You Wish

In 2015, I started writing the songs that would eventually comprise my 2016 album Wish You Were Weird. I was mainly trying to prove to myself that I could come up with catchy tunes ala Lennon/McCartney, Ham/Evans, Bugs/Daffy, etc. but what ended up happening was the chronicling of my immediate reality at that time: fickle relationships, alcoholism, and desperation. The paradox of penning earworms related to one's misery isn't a new one in the history of popular music, but it was new to me. In the past I had written songs with lyrics that emulated the surrealistic word poetry of Kurt Cobain, albeit nowhere near as effective. I suppose I had gotten tired of the literary vagueness I found myself attempting over and over again. It was time for something personal. Write what you know, you know? You know. 

Listen to Wish You Were Weird (10th Anniversary Remaster) on Bandcamp


Wish You Were Weird tracklist:

1. Kinda Sorta
2. Break Yer Heart
3. Kombucha Kids
4. Waiting For The Summer
5. Jesus Juice Blues
6. Little Miss Shotgun
7. Suicidal Holiday
8. Alcohol
9. Rocketship
10. Darlene's Car



Popular posts from this blog

Sandbox

Image
I never much liked playing live shows. The heavy lifting, the heavy egos, the heavy drama. Whatever sense of connection or artistic satisfaction I may squeeze out of a gig, the general feelings of futility and animosity would accumulate tenfold, drowning out whatever fleeting fun I may have achieved by standing on a stage, lawn, or concrete floor and belting out my songs to an audience of the sometimes appreciative, occasionally confused, and usually indifferent. On certain special occasions there would be bands on the bill who are openly hostile to my bewildered presence and I have to either throw a punch, or eat their lunch, depending on my mood. That's not who I want to be or what I want to do as a musician, or as an artist. I am proud to be in my Brian Wilson playing piano in a sandbox period, and I will likely remain this way until my dying day. Let my recordings be that groovy performance of mine that you attend, and maybe hangout with me afterwards, laughing and drinking, bu...
Read more

Real American Hero

Image
"You may not care about politics, but politics cares about you!" they bark.  This banal retort generally follows the exasperated phrase "I don't care about politics."  We live in an era of generalizations and blanket statements. This is where nuance goes to die. Of course we care about politics. We understand on a basic level the relationship between our personal prosperity and our political choices, but we as citizens don't always wish to explain or defend ourselves against an increasingly nosey and radicalized society. The same goes for musicians who choose not to insert political messages into their songs. I've always seen political discourse as a creative dead end. I'm simply not interested in showing the world every card in my ideological deck, and you can't make me.  This refusal to engage doesn't mean I'm not engaged, it merely means that my beliefs are none of your business, unless I wish them to be. That's the power of the in...
Read more

Opioid Sunrise

Image
First released in December 2020, Opioid Sunrise is an album assembled from the ashes of the chaotic Electric Randyland sessions. Originally conceived as a collection of sparsely recorded power pop songs, the project evolved to include more experimental sounds and compositions. I guess I couldn't fully commit to the acoustic vibe, and felt the need for more fuzzy guitars. The album cover utilized a photo negative double image effect of the picture I would've used as the cover of Elecrtric Randyland. The picture is of myself in a giant Unicorn mask and Monkees-style shirt, as a character I've named Captain Unicorn. The ensuing photoshoot included me in various poses as said character in front of an abandoned Walmart. A later photoshoot to promote Opioid Sunrise had me draped in a woman's blouse I found at the mall. I have no idea what the concept was, other than that I thought it looked groovy. Opioid Sunrise is a pretty groovy record if I do say so myself.  Listen to Opi...
Read more