Category: A Story And A Song

A Story And A Song, Vol. 3

On By bigbadburchIn A Story And A Song3 Comments

Just a quick note – this series is an unconnected group of stories, just titled this way for summary purposes. Nothing missed before is necessary for this or the next, and so on. The category this is under on the right will lead one to other one-offs in this series.

This will be a bit of quickie. It’s a song and a quick story.

The song is this – the big hit from the Wallflowers in 1996. One Headlight would become the signature song for Jakob Dylan’s outfit amongst the alternative rock, post-grunge hits of the late ’90’s. It placed on multiple US Billboard rock charts and was a staple of mid- to late-90’s rock radio. The Wallflowers would have a few more noticeable songs, mostly from the same 1997 album Bringing Down The Horse, but One Headlight is the band’s bona fide hit.

Here’s the story – I think it’s 2018, or maybe 2019. It’s winter, so if it’s 2019 it’s just a bit before the pandemic came over to the United States. I can’t quite remember which winter this story fell into, but I recall the details clearly.

Several of us met up at a local brewery. Craft beer has been a social and economic boon the past decade, and our semi-sleepy Midwest town caught the late wave in the latter half of the 2010’s. One of the best ones in our town that now boasts 12 or 40 or however many has hosted music over their few years of existence. While now they have a mix of renowned local talent and hot regional acts come in to play on a prepared stage, such was not the case in 2018 or 2019 when this story happened.

I was out with several of my friends on that evening. As time wore on, our friends and significant others left us (for the evening), just leaving my friend and I behind at around 8 PM.

We were at one of those tall bench tables, standing and having a few more suds on a Saturday night. Around that time, some dude comes in and sets up shop with a mic, practice amp and an acoustic guitar. He does cover songs. A one-person project doing cover songs acoustically is not some huge deal, other than the guy is set up just a few feet away from us. We press on with our drinking and talking.

At some point this one-man band busts out his rendition of One Headlight. It was the first noteworthy song he did to point. My friend and I looked at each other with this combination spark of bewilderment and familiarity – “we know this song.” Then, “oh yeah, it’s that one song from way back when.”

We had to take a moment to assess this rendition being done basically in front of us. We started debating the merits of One Headlight and The Wallflowers. Are they worthy? Is it a good song or not? We defaulted to “nah,” but as the song went on we amended our two-person consensus to “you know, it isn’t terrible.”

We finished our brews and called it a night, leaving the one-man acoustic project whose name I can’t recall but I think was Tyler behind. Then I woke up the next day.

Come on, try a little, nothing is forever….

I had the damn song stuck in my head.

It’s ok. I’ve been jamming to music since I was like 5 and I was 43 at this point. I can hack this, I’ve had songs stuck in my head before.

But this wouldn’t go away.

Got to be something better than in the middle…

I honestly went for days with this song in my head. I get it, in a way – I really hadn’t heard it in many years and it was a sudden nostalgia trip. I have never had a song stuck in my head for as long as this ear worm crawled its way in. It was honestly days, even weeks that I had to play it. This wasn’t that momentary song you could get over after a bit – this fucker was straight stuck.

Me and Cinderella, we put it all together…

I had to reckon with this song for awhile. I’ve had songs stuck in my head that I don’t necessarily mind, but I don’t really want to be stuck with them. I’ve also had songs stuck in my head that I wish would die in a fire and the ashes be shot into the Sun.

But this was different. Hearing The Wallflowers again caused me to revisit the album and remember that, hey, I dug this stuff once upon a time. I do wind up in fond nostalgia from time to time, as I’m sure most music listeners do. This was one that had truly passed me by but I became re-acclimated through this dude with his guitar at the brewery on a Saturday night.

We can drive it home on one headlight…

That’s about all there is to this story. It isn’t world-changing or even that notable. Hell, it’s barely a story. But I do still vividly recall that night I got this damn song stuck in my head after nearly two decades of not hearing it. And now I’ll even cop to being a fan, even if on the edges, of The Wallflowers. Hell, they put out a record last year that I gave a minute to. It’s nice to get back in touch with something seemingly long lost, you only get so many of those moments before it’s all said and done.

A Story And A Song, Vol. 2

On By bigbadburchIn A Story And A Song2 Comments

I realized after the first one of these that I called it “Story and a Song” but I do “song and a story” instead. Oh well.

This is two songs and a very small story. It’s almost not even really a story, more a chuckle-worthy anecdote from a concert I attended a few years back.

In 2018 I had the honor of seeing Judas Priest and Deep Purple. The show was at an amphitheater in Kansas City. I had missed a few opportunities to see Judas Priest in the past and this was finally my first time seeing them. I also had not seen Deep Purple before and I was very happy to have seen them in concert. Both bands put on great sets and I had a very enjoyable time.

For Judas Priest I’ll go with the lead single from their last album Firepower. This was an electric tune and the album saw a rejuvenated Priest clawing back at the top of the heavy metal heap. They had meandered a bit since their reunion, touring solidly as a legacy act while recording left-of-center material before finding their stride again with Redeemer Of Souls, then truly recapturing it on Firepower and Lightning Strike.

For Deep Purple I’ll also roll with the lead single from their last original studio effort. Throw My Bones comes from the album Whoosh!, released in 2020. The group tried to delay the release while in the grip of the pandemic but ultimately decided to get the music out. The play worked as the band hit their highest UK chart position in decades with the effort.

My story from the concert is this – I was up inbetween sets. Judas Priest played before Deep Purple on this night, I’m not sure if that’s how the whole tour went or not. I was off to fetch more beer and was among a lot of other people doing the same thing.

I hadn’t paid much mind to my surroundings. I guess I wasn’t processing a fact that was clearly abundant right before me. As I was heading off with my fresh brew in hand, someone very bluntly and loudly asked

“We’re at a fucking Judas Priest show, why is everyone wearing Iron Maiden shirts?”

I busted up laughing, with beer in hand and my fresh Book Of Souls tour shirt from the year prior on my body. The handful of people next to me, all wearing similar Maiden tour shirts from the past several years, also kind of looked around and laughed. A guy a bit off to the side with a Trooper Beer shirt cracked up, as did his friend in the Killers shirt.

It’s true – there wasn’t a lot of Priest or Deep Purple merch to be found on people that night. They do say to not wear a band’s shirt to their show. It’s kind of a stupid rule that many break when they buy their new shirt right then and there, something I’ve done myself before. But I was among many that night sporting the other British metal favorite while Priest was playing.

I mean, it isn’t a hard choice to make. I may like different kinds of music, but I could and have wore Iron Maiden shirts to country shows. I’ve worn Iron Maiden shirts to the grocery store, to baseball games, to get gas or to the brewery for a few pints. I have 15 of the damn things, I’m not going to feel out of sorts wearing one. I’d wear one to a funeral, if the person who passed on was worthy enough of having an Iron Maiden shirt at their final ceremony.

I don’t know, it wasn’t like something I thought about long and hard or anything. If I’m seeing Judas Priest or, well, anyone else, I would certainly not have an issue wearing an Iron Maiden shirt to that. Apparently I was far from the only one, as I’d say a good 20% of the crowd of around 5,000 had Maiden gear on.

There it is, that’s the “story” for today. The next few of these will be actual stories, and one of them will also have to do with an Iron Maiden shirt.

A Story And A Song, Vol. One

On By bigbadburchIn A Story And A Song1 Comment

This will be a new series with a bit of discussion of a song and a story, just as the title says. It’s a way to just talk about something for a bit that’s funny, sad, or whatever. Sometimes the connection might be deep, others tenuous, it’ll be what it’ll be. It should in time be the regular feature on Wednesdays as I start shuffling a few things around.

For the first installment I’m going back to the well with Oasis, a band I’ve already covered a lot here. I have a bit more to go too, but this story came out over the weekend and just fit the theme for this new series all too well.

The Song

Oasis – Acquiesce

This is one of the band’s more famous B-sides, originally released as the other side to Some Might Say in 1995. The song quickly entered the band’s live set, as demonstrated here being the second song performed at the historic Knebworth gig. It would go on to appear on the group’s 1998 B-sides compilation The Masterplan, often touted as the band’s second- or third-best album despite not really being one.

The song is a nice contrast study – Liam belts out the hard rocking verses, while Noel offers a softer and higher chorus with a sentimental message. The song is reportedly about the relationship between the brothers Gallagher, which was not quite as bad in 1995 as it is at the end of 2021. Of course, the song could fit any sort of family, friend or romantic relationship.

I have no particular connection to this song – I didn’t own the singles or The Masterplan back in the day. I really only came into their B-sides when I got back into Oasis in the mid 2010’s. It’s a wonderful song and one I’d most likely include on a list of their top 15 or however many songs, should I ever get to such an exercise.

So what is the story with this song, if I myself have no real attachment to it? Well, you might need each other and believe in one another, especially if you’re stuck with 60 or so people in an English pub for 3 days.

The Story

Here is one of many media reports about the incident, this from Consequence. Over the past weekend a group of 60 or so people went to a Yorkshire pub to have a few pints and catch Oasis tribute band Noasis. Unlucky for the pub goers, a ton of snow fell in the area as Noasis played and the group was stuck in the pub. It would not be until Monday morning, a full three days, before the bulk of attendees were able to leave.

The story quickly made social media rounds, with many getting a chuckle and others thinking the scenario was heaven or hell, depending on one’s view of Oasis. I’d wind up with a snow-in of my own, getting messages and posts about the story plastered all over my social media. The event ended with no casualties and seemingly great spirits among the attendees and pub staff, so all’s well that ends well.

And I’ll be real – I’d love to be stuck in a pub for 3 days. Hell, I’d do it even if the tribute band was for someone I didn’t like, say Dave Matthews. Or, even better, if there was no band. But add in a tribute band to one of my favorites like Oasis and hell yeah, I’m down to be stuck in a place with beer and bar food for days on end. I guess the worst issue was that the place ran out of sausage. I could make do, I’m sure.

A bit about the tribute band – Noasis formed in 2006 and have over 1,100 gigs under their belts. They’ve gone nearly as long as the band they are paying homage to at this point. People might want to argue about the merit of tribute bands but hey, if you can make a living playing music, go for it. Or even if someone just wants to do it as a hobby, have at it. I’d surmise that it’s more than a hobby after 1,100 gigs and 15 years for these guys.

Of course this isn’t much of a story with any grand lesson or anything like that. It’s just a fun bit of trivia from across the pond that involves a band I talk about a fair bit and catch a fair bit of shit for liking, as I went over a few weeks ago. But hey, if anyone wants to lock me in a bar with a bunch of booze and all the Oasis songs I can handle listening to, hook me up.

Here is Noasis with their rendition of Acquiesce.