The Night Rag

I've been writing some lyrics lately, and thought I would post some from time to time to see what kind of vitriolic response I can drum up. This current one was written a few months back with some recent tweaks. I haven't decided what kind of music to put with it, but some nasty, oily blues changes with an edge seem appropriate. A little dark, but they ring true to many feelings I have collected from playing in bars over the last 35+ years.

The Night Rag

The tequila is cold, & the bar will be smoking',
the women so hot, their groove is red, raw & choking.
Don't mess with the band, 'cause they kick & they bite,
Their sound is thick and sweet, and they're on for the night.

I'm ready for whatever, bring it all, bring it now—
the bands got no name, and the night sings to them now—
Drink me, eat me, dance & play on me son,
Don't stop till I'm gone, don't ease up on the fun.

Nothings covered, no one's safe, we're all scared of the night,
feel the heat, make it steam, lose yourself in the blight.
I'm running, I'm gunning, jump this miracle feat.
watch it slip, watch me fight, It's my time on this beat—
time goes out like a light—when it’s lost, it’s not cheap.
Can’t go quietly, or go soft, back into that night.

Christmas Eve in Blues land

On this eve of Christmas 2007, I have time to reflect on the music in my life. Many songs, diverse lyrics and a wide range of emotions. My band, Joe Willy, Neckbone & the Fishheads is finishing up the final work on our tracks for our first CD entitled "Hook, Line & Sinker." A CD that is fully ten years in the making.

At one of our earliest rehearsals in putting this band together around 1996, I suggested a very tongue-in-cheek title for our first CD as "Hook, Line & Sinker." Our stylish new harp player, BB, immediately went home and wrote the song. It also became the graphic images for our first t-shirt. We had big laughs, but after that we just went back to being a shiftless blues band that played music, chased women, drank liquor and generally screwed off. You can see the original t-shirt artwork and read the saga of the Joe Willy Band at our website at http://www.joewillyband.com/. See, just like papa Wharton the Sauce Boss, we always find a way to plug the band!

Well, the band has been through some mighty changes over this past ten years. We've been through many guitar players (all of them whores), a couple of drummers, a keyboard player here and there, and even a part time female voaclist. I've been in and out of the band three times over ten years, and we've played all over Polk County. As a result, we have become a very tight knit core of four players who have grown to find we really did want to make a CD. We have slowly developed about 15 originals that we evolved playing live, and now have spent the last six months recording the raw tracks. Again, there are some snips on our web site to listen to.

So this Christmas, I am very excited about finishing this project early this Spring, and having a CD to hustle at our gigs. We will be adding two new folks on guitar and bass to really push this project out live, and things look great for us right now.

But there is more music in my life. Lately I have been digging around in different artists material to broaden my scope, and I have come to have some new (and old but revisited) faves in Evanescence, Paolo Nutini, The Goo Goo Dolls, Donavon Frankenreiter, and Bob Dylan. All of them inspiring and different. And if you haven't heard of Paolo Nutini, give a listen. He is a Scottish (yeah, as in MacGregor Nutini!) singer who is very hot in Europe with a very unique voice, and some really great and fresh songs. Anyway, it keeps me going.

More music for my holiday, was spending the day with my daughter Samantha yesterday, and getting her latest installment of a Christmas mix CD. Every time she comes back from college, she makes me a mix CD of all kinds of music. She is very into alternative music only found on the web, and completely eschews the normal commercial distribution channels and artists for the really eclectic and obscure. It is really cool, as I get a very close listen to the soundtrack to her college years, and can only imagine what the video must entail. Scary to say the least.

And then will come Christmas morning music. I wrote an ode to the blues for Christmas, and alluded to getting myself a new Fender Telecaster for Christmas. Well, Leo and the boys at Fender will have to wait, as I could not resist getting a new Taylor acoustic instead. I have played a Taylor for a number of years, but I bought one a litlle further up the food chain this time. I am positively giddy with anticipation as I had to order it, so it isn't even under the tree. But when it comes in, I will quickly put it to use and learn some new material, and book a date for the No Name Band, my acoustic trio. Merry Christmas to me!

So to close out this Christmas eve sojourn, I will resolve to clean the kitchen, walk the dog, make some egg nog and liberally apply the rum. And all through the house, not a creature was stirring, except that fat guy in the corner with a big glass of grogg. Happy, happy, joy, joy!

A Telecaster for a Blue Christmas

When the wind blows cold across ridges near Lake Walk-in-Water,
and a northern tree stands silent in the corner,
flashing tiny lights like soft voices gone unheard,
my plans don't include any kids or bikes or model trains,
no Christmas village—I can easily get a stocking full of Blues.



When the dog senses daylight slipping off, giving into night
at an hour that should be sunset, but instead has given up the fight,
I look for things that others have for Christmas,
and somehow theirs is right.


There seems to be no pear tree, the partridge has fluttered in flight,
I am left with the notion that nothing will stir, as the Blues will own the night.
So I wonder, "where's the wonder?" and I search to make things right.
I pull on faded memories, I buy candles someone else would light.
My mind hears softened voices, dim cheer for distant visions,
the frost seems warm whilst flames drift wet and dance cold through night.


Then comes a song, a Blues moment clear, a thought occurs, a twinkle stirs—
my hands can work this thing, my voice can join it well.
I can make this happen and spend this night caroling the Blues to tell,
I'll make my Christmas special and make it glow and growl like fire.
My gift you see, to none but me, a Telecaster beneath my tree!

aPolitical Blues and an Evangelical Thug

This Christmas, nobody better tell me what I can/cannot/should/shouldn't say. And I don't want anyone telling anyone else either. Christmas is a freaking holiday that the general public has decided to celebrate at the mall. Following said cash orgy, the Evangelical thug patrol wants us to believe they don't get to worship the religious reason for the season.

Someone must have hidden the million dollar churches they built and locked them out of their house if they are having a hard time celebrating the birth of Jesus. Their only problem is forcing their religious view of the world into the public mind and then getting pissed because the rest of us don't want to hear it. Worship at church, put the manger scene up on your own lawn, try getting up at 5am to pray instead of rushing the door at Wal-Mart and shut-up! Remember, your boy Jaysus (checked his green card? is he Jewish or Latino?) chucked the money lenders out before, and he can damn sure do it again.

Now, this all leads to our political process getting hacked into by the same Evangelical thugs who want to force us to elect a Christian. What a shame we didn't burn the Calvinists and Puritans along with the witches in the early days to clean the gene pool. Are we really watching our Republic held hostage by this zealous veneer of Christian dogma that wants to force us back about 200 years?

Here in Imperial Polk County we just became enlightened recently and passed shoolboard doctrine that now allows us to teach evolution and not call it "biological change over time!" Apparently we are not yet far removed from our Simian roots.

Organized Evangelicals are becoming theological gangs who bully our thoughts, our actions, our rights and our political system. It is the worst bastardization of what the framers of the constitution intended. Seperation of church and state ensured people would not be persecuted or harassed due to their religious beliefs. An obvious core value in a free society. And that means no Religious test for politcal position.

I don't care where the President is on Sunday morings, as long as he/she is protecting our vital interests in this country, reforming our energy position in the world, solving the Immigration, Social Security and Medicare crisis, creating the best educational system in the world, and reforming the political system to flush the greed, graft, power and corporate malfeasance out of existence. I don't want anymore Evangelical thugs dictating our foreign policy, medical access or other personal freedoms. And I don't want anymore corporate interference (fucking with) individual pursuit of happiness. Mitt, Rudy, Huckleberrybe, George W., Rush, Ann, you can all go to hell! You are all lying, venal, greedy, mean-spirited sons-of-bitches and you have every right to spout your vitriol, as I have the right to flip you the bird and flaunt my obvious superiority by inviting you to kiss my ass!

That said, it is time to pick up a guitar or drumstick and make some devil music more commonly referred to as "the blues!" Ain't nothing but a thang!

of course there has to be a commercial announcement before I really get lost in the blahblahblahgosphere. For a good time go to our website at http://www.joewillyband.com/. we reserve the right to deny service to anyone, though we don't completely understand how any of this shit works, so chances are you will continue to have access to the entire universe.



And might I add that I hope Michael Vick gets done doggy style often while in prison and that he never plays in the NFL again. I'm pretty steamed that everyone thinks that just because he got caught and went to jail that he will be reformed and a new man when he comes out. Paying his debt to society is all well and good, and he should be allowed to go on with his life after jail, but the character of someone who would destroy helpless animals with such cruelty doesn't magically lose those values inside prison. Quite the opposite. I believe that anyone who could do those things to dogs can only learn that it was bad to get caught.



If the NFL had any guts and integrity, they would susspend him for life in the hopes that as role models there is no confusion over what is acceptable behavior. Mike can certainly find work elsewhere and the NFL should display what is seriously lacking in professional sports—integrity, sportsmanship and fair play. If they do not, it is clear that greed and money have become the only thing that is important to them. Very sad.

Sometimes the blues is all you got. And sometimes it's all you want. In this seventh year of the "w", the blues is alright.