ABOUT "ANGEL," AND TAKING RISKS...

I think I like “Angel in Chains.” I know it could be done better—and I would like to hear it recorded by the crew of heavy-metal musicians John thinks he can assemble. (I assume I’d still be the one doing the vocals.) But as a foray into Something Completely Different, it’s not bad. (Link, by the way, is http://www.soundclick.com/share?songid=9144855. It’s also posted on ReverbNation.)

It’s not really death metal: death metal’s subject matter is, I think, more fantasy stuff—vampires, ghouls, and the like—and the subject matter of “Angel in Chains” is real. It’s about a suicide. It mimics the style of death metal—the driving rhythm guitar, subtle bass, and simple, melodic lead—though my vocal is upfront and understandable, which is rare in death metal.

Would a real metal band be interested in covering this? Probably not. It might make an interesting “crossover hit,” by somebody who doesn’t normally “do” metal, but I’m not sure anyone does things like that any more. It isn’t like the ‘70s, when a regionally famous bluegrass band, the Dodson Drifters, could do songs by the Ramones (who were a very loud, very raunchy punk-rock band, in case anyone’s forgotten) and get away with it (hey, we liked the Ramones—and I think our audiences did, too). There is a lot less risk-taking in the music industry today, with things controlled by accountant types whose main interest is a stable bottom line.

“Angel in Chains” would make a good addition to the Southern Pigfish album, however, because they wouldn’t care (how could they? the band doesn’t exist). And an opportunity, too, to show that taking risks is okay.

I think the Coventry songwriters (Jon Harrington’s group over in England) are good for my productivity. I have three songs in as many months that are directly attributable to them. (And judging from people’s reactions, they haven’t been bad songs.) The Coventry group will assign an image or catch phrase, and everybody’s supposed to write a song around it. And I try deliberately to be a little bit different, because one doesn’t want to be hackneyed—one wants either to be saying something new, or something old in a new way.

So when the Coventry folks wanted songs about a deep river, I came up with “The Dead Sweethearts Polka” (about the serial killer who puts his bodies in the river), and “in the shadows” produced “In the Shadows, I’ll Be Watching You” (about the stalker). And chains? “Angel in Chains” (about the suicide). All are subjects I probably wouldn’t have addressed on my own without provocation. Commercial? Hardly—but they are subjects that probably ought to be talked about, and music is a good way to start the discussion. Just because the Big Boys aren’t willing to take risks doesn’t mean that risks shouldn’t be taken.

UPDATES: No music at all (at least, not in the usual places) next week; the room at the Tillamook Library where we usually play on Saturdays is being taken over by a Civil War exhibit—and Bud and Elsie are still on their honeymoon, and Terry’s still on vacation, so no music in Garibaldi, either. It’d be a good opportunity to check out the live music scene somewhere else—if I felt comfortable about spending the money to travel. I don’t. Maybe I should suggest to John we try to work some on the album instead.

Joe