Another Time

We all come from somewhere. We are the culmination of the years, the moments, the events, the people, the songs … everything’s adds up to equal what we have become.
Like it or not.
It was in another past time that the inspiration started. It has been added to thru the years. It has been subtracted from. It has been forgotten and then remembered again.
When we finally recall it, in a form that is more than just a story, or a memory recalled … it then becomes what it is. And it sticks in time once laid in stone, or tape, or vinyl, or paper.
Now it’s history. Right or wrong. Like it or not.

Intro for Sorry You’re a Horse. 
Feels like looking into a misty window into the past, mysterious, creepy – mesmerizing. 
The Intro for everything to follow.

---

Sorry You’re a Horse

Some History

In 1976, 1977 and 1978, we were in our last years at school, at home, as carefree kids. We had a band we loved and lived. The band was called Savage. We practiced and hung out almost every day. It was a passion. A commitment. It was everything at the time.  We were good. Really good. We wrote our own songs and played covers of the songs we loved. We knew that in some form this was the blueprint of our life ahead. The members were Kinley Wolfe Bass, Chris Craig Drums, Shawn Lane Guitar (RIP), Danny Craig Vocals, and Tate Yawn Guitar. Other members came and went – Van Riales Guitar (RIP) and Hugh Foote Vocals. But the core 5 is when the band was really creating music and bonds. Bonds that would take 4 of us into music careers that lasted a lifetime.

One day my dear friend Marty Hopkins and I had a notebook. We were brainstorming song titles that sounded cool. One of those song titles was Sorry You’re a Horse. In the following days Savage had taken this and created a song. I had written the lyrics and hatched the idea, and we came up with what was ( at the time ) an epic show piece. We won the battle of the bands at Overton Park Shell playing that song (although Shawn Lane at 13 or 14 shredding the guitar into pieces was probably more the reason). 

More than one recording was made of us playing that tune, and I believe it actually was played on a college radio station a few times in Memphis at the time. Shawn attended a recording class at Kingsbury High School, and recording this band was one of his class projects. In 1977, for us that was a rock star moment and it sounded like a record to us. Those demos, and Shawn’s legendary playing … even at that young age, got us recognition and some good gigs. Shawn was such a talent, and was being noticed more and more often as a great player. We all knew that he was destined for greatness. In late 1978. Shawn was recruited by Black Oak Arkansas, with the legendary Jim Dandy at the helm.  It was not long before Shawn was on the road with Black Oak. That was basically the end of Savage. In the coming months I would get the call from Jim Dandy, and I too was off to join Black Oak Arkansas with Shawn. A year later we actually had Kinley in the band as well. But Savage was never to be reunited as it once was.

It was history.

In 2022 Kinley and I were talking about going to the studio and recording some tracks. We brainstormed a lot of old classics, and we thought … hey let’s bring back a couple of the old Savage songs and see what that feels like. So we broke out the old tapes and started learning. We were inspired by the playing and passion those olds tracks still had in them.

I re-worked the lyrics to something that was more grounded in today’s world ( yes the lyrics were worse before I re-wrote them ) and we started our project. 

This was a project that was for us … no record deals and no commitment to anyone to do anything except what we liked.  All on our dime and time.  

It’s worth noting that this song, and the entire record for that matter, is created – with a very few exceptions, with Drums, Vocals, Bass and Lead Bass only. Yes Kinley played all this on bass. You are not hearing any electric guitars or keyboards – It is just us 2 -Bass and Drums. Wrap your head around that if you can. Consider it … enlightenment!

“You can’t change what you were born into …”

A lot of folks spend a lot of time longing to be someone different than they perceive themselves to be. Maybe some animals do too. Maybe it’s a harmless exercise. Maybe they need to be reminded to embrace who they already are. Maybe they will comply. Maybe they will rebel. They might disappear. Or they may change the world.

El Camino

 

1977.  Green El Camino. 8 Track stereo. FM Radio is king. Cruising around town listening to the radio. Everything is still in front of you. Adventure. Madness Mayhem. Music. Love.

I’ll have a beer to that! 

---

Radar Love

Some songs are just made for cruising.  Lets kick it up bit and really get rolling.

Kinley: “It all started with “Radar Love “ in 1972 when I was in the 7th grade with Mike Thomas . We were starting a band called Scrambled Eggs . Mike was gonna play drums , another friend had a guitar , so that made me the bass player . I bought a bass from T-Joe and learned “Radar Love” and that was it . “ I guess I’m a bass player now “ ! Still one of my favorite songs ! “

 

 

Radar Love

I’ve been drivin’ all night, my hand’s wet on the wheel
There’s a voice in my head that drives my heel
It’s my baby callin’, says I need you here
And it’s a half past four and I’m shiftin’ gear

When she is lonely and the longing gets too much
She sends a cable comin’ in from above
Don’t need no phone at all
We’ve got a thing that’s called radar love
We’ve got a wave in the air, radar love

The radio is playing some forgotten song
Brenda Lee’s comin’ on strong
The road has got me hypnotized
And I’m speedin’ into a new sunrise

When I get lonely and I’m sure I’ve had enough
She sends her comfort comin’ in from above
We don’t need no letter at all
We’ve got a thing that’s called radar love
We’ve got a light in the sky, radar love

No more speed, I’m almost there
Gotta keep cool now, gotta take care
Last car to pass, here I go
And the line of cars drove down real slow
And the radio played that forgotten song
Brenda Lee’s comin’ on strong
And the newsman sang his same song
Oh one more radar lover gone

When I get lonely and I’m sure I’ve had enough
She sends her comfort comin’ in from above
We don’t need no letter at all
We’ve got a thing that’s called radar love
We’ve got a light in the sky
We’ve got a thing that’s called radar love
We’ve got a thing that’s called radar love

 

---

Right of Passage

 

Maybe everyone does not experience a rite of passage. Maybe that term is not correct for everyone. 

• Rite of Passage: a ritual that marks a change in a person’s social or sexual status. – Urban Dictionary
• Rite of Passage: a ritual, event, or experience that marks or constitutes a major milestone or change in a person’s life – Websters Dictionary 
• Rite of Passage: an official ceremony, or informal activity that marks an important stage or occasion in a person’s life, especially becoming an adult – Cambridge Dictionary

The first time we walked into a Gentlemen’s Club and heard a song we helped created and record being used over the PA system for the main stage, was a moment that not everyone will experience. But in that moment, it sure felt right. We will go with Cambridge on this one.

It became in a way our Right of Passage.

Ahh.  Living the dream.

---

Is It My Body

A Classic Alice Song.  With a Twist.

for all the questions in this song, we provide an Answer Key. And remember timing is everything.
1 Yes
2 Maybe
3 Sometimes

 

 

Is It My Body (Vocals: Jes Vicknair)

What have I got
That makes you want to love me
Is it my body
Someone I might be
Something inside me

You better tell me
Tell me 
It’s really up to you
Have you got the time to find out 
Who I really am 

What does it take 
To get inside of your mind
You better give me a break
And take a chance for the very first time 

You better tell me
Tell me 
It’s really up to you
Have you got the time to find out 
Who I really am 

Guitar solo (Nate Fowler)

What have I got
That makes you want to love me
Is it my body
Is it my body
What have I got
That makes you want to love me
Is it my body
Someone I might be
Something inside me
You better tell me
Tell me 
It’s really up to you
Have you got the time to find out 
Who I really am

---

Windemere

Back in time. In the day. 
Sometimes skipping classes to do something – anything more fun than History, Math, English  – was the plan.
Some went to the Mississippi River with a six-pack and blasted music.
Some went more private places, smoked a joint and got high, and blasted music.
But there was another place that some went instead. It was a place to swim in the dog days of summer.
At the time nothing more than a pond, or gravel pit as we would often say (be that description right or wrong).
Swim, party, hang out and blast music.
Until one day. One of us did not make it back. It was tragic, and too real in a time when we were young and strong. 
Immortal even. The end was so far off in the future we could not even image the alternative.
Even for those not present, we were all scarred by such a harsh reality. 
Even if you were not a close friend, it made you stop and ponder the possibility that a single moment could change everything. 
The place has ghosts. Allure. Whispers that call to you. Come on in. The water is fine!

 

Windemere

I here ya whisper under the wind
For me to come and see
How it feels when you wash over me

Sparkle-Shine
In the morning sunlight
But just how deep do those waters run

The way you seduce my mind 
Begging me come in and play
Its all a fantasy until I can’t get away

Windemere
You got a mean streak
Windemere
Things aren’t always what they seem

Windemere
(Music Answer)
Windemere
(Music Answer)

(Solo)

Windemere
You got a mean mean streak
Windemere
You’re the devil I think

Sparkle-shine in the evening moonlight
Waters run so deep
So deep

Hey boys come and play 
the waters’ still
Hey girls come and play
the waters’ crystal clear

---

See Gretchy March

In the year 2016, my mom was 76. She was not doing great and spent a lot of time in the hospital trying to add some time to the hourglass. And increase the quality of those remaining grains as they fell day by day into the larger pile below them. During one of these visits the combination of pain and treatments had her often in a disconnected state. Those times are usually filled with fear and apprehension for us, but for those in that state, it seems sometime they are in another place , another time, and void of the pain that brought them there.

That is where my mom introduced me to Gretchy.
She woke up from a delirious slumber in a hospital bed – Wide-eyed and alert. Well, as much as she could be.
And she asked if I could See Gretchy. Or maybe she said she saw a Sea-Gretchy.
It was funny at the time, and we laughed a good laugh. Later she could not remember that at all, so that single moment was all we had of that experience.
She passed in 2017.
But I never forgot.

When I was trying to create a drum feature for this project, I was trying to figure out how to make a drum feature less boring – because they often are. With a little inspiration from Alice Cooper’s Halo of Flies, where Neil Smith and Dennis Dunaway create a masterpiece of a drum feature with a bass riff grove, I started to imagine what my Mom may have been seeing that day in the hospital. And little by little we started to see Gretchy. She was by a large body of water – maybe an ocean. She woke up. She shook. She rolled. She interacted with others. She was alive. And she marched. Finally she headed off into the deep to do what ever Sea-Gretchy things do.

So please be our guest, and listen and imagine as we See Gretchy March. She may never pass this way again.

 

---

Flogging a Dead Bass (The Wank Continues…)

 

A wank is when Kinley lets loose with that wild insane bass shit. Whammy Bars. Distortion. String taps and bends.
LOUD AS FUCK
It moves you from a deep place. Hold on to your beverage glasses as they will dance off the table during a wank.
But…
Also mesmerizing. Physical. Engaging. Awesome. How does he make it sound like that? 
Its something that keeps your eyes glued to the stage, even if you are cringing as you watch.
That is power. Undeniable. 
The energy unleashed by those large and deep sound waves can rearrange your insides. Make your eyes cross.
But underneath all that chaos, there is a purpose. A melody. A song. A Story. 
Sometime you gotta get in someone’s face to get their attention and share your story. 
So pay attention, because while a wank is happening your sure as hell will not be able to do any talking!

Straight from the Wolfe:

“I’ve been doing these wanks forever because I was never interested in regular bass solos or proper soloing methods. I remember Shawn Lane asking me what I wanted my solos to sound like ? My answer was screaming and aggressive. And he told me to use distortion , feedback , harmonics , and a lot of hammer ons and pull offs . I thought really !?! Ok , cool !

I’ve always loved the way guitar players get to scream and feedback . I guess what really draws me in is “Blues phrasing “ and  the devils music ( what they call it in the south ) . Love it !”

 

 

Part I – Wank III

Through the years there have been different recordings and versions of the wank. It’s dynamic and always changing.
The is the third recording of the wank as far as we can tell. But then,  who’s counting?

“The Wank III is me sitting around trying to put these things that interest me in a free flow . Can you guess who my influences are ?”

Part II – Wolfe Dog for Stanley

Stanley Clarke. If you don’t know who he is, go search any music service. Look up Return to Forever. 
I’m not gonna give it away, you will have to listen. But here is a hint …. 
It has the Wolfe Dog Howling with respect!

“Ode to Stanley – I loved all the early ‘70’s rock bass players , but when I heard Stanley Clarke in ‘74 , it totally blew my mind . Jimi Hendrix and Stanley Clarke are the two biggest fire starters of my life , period , they set me to blaze . ( besides Shawn Lane and Eddie Van Halen )”

Part III – Fantasy III

We grew up listening to some of the greatest music to date at the time. Stanley Clarke. Eddie Van Halen. Jimi Hendrix.Many others.
We learned to play trying our best to cop those licks from our heros’. Hours and hours we worked. 
But it was always the vision we carried – of walking up on that stage and laying it down – just like they did.
This piece pays homage to those visions that carried us when our fingers hurt and the blisters all were bleeding.
The fantasy always feeds the reality. That’s why we do it. Right?
Fantasy III? Well I can only say we have been there before – more than once.

“Fantasy III is me imaging this happening for real on the very grandest of all stages and feeling the love .

The wank continues , a vicious circle !!!”

---

Mountainside

 

Part I – The Ascent

Climbing a mountain. Its tough. It takes strength, stamina, guts and determination. Planning. Provisioning. You have to adjust. Mostly you can’t give up. Even when it would be so easy to just to pack it in or leave things where they lie and head home.

The search for truth could be described with the same metaphors. It is seldom an easy journey. And it can be painful. It takes a long time. And we are hounded the entire way by the question of –  is the juice worth the squeeze? 

If we travel far enough up the mountainside, we start to come across overlooks and plateaus that allow us to see farther than we could ever see from the ground. The more we discover the more we want to discover. We are motivated by our expanding view of our surroundings to continue on. The search for enlightenment.

Part II – Enlightenment

The hard truth about enlightenment is – you can’t unknow things that you now know as truth. Things are not always as they seem. Often the truth is a destination that one wished he had not pursued, because what comes with that knowledge is a heavy load to carry. Ignorance can be bliss. Enlightenment can mean the end of all things you thought you knew to be real. 

How much truth do you really want to know?

I climbed a beautiful mountain in Arkansas. I wanted to camp under the stars and commune with nature, and quiet. So many stars. And the moon. Beautiful. 

And then, in the wink of an eye, something happened that changed everything. Nothing would ever be the same. I did not ask for it. I did not want it. I don’t know if it was even real, except for I know it was real to me.  Now, I have to learn again, all the things I thought I already knew. Because now, standing on that mountainside, I can see things as they really are.

Has the truth set me free? I cannot say for sure. 

 

Mountainside

On that mountainside
Under that moon sky
So many lights
I remember

From That Moment
In that instant
In the wink of an eye everything changed

Open your eyes
Open your eyes
From the mountainside you can see for miles and miles

Its’s never been so clear
And always right before your eyes
The key that unlock the door

Open your eyes
Open your eyes
You can see 
Forever

---

All Roads

All roads Lead to Here.  The End.
Eventually. 
We will all get here sooner or later. We may bring many things with us. Only those who have made the journey can say what they have been able to take with them. Nothing you can hold in your hand or your pocket is almost a certainly. But there are other things that are not so tangible. Memories. Emotions. Love. Hate. Soul.
Can we take them? We will all find out.
The question really is, 
Is it really the end? 

 

All Roads

All Roads Lead to Here.
All Roads Lead to Here.
All Roads Lead to Here.
All Roads Lead to Here.

---

Only Then

Things end … good days, bad days, relationships, bands, songs – life. When those moments come – right on the edge of change – we often find ourselves in a place that is stripped of all the shine and sparkle. What’s left is the stark reality of the moment. There are those who are removed from this reality for their secrets, their loyalty, their faith. No matter what their code was during their time, in that moment they are faced with their own choice. No one will know. It is a sacred communion we all must endure alone.
Who am I? What do I really believe? What comes next?
It is only in that moment that we are in touch with those truths. An entire lifetime of experiences is forgotten as we ponder those questions, often in pain or bewilderment.
And then the moment is gone, the memories buried, and the next journey begins.
All that remains are the sounds of the night.

 

Only Then

Strip me to my soul
harbor me in pain
Send me to that place where darkness is a friend 
Still my Pleading heart
Drill me to my core
That’s the moment you will know who I’m loyal for

---

Sign-off

 

PS Extra Bonus Stuff!

Jim King, in his patient, magic way, indulged us for a while. We could barely hear the grumbling as we spent a couple hours
trying to make it work. In the end, better judgement prevailed. If the listener made it this far, this would definitely have them scratching their headphones.
But still I managed to sneak it in at the end of everything.
Imagine, your TV, Radio and Social Media pastimes interrupted by this announcement.
Imagine further, that you were eavesdropping on the drama on Earth from a place far away. And some supreme being interrupted your fun with this. As usual, all the good stuff gets cancelled!

 

—-Message Begin—-

At this time Planet Earth will cease to broadcast on all digital and analog earth frequencies. 
In the current cycle, unchecked instances of Pride, Greed, Wrath, Envy, Lust, Gluttony, and Sloth have perpetuated to unsustainable levels.
The Universal Federation has thus declared this planet unredeemable, and a reset decree has been issued on behalf of the Universal Council.
On completion of a CME wipe operation, reseeding will proceed on the normal schedule.
The Federation thanks you for your interest in the development of this species.
Improvement Suggestions for the next iteration can be submitted through the normal channels.
As the Anteras Son so boldly stated … Better Luck Next time!

—-Message End—-

---