It’s About the Mosh

It’s About the Mosh (released December 4, 2017) is my first official digital studio release! It’s a three-song single of quick, fun songs about music, ahead of my debut studio album release — Secrets I Told to a Sound Hole, which essentially details my journey with music so far.

Check out my blog about the single and the story of the first song, “The Major Triad Demon.”

You can stream at Spotify or YouTube below, but the single is also available to stream on Soundcloud, and to purchase on iTunes, Amazon, and other digital retailers.

CREDITS: Produced, engineered, mixed, and mastered by Chris Badami at Portrait Recording Studios. Cover by Shared Tokens Photography.

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Lyrics

THE MAJOR TRIAD DEMON
There once was a demon born in hell whose voice was a major triad
Unlike the proper demons sowing discord it was just 1 and 3, 1 3 5 and…
That sound won’t terrify, no, it’s a sound of beauty and joy
So he sat alone in his room and he spoke softly to himself:
What are you supposed to do when you’re a demon stuck in hell with a major triad voice?

His parents thought God was trolling them, his peers thought he was a freak show
So he tried to hide his voice at school and at home and only spoke when he was spoken to
The epiphany came one day, born of a solitude that he didn’t choose
Maybe, just maybe, I’m not the one who is ugly, but that didn’t matter to the demons in hell
What are you supposed to do when you’re a demon stuck in hell with a major triad voice?

Depressed he came to earth
He thought he’d terrorize some mortals so he’d feel more like himself
At midnight he gave up
At a dingy black door covered in stickers he stopped
And heart aflutter he pulled open the handle…
You know if you take away the third
In the natural cadence of his speech the demon sang some power chords…

It wasn’t just a party trick, but a true punk rock gift they found in that boy
So when he hung out at the punk rock show, he was embraced for his differences
They said, we mortal punks, we’re not so different from a demon stuck in hell with a major triad voice.

I WANT A MOSH
Lately I’ve heard some people going around
Saying punk shows are too rough and we need to tone it down
But where’s the catharsis at a calm and quiet show?
We need the pushing to remind us we’re alive, you know
And yeah, I came to make friends
What better way than to suffer together?

Because it’s not about the dance, it’s about the mosh
I want a mosh, I want a mosh, I want a mosh, I want a mosh

I’ve heard that some kids think they can play an open mic
And get discovered by a label and get rich overnight
But me, I’m looking forward to the scars that I’ll collect
Then I can sing about them later and get all the respect
And sure, I’d like success for my part
But if I found some I’d find some way to make things harder

Because it’s not about the dance, it’s about the mosh
I want a mosh, I want a mosh, I want a mosh, I want a mosh

OK, maybe that was me at seventeen
Happy at the bottom of a pile-up fallen on a hardcore vocalist
Maybe now that’s not exactly what I mean
A decade older I could do with a little more dance and a little less mosh… but just a little

LIVE MUSIC MAKES ALL MY DECISIONS
Picture me, I’m in the front at an arena show to see my favorite band
The opening act is another punk band that I don’t yet know
And a break-up is weighing heavy on my mind
I’m finally ready to forget this loser, though friends have told me to 1000 times

Because if music didn’t exist I’d be useless
Too many days without a show I get directionless
Because live music makes all my decisions
I go in with no idea what I’m doing with my life
I come out and I’ve got my whole future decided
Because live music makes all my decisions
And you think I’m kidding…

Picture me, come from the bar when the band starts to play
Me and my friend who invited me are the only people who came in and paid
And I’m back and forth in my mind on whether I should take some risk
The sad band on stage is beckoning me: what are you waiting for? Just do it

But my friend, I’d never kid about music
You might think I seem smart but I’m quite stupid
But for the wisdom in guitar tones and colorful lights
Let’s be clear: I could never learn to meditate
Quiet my mind? What kinda crap is that?!
But then I realized that when I’m here my mind is often silent

So picture me, watching a lonely person strum a guitar
There’s no reason it should mean this much
But I think it helps us all know who we are
Out of everything this is the single thing that I’d most miss
I’m tired of wondering what to do with my life
I think I’m gonna do this.