Local Musicians You Love Share Which Original Songs They Love

“He took his pain and turned it into something beautiful. Into something that people connect to. And that’s what good music does. It speaks to you. It changes you.”―  - Hannah Harrington, author of Saving June

The quotes are endless about the power of music and its ability to penetrate through a crowd of one or one thousand. Music has an expressive power that many have experienced. A song can be stuck re-playing in the mind, carried in the heart, or even as deep as the soul. Lyrics can take one back to a specific time or release one to move forward. Local songwriters shared with us their favorite original songs to perform live. These are the songs they love – and we think you will, too! … For there is nothing like the love of music.

“Birmingham” & “Texas Tequila Night” – Southbound

“Two of our most recent song favorites to perform are Birmingham and Texas Tequila Night!” said Steve Johnson. He and Jimmy John make up the tropical rock band Southbound. Birmingham is a catchy tune that tells the story of when Steve and Shirley (Steve’s wife) met and Texas Tequila Night was co-written with their good friend Rose Anderson. Southbound has started 2014 with a bang playing at venues such as T-Bone Tom’s and the Kemah Boardwalk. They are working on their third CD.

“BumpsterFunk” – Cassette Tape

Do not adjust your eyes. You read the song title right. This 13-minute song has only one lyric, “We are all just a figment of our own imagination forced into a vision by our overactive minds, so leave this world behind and open up your mind…” It’s a statement, not a question; so there is no need for an answer. Just go with the psychedelic and reggae flow. “This song is about the flow of energy,” said Matt Cash, lead guitar and vocals of Cassette Tape. “The energy we give flows out from the stage and into the crowd and they give it back.” Cassette Tape is mid-way through recording a self-titled EP. The release party is March 8 at House of Blues. Then the band will be gearing up for a regional Spring Break tour and a busy summer of gigs.

“On Transition” – Jeremy Kilgore

“This song is about the topic of change, and the things we go through in life,” said Jeremy Kilgore. “Such as break-ups, divorce, all the troubles and hardships we go through, and how we overcome them.” The song title On Transition is also the name of Kilgore’s five-song EP out now. Music to Kilgore is “another language, something I can understand. It’s an emotion, a way of life, and something I am passionate about. I could play every day and never get tired of it.”

“One Request” – Soul In Tension

“Currently our favorite song to play live is One Request,” said Jacob Kitchen, vocalist of the rock band Soul In Tension. “The song just has a great live feel to it and seems to get the crowd going.” Kitchen also gives insight to one song in particular that Soul In Tension hopes to be a new single. “It tells a story about being on the road in a band, temptation, consequence, and the personal battles we have in our minds.” The band has been working some new material lately and hope to release a new album by the end of the year.  “We are truly grateful to have such amazing fans and we can't wait to bring them some new music this year.”

“Love Bites” –   ERASETHEVIRUS

"Love bites is a very sexual song,” said Chris Navasatis, frontman and ERASETHEVIRUS founder. “Yes, it has that vampire theme (I was really into the True Blood HBO series when writing the lyrics) that some would find cheesy, but like I always say, ‘If you don’t like it, I know your girlfriend WILL!' It's our 'panty dropper' song.”  Hear the song for yourself when ERASETHEVIRUS headlines at Scout Bar on Friday, February 21.

“Better Than Nothing” – Radio Springs

“Our original song Better Than Nothing is the first song we wrote as a band,” said Matt Elliott, guitar and vocals for Radio Springs. “Every time we play it, we surprise ourselves, and the song is being recorded on our EP right now.”  Read more about Radio Springs in this issue (February 2014) of The SCENE Magazine.

“Write It Off” – Fox & Cats

Josh Willems, guitar and vocals Fox & Cats, says the energy when performing Write it Off “really gets the crowd, as well as us moving.” Willems, along with Nicole Wigginton (drums) make up the rock duo of Fox & Cats. The band has shows in the Bay Area coming up in February, including headlining the Texas Buzz at Scout Bar on Sunday, February 16. Fox & Cats also has plans to begin working on their next album over the next couple of months.

“Tell Me Something” – Chad Ware Band

“My favorite original song to perform is “Tell Me Something,” which is also the title of my first CD. I like to play it because it’s upbeat, and I love the guitar parts. It isn't the best song lyrically that I’ve written, but I think it represents my sound more than any other song, and it is fun to play,” said Chad Ware. He is currently working on his second CD and hopes for a summer release.

“Vampire” – The Last Hour

“Vampire is one of our favorite songs to play live because of the way we play it live,” said Brett Cardiff, bass player for The Last Hour. “It's different than on the CD. We start it off with just Travis Comer on the stage singing and strumming on his guitar until right before the solo with the whole band coming in to give this eruption of sound and emotion.”  The Last Hour is a part of a Bay Area Turning Point benefit show on February 22 for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault at Scout Bar. And the band is performing with 10 Years at Scout Bar in March for their Live and Unplugged acoustic tour.

Any New Song – Chris J. Hardy

“My favorite song to perform live is whatever my newest song released is,” said Chris Hardy. “Nothing like debuting a new song and feeling those raw emotions on stage for the first time.” He explains, “When a song is new, it’s current to your emotional state, and you are able to recreate those feelings more accurately and makes the song more believable. It can be difficult to enjoy playing a song for the 200th time, so that first time is golden.” Hardy is currently practicing with the long awaited new band “Hardy & Co.” and is preparing for their first concert dates this spring.

“Sold Down River” – Six Gun Sound

“Without a doubt our favorite song to play live is Sold Down River,” said Six Gun Sound’s drummer Vinnie Territo. “It kicks things off great and rocks so hard we just get lost in it. It’s a song I would’ve jammed with on my drums as a kid to just get off. It’s just that kind of song,” Six Gun Sound is excited to be releasing a three-song EP very soon.

“Love Story” – Hold Fast Fables

Marc Borde of Hold Fast Fables offers a disclaimer that each member of the band may have a different favorite song, but he says his personal favorite song to perform live is Love Story. “It is a sorrowful tune filled with emotion and tells a tale of love found and then lost,” said Borde. “For me it actually applies to personal experiences with falling in love as well as going through a divorce involving a child. It has brought tears to the eyes of our audiences at concerts and our recent recording captures the feelings associated with the song perfectly.”   The band has just wrapped up recording their first studio album Cat-O-Nine Tales and the mixing process should be complete in a few months. Love Story will be on the CD and Borde says, “There will be happy songs on the album as well.”