(Note: this series was originally published elsewhere.)

Something in music: origin

One evening at a hot, trendy L.A. nightclub on a rare solo outing, yours truly found himself standing alone at the bar preparing to review the upcoming act. Before he had taken more than a few notes, however, he was bookended by a pair of vivacious vixens who insisted on engaging your rockin’ writer in cozy conversation. Strangely, the subject of “marriage” arose.

One of the young ladies noted that when a gal is about to get hitched, she needs “something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue.” Your provocative penman was immediately inspired. After all, those very same terms could be applied to music too: “Something old” or classic, “something new” or recently released, “something borrowed”, a cover, and “something blue”, a blues song or a song with “blue” in the title. The rest is history.

‘Something’ in Music 307

Something Old

Our “something old” in this edition is the classic cut “Keep Yourself Alive” recorded by the Brit rock band Queen. It was written by the group’s guitarist Brian May. It was the act’s debut single. It dropped in 1973. It’s the opening number of the band’s self-titled premiere platter also released that year.

Something New

Our “something new” this time is the new music video for the song “Off The F*cking Rails” by the Los Angeles, California-based alt-country band The Evangenitals. In a recent e-communique, co-founder,lead singer and guitarist Juli Crockett discussed the making of the video, the song itself and all things related.

She said: “It’s been a while. These last few years have been a doozy. During that time, I’ve been slowly tweaking away on a pandemic passion project — a stop-motion music video for our song “Off The F*cking Rails.”

Crockett recalled: “The song was originally recorded outdoors, in our driveway, circa June 2020…for actor/comedian/mom Kim Griffin’s incredible podcast ‘Off the F*****g Rails w/ Kim Griffin’...and it quickly blossomed from ‘podcast intro music’ into an epic orchestral cornucopia of feels thanks to the incredible arrangements of mixmaster [and pianist] Michael Feldman” and the rest of the band including Aaron Esposito (trumpet), Andrea Baker (violin), Ari DeSano (accordion), Cody Farwell (pedal steel), David Landau (cello), Danny Graziani (viola), Joey Maramba (bass), Michael Feldman (piano), Robert Shaffer (drums), and Crockett herself on vocals and guitar.

She reflected on the specifics of the video’s origin. “One day I went into my shed and I started working on a stop motion video. I started making this stop-motion video on a whim, not knowing where I was going or what I was doing. I created the piece linearly (frame by frame, to the song, in sequence) using an animation app that was probably intended for children.”

Crockett noted: “My mother was a teacher, and had this incredible collection of ‘paper punches’ accumulated over many years, which I inherited upon her retirement. These paper punches made my cat and dog protagonists and so many tiny leaves, butterflies, little hearts, loopy swirls, and twinkling stars possible. Other scenic elements and solutions were found around the house: cotton ball clouds, a tin-foil moon, and a bead necklace/octopus I’m particularly proud of. And lots and lots of construction paper.

"The final sunrise was my magnum opus. When people ask what I did during the pandemic, this is my answer. (Well, this and doing Wordle with ‘SHART’ as my starting word.) I’d work on it periodically over the past year(s)+, sometimes walking away for weeks/months at a time, and then resetting the shot and moving on.

“It was crazy, therapeutic, and a tremendous learning experience. And when I finally finished the stop-motion, Michael Feldman dove back in and dug a kick-ass final mix of the song that sent it right into the stratosphere!

“In addition to the amazing humans that I get to make music with…(whom words cannot express how much I love and treasure them, which is why we have to make music and sing and laugh and do interpretive dances together)…I am incredibly grateful to John Fitzpatrick, who helped me to boost/balance some of the crazed and irregular color that resulted from me not knowing how to use a camera properly, and my brother Jaisen Crockett (photoshop whiz) who helped scrub the greasy fingerprints that were driving me crazy. Thank you, Kim, for your podcast, life story and song commission being the fuel that started this fire. Thank you, Mom, for not throwing things away and being a great teacher.”

Crockett concludes: “Well, it is finally out, ready to fondle your eyeballs, earholes, and heartstrings. These days, I’m celebrating every tiny victory for art and humanity, so YAY! I hope this shines some joy into your cockles. Please share it with anyone who needs a smile (or a good cry), which I’m pretty sure is all of us. It has been nice being a feral hermit goblin. I’m ready to come out and play.”

Something Borrowed

Our “something borrowed” this edition is the song “Cathy’s Clown” written by Don Everly. It was recorded and originally released as a single in 1960. This lively, dedicated cover is by Bill Mumy and The Igloos.

It was recorded live in concert in 1980. The track features singer-songwriter and actor Bill Mumy (rhythm guitar and vocals), Peter Leinheiser (lead guitar), Neal Roberts (bass), Billy Thomas (drums and vocals) , Randy Foote (percussion and vocals) and Alan Axelrod (keyboard). (Keep your peepers peeled and poised right here for a potential piece on some new material!)

Something Blue

Last but not least, our “something blue” this edition is the song “Alone And Blue” by the American progressive bluegrass band the Yonder Mountain String Band and Benny Galloway. It was co-written by Galloway and Ken Spoor and appears on the 2003 platter Old Hands. If you’d care to get a gander at the Yonder Mountain String Band live, read on, as they will be performing at the Annapolis Baygrass Music Festival in Sandy Point State Park, in Annapolis, Maryland on Saturday, September 30th, 2023.

The festival is actually a two-day event held on both Saturday, September 30th and Sunday, October 1st. It runs from 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. According to a recent email this “event will host 14 bands across two alternating stages.”

Saturday headliners are reported to be “Yonder Mountain String Band, Railroad Earth, and Keller & The Keels.” This is the “final stop” in a rather “unique tour” for this trio of bands. “There will be a set by each, followed by a big jam to close out the night.” The “cinematic Jon Stickley Trio and Baltimore's own high energy The Dirty Grass Players and Baygrass House Stringband, Geraldine” will perform during the day.

The Sunday line-up includes Melvin Seals & JGB, Fruition, Cabinet, Cris Jacobs & Smooth Kentucky, Arkansauce, Wicked Sycamore, The High & Wides, and Lindsay Lou (artist-at-large). Both days of this family-friendly “conservation-focused musical event” will also include “scrumptious local foods, and delightful cocktails and mocktails.”

Single Day Tickets, Two-day VIP and GA Passes are available. Ten percent of the “proceeds from ticket, food, beverage, and merchandise sales will go to Maryland-based non-profit organizations including Watershed Stewards Academy, Oyster Recovery Partnership, and Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay.” Visit the official website for more information about ticket options, “heavily discounted nearby lodging” and shuttle passes.

Did we mention your favorite “something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue”? If not, let us know. Don’t forget to send us your bride photos too!

(Images courtesy of Rock n Roll Bride and The Evangenitals)