Story Behind The Song: Episode 3
Sometimes you start at the end and work to the beginning. There was this phrase rolling around in my head about leaving too soon or too late. And I got to wondering who would say this and what would lead them to say it? What circumstances would have to happen? Also, I really like stories where that bad thing is coming no matter what you do (I'm a big fan of Cormac McCarthy's novels). And, I do love a classic western.
So I ended up with a song about a guy who falls in love while robbing a bank. The woman he's got the hots for turns out to be a cop, so things don't end well for him, and he gets to say that line at the end. It's a story song, in sort of a classic form, and I definitely was thinking Marty Robbins and Gunfighter Ballads while I was finishing it. Brain McRae and I referred to some Marty Robbins songs while working on the mixing of this tune. Not that I sound anything like Marty Robbins, but it helped set a mood. Again, John just nailed the guitar parts on this, especially the solo, and Derek lays down a great acoustic bass part. As a production note- I did all the backing vocals for this myself, which was fun.
I played an early mix of this for a buddy of mine and he immediately said it had a similar vibe to the Grateful Dead's ‘Me and My Uncle.’ I immediately called up that track and he was right- a western story with a bit of a twist ending.
As much as I like to really rock, I also really love a good story in three or four minutes. If you know of other songs about fate, shoot me a note and I'll add then to this playlist! I put this song out as a single about a year and a half ago, so you can watch the video or stream it on Spotify, or even better, pre-order the album in CD or vinyl. If you do pre-order you can get an exclusive release t-shirt to go with your new album. All physical media ships at the start of July. So you'll get it before anyone else! You can also get one of the exclusive shirts if you buy a release show ticket. The show is July 18 in Longmont. So do that.
I'm playing solo in an apple orchard on May 23. See ya there. -JS