Listen/purchase: Hootenanny at the end of the world by joshua jesty
the Words:
you bring your girls I'll bring my boys stay up all night and make some noise the world is dark but I'll rejoice let's pretend we have a choice we all just feel alone and life is overblown my mind can't wrap itself around the why and what of now you bring some music and I'll bring mine we act awkward around each other all the time we communicate in silence just fine hang a cross or cross a line has it really come to this I really like you miss my mind can't wrap itself around the why and what of now while you and I are still aboard let's dance cause it's going down darling, as the world draws to an end just know you've got a friend to turn to when the skin starts pealing off darling, as the end draws near no need to fear we can have one last kiss before we kiss our ass goodbye
the What: This is a song off of an insta collaboration record I did a few years back called “Finally, Joshua Jesty has friends” where I invited over random friends and musicians and we would write and record a song in about 2-4 hours. Some collaborations lead to other things (these violent young lovers started as a result of this and I’ve co wrote with Matt Dargaj on and off for about 6 years now). Mikey Machine came over and I was honored to get work with him. We went in a sort of folk banjo out on a the porch direction with the music quickly and I immediately threw some words to it based on what the atmosphere was like and we got to work. At one point, my recording computer froze and there was the fearful moment when you wonder if you’ve lost everything but no fair reader... before you hyperventilate yourself to despair I assure you all was well. It was an effortless and very fun session as I recall. Mikey played banjo and accordion and some percussion which got mixed all to quietly as well as sang background vocals. What a fun concept. I tried to repeat this in 2012 but didn’t have as much luck getting people to come out... hopefuly this will happen again.
the How: the How and the What are nearly the same... actually I’m doing this all wrong... the How was explained above. The what is explained here... why you ask? My blog, my folly. I don’t know what it was but the music lead me to think about a simple country folk type town where they were just bumming around sipping lemonade and awaiting the world ending and not making to big a deal about it. Of course there’s still a guy in the song who can’t quite get it out that he has his eye on a pretty young thing and in the meantime he can’t quite wrap his head around the fact that the world is actually ending. Which pretty much sounds like our current presidential race so hey, look at thinking it would be good to write a song or two about bleak times just in case they came about.