Guess who's back(wards)? Em No Llaf



In Closing



"Em No Llaf'" takes us back to the beginning, wrapping things up in a neat little package

Won Out is a collection of ruminations on the 5 stages of grief: Denial (You Know Me Blues, Breaking Point), anger (Fall On Me, The Insulting Song and Love Is All Right), bargaining (Trucks In The Sky and Everything They Say), depression (No Magic), and acceptance (Ten Years and Big Ass together) It didn't start out that way - my original intent was to record an album of the best songs from The Great Song Explosion, but life got in the way. The concept developed over the four years it took to put together. I didn't even realize what I had until I was sequencing the songs. With that in mind the cover picture and album title make sense - gripping his guitar and leaping into the rest of his life and leaving the sadness behind, Sparky Grinstead won out over his grief in the end. So, yes, Won Out is a concept album. A post-apocalyptical redemptive accidentally-on-purpose conceptual concept album.



This is sorta what it sounds like:

No you baa do you yammer yammer

To see me meee 

No I love me

No I love me

No I love me

say you nell oora

Ahh su no you say memerop

you balee you


A Funny Story

BAM (Bay Area Music) Magazine was northern California's own little Rolling Stone. Dealing chiefly with local acts, it featured articles about and interviews with the leading lights of the San Francisco music scene and reviews of recent releases. I brought a copy of Won Out over to their office, which happened to be down the street from where we were living at the time. They weren't very friendly. "We get a lot of requests for reviews", the guy sniffed, "so it might be a while before we can listen to it and decide if we're going to do a review". I guess they saw themselves as industry big shots and didn't want to be bothered with a small-time independent artist. A few issues later they did end up giving me a couple of noncommittal paragraphs, basically acknowledging that Won Out existed.  Thank you, oh mighty BAM for favoring me a a few words! 


Let Me Say This About That


The whole Won Out adventure was a blast. I still enjoy listening to it and hearing from people who track me down to let me know how much they enjoy it. I still perform the songs with my current band, The Backorders (more about them later). "Trucks In The Sky" and "Everything They Say" are featured in the current set list. I find copies in used record shops and see it for sale on sites like eBay and Discogs. I'm planning a 45th anniversary CD release this year that will include some extra bonus tracks - songs that will be mentioned in this here blog if my reckonin' is right. Sometimes it is and sometimes it ain't. I'm hopin' that this is an is!

Happy 45th Birthday, Won Out!



Igloo

I'm gonna igloo on outta here for now. 


But Wait...

If you are reading this and you don't own a copy of Won Out on vinyl (both CD versions have been sold out since forever) well, just go here https://sparkygrinstead.bandcamp.com/   and get yourself one. You can also get a digital copy if you're of a mind.



Sometimes I watch those discussion shows featuring empty suits yapping back and forth about stuff. A few nights ago on The Empty Suit Report the subject of discussion was health care. One of the empty suits on the panel trumpeted "America has the best healthcare system in the world!" several other empty suits nodded in agreement. One of the suits brought up universal health care but was shouted down by the others. Hippie. Sadly, the claim is just not true. Among industrialized nations, the US is the only one without universal health care. Like everything else in this country it's a for-profit industry and it sucks. Even if it was the best or even close it wouldn't matter because it's unaffordable for too many Americans. On my last visit to the ER I was not seen by a doctor for nearly 4 hours. Good thing I only went for fun. When he finally arrived, the frazzled MD apologized and explained that he was the only doctor on the floor and the place was packed with people waiting in the halls and in doorways moaning, groaning, bleeding and choking on their own vomit. "They're cutting back" he explained before rushing off in response to a code blue. I left and tried to catch the next flight to Canada, but it was cancelled. Don't get me started on the airline industry. 



Cupla sammiches


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