red letter day - INFLUENCES, ETC.
I've always enjoyed the question of "musical influences" and what creeps into the songwriting of Sperrets. This story begins in 1990. If you want to identify who your kindred musical spirit friends are, please revisit 1990.
Ani DiFranco, Alice In Chains, A Tribe Called Quest, Babes in Toyland, The Black Crowes, Digital Underground, Fugazi, Helmet, Ice Cube, Jellyfish, The Jesus Lizard, Mariah Carey, Mark Lanegan, The Reverend Horton Heat, Primus, Slaughter, The Sundays, Superchunk, Trixter and Vanilla Ice all had debut albums.
Yes, you read that right.
Debut albums…
It doesn't get more polarizing than that.
... and nested in the middle of it all was a little known band from Santa Barbara, California that had just signed to Columbia Records. That band was Toad the Wet Sprocket.
In January 1990, Toad the Wet Sprocket released "Pale" - an incredibly under-rated record that hit differently for me both musically and lyrically. It was the perfect combination of melancholy, jangle pop and a live sound that embraced the notion of wide open spaces.
Musical adversaries can scoff and roll their eyes all day long - this record felt honest and believable to me…
Ultimately the band's popularity came from their future releases and Toad The Wet Sprocket was well-deserving of their success. Pop music is tricky - an artist that isn't "all in" runs the risk of being classified as cheesy or fake. I never second guessed the sincerity of Toad the Wet Sprocket.
As Andrew and I were recording Red Letter Day, a friend remarked that it sounded like a Toad the Wet Sprocket song. If that means anything close to "honest and believable", I'll take it every day of the week.
Thanks for reading, listening and supporting the explorations of Sperrets.
Red Letter Day / Lyrics
grand reset right in front of me
unravel the reasons inside of me
old broken bones slowing me down
aligning all my plans like a symphony
hijack it back - devil inside of me
serenading softly on through the night
head on home
I hear your labored breathing
no need to stay awake
brushfire smoke blocks the getaway
saving it up for a red letter day
no use in complaining
it'll only make your head spin
wasting days in this reverie
desert stars form a canopy
drifting off the tail lights fade away
we don’t need much
we don’t need anything
to turn it around on this red letter day
i'll let you in
I know your labored breathing
no need to hide away
brushfire smoke blocks the getaway
saving it up for a red letter day
no use in complaining
it'll only make your head spin
come down
my defenseless reverie
no use in restraining
reset and let it in