Stand Down

My walk in life has caused me to witness the devastation created by drug abuse. Whether it be a childhood friend, former bandmate, or a situation I experienced serving on a jury, the takeaway has always been the same. Drug abuse destroys lives, encourages crime, and ties up government resources in terms of courts, police, and programs. And it all starts with…….the first time somebody uses.  Certainly, today’s opioid crisis comes from conditions not originating with recreational drug use.  STAND DOWN specifically addresses the issue of casual or recreational drug use.   On the surface it seems so easy to manage. When confronted with temptation, don’t do it. Just walk away. Stand down. STAND DOWN!

My musical influences for this song come from the 1980’s electronic band, Scritti Politti. They had one hit called PERFECT WAY, but their music was so cool, linear, and downright funky at times. I consider this as Jody Boyd’s finest drum work to date with me. Aggressive playing, but in the pocket for sure. You may even pick up on his fusion lick within the 2nd verse over the word CONSTERNATION. This was just a bit of studio magic. Without any discussion or forethought or planning / arranging, Jody simply dropped in the ‘outside the box’ lick, completely appropriate with the lyric of the moment in such a way that we initially considered it was a mistake. It took just one listen to smile, high-five and move on. Marna Bales provides the background vocals to soften the edges. Jody played the power chord guitar licks while I played rhythm guitar in spots. I played so many keyboard parts that it would take an octopus to pull it off live, but we have plans to hire one!!!!!!! My advice? Crank this one loud.