Meet Bird And The New Album

SPEAKER_00 0:48

Welcome back to another Super Awesome Nick. My name is Matt Sitholm, and this week we are back with a little special one-on-one interview, and uh really excited to bring this guy onto the show. Um, he has a new album called Anthems for the End Times. He hails from Southern Indiana. He is a singer-songwriter. We're just gonna call him Bird, but it is at XBird, that's B-Y-R-D-X Music at Instagram. So, Bird, welcome to the show, man.

SPEAKER_01 1:19

Thank you. Appreciate it.

SPEAKER_00 1:21

Yeah, so tell me a little bit about your background because I don't think you've been a musician your whole life, right? Or maybe you have been a musician, but at least not recording music professionally, correct?

SPEAKER_01 1:33

Well, that yeah, that came later. I mean, I professionally probably been a performing musician for the last 15 years and recording for probably the last 10 years with different uh different band projects and own personal projects.

SPEAKER_00 1:52

Yeah, very cool. Um, yeah, I got turned on to kind of your new album, and when this airs, the album will be out. Um, like we said, Anthems for the end times. And so what we've got today is we're gonna go through six songs that you kind of picked out as sort of you know inspiration or or songs maybe that you just love, and then we're getting to gonna get into six songs from this new album, which I'm really interested to get in into and and talk about. But let's start off with the ones that were maybe a little a little more inspirational, and longtime listeners of this show will know that you definitely got on my good side with your first pick, uh, because I'm a massive Springsteen fan. So you picked uh Youngstown by Bruce Springsteen.

SPEAKER_01 2:33

Yeah, it's uh I think it's as far as inspirational, it's probably one of the perfect songs uh when you think of the Springsteen catalog, because it really encapsulates a lot of what he does. You know, it's it's basically a movie in a song. You know, you have a little history lesson on the uh you know steel industry uh in the Ohio Valley. You know, the the Jinny he's singing to is the uh Jeanette uh you know smokestacks that were there, and it has uh you know economic issues in the song. Uh, you know, it talks about Vietnam and World War II, you know, and the kind of longing and love that uh the person is expressing isn't to a woman, it's to a uh you know, an industry and a job and a way of life that you know is gone suddenly. And you know, a lot of the aftermath of uh you know what happened after the steel industry, you know, tanked in the 70s is you know, you really you feel that in the performance of the song and just the uh the lyrical content, you know, it's it's just almost perfect.

SPEAKER_00 3:53

Yeah, this is this is a great one. It's off the ghost of Tom Joed album, uh, which is funny because it's that one was 1995, I believe, when that one came out. And I mean, probably about a decade earlier, I think Billy Joel had written Allentown, which kind of thematically sort of aligns with this. So obviously two legends there writing about similar topics, but sort of 10 years apart. So this one is not nearly as peppy as Allentown is. Like if you're not really paying attention to Allentown, you don't really realize what it's about. Yeah. This one, uh, I mean, even if you're not paying attention to the lyrics, you kind of realize that that something bad has happened or something sad has happened. Maybe, you know, bad or sad, maybe interchangeable there. But yeah, no, I've always uh I've always liked this one. I love how you described it there as just uh it's it's a movie uh in a song, right? Like just you just paint such a stark picture.

SPEAKER_01 4:50

You know, and and obviously my love for Springsteen goes, you know, all the way back to the first album, but he, you know, he's he's gone over so much uh ground in his career. I just when I hear that one, I just it kind of puts it all together for me, you know, in one song. And uh a lot of uh what I grew up on, you know, being from Indiana and we had, you know, uh Mellencamp and uh a lot of the music seemed to be, you know, uh social economic issues of the middle class, you know. Yeah. So that's uh a lot of what I grew up on. Uh, you know, and I was exposed to it whether whether I liked it or not, because you know, in Indiana it was on the radio 24 hours a day.

SPEAKER_00 5:37

So I'm sure, I'm sure, yeah. Well, and also like growing up there, I'm sure you maybe saw it firsthand on top of either even if you weren't necessarily listening to the music, right?

SPEAKER_01 5:48

Right. Yeah, the uh yeah, the community that I you know originally grew up in was you know, maybe 3,000 people, and it was uh the town basically existed because there was a a power plant nearby and uh a rail system and um coal mines and you know, and basically that uh power plant uh produced most of the energy that was then sent to Indianapolis. Um so yeah, so all over time everything that's happened in that community has been based around those industries and you know it's it's hit hard in those communities too.

Noise And Melody: JAMC To Psychedelic Furs

SPEAKER_00 6:27

So all right. Well, let's uh your next pick is is less uh maybe social impactful, but uh it is just like honey by the Jesus and Mary Chain.

SPEAKER_01 6:38

Yeah, it that that song, you know, was uh at a different part of my life, and it was just uh, you know, something sonic-wise, so different from you know what I had kind of grown up on. You know, I I had mostly, you know, the the heavy metal and hard rock and you know, top 40 radio. It's kind of what I grew up on, and then you know, once I got a little older and was trying to find something that reflected more of, you know, where I was in life or who I was in life, um, that song just uh kind of torn into me as how could something so different sounding, you know, exist and and uh you know not not a wide uh audience of people really knew about it. And you know, once I discovered their catalog, it was just uh you know something I was just in love with. Just the the the ability to create just this kind of sonic noise or maelstrom and combine it with kind of uh very melodic, you know, undertones and you know, it was just something that was totally new and attractive for me.

SPEAKER_00 7:56

Yeah, I'm I'm kind of glad you reminded me of this band because like when I listened to this song, I like kind of went back and listened to a bunch of their other stuff as well. Um and it's funny, they sound and they came out about the same time or like when the psychedelic furs were really popular. And yet the psychedelic furs had a lot more like pop hits and and sort of you know billboard charting, where like I remember hearing about these guys, but not you you weren't getting as much radio play with these guys. And and back then, if you weren't on the radio, it was hard to really hear about a band. It's not like all the streaming services like we have now.

SPEAKER_01 8:31

Yeah, they were definitely you know part of the 120 minutes uh MTV late at night or you know, two in the morning you would see them, or you know, British British magazines, New Music Express, or those those are the kind of outlets uh you know you would see them on. And it's funny enough you mentioned the uh psychedelic furs. That's actually who they're they're touring touring with uh this past year.

SPEAKER_00 9:03

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 9:04

So I just saw them uh yeah, it's been about six months ago, but uh it's actually the first time you know I'd seen them, and they just came out uh with a new album about a year ago. So it's but yeah, they they I think one band definitely pursued uh you know the pop mainstream, and the other band was just too uh, you know, had the the wrong attitude for that that type of that's right.

The Clash, Protest, And Risk

SPEAKER_00 9:32

That's right. Didn't didn't play nice with the radio DJs, yeah. Um now speaking of not playing nice, this next band definitely, definitely never did. Um, and I felt like these guys lined up the the sound lined up with a a couple of the songs I think that you produced on this new album. Um, but this is White Riot by the Clash.

SPEAKER_01 9:52

Yeah, it uh it's one of those songs where you know, just the title, you're kind of like, uh, that kind of scares me. A White Riot. And but uh, you know, once I uh actually heard it for what it's saying, you know, it's it's really something that is uh you know right in the the middle of our current culture, um, you know, the idea of protest and uh for so many people and so much of us, you know, the uh the idea of being in the streets and pushing back and um you know fighting for uh personal rights. And it's you know, you if you grow up in a system where everything's kind of nice and comfortable for a long time, it's uh a pretty scary proposition to, you know, like you've seen, go out there and you know, get hit by a billy club and you know, get detained for eight hours. And uh but this song, you know, talks about how uh you know the African American culture has uh been probably, you know, one of the most vocal groups and out there uh and protesting for decades and decades, and it's because you know they you know really um I heard somebody put it in a certain way that made sense to me is that um during some riots, you know, they there was fires and things, and uh, you know, the the question is, oh, how could they, you know, set fire to their own community like that? And the answer is uh they don't really feel as if they own anything. You know, the community is not really theirs.

SPEAKER_00 11:36

Yeah, yeah. They they don't feel that sense of ownership that everyone else subscribes to the yeah, and so that's why, you know, you can if you feel like you have nothing and nothing to lose, it's uh you know, it it's more incentive to go out there and you know just go toe-to-toe with people.

SPEAKER_01 11:54

But you know, it's it's hard to come from a a society or mindset or community where you know everybody does what they're told and uh you know everything's kind of comfortable, and as long as you don't get, you know, don't uh step over the line, you're gonna, you know, have a a pretty safe life. But now we're in a time where uh you know even the uh the white culture is now under attack, you know, and uh so you're finally seeing people being drawn out into the streets and you know, like you see in Minnesota and other places.

SPEAKER_00 12:31

So yeah, yeah. No, I agree. And this is uh yeah, this is very much kind of a punk rock sort of sound to it, like the clash often had. But you know, it's amazing how many hits they had in spite of like the themes that they talked about and just the way they sounded. They, you know, it's kind of like we were just talking about, it's like the Jesus and Mary Chain didn't get a lot of love, but Psychedelic First did. It's just interesting how the clash stood out amongst a lot of bands that maybe sounded a little more like them and even hit on the same theme. So yeah, great pick here. I wasn't as familiar with this song.

SPEAKER_01 13:06

Cool, thanks.

SPEAKER_00 13:07

Um, all right, track four. This is unsatisfied by the replacements.

SPEAKER_01 13:12

Yeah, that one uh that one was my uh you know uh early 20s college life song. You know, it just you know, at that point in time, you're kind of uh on the mountaintop of adolescence, you know, going into kind of an adult life. And, you know, for some people it they just uh you know jump off the cliff and you know are happy with what's out there after you know after those adolescent years, and then there are some people who look out off of that mountaintop and say, Is this what you know I've been told that I need to work towards all these years? My whole youth and this is the pathway to happiness and success. And you look at it all and go, uh, you know, why do I not feel that? Why am I, you know, outside of all these things and that other people seem to, you know, enjoy or be content with or or be satisfied with. And uh so that was just you know something that I would after, you know, a few beers at a party, and I would I would uh have somebody put that on the stereo and go sulk in the corner.

SPEAKER_00 14:33

Yeah, this is uh this is a good it's funny. We talked about Springsteen and I even mentioned Billy Joel, but Springsteen has hungry heart, which kind of hits on this thematically, and then Billy Joel's moving out, right? Where it's like, if that's what it's all about, right? Like I don't want to be here. Um, so I love this as far as just kind of a new take on that theme because because you're right, and I love the way you put it there where you said people seem to be content with these things, right? You know, you sometimes don't often know, but you kind of look at other people and it's like, well, I know I feel restless, but but why do they they don't seem that way? Why are they okay with it? You don't really know, but but you're right, they do seem to be that way.

SPEAKER_01 15:10

Yeah, and I mean it's you know, the song lyrically, um, you know, if you just look at it, it doesn't look like there's much there, but the the simplest lines, you know, can uh can hit you the deepest. I mean, you know, everything you dream of is right in front of you and everything's a lie. You know, that yeah, those those four little sentences, two little sentences, you know, is is the whole song.

SPEAKER_00 15:38

Yeah, yeah. No, it's pretty remarkable. Well, speaking of remarkable, this next one really stuck out to me. Uh, this one is Plain Song by the Cure.

The Cure’s Plainsong And Cinematic Sound

SPEAKER_01 15:47

Yeah, that, you know, uh that was uh a time when uh the hopeless romantic in me uh was being beaten down by Life and Love and uh uh you know, the the just the this the again the the sonic uh nature or the cinematic nature of the song. You know, th th this could be uh a movie too, um if you you know just listen to it and you know I know I know the track has been the song itself has been used in several movie soundtracks. Um I can't remember the oh the name of the one Coppola uh did uh anyway. But it it's like it it uh introduces this whole section of a movie and uh so it it in especially um in relation to you know relationships, it's one of those where it uh basically the people are talking or the the uh the the female first person is talking, um you know, like she's in a kind of a doomed situation and the you know, you assume the the lover or the male person in the in the uh song still sticks around because you know she has this smile and like you know he he's in this situation where he's probably going to be doomed, you know, with her, but yeah, you know, he just can't he just can't leave it.

SPEAKER_00 17:28

Right, right. And well, I think what stood out to me here is that like this is a six-minute song, and there's only about two minutes of lyrics, yeah. And I thought that was so interesting because I don't think your music really sounds like that. So it's like, did you I I get what you said there about the cinematic quality of it, yeah, but how did it kind of tie into maybe some inspiration for you?

Hüsker Dü And Melodic Abrasion

SPEAKER_01 17:51

Well, I think my music now uh that I'm making uh embraces more of a of a uh multi-instrumental approach. There's okay, you know, I'm not really thinking acoustic guitar, drums, bass, you know, and piano on every song. Yeah um, you know, I'm using more uh synthetic sounds and layering and the idea of music as texture and color, you know, versus guitar solo, you know, chorus, that type of of song. And in that, you know, plain song, it's just an entire feeling, you know, the layering of the keyboards and uh the synthesizers and the little bits of maybe you know guitar you might hear under there. You know, you don't really think of it as, oh, here's this part where this instrument pops out, here's the guitar solo. It's just a a uh cinematic feeling that surrounds you through the whole song. You know, it feels like you are there on on this edge of this cliff, you know, and the skies are gray and it's raining. And so that's you know what I've really tried to or what has inspired me now is trying to create uh you know experiences and feelings with the music versus um using standard formats, I guess you would say.

SPEAKER_00 19:20

Yeah, no, very cool, very cool. All right, your last pick for your inspiration songs is Don't Wanna Know If You Are Lonely by Husker Dew.

SPEAKER_01 19:31

Yeah, again, this is another one of those almost like the Jesus and Mary Chain where it it the the sonic abrasiveness and the melodic nature, uh, how it fits together in one song. And it's always, you know, uh attracted me to and you know Bob Mold and um you know what came after with Sugar. I think Sugar was the obviously the more refined, radio friendly, you know, version of what Bob used to do, but it's just how those two forces combine and you know make a a song that you know if it was just who's gonna do in their earliest form where it's more this speed hardcore sound, you know, I'm not sure that would have been uh you know my thing, uh being from a nice little suburb, you know. And I I think you said I'm from southern Indiana, I grew up there, and I then I moved to Indianapolis in my high school years and you know, sit in the nice little suburb and then discovered this music. And so that but it's the melodic part of all that, and then the the song context, you don't expect uh a song about love, you know, being in this uh kind of thrashy, you know, hardcore screeching guitar sound, uh, and all that combining, but it it does perfectly, and and also it's a it's a different type of of relationship song, too. One person is like over it, yeah, and the other person is still you know reaching out, and basically they're saying, you know, I don't care if you're lonely, I don't care if you miss me, I'm done. Stop calling.

Turning To Bird’s Album And POV

Ayn Rand On Welfare: Ideology And Empathy

SPEAKER_00 21:15

Right, right. Yeah, get your friends to stop calling me. I think there's a line in there, yeah, as well. Yeah, no, I think I think you're right. Like it is it's it's a really cool just kind of amalgamation of styles there that that makes this this this cool project. Um, but yeah, I I had forgotten about these guys too, and I was like, oh yeah, that's right. And so it was cool to kind of revisit that. And and this was a great pick. But now I'm excited to get into some of your new music that you have off of your new album. Um, I'll tell the listeners right now, okay, you definitely have a point of view, okay, but I want everybody out there to keep an open mind, no matter what side of things they they come from. Um, because I think you do a really cool job here. One, I I think your music just sounds great. Like that was the first thing that kind of popped out was I was like, I just I just like how this sounds, right? Uh, but then I also want to dig into to some of the lyrics here uh that you've written. So let's start. This is track seven on the mix. Uh this is Anne Ryan, and Anne Rand's in hell on welfare.

SPEAKER_01 22:18

And she press she pronounces it Ayn.

SPEAKER_00 22:21

Oh, excuse me. Ayn Rand's on welfare.

unknown 22:25

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 22:27

Um so yeah, so talk to me about this one. This was uh, I mean, talk about just a real statement right off the bat.

SPEAKER_01 22:34

Well, you know, it's it is so It's it's you know about this person, but it's it's this philosophy uh that she created that so many people, business people, politicians have adopted as a way of uh you know, I think really trying to avoid empathy, avoid, you know, sympathy for others, uh creating a society where um you know capitalism is the religion uh or the end-all be-all of you know everything you do. And so, you know, if you're successful in that that religion, um then you uh are are are seen as a upstanding citizen, and then anybody else that um doesn't believe in that religion is you know less than or uh not you know not doing their part uh to contribute or uh whatever uh whatever uh rude words or comments you want to use, but you know, her her philosophy of they they they try to frame it as self-responsibility, uh right, right, self-reliance, I think. But it only uh it only talks about that again in in the realm of a capitalist a capitalistic uh society. And you know, if if you're a person who is born and you know, you're more of a humanist and and believe that the purpose of a person's life is it goes far beyond capitalism, uh, you know, you can just see the the uh problems with this kind of philosophy and how you know it if you're if you're uh a person who is in the system of of you know having the right connections and um you know you're you're of course going to embrace this kind of society, but you know, if you weren't born with the the silver spoon, um, you know, you were already starting at the bottom and um somebody described it once to me as um it's like playing Monopoly, and everybody else gets to go around the board ten times before you get to start. And then then any, you know, then if you lose or you're losing money or can't buy properties, you're just not you know good enough at the game.

SPEAKER_00 25:19

Right, right. Yeah, somehow you have to get better, yeah, from that spot. That's a that's a good analogy.

SPEAKER_01 25:25

Yeah, that's comes about her and that kind of philosophy she created, and uh there actually was um a excerpt um from a interview with Mike Wallace uh that she did in the 60s that was uh at the beginning of the song.

SPEAKER_00 25:45

Um yes, that's right.

SPEAKER_01 25:47

Yeah, but we we had to uh we had to cease and desist. So if somebody buys the vinyl, the first 250 copies has the uh item. Grab it now.

SPEAKER_00 26:05

That's interesting. Oh my goodness. Um yeah, this was a uh, you know, uh I the I think the line stuck out to me, and I think anybody can relate to this is hate the government, get out and vote. And and I think that's a great reminder for people because nowadays so much of a lot of people's activism is is reduced to I made a social media post and that's it, right? And it's like that there's a lot more you can do out there, and and fundamentally, like just getting out and and voting for for what you believe in and what you think is right is is very important. So I love that amidst this song, I I I just that that that really stood out to me. I thought that was.

SPEAKER_01 26:44

Well, the in the lyrics that come right after those is don't sink the ship, then ask for a lifeboat.

SPEAKER_00 26:50

Right.

MAGA Girl: Politics Inside A Romance

SPEAKER_01 26:51

And uh, you know, if you follow along with her, you know, if you research Ayn Rand's life, uh, you know, she basically uh railed against you know the government and welfare state and you know receiving any kind of uh help through the government because that takes my money from my taxes, which people still talk about. And then at the end of her life, she uh she was basically uh almost bankrupt, and uh her and her her husband b both had to go on uh Medicare to pay for their medical care bills. So it's it's kind of you know, and then of course she her philosophy changed to where it was okay to accept that.

SPEAKER_00 27:38

Um of course, yeah, of course so when it's convenient, when it's convenient.

SPEAKER_01 27:45

Same excuse people use now is you know, I don't want to my my tax dollars going to pay for somebody's health care.

SPEAKER_00 27:53

Right, right. Until they need it.

SPEAKER_01 27:56

Until that person's lying dead on your front yard, and then uh you're gonna have to pay to have somebody come and you know take the money.

SPEAKER_00 28:07

Um all right, your next song here. Uh, and I didn't know what to expect when I put hit play on this one. Uh the title is MAGA Girl.

SPEAKER_01 28:17

Yeah, it well again, it's um you know, kind of referring back to um don't want to know if you're a lonely, like you know, from Who's Screwdo? And yeah, it was this song that uh is about a relationship, but it's more of a you know, a negative, a negative kind of relationship where I was thinking about so many people were talking about, you know, uh going home for Thanksgiving and getting into an argument with grandpa or my uncle or that that whole my you know my family and I have different philosophies. And I started thinking about, you know, what would it be like if you had this person you're you know in this new budding relationship with, and you know, because of the political political times, suddenly they started espousing political beliefs that were just totally opposed to you know what you believe in and how how that would affect the relationship. And and uh in this case, it's how do I get out of the relationship?

Shrine: Flags, Memory, And Context

SPEAKER_00 29:26

Well, but I thought it was an interesting take on it. One, it sounds like this is like the sound of this is like a cool pop song. Like this sounds like something from the cars or something like that, right? So it's kind of I love the sound just right off of it. But then I also thought it was just an interesting study because it is just this relationship that kind of falls apart because of this in the same way like you just described, where uh family relationships, right? And I can speak to this to a degree, it's like, yeah, it's like things sort of start to get tense because of these political beliefs. And I'm almost kind of like, well, then just talk about football. Like, why do why do you have to kind of talk about the the you know, the political atmosphere, knowing that there's this discord, right? Now, obviously, if you're in sort of a romantic relationship, that's probably not gonna last if there's that much discord. But whenever people talk about the holidays, I'm almost just like, I think there's other things you could hit on instead of talking about that.

SPEAKER_01 30:23

How's the weather? How about them bears?

SPEAKER_00 30:26

Yeah, exactly. Just don't dwell so much on that. But um, no, this this ended up being a really fun song, and I think it was a it was a good message. And I mean, honestly, even if you're it's funny because you can write this song from the perspective of the MAGA girl, right? Who kind of realizes these things about this guy she's dating and wondering if it's gonna work out. So really well done. Um, all right, track nine. Um, I'm here in Texas in the South, so this one um I can uh this one kind of hit home a little bit, but this one uh it is called Shrine.

SPEAKER_01 31:04

Yeah, that one is probably the you know kind of the MAGA girl song, you know, you have a a sound, like you said, a poppy sound. And I'm I'm I'm always uh kind of a fan of when a a song you know pulls you in a certain way, and then it's lyric, you know, the the song is happy and punchy, but then the lyrical content is you know more of a darker subject. But this one, Shrines was just, you know, sound is dark, the the uh topic you know it's talking about is is dark, and uh we went, you know, just straight straight into that feeling. And it's it's just you know, a song that kind of documents again the the past of our country and also what you know is happening right now in our country. And you know, um the way I grew up, um, I thought we all kind of you know believed in the same things. And you know, through these past, you know, fifteen, twenty years now, it's it's hard to find out that you know you were so wrong about, you know, what uh your friends and family and the area you're from and the people you've known uh you know generally truly believe in. And so it kind of documents, you know, how um the the image that kind of started it, inspired me is you know, I saw a uh Confederate flag in a in a bar window, you know, up here, you know, what was what was the uh the north uh you know back in the right, right? And I was just like, what is that flag, you know, doing up here? Um then I just started when I started noticing it, it more and more places and more and more people, you know, and uh then it it just kind of drew me in on what what that meant and uh you know how in my mind uh these things are things of the past, and you know, I make a comment about it should be in a museum, um, you know, cut your false flags down, knock your shrines to the ground. You know, I I and we've seen kind of some of that happen, you know, the shrine Confederate fr Confederate uh statues being knocked down and flags taken down. And you know, I'm not I'm not for destroying it and pretending it never happened. Uh I'm more of a person who, you know, I want to see those things within the right context, which would be in a you know a histor in a history museum.

SPEAKER_00 33:54

Yeah, that's right. That's right. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 33:56

Keep keep all that stuff, put it in a history museum, you know, put your your plaques out there that explain the context of everything. That's that's great. But you know, when you know those monuments were put up, you know, as a reminder to uh, you know, the black community to h to know, hey, we're still we're still watching you, even though you may have this freedom now, you know. We still have our our you know, our flags flying and our stat Confederate, you know, general statues flying, and uh so stay in your place. And uh so you know it was something that uh basically became the the you know center of the song and uh just talking about you know the the idea of this is our original sin as a country, and you know, until we face it head on and uh have a of a frank discussion and and how we can you know fix these things, repair these things, uh it's just gonna keep you know happening. Pretending there's no racism and uh pretending that we've you know we've moved on and we uh no longer have biases and uh you know that that won't work. It will continue to fester until until uh you know a solution is created.

SPEAKER_00 35:20

Yeah, I mean this one first of all, I love the emotion that you sing in this one. Like I think your voice sounded great on this song. Um, so I I really appreciated that. And and then growing up here in the South, like we, you know, I see Confederate flags all the time, but it also used to like kind of make me laugh because I'm like, you lost, you know, and it's not like well, the Buffalo Bills lost and we'll be back next season. It's like, no, we're not we're not redoing this, like it's over. And that's what always kind of got me about it growing up and and seeing that is because I was also like it didn't, it never really made sense to me.

SPEAKER_01 35:56

Um yeah, I'm I mean, I was a kid who I I watched Dukes of Hazard.

SPEAKER_00 36:00

Right, yes.

SPEAKER_01 36:01

I love the General Lee.

SPEAKER_00 36:02

Love the Dukes of Hazard, that's right. Yes.

SPEAKER_01 36:04

The context of that flag that was on top of the car was this is a cool car with a custom paint job.

SPEAKER_00 36:11

Right, yes.

SPEAKER_01 36:13

The kid in me didn't know the the history of the you know the south, and uh but when you're an adult, you know, and you say you say this is my southern heritage, you know, what are you saying then? There right and and there's so many other things that are great about the South Yes that you could promote as your heritage, you know, but people still go back to this and well, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 36:40

I I kind of I think that the note I wrote was, you know, OJ Simpson can can be in the hall of fame, you know, because he was a great football running back, but I don't think we need to erect a statue after after he murdered his wife.

SPEAKER_01 36:53

Exactly.

SPEAKER_00 36:55

All right. This next one, uh, I feel like this one's kind of the anthem uh of maybe this album. This was this might have been my favorite. Um, this is Prize Fighter.

Anthems For The End Times: Urgency And Hope

SPEAKER_01 37:05

Yeah, that one uh it uh you know is more it's probably the the most direct kind of song, you know, lyrically. It's it's a rah-rah, get you fired up, you know, yeah anthemic song, and uh, you know, fighting fighting oppression, fighting what's wrong, you know, uh fighting uh what's you know, pushing back for on what's going on in our country right now, you know, but but using it in the terms of uh you know a pugilist, uh a boxer, yeah you know, going into the ring and you know how people again feel um kind of uh bewildered or hopeless and not knowing what to do. You know, it's it's almost kind of the other half of uh you know white riot is where you're saying, okay, it it's time to get in the ring. You know, the stakes are stakes are high enough that there's something you can do. You know, you can vote, you can uh assemble protest, you can, you know, make posters, but it it's your time to get in the ring. Um and you know, it talks about some of the uh civil rights leaders that came in the past, and just basically saying they were somebody that went out and got in the ring and did something, and you know, you as a a person can do the same thing even in the smallest ways.

SPEAKER_00 38:37

Yeah, yeah, and I think not only is it the right message, but I think the right music to go along with it to kind of kind of motivate. So I think you did a good job there of kind of kind of matching those two to sort of I don't know, push someone forward. That it's not just kind of this I don't know, you it didn't sound whiny at all. It was like, hey, get in there, let's go, you know, and I thought that was it kind of matched really well, which I which I really liked.

SPEAKER_01 39:02

Thanks, man.

SPEAKER_00 39:04

Um, all right, track 11 on the mix here. Your second to last uh pick from your new album. This is the title track, it is Anthems for the End Times.

SPEAKER_01 39:13

Yeah, it it's uh you know, the title is kind of the the summation of all the songs on the album, and obviously kind of you know, a uh maybe not joking, joking, maybe not joking take on where we're at in the world, but uh uh well you know I heard in your voice, right?

SPEAKER_00 39:34

In time in spite of the title, and and I don't know if this was intentional or not, but or maybe it was just my mind playing tricks on me, but I heard like a hopefulness in your voice. I don't think it you you didn't seem to me as pessimistic as the title sounded like here. I feel like you're kind of maybe secretly an optimist and you're trying to kind of spur some action through this. Is is that is that an accurate read?

SPEAKER_01 39:58

Yeah, possibly, yeah, because the song you know has a line, it says no savior standing in line, you know, anthems for the end time. So it's yeah, it's saying um, you know, uh in sort of in relation to prize fighter that uh you know the time is now, it's all on the line. Uh this is happening, you know. This isn't something we can uh just wait it out and see what happens, you know. Maybe we'll maybe everything will be fine and we'll work our way through, and you know, and it's really saying, no, you know, we need to be paying attention now. We need to think about, you know, what needs to be done now instead of crossing our fingers and you know hoping uh you know we get off the ride and we're okay.

SPEAKER_00 40:50

And uh they but but I think that line that you just called out is kind of perfect that it's not just a savior. We're not just sit you can't just sit here and wait for some one person to come along and they'll fix everything. So so I think that I don't know. I I thought that was very apt.

SPEAKER_01 41:07

Yeah, it it was it was kind of that piece at you know that lyrical content was kind of directed toward, you know, your evangelical or um, you know, people who are in into or part of organized religion and the tendency to, oh just let's pray on it, you know. And while you know, while I have no problem with, you know, people uh you know praying and finding inspiration, but the the point is, you know, you can't just wait and hope for the big lightning bolt to come out of the sky. You know, you you you have to, you know, you can use that and yeah, spiritual inspiration and maybe spiritual armor, but you still have to go out and do the work.

SPEAKER_00 41:55

Well, I agree with that. And I think I think to take that a step further, it's also kind of a some new political candidate isn't gonna come along and and sort of save everything either, right? So I kind of look at that as in kind of the same way. I think you kind of talked earlier about how capitalism can be your religion. It's also something where it's like, um, sometimes politics ends up being someone's religion, right? And it ends up being like, hey, we're gonna rely on this person to to fix everything. And it's like, well, it's not, we can't just put it on one person, like this isn't gonna work.

White Noise: Echo Chambers And Media

SPEAKER_01 42:28

Yeah, we've we've tried those experiments, you know, and uh we we've seen what can happen when we just give, you know, give everything up to the uh the candidate, and uh, you know, sometimes it can be ineffective and sometimes it could, you know, be uh totally catastrophic kind of where we're what we're you know, in my opinion, what we're waiting through right now.

SPEAKER_00 42:55

So yeah, no, I hear I hear you, I hear you. All right, this last track, uh, and this one I think ties directly back to White Riot by the Clash. This is white noise.

SPEAKER_01 43:08

Yeah, the the word the word white noise, you know, I was like, yeah. It's kind of the white riot conundrum, too. Um but uh you know it's just really a uh narrative on um those who are uh those are who are big believers in the current administration and you know the the cult of personality and the uh propaganda machines that are on our television these days, and you know how you know when it when I was younger, you know, you may have you only had three or four news sources, right?

SPEAKER_00 43:49

Right, right, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 43:50

People could, you know, people could, yes, they could say, well, this this station uh this network's always kind of biased, and um but they you know they all weren't uh they all weren't tilted, you know, to one side completely. Right, right. And then this uh this um push to have uh you know media that features the other side, um, you know, that they've they've slanted it totally onto the one side with no effort to find something palpable in the middle, you know, where there's something for a little bit for everybody, um, and people's unwillingness to now just listen to any kind of countervoice or you know. Counter uh narrative or opinion, and you just you know you're staying in this this uh echo chamber, you know, and that's you know, it's like the first line of the song. Listen to that beautiful echo, it always agrees.

Release Info And Where To Find Bird

SPEAKER_00 44:54

No, I totally agree uh with that. I mean, it it is something, and I mean, it's kind of absurd, and I think we all get kind of caught up in it, in that and the algorithms, right? If you're on social media at all, they're just gonna keep feeding you sort of the same thing that you're interested in. So you don't get a chance to hear differing opinions, right? So it's all kind of geared towards whatever side you're tilting towards to kind of tilt you further in that direction. But um, I thought this song was really well written and and kind of reminded me of something, you know, it it kind of evoked a little bit of like Bruce Hornsby's that's just the way it is from like a lyrical standpoint. Yeah, you know, certainly doesn't sound like it at all, but just like thematically and just lyrically, I was like, Yeah, this kind of and it's also like it kind of speaks to the timelessness of it. I was like, this can work in different eras, and I feel like it's something unfortunately, right? Because some of these issues we we haven't solved over the years, right? And in some way they've exacerbated. Um, you know, we we solve one problem, we we you know, create a new one, those types of things. But anyway, yeah, I thought it was just really well done. So so so good work there.

SPEAKER_01 46:03

Um it goes back to like the Allentown we were talking about and the Young Town, and it's it's just really, you know, talking about a a cultural place and time that um it seems to be kind of endless. You know, it applies in to certain degrees to past generations and obviously the the fr you know the current generation were you know uh underwater in it, but uh yeah, it was just talking about uh you know the our parents and grandparents and again, you know, how we we thought we knew what the people who loved us in the community we grew up in believed and suddenly they're trapped all day long staring at me and yeah yeah in this other reality.

SPEAKER_00 46:53

It is, it is indeed. Um well man, thank you so much for coming on the show. Really enjoyed the conversation. The new album is called Anthems for the End Times, and uh by the time this releases, it will be it will be out there and available, streaming everywhere. And of course, if you get a chance, go grab the the first of those vinyls so you can hear the full interview with uh Mike Wallace and Ayn Rind. But man, let's see. Uh Instagram handle is uh at xby r dx music. Um what other where other where else can we find you?

SPEAKER_01 47:33

Uh Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, uh, you know, Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, all all the uh all the all the places.

SPEAKER_00 47:46

Excellent, excellent. All right.

SPEAKER_01 47:48

Where you can grab your invisible music.

SPEAKER_00 47:51

That's right. That's right. Well, we will put all those links uh in the uh in the show notes so everybody can go out there and and check it out. Um and yeah, we really appreciate you coming on the show and uh and sharing your music with us. And so um we've got more super awesome mixes to work on. Bird won't be here next time, but we thank him for coming on. But for Bird, this is Matt, and we'll see you next time.