January 17th, 2012

Hello Friends, I'm back again, with what I hope to make a weekly rambling of what's going on with October Road, what's on my mind, or the world outside our warm little nest, where we dare not tread for fear of being exposed to that wierd zombie virus that appears to have overtaken Atlanta and the known world. Evidently, scientists in France were the last to try to find a cure, but failed. And if you don't get this reference, then you're truly missing out on some of the best television created in the last decade, or at least since Lost ended (sad face). This weeks first subject of the day is . . . . . should a musical group composed of all men be playing "chick songs" as was so ineloquently put to me in the form of a random question on Saturday night. The answer, of course, is why not? It's a very rare song that is written in a manner that is gender specific. For instance, is it that hard to envision Adele masterfully putting her powerful vocals to use on a song like "Walking in Memphis?" Not any harder than imagining John Legend using his inspiring voice on Adele's "Rolling in The Deep" (which you don't have to imagine, you can YouTube it). Sugarland was spot on with their take on Matt Nathanson's "Come on Get Higher", which likely led to the Jennifer Nettles and Nathanson duet on Matt's song "Run" this year. As I see it, the only requirements a song needs are quality lyrics, an addicting melody, and a little magic from the performers to make a song worth covering for a band. Gender, like most things in life, has so very little to do with it. We cover "Rolling In The Deep" and I think we do a pretty darn good job of it for a bunch of Midwestern boys. We're also learning "Stand Up" from Sugarland and "Love Song" from Sara Bareilles in the next few weeks. Both songs are well written, and a blast to play, so why wouldn't we? Which also brings me to another point, which may prove unpopular with some folks, but I feel is worth mentioning. Please, please, please stop requesting Brown Eyed Girl! I get it, I really do, it's a great song that churns up all sorts of warm memories for a lot of us, but it's also a song that's been butchered a million times by bands across the world. I've heard it played by no less than 40 bands in my own lifetime, and I figure I've sang it myself at least 500 times on stage, and yet, to this day, no one comes close to delivering the tune like Van Morrison. In short, would you rather have Tom Brady leading you into this week's AFC championship or some back up you've never heard of? Van is clearly the starter on this one, and I think it's best for everyone if we let him take the ball on this one. To expand on my previous paragraph a little so it doesn't feel a bit out of left field, my larger point is, please don't treat a band like a jukebox you drop quarters into. There's a lot more music out there than Sweet Home Alabama, You Shook Me All Night Long, Keep Your Hands To Yourself, and Friends in Low Places. Please try to be open to what the band in front of you is performing, what their take on songs are, what unique arrangements are they concocting, and what are they playing that you've never heard of and maybe is a style you weren't even aware existed! Most bands you will go see this year playing in your local club are not composed of performers who grew up dreaming of playing "Sweet Caroline!" Many of the guys and girls you see on stage are also writers in their own right, or multi-instrumentalists, or painters, sculpters, wood workers, etc, etc. At their core they are the definition of an Artist. To put it another way, playing covers is a necessary evil to those who are hoping to one day achieve the dream of playing ones own music and making a living at doing it, a dream that far to few will ever be fortunate enough to enjoy. We, as musicians, get on stage, give our all, and play music that we think you wanna hear, having a good time doing it, and hoping you are as enthusiastic about the show as we are. But lately, I've seen some folks really make it a point to chastise a band just because the players don't know one song, or have chosen not to play some songs because everyone else does it already and they want to put forth a song that is a little different. October Road has been fortunate to avoid most of that treatment, but many of our friends have, and I've been on the recieving end of some choice words once or twice, and trust me, if you wanna make a band check out and stop caring about whether you're having a good time or not, treating them like they're nothing more than a song list to be requested from is a quick way to do it. Perhaps the best way I've heard it said by a fellow musician is . . . . . ."I don't come to your job and tell you how to work, so why would you think it's appropriate for you to do it to us." Just some food for thought that I'm munching on this morning, mainly brought on by the question raised Saturday about why we would dare cover a "chick song". I say it often, and I mean it everytime. All of us in October Road are tremendously grateful for the support we have received from our fans. We have had the opportunity to play our own music, usually every night, because you've allowed us to step out of roles as cover musicians and let our own musical identities shine for the heavenly 3-4 minutes that we hear own creations flow from the speakers into the music ether. It's an awesome feeling, one I never take for granted! Well here endeth my thoughts of the day . . . . . . .oh yeah, how did this whole note start . . . . .should a group of guys be playing "chick songs?" Dude, stop asking stupid questions and just sit back and take it all in! :) Thank You All For Your Support and Love!!!! Sincerely, Shawn