by covering my favorite D.R.I. song of all time- ‘Draft Me’. The song’s actually pretty timely, given that Germany’s cabinet recently voted for a bill regarding voluntary military service, leading to the potentiality of the reinstatement of compulsory military service, if the volunteer numbers don’t increase. No one should be surprised if there’s some U.S. bill (that majority of people in the House and Senate don’t read but pass anyway) that has some fine-lined stipulation (on page 978) regarding conscription- despite the president not being able to unilaterally reinstall a draft.

Again, in this day and age, no one should be surprised.

Here, i played the melodica (obviously), the harmonica, a cardboard box, a drum pad, a tambourine, and vocals.

The other thing that happened (actually on the same day i saw D.R.I.) was the news of Flipper’s Bruce Calderwood (aka ‘Bruce Loose’)’s passing. i mentioned this to a bunch of people, and most of them were not familiar with Flipper, which made me quite sad.

Flipper was one of my top 5 favorite bands in high school- i would not necessarily call them a ‘gateway’ band (it’s clear they’re not, since most people i talked to didn’t even know who they were); but they (along with Melvins, Mudhoney and Jesus Lizard) were one of the bands that led me to a trajectory of even more ‘weird’ and ‘unconventional’ artists. They were, for all intents and purposes, punk; but overall, they created uncompromising noise.

The song i chose to cover is perhaps one of their most beloved- ‘Sex Bomb’. i have a trumpet (as opposed to a sax), but i’m not great at it- but honestly, i’m not that great at most things i play, so who am i kidding? Perhaps i will post a song with a trumpet here sometime.

Speaking of the sax, the riff always makes me think of the sax riff in James Brown’s ‘Out Of Sight’, and you can’t tell me they weren’t listening to that before they did this song… Either that, or it seeped into their subconscious. James Brown’s song is essentially some blues, and so is ‘Sex Bomb’.

Nevertheless, i played bass here (where the pick kept falling out of my fingers, but i didn’t want to stop- it’s actually perfect, given the song i’m playing); i also played the tambourine, the soprano and alto recorder, a cardboard box, a drum pad, some handclaps, a melodica, a harmonica… and some screaming vocals.

RIP Bruce, and RIP Will.

Fulfilling Teenage Wishes (Part 1)

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i don’t come from a musical family, so i have no idea where it comes from. All i can say is, as long as i remember, whether they actually existed in a song or not i’ve always had harmonies in my head for anything that was on. This of course grew as i began to listen to things outside of what my mother played in the house. Regardless if it was screaming hardcore/punk, folk or R&B, everything got a harmony attached to it.

With that, as i joined a few bands and recorded a solo project or two as a teenager, there were a few songs i had wanted to cover. i had this elaborate plan in my head around how i wanted to go about it, but of course, nothing panned out. Over the years i did do covers (mostly a capella, on ukulele and on piano); however, the particular songs i had longed to do were not among that list- until now.

The way my brain works- If i have a bit of time in my schedule, i will randomly want to create something, whether that’s writing or music. When i was taking a shower- because that’s most likely what happened- the idea arrived that i could actually cover a few of the songs i had wanted to cover since i was a sad/angry teenager who loved harmonies.

One of the songs at the top of that list is ‘Safari’ by the Breeders. A well-beloved song by fans and appreciators, it is the title track from the 1992-released four song EP. Both The Breeders and Pixies (Kim Deal’s band prior to The Breeders) were among some of my earliest musical influences (and you can still hear some of that in music i play today); they also contributed to the development of my massive Steve Albini appreciation.

A direct tribute to Black Sabbath, the video was a apt accompaniment to the seemingly trippy but glorious (no pun intended) layering, with every instrument holding a simultaneous clarity. My favorite part of the song is the ethereal/atmospheric first twenty seconds- i always play this on repeat. Even more favorite is Josephine Wiggs (who rarely if ever gets credited for being the amazing bassist she is) seemingly stopping short, as she realized she wasn’t supposed to keep playing. Whether or not it was intentional, she hits a note that gives everything this perfect touch. Teenage me (who wanted to cover the song) was destined to figure out a way to pay tribute, with whatever limited access to equipment i had.

So here we are, 33 years later… i’m not the greatest ‘musician’ so it’s obviously not as clean or ethereal, but my dream of covering the song has come true. The main difference between the cover and original is that, for some reason, i did not use any toms during the intro/chorus riff; i cannot tell you why. i also added some harmonies, because that is what i do. Because as (the) Buzzcocks once sang, there’s always a harmony in my head.

Released in 1993, Bubble And Scrape by Sebadoh is one i played on repeat in my portable cassette player, among their other albums. A mix of messy punk rock and lovelorn homemade folk, their music satiated a love i had for both noise and beautiful harmonies.

As someone who identified as hopelessly romantic at the time, Lou Barlow’s tales of lost and unrequited love resonated with me, and they balanced perfectly with Eric Gaffney and Jason Lowenstein’s surrealist and intoxication-inspired narratives. ‘Think (Let Tomorrow Bee)’, the album’s penultimate song, was one i played on repeat, as i thought about the hundreds of ways i could tell someone i had feelings for them but was too scared to, because every time i did it always ended in rejection. Because of this, most days i kept my feelings inside, with the songs to keep me company.

As the song is just guitar and vocals it would be much easier to cover, but it’s not something i ever got around to… until now, 32 years later. i had no idea how i was going to approach things, until i sat down at the drums. This then gave me a better (if not full) idea of how i would potentially approach the rest of the song. After this, i added the bass, then some guide vocals. This all helped me to navigate how i would approach the keys. After messing around, what ended happening was something that ended up being completely different from the original, with the intention of it being completely respectful to the sentiment.

i hope i did okay…

Metallica Fridays (no. 38): The Justice Medley!!!!

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This is going to be incredibly short (for me).

So much has happened since the last post- besides the unfortunately extended periods of deep depression episodes; in between that, i actually made a record! i played all of the instruments (drums, bass, guitars, keys and ukulele) as well as did all of the vocals. Around the time i was in the process of sending the record off to be pressed, one of my closest friends passed. i feel like i have somewhat processed it- only somewhat. However, there is a giant piece missing in my life (and my heart) right now.

i did quite a bit of traveling in between posts as well- in some of that, i ended up seeing a bunch of Metallica shows, for their first leg of the M72 tour. i ended up making some wonderful friendships, and finally meeting people in person that i’ve communicated with through email or text. As a matter of fact, i saw them not too long after my friend passed, and it was cathartic to be at a concert of a band i connect with in a spiritual sense, and thinking of my dear friend as i am there. As they opened with Ennio Morricone’s ‘The Ecstasy Of Gold’ (as they do every concert), tears fell down my face.
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We are here now… with another medley!

This medley came about, as i was inspired by Seb, who runs the RIFF LIFE site. He’s been holding a contest for people to do a medley of songs from the …And Justice For All album. He’s always encouraging me to enter these contests, and i never do it. i don’t feel i’m good enough to enter a contest for a band like Metallica.

Has that changed? Nope. i’m still not good enough to enter a Metallica contest. But i did it anyway.

This is an album i’ve actually only done a handful of songs for, for these Metallica Fridays posts. i figured i would break my six month fast from playing drums, with playing songs from this album. There are a few mistakes made (but what is new?), but it felt good to sit at the drums again.

The thing is, i was pretty excited to put the medley together, and i made it without reading the rules of the contest. There were several things i missed- for starters, i ended up covering every song, so the video was much longer than required.

With that, today’s post will be the medley, as this will perhaps be a good way to help me get back in the groove- no pun intended. i sincerely thank everyone who takes the time out of their day to peruse these posts (and/or actually watches the videos and reads the text). i hope this post is just as positive for you.

Metallica Fridays (no. 37): The Best Way To Return…

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It has been four months since i’ve posted on here, and six months since i’ve made a Metallica-dedicated post. it’s also been a few months since i’ve regularly played music.

Some time in between then we had a basement flood. Fortunately nothing was damaged, but we still had to spend a bit of time moving things around, drying the floor, then putting everything back. Since my drum setup is slightly unorthodox, i had to try and remember where things went. While i put everything back where it originally was since i last played (for the most part), i’m still experimenting to see what works best.

i don’t know how many people play drums in a wheelchair, but it isn’t easy. Since my right knee doesn’t bend my amputated leg just sticks out (which i’m sure you have seen in videos here). i cannot sit on a ‘traditional’ drum stool, since with one leg i have absolutely no support. i am on the lookout for something that has arms or support on the sides, so my legs don’t get all cut up from the sides when i play in the wheelchair- when i forget to add support.
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While i’m totally not yet completely set up in the ways i really want to be, i did want to get back on the drums. The first full song i played to commemorate the return was my favorite song on St. Anger– ‘Purify’. i actually did play drums to this song a couple of years ago… When i was initially trying to figure out how to play the song. i had an idea of what it sounded like in my head, but when i play it back i have no choice but to ask myself what that was. It wasn’t that good. And as critical i am (and will always be) of my playing, i have to say that there’s definite improvements in the two years since first playing the song.

But that’s what this website is about- a journey. i’m not the greatest player in the world, and i’m not even that great. What i am though, is doing something i love to do.

There’s so much i love about this song- the lyrical utilization of ‘turpentine’ as something analogous to the process of therapy; the 3/4 count of the verses (and James Hetfield’s counter-rhythm vocals), the verse riff, Bob Rock’s bass (which gets little to no credit at all); and of course, the groove, use of silence and swing in Lars Ulrich’s playing. People continually concentrate praise unto Lars for what he did with the first four albums. the man is my greatest musical inspiration, so of course i love what he does on every single album. That said, St. Anger contains some of the most adventurous playing he’s done in his entire life.

‘Purify’ is, from what i can see, one of Metallica’s most complex (or unorthodox) songs in their whole catalog. There are definitely songs with odd timings or switch-ups (based on what Lars is playing), such as ‘Orion’, ‘Battery’ and ‘Blackened’. Despite 3/4 not being an odd timing in general (it is essentially a waltz count), both the stop/start of the verses, plus the riff at the end make ‘Purify’ specifically unusual. This is not unlike what bands such as Helmet (another one of my favorite bands) have done, with songs like ‘Turned Out’, which is in 5/4. Lars is not as dynamic of a player as John Stanier (or Kyle Stevenson, Helmet’s current drummer)- Lars pretty much hits hard, and doesn’t do a lot of ghost notes, for instance. It’s clear though, that jazz has influenced Lars’ style on some level, something he does have in common with players like Stanier, or Brooks Wackerman.
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i don’t in any way profess to be as good as Lars- firstly, he’s been playing way longer than me. Secondly, i have one foot, so playing the double bass that is needed for this song (and much of the catalog) is going to be impossible. Third, the foot and ankle that actually are functional aren’t the strongest, so i make other patterns with the kick that will (hopefully) compliment my physical limitations.

And while i’m in the middle of still sorting everything out post-flood, hopefully things don’t sound too bad.

(Thanks to Angelo for creating the visual at the end.)

BAD RELIGION (part 2): A TRIBUTE TO ALL THE ALBUMS!!!

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i have never been a good singer, but i have always loved doing it. 

Ever since i was a child, music was always in my system. i wrote my first song when i was 8 years old, and not too soon after that i was co-creating songs with my sister (who was a far better singer than i). The more i began to write and listen to music, the more i became attracted to harmonies and background singing, to the point i thought i wanted to do it professionally… even though i know i would never be hired. 

i loved harmonies almost as much as i loved the drums. No matter the song or genre there was always, as the Buzzcocks song states, a harmony in my head (i will not let the irony slip that there’s a certain (popular) Bad Religion song with an uncannily similar bridge/middle 8 riff). It got to the point sometimes where i’d tune out the lead parts. 

When Bad Religion came into my life as a teenager, it felt like a wonderland. Despite being an angry punk kid (screaming and ‘singing’ in punk and indie bands), and even as i agree with the sentiment that punk is a type of folk music; i’ve never been an aggressive singer. My vocals would probably fall more in line with a more ‘traditional’ folk sensibility. i always wished i could scream like the greatest hardcore singers, or sing as smooth or effortlessly as Luther Vandross or Phyllis Hyman, but the universe did not deal me that hand. i’m not sure exactly what the universe gave me, but i deal with my limitations in the best ways i can. Like everything else in life. 
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Greg Graffin was the first person whose vocals i ever fell in love with (The second person is Mahmoud Ahmed). There are plenty of singers whom i’ve loved (and continue to love) over the years; however, it wasn’t a particular Bad Religion album, but their performance at the Olympic Auditorium in 1984 (which was the Flipside fanzine-released concert that i had a copy of on VHS as a teenager) that grabbed the depths of my heart. It was like, you could be a punk kid and not have to scream. Graffin’s vocals subsequently improved (obviously), but there was something in his vocals on that video that grabbed me- the occasional vibrato, or the penchant for utilizing harmony as a lead voice. There was the simultaneous roughness and vocal fry, with the warmth and musicality not common among his peers. i loved the songs (which is why i got the tape), but i was primarily fixated on the vocals- which is a rare occurrence for me, as i am more of a lyrics person than anything else. 

Besides James Hetfield, Graffin is my favorite rock singer, if you can call him that. As a teenager i wasn’t aware of his choir training (or his other musical interests) as a youth, but in retrospect it’s easy to see the approach he utilizes as a vocalist stems from some of that training. When talking about range and dynamics, there tends to be a greater focus on belters or screamers. Very few people i’ve seen cover BR’s songs (including myself) don’t particularly have the range he has. 
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In terms of figuring out what songs to do for this post… i couldn’t. It was too difficult. They have too many songs i love, so i decided to pay respect to their whole catalog: yes, including Into The Unknown, an album i absolutely adore. i do not care what Brett Gurewitz or anyone else says- this album is among the top 3 of my favorite BR albums. Not only was it (at least to me) an incredibly sincere response to the increasing violence and machismo in the punk scene, but it also symbolized a lot of what musically inspired them, even if those inspirations were not apparent on their first EP and album (Bad Religion and How Can Hell Be Any Worse?, respectively). The band should not be ashamed at all of that album. The rough production belied the great work that it actually is. It also birthed the trajectory of where the band’s harmonic sensibilities lie. 

If the band’s albums collectively sounded consistently like the first one; as much as i love that album, Bad Religion certainly would not be one of my all-time favorite bands. They certainly do have a dependable formula which has contributed to their success (not unlike the Ramones or AC/DC); but as much as they’ve collectively derided the album over the years (Gurewitz in particular), it is the experience of Into The Unknown that led them to the path they decided to trudge, for better or worse. It is possibly with this understanding that they’ve played select songs from the album in more recent years (including a surprise 2021 performance). 

Yes, i do have an original copy of this album, and i am very happy. It is an amazing album and no one can tell me otherwise.

While i love the band’s whole catalog (including the (again) second album, as well as all of the Atlantic Records period), i had to be a bit scientific in terms of what songs i chose. i combed through the catalog with the understanding that i could probably sing harmonies to every single one of these songs, but would i be able to sing the lead? What significance or impact do these particular songs have in my life, enough for me to want to do them? Could i make them the least bit interesting? 

Like the last post, i decided to arrange many of the songs in F#m (F sharp minor), which was not that easy of a task, especially when utilizing the higher ranges of my voice. The only thing i can say is that i hope i was respectful. 

The songs chosen for this medley were:

  1. Anxiety (No Control)
  2. Generator (Generator)
  3. The Voracious March Of Godliness (No Substance)
  4. Time And Disregard (Part III) (Into The Unknown– My favorite song on the album)
  5. Million Days (Into The Unknown)
  6. Only Entertainment (Generator)
  7. The Handshake (Stranger Than Fiction)
  8. What It Is (Stranger Than Fiction)
  9. Pride And The Pallor (The Dissent Of Man)
  10. Individual (Stranger Than Fiction)
  11. God’s Love (The Empire Strikes First)
  12. Recipe For Hate (Recipe For Hate)
  13. The Profane Rights Of Man (The Age Of Unreason)
  14. Pessimistic Lines (Suffer)
  15. Inner Logic (Stranger Than Fiction– This album is probably also in the top 3 of my favorite BR albums, i seem to have done a lot of songs here)
  16. Part II (The Numbers Game) (Suffer)
  17. Kyoto Now! (The Process Of Belief– a top 5 BR song for me)
  18. Don’t Sell Me Short (The New America– This is in the top 3 of my favorite BR songs)
  19. Get Off (Against The Grain)
  20. Nobody Listens (The Gray Race)
  21. Nothing To Dismay (True North)
  22. Old Regime (The Age Of Unreason)
  23. Vanity (True North)
  24. 52 Seconds (New Maps Of Hell)

After i compiled the songs and put them in the order i was going to do them, i played drums as a skeleton for the medley (versus the other post, where i did the vocals first). The medley consists of just me playing drums, and doing a bunch of vocals (i’m not as great of a singer as Greg Graffin, but i hope it’s again, respectful to the band and their wonderful albums).

If you are an appreciator of Bad Religion, you perhaps noticed that the medley above contained every album except for the first- and you would be correct, because i decided to do full band covers of a couple of songs.

My favorite song from How Can Hell Be Any Worse? is actually ‘In The Night’, but for this post i decided to cover the classic ‘We’re Only Gonna Die’ (or its alternately named full title, ‘We’re Only Gonna Die (From Our Own Arrogance)’. For some reason i decided to make it extremely fast, so given i’m not that great at guitar as it is, i wasn’t even going to attempt to play it here. Instead, i just layered the track with two basses- one doing ‘regular’ bass duties, and the other plugged into a Big Muff. It also wouldn’t be a proper Bad Religion cover without a tribute to Graffin’s random pointing. i probably didn’t point enough, to be honest. i’m horrible.

(A lot of people talk about the Sublime cover of this song being the quintessential one. i disagree (homeboy)- the best rendition of this song (outside of the original) is the Biohazard cover… and not even that touches the original. Ironically, i played it as fast as the Sublime version.)

We shall round out this post with another top 3 song (and a fan/appreciator favorite), ‘Along The Way’. Considering this song to be “as close as (he) ever got to being religious,” Graffin wrote the lyrics in memory of his dear friend Tommy George. The song is up there with ‘Maureen’, my favorite Sade song. Both songs are simple, yet effective.

Both songs are close to my heart, and remind me of one of my closest friends, Barry Hampton, who physically transitioned in February of 2011. He was my rock in the midst of turbulence. i miss our late night conversations, and his moving through the world with an absence of fear. It’s difficult to develop solid/substantial friendships in this day and age (especially being an amputee), so i cherish every moment. After i recorded the song i said to myself, ‘i should have replaced ‘Tommy’ with ‘Barry”; the sentiment is still the same. 

i also kept things to the double-layered bass, drums and vocals, but the Gibson 2019 SG tribute makes the briefest of appearances. i am in no way, shape or form Greg Hetson, so i’m not even going to attempt doing a Hetson-level solo. That said, i wanted to add a tiny bit of something, even if it’s not a mindblowing solo. And besides, it’s a BR cover; and putting the SG somewhere makes sense. 

This post is dedicated to Derek and Andreas- i hope i did alright.

And your name here. Of course.