Dear Friends,
I had a couple of great ideas for stories on the road this weekend. One is a time travel story that would make a great TV show, I think. The other would be about a dude who…damn it. I forgot the second one. I have to think about it. I knew I should have had Siri take a note. It was a good one, too.
When these things happen, I try to chalk them up as gifts to the creative gods. If I frame it that way in my head, it doesn’t hurt as much. Sometimes a good idea is all you got.
What a long but rad weekend. Topped it off by seeing some friends and making some noise. The evening is kind of a blur due to how tired I was, but once we got on stage and got going, I was all right.
It was a terrible Sunday for sports in the valley. The Cardinals are who we thought they were, and a lot of people probably missed a very exciting and admirable try by the Mercury on ESPN. I was flipping back and forth and, at one point, I forgot to switch back to the football game for a long time. The stupid Diamondbacks blew an 8-run lead, too.
I’m probably done thinking about sports for a while, though. This week is focused on getting ready for Maine and making sure my sub for next week has everything they need. It’s going to be a long week, but that’s okay.
Today will be a long day, too, as I have a three-hour meeting in the afternoon. It should be a good thing, but three hours is a long time for any meeting/training. I hope the facilitator keeps it moving.
*****
The popularity of Violent Femmes in the early 1980s was something to behold. Everybody liked them, even my dad and Lori. We would listen to their record every once in a while, and they really seemed to enjoy it. I thought they were great.
When Hallowed Ground came out, though, a lot of people didn’t dig it. I sure did, though. I liked it better than the first, self-titled record. I liked being part of a huge minority when it came to the Femmes. It made me feel like I was a real fan.
Maybe it is because the first song, “Country Death Song” is about a guy who killed his daughter because he couldn’t afford to feed another person. I spoke to Gordon Gano about this one when I interviewed him several years ago. He’s an odd dude, totally odd, but he was pretty clear that “Country Death Song” had to be the first song on the record.
It certainly sets a tone.
“I Hear The Rain” is another one that probably turned people off. Hallowed Ground doesn’t really have any radio hits like the first one. Maybe they were hoping “Never Tell” would be something of a hit, but it’s another one that has a really dark undercurrent.
Hell, even the record cover is pretty dark.
“Never Tell” has some great bass work from Brian Ritchie, though. That guy can seriously play. I really like what he does on Hallowed Ground. For a record that came out 40 years ago, these guys were really pushing some envelopes. Hard to believe it has been that long.
“Jesus Walking On The Water” is a good ol’ revival song and it gives way to some beautiful work from Victor De Lorenzo on “I Know It’s True But I’m Sorry To Say.” This one has a real Velvet Underground feel to it. I don’t think I put two and two together back during freshman year, but I hear it now.
“Hallowed Ground” is a bit of a rambler, but I like how it sort of spreads itself out and lays prostrate at the feet of the listener. Gano bares his soul a bit in his vocal delivery during the verses. There is also some tasty work by De Lorenzo on this one as he and Ritchie kind of spar a bit and take the lead back and forth from each other.
The guitar on “Sweet Misery Blues” duels with some nice cornetto from a guy named Drake Scott. It’s bluesy in a way that would fit in perfectly if you were to stumble on the band busking on a corner in New Orleans. I really liked this song as a teenager. I was very drawn to this sound in those days.
“Black Girls” is probably the best-known song on this record. It’s a fine song. I liked it then and I like it now. It bursts onto the scene in a very charming way. De Lorenzo plays this galloping beat before Ritchie brings it together with his jumpy bass line. I certainly wanted to date a nice black girl after hearing this.
“It’s Gonna Rain” closes out the show. It’s probably the least memorable song on the record. This song is kinda big and goofy. I’m guessing they didn’t play it very often.
I’m glad I revisit this one every so often, though. Great record. Different, but great.
*****
See you soon.
Sleepy teacher.
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