Sunday November 15, 2020 “That’s Damn Rock & Roll“ Eric Church

It’s Sunday, so let’s go to Church, Eric Church.

 I am not a country music fan, probably my fault not country music’s, but every once in a rare while I have run across a country artist who captures my imagination and this is definitely one of them.

Eric Church (real name) is a singer/songwriter and multi instrumentalist who began his musical experience at age thirteen writing his own songs and teaching himself to play guitar.  After a stint at Appalachian State College, and as a guitarist in a regional band, he headed to Nashville to peddle some songs but the potential buyers all felt that the songs had such a personal stamp and style to them that they belonged to Church convincing him reluctantly to become a performer.

He started out as an opener for country band Rascal Flatts but got fired for playing too long, you gotta love the rebel in him (he was replaced by a then unknown Taylor Swift).  He has an amazingly tight band and a wheelbarrow full of really solid live videos you might want to check out..

His recent albums/CDs are produced by Jay Joyce who has worked with The Wallflowers, Emmylou Harris, Patty Griffin, White Reaper, Cage the Elephant, Zac Brown Band, Brandy Clark, and Amos Lee among others and Joyce has also played guitar with a variety of disparate artists like Crowded House, The Wallflowers, John Hiatt, and Iggy Pop.

For me country music dwells deep in the ‘my wife left me for my best friend, it’s raining outside, the whiskeys gone, my truck wont run and the dog just died’ and I know that’s a naive cliche but Church’s lyrics are intelligent, clever and tell an interesting story...yeah he’s still country except this song is about rock & roll.

Stay safe and well...and this is one high energy piece of live music.

It ain't a needle in a vein

It ain't backstage sex

It ain't lines of cocaine on a private jet

It ain't havin' a posse full of hangers on following you around

It ain't long hair, tattoos, playin' too loud (no)

 It ain't a middle finger on a t-shirt, the establishments tryin' to sell

It's a guy with the balls who told the establishment to go to hell

It ain't about the money you make, when a record gets sold

It's about doin' it for nothin', 'cause it lives in your soul

 That's damn rock and roll

That's damn rock and roll

 It's a rock through a window

It's a ride in the street

It's a rebel revolution

It's fightin' for pieces

Burn baby burn

It's a brick in the wall

It's the first one to stand

And the last one to fall

It's a hip shaking devil on the stage in Tupelo

It's doing what ya want instead of doin' what your told

It's a preacher by the wreck tellin' folks they outta pray

'Cause the shepherd boy gets them

And lead the flock astray

 That's damn rock and roll

Give all ya got 'til there ain't nothin' left

That's damn rock and roll

Get some grass for the party

And the party got loud

And the party turned into an angry crowd

Drowning demons feel no pain

Found a lot of ways to shame

Gone too soon just like a song

Hendrix Joplin what went wrong?

Need some answers right or wrong

Need some band to blame it on

 (Blame it on)

(Blame it on)

(Blame it on)

(Blame it on)

(Blame it on)

(Blame it on)

(Blame it on)

(Blame it on)

(Blame it on)

(Blame it on)

 That's damn rock and roll

(Give all ya got 'til there ain't nothing left)

That's damn rock and roll

Oh oh oh oh oh

Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh

Oh oh oh oh oh

 Another day

In another town

Loadin' the stage, and the lights, and the sound

Here they come boys

They've opened doors

Count us off now Craig

(One, two, three, four)

That's damn rock and roll

Give all ya go 'til there ain't nothin' left

That's damn rock and roll

Gather round 'til you've broken a sweat

 That's damn rock

That's damn rock and roll

(Rock and roll)

(Rock and roll)

(Rock and roll)

(Rock and roll)

(Rock and roll)