Name: Away From It All (Acoustic Version) - Nolan Randall Of Plaid On Flannel @PlaidOnFlannel
Uploaded: 2026-09-21T08:17:00-05:00
Duration: 8 min 17 s
Description: Away From It All (Acoustic Version) - Nolan Randall Of Plaid On Flannel

Away From It All (Acoustic Version) - Nolan Randall Of Plaid On Flannel

Plaid On Flannel 2026-09-21 | Away From It All (Acoustic Version) - Nolan Randall Of Plaid On Flannel

One (Intro Guitar Solo) Metallica - Nolan Randall Of Plaid On Flannel

Plaid On Flannel 2025-10-02 | 🎸 plaidonflannel.com
🎤 plaidonflannelshop.com

Nolan Randall playing the intro guitar solo of "One” by Metallica from their 1988 album ...And Justice For All for Elektra Records.

Words and music by James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich

I can't remember anything
Can't tell if this is true or a dream
Deep down inside I feel the scream
This terrible silence stops me
Now that the war is through with me
I'm waking up, I cannot see
That there's not much left of me
Nothing is real but pain now

Hold my breath as I wish for death
Oh please, God, wake me

Back in the womb it's much too real
In pumps life that I must feel
But can't look forward to reveal
Look to the time when I'll live
Fed through the tube that sticks in me
Just like a wartime novelty
Tied to machines that make me be
Cut this life off from me

Hold my breath as I wish for death
Oh please, God, wake me

Now the world is gone, I'm just one
Oh God, help me
Hold my breath as I wish for death
Oh please, God, help me

Darkness imprisoning me
All that I see, absolute horror
I cannot live, I cannot die
Trapped in myself, body my holding cell

Landmine has taken my sight
Taken my speech, taken my hearing
Taken my arms, taken my legs
Taken my soul, left me with life in hell

*Song Facts*

"One" is a song by American heavy metal band Metallica, released as the third and final single from the band's fourth studio album, ...And Justice for All (1988). The tune was the band's first to chart in the US, reaching number 35 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was also a number one hit in Finland.

The song was written in November 1987 by Metallica's principal composers James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich. They also helped produce the track alongside Flemming Rasmussen. The lyrics in "One" are based on the idea of a soldier losing all of his limbs and jaw. And being unable to hear, speak, or see. Set to a World War I backdrop.

The music video for "One" was introduced in January of 1989 on MTV. It was Metallica's first ever music video. Shot in black and white by director Michael Salomon, the video's story is intertwined with scenes taken from the 1971 anti-war film Johnny Got His Gun. Due to routinely being required to pay royalty fees to continue showing the music video, Metallica bought the rights to the film. In the music video, both James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett play ESP guitars. Jason Newsted is on a 5-string Wal bass. Newsted plays bass with his fingers at the start of the song, and later switches to a pick.

The "One" music video features the band members in a typical early Metallica fashion: playing (as if in rehearsal) in some sort of warehouse, in tight formation around Lars Ulrich's drum kit, and dressed in casual street clothes and with long untamed hair. The music video was ranked at number 38 on Rock on the Net: MTV: 100 Greatest Music Videos. And it was ranked number one on Fuse's No. 1 Countdown: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Special Edition. As of January 2025, the video has over 340 million views on YouTube.

The tune starts off in a soft melodic setting, but it develops through multiple sections into heavier and faster speed metal sounds, leading up to a tapping solo by Kirk Hammett, and a dual guitar section by Hammett and Hetfield. 3 different time signatures are used throughout the song.

Metallica performed "One" at the 31st Annual Grammy Awards show broadcast in Los Angeles in 1989. The next year, the song won a Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance. The first ever to win in that category. They also performed the tune alongside pianist Lang Lang at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards in 2014.

"One" is one of the band's most popular pieces and has remained a staple at live shows since its release. It's the most performed tune from the ...And Justice for All album. In March of 2023, Rolling Stone ranked "One" at number 11 on their "100 Greatest Heavy Metal Songs of All Time" list.

When played live, the song is usually played with guitars tuned down by one semitone (E-flat tuning would remain a permanent fixture of their live work since 1995). It's preceded by pyrotechnics and the same sounds of war such as machine guns, and bombs exploding as heard on the recorded version. The tune also features heavy strobe lighting during the heavier half of the song, namely before the Hammett solo.

"One" was also featured on S&M and S&M2, Metallica's albums of live performances in collaboration with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Michael Kamen, and Michael Tilson Thomas respectively.

James Hetfield on writing "One": "I had been fiddling around with that B-G modulation for a long time. The idea for the opening came from a Venom song called "Buried Alive". The kick drum machine-gun part near the end wasn't written with the war lyrics in mind, it just came out that way. We started that album with Mike Clink as producer. He didn't work out so well, so we got Flemming to come over and save our asses."

#Metallica #KirkHammett #JamesHetfield

I Saw The Light (Todd Rundgren Cover) - Nolan Randall Of Plaid On Flannel

Plaid On Flannel 2025-09-29 | 🎤 plaidonflannel.com
🎸 plaidonflannelshop.com

An acoustic cover of "I Saw The Light" by Todd Rundgren from his 1972 album Something/Anything? for Bearsville Records.

Words and music by Todd Rundgren

It was late last night
I was feeling something wasn't right
There was not another soul in sight
Only you, only you
So we walked along
Though I knew that there was something wrong
And a feeling that felt so strong about you

Then you gazed up at me
And the answer was plain to see
'Cause I saw the light in your eyes
In your eyes

Though we had our fling
I just never would suspect a thing
'Til that little bell began to ring in my head, in my head
But I tried to run
Though I knew it wouldn't help me none
'Cause I couldn't ever love no one, or so I said

But my feelings for you
Were just something I never knew
'Til I saw the light in your eyes
In your eyes

But I love you best
It's not something that I say in jest
'Cause you're different, girl, from all the rest
In my eyes

And I ran out before but I won't do it anymore
Can't you see the light in my eyes
In my eyes
In my eyes
In my eyes

*Song Facts*

"I Saw the Light" is a song written and performed by American musician Todd Rundgren that was released as the opening track from his 1972 album Something/Anything? In the album's liner notes, Rundgren states that he intended the song to be the hit of the album, and copied the Motown tradition of putting hit songs at the beginning of albums.

Rundgren wrote the track in 15 minutes, a feat he attributes to his reliance on stimulants such as Ritalin. "It caused me to crank out songs at an incredible pace. You can see why, too, the rhymes are just moon/June/spoon kind of stuff."

The tune was was a solid hit for Todd Rundgren, but far from his favorite. He explained: "'I Saw The Light' is just a string of clichés. It's absolutely nothing that I ever thought, or thought about, before I sat down to write the song."

Talking about the impact this tune had on Rundgren's songwriting, he said: "I wrote this song in 15 minutes from start to finish. It was one of the reasons that caused me to change my style of writing. It doesn't matter how clever a song is - if it's written in 15 minutes, it is such a string of clichés that it just doesn't have lasting impact for me. And for me, the greatest disappointment in the world is not being able to listen to my own music and enjoy it."

Rundgren knew the song had hit potential, which he later learned can often come by keeping things simple. "Sometimes when these things just come spilling out, I've found, sometimes they have a more broad appeal to the average listener than if you're trying to do something impressive," he told Red Bull Music Academy during a 2013 talk. "I thought, 'This is a real simple, straight-ahead, easy-to-understand song. I'll pretend it's a single and I'll put it first on the record."

Todd stated that after the release of Something/Anything he evolved as an artist and reached beyond writing about love and relationships. He said that he'd been using a brief relationship from high school as song fodder, throwing around the word "love" cheaply, and he began to feel strange about it. It inspired him to dig deeper for new material.

Not only did Todd Rundgren write and produce "I Saw The Light". He also played all of the instruments and sang all of the vocals.

"I Saw The Light" was used in the TV shows Six Feet Under, Beavis and Butthead and That '70s Show. The tune was also used in the movies Kingpin and My Girl.

Louise Goffin covered "I Saw The Light" for the 2022 Todd Rundgren tribute album Someone/Anyone?, the brainchild of Echo In The Canyon producer Fernando Perdomo. Net profits from sales of the album benefit Rundgren's Spirit Of Harmony foundation, which supports music education.

*Noles' Thoughts*

I'm a big fan of this Todd Rundgren song. The first time I heard it was in the 1996 movie Kingpin. Which had a great soundtrack with other awesome tracks too.

The studio recording for "I Saw The Light" is superb. It's amazing that Rundgren played all of the instruments. It's a piano-driven tune, but has some nice slide guitar leads. Including a solo part with harmonies. The vocal harmonies are also rather intricate. And the percussion adds so much feel to the track.

It's an A+ pop song from the 1970s. And it has a party feel to it. Almost like disco. Even though it came a few years before that genre took off. He clear drew an influence from the R&B and soul of the 1960s. To go with the Motown vibe.

In the movie Kingpin, it's played when the characters are celebrating and partying while traveling. It's a joyous moment in the film. And since that was the first time I heard "I Saw The Light" when I was a kid, I always felt a sense of celebration whenever I heard the song. It's one of the most played tracks on my iTunes.

#ToddRundgren #ISawTheLight #SoftRock

Dropping In (Guitar Solo) - Plaid On Flannel

Plaid On Flannel 2025-09-24 | 💿 Get Parkdale Fever on CD 👉 plaidonflannelshop.com/products/parkdale-fever

Nolan Randall playing the guitar solo of "Dropping In" by Plaid On Flannel from Parkdale Fever. An 11-song album that can only be heard on CD. Not for streaming or downloading. But for the listening enjoyment of album ownership.

Personnel includes:
Nolan Randall (Vocals/Guitars/Bass/Keyboards)
Simon Miminis (Drums/Percussion)

Produced by Hector Viola and Simon Miminis

Mixed by Josh Bowman @ Bowman Sound

Mastered by Harry Hess @ HBomb Mastering

Words and music by Nolan Randall

Searching for clarity, far as I can see
Seeking a remedy for this poverty
Away from the disease, bitter from the breeze
Today I’m on my knees, better days than these

Spinning as I’m dropping in, winning only to begin
Thinning as I’m within where I have been
Spinning as I’m dropping in again

Unveil a battle cry, rattling nearby
Upscale to step aside, to be kept inside

Spinning as I’m dropping in, winning only to begin
Thinning as I’m within where I have been
Spinning as I’m dropping in again

Falling in a motion, slipping through the streams
All the virtuous devotion, going to extremes
On a mighty tumble, detrimental truth
In the movements of my stumble, rooted to my youth

Spinning as I’m dropping in, winning only to begin
Thinning as I’m within where I have been
Spinning as I’m dropping in
Spinning as I’m dropping in
Spinning as I’m dropping in again

© Copyright 2022 Plaid On Flannel

*Song Description By Noles*

A children's sing-along song with adult lyrics and distorted guitars. That's how I would describe "Dropping In". The melodies sound happy and the lyrics sound sad. "Dropping In" was written in June of 2020. With the music composed on June 9th, and the lyrics written on June 14th.

I wrote "Extraordinary Dream" around the same time as "Dropping In". And I look at those two songs as brother and sister. Which is why they're the first two singles from Parkdale Fever. One is minor-based and the other is major-based. They both have guitar riffs that play arpeggios on the same part of the neck between the 7th and 11th frets. But at the same time, both songs sound very different. In large part due to the difference in minor and major keys.

While I was writing the lyrics to "Dropping In", I changed the chorus lyrics completely from what they originally were. The original chorus was "Losing air like oxygen" instead of "Spinning as I'm dropping in". I believe I was thinking of the song "Love Is Like Oxygen" by Sweet. What I was doing was building upon the lyrics I had for "Extraordinary Dream". Which deals with a subject of respiratory illness. This was around the time I was formulating the concept for the Parkdale Fever album. With a plan to have lyrics that address poverty more than a respiratory disease.

The line "Spinning as I'm dropping in" was inspired by the psychedelic vibe of the song's guitar riff. Playing open strings on the root notes while playing arpeggios on other strings. As those root notes ring out. It gave me a vision of a kaleidoscope moving in circles. Also, I had a vision of water swirling down the drain of a sink. And "Dropping In" is also related to the act of "dropping acid". As psychedelic music has been linked with LSD use since the 1960s. I don't do chemical drugs, but I wanted to give the listener a psychedelic feeling.

"Dropping In" is simply a story about my life as a poor person. As I drop into poverty and struggle to make ends meet. The anxiety that comes with it. And the uncertainty that surrounds it. These unpleasant feelings cause me to spin into a manic frenzy. The line "Winning only to begin" is about making progress in your life while your back is against the wall. And then there's the line "Thinning as I'm within where I have been". Which is really about burnout. Despite working really hard to get to where you are, you're losing your ability to self-discipline. While you're still trapped in the same old situation.

Even though "Dropping In" has a dark tone in the lyrics, it's still a fun song. And that's the whole point. To not take it too seriously and laugh it off. Things will get better. But I want to speak to those people that have been through similar experiences, and let them know that they're not alone. That is my intention as an artist. To give people solace when they're at their lowest points. Because many artists have done the very same for me.

"Dropping In" has a lot of lead guitar throughout the song. Each chorus has two vocal-guitar/call-and-response parts that are played in a major pentatonic scale. And the guitar solo section uses that same major scale. Replicating some of the melodies that are sung in the verses. My intention with the guitar solos in my songs are to make them as melodic as possible. Solos that you could sing. Turning them into memorable hooks.

#GuitarSolo #BluesRock #AlternativeRock

Something On Your Mind (Acoustic Version) - Nolan Randall Of Plaid On Flannel

Plaid On Flannel 2025-09-18 | 💿 Get Get On! [EP] on CD 👉 plaidonflannelshop.com/products/get-on

Nolan Randall performing a solo acoustic version of "Something On Your Mind" by Plaid On Flannel from the 2017 EP Get On!

Words and music by Nolan Randall

Climbing over the mountain top, in the name of mankind
Wondering will it ever stop, your patience is confined
Keep it going all through the night
It’s what you have to do
Burn the fire when you ignite
To let you follow through

Wandering in the desert where we left it all behind
It is not the way it once was designed
Riding low and aiming high
For the places you might find
And it feels like there is something on your mind

Never thought we would find our way,
What we have is a life
Never thought about yesterday,
We were sharp as a knife
Falling into another stride, we kept the train alive
I admit I enjoyed the ride, you helped me to survive, yeah

Wandering in the jungle,
Think of all we have combined
It is not like me to be so unkind
Riding low and aiming high
For the places you might find
And it feels like there is something on your mind

Livin’ it up, livin’ it up, livin' it up, livin' it up
Livin’ it up, livin’ it up, livin' it up, livin' it up

Think of everything that we saw,
The people that we met
Felt that I was above the law, no time to feel regret
Maybe someday we’ll understand,
We haven’t got the time
The world is at your own command
It’s on a dotted line, yeah

Wandering in the desert where we left it all behind
It is not like me to be so unkind
Riding low and aiming high
For the places you might find
And it feels like there is something on your mind
And it feels like there is something on your mind
And it feels like there is something on your mind
Your mind, your mind
And it feels like there is something on your mind

© Copyright 2017 Plaid On Flannel

*Song Description By Noles*

It is widely discussed that artists create their best work when they are at their lowest points of despair. There's something about melancholy that brings art to life and communicates in the purest, most authentic ways. In the beginning of 2014, I was saddened by my life's situation. My girlfriend of 5 years cheated on me in 2013, and it took us 6 months to actually break up. The last time I ever saw her was on December 27, 2013. The next week on January 5, 2014 (her birthday), I wrote the music for "Something On Your Mind". With a guitar riff that uses a heavy dose of hammer ons and pull offs. The next week I wrote the lyrics to the song on January 11, 2014.

After I wrote "Something On Your Mind", I felt like it was the best song I had ever written. The lyrics are directly about my ex-girlfriend. It wasn't the first song that she inspired the lyrics to, and it wasn't the last either. But "Something On Your Mind" was the true memoir of our 5-year relationship. I was in school for music at the time, and I wanted to record the song as soon as possible. The Plaid On Flannel band started on February 15, 2014. By March of 2014, I was given an assignment in my music production class to record an original song. It was my opportunity to record "Something On Your Mind", and it was the first song I produced with vocals on Logic Pro X. While I recorded it for school, I also released it as a Plaid On Flannel single on April 7, 2014.

Not long after, I brought "Something On Your Mind" to the POF band, and we performed it often. It became a song filled with improvisation during the middle and end parts of the tune. Here's an example of how we would do that live... youtu.be/d90hZhObF08 Every time we played it, it was different. Sometimes we would sound check with "Something On Your Mind" at shows. It's a great exercise while preparing for show time. Testing our endurance. When we were assembling songs for our Get On! EP in late 2016, I proposed that we record a new studio version of "Something On Your Mind". Although the song was up to 10 minutes long when we played it live, we agreed to have a condensed rendition similar to the 2014 version I recorded.

Keyboardist Jen Doyon used a keyboard effect on "Something On Your Mind" that almost sounds like an accordion. Bassist Les Cassling played very well on this song and his melodic bass at the very end of the tune was perhaps his finest moment on any of the songs we recorded. The verse chord progression on "Something On Your Mind" is similar to the chord progression of "Jane Says" by Jane's Addiction. It's even in the same key of A. The pre-chorus instrumental section was inspired by "Tales From The Forest Gnomes" by Wolfmother. There also might be some kind of Oasis influence in there as Noel Gallagher is one of my favourite songwriters. "Something On Your Mind" is a song I plan to keep playing for a long time. It truly is one of my very best tunes.

#BluesRock #RetroRock #AcousticMusic

Killer Queen (Guitar Solo) Queen - Nolan Randall Of Plaid On Flannel

Plaid On Flannel 2025-09-16 | 🎸 plaidonflannel.com
🎤 plaidonflannelshop.com

Nolan Randall playing the guitar solo of "Killer Queen” by Queen from their 1974 album Sheer Heart Attack for EMI and Elektra Records.

Words and music by Freddie Mercury

She keeps her Moët et Chandon
In her pretty cabinet
"Let them eat cake", she says
Just like Marie Antoinette
A built-in remedy
For Khrushchev and Kennedy
At anytime an invitation
You can't decline

Caviar and cigarettes
Well versed in etiquette
Extraordinarily nice

She's a Killer Queen
Gunpowder, gelatine
Dynamite with a laser beam
Guaranteed to blow your mind
Anytime

Recommended at the price
Insatiable an appetite
Wanna try?

To avoid complications
She never kept the same address
In conversation
She spoke just like a baroness
Met a man from China
Went down to Geisha Minah
Then again incidentally
If you're that way inclined

Perfume came naturally from Paris (naturally)
For cars she couldn't care less
Fastidious and precise

She's a Killer Queen
Gunpowder, gelatin
Dynamite with a laser beam
Guaranteed to blow your mind
Anytime

Drop of a hat she's as willing as
Playful as a pussy cat
Then momentarily out of action
Temporarily out of gas
To absolutely drive you wild, wild
She's out to get you

She's a Killer Queen
Gunpowder, gelatine
Dynamite with a laser beam
Guaranteed to blow your mind
Anytime

Ooh, recommended at the price
Insatiable an appetite
Wanna try?
You wanna try

*Song Facts*

"Killer Queen" is a song by the British rock band Queen. It was written by lead singer Freddie Mercury and recorded for their third album Sheer Heart Attack in 1974. It reached number two in the UK Singles Chart and became their first US hit, reaching number twelve on the Billboard Hot 100.

Unlike the first two Queen albums, this tune was partly recorded at Rockfield Studios in Wales. The recording features elaborate four-part harmonies (particularly in the choruses, and also providing backing parts in the verses), and also a multi-tracked guitar solo by Brian May.

Freddie Mercury commented that he wrote the lyrics for "Killer Queen" before the melody and music, whereas normally he would do the opposite. Here's what Mercury said on the song: "People are used to hard rock, energy music from Queen, yet with this single you almost expect Noël Coward to sing it. It's one of those bowler hat, black suspender belt numbers – not that Coward would wear that. It's about a high class call girl. I'm trying to say that classy people can be whores as well. That's what the song is about, though I'd prefer people to put their interpretation upon it – to read into it what they like."

Brian May on the tune: "'Killer Queen' was the turning point. It was the song that best summed up our kind of music, and a big hit, and we desperately needed it as a mark of something successful happening for us. I was always very happy with this song. The whole [album] was made in a very craftsman-like manner. I still enjoy listening to it because there's a lot to listen to, but it never gets cluttered. There's always space for all the little ideas to come through. And of course, I like the solo, with that three-part section, where each part has its own voice. It's vintage Queen. The first time I heard Freddie playing that song, I was lying in my room in Rockfield [a residential recording studio in Wales], feeling very sick. After Queen's first American tour, I had hepatitis, and then I had very bad stomach problems and I had to be operated on. So I remember just lying there, hearing Freddie play this really great song and feeling sad, because I thought, 'I can't even get out of bed to participate in this.' But then I got fixed up, thank God. And when I came out again, we were able to finish off 'Killer Queen.' They left some space for me and I did the solo. I had strong feelings about one of the harmony bits in the chorus, so we had another go at that too."

"Killer Queen" was regularly performed between 1974 and 1981 as part of a medley. In 1974–1975, the song was played following "In the Lap of the Gods", and in 1975–76, the song followed "Bohemian Rhapsody". In 1984 and 1985, during The Works Tour, it was reintroduced in a medley following a truncated version of "Somebody to Love".

On the single's release, Cash Box said that it had "fine lead vocals, solid harmonies and an inventive production" and that "this song is bound to make you smile with its lighthearted whimsy and confident approach." Record World described it as "a cross between Bowie and Wings".

Retrospectively, "Killer Queen" was described by AllMusic as the true beginning of Queen's "radio sound" and "recalls the cabaret songs of yesteryear, but also shows how Queen was fast becoming a master of power pop". Rock historian Paul Fowles wrote that "Killer Queen", with its "sleazy Parisian imagery", allowed "free rein" to Mercury's "unique brand of rock theater".

#BrianMay #KillerQueen #FreddieMercury

Where We Belong (Closing Guitar Solo) - Plaid On Flannel

Plaid On Flannel 2025-09-08 | 💿 Get Parkdale Fever on CD 👉 plaidonflannelshop.com/products/parkdale-fever

Nolan Randall playing the closing guitar solo of "Where We Belong" by Plaid On Flannel from Parkdale Fever. An 11-song album that can only be heard on CD. Not for streaming or downloading. But for the listening enjoyment of album ownership.

Personnel includes:
Nolan Randall (Vocals/Guitars/Bass/Keyboards)
Simon Miminis (Drums)

Produced by Hector Viola and Simon Miminis

Mixed by Josh Bowman @ Bowman Sound

Mastered by Harry Hess @ HBomb Mastering

Words and music by Nolan Randall

Show all we have in us for what we can spare
No need to make a fuss, we’ll all get our share
Through the distant warning, desolation everywhere
Queue the misty morning, moving up into the air

Wide awake in a wasteland, holding has begun
We’re having more than they planned, hiding on the run

Why are we further from where we belong?
Why are we further from where we belong?

Lost in a paradigm, in charge of our souls
Costing all of our time, we’re digging up holes
Predicate to fear it, feel the ravage of the blow
Acclimate a spirit, more than we will ever know

Wishing upon a wonder, uplift of the sun
Walking away down under, engage everyone

Why are we further from where we belong?
Why are we further from where we belong? (Where we belong)

Worrying of the world, weighs more than a ton
Willing on every hurdle, race until we’re done

Why are we further from where we belong?
Why are we further from where we belong? (Where we belong)
Why are we further from where we belong?
Why are we further from where we belong? (Where we belong)

© Copyright 2025 Plaid On Flannel

*Song Description By Noles*

The writing of "Where We Belong" started on August 7, 2019. I recorded the drone-like riff in Drop-D standard tuning. Most of the music around the riff was written at that point. But there would be a lot of small changes that happened by the time I recorded the song. The same goes for the lyrics, which I wrote the bulk of on August 9, 2019. This was a tune I knew would be epic and probably close out the album. With its slow tempo of 88 bpm.

The production of the Parkdale Fever album began on September 9, 2019 with "All Along". But I didn't start recording "Where We Belong" until April 14, 2020. I had recorded the foundation of four songs before that. One of them didn't even end up on the album. This marked a turning point on where the LP was headed. When the Covid-19 pandemic was declared in March of 2020, I took a pivot. Until then, the album title was intended to be Parkdale Bandits. But by the time I had laid down the foundation for "Where We Belong", the album title was changed to Parkdale Fever.

I went through a process where I examined the songs I already had up until the pandemic. And then I felt like I needed new tunes that could be written around this idea. Working class poverty during a pandemic era. Because of what was happening to me and the rest of the world. I felt obliged to rise to the moment. And provide societal commentary. Which would be more melancholy based than any music I had made before.

So when I initially recorded "Where We Belong" in the spring of 2020, I rewrote a lot of the lyrics. Creating a sense of vulnerability and helplessness. And that vibe was carried over into the lyrics of the later songs that ended up on the album. My lyricism in the past was usually optimistic and outgoing. But it became clear to me in 2020 that I needed to flip the switch. And be more honest about the poverty I've seen in my neighbourhood. And the poverty I've experienced in my adult life.

The down-tuned guitars really contribute to Parkdale Fever's melancholy as well. The guitars are tuned down a full step on 9 of the 11 songs. And in "Where We Belong", the low string is tuned down to a C. So the tuning is C-G-C-F-A-D. Which is the same tuning System Of A Down used on their first 3 albums. A heavy influence of Plaid On Flannel. Despite the fact that POF has never really been heavy metal. But because of the distortion and low tuning, 'Where We Belong" is one of the heaviest songs in the entire Plaidalog.

Clocking in at about 6:15, "Where We Belong" is the longest tune I've ever recorded for Plaid On Flannel. The initial recording of the song was finished on June 7, 2020. And then I moved on to other tunes. The drums weren't recorded by Simon until early 2022. And it would take another year and a half before I could start preparing it for Josh's mixing. But that preparation went on for months. I would eventually start mixing the song with Josh in April of 2024, and the mix was completed in June of 2024.

The most time I've ever spent on one song is with "Where We Belong". With so much detail and planning. The intro alone was hard to figure out. But it's honestly one of the best tunes I've ever done for Plaid On Flannel. And I'm very proud of it. Mostly because it sounds like the 2020s.

#GuitarSolo #AlternativeRock #HardRock

Fire Escape (Fastball Cover) - Nolan Randall Of Plaid On Flannel

Plaid On Flannel 2025-09-04 | 🎤 plaidonflannel.com
🎸 plaidonflannelshop.com

An acoustic cover of “Fire Escape” by Fastball from their 1998 album All The Pain Money Can Buy for Hollywood Records.

Words and music by Miles Zuniga

Well, I don't wanna be president
Superman or Clark Kent
I don't wanna walk around in their shoes
'Cause I don't know whose side I'm on
I don't know my right from wrong
I don't know where I'm going to
I don't know about you

I'll be the rain fallin' on your fire escape
And I may not be the man you want me to
I can be myself, how about you?

I don't wanna make you mad
I don't wanna meet your dad
I don't wanna be your dream come true
'Cause I don't know just what I've found
I don't know my sky from ground
I don't know where I'm going to
I don't know about you

I'll be the rain fallin' on your fire escape
And I may not be the man you want me to
I can be myself, how about you?

I'll be the rain fallin' on your fire escape
And I may not be the man you want me to
I can be myself, how about you?
I can be myself, how about you?
I can be myself, how about you?

*Song Facts*

All The Pain Money Can Buy is the second studio album by American rock band Fastball. It was released on March 10, 1998. The album includes the hit singles "The Way" (1998), "Fire Escape" (1998), and "Out of My Head" (1999). All The Pain Money Can Buy was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in June 1998 and went Platinum in September of the same year, making it Fastball's most successful release.

The members of Fastball still had side jobs as late as January 1998. Tony Scalzo worked the graveyard shift at The Bagel Manufactory in Austin. He, Joey Shuffield, and Miles Zuniga would be on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Late Night with Conan O'Brien just four months later. Within just six months of the album's release, it had sold more than a million copies.

The single "The Way" stayed on top of Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks chart for seven weeks. It was a top-five hit on Billboard's Top 40 Mainstream chart. Tony Scalzo was inspired to write the song in 1997 after reading a news article about Lela and Raymond Howard, an elderly couple who had disappeared in Texas. Though Lela had Alzheimer's and Raymond was recovering from brain surgery, the couple had been driving to a local festival. They were discovered two weeks later, dead, at the bottom of a ravine near Hot Springs, Arkansas, hundreds of miles off their intended route. Scalzo chose to imagine that they began reminiscing and decided to become ethereal beings on a permanent romantic trip, the answer to the song's question, "Where were they going without ever knowing the way?"

Fastball followed up "The Way" with a second single, "Fire Escape", and a third single, "Out of My Head", which reached the top ten on Billboard's Top 40 Mainstream chart and was a top ten hit on the Adult Top 40 chart for 29 weeks. The album's promotional tour featured Marcy Playground and Everclear, after which Fastball moved to the H.O.R.D.E. tour.

In 1999, Fastball received two Grammy Award nominations as a result of All The Pain Money Can Buy. One was for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal for "The Way", and the other was for Best Long Form Music Video. They also received an MTV Video Music Award nomination for Best New Artist.

The music video for "Fire Escape" was directed by Francis Lawrence. Whose credits include the films Constantine and I Am Legend, as well as videos for Audioslave ("Be Yourself") and Lady Gaga ("Bad Romance").

It's one of the more unusual music videos ever made. The band appear in it, but they're all dead. It takes place in a home of an obsessed female fan who is getting ready for work, casually ignoring their corpses. At one point, a TV news program comes on and Access Hollywood host Pat O'Brien announces that the band has disappeared. "If anybody sees them, they might want to show them the way," he says, referencing their other hit song.

The music video for "Fire Escape" was shot in Newhall, California on a sweltering hot day. According to Tony Scalzo, it took them about 10 takes to get it right. "The second-to-last one was almost perfect, and then the girl closed the door too fast and closed it on the camera, which upset everybody not just because the shot was ruined, but because it was a very expensive camera," he told Songfacts. "It's deathly hot. I'm in this bathtub so that's okay. But I gotta lie upside down in the water with my face under water. Well, it took all day, but we finally got it and it came out a pretty creepy, weird video. The only other shots we had to do were us walking out of the house, looking stupid, and the live stuff where you see a performance video that's on a TV in the house."

#Fastball #AlternativeRock #FireEscape

The Importance Of Being Idle (Guitar Solo) Oasis - Nolan Randall Of Plaid On Flannel

Plaid On Flannel 2025-09-02 | 🎸 plaidonflannel.com
🎤 plaidonflannelshop.com

Nolan Randall playing the guitar solo of “The Importance Of Being Idle” by Oasis from their 2005 album Don't Believe The Truth for Big Brother Records.

Words and music by Noel Gallagher

I sold my soul for the second time
'Cause the man don't pay me
I begged my landlord for some more time
He said, "Son, the bills are waiting."
My best friend called me the other night
He said, "Man, are you crazy?"
My girlfriend told me to get a life
She said, "Boy, you lazy."

But I don't mind
As long as there's a bed beneath the stars that shine
I'll be fine
If you give me a minute
A man's got a limit
I can't get a life if my heart's not in it

I don't mind
As long as there's a bed beneath the stars that shine
I'll be fine
Give me a minute
A man's got a limit
I can't get a life if my heart's not in it

I lost my faith in the summer time
'Cause it don't stop raining
The sky all day is as black as night
But I'm not complaining
I begged my doctor for one more line
He said, "Son, words fail me."
It ain't no place to be killing time
I guess I'm just lazy

I don't mind
As long as there's a bed beneath the stars that shine
I'll be fine
Give me a minute
A man's got a limit
I can't get a life if my heart's not in it

*Song Facts*

"The Importance of Being Idle" is a song by English rock band Oasis. It was released on 22 August 2005 in the UK as the second single from their sixth studio album Don't Believe the Truth (2005). The tune was written, produced, and sung by lead guitarist Noel Gallagher. Gallagher wrote the song in mid-2004, before the band made their final attempt at recording what would become Don't Believe the Truth.

The tune debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart and stayed there for a week. Marking the first time that Oasis had ever earned two successive number ones in the same calendar year (having also charted at number one earlier in 2005 with "Lyla"). "The Importance of Being Idle" would prove to be the band's last UK number one prior to their break-up in 2009. Noel Gallagher got the title from the book of the same name, which he found whilst cleaning out a garage.

In an interview with Q magazine, Noel Gallagher stated that "The Importance of Being Idle" sounds like songs from two British bands: The Kinks and The La's. In particular, the guitar playing, as well as the sentiment expressed, is noticeably similar to The Kinks' "Sunny Afternoon" and "Dead End Street". While the rhythm is similar to that of "Clean Prophet" by The La's. He also said that the lyrics are inspired by his own laziness, stating: "Having nothing to do is such a massive job that someone had to write a song about it." Additionally, the line "I begged my doctor for one more line" may be a reference to Noel's account of how he gave up cocaine in 1998.

Most reviewers acclaimed the track as one of the highlights of Don't Believe the Truth, which itself was widely praised as a return to form. The band mentioned in interviews in June 2005 that it would become the second single. The B-sides are Liam Gallagher's "Pass Me Down the Wine" and Gem Archer's "The Quiet Ones". Q magazine readers placed the song at number one in a list of 2005's greatest tracks.

"The Importance Of Being Idle" was ranked at number 117 in Xfm's 1000 Greatest Songs of All Time list. XFM also placed it at number 48 in their "100 Best Songs of the 2000s" list.

The song is only the second time that an Oasis single with Noel rather than Liam on lead vocals has topped the UK charts, his first being "Don't Look Back In Anger" back in 1996.

"The Importance Of Being Idle" was Oasis' 19th straight Top 10 UK hit, beating a long standing record for a group that was previously held jointly by The Beatles and ABBA. The all-time record is held by Madonna, with a total of 34 in a row between 1984 and 1995.

The promo film was directed by Dawn Shadforth, whose previous videos include Kylie Minogue's award-winning "Can't Get You Out of My Head". Shadforth's film for "The Importance of Being Idle" stars Welsh actor Rhys Ifans. It pays homage to the style of early 1960s kitchen sink drama British films, and is set during preparations for a funeral procession in a northern town.

The video is based on the film and play Billy Liar with Ifans playing the role of Billy. The Gallaghers play Shadrack & Duxbury, the owners of the funeral parlour where Billy works. The rest of the band (Gem, Andy and Zak) make brief appearances as lazy workers playing cards in the undertaker's office. The video is similar in style and concept to the black and white 1966 music video for "Dead End Street" by The Kinks. Liam Gallagher's second child, Lennon, cameos in the video.

A short behind-the-scenes documentary of the making of the music video, which was shot partly in Greenwich, was directed by Dick Carruthers. Archer describes it as "the best video I think we've ever done".

#Oasis #TheImportanceOfBeingIdle #Britpop

All Along (Guitar Solo) - Plaid On Flannel

Plaid On Flannel 2025-08-27 | 💿 Get Parkdale Fever on CD 👉 plaidonflannelshop.com/products/parkdale-fever

Nolan Randall playing the guitar solo of "All Along" by Plaid On Flannel from Parkdale Fever. An 11-song album that can only be heard on CD. Not for streaming or downloading. But for the listening enjoyment of album ownership.

Personnel includes:
Nolan Randall (Vocals/Guitars/Bass/Keyboards)
Simon Miminis (Drums/Percussion)

Produced by Hector Viola and Simon Miminis

Mixed by Josh Bowman @ Bowman Sound

Mastered by Harry Hess @ HBomb Mastering

Words and music by Nolan Randall

Ahead is an unknown fever, lurking in the after dark
Away from the mad receiver, fire flames without a spark
Running through the hollow tunnel, shadows barricade the light
Moving in an honest hustle, to a higher height

All along, the weight of the desire
On the break of dawn
All along, the ashes of the fire
On the day we’re gone

In the satellite of sorrow, in search of a better way
No need to deliver cargo, take some time to estimate
Chasing and investigating, how far should we draw the line?
Motivating to awaken, waiting for the time

All along, the weight of the desire
On the break of dawn (Break of dawn)
All along, the matters to acquire
On and on and on

All along, all that you are
The seven wonders from near into far
All along, far and away
Across the ocean, along the sea bay

All along, the weight of the desire
On the break of dawn (Break of dawn)
All along, the longing to go higher
On and on and on

© Copyright 2025 Plaid On Flannel

*Song Description By Noles*

I wrote "All Along" on January 29, 2019. But I refined some lyrics and chords for the song throughout 2019. At the time, I was collaborating with a local producer named Julian Durzi. He produced and played drums on the 2019 Plaid On Flannel single "Got No Time". We were recording a few other tunes too. And I was writing new material I thought we might record.

Some time in early 2019, I presented "All Along" to Julian. By playing and singing it on an acoustic guitar. The layout of the song was very close to what it ended up being on the album. But he didn't seem to like it that much. He thought it could be shorter. And a big part of our partnership was to record tunes we could both agree on. When it came to the vibe. I understood "All Along" wasn't Julian's thing, but I still felt like there was something there.

The lyrics for "All Along" were written with no particular direction. I was just writing words that sounded good to me. The first line was originally "Onward to the land of freedom". But that was changed to "Ahead is an unknown fever". I don't recall ever using the word "fever" in my lyrics before that. I didn't try to determine what the words meant. But the lyrics seemed to roll off the tongue well.

Parkdale Bandits was the name I wanted mine and Julian's production duo to be called. Because we were both from Parkdale. And I just love the word "Bandits". But we unfortunately had a falling out in the summer of 2019. And there were a few songs we were working on that ended up incomplete. Nevertheless, I decided to name Plaid On Flannel's next album Parkdale Bandits. With a bunch of new material ready to go.

Recording for the Parkdale Bandits album began on September 9, 2019 with "All Along". I remember having trouble with this tune early on. Especially when it came to vocals. I spent months working on "All Along", as I was working a lot of gigs in audio-visual. Eventually it got to a point where I started working on another song called "Okay" on November 18, 2019. And I ended up finishing that one on January 16, 2020. Then I resumed working on "All Along", and it was completed on February 11, 2020.

The next month, the pandemic was announced. And I was out of work. Nobody saw it coming. And it became something we've never experienced in our lifetimes. I was in the midst of recording the next tune called "Priscilla". Which is a song about me being hospitalized in 2018. The first line in "All Along" that says "Ahead is an unknown fever" also blew my mind. As if it predicted Covid-19. That marked the point where I took a new direction in the album.

In the spring of 2020, I changed the album name to Parkdale Fever. And I decided to write all new tunes that could be conceptually congruent with the songs I had already recorded. Themed in pandemic poverty. Because of the time in history that it fell into. I felt obligated to write lyrics that reflected a modern society.

"All Along" was worked on again in the fall of 2021. New acoustic guitars as well as a new bass guitar. Simon Miminis recorded the drums for "All Along" in early 2022. The tune wasn't worked on again until the fall of 2024. When it was mixed by Josh, after I re-recorded some electric guitars. It was then mastered by Harry in early 2025, and released as a single on March 31, 2025. Over 5.5 years after the recording of the the song began.

#GuitarSolo #ProgressiveRock #PsychRock

Shout (Guitar Solo) Tears For Fears - Nolan Randall Of Plaid On Flannel

Plaid On Flannel 2025-08-21 | 🎸 plaidonflannel.com
🎤 plaidonflannelshop.com

Nolan Randall playing the guitar solo from Tears For Fears’ “Shout” from their 1985 album Songs From The Big Chair for Phonogram and Mercury Records.

Words and music by Roland Orzabal and Ian Stanley

Shout, shout, let it all out
These are the things I can do without
Come on, I'm talking to you, come on
Shout, shout, let it all out
These are the things I can do without
Come on, I'm talking to you, come on

In violent times, you shouldn't have to sell your soul
In black and white, they really really ought to know
Those one track minds, that took you for a working boy
Kiss them goodbye, you shouldn't have to jump for joy
You shouldn't have to shout for joy

Shout, shout, let it all out
These are the things I can do without
Come on, I'm talking to you, come on

They gave you life, and in return you gave them hell
As cold as ice, I hope we live to tell the tale
I hope we live to tell the tale

Shout, shout, let it all out
These are the things I can do without
Come on, I'm talking to you, come on
Shout, shout, let it all out
These are the things I can do without
Come on, I'm talking to you, come on

Shout, shout, let it all out
These are the things I can do without
Come on, I'm talking to you, come on

And when you've taken down your guard
If I could change your mind
I'd really love to break your heart
I'd really love to break your heart

Shout, shout, let it all out
These are the things I can do without
Come on, I'm talking to you, come on
Shout, shout, let it all out
These are the things I can do without
Come on, I'm talking to you
So come on

Shout, shout, let it all out
These are the things I can do without
Come on, I'm talking to you, come on
shout, shoutLet it all out
These are the things I can do without
Come on, I'm talking to you, come on
Shout, shout, let it all out
These are the things I can do without
Come on, I'm talking to you, so come on
Shout, shout, let it all out
These are the things I can do without
Come on, I'm talking to you

*Song Facts*

"Shout" is a song by British band Tears for Fears, written by Roland Orzabal and Ian Stanley and sung by Orzabal (with Curt Smith duetting on the chorus). First released in the UK on November 23, 1984, it was the band's eighth single release (the second taken from their second album Songs from the Big Chair) and sixth UK top 40 hit, peaking at number four in January 1985. In the US, it reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 on 3 August 1985 and remained there for three weeks. "Shout" would become one of the most successful songs of 1985, eventually reaching the top 10 in 25 countries. "Shout" is regarded as one of the most recognizable songs from the mid-eighties and is also recognized as the group's signature song, along with "Everybody Wants to Rule the World".

While Tears for Fears' previous single "Mothers Talk" had showcased a new, more extroverted songwriting style, "Shout" was completed with power chords, heavy percussion, a synth bass solo and a vocal-sounding synth riff. The song even features a lengthy guitar solo, something previously unheard of in Tears for Fears' usual music style.

Roland Orzabal: "The song was written in my front room on just a small synthesizer and a drum machine. Initially I only had the chorus, which was very repetitive, like a mantra. I played it to Ian Stanley, our keyboardist, and Chris Hughes, the producer. I saw it as a good album track, but they were convinced it would be a hit around the world."

Curt Smith: "It concerns protest inasmuch as it encourages people not to do things without actually questioning them. People act without thinking because that's just the way things go in society. So it's a general song, about the way the public accepts any old grief which is thrown at them."

Roland Orzabal: "A lot of people think that 'Shout' is just another song about primal scream theory, continuing the themes of the first album. It is actually more concerned with political protest. It came out in 1984 when a lot of people were still worried about the aftermath of The Cold War and it was basically an encouragement to protest."

"Shout" is by far the most abundantly remixed song in the Tears for Fears catalog, with at least 15 different versions of it having been officially released under the band's name.

The promotional video for "Shout", filmed in late 1984, was the second Tears for Fears video directed by famed music video producer Nigel Dick. It features footage of Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith at Durdle Door in Dorset, England, as well as at a studio performance with the full band performing the song amidst a crowd of family and friends. The video reportedly cost only £14,000 to produce. Along with the clip for "Everybody Wants to Rule the World", the "Shout" video had a big hand in helping establish Tears for Fears in America due to its heavy airplay on the music video channel MTV. Oh yeah!

#TearsForFears #Shout #SynthPop

Extraordinary Dream (Guitar Solo & Riff) - Plaid On Flannel

Plaid On Flannel 2025-08-13 | 💿 Get Parkdale Fever on CD 👉 plaidonflannelshop.com/products/parkdale-fever

Nolan Randall playing the guitar solo and riff of "Extraordinary Dream" by Plaid On Flannel from Parkdale Fever. An 11-song album that can only be heard on CD. Not for streaming or downloading. But for the listening enjoyment of album ownership.

Personnel includes:
Nolan Randall (Vocals/Guitars/Bass/Keyboards)
Simon Miminis (Drums/Percussion)

Produced by Hector Viola and Simon Miminis

Mixed by Josh Bowman @ Bowman Sound

Mastered by Harry Hess @ HBomb Mastering

Words and music by Nolan Randall

Every day in the neighbourhood, we did everything we could
Far away from the way we stood, we know this ain’t Hollywood
Entertain to carry the load, get salvation a la mode
Cargo on the side of the road, setting what’s been overflowed

Out of control, when it’s sure to take a toll

Extreme extraordinary dream
Supreme imaginary theme, a dream

Ventilate a community, breathing air to some degree
Respirate a society, wake up to reality
Cure the fever that no one knows, wary of the highs and lows
Caution taken until it slows, there’s no telling where it goes

On a patrol, with the order to console

Extreme extraordinary dream, supreme imaginary theme
Extreme extraordinary dream, supreme imaginary theme
A dream, a dream, a dream

Extreme extraordinary dream, supreme imaginary theme
Extreme extraordinary dream, supreme imaginary theme
A dream, a dream, a dream

© Copyright 2022 Plaid On Flannel

*Song Description By Noles*

"Extraordinary Dream" was written in June of 2020. With the music composed on June 9th and the lyrics written on June 13th. The song was a response to the COVID-19 pandemic. When the world changed in March of 2020, I had already recorded the bed tracks for 3 new tunes. These songs were made to be included on Plaid On Flannel's 5th full-length album Parkdale Bandits. With a handful of written tunes ready to be recorded next.

At first, the pandemic seemed like it was transitory. Something that would fade away in 2020. As it turned out, that wasn't the case. Because the world experienced something that had never happened in our lifetimes, that changed my approach on the album I was making. I examined the songs I had already recorded, and moved on from there.

One of the tunes I had already recorded called "All Along" has the opening line, "Ahead is an unknown fever, lurking in the after dark". I had no idea what it meant when I wrote it in 2019. Then suddenly in 2020, that unknown fever became what they called a "coronavirus". That coincidence really got me thinking. Another song that I had already recorded called "Priscilla" is a true story about me falling for a nurse after I was hospitalized in 2018. Because of the health care theme I had gotten from those tunes, I decided to change the album's name from Parkdale Bandits to Parkdale Fever.

I changed a lot of the lyrics for the next song I recorded called "Where We Belong". I also recorded another tune that isn't included on the album. As a test for how the whole album would be made. After I laid down the foundation for those tunes, I threw away the other songs I had ready to record. And decided to write brand new tunes for the new theme on the Parkdale Fever album.

At this point, I was reading my book on blues history. To go back a century and see what life was like for people in the last pandemic. And it turns out, a lot of those legacy blues musicians were poor. Socially at a disadvantage. But because of this, they had a strong connection with their audiences who had been through similar experiences. In the book, they called it "empathizing with the audience". That sincerity made the music more captivating. And provided a deeper connection with the listener.

I would say I'm one of the lucky ones, but I've experienced a fair bit of poverty in my adult life. And I happen to live in a low income neighbourhood. One day in the spring of 2020 when I was sitting by Lake Ontario, it all came to me. A concept album themed in pandemic poverty. As inequality becomes more extreme. I had never written a song about being poor in my life, but I was ready to dive into it. It wasn't long until I wrote "Extraordinary Dream".

In the lyrics of the first verse, there's a reference to Jethro Tull's "Aqualung" in the line "Get salvation a la mode". Aqualung is a character created by Ian Anderson and his then-wife Jennie Franks in the early 1970s. They were inspired to write it after seeing a photo of a homeless person.

The guitar riff in "Extraordinary Dream" was difficult to come up with. I knew what the chord progression going along with the riff would be. The same chord progression as the choruses. But the arpeggiated notes and positioning was tricky to figure out. By the time I got it down, I knew it was the most appropriate riff for the song.

#GuitarSolo #IndieRock #AlternativeRock

Dancing In The Moonlight (Guitar Solo) Thin Lizzy - Nolan Randall Of Plaid On Flannel

Plaid On Flannel 2025-08-05 | 🎸 plaidonflannel.com
🎤 plaidonflannelshop.com

Nolan Randall playing the guitar solo of "Dancing In The Moonlight” by Thin Lizzy from their 1977 album Bad Reputation for Vertigo and Mercury Records.

Words and music by Phil Lynott

When I passed you in the doorway
Well, you took me with a glance
I should've took that last bus home
But I asked you for a dance
Now we go steady to the pictures
I always get chocolate stains on my pants
And my father, he's going crazy
He says I'm livin' in a trance

But I'm dancing in the moonlight
It's caught me in its spotlight
(It's alright, alright)
Dancing in the moonlight
On this long, hot summer night

It's three o'clock in the morning
And I'm on the streets again
I disobeyed another warning
I should've been in by ten
Now I won't get out until Sunday
I'll have to say I stayed with friends
Oh, but it's a habit worth forming
If it means to justify the end

Dancing in the moonlight
It's caught me in its spotlight
(It's alright, alright)
Dancing in the moonlight
On this long, hot summer night

And I'm walking home
The last bus has long gone

But I'm dancing in the moonlight
Dancing in the moonlight
It's caught me in its spotlight
(It's alright, alright)
Dancing in the moonlight
On this long, hot summer night
Dancing in the moonlight (I'm dancing in the moonlight)
It's caught me in its spotlight (it's caught me in in it's spotlight)
Dancing in the moonlight (dancing in the moonlight)
On this long, hot summer night (it's got me hot)
Dancing in the moonlight (I'm dancing in the moonlight)
It's caught me in its spotlight (it's caught me alright) (it's alright, alright)
Dancing in the moonlight (alright, alright, alright, alright)
On this long, hot summer night (got so goddamn hot)
Dancing in the moonlight (I'm dancing)
It's caught me in its spotlight (I'm still dancing)
Dancing in the moonlight (I'm dancing in the moonlight)
On this long, hot summer night

*Song Facts*

"Dancing in the Moonlight (It's Caught Me in Its Spotlight)" is a song by the Irish rock band Thin Lizzy. It appears on their 1977 album Bad Reputation and was also released as a single a few months before the album. The song reached No. 14 on the UK Singles Chart in September 1977, and No. 84 in Canada. It should not be confused with a similarly named song, "Dancing in the Moonlight", recorded by King Harvest and Toploader, amongst others.

The song builds on the introductory bass riff played by Phil Lynott, adding the vocal melody line sung by Lynott which contrasts and synergizes with the saxophone melodic counterpoint played by Supertramp's John Helliwell.

This uptempo, slightly jazzy number was clearly influenced by Van Morrison, of whom Lizzy frontman Phil Lynott was a big fan. One of Morrison's famous songs is "Moondance."

The subtitle (It's Caught Me in Its Spotlight) was added by the band's American record company, Mercury, to distinguish it from the King Harvest song with the same title released four years earlier.

Bad Reputation is the eighth studio album by Thin Lizzy, released in 1977. As the front cover suggests, most of the tracks feature only three-quarters of the band, with guitarist Brian Robertson only credited on three tracks. He had missed most of their previous tour, following a hand injury sustained in a brawl, and this album turned out to be his last studio effort with Thin Lizzy. On 27 June 2011, a new remastered and expanded version of Bad Reputation was released.

With Robertson out of the band, band leader Phil Lynott had decided that Scott Gorham would be able to handle all the guitar duties himself, and that no replacement for Robertson would be recruited prior to recording the album. However, Gorham believed that a second guitarist was required, particularly for live work, performing songs that were written for two guitars. He later said, "I was always a big believer in the magic circle – once you broke the magic circle, the whole thing was broken, right?" He deliberately left two songs ("Opium Trail" and "Killer Without a Cause") without guitar solos recorded, and persuaded Lynott to allow Robertson to return to the band to record the solos for them. Lynott relented, and Robertson flew to Toronto and recorded his lead guitar parts

The Smashing Pumpkins covered "Dancing in the Moonlight" for various live performances. Turning the originally upbeat, overlaid melody of the original into a slow paced acoustic tune. It was recorded as B-side of the single "Disarm".

In 2005, "Dancing in the Moonlight (It's Caught Me in Its Spotlight)" was used as part of an advertising campaign to launch Magners Irish Cider in the UK.

In 2012 the English indie rock band Alt-J released a mash up of "Dancing in the Moonlight" for the compilation album, The Saturday Sessions from The Dermot O'Leary Show. Later it was recorded at Spotify Studios NYC and released as part of their Spotify Singles project in 2017.

#ThinLizzy #DancingInTheMoonlight #ClassicRock

Full Moon Light (Guitar Solo) - Plaid On Flannel

Plaid On Flannel 2025-07-31 | 💿 Get Vol. I: Fairbairn Meadows on CD 👉 plaidonflannelshop.com/products/fairbairn-meadows

Nolan Randall playing the guitar solo of “Full Moon Light” by Plaid On Flannel from the 2012 album Vol. I: Fairbairn Meadows.

Words and music by Nolan Randall

Now, there’s something I need to release
And get off my chest
All the hype and people buying in
I’m not that impressed
There’s gotta be a reason why they’re placed above the rest
Just because they’re popular
does not make them the best

Sure they’ve paid some dues and worked so hard
How else would they get there? whoa-oh-oh-oh
When it comes to skill and filling bars
There’s more to compare

Born into a world they have
Taken for granted, uh-huh
Mom has got no records
And dad, he can’t stand it, uh-huh
Full moon light, you never get lost at night
Full moon light, shows it’s alright

Getting used to a bush league kind of life
That’s what we have here
Everybody’s gone their separate ways
So few that are near
Is there anything out there that will make
my destiny clear?
Walk into a room so unafraid
My biggest fear

Is there any difference between them and I?
I think there might be, whoa, oh-oh-oh
Closing the curtain on these guys
Now that I’m aware

Born into a world they have
taken for granted, uh-huh
Mom has got no records
And dad, he can’t stand it, uh-huh
Full moon light, you never get lost at night
Full moon light, shows it’s alright

Born into a world they have
taken for granted, uh-huh
Mom has got no records
And dad, he can’t stand it, uh-huh
Na na na, you never get lost at night
Na na na, shows it’s alright

© Copyright 2012 Plaid On Flannel

*Song Description By Noles*

The origin of "Full Moon Light" can be traced back to September of 2007. I remember this because I was in my 1st year of Radio-Broadcasting at Algonquin College in Ottawa. I came up with the main verse progression for "Full Moon Light" during this time. In the key of Bm, the guitar line I came up with was influenced by Neil Young. Having a folk rock kind of vibe to it. I held this idea for years, and knew I would eventually make it into a song.

On September 3, 2011, I began producing Plaid On Flannel's debut album Fairbairn Meadows. Following the production of 9 songs for the album, I started recording "Full Moon Light" on April 1, 2012. At that point, I hadn't even written the whole tune yet. As I came up with the main part years earlier. So I made it into a complete song during the beginning of the recording process. The main melody of "Full Moon Light" was influenced by both Fleetwood Mac's "Dreams" and Nirvana's "Heart Shaped Box". There is a similarity to both tunes' verse melodies. It's a melodic movement that works well in a minor key. All 4 Plaid On Flannel LPs from the 2010s have one song with a mandolin on each album. And "Full Moon Light" is the mandolin song for Fairbairn Meadows. The 3-part vocal harmonies in "Full Moon Light" were influenced by Ian Thomas' "Painted Ladies".

The lyrics for "Full Moon Light" were written on April 8, 2012. It's a song about the overachievers of the world who are products of good circumstances. More specifically, the lyrics address a Peterborough band at the time called Before The Curtain. I had just watched them perform at the Historic Red Dog Tavern, and there was a lot of hype surrounding the band. As they had been endorsed by Adam Gontier of Three Days Grace. 2 members from Before The Curtain are brothers, and their dad's a record producer named Barry Haggarty. I worked with Barry while recording the full-length album Stand Up with High Waters Band around this time. After seeing Before The Curtain live, I felt like they were over-hyped. Which is reflective in the line "Closing the curtain on these guys, now that I'm aware" from "Full Moon Light". To be honest, I was jealous of them for the privileged position they found themselves in. With their dad being a record producer, while my parents are so estranged from music. In "Full Moon Light", this is reflected in the line "Mom has got no records and dad he can't stand it".

I finished recording "Full Moon Light" on April 29, 2012, and the entire Fairbairn Meadows album was released on July 1, 2012. I've never played "Full Moon Light" with a band, but I have performed it live as a solo acoustic act. Playing the song multiple times at the Interfusion Music Summit in Cathedral City, California from October 4-7, 2012. Here's a video of me around that time performing "Full Moon Light" as a solo acoustic act... youtu.be/U04oNfN3Dv0 It's a tune I've since retired from performing. Mostly because the melody is out of my natural vocal range. If "Full Moon Light" was transposed down to a lower key, there's a possibility I might play it with a band someday.

#FolkRock #IndieFolk #GuitarSolo

No Rain (Guitar Solo & Riff) Blind Melon - Nolan Randall Of Plaid On Flannel

Plaid On Flannel 2025-07-23 | 🎸 plaidonflannel.com
🎤 plaidonflannelshop.com

Nolan Randall playing the guitar solo and riff of "No Rain” by Blind Melon from their 1992 self-titled debut album for Capitol Records.

Words and music by Shannon Hoon, Rogers Stevens, Christopher Thorn, Brad Smith, and Glen Graham

All I can say is that my life is pretty plain
I like watchin' the puddles gather rain
And all I can do is just pour some tea for two
And speak my point of view
But it's not sane,
It's not sane

I just want someone to say to me,
"I'll always be there when you wake"
You know I'd like to keep my cheeks dry today
So stay with me and I'll have it made (I'll have it made)

And I don't understand why I sleep all day
And I start to complain that there's no rain
And all I can do is read a book to stay awake
And it rips my life away, but it's a great escape
Escape... escape... escape...

All I can say is that my life is pretty plain
You don't like my point of view
You think that I'm insane
It's not sane... it's not sane

I just want someone to say to me (no oh oh oh)
"I'll always be there when you wake"
(Y-yeah, yeah)
You know I'd like to keep my cheeks dry today
So stay with me and I'll have it made

(I'll have it made)
Oh and I'll have it made
(I'll have it made)
And I'll have it made
(I'll have it made)
Oh, lord oh no no
You know I'm really
I'm-a really gonna have it made
(I'll have it made)
Yeah, you know I'll have it made
(I'll have it made)
Oh oh oh oh
(I'll have it made)
Oh oh oh oh
(I'll have it made)
Oh oh oh oh
(I'll have it made)
Oh oh oh oh, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah

*Song Facts*

"No Rain" is a song by American rock band Blind Melon. It was released in 1993 as the second single from the band's debut album Blind Melon. The song is well known for its accompanying music video, which features the "Bee Girl" character. The music video, directed by Samuel Bayer, received heavy airplay on MTV at the time of its release. It subsequently helped propel Blind Melon to multi-platinum level.

The tune is the band's highest-charting song, reaching number 20 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number one on both the Billboard Album Rock Tracks and Modern Rock Tracks charts. It proved to be successful internationally, peaking at number one in Canada and number eight in Australia.

"No Rain" is in the key of E Mixolydian, and has a moderately fast tempo.

Although the song is credited to the whole band, bassist Brad Smith wrote most of "No Rain". He said: "The song is about not being able to get out of bed and find excuses to face the day when you have really, in a way, nothing." At the time, Smith had been dating a depressed woman who slept through sunny days and complained when it did not rain. For a while, he told himself that he was writing the song from her perspective, and later realized that he was also writing it about himself.

The music video for "No Rain" was directed by Samuel Bayer and stars Heather DeLoach as the "Bee Girl". A young tap dancer wearing a homemade bee costume and large glasses, modeled after the Blind Melon album cover. Which is a family picture of Georgia Graham, younger sister of drummer Glen Graham. The Bee Girl's story is intercut with footage of Blind Melon performing in a field against a clear blue sky.

It opens on the girl's tap routine; the audience responds with mocking laughter, and the girl runs off-stage in tears. As the song plays, she wanders through Los Angeles, stopping to perform her dance for whoever will watch, but she still feels alone. Ultimately, at the point in the song where the word "escape" is repeated, she peeks through a gate, which elicits a look of astonishment on her face, then runs through it to join a group of "bee people" just like her, dancing joyfully in a green field.

As a result of the "No Rain" video, DeLoach appeared on the 1993 MTV Video Music Awards doing her "Bee Girl" dance to close the show, and also appeared as the "Bee Girl" in the video for "Weird Al" Yankovic's song "Bedrock Anthem".

The director of the "No Rain" music video Samuel Bayer also directed the impactful music video for "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana in 1991.

Blind Melon didn't always appreciate "No Rain". When they opened some shows for The Rolling Stones in 1994, they left it off of their setlist. Their tour manager, Paul Cummings, explained: "They had become one of those bands that hate their hit - at least at that point. I couldn't understand it, but it's not my call. That probably would have been the only song that crowd would have recognized."

Pearl Jam has a song called "Bee Girl" that they first performed in 1994. With lyrics like, "Bee girl, you're gonna die. You don't wanna be famous, you wanna be shy," the track was seen as a very accurate warning to Shannon Hoon that he was on a path of destruction. The song can be found on their Lost Dogs rarities album.

#BlindMelon #NoRain #AlternativeRock

Competition (Guitar Outro) - Plaid On Flannel

Plaid On Flannel 2025-07-15 | 💿 Get Vol. II: Mission Of Mercy on CD 👉 plaidonflannelshop.com/products/mission-of-mercy

Nolan Randall playing the guitar outro of “Competition” by Plaid On Flannel from the 2013 album Vol. II: Mission Of Mercy.

Words and music by Nolan Randall

We're only human and we don't know
where we're gonna go from here
It's time to realize that someday
we are gonna disappear
Too many winners keep on losing
and they don't know what to do
Maybe they went to far
and tried to bite off more than they could chew

The competition will phase you
in ways you'll never forget
Trying to remember how it seemed so immaculate
The competition will phase you
in ways to make you upset
Can't find a shadow when you're in Colorado
And you forged your own silhouette

You try to figure out
why someone told you who you outta be
Another guy will tell you
who you are and he will disagree
Given the circumstances
you should not worry about a thing
Two balls and one strike is an indication
you should try to swing

The competition will phase you
in ways to make it a threat
Trying to calm down every time you smoke a cigarette
The competition will phase you in ways
You're pouring out sweat
Can't find a shadow when you're in Colorado
and you forged your own silhouette

Got a second wind, got another chance
Got another glance at failed romance
Fighting off the curse, go ahead and see
Go ahead and start your own philosophy

© Copyright 2013 Plaid On Flannel

*Song Description By Noles*

There are certain songs that work quite well as opening tracks for albums. The types of songs that get right to the point, and introduce the listener to the journey they're about to embark on through an album. "Competition" is one of those tunes. The writing of "Competition" was scattered over the course of a couple of years from 2011-2013. In the early days of Plaid On Flannel, I was writing new songs while I was recording tunes for POF's debut album Fairbairn Meadows that I wrote mostly in the 2000s. Many of them were acoustic numbers. And leaning more towards folk rock. But since I wanted to make hard rock songs I could play with a band, the new material I was writing had more teeth to the tunes. The first part of "Competition" I wrote was actually the outro of the song. Written sometime in the spring of 2011. This part was influenced by Deep Purple's "Child In Time" and Rush's "Anthem".

The next year, Plaid On Flannel's debut album Fairbairn Meadows was released on July 1, 2012. I subsequently wrote a big batch of songs to be featured of POF's sophomore album. After writing about a dozen tunes, I wrote most of the music for "Competition" on August 29, 2012. I began producing the Mission Of Mercy album on September 4, 2012. With 20 songs on the record, it really is like a double album. When I finished the first 10 tunes, I felt like the next 10 were a completely new album. I was inspired by System Of A Down's Hypnotize/Mezmerize 2005 albums when it came to this concept. The first 10 songs recorded for the Mission Of Mercy album were softer and more acoustic-based. So I wanted to make sure the next 10 songs were rockers that I could play in a rock and roll band.

The lyrics for "Competition" were written on January 12, 2013. The words address the competition we all face in our daily lives. With friends, family and co-workers. But from my perspective, it was the competition I faced with other musicians. I think the moral of the song's story is that competing with other people as a level of comparison is detrimental to one's own personal growth and potential. We compete with each other when we really should be competing with our own selves to get better. "Competition" was finally completely written when I came up with the verses for the tune. Those verses use the E-minor pentatonic scale with the guitar following the vocal melody. That was inspired by the styles of Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath. But in a modern sense, it was influenced by Wolfmother. They use lead vocal and guitar in unison quite a bit.

I began recording "Competition" on January 23, 2013. The song is filled with guitar riffs and solos. In a lot of cases, the guitar solos blend in with the riffs. I finished recording "Competition" on February 1, 2013, and the Mission Of Mercy album was released on May 20, 2013. After I moved to Toronto from Peterborough in September of 2013, the Plaid On Flannel band started on February 15, 2014 as a 3-piece. "Competition" was one of the first original tunes that I brought to the band, and it soon became a staple at live shows. We never recorded the song as a band, as I was never pleased with the way that specific personnel grouping played the tune. "Competition" is a song I would like to play with a band again if given the right personnel.

#RockAndRoll #AlternativeMetal #StonerRock

Plaid On Flannels Parkdale Fever CD Release - Previews: Those Who Wait, Okay & Crooked Path

Plaid On Flannel 2025-07-14 | Plaid On Flannel's 7th CD Parkdale Fever is out now! Get yours from the Plaid On Flannel Shop right here... 👉 plaidonflannelshop.com/products/parkdale-fever

The 11-song 46-minute album can only be heard on the CD. As it's not available for streaming or download. Join the fans around the world and indulge in this authentic physical media experience.

This video contains previews of 3 tunes that can only be heard on the Parkdale Fever CD: "Those Who Wait", "Okay" and "Crooked Path". Capturing certain moments of the CD listening experience.

As Plaid On Flannel's 7th CD, Parkdale Fever features a more polished and refined production than the previous records. Lyrically, Parkdale Fever follows a theme of working class poverty during a pandemic era. And the music goes to all kinds of different places. With each song alternating between minor and major keys. Making it a dynamic listening experience, where every tune offers something different. All the while, maintaining Plaid On Flannel’s signature alternative indie blues rock style.

The Parkdale Fever CD comes in a 4-panel digipak. So there’s no chance the case will ever crack. Inside Parkdale Fever’s case, you will find a 12-page booklet. Complete with artwork, lyrics, liner notes, album credits, and a photo gallery. The next 25 copies of Parkdale Fever sold will include 2 free Plaid On Flannel stickers. One big and one small. The big one works as a great bumper sticker. And the small one can be placed almost anywhere you please.

Nolan of Plaid On Flannel is personally shipping all CD orders from Toronto. Using a shipping service that gets you the lowest rate, and fastest delivery time possible. According to where you live in the world. Shipments to Canada, US & UK typically take no more than a week. And international shipments are usually anywhere between 2-4 weeks. With full tracking, on its way to you.

Plaid On Flannel thanks you for your support! And for helping give rock and roll a pulse during this shaky era in the music industry. A lot of YouTubers have been calling 2025 “the year of the CD”. Some of these new YouTube videos discussing CDs have hundreds of thousands of views. Seeming like there could be a compact disc revival. So that may turn into a trend going forward. To finish things off, here’s exactly what you’ll get when you order the Parkdale Fever CD…

- 4-panel digipak case with clear tray
- 11-song CD
- 12-page booklet (Inside pouch)
- 2 free Plaid On Flannel stickers (Big & small) [Next 20 copies sold]
- Optional: Autographed (signed) copy ($10 USD extra)

Plaid On Flannel - Parkdale Fever - Track List

1. Those Who Wait - 3:51
2. Fear Of A Fever - 3:30
3. Extraordinary Dream - 3:49
4. Dropping In - 4:18
5. Crooked Path - 3:40
6. Priscilla - 3:31
7. Generation - 3:38
8. Okay - 4:10
9. All Along - 4:31
10. Ready To Be Free - 4:28
11. Where We Belong - 6:15

© Copyright 2025 Plaid On Flannel

#AlternativeRock #BluesRock #IndieRock

Hells Bells (Guitar Solo & Riff) AC/DC - Nolan Randall Of Plaid On Flannel

Plaid On Flannel 2025-07-09 | 🎸 plaidonflannel.com
🎤 plaidonflannelshop.com

Nolan Randall playing the guitar solo and riff of "Hells Bells” by AC/DC from their 1980 album Back In Black for Atlantic Records.

Words and music by Angus Young, Malcolm Young and Brian Johnson

I′m rolling thunder, pouring rain
I'm coming on like a hurricane
My lightning′s flashing across the sky
You're only young, but you're gonna die

I won′t take no prisoners, won′t spare no lives
Nobody's putting up a fight
I got my bell, I′m gonna take you to hell
I'm gonna get ya, Satan get ya

Hells bells
Hells bells, you got me ringing
Hells bells, my temperature′s high
Hells bells

I'll give you black sensations up and down your spine
If you′re into evil, you're a friend of mine
See the white light flashing as I split the night
Cos if good's on the left then I′m sticking to the right

I won′t take no prisoners, won't spare no lives
Nobody′s puttin' up a fight
I got my bell, I′m gonna take you to hell
I'm gonna get ya, Satan get ya

Hells bells
Hells bells, you got me ringing
Hells bells, my temperature′s high
Hells bells

Hells bells, Satan's coming to you
Hells bells, he's ringing them now
Those hells bells, the temperature′s high
Hells bells, across the sky
Hells bells, they′re taking you down
Hells bells, they're dragging you down
Hells bells, gonna split the night
Hells bells, there′s no way to fight
Hells bells

*Song Facts*

"Hells Bells" is the first song of Back in Black, the seventh studio album by Australian hard rock band AC/DC and their comeback album after the death of lead singer Bon Scott. The classic track is the second single from Back in Black, released on 31 October 1980. The tune also appears on Who Made Who, AC/DC's 1986 soundtrack to the Stephen King film Maximum Overdrive and on both versions of 1992's AC/DC Live.

The tune begins with a slow, funereal tolling of a 2,000-pound (900 kg) bronze bell. That bell was manufactured by John Taylor & Co Bellfounders in Loughborough. The sound of the bell was recorded by Tony Platt using Ronnie Lane's mobile studio inside the bell foundry. Which followed the completion of the Back in Black tracking sessions at Compass Point Studios in the Bahamas.

Because of the harmonics, bells are not easy to record, so Tony Platt placed about 15 microphones with various dynamics in different locations around the foundry to record the sounds. Once it was on tape, Platt brought the recordings to Electric Lady Studios in New York, where he and producer Mutt Lange chose the right combination of bell sounds, put a mix together, and slowed it down to half speed so the one-ton bell would sound like a more ominous two-ton bell. This was integrated into the mix, and the song was completed. Listeners with very sharp ears will notice that the bell when chimed live is an octave higher than than it is on the recording.

Four years after "Hells Bells" came out, Metallica released "For Whom The Bell Tolls," which also opens with a bell. Theirs came from a sound effects library.

"Hells Bells" is widely regarded as one of the AC/DC's best songs. In 2020, The Guardian ranked the song number six on their list of the 40 greatest AC/DC songs, and in 2021, Kerrang! ranked the song number seven on their list of the 20 greatest AC/DC songs.

As soon as the first lyric of "Hells Bells" is heard, it is unmistakable that the band could not have found a better replacement than Brian Johnson. Johnson puts a manic rage into every syllable and an unearthly howl on the chorus, making a song with scarily sacrilegious lyrics even scarier. By the way, that hat he wears onstage was his brother's idea, to help Brian Johnson keep the sweat out of his eyes. His brother loaned it to him and never got it back.

"Hells Bells" was used as the entrance music for former Major League Baseball (MLB) player Trevor Hoffman at home games from 1998 to 2010. The tune is played prior to every New Jersey Devils home game as the players come out on the ice.

The German football club FC St. Pauli from Hamburg, French rugby club RC Toulonnais from Toulon and Greek football club PAOK FC from Thessaloniki open all home matches walking out to "Hells Bells", the former often with large fan displays and pyrotechnics.

During the Bells Beach surf competition in Victoria, Australia, "Hells Bells" is played on the loudspeakers at the beginning of the first heat of each competing day.

In American football, 3 of the bells from the beginning of the song are commonly used when opponents are on third down. At University of North Carolina football games, "Hells Bells" is played at the start of the fourth quarter.

"Hells Bells" has been featured in a number of films. Most notably appearing in the Stephen King directed cult classic Maximum Overdrive and the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Deadpool & Wolverine.

There is an all-female AC/DC tribute band in Seattle called Hell's Belles.

#ACDC #HellsBells #HardRock

Isolate (Guitar Solo) - Plaid On Flannel

Plaid On Flannel 2025-07-03 | 💿 Get Vol. IV: Independency on CD 👉 plaidonflannelshop.com/products/independency

Nolan Randall playing the guitar solo of “Isolate” by Plaid On Flannel from the 2018 album Vol. IV: Independency.

Words and music by Nolan Randall

Gotta ride it solo even if it feels like slow-mo
Isolate along the way
On the way from somewhere
Chosen ones are all unaware
There's a home for them to stay

Every time I hear the song that is playing
It's all the magic that will never end
Can you understand what it is I'm saying?
Take it in the message I will send

From the pain of losing, to a beggar fit for choosing
Love the time I spend alone
Never thought of quitting
Always thinking of what's fitting
Do what I can on my own

Every time I hear the song that is playing
It's all the magic that will never end
Can you understand what it is I'm saying?
Take it in the message I depend

Feeling like I'm getting stronger
The independency is on my side
Moving on to what really matters to me
Now is not the, not the time to hide

Every time I hear the song that is playing
It's all the magic that will never end
Can you understand what it is I'm saying?
Take it in the message I will send

Every time I hear the song that is playing
It's all the magic that will never end
Can you understand what it is I'm saying?
Take it in the message I depend

© Copyright 2018 Plaid On Flannel

*Song Description By Noles*

The summer of 2018 had just begun, and I was working towards finishing my 4th LP Independency. There were 17 songs down and 1 to go. I wanted to make a song that represented that period of time for me. Although Independency is not an official concept album like Primitive Normative, I wanted to have a song that could somewhat work as a title track representing the overall feeling from the album. I called the album Independency because I recorded the 18-song record entirely by myself. All vocals, guitars, bass, keyboards, and I programmed the drums. Even though I had already recorded 3 LPs alone, this one was significant because I found myself without a band. The young band mates I had acquired for Plaid On Flannel in the fall of 2017 had left Toronto for work and school, and they were very hard to replace. Suddenly I was alone, and knew that the fate of Plaid On Flannel was up to me.

On July 4, 2018, I wrote the music for what was to be the last song recorded for Independency. The next day, I wrote the lyrics with the working title "I Depend On Me". Although it's a great title for a self-empowering song, I realized that "Independent Women" by Destiny's Child uses that same phrase. The 2001 pop song is catchy, but I didn't feel the need to associate my music with Beyonce and co. So I changed the title to "Isolate" as the lyrics say "Isolate along the way" in the first verse. It fit in well with the lighthouse keeper concept of the album that was eventually portrayed in the album art. I was rather ambitious while recording this song as it was the last one for the album and I wanted to make it count.

"Isolate" embodies surf rock, glam rock, and psychedelic rock. And some other styles too. The main influences on this song in no particular order are the Beach Boys, Oasis, R.E.M., David Bowie, Weezer, the Beatles, and Doves. Many people reference the Beach Boys when hearing this tune due to the layered harmonies. I spent dozens of hours on the vocals for this song. The most backup vocals I ever had on a POF song. And I've had a lot! The chorus gradually has more backup vocals as the song progresses in the style of Doo-Wop. For that, I was inspired by the Beatles' "Revolution 1" which has the "a-whoa cha-doo-wa" backup vocals in the chorus. I'm referring to the slow version of the song which is on the White Album. There's about 5 times during the tune where a backup vocal goes "a-woo-oooh-oooh" in the background. This was of course inspired by the Beach Boys where you can hear that high falsetto on songs like "Fun, Fun, Fun".

There's an extra guitar in this song that uses tremolo and chorus effects to make it sound more psychedelic. Much like the effects I use on some of the backup vocals which you can hear prominently at the very end of the song. The bass line in the chorus dances around quite a bit and that's where the glam rock influences come in. Inspired by T. Rex and David Bowie. Almost like the song "Suffragette City". A lot of glam rock songs by bands like Sweet and Mott The Hoople have children sing-along type choruses. Something that really captures innocence and imagination. That was my child-like spirited intention while writing the song. I started recording "Isolate" on July 6, 2018 and finished it on July 17, 2018. After some hardcore mastering, the entire album was released 12 days later on July 29, 2018.

#SurfRock #NeoPsychedelia #GlamRock

Radio/Video (Guitar Solo) System Of A Down - Nolan Randall Of Plaid On Flannel

Plaid On Flannel 2025-06-25 | 🎸 plaidonflannel.com
🎤 plaidonflannelshop.com

Nolan Randall playing the guitar solo from System Of A Down’s “Radio/Video” from their 2005 album Mezmerize for Columbia Records.

Words and music by Daron Malakian and Serj Tankian

Hey man, look at me rockin' out, I'm on the radio
Hey man, look at me rockin' out, I'm on the video
Hey man, look at me rockin' out, I'm on the radio
Hey man, look at me rockin' out, I'm on the video
With Danny and Lisa

They take me away from the strangest places
Sweet Danny and Lisa, they take me away from
They take me away from the strangest places
Sweet Danny and Lisa, they take me away from

Hey man, look at me rockin' out, I'm on the radio
Hey man, look at me rockin' out, I'm on the video
With Danny and Lisa

They take me away from the strangest places
Sweet Danny and Lisa, they take me away from
They take me away from the strangest places
Sweet Danny and Lisa, they take me away from

Hey man, look at me rockin' out, I'm on the radio
Hey man, look at me rockin' out, I'm on the video
With Danny and Lisa

They take me away from the strangest places
Sweet Danny and Lisa

La la la la la la la
La la la la
La la la la
La la la la la la la
La la la la
La la la la
La la la la la la la
La la la la
La la la la
La la la la la la la
La la la la
La la la la

Hey man, look at me rockin' out, I'm on the radio
Hey man, look at me rockin' out, I'm on the video
Hey man, look at me rockin' out, I'm on the radio
Hey man, look at me rockin' out, I'm on the video
With Danny and Lisa

*Song Facts*

Mezmerize is the fourth studio album by Armenian-American heavy metal band System of a Down, released on May 17, 2005 by American Recordings and Columbia Records. Upon its release, the album received widespread acclaim from critics, scoring 85 at Metacritic based on 19 reviews.

The album debuted at number one in at least 12 countries, including the US Billboard 200, with 453,000 copies, and has since been certified Platinum by the RIAA. It was chosen as one of Amazon.com's Top 100 Editor's Picks of 2005. The hit single "B.Y.O.B." won a Grammy Award in 2006 for Best Hard Rock Performance.

Despite the time difference between releases, Mezmerize and Hypnotize were recorded within the same time frame. The album features guitarist Daron Malakian sharing most of the vocal work with vocalist Serj Tankian, splitting the vocals at least halfway on many of the tracks.

In 2018, Malakian and Tankian both independently revealed that at the time of recording the two albums, Tankian was almost out of the band. According to Tankian, this was because of differences in creative input and financial revenue split.

Malakian wrote "Old School Hollywood" after playing in a celebrity baseball game for charity. The song mentions Tony Danza and Frankie Avalon, who also played in the game.

In "Radio/Video", there are lines referring to two people named Danny and Lisa. Malakian commented on the song to Revolver magazine:

"My neighbors were Danny and Lisa, who I sing about in "Radio/Video" with System — they had that record [Paul Stanley 1978 solo album] and it ended up at my apartment. I would listen to that record all the time. I first saw Kiss at a relative's house. They were older teenagers and had Kiss all over the walls in their bedrooms. I remember being so afraid of Kiss, and it just stuck. Kiss started the metal attitude, metal theatrics and metal fashion — they contributed to that a lot. I was listening to that album in my car with my girlfriend a few months back. When I put it on, I said: 'This album is extremely special to me.'"

In the same interview Daron Malakian talked about "Violent Pornography" "non-stop disco" lines:

"I've always been a huge fan of disco music through my life. We have a song called "Violent Pornography" in System of a Down, and the lyrics are: "It's a non-stop disco/Betcha didn't know/Betcha didn't know …" That line means, "I love disco, betcha didn't know." That has nothing to do with the rest of the song, by the way."

The Japanese version of the album contains a slightly different mix of "Soldier Side (Intro)" with strings, while the leaked mp3 version of "Cigaro" contains a 4-stick hit intro not present in the retail version. The album artwork is done by Vartan Malakian, the father of guitarist Daron Malakian.

*Noles' Thoughts*

There wasn't a lot of info on "Radio/Video" online aside from the fact that Danny and Lisa are childhood friends of Daron Malakian. I remember when this album came out. It was the summer before my senior year in high school. My buddy Scotty Mac had his own place with a couple of other friends. We would indulge in various substances while listening to System's Mezmerize. Many party nights with four-foot bongs. "B.Y.O.B." was our high school anthem. And it was during the Bush administration. "Bring your own bombs." "Radio/Video" was always the song we would highland dance to.

#SystemOfADown #RadioVideo #AlternativeMetal

Get On! (Guitar Riff & Solo) - Plaid On Flannel

Plaid On Flannel 2025-06-17 | 💿 Get Get On! [EP] on CD 👉 plaidonflannelshop.com/products/get-on

Nolan Randall playing the guitar riff and solo of “Get On!” by Plaid On Flannel from the 2017 EP Get On!

Personnel includes:
Nolan Randall (Vocals/Guitars)
Jen Doyon (Keyboards/Vocals)
Les Cassling (Bass)
Minas Hatzigiannatzoglou (Drums/Percussion)

Produced by Ruben Huizenga

Mastered by Michael Kossov

Words and music by Nolan Randall

Looking for somethin' deep inside of me
All I want is to fulfill my destiny
Find the places that I didn't know were there
While I'm here I want to travel everywhere
I'm leavin', I'm goin', ain't got no time for slowin'
I'll look in the mirror, I'll try to make it clearer
Take a look at what my fantasy entails
After all these dusty trails

Get on! I got another stride
I'll keep on searchin' for a better ride
Get on! Oh, how I insist
The things I need now, I can't resist

Why are all these people out of touch?
Normative behaviour all too much
I don't mind because I'm going my own way
They'll get to see where I will be another day
I'm runnin', I'm flyin', I gotta keep on tryin'
I gotta keep movin', I gotta keep improvin'
Set a standard and depend on my own self
But I still need a little help

Get on! I got another stride
I'll keep on searchin' for a better ride
Get on! Oh, how I insist
Gotta find out why it is that I exist
Get on! I already know, I'm ready to go and let it show

Get on! I got another stride
I'll keep on searchin' for a better ride
Get on! Oh, how I insist
Gotta find out why it is that I exist
Get on! I already know, I'm ready to go and let it show

Get on! Get on! Get on! Get on!

© Copyright 2017 Plaid On Flannel

*Song Description By Noles*

While the Plaid On Flannel band officially started on February 15, 2014, the group didn't become a 4-piece until keyboardist Jen Doyon joined a year later on February 22, 2015. I was impressed with what she could bring to the table for the band. And the fact that she could sing harmony backup vocals was a huge bonus. Jen had a range of keyboard effects that she used. But her signature was the organ. When we played the song "Potential", the keyboard added a whole new characteristic to the song that fit in so well. My first thought was carnival music. Or music you would hear at a circus. I thought of clowns and amusement park rides. This opened up a whole new artistic world for me with the direction I could take the band in as a songwriter. That's when I came up with the term "Carnival Rock".

After a couple of Plaid On Flannel gigs with Jen on keyboards, I wrote the music for "Get On!" on April 28, 2015. The guitar riff came first. There are actually 2 guitar riffs in "Get On!". But the first one was intended to sound and feel like it moves in a circular motion. Both physically on the fretboard of the guitar and audibly using the E-minor pentatonic scale. The circular motion sound was intended to feel like a ferris wheel, or any carnival/amusement park ride that moves in circles. The 2nd riff has a similar feel, but it hits the lower power notes. That riff was influenced by the "Monsters!" section of "La Villa Strangiato" by Rush. Which guitarist Alex Lifeson borrowed from a Looney Tunes (cartoon) song called "Powerhouse" by Raymond Scott.

I wrote the lyrics for "Get On!" on August 18, 2015 while recording the 3rd POF album Primitive Normative. The lyrics use the idea of a carnival as a metaphor for life itself. Exploring the unknown. Going on unfamiliar rides despite fearing some of them. Experiencing the ups and downs. The ebbs and flows. And the desire to find the best rides by trying them all out. I began recording the Primitive Normative version of "Get On!" on August 1, 2015 and finished it on September 19, 2015. After I uploaded the finished song online, POF drummer Minas insisted we try it out and that was my plan. While we had already figured out which songs were going to be on the Rising Above EP, we saved "Get On!" for the next EP. After performing "Get On!" live several times over the next year, we finally took it to the studio on February 4, 2017. And that's when we also recorded the music video for the tune.

There are some improved differences between the Primitive Normative version of "Get On!" and the version we recorded as a band. The drums use a swing beat over the 2nd guitar riff which really gives it a dynamic boost. All 4 of us sang into one mic for every "Get On!" in the song. That was fun and elevated the choruses in a big way. The guitar solo in "Get On!" largely follows the verse melody. The entire Get On! EP was finished in the spring of 2017, and released on August 28, 2017. "Get On!" is one of my finest songs and I feel like it will remain a staple in Plaid On Flannel's live repertoire for years to come.

#RockAndRoll #BluesRock #RetroRock

Two Princes (Guitar Solo) Spin Doctors - Nolan Randall Of Plaid On Flannel

Plaid On Flannel 2025-06-11 | 🎸 plaidonflannel.com
🎤 plaidonflannelshop.com

Nolan Randall playing the guitar solo of “Two Princes” by the Spin Doctors from their 1991 album Pocket Full Of Kryptonite for Epic Records.

Words and music by Chris Barron, Eric Schenkman, Aaron Comess and Mark White

Yeah
One, two, princes kneel before you
That's what I said, now
Princes, the princes who adore you
Just go ahead, now
One has diamonds in his pockets
And that's some bread, now
This one, said he wants to buy you rockets
Ain't in his head, now

This one, got a princely racket
That's what I said, now
Got some big seal upon his jacket
Ain't in his head, now
You marry him, your father will condone you
How 'bout that, now
You marry me, your father will disown you
He'll eat his hat, now

Marry him or marry me
I'm the one that loves you baby can't you see?
I ain't got no future or a family tree
But I know what a prince and lover ought to be
I know what a prince and lover ought to be

Said, if you want to call me baby
Just go ahead, now
And if you like to tell me maybe
Just go ahead, now
And if you wanna buy me flowers
Just go ahead, now
And if you like to talk for hours
Just go ahead, now

Said
One, two, princes kneel before you
That's what I said, now
Princes, Princes who adore you
Just go ahead, now
One has diamonds in his pockets
And that's some bread, now
This one, he wants to buy you rockets
Ain't in his head, now

Marry him or marry me
I'm the one that loves you baby can't you see?
I ain't got no future or a family tree
But I know what a prince and lover ought to be
I know what a prince and lover ought to be

Said, if you want to call me baby
Just go ahead, now
And if you like to tell me maybe
Just go ahead, now
And If you wanna buy me flowers
Just go ahead, now
And if you like to talk for hours
Just go ahead, now
And if you want to call me baby
Just go ahead, now
And if you like to tell me maybe
Just go ahead, now
And if you like buy me flowers
Just go ahead, now
And if you like to talk for hours
Just go ahead, now

And if you want to call me baby
Just go ahead, now
If you like to tell me maybe
Just go ahead, now
If you want to buy me flowers
Just, go ahead, now
And if you like to talk for hours
Just go ahead, now
Whoa whoa baby
Just go ahead now
Whoa, just, just go ahead now
Just go ahead now
Whoa you're majesty (just go ahead now)
Come on forget the king and marry me
Just go ahead now
C'mon
C'mon
Come on (just go ahead now)
Just go ahead now, yeah
Just go ahead now
If you want to buy me flowers
Just go ahead now

*Song Facts*

"Two Princes" is a song by American rock group Spin Doctors. Released as a single in 1993, it reached No. 7 in the United States, No. 2 in Canada, and No. 3 in the United Kingdom and Australia. It was the band's highest-charting single internationally. It earned them a Grammy Award nomination for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group.

The song has divided retrospective critical opinion. It was ranked No. 41 on VH1's "100 Greatest Songs of the '90s"; conversely, it was ranked No. 21 on Blender magazine's "50 Worst Songs Ever".

The band filmed two different music videos for the song. One of the videos was directed by Richard Murray and premiered in February 1992.

The Spin Doctors' first single, "Little Miss Can't Be Wrong," was a modest hit, climbing to #17 in the US. "Two Princes" did far better, becoming their biggest hit and best-known song. Both songs were composed by the entire band.

In this song, Chris Barron takes the voice of a poor prince (must be a pretty lame kingdom) trying to convince a girl that she should marry him instead of his wealthy counterpart. The underdog theme shows up a lot in Barron's lyrics; something he attributes to his itinerant childhood - he spent time in Australia and Europe before settling in New Jersey.

The song was originally played a lot faster, but when the band came to record it, they slowed it down. Drummer Aaron Comess recalled to Mikedolbear.com: "There are certain songs when you find the right tempo, all of a sudden the lyrics come out, it feels right and I think with 'Two Princes' we really lucked out. It's one of those things, we got in the studio, found a good tempo, we recorded it, everything just really came together. It's very simple, there's not a lot of stuff on it, somehow the sound and feel we got, we just lucked out and found the perfect thing."

The line, "I know what a prince and lover ought to be" is often misheard, either as "Princeton lover" (plausible, since Barron lived in Princeton, New Jersey) or "prison lover."

This featured prominently in the Sarah Silverman Program episode "Maid to Border," as the only song her friend and neighbor has on his iPod. It also was played in Futurama as an example of "college rock" as opposed to "alternative rock."

Spin Doctors performed a parody version of this song on Sesame Street in which two princes (Elmo and Telly) ask for a play date.

#SpinDoctors #TwoPrinces #AlternativeRock

Maybe (Guitar Riff & Solo) - Plaid On Flannel

Plaid On Flannel 2025-06-05 | 💿 Get Rising Above [EP] on CD 👉 plaidonflannelshop.com/products/rising-above

Nolan Randall playing the guitar riff and solo of “Maybe” by Plaid On Flannel from the 2016 EP Rising Above.

Personnel includes:
Nolan Randall (Vocals/Guitars)
Jen Doyon (Keyboards/Vocals)
Les Cassling (Bass)
Minas Hatzigiannatzoglou (Drums/Percussion)

Produced by Ruben Huizenga

Words and music by Nolan Randall

Thought you might reciprocate your alternate affairs
Somebody else, somebody else
Looking for the answers in the desert of the sun
You've come so far, you've come so far

Doesn't matter if we're early or late
Feel the pressure when you carry the weight
Dig a hole in front of the garden gate
And you're trying to avoid the things
you haven't planned, where we began

Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
Ew-whoa-ew-whoa-ew-whoa-oh
Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
Ew-whoa-ew-whoa-ew-whoa-oh
Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
Ew-whoa-ew-whoa-ew-whoa-oh
Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
Ew-whoa-ew-whoa-ew-whoa-oh

Maybe it's something that you are
Maybe it's close to feeling far
Maybe we look like we are through
Maybe we thought more than we knew

Maybe you just need a place where nothing's typical
Where have you gone? Where have you gone?
Never thought you'd settle for less than what you bargained for
Don't be afraid, don't be afraid

Doesn't matter if we're early or late
Feel the pressure when you carry the weight
Dig a hole in front of the garden gate
And you're trying to avoid the things
you haven't planned, where we began

Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
Ew-whoa-ew-whoa-ew-whoa-oh
Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
Ew-whoa-ew-whoa-ew-whoa-oh
Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
Ew-whoa-ew-whoa-ew-whoa-oh
Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
Ew-whoa-ew-whoa-ew-whoa-oh

Maybe you're falling out of grace
Maybe your fears are out of place
Maybe the people are the same
Maybe they are what we became

Doesn't matter if we're early or late
Feel the pressure when you carry the weight
Dig a hole in front of the garden gate
And you're trying to avoid the things
you haven't planned, where we began

Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
Ew-whoa-ew-whoa-ew-whoa-oh
Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
Ew-whoa-ew-whoa-ew-whoa-oh
Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
Ew-whoa-ew-whoa-ew-whoa-oh
Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
Ew-whoa-ew-whoa-ew-whoa-oh

Maybe it's something that you are
Maybe it's close to feeling far
Maybe the people are the same
Maybe they are what we became

Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
Ew-whoa-ew-whoa-ew-whoa-oh
Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
Ew-whoa-ew-whoa-ew-whoa-oh
Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
Ew-whoa-ew-whoa-ew-whoa-oh
Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
Ew-whoa-ew-whoa-ew-whoa-oh

© Copyright 2016 Plaid On Flannel

*Song Description By Noles*

"Maybe" was written all in one day on April 29, 2013 as the last song recorded for Plaid On Flannel's sophomore album Mission Of Mercy. It was a song I wrote through my subconscious, where I didn't know it's meaning until a few days later when I learned my girlfriend had cheated on me. She slept with a guy who worked as a cook in the kitchen of a bar my group High Waters Band played at. I started recording the Mission Of Mercy version of "Maybe" on April 30, 2013 and finished the song on May 8, 2013. The entire Mission Of Mercy album was released on May 20, 2013.

After experiencing that heartbreak to end the album, I broke up with my girlfriend and moved to Toronto in September of 2013. Months later, the Plaid On Flannel band started on February 15, 2014, and "Maybe" was part of the first batch of my original songs that we played. The song's key was transposed down a minor-third from A to F# for my vocal range. Bassist Les Cassling called the song "anthemic". I called it a "tale of whoa". Woe spelled differently because the chorus consists of "whoa's". With the subject matter of the woe that I felt from breaking up with my girlfriend.

When keyboardist Jen Doyon joined Plaid On Flannel the next year on February 22, 2015, her presence completely transformed how "Maybe" sounded. With superb backup vocals in the bridges and choruses. And of course, her use of funky clavinet. We started recording the Rising Above EP on November 28, 2015, and "Maybe" was included on it. Minas Hatzigiannatzoglou's drum fills in the choruses of "Maybe" are incredible with so much feel to them. He also added cowbell to the guitar riff. Les Cassling used an effects pedal for his bass over the guitar riff and also performed quite well on the song. Especially in the post-choruses. This might be my favourite song that the other 3 Plaid On Flannel members performed on. They all really delivered on this track and improved the tune from the earlier version. "Maybe" is a song that will live on in POF's live repertoire for a long time.

#AltRock #RetroRock #FunkRock

If This Is It (Guitar Solo) Huey Lewis & The News - Nolan Randall Of Plaid On Flannel

Plaid On Flannel 2025-05-28 | 🎸 plaidonflannel.com
🎤 plaidonflannelshop.com

Nolan Randall playing the main guitar solo of “If This Is It” by Huey Lewis And The News from their 1983 album Sports for Chrysalis Records.

Words and music by Huey Lewis & Johnny Colla

I've been phoning at night and morning
I heard you say, "Tell him, I'm not home"
Now you're confessing, but I'm still guessing
I've been your fool for so, so long

Girl, don't lie just to save my feelings
Girl, don't cry and tell me nothing's wrong
Girl, don't try to make up phony reasons
I'd rather leave than never believe

If this is it, please let me know
If this ain't love, you'd better let me go
If this is it, I want to know
If this ain't love, baby, just say so

You've been thinking and I've been drinking
We both know that it's just not right
Now you're pretending that it's not ending
You'll say anything to avoid a fight

Girl, don't lie and tell me that you need me
Girl, don't cry and tell me nothing's wrong
I'll be all right one way or another
So let me go or make we want to stay

If this is it, please let me know
If this ain't love, you'd better let me go
If this is it, I want to know
If this ain't love, baby, just say so

If this is it, please let me know
If this ain't love, you'd better let that be go
If this is it, I want to know
If this ain't love, baby, just say so

If this is it
Please, let me know (I wanna know)
(If this is it) if this is it
Please, let me know (I gotta know)
If this is it (you better let me know)
Please, let me know, if this is it
Please, let me know, if this is it
Please, let me know

*Song Facts*

"If This Is It" is a song by American rock band Huey Lewis and the News. It was released as the fourth single from their number-one album Sports in 1983, and became their fifth top-ten and third consecutive number-six hit on the Billboard Hot 100. It also reached number five on the Adult Contemporary chart, and then became their first UK hit single, reaching number 39 on the UK Singles Chart. Billboard called "If This Is It" a "guileless '50s throwback." Cash Box called the song "doo-wop at its finest."

The band couldn't get a drizzle when they released their self-titled debut album in 1980, but their next album, Picture This in 1982, contained their first hit: "Do You Believe In Love?" When it rains it pours, and Sports was a deluge, one of just five albums to hit #1 in 1984 in America. "If This Is It" reached its chart peak of #6 on September 15, 1984, exactly a year after the album was released. It wasn't even the last single: "Walking On A Thin Line" followed and reached #18 that December.

The music inspired the lyric. Huey Lewis & the News saxophone player Johnny Colla, who also did lots of their arrangements, wrote the track and scatted out placeholder words for Lewis' lyrics. Nothing came to him, but then one day on the tour bus it hit him.

The music video for "If This Is It" was filmed in Santa Cruz, California, in June 1984. Huey is seen trying to reconcile with his ex-girlfriend (Janet Cross). He sees her on the beach and at a line of midway amusements with other men, and has a flashback of a romantic night with her. His ex's friend (Sandra Wilder) observes Huey's frustrations and feels sorry for him. After one last effort by Huey to win his ex back fails, he sits alone on the beach as the crowd fades. The ex's friend then appears, smiling at Huey, and they walk away together toward the boardwalk. The video ends with a family, who spent hours looking for an open space on the beach, finally locating one, only to be attacked by a shark underneath the sand that charges toward them.

The band appears in various scenes on the beach, one of which features them singing the chorus while buried in sand with only their heads visible. Comedian John Means appears as the Ball Toss Manager. The video has quite a goofy vibe.

In an interview with the blog Noblemania, Cross recalled the challenges of playing Lewis' irritable ex-girlfriend. "Looking angry at Huey Lewis was tough," she said. "The whole filming was hilarious, one stunt after another and all the different boyfriends they gave me. When [Huey and I] were pretending to fight it was hard not to laugh."

The video was directed by Edd Griles, who also directed the band's videos for "The Heart of Rock & Roll" and "Stuck with You", as well as Cyndi Lauper's "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" and "Time After Time". The "If This Is It" music video starts with a snippet of another Huey Lewis and the News song, "I Want a New Drug", also from the album Sports.

At one point, there's a shot of one of the women sunbathing in front of Lewis' five bandmates whose heads are popping out of the sand, singing in unison. This shot made MTV's sizzle reel along with Tom Petty's Mad Hatter and Devo's dude ranch.

#HueyLewisAndTheNews #IfThisIsIt #DooWop

Rule Of Thumb (Closing Guitar Solo) - Plaid On Flannel

Plaid On Flannel 2025-05-20 | 💿 Get Vol. III: Primitive Normative on CD 👉 plaidonflannelshop.com/products/primitive-normative

Nolan Randall playing the closing guitar solo of “Rule Of Thumb” by Plaid On Flannel from the 2015 album Vol. III: Primitive Normative.

Words and music by Nolan Randall

In a world that doesn’t understand
Only in our minds we can expand
It all depends on what you can withstand
Somehow we will find the promised land

Hallelujah, I’ll out-do ya
If you think about where you’re coming from
Passion lingers on my fingers
Don’t forget about the rule of thumb

Rule of thumb, rule of thumb
Rule of thumb, rule of thumb

For what he has said, he hasn’t done
But he still admits he’ll have some fun
All the battles that he’s lost and won
Not for slowing down, he has to run

Hallelujah, I’ll out-do ya
If you think about where you’re coming from
Passion lingers on my fingers
Don’t forget about the old rule of thumb

Rule of thumb, rule of thumb
Rule of thumb, rule of thumb

Fading out into another kind of lifestyle
Wondering if it all is gonna be worthwhile
Moving away from what you’re used to
Nothing to say and nothing to do

Never followed footsteps of the man
Finishing the things we once began
Throwing clutter in the garbage can
Is it all part of the master plan?

Hallelujah, I’ll out-do ya
If you think about where you’re coming from
Passion lingers on my fingers
Don’t forget about the old rule of thumb

Rule of thumb, rule of thumb
Rule of thumb, rule of thumb

Fading out into another kind of lifestyle
Wondering if it all is gonna be worthwhile
Moving away from what you’re used to
Nothing to say and nothing to do

© Copyright 2015 Plaid On Flannel

*Song Description By Noles*

There are some songs that are seemingly destined to close out albums. Having that appropriate type of feel for a final chapter. "Rule Of Thumb" captures the atmosphere of an album closer. Which is why it's the final track from the Primitive Normative album. I wrote the music for "Rule Of Thumb" from June 10-18, 2013. Around this time, I was also writing fellow Primitive Normative song "Team Of People". Having finished Plaid On Flannel's 2nd album Mission Of Mercy a month earlier, this is where I started to plan out the Primitive Normative concept album. But I knew it would take awhile for me to begin recording Plaid On Flannel's 3rd album.

The lyrics for "Rule Of Thumb" were written on July 3, 2013. I was inspired by the lyricism of Matt Berninger from The National for the tune. "Hallelujah, I'll out-do ya" seemed to me like it would be a lyric he would write. In actuality, the entire song was inspired by The National. I'm a big fan of that band and have seen them in concert twice. "Rule Of Thumb" was written a month after The National's 6th album Trouble Will Find Me was released. Although my style of music is quite different from theirs, they still influence my music with their artistry. "Rule Of Thumb" is one of those tunes where I don't even know the meaning behind it. It's written in 1st, 2nd and 3rd person. A consistency behind the lyrics to "Rule Of Thumb" would have to be the subject of change. But I don't know what the "Rule Of Thumb" actually is in the song. Lmao! "Passion lingers on my fingers, don't forget about the rule of thumb" might have to do with me being passionate about guitar playing. And the fact that I use my thumb on the fretboard a lot on the low string. Which is a technique used by Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton that inspired my playing style early on.

After I moved to Toronto from Peterborough in September of 2013, the Plaid On Flannel band started on February 15, 2014 as a 3-piece. We played monthly shows around Toronto into 2014 as I was writing more material for POF's 3rd album. I began producing the Primitive Normative album on August 31, 2014. After the new year, keyboardist Jen Doyon joined the Plaid On Flannel band on February 22, 2015. That's when we finally became a 4-piece band with backup harmony vocals. The next day, I started recording "Rule Of Thumb" on February 23, 2015. It was the 7th song recorded for the Primitive Normative album, and the 40th Plaid On Flannel song recorded in total at that point.

"Rule Of Thumb" starts and finishes with lead guitar. The melodic leads really capture the major-based qualities of the tune. "Rule Of Thumb" is decorated with organ and piano throughout the track. I finished recording "Rule Of Thumb" on March 13, 2015. It's a song I've never played with a band, but I've played it as a solo acoustic act. Check out this acoustic version of the tune here... youtu.be/48OrghHPvSQ The song would require a lot of backup vocal harmonies, but I'd love to play "Rule Of Thumb" with a Plaid On Flannel band in the future.

#RetroRock #PsychRock #RootsRock

More Than A Feeling (Guitar Solo) Boston - Nolan Randall Of Plaid On Flannel

Plaid On Flannel 2025-05-15 | 🎸 plaidonflannel.com
🎤 plaidonflannelshop.com

Nolan Randall playing the guitar solo of “More Than A Feeling” by Boston from their self-titled 1976 album for Epic Records.

Words and music by Tom Scholz

I looked out this morning and the sun was gone
Turned on some music to start my day
I lost myself in a familiar song
I closed my eyes and I slipped away

It's more than a feeling
(More than a feeling)
When I hear that old song they used to play
(More than a feeling)
I begin dreaming
(More than a feeling)
'Til I see Marianne walk away
I see my Marianne walkin' away

So many people have come and gone
Their faces fade as the years go by
Yet I still recall as I wander on
As clear as the sun in the summer sky

It's more than a feeling
(More than a feeling)
When I hear that old song they used to play
(More than a feeling)
I begin dreaming
(More than a feeling)
'Til I see Marianne walk away
I see my Marianne walkin' away

When I'm tired and thinking cold
I hide in my music, forget the day
And dream of a girl I used to know
I closed my eyes and she slipped away
She slipped away

It's more than a feeling
(More than a feeling)
When I hear that old song they used to play
(More than a feeling)
I begin dreaming
(More than a feeling)
'Til I see Marianne walk away

*Song Facts*

"More Than a Feeling" is a song by the American rock band Boston, released as the lead single and the opening track from the band's 1976 debut album by Epic Records in September 1976, with "Smokin'" as the B-side. Tom Scholz wrote the entire song. The single entered the US Billboard Hot 100 on September 18 and peaked at number five.

The track is now a staple of classic rock radio, and in 2008, it was named the 39th-best hard rock song of all time by VH1. It was included in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame list of the "500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll" and was ranked number 212 on Rolling Stone's "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" list in 2021, updated from its previous position of number 500 on the 2004 version.

"More Than a Feeling" took Scholz five years to complete. Scholz wrote the lyrics based on the idea of losing someone close, and on the way in which music can connect a person to memories of the past. Though not based on any specific event in Scholz's life, he did take the name Marianne from his cousin. It is one of six songs (five of which eventually appeared on the Boston album) that he worked on in his basement from 1968 to 1975, before Boston got its record contract. The drum parts were originally developed by Jim Masdea, although Sib Hashian played the drums on the official release.

The Book of Rock Lists suggests that the chorus riff may itself be a subtle homage to the Kingsmen's classic, "Louie Louie". Scholz has stated in multiple interviews his fondness for the James Gang, and in particular that band's 1970s album, James Gang Rides Again. Accordingly, the signature riff for "More than a Feeling" bears a resemblance to that composed by Joe Walsh for the "Rides Again" track "Tend My Garden". Scholz credits "Walk Away Renee" by The Left Banke as the song's main inspiration.

The lyrics express the author's discontent with the present and his yearning for a former love named Marianne, whose memory is strongly evoked by an old familiar song. In an interview Scholz was asked, "Who is Marianne?" He replied, "There actually is a Marianne. She wasn't my girlfriend." He explained that when he was 8 or 9 years old he had a much older cousin who he thought was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen and that he was "secretly in love" with her (laughs), but he has also stated that the lyrics were inspired by his emotions after a school love affair ended.

Maximum Guitar author Andy Aledort pointed out that the guitar chord progression of G-D/F♯-Em7-D that follows the line "I see my Marianne walking away" also comes from "Walk Away Renee." Aledort also explains that the guitar solo is unusual in that it incorporates mordents and inverted mordents, which are more typically used in baroque music.

Billboard described "More Than a Feeling" as an "electric guitar-dominated rocker...made commercial with an accessible beat and hand-clap backup and smooth, soaring vocals." Los Angeles Times critic Robert Hilburn called it a "marvelously appealing pop-rock single" and said that it ranks with Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" as one of the best singles of 1976.

In 1992, when Nirvana performed their breakthrough single "Smells Like Teen Spirit" at the Reading Festival, they incorporated part of "More Than a Feeling" at the beginning. Which was a reference to the similarities between the two songs' main guitar riffs. This part is included on the DVD version of Nirvana's live album, Live at Reading.

#BostonBand #MoreThanAFeeling #ClassicRock

Plaid On Flannel - All Along (Instrumental Version)

Plaid On Flannel 2025-04-07 | 💿 Get Parkdale Fever on CD 👉 plaidonflannelshop.com/products/parkdale-fever

This is an instrumental version of "All Along" by Plaid On Flannel without vocals. "All Along" is the fifth single from Plaid On Flannel's fifth full-length album Parkdale Fever. An 11-song album that can only be heard on CD. Not for streaming or downloading. But for the listening enjoyment of physical album ownership.

Personnel includes:
Nolan Randall - Guitars, Bass & Keyboards
Simon Miminis - Drums & Percussion

Produced by Hector Viola & Simon Miminis

Mixed by Josh Bowman @ Bowman Sound

Mastered by Harry Hess @ HBomb Mastering

Words and music by Nolan Randall

Ahead is an unknown fever, lurking in the after dark
Away from the mad receiver, fire flames without a spark
Running through the hollow tunnel, shadows barricade the light
Moving in an honest hustle, to a higher height

All along, the weight of the desire
On the break of dawn
All along, the ashes of the fire
On the day we’re gone

In the satellite of sorrow, in search of a better way
No need to deliver cargo, take some time to estimate
Chasing and investigating, how far should we draw the line?
Motivating to awaken, waiting for the time

All along, the weight of the desire
On the break of dawn (Break of dawn)
All along, the matters to acquire
On and on and on

All along, all that you are
The seven wonders from near into far
All along, far and away
Across the ocean, along the sea bay

All along, the weight of the desire
On the break of dawn (Break of dawn)
All along, the longing to go higher
On and on and on

© Copyright 2025 Plaid On Flannel

*Song Description By Noles*

I wrote "All Along" on January 29, 2019. But I refined some lyrics and chords for the song throughout 2019. At the time, I was collaborating with a local producer named Julian Durzi. He produced and played drums on the 2019 Plaid On Flannel single "Got No Time". We were recording a few other tunes too. And I was writing new material I thought we might record.

Some time in early 2019, I presented "All Along" to Julian. By playing and singing it on an acoustic guitar. The layout of the song was very close to what it ended up being on the album. But he didn't seem to like it that much. He thought it could be shorter. And a big part of our partnership was to record tunes we could both agree on. When it came to the vibe. I understood "All Along" wasn't Julian's thing, but I still felt like there was something there.

The lyrics for "All Along" were written with no particular direction. I was just writing words that sounded good to me. The first line was originally "Onward to the land of freedom". But that was changed to "Ahead is an unknown fever". I don't recall ever using the word "fever" in my lyrics before that. I didn't try to determine what the words meant. But the lyrics seemed to roll off the tongue well.

Parkdale Bandits was the name I wanted mine and Julian's production duo to be called. Because we were both from Parkdale. And I just love the word "Bandits". But we unfortunately had a falling out in the summer of 2019. And there were a few songs we were working on that ended up incomplete. Nevertheless, I decided to name POF's next album Parkdale Bandits. With a bunch of new material ready to go.

Recording for the Parkdale Bandits album began on September 9, 2019 with "All Along". I remember having trouble with this tune early on. Especially when it came to vocals. I spent months working on "All Along", as I was working a lot of gigs in audio-visual. Eventually it got to a point where I started working on another song called "Okay" on November 18, 2019. Finishing that one on January 16, 2020. Then I resumed working on "All Along", and it was completed on February 11, 2020.

The next month, the pandemic was announced. And I was out of work. Nobody saw it coming. And it became something we've never experienced before. I was in the midst of recording the next tune called "Priscilla". Which is a song about me being hospitalized in 2018. The first line in "All Along" that says "Ahead is an unknown fever" also blew my mind. As if it predicted Covid-19. That marked the point where I took a new direction in the album.

In the spring of 2020, I changed the album name to Parkdale Fever. And I decided to write all new tunes that could be conceptually congruent with the songs I had already recorded. Themed in pandemic poverty. Because of the time in history that it fell into. I felt obligated to write lyrics that reflected a modern society.

"All Along" was worked on again in the fall of 2021. New acoustic guitars as well as a new bass guitar. Simon Miminis recorded the drums for "All Along" in early 2022. The tune wasn't worked on again until the fall of 2024. When it was mixed by Josh. It was then mastered by Harry in early 2025, and released as a single on March 31, 2025. Over 5.5 years after the recording of the the song began.

#AlternativeRock #IndieRock #ProgressiveRock

Plaid On Flannel - All Along (Official Audio)

Plaid On Flannel 2025-03-31 | 💿 Get Parkdale Fever on CD 👉 plaidonflannelshop.com/products/parkdale-fever

"All Along" is the fifth single from Plaid On Flannel's fifth full-length album Parkdale Fever. An 11-song album that can only be heard on CD. Not for streaming or downloading. But for the listening enjoyment of album ownership.

Personnel includes:
Nolan Randall - Vocals, Guitars, Bass & Keyboards
Simon Miminis - Drums & Percussion

Produced by Hector Viola and Simon Miminis

Mixed by Josh Bowman @ Bowman Sound

Mastered by Harry Hess @ HBomb Mastering

Words and music by Nolan Randall

Ahead is an unknown fever, lurking in the after dark
Away from the mad receiver, fire flames without a spark
Running through the hollow tunnel, shadows barricade the light
Moving in an honest hustle, to a higher height

All along, the weight of the desire
On the break of dawn
All along, the ashes of the fire
On the day we’re gone

In the satellite of sorrow, in search of a better way
No need to deliver cargo, take some time to estimate
Chasing and investigating, how far should we draw the line?
Motivating to awaken, waiting for the time

All along, the weight of the desire
On the break of dawn (Break of dawn)
All along, the matters to acquire
On and on and on

All along, all that you are
The seven wonders from near into far
All along, far and away
Across the ocean, along the sea bay

All along, the weight of the desire
On the break of dawn (Break of dawn)
All along, the longing to go higher
On and on and on

© Copyright 2025 Plaid On Flannel

*Song Description By Noles*

I wrote "All Along" on January 29, 2019. But I refined some lyrics and chords for the song throughout 2019. At the time, I was collaborating with a local producer named Julian Durzi. He produced and played drums on the 2019 Plaid On Flannel single "Got No Time". We were recording a few other tunes too. And I was writing new material I thought we might record.

Some time in early 2019, I presented "All Along" to Julian. By playing and singing it on an acoustic guitar. The layout of the song was very close to what it ended up being on the album. But he didn't seem to like it that much. He thought it could be shorter. And a big part of our partnership was to record tunes we could both agree on. When it came to the vibe. I understood "All Along" wasn't Julian's thing, but I still felt like there was something there.

The lyrics for "All Along" were written with no particular direction. I was just writing words that sounded good to me. The first line was originally "Onward to the land of freedom". But that was changed to "Ahead is an unknown fever". I don't recall ever using the word "fever" in my lyrics before that. I didn't try to determine what the words meant. But the lyrics seemed to roll off the tongue well.

Parkdale Bandits was the name I wanted mine and Julian's production duo to be called. Because we were both from Parkdale. And I just love the word "Bandits". But we unfortunately had a falling out in the summer of 2019. And there were a few songs we were working on that ended up incomplete. Nevertheless, I decided to name Plaid On Flannel's next album Parkdale Bandits. With a bunch of new material ready to go.

Recording for the Parkdale Bandits album began on September 9, 2019 with "All Along". I remember having trouble with this tune early on. Especially when it came to vocals. I spent months working on "All Along", as I was working a lot of gigs in audio-visual. Eventually it got to a point where I started working on another song called "Okay" on November 18, 2019. And I ended up finishing that one on January 16, 2020. Then I resumed working on "All Along", and it was completed on February 11, 2020.

The next month, the pandemic was announced. And I was out of work. Nobody saw it coming. And it became something we've never experienced in our lifetimes. I was in the midst of recording the next tune called "Priscilla". Which is a song about me being hospitalized in 2018. The first line in "All Along" that says "Ahead is an unknown fever" also blew my mind. As if it predicted Covid-19. That marked the point where I took a new direction in the album.

In the spring of 2020, I changed the album name to Parkdale Fever. And I decided to write all new tunes that could be conceptually congruent with the songs I had already recorded. Themed in pandemic poverty. Because of the time in history that it fell into. I felt obligated to write lyrics that reflected a modern society.

"All Along" was worked on again in the fall of 2021. New acoustic guitars as well as a new bass guitar. Simon Miminis recorded the drums for "All Along" in early 2022. The tune wasn't worked on again until the fall of 2024. When it was mixed by Josh, after I re-recorded some electric guitars. It was then mastered by Harry in early 2025, and released as a single on March 31, 2025. Over 5.5 years after the recording of the the song began.

#AlternativeRock #IndieRock #ProgressiveRock

Plaid On Flannel - Fear Of A Fever (Instrumental Version)

Plaid On Flannel 2023-03-20 | 💿 Get Parkdale Fever on CD 👉 plaidonflannelshop.com/products/parkdale-fever

This is an instrumental version of "Fear Of A Fever" by Plaid On Flannel without vocals. "Fear Of A Fever" is the fourth single from Plaid On Flannel's fifth full-length album Parkdale Fever. An 11-song album that can only be heard on CD. Not for streaming or downloading. But for the listening enjoyment of physical album ownership.

Personnel includes:
Nolan Randall - Guitars, Bass, & Piano
Simon Miminis - Drums & Percussion

Produced by Hector Viola & Simon Miminis

Mixed by Josh Bowman @ Bowman Sound

Mastered by Harry Hess @ HBomb Mastering

Words and music by Nolan Randall

Surrender on a sacrifice below an open door
To go with all the confusion within a destitution

Fear of a fever flowing through
When it flows out of the blue
Fear of a fever for the new
Coming from a point of view

The money seems so out of reach, even more than before
Elusive to a solution without a resolution

Fear of a fear flowing through
When it flows from me to you
Fear of a fever fighting true
For what we might fall into

In the uncertainty, it’s an emergency
Feel all the urgency colliding with a tide

In the adversity, it’s an eternity

Far from the courtesy divided deep inside

Oh-way oh-way oh-way oh-way
Oh-way oh-way oh-way-eh
Oh-way oh-way oh-way oh-way
Oh-way oh-way oh-way-eh

© Copyright 2023 Plaid On Flannel

*Song Description By Noles *

"Fear Of A Fever" was the final song written and recorded for the Parkdale Fever album. It was the last piece of the puzzle. A chance to tie up loose ends, and complete the story of the album as a whole. It works as a quasi-title track for the record. Much like "Primal Desire" is for Plaid On Flannel's Primitive Normative. Similarly to that tune, "Fear Of A Fever" is also the 2nd track on the album.

The word "fever" is used frequently on different song's lyrics from Parkdale Fever. When writing the last tune for the album in the summer of 2021, I wanted to find a word that sounded close to "fever". I figured that "fear" was the nearest thing to it. While only really having a difference with the letter "v".

Parkdale Fever alternates between minor and major keys from track to track throughout the album. This dichotomy between sad and happy sounding songs takes the album to different places with each tune. When it came time to record "Fear Of A Fever", I knew the last song made for the album had to be in a major key. But I also knew the lyricism had to stay on course with the flow of the tunes on the album. With all major chords played in the tune accompanied with playful melodies, "Fear Of A Fever" is a seemingly paradoxical song title. But it stays true to the album's subject matter.

The lyrics for "Fear Of A Fever" discuss the implications of poverty. For me, it was "fear of having to live in a tent". Just like the many people I've seen in my neighbourhood. But for some listeners, it might mean "fear of getting sick" during the pandemic era. This could be interpreted in the lyric "When it flows from me to you". I wanted to use poverty as a metaphor for a contagious disease. When it comes to where you live and what your status is within a society. Being a product of one's own environment. And for me, being homeless is something that I truly fear.

I drew a lot of influences when it came to making "Fear Of A Fever". The guitar riff is reminiscent of Andy Summers from The Police. But there's also a Jangle Pop sound to it. I came up with this riff after I had written the rest of the song. And I wanted something that could compliment the three chords played during the main progression. The tune that really inspired "Fear Of A Fever" is "Fine Time" by Britpop band Cast. I guess you could say this song has mostly British influences.

The arrangement on the song is unlike anything I've ever written before. It goes Riff/Verse/Chorus/Riff/Verse/Chorus/Bridge/Solo/Bridge/Riff/Refrain/Solo. There are only 2 choruses, and they are near the beginning of the tune. Making the guitar riff more prominent from start to finish. The guitar solos also take up a big portion of the song. A big moment in the tune is the "oh-way-oh-way" part which I called the Refrain. This section follows the melody of Verse 2. And acts as a final hook before the closing guitar solo.

Both guitar solos in "Fear Of A Fever" use 2 different guitars. The Fender is playing more melodically, and the Gibson is playing more chaotically. The guitars are switched to create a contrast in the lead instruments. Giving two different perspectives and tones. Much of the guitar work on Parkdale Fever is split between a Fender and a Gibson guitar. When it comes to the rhythm and lead instruments.

"Fear Of A Fever" is a song that could be extended during live performances. While the studio version is short, the live version could tell a longer story. I'm excited to be able to perform this tune.

#AlternativeRock #BluesRock #JanglePop

Plaid On Flannel - Fear Of A Fever (Official Audio)

Plaid On Flannel 2023-03-06 | 💿 Get Parkdale Fever on CD 👉 plaidonflannelshop.com/products/parkdale-fever

"Fear Of A Fever" is the fourth single from Plaid On Flannel's fifth full-length album Parkdale Fever. An 11-song album that can only be heard on CD. Not for streaming or downloading. But for the listening enjoyment of physical album ownership.

Personnel includes:
Nolan Randall - Vocals, Guitars, Bass, & Piano
Simon Miminis - Drums & Percussion

Produced by Hector Viola & Simon Miminis

Mixed by Josh Bowman @ Bowman Sound

Mastered by Harry Hess @ HBomb Mastering

Words and music by Nolan Randall

Surrender on a sacrifice below an open door
To go with all the confusion within a destitution

Fear of a fever flowing through
When it flows out of the blue
Fear of a fever for the new
Coming from a point of view

The money seems so out of reach, even more than before
Elusive to a solution without a resolution

Fear of a fear flowing through
When it flows from me to you
Fear of a fever fighting true
For what we might fall into

In the uncertainty, it’s an emergency
Feel all the urgency colliding with a tide

In the adversity, it’s an eternity
Far from the courtesy divided deep inside

Oh-way oh-way oh-way oh-way
Oh-way oh-way oh-way-eh
Oh-way oh-way oh-way oh-way
Oh-way oh-way oh-way-eh

© Copyright 2023 Plaid On Flannel

*Song Description By Noles*

"Fear Of A Fever" was the final song written and recorded for the Parkdale Fever album. It was the last piece of the puzzle. A chance to tie up loose ends, and complete the story of the album as a whole. It works as a quasi-title track for the record. Much like "Primal Desire" is for Plaid On Flannel's Primitive Normative. Similarly to that tune, "Fear Of A Fever" is also the 2nd track on the album.

The word "fever" is used frequently on different song's lyrics from Parkdale Fever. When writing the last tune for the album in the summer of 2021, I wanted to find a word that sounded close to "fever". I figured that "fear" was the nearest thing to it. While only really having a difference with the letter "v".

Parkdale Fever alternates between minor and major keys from track to track throughout the album. This dichotomy between sad and happy sounding songs takes the album to different places with each tune. When it came time to record "Fear Of A Fever", I knew the last song made for the album had to be in a major key. But I also knew the lyricism had to stay on course with the flow of the tunes on the album. As it's the 2nd song from Parkdale Fever. With all major chords played in the tune accompanied with playful melodies, "Fear Of A Fever" is a seemingly paradoxical song title. But it stays true to what this album is all about.

The lyrics for "Fear Of A Fever" discuss the implications of poverty. For me, it was "fear of having to live in a tent". Just like the many people I've seen in my neighbourhood. But for some listeners, it might mean "fear of getting sick" during the pandemic era. This could be interpreted in the lyric "When it flows from me to you". I wanted to use poverty as a metaphor for a contagious disease. When it comes to where a person lives and what their status is within a society. Being a product of one's own environment. And for me, being homeless is something that I truly fear.

I drew a lot of influences when it came to making "Fear Of A Fever". The guitar riff is reminiscent of Andy Summers from The Police. But there's also a Jangle Pop sound to it. I came up with this riff after I had written the rest of the song. And I wanted something that could compliment the three chords played during the main progression. The tune that really inspired "Fear Of A Fever" is "Fine Time" by Britpop band Cast. I guess you could say this song has mostly British influences.

The arrangement on the song is unlike anything I've ever written before. It goes Riff/Verse/Chorus/Riff/Verse/Chorus/Bridge/Solo/Bridge/Riff/Refrain/Solo. There are only 2 choruses, and they are near the beginning of the tune. Making the guitar riff more prominent from start to finish. The guitar solos also take up a big portion of the song. Telling a lot of the story. A big moment in the tune is the "oh-way-oh-way" part which I called the Refrain. This section follows the melody of Verse 2. And acts as a final hook before the closing guitar solo.

Both guitar solos in "Fear Of A Fever" use 2 different guitars. The Fender is playing more melodically, and the Gibson is playing more chaotically. The guitars are switched to create a contrast in the lead instruments. Giving two different perspectives and tones. Much of the guitar work on Parkdale Fever is split between a Fender and a Gibson guitar. When it comes to the rhythm and lead instruments.

"Fear Of A Fever" is a song that could be extended during live performances. While the studio version is short, the live version could tell a longer story. I'm excited to be able to perform this tune.

#AlternativeRock #BluesRock #JanglePop

Plaid On Flannel - Generation (Instrumental Version)

Plaid On Flannel 2023-02-20 | 💿 Get Parkdale Fever on CD 👉 plaidonflannelshop.com/products/parkdale-fever

This is an instrumental version of "Generation" by Plaid On Flannel without vocals. "Generation" is the third single from Plaid On Flannel's fifth full-length album Parkdale Fever. An 11-song album that can only be heard on CD. Not for streaming or downloading. But for the listening enjoyment of physical album ownership.

Personnel includes:
Nolan Randall - Guitars, Bass, & Keyboards
Simon Miminis - Drums & Percussion

Produced by Hector Viola & Simon Miminis

Mixed by Josh Bowman @ Bowman Sound

Mastered by Harry Hess @ HBomb Mastering

Words and music by Nolan Randall

Mighty undertone to find a home, written on a stone
Visions of a zone where you can roam, through the unknown

The everlasting gallantry in the face of fear
With an unassuming gravity far away from here

Generation, generation
For some motivation, generation now

Gotta overthrow and undergo more than you will know
When it’s sinking low for room to grow, walking tip toe

The everlasting gallantry in the face of fear
With an unassuming gravity far away from here

Generation, generation
For a population, generation
Address a situation, attain an occupation
For your own information, generation

In another region, or in relation
In and out of season, generation now

Generation, generation
For an imitation, generation
Address a situation, attain an occupation
For your own information, generation now

© Copyright 2023 Plaid On Flannel

*Song Description By Noles*

In the late fall of 2020, I came up with the idea for what would become “Generation”. I saw this YouTube video of street performers playing the “Gerudo Valley Theme” from N64’s The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time on acoustic guitars. The video had millions of views, and it made me nostalgic about the video game I played obsessively as a kid in the late 1990s. The “Gerudo Valley Theme” composed by Koji Kondo is a brilliant tune, done in the style of Spanish Flamenco.

What I love about the song is the chord progression. And the melodic possibilities within that chord progression. So I set out to write a song that could use it in some way. “Generation” has that chord progression in a different key in the guitar riff and verses. But the rest of the tune uses variations of chord combinations. All in all, “Generation” is completely different in terms of style and approach. But it certainly wouldn’t exist without that inspiration.

When it came to the lyrics of “Generation”, I wrote them in an ambiguous manner. People see the word "generation", and they think of cohorts. Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, Zoomers, etc. Just think of “My Generation” by The Who. But Plaid On Flannel’s “Generation” is really about work. An occupation or a vocation. The "generation" of labour to make money. I love words that have multiple meanings. And can be interpreted in various ways. At first, I was analyzing the unemployment I was experiencing at the time during the pandemic lock down era. But the song is really about the fundamentals of our society. With the "work, or starve on the street" fate that most of us face. And the fact that a majority of us hate our jobs. Only working them so we don't end up homeless. As time goes on, there are more people who are underemployed in the work force. And there's this false narrative that what we do for money is our identity. When in reality, most of us are working because we have to.

Much like the first 2 singles from Parkdale Fever, "Generation" uses plenty of distortion on the guitars. Except the guitar riff for "Generation" plays lower notes that are more simple and powerful. The extra guitars tend to have a psychedelic sound to them. Especially during the song's verses. With delay and modulation to add texture. The guitar solo follows the melodies of the verses and pre-choruses quite a bit. And then the final chorus has guitars feeding back. To add some dynamics while the drums take a rest, and whole note chords are played with the other instruments.

"Generation" is one of the few songs on Parkdale Fever that has no percussion. I felt like adding a tambourine would make it too festive. And that would interfere with the melancholy vibe of the tune. Simon's drums provide more than enough rhythm for the flow of this song. There are other tunes on the album where the percussion is a lot more necessary.

The vocals use a lot of harmony throughout "Generation", but there is only one backing vocal in the entire song. It lifts the melodies in certain parts. Most of the tune has double lead vocals to bring up the intensity. And there's even triple lead vocals every time the word "generation" is said. In some cases it's also "generation now".

I honestly can't wait to play this song live with a band. It has the right tempo for headbanging. I'm sure "Generation" will be a staple in Plaid On Flannel's live repertoire for years to come.

#AlternativeRock #BluesRock #PsychedelicRock

Plaid On Flannel - Generation (Official Audio)

Plaid On Flannel 2023-02-06 | 💿 Get Parkdale Fever on CD 👉 plaidonflannelshop.com/products/parkdale-fever

"Generation" is the third single from Plaid On Flannel's fifth full-length album Parkdale Fever. An 11-song album that can only be heard on CD. Not for streaming or downloading. But for the listening enjoyment of physical album ownership.

Personnel includes:
Nolan Randall - Vocals, Guitars, Bass, & Keyboards
Simon Miminis - Drums

Produced by Hector Viola & Simon Miminis

Mixed by Josh Bowman @ Bowman Sound

Mastered by Harry Hess @ HBomb Mastering

Words and music by Nolan Randall

Mighty undertone to find a home, written on a stone
Visions of a zone where you can roam, through the unknown

The everlasting gallantry in the face of fear
With an unassuming gravity far away from here

Generation, generation
For some motivation, generation now

Gotta overthrow and undergo more than you will know
When it’s sinking low for room to grow, walking tip toe

The everlasting gallantry in the face of fear
With an unassuming gravity far away from here

Generation, generation
For a population, generation
Address a situation, attain an occupation
For your own information, generation

In another region, or in relation
In and out of season, generation now

Generation, generation
For an imitation, generation
Address a situation, attain an occupation
For your own information, generation now

© Copyright 2023 Plaid On Flannel

*Song Description By Noles*

In the late fall of 2020, I came up with the idea for what would become “Generation”. I saw this YouTube video of street performers playing the “Gerudo Valley Theme” from N64’s The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time on acoustic guitars. The video had millions of views, and it made me nostalgic about the video game I played obsessively as a kid in the late 1990s. The “Gerudo Valley Theme” composed by Koji Kondo is a brilliant tune done in the style of Spanish Flamenco.

What I love about the song is the chord progression. And the melodic possibilities within that chord progression. So I set out to write a song that could use it in some way. “Generation” has that chord progression in a different key in the guitar riff and verses. But the rest of the tune uses variations of chord combinations. All in all, “Generation” is completely different in terms of style and approach. But it certainly wouldn’t exist without that inspiration.

When it came to the lyrics of “Generation”, I wrote them in an ambiguous manner. People see the word "generation", and they think of cohorts. Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, Zoomers, etc. Just think of “My Generation” by The Who. But Plaid On Flannel’s “Generation” is really about work. An occupation or a vocation. The "generation" of labour to make money. I'm very fond of words that have multiple meanings. And can be interpreted in various ways. At first, I was analyzing the unemployment I was experiencing at the time during the pandemic lock down era. But the song is really about the fundamentals of how our society functions. With the "work, or starve on the street" fate that most of us face. And the fact that a majority of us hate our jobs. Only working them so we don't end up homeless. As time goes on, there are more and more people who are underemployed in the work force. Myself included. And there's this false narrative that what we do for money is our identity. When in reality, most of us are working so we can unwillingly make someone else's life better.

Much like the first 2 singles from Parkdale Fever, "Generation" uses plenty of distortion on the guitars. Except the guitar riff for "Generation" plays lower notes that are more simple and powerful. The extra guitars tend to have a psychedelic sound to them. Especially during the song's verses. With delay and modulation to add texture. The guitar solo follows the melodies of the verses and pre-choruses quite a bit. And then the final chorus has guitars feeding back. To add some dynamics while the drums take a rest, and whole note chords are played with the other instruments.

"Generation" is one of the few songs on Parkdale Fever that has no percussion. I felt like adding a tambourine would make it too festive. And that would interfere with the melancholy vibe of the tune. Simon's drums provide more than enough rhythm for the flow of this song. There are other tunes on the album where the percussion is a lot more necessary.

The vocals use a lot of harmony throughout "Generation", but there is only one backing vocal in the entire song. It lifts the melodies in certain parts. Most of the tune has double lead vocals to bring up the intensity. And there's even triple lead vocals every time the word "generation" is said. In some cases it's also "generation now".

I honestly can't wait to play this song live with a band. It has the right tempo for headbanging. I'm sure "Generation" will be a staple in Plaid On Flannel's live repertoire for years to come.

#AlternativeRock #BluesRock #PsychedelicRock

Plaid On Flannel - Dropping In (Official Audio)

Plaid On Flannel 2022-06-13 | 💿 Get Parkdale Fever on CD 👉 plaidonflannelshop.com/products/parkdale-fever

"Dropping In" is the second single from Plaid On Flannel's fifth full-length album Parkdale Fever. An 11-song album that can only be heard on CD. Not for streaming or downloading. But for the listening enjoyment of physical album ownership.

Personnel includes:
Nolan Randall - Vocals, Guitars, Bass, & Keyboards
Simon Miminis - Drums & Percussion

Produced by Hector Viola & Simon Miminis

Mixed by Josh Bowman @ Bowman Sound

Mastered by Harry Hess @ HBomb Mastering

Words and music by Nolan Randall

Searching for clarity, far as I can see
Seeking a remedy for this poverty
Away from the disease, bitter from the breeze
Today I’m on my knees, better days than these

Spinning as I’m dropping in, winning only to begin
Thinning as I’m within where I have been
Spinning as I’m dropping in again

Unveil a battle cry, rattling nearby
Upscale to step aside, to be kept inside

Spinning as I’m dropping in, winning only to begin
Thinning as I’m within where I have been
Spinning as I’m dropping in again

Falling in a motion, slipping through the streams
All the virtuous devotion, going to extremes
On a mighty tumble, detrimental truth
In the movements of my stumble, rooted to my youth

Spinning as I’m dropping in, winning only to begin
Thinning as I’m within where I have been
Spinning as I’m dropping in
Spinning as I’m dropping in
Spinning as I’m dropping in again

© Copyright 2022 Plaid On Flannel

*Song Description By Noles*

A children's sing-along song with adult lyrics and distorted guitars. That's how I would describe "Dropping In". The melodies sound happy and the lyrics sound sad. "Dropping In" was written in June of 2020. With the music composed on June 9th, and the lyrics written on June 14th.

I wrote "Extraordinary Dream" around the same time as "Dropping In". And I look at those two songs as brother and sister. Which is why they're the first two singles from Parkdale Fever. One is minor-based and the other is major-based. They both have guitar riffs that play arpeggios on the same part of the neck between the 7th and 11th frets. But at the same time, both songs sound very different. In large part due to the difference in minor and major keys.

While I was writing the lyrics to "Dropping In", I changed the chorus lyrics completely from what they originally were. The original chorus was "Losing air like oxygen" instead of "Spinning as I'm dropping in". I believe I was thinking of the song "Love Is Like Oxygen" by Sweet. What I was doing was building upon the lyrics I had for "Extraordinary Dream". Which deals with a subject of respiratory illness. This was around the time I was formulating the concept for the Parkdale Fever album. With a plan to have lyrics that address poverty more than a respiratory disease.

The line "Spinning as I'm dropping in" was inspired by the psychedelic vibe of the song's guitar riff. Playing open strings on the root notes while playing arpeggios on other strings. As those root notes ring out. It gave me a vision of a kaleidoscope moving in circles. Also, I had a vision of water swirling down the drain of a sink. And "Dropping In" is also related to the act of "dropping acid". As psychedelic music has been associated with LSD use since the 1960s. I don't do chemical drugs, but I wanted to give the listener a psychedelic feeling.

"Dropping In" is simply a story about my life as a poor person. As I drop into poverty and struggle to make ends meet. The anxiety that comes with it. And the uncertainty that surrounds it. These unpleasant feelings cause me to spin into a manic frenzy. The line "Winning only to begin" is about making progress in your life while your back is against the wall. And then there's the line "Thinning as I'm within where I have been". Which is really about burnout. Despite the fact that you've worked really hard to get to where you are, you're losing your ability to self-discipline. While you're still trapped in the same old situation.

Even though "Dropping In" has a dark tone in the lyrics, it's still a fun song. And that's the whole point. To not take it too seriously and laugh it off. Things will get better. But I want to speak to those people that have been through similar experiences, and let them know that they're not alone. That is my intention as an artist. To give people solace when they're at their lowest points. Because many artists have done the very same for me.

"Dropping In" has a lot of lead guitar throughout the song. Each chorus has two vocal-guitar/call-and-response parts that are played in a major pentatonic scale. And the guitar solo section uses that same major scale. Replicating some of the melodies that are sung in the verses. My intention with the guitar solos in my songs are to make them as melodic as possible. Solos that you could sing. Turning them into memorable hooks.

#PlaidOnFlannel #DroppingIn #AlternativeRock

Plaid On Flannel - Dropping In (Instrumental Version)

Plaid On Flannel 2022-06-06 | 💿 Get Parkdale Fever on CD 👉 plaidonflannelshop.com/products/parkdale-fever

This is an instrumental version of "Dropping In" by Plaid On Flannel without vocals. "Dropping In" is the second single from Plaid On Flannel's fifth full-length album Parkdale Fever. An 11-song album that can only be heard on CD. Not for streaming or downloading. But for the listening enjoyment of physical album ownership.

Personnel includes:
Nolan Randall - Guitars, Bass, & Keyboards
Simon Miminis - Drums & Percussion

Produced by Hector Viola & Simon Miminis

Mixed by Josh Bowman @ Bowman Sound

Mastered by Harry Hess @ HBomb Mastering

Words and music by Nolan Randall

Searching for clarity, far as I can see
Seeking a remedy for this poverty
Away from the disease, bitter from the breeze
Today I’m on my knees, better days than these

Spinning as I’m dropping in, winning only to begin
Thinning as I’m within where I have been
Spinning as I’m dropping in again

Unveil a battle cry, rattling nearby
Upscale to step aside, to be kept inside

Spinning as I’m dropping in, winning only to begin
Thinning as I’m within where I have been
Spinning as I’m dropping in again

Falling in a motion, slipping through the streams
All the virtuous devotion, going to extremes
On a mighty tumble, detrimental truth
In the movements of my stumble, rooted to my youth

Spinning as I’m dropping in, winning only to begin
Thinning as I’m within where I have been
Spinning as I’m dropping in
Spinning as I’m dropping in
Spinning as I’m dropping in again

© Copyright 2022 Plaid On Flannel

*Song Description By Noles*

A children's sing-along song with adult lyrics and distorted guitars. That's how I would describe "Dropping In". The melodies sound happy and the lyrics sound sad. "Dropping In" was written in June of 2020. With the music composed on June 9th, and the lyrics written on June 14th.

I wrote "Extraordinary Dream" around the same time as "Dropping In". And I look at those two songs as brother and sister. Which is why they're the first two singles from Parkdale Fever. One is minor-based and the other is major-based. They both have guitar riffs that play arpeggios on the same part of the neck between the 7th and 11th frets. But at the same time, both songs sound very different. In large part due to the difference in minor and major keys.

While I was writing the lyrics to "Dropping In", I changed the chorus lyrics from what they originally were. The original chorus was "Losing air like oxygen" instead of "Spinning as I'm dropping in". I believe I was thinking of the song "Love Is Like Oxygen" by Sweet. What I was doing was building upon the lyrics I had for "Extraordinary Dream". Which deals with a subject of respiratory illness. This was around the time I was formulating the concept for the Parkdale Fever album. With a plan to have lyrics that address poverty more than a respiratory disease.

The line "Spinning as I'm dropping in" was inspired by the psychedelic vibe of the song's guitar riff. Playing open strings on the root notes while playing arpeggios on other strings. As those root notes ring out. It gave me a vision of a kaleidoscope moving in circles. Also, I had a vision of water swirling down the drain of a sink. And "Dropping In" is also related to the act of "dropping acid". As psychedelic music has been linked to LSD use since the 1960s. I don't do chemical drugs, but I wanted to give the listener a psychedelic feeling.

"Dropping In" is simply a story about my life as a poor person. As I drop into poverty and struggle to make ends meet. The anxiety that comes with it. And the uncertainty that surrounds it. These unpleasant feelings cause me to spin into a manic frenzy. The line "Winning only to begin" is about making progress in your life while your back is against the wall. And then there's the line "Thinning as I'm within where I have been". Which is really about burnout. Despite working really hard to get to where you are, you're still falling behind. While being trapped in the same old situation.

Even though "Dropping In" has a dark tone in the lyrics, it's still a fun song. And that's the whole point. To not take it too seriously and laugh it off. Things will get better. But I want to speak to those people that have been through similar experiences, and let them know that they're not alone. That is my intention as an artist. To give people solace when they're at their lowest points. Because many artists have done the very same for me.

"Dropping In" has a lot of lead guitar throughout the song. Each chorus has two vocal-guitar/call-and-response parts that are played in a major pentatonic scale. And the guitar solo section uses that same major scale. Replicating some of the melodies that are sung in the verses. My intention with the guitar solos in my songs are to make them as melodic as possible. Solos that you could sing. Turning them into memorable hooks.

#PlaidOnFlannel #DroppingIn #AlternativeRock

Plaid On Flannel - Dropping In (Official Music Video)

Plaid On Flannel 2022-05-27 | 💿 Get Parkdale Fever on CD 👉 plaidonflannelshop.com/products/parkdale-fever

"Dropping In" is the second single from Plaid On Flannel's fifth full-length album Parkdale Fever. An 11-song album that can only be heard on CD. Not for streaming or downloading. But for the listening enjoyment of physical album ownership.

Personnel includes:
Nolan Randall - Vocals, Guitars, Bass, & Keyboards
Simon Miminis - Drums & Percussion

Produced by Hector Viola & Simon Miminis

Mixed by Josh Bowman @ Bowman Sound

Mastered by Harry Hess @ HBomb Mastering

Music video by Switzer Digital Inc.

Words and music by Nolan Randall

Searching for clarity, far as I can see
Seeking a remedy for this poverty
Away from the disease, bitter from the breeze
Today I’m on my knees, better days than these

Spinning as I’m dropping in, winning only to begin
Thinning as I’m within where I have been
Spinning as I’m dropping in again

Unveil a battle cry, rattling nearby
Upscale to step aside, to be kept inside

Spinning as I’m dropping in, winning only to begin
Thinning as I’m within where I have been
Spinning as I’m dropping in again

Falling in a motion, slipping through the streams
All the virtuous devotion, going to extremes
On a mighty tumble, detrimental truth
In the movements of my stumble, rooted to my youth

Spinning as I’m dropping in, winning only to begin
Thinning as I’m within where I have been
Spinning as I’m dropping in
Spinning as I’m dropping in
Spinning as I’m dropping in again

© Copyright 2022 Plaid On Flannel

*Song Description By Noles*

A children's sing-along song with adult lyrics and distorted guitars. That's how I would describe "Dropping In". The melodies sound happy and the lyrics sound sad. "Dropping In" was written in June of 2020. With the music composed on June 9th, and the lyrics written on June 14th.

I wrote "Extraordinary Dream" around the same time as "Dropping In". And I look at those two songs as brother and sister. Which is why they're the first two singles from Parkdale Fever. One is minor-based and the other is major-based. They both have guitar riffs that play arpeggios on the same part of the neck between the 7th and 11th frets. But at the same time, both songs sound very different. In large part due to the difference in minor and major keys.

While I was writing the lyrics to "Dropping In", I changed the chorus lyrics completely from what they originally were. The original chorus was "Losing air like oxygen" instead of "Spinning as I'm dropping in". I believe I was thinking of the song "Love Is Like Oxygen" by Sweet. What I was doing was building upon the lyrics I had for "Extraordinary Dream". Which deals with a subject of respiratory illness. This was around the time I was formulating the concept for the Parkdale Fever album. With a plan to have lyrics that address poverty more than a respiratory disease.

The line "Spinning as I'm dropping in" was inspired by the psychedelic vibe of the song's guitar riff. Playing open strings on the root notes while playing arpeggios on other strings. As those root notes ring out. It gave me a vision of a kaleidoscope moving in circles. Also, I had a vision of water swirling down the drain of a sink. And "Dropping In" is also related to the act of "dropping acid". As psychedelic music has been linked with LSD use since the 1960s. I don't do chemical drugs, but I wanted to give the listener a psychedelic feeling.

"Dropping In" is simply a story about my life as a poor person. As I drop into poverty and struggle to make ends meet. The anxiety that comes with it. And the uncertainty that surrounds it. These unpleasant feelings cause me to spin into a manic frenzy. The line "Winning only to begin" is about making progress in your life while your back is against the wall. And then there's the line "Thinning as I'm within where I have been". Which is really about burnout. Despite working really hard to get to where you are, you're losing your ability to self-discipline. While you're still trapped in the same old situation.

Even though "Dropping In" has a dark tone in the lyrics, it's still a fun song. And that's the whole point. To not take it too seriously and laugh it off. Things will get better. But I want to speak to those people that have been through similar experiences, and let them know that they're not alone. That is my intention as an artist. To give people solace when they're at their lowest points. Because many artists have done the very same for me.

"Dropping In" has a lot of lead guitar throughout the song. Each chorus has two vocal-guitar/call-and-response parts that are played in a major pentatonic scale. And the guitar solo section uses that same major scale. Replicating some of the melodies that are sung in the verses. My intention with the guitar solos in my songs are to make them as melodic as possible. Solos that you could sing. Turning them into memorable hooks.

#PlaidOnFlannel #DroppingIn #AlternativeRock

Plaid On Flannel - Extraordinary Dream (Official Audio)

Plaid On Flannel 2022-05-14 | 💿 Get Parkdale Fever on CD 👉 plaidonflannelshop.com/products/parkdale-fever

"Extraordinary Dream" is the first single from Plaid On Flannel's fifth full-length album Parkdale Fever. An 11-song album that can only be heard on CD. Not for streaming or downloading. But for the listening enjoyment of physical album ownership.

Personnel includes:
Nolan Randall - Vocals, Guitars, Bass, & Keyboards
Simon Miminis - Drums & Percussion

Produced by Hector Viola & Simon Miminis

Mixed by Josh Bowman @ Bowman Sound

Mastered by Harry Hess @ HBomb Mastering

Words and music by Nolan Randall

Every day in the neighbourhood, we did everything we could
Far away from the way we stood, we know this ain’t Hollywood
Entertain to carry the load, get salvation a la mode
Cargo on the side of the road, setting what’s been overflowed

Out of control, when it’s sure to take a toll

Extreme extraordinary dream
Supreme imaginary theme, a dream

Ventilate a community, breathing air to some degree
Respirate a society, wake up to reality
Cure the fever that no one knows, wary of the highs and lows
Caution taken until it slows, there’s no telling where it goes

On a patrol, with the order to console

Extreme extraordinary dream, supreme imaginary theme
Extreme extraordinary dream, supreme imaginary theme
A dream, a dream, a dream

Extreme extraordinary dream, supreme imaginary theme
Extreme extraordinary dream, supreme imaginary theme
A dream, a dream, a dream

© Copyright 2022 Plaid On Flannel

*Song Description By Noles*

"Extraordinary Dream" was written in June of 2020. With the music composed on June 9th and the lyrics written on June 13th. The song was a response to the COVID-19 pandemic. When the world changed in March of 2020, I had already recorded the bed tracks for 3 new tunes. These songs were made to be included on Plaid On Flannel's 5th full-length album Parkdale Bandits. With a handful of written tunes ready to be recorded next.

At first, the pandemic seemed like it was transitory. Something that would fade away in 2020. As it turned out, that wasn't the case. Because the world experienced something that had never happened in our lifetimes, that changed my approach on the album I was making. I examined the songs I had already recorded, and moved on from there.

One of the tunes I had already recorded called "All Along" has the opening line, "Ahead is an unknown fever, lurking in the after dark". I had no idea what it meant when I wrote it in 2019. Then suddenly in 2020, that unknown fever became what they called a "coronavirus". That coincidence really got me thinking. Another song that I had already recorded called "Priscilla" is a true story about me falling for a nurse after I was hospitalized in 2018. Because of the health care theme I had gathered from those tunes, I decided to change the name of the album from Parkdale Bandits to Parkdale Fever.

I changed a lot of the lyrics for the next song I recorded called "Where We Belong". I also recorded another tune that isn't included on the album. As a test for how the whole album would be made. After I laid down the foundation for those tunes, I threw away the other songs I had ready to record. And decided to write brand new tunes for the new theme on the Parkdale Fever album.

At this point, I was reading my book on blues history. To go back a century and see what life was like for people in the last pandemic. And it turns out, a lot of those legacy blues musicians were poor. Socially at a disadvantage. But because of this, they had a strong connection with their audiences who had been through similar experiences. In the book, they called it "empathizing with the audience". That sincerity made the music more captivating. And provided a deeper connection with the listener.

I would say I'm one of the lucky ones, but I've experienced a fair bit of poverty in my adult life. And I happen to live in a low income neighbourhood. One day in the spring of 2020 when I was sitting by Lake Ontario, it all came to me. A concept album themed in pandemic poverty. As inequality becomes more extreme. I had never written a song about being poor in my life, but I was ready to dive into it. I wrote a few mediocre tunes, and then I wrote "Extraordinary Dream".

In the lyrics of the first verse, there's a reference to Jethro Tull's "Aqualung" in the line "Get salvation a la mode". Aqualung is a character created by Ian Anderson and his then-wife Jennie Franks in the early 1970s. They were inspired to write it after seeing a photo of a homeless person.

The guitar riff in "Extraordinary Dream" was difficult to come up with. I knew what the chord progression going along with the riff would be. The same chord progression as the choruses. But the arpeggiated notes and positioning was tricky to figure out. By the time I got it down, I knew it was the most appropriate riff for the song.

#PlaidOnFlannel #ExtraordinaryDream #AlternativeRock

Plaid On Flannel - Extraordinary Dream (Instrumental Version)

Plaid On Flannel 2022-05-11 | 💿 Get Parkdale Fever on CD 👉 plaidonflannelshop.com/products/parkdale-fever

This is an instrumental version of "Extraordinary Dream" by Plaid On Flannel without vocals. "Extraordinary Dream" is the first single from Plaid On Flannel's fifth full-length album Parkdale Fever. An 11-song album that can only be heard on CD. Not for streaming or downloading. But for the listening enjoyment of physical album ownership.

Personnel includes:
Nolan Randall - Guitars, Bass, & Keyboards
Simon Miminis - Drums & Percussion

Produced by Hector Viola & Simon Miminis

Mixed by Josh Bowman @ Bowman Sound

Mastered by Harry Hess @ HBomb Mastering

Words and music by Nolan Randall

Every day in the neighbourhood, we did everything we could
Far away from the way we stood, we know this ain’t Hollywood
Entertain to carry the load, get salvation a la mode
Cargo on the side of the road, setting what’s been overflowed

Out of control, when it’s sure to take a toll

Extreme extraordinary dream
Supreme imaginary theme, a dream

Ventilate a community, breathing air to some degree
Respirate a society, wake up to reality
Cure the fever that no one knows, wary of the highs and lows
Caution taken until it slows, there’s no telling where it goes

On a patrol, with the order to console

Extreme extraordinary dream, supreme imaginary theme
Extreme extraordinary dream, supreme imaginary theme
A dream, a dream, a dream

Extreme extraordinary dream, supreme imaginary theme
Extreme extraordinary dream, supreme imaginary theme
A dream, a dream, a dream

© Copyright 2022 Plaid On Flannel

*Song Description By Noles*

"Extraordinary Dream" was written in June of 2020. With the music composed on June 9th and the lyrics written on June 13th. The song was a response to the COVID-19 pandemic. When the world changed in March of 2020, I had already recorded the bed tracks for 3 new tunes. These songs were made to be included on Plaid On Flannel's 5th full-length album Parkdale Bandits. With a handful of written tunes ready to be recorded next.

At first, the pandemic seemed like it was transitory. Something that would fade away in 2020. As it turned out, that wasn't the case. Because the world experienced something that had never happened in our lifetimes, that changed my approach on the album I was making. I examined the songs I had already recorded, and moved on from there.

One of the tunes I had already recorded called "All Along" has the opening line, "Ahead is an unknown fever, lurking in the after dark". I had no idea what it meant when I wrote it in 2019. Then suddenly in 2020, that unknown fever became what they called a "coronavirus". Another song that I had already recorded called "Priscilla" is a true story about me falling for a nurse after I was hospitalized in 2018. Because of the health care theme I had gathered from those tunes, I decided to change the name of the album from Parkdale Bandits to Parkdale Fever.

I changed a lot of the lyrics for the next song I recorded called "Where We Belong". I also recorded another tune that isn't included on the album. As a test for how the whole album would be made. After I laid down the foundation for those tunes, I threw away the other songs I had ready to record. And decided to write brand new tunes for the new theme on the Parkdale Fever album.

At this point, I was reading my book on blues history. To go back a century and see what life was like for people in the last pandemic. And it turns out, a lot of those legacy blues musicians were poor. Socially at a disadvantage. But because of this, they had a strong connection with their audiences who had been through similar experiences. In the book, they called it "empathizing with the audience". That sincerity made the music more captivating. And provided a deeper connection with the listener.

I would say I'm one of the lucky ones, but I've experienced a fair bit of poverty in my adult life. And I happen to live in a low income neighbourhood. One day in the spring of 2020 when I was sitting by Lake Ontario, it all came to me. A concept album themed in pandemic poverty. As inequality becomes more extreme. I had never written a song about being poor in my life, but I was ready to dive into it. I wrote a few mediocre tunes, and then I wrote "Extraordinary Dream".

In the lyrics of the first verse, there's a reference to Jethro Tull's "Aqualung" in the line "Get salvation a la mode". Aqualung is a character created by Ian Anderson and his then-wife Jennie Franks in the early 1970s. They were inspired to write it after seeing a photo of a homeless person.

The guitar riff in "Extraordinary Dream" was difficult to come up with. I knew what the chord progression going along with the riff would be. The same chord progression as the choruses. But the arpeggiated notes and positioning was tricky to figure out. By the time I got it down, I knew it was the most appropriate riff for it.

#PlaidOnFlannel #ExtraordinaryDream #AlternativeRock

Plaid On Flannel - Extraordinary Dream (Official Music Video)

Plaid On Flannel 2022-04-29 | 💿 Get Parkdale Fever on CD 👉 plaidonflannelshop.com/products/parkdale-fever

"Extraordinary Dream" is the first single from Plaid On Flannel's fifth full-length album Parkdale Fever. An 11-song album that can only be heard on CD. Not for streaming or downloading. But for the listening enjoyment of physical album ownership.

Personnel includes:
Nolan Randall - Vocals, Guitars, Bass, & Keyboards
Simon Miminis - Drums & Percussion

Produced by Hector Viola & Simon Miminis

Mixed by Josh Bowman @ Bowman Sound

Mastered by Harry Hess @ HBomb Mastering

Music video by Switzer Digital Inc.

Words and music by Nolan Randall

Every day in the neighbourhood, we did everything we could
Far away from the way we stood, we know this ain’t Hollywood
Entertain to carry the load, get salvation a la mode
Cargo on the side of the road, setting what’s been overflowed

Out of control, when it’s sure to take a toll

Extreme extraordinary dream
Supreme imaginary theme, a dream

Ventilate a community, breathing air to some degree
Respirate a society, wake up to reality
Cure the fever that no one knows, wary of the highs and lows
Caution taken until it slows, there’s no telling where it goes

On a patrol, with the order to console

Extreme extraordinary dream, supreme imaginary theme
Extreme extraordinary dream, supreme imaginary theme
A dream, a dream, a dream

Extreme extraordinary dream, supreme imaginary theme
Extreme extraordinary dream, supreme imaginary theme
A dream, a dream, a dream

© Copyright 2022 Plaid On Flannel

*Song Description By Noles*

"Extraordinary Dream" was written in June of 2020. With the music composed on June 9th and the lyrics written on June 13th. The song was a response to the COVID-19 pandemic. When the world changed in March of 2020, I had already recorded the bed tracks for 3 new tunes. These songs were made to be included on Plaid On Flannel's 5th full-length album Parkdale Bandits. With a handful of written tunes ready to be recorded next.

At first, the pandemic seemed like it was transitory. Something that would fade away in 2020. As it turned out, that wasn't the case. Because the world experienced something that had never happened in our lifetimes, that changed my approach on the album I was making. I examined the songs I had already recorded, and moved on from there.

One of the tunes I had already recorded called "All Along" has the opening line, "Ahead is an unknown fever, lurking in the after dark". I had no idea what it meant when I wrote it in 2019. Then suddenly in 2020, that unknown fever became what they called a "coronavirus". That coincidence really got me thinking. Another song that I had already recorded called "Priscilla" is a true story about me falling for a nurse after I was hospitalized in 2018. Because of the health care theme I had gotten from those tunes, I decided to change the album's name from Parkdale Bandits to Parkdale Fever.

I changed a lot of the lyrics for the next song I recorded called "Where We Belong". I also recorded another tune that isn't included on the album. As a test for how the whole album would be made. After I laid down the foundation for those tunes, I threw away the other songs I had ready to record. And decided to write brand new tunes for the new theme on the Parkdale Fever album.

At this point, I was reading my book on blues history. To go back a century and see what life was like for people in the last pandemic. And it turns out, a lot of those legacy blues musicians were poor. Socially at a disadvantage. But because of this, they had a strong connection with their audiences who had been through similar experiences. In the book, they called it "empathizing with the audience". That sincerity made the music more captivating. And provided a deeper connection with the listener.

I would say I'm one of the lucky ones, but I've experienced a fair bit of poverty in my adult life. And I happen to live in a low income neighbourhood. One day in the spring of 2020 when I was sitting by Lake Ontario, it all came to me. A concept album themed in pandemic poverty. As inequality becomes more extreme. I had never written a song about being poor in my life, but I was ready to dive into it. I wrote a few mediocre tunes, and then I wrote "Extraordinary Dream".

In the lyrics of the first verse, there's a reference to Jethro Tull's "Aqualung" in the line "Get salvation a la mode". Aqualung is a character created by Ian Anderson and his then-wife Jennie Franks in the early 1970s. They were inspired to write it after seeing a photo of a homeless person.

The guitar riff in "Extraordinary Dream" was difficult to come up with. I knew what the chord progression going along with the riff would be. The same chord progression as the choruses. But the arpeggiated notes and positioning was tricky to figure out. By the time I got it down, I knew it was the most appropriate riff for the song.

#PlaidOnFlannel #ExtraordinaryDream #AlternativeRock

All Along (Acoustic Version) - Nolan Randall Of Plaid On Flannel

Plaid On Flannel 2021-12-12 | 💿 Get Parkdale Fever on CD 👉 plaidonflannelshop.com/products/parkdale-fever

Nolan Randall of Plaid On Flannel performing a solo acoustic version of "All Along". The studio version has a full band sound. "All Along" is the fifth single from Plaid On Flannel's fifth full-length album Parkdale Fever. An 11-song album that can only be heard on CD. Not for streaming or downloading. But for the listening enjoyment of album ownership.

Words and music by Nolan Randall

Ahead is an unknown fever, lurking in the after dark
Away from the mad receiver, fire flames without a spark
Running through the hollow tunnel, shadows barricade the light
Moving in an honest hustle, to a higher height

All along, the weight of the desire
On the break of dawn
All along, the ashes of the fire
On the day we’re gone

In the satellite of sorrow, in search of a better way
No need to deliver cargo, take some time to estimate
Chasing and investigating, how far should we draw the line?
Motivating to awaken, waiting for the time

All along, the weight of the desire
On the break of dawn (Break of dawn)
All along, the matters to acquire
On and on and on

All along, all that you are
The seven wonders from near into far
All along, far and away
Across the ocean, along the sea bay

All along, the weight of the desire
On the break of dawn (Break of dawn)
All along, the longing to go higher
On and on and on

© Copyright 2021 Plaid On Flannel

*Song Description By Noles*

I wrote "All Along" on January 29, 2019. But I refined some lyrics and chords for the song throughout 2019. At the time, I was collaborating with a local producer named Julian Durzi. He produced and played drums on the 2019 Plaid On Flannel single "Got No Time". We were recording a few other tunes too. And I was writing new material I thought we might record.

Some time in early 2019, I presented "All Along" to Julian. By playing and singing it on an acoustic guitar. The layout of the song was very close to what it ended up being on the album. But he didn't seem to like it that much. He thought it could be shorter. And a big part of our partnership was to record tunes we could both agree on. When it came to the vibe. I understood "All Along" wasn't Julian's thing, but I still felt like there was something there.

The lyrics for "All Along" were written with no particular direction. I was just writing words that sounded good to me. The first line was originally "Onward to the land of freedom". But that was changed to "Ahead is an unknown fever". I don't recall ever using the word "fever" in my lyrics before that. I didn't try to determine what the words meant. But the lyrics seemed to roll off the tongue well.

Parkdale Bandits was the name I wanted mine and Julian's production duo to be called. Because we were both from Parkdale. And I just love the word "Bandits". But we unfortunately had a falling out in the summer of 2019. And there were a few songs we were working on that ended up incomplete. Nevertheless, I decided to name Plaid On Flannel's next album Parkdale Bandits. With a bunch of new material ready to go.

Recording for the Parkdale Bandits album began on September 9, 2019 with "All Along". I remember having trouble with this tune early on. Especially when it came to vocals. I spent months working on "All Along", as I was working a lot of gigs in audio-visual. Eventually it got to a point where I started working on another song called "Okay" on November 18, 2019. And I ended up finishing that one on January 16, 2020. Then I resumed working on "All Along", and it was completed on February 11, 2020.

The next month, the pandemic was announced. And I was out of work. Nobody saw it coming. And it became something we've never experienced in our lifetimes. I was in the midst of recording the next tune called "Priscilla". Which is a song about me being hospitalized in 2018. The first line in "All Along" that says "Ahead is an unknown fever" also blew my mind. As if it predicted Covid-19. That marked the point where I took a new direction in the album.

In the spring of 2020, I changed the album name to Parkdale Fever. And I decided to write all new tunes that could be conceptually congruent with the songs I had already recorded. Themed in pandemic poverty. Because of the time in history that it fell into. I felt obligated to write lyrics that reflected a modern society.

"All Along" was worked on again in the fall of 2021. New acoustic guitars as well as a new bass guitar. Simon Miminis recorded the drums for "All Along" in early 2022. The tune wasn't worked on again until the fall of 2024. When it was mixed by Josh, after I re-recorded some electric guitars. It was then mastered by Harry in early 2025, and released as a single on March 31, 2025. Over 5.5 years after the recording of the the song began.

#PlaidOnFlannel #AllAlong #AcousticVersion

Lady Picture Show (Stone Temple Pilots Cover) - Nolan Randall Of Plaid On Flannel

Plaid On Flannel 2021-11-28 | 🎤 plaidonflannel.com
🎸 plaidonflannelshop.com

An acoustic cover of “Lady Picture Show” by Stone Temple Pilots from their 1996 album Tiny Music... Songs From The Vatican Gift Shop for Atlantic Records.

Words and music by Scott Weiland and Robert DeLeo

Lady picture show
She hides behind the bedroom door
Lady picture show
She hides behind the bedroom wall
She hides because she don't know nothin'
Don't know nothin' anymore
She keeps a funny face, it's locked
And bagged, it's just outside the door

She doesn't know her name
She doesn't know her face
She doesn't know her name
She doesn't know her face

Lady picture girl
I think them boys don't like your show
Lady picture show
Them boys are done, they just said "no"
Your wedding present's
Not so daisy picture perfect anymore
Lady funny face, it's locked and bagged
It's just outside the door

She doesn't know her name
She doesn't know her face
She doesn't know her name
She doesn't know her face
Let them believe
Let them believe
Let them believe

She doesn't know her name
She doesn't know her face

Lady picture show
She hides behind the bedroom door
Lady picture show
She hides behind the bedroom wall
She hides because she don't know nothin'
Don't know nothin' anymore
She keeps a funny face, it's locked
And bagged, it's just outside the door

She doesn't know her name
She doesn't know her face
She doesn't know her name
She doesn't know her face
Let them believe
Let them believe
Let them believe

*Song Facts*

"Lady Picture Show" is a song by American alternative rock band Stone Temple Pilots. It was the second single released from their third album Tiny Music... Songs from the Vatican Giftshop. It was one of three tracks on this album to reach #1 on the Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.

The song, Scott Weiland writes in his autobiography Not Dead and Not For Sale, "is about the horrific g*ng r*pe of a dancer who winds up falling in love but can't let go of the pain." Weiland was in the throes of heroin addiction when he wrote the lyrics to this song, which is why the subject matter is so morose.

"Lady Picture Show" also appears on Thank You, a Stone Temple Pilots greatest hits compilation released in 2003. It was also used in the unaired pilot episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer during the scene where Buffy is at The Bronze.

The song is known for it's striking resemblance to the style of music which was popular in the 1970s. It consists of a memorable opening riff, heavy use of the bass, as well as the use of a concert bass drum during the main chorus. The album (and this song especially) represents a milestone in STP's sound, for a large amount of psychedelic rock can be heard throughout the album. Scott Weiland's trademark low growl was replaced with a higher croon.

Stone Temple Pilots bass player Robert DeLeo wrote the music for "Lady Picture Show". He says it was inspired by "Apple Of My Eye," a 1973 song by Badfinger.

The music video for "Lady Picture Show" was directed by Josh Taft. The video is presented as an old film peep show; rendered nearly completely in black-and-white. Throughout the video, the band can be seen playing in a white room, with objects such as bubbles and shiny diamonds. Various shots of exotic dancers are seen dancing around the screen as well, along with shots of the band members playing. During Dean DeLeo's notable solo, the screen turns into the fuzzy colour structure which was a trademark of the 1960s. The segment shows Dean playing in a colourful meadow, and then the video then fades back into black and white for the rest of the video. Taft also directed the videos for STP's "Plush" and "Sex Type Thing".

*Noles Thoughts*

"Lady Picture Show" would have to be one of my top Stone Temple Pilots songs. A very melodic tune with excellent guitar work from Dean DeLeo. One of the things that makes STP so unique, is their use of unconventional chords in their songs. Especially for 90s rock. The DeLeo brothers have a sophisticated approach to writing rock songs. Using augmented, diminished, and suspended chords that are usually used in jazz and ragtime music. Basically all of their hit tunes use these weird chords that give the songs a lot of character.

When I was 10 years old, I had a paper route in my neighbourhood after I finished school. I would listen to cassette tapes on my walkman, because this was before .mp3s and streaming. In Canada, the ultimate cassette tape to own when I was in grade 4 was Big Shiny Tunes 2. This was a compilation rock album made by the Much Music TV station. (Canada's MTV) They had a new one every year, but "2" was the best one. STP's "Lady Picture Show" was the last song on that album. And I listened to that tape a lot while I delivered newspapers. This was before I really got into rock and started playing guitar. But that is another reason why I hold this song so dearly. I didn't know any other STP songs at the time.

#StoneTemplePilots #LadyPictureShow #AlternativeRock

Crooked Path (Acoustic Version) - Nolan Randall Of Plaid On Flannel

Plaid On Flannel 2021-11-15 | 💿 Get Parkdale Fever on CD 👉 plaidonflannelshop.com/products/parkdale-fever

Nolan Randall of Plaid On Flannel performing a solo acoustic version of "Crooked Path". The studio version has a full band sound. "Crooked Path" is from Plaid On Flannel's fifth full-length album Parkdale Fever. An 11-song album that can only be heard on CD. Not for streaming or downloading. But for the listening enjoyment of album ownership.

Words and music by Nolan Randall

Recalling a memory has been locked away
Ramble on the avenue only when they say
Reckoning, awakening, for the enemy
Run into oblivion, beyond empathy

Heavily unforgiven, heavily in a trap
Occupy getting by, on the crooked path
Heavily unforgiven, steadily off the map
Open wide, take a ride, on the crooked path

Reminiscing of a place that was once allowed
Righteous anger underneath along with the crowd
Recollecting chronicles gathered long ago
Roll over a narrative past the status quo

Heavily unforgiven, heavily drifting back
Compromise in disguise, on the crooked path
Heavily in a prison, steadily losing track
Wonder why it’s a lie, on the crooked path

Heavily unforgiven, heavily falling flat
Stay alive from a dive, on the crooked path
Heavily wasted vision, steadily in combat
On a drive to survive, on the crooked path

© Copyright 2021 Plaid On Flannel

#PlaidOnFlannel #CrookedPath #AcousticVersion

Everybody Wants To Rule The World (Tears For Fears Cover) - Nolan Randall Of Plaid On Flannel

Plaid On Flannel 2021-11-02 | 🎤 plaidonflannel.com
🎸 plaidonflannelshop.com

An acoustic cover of “Everybody Wants To Rule The World” by Tears For Fears from their 1985 album Songs From The Big Chair for Phonogram, Mercury & Vertigo Records.

Words and music by Roland Orzabal, Ian Stanley & Chris Hughes

Welcome to your life
There's no turning back
Even while we sleep
We will find you

Acting on your best behaviour
Turn your back on mother nature
Everybody wants to rule the world

It's my own design
It's my own remorse
Help me to decide
Help me make the

Most of freedom and of pleasure
Nothing ever lasts forever
Everybody wants to rule the world

There's a room where the light won't find you
Holding hands while the walls come tumbling down
When they do I'll be right behind you

So glad we almost made it
So sad they had to fade it
Everybody wants to rule the world

I can't stand this indecision
Married with a lack of vision
Everybody wants to rule the

Say that you'll never, never, never need it
One headline, why believe it?
Everybody wants to rule the world

All for freedom and for pleasure
Nothing ever lasts forever
Everybody wants to rule the world

*Song Facts*

"Everybody Wants to Rule the World" is a song by English pop rock band Tears for Fears. The song was first released on March 18, 1985 by Phonogram, Mercury, and Vertigo Records as the third single from the band's second album Songs from the Big Chair. "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" is a new wave and synth-pop song with lyrics that detail the desire humans have for control and power and centre on themes of corruption.

Music critics praised "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" in their retrospective reviews, with some ranking the song among the decade's best. Along with "Shout", it is one of the band's signature songs. An international success, the song peaked at number two in Ireland, Australia, and the United Kingdom and at number one in Canada, New Zealand, and on both the US Billboard Hot 100 and Cashbox.

Nigel Dick directed the music video, which received promotion from MTV. It shows bassist Curt Smith (who sings lead vocal) driving an antique Austin-Healey 3000 sports car around Southern California intercut with shots of the band performing the song in a studio.

"Everybody Wants to Rule the World" was a "last-minute" addition during the recording sessions for Songs from the Big Chair. The decision to include the tune on the album came after Roland Orzabal played two chords on his acoustic guitar for producer/co-writer Chris Hughes. It was recorded in two weeks and added as the final track on the album. According to Orzabal, the final line in the song's chorus, originally written as "Everybody wants to go to war", contributed to his indifference towards the track.

In an interview with Mix magazine, Hughes said that "as a piece of recording history, [the song is] bland as hell." Orzabal's unimpressed reaction to the track during their songwriting sessions prompted Hughes to convince him to record it, in a calculated effort to garner American chart success. After completing their sessions at 6 p.m., they would spend an hour reviewing each recording many times; this helped Orzabal to create the song's guitar figure and change its title. Orzabal acknowledged that the shuffle beat used in the song was "alien" to their way of writing music. Stating it was "jolly rather than square and rigid in the manner of 'Shout', but it continued the process of becoming more extrovert." Curt Smith, the song's lead singer, said the themes were "quite serious – it's about everybody wanting power, about warfare and the misery it causes."

In 2017, Tal Rosenberg of Pitchfork stated that the lyrics in "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" could be applied in different scenarios. Such as the environment ("Turn your back on mother nature"), short-lived financial success ("Help me make the most of freedom and of pleasure/Nothing ever lasts forever"), dictatorial rule ("Even while we sleep/We will find you"), and the Cold War ("Holding hands while the walls come tumbling down").

Consequence of Sound editor Michael Roffman praised the group for being able to produce a "timeless and influential composition" with minimal effort. Roffman also noted that "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" was appropriate when it was first released, calling it a "meditative commentary on an era that was so corrupt economically and spiritually." AllMusic's Stanton Swihart expressed in his retrospective review that the group "perfectly captured the zeitgeist of the mid-'80s while impossibly managing to also create a dreamy, timeless pop classic." Pitchfork called it a song with "near-universal appeal", as well as a staple for "classic-rock radio, pharmacies, bars, and parties."

Curt Smith did a solo acoustic version of "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" for the soundtrack to The Private Public (2001). A film where he made his acting debut.

#TearsForFears #EverybodyWantsToRuleTheWorld #NewWave

Ready To Be Free (Acoustic Version) - Nolan Randall Of Plaid On Flannel

Plaid On Flannel 2021-10-20 | 💿 Get Parkdale Fever on CD 👉 plaidonflannelshop.com/products/parkdale-fever

Nolan Randall of Plaid On Flannel performing a solo acoustic version of "Ready To Be Free". The studio version has a full band sound. "Ready To Be Free" is from Plaid On Flannel's fifth full-length album Parkdale Fever. An 11-song album that can only be heard on CD. Not for streaming or downloading. But for the listening enjoyment of album ownership.

Words and music by Nolan Randall

Unearth a revelation under the sun
Levitate elevation for anyone
A future in a riddle, up in the air
Meet somewhere in the middle, make it all fair

Holding an alibi, no wonder it’s all a lie
Can’t help but wonder why, the time is passing you by

Ready to be free, upon a destiny
Fix a mystery, secure the master key
Challenging to see, how everything will be
Ready to be free, upon a destiny

Confusion on a mission, cut to the chase
Forgo this superstition, out of its place
Aware of a desire, knockin’ on wood
Igniting flaming fire, where it all stood

Steady to satisfy, demanding of a supply
With nothing to deny, we all are living to die

Ready to be free, upon a destiny
Face an enemy, beneath the life you flee
Build a legacy, restore integrity
Ready to be free, upon a destiny

Go like there’s no tomorrow, drop of a dime
No need to beg or borrow, victimless crime
A Parkdale situation, be as it may
Defer the complication, call it a day

Ready to be free, upon a destiny
Sea to shining sea, appease the poverty
Run the recipe, receive a remedy
Ready to be free, upon a destiny

© Copyright 2021 Plaid On Flannel

#PlaidOnFlannel #ReadyToBeFree #AcousticVersion

Under My Thumb (The Rolling Stones Cover) - Nolan Randall Of Plaid On Flannel

Plaid On Flannel 2021-10-11 | 🎤 plaidonflannel.com
🎸 plaidonflannelshop.com

An acoustic cover of “Under My Thumb” by The Rolling Stones from their 1966 album Aftermath for Decca Records.

Words and music by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards

Under my thumb
The girl who once had me down
Under my thumb
The girl who once pushed me around

It's down to me
The difference in the clothes she wears
Down to me, the change has come
She's under my thumb
Ain't it the truth babe?

Under my thumb
It's a squirmin' dog who's just had her day
Under my thumb
A girl who has just changed her ways

It's down to me, yes it is
The way she does just what she's told
Down to me, the change has come
She's under my thumb
It feels alright

Under my thumb
Is a Siamese cat of a girl
Under my thumb
She's the sweetest pet in the world

It's down to me
The way she talks when she's spoken to
Down to me, the change has come
She's under my thumb
Take it easy babe, yeah

It's down to me, oh yeah
The way she talks when she's spoken to
Down to me, the change has come
She's under my thumb
It feels alright

Under my thumb
Her eyes are just kept to herself
Under my thumb, well I
I can still look at someone else

It's down to me, oh, that's what I said
The way she talks when she's spoken to
Down to me, the change has come
She's under my thumb
Ain't it the truth, babe
Alright
Take it easy, babe

*Song Facts*

"Under My Thumb" is a song by English rock band The Rolling Stones. Written by frontman Mick Jagger and guitarist Keith Richards, "Under My Thumb" features a marimba played by Brian Jones. Although it was never released as a single in English-speaking countries, it is one of the band's more popular songs from that period. It appears on several best-of compilations, such as Hot Rocks 1964–1971. It was included as the fourth track on both the American and United Kingdom versions of the band's 1966 studio album Aftermath.

The song's lyrics are said to be an examination of a sexual power struggle, in which Jagger's lyrics celebrate the success of finally having controlled and gained leverage over a previously pushy, dominating woman. Jagger later reflected on the track in a 1995 interview with Rolling Stone: "It's a bit of a jokey number, really. It's not really an anti-feminist song any more than any of the others ... Yes, it's a caricature, and it's in reply to a girl who was a very pushy woman". For many years, starting with the 1969 tour, Jagger changed the references of "girl" in the lyric to "woman".

These lyrics compare the woman in question to a "pet", a "Siamese cat" and a "squirming dog" throughout the song. That provoked some negative reactions, especially amongst feminists, who objected to what they took as the suppressive sexual politics of the male narrator. American humanities professor Camille Paglia, for example, reports that her admiration and defense of "Under My Thumb" marked the beginning of a rift between her and the radical feminists of the late 1960s.

Like many of the songs from the Aftermath period, "Under My Thumb" uses more novel instrumentation than that featured on previous Stones records. Fuzz bass lines were added by Bill Wyman. Marimba riffs, played by Brian Jones, provide the song's most prominent hook.

The song was being played during the death of Meredith Hunter at the infamous Altamont Free Concert in 1969. The Stones were just finishing up the song when a fight broke out between Hells Angels on the security detail and concert-goers, ultimately culminating in the stabbing of Hunter by Hells Angel Alan Passaro after Hunter pulled out a gun. It is a common misconception that Hunter was stabbed while the band was playing "Sympathy for the Devil". The events appear in the film Gimme Shelter.

In the same year that "Under My Thumb" was released by the Stones, it was also covered by both Del Shannon and Wayne Gibson in 1966. Shannon's version reached number 129 on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart. Gibson's version failed to chart in 1966, but later charted at number 17 in the UK in 1974 after gaining popularity in the Northern Soul scene.

In response to The Rolling Stones' Redlands bust in 1967, The Who recorded a cover version of "Under My Thumb".

The song was covered by Tina Turner as the opening track from her 1975 album Acid Queen.

"Under My Thumb" was also covered by The Hounds in 1979, with their rendition reaching number 110 on the Billboard Bubbling Under 100 chart. That same year, Streetheart released a disco-hybrid cover version that achieved gold single status in Canada.

Social Distortion included their cover of the song as a hidden track at the end of their 1994 album, White Light, White Heat, White Trash.

Sam Kinison sang his version of "Under My Thumb" on his 1990 album, Leader of the Banned. With David Bryan on piano, Kim Bullard on keyboards, Mike Baird on drums, Rudy Sarzo on bass, and Robert Sarzo on guitar, with additional guitar solos by Dweezil Zappa

#TheRollingStones #UnderMyThumb #SixtiesRock

Generation (Acoustic Version) - Nolan Randall Of Plaid On Flannel

Plaid On Flannel 2021-09-30 | 💿 Get Parkdale Fever on CD 👉 plaidonflannelshop.com/products/parkdale-fever

Nolan Randall of Plaid On Flannel performing a solo acoustic version of "Generation". The studio version has a full band sound. "Generation" is the third single from Plaid On Flannel's fifth full-length album Parkdale Fever. An 11-song album that can only be heard on CD. Not for streaming or downloading. But for the listening enjoyment of album ownership.

Words and music by Nolan Randall

Mighty undertone to find a home, written on a stone
Visions of a zone where you can roam, through the unknown

The everlasting gallantry in the face of fear
With an unassuming gravity far away from here

Generation, generation
For some motivation, generation now

Gotta overthrow and undergo more than you will know
When it’s sinking low for room to grow, walking tip toe

The everlasting gallantry in the face of fear
With an unassuming gravity far away from here

Generation, generation
For a population, generation
Address a situation, attain an occupation
For your own information, generation

In another region, or in relation
In and out of season, generation now

Generation, generation
For an imitation, generation
Address a situation, attain an occupation
For your own information, generation now

© Copyright 2021 Plaid On Flannel

*Song Description By Noles*

In the late fall of 2020, I came up with the idea for what would become “Generation”. I saw this YouTube video of street performers playing the “Gerudo Valley Theme” from N64’s The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time on acoustic guitars. The video had millions of views, and it made me nostalgic about the video game I played obsessively as a kid in the late 1990s. The “Gerudo Valley Theme” composed by Koji Kondo is a brilliant tune done in the style of Spanish Flamenco.

What I love about the song is the chord progression. And the melodic possibilities within that chord progression. So I set out to write a song that could use it in some way. “Generation” has that chord progression in a different key in the guitar riff and verses. But the rest of the tune uses variations of chord combinations. All in all, “Generation” is completely different in terms of style and approach. But it certainly wouldn’t exist without that inspiration.

When it came to the lyrics of “Generation”, I wrote them in an ambiguous manner. People see the word "generation", and they think of cohorts. Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, Zoomers, etc. Just think of “My Generation” by The Who. But Plaid On Flannel’s “Generation” is really about work. An occupation or a vocation. The "generation" of labour to make money. I'm very fond of words that have multiple meanings. And can be interpreted in various ways. At first, I was analyzing the unemployment I was experiencing at the time during the pandemic lock down era. But the song is really about the fundamentals of how our society functions. With the "work, or starve on the street" fate that most of us face. And the fact that a majority of us hate our jobs. Only working them so we don't end up homeless. As time goes on, there are more and more people who are underemployed in the work force. Myself included. And there's this false narrative that what we do for money is our identity. When in reality, most of us are working so we can unwillingly make someone else's life better.

Much like the first 2 singles from Parkdale Fever, "Generation" uses plenty of distortion on the guitars. Except the guitar riff for "Generation" plays lower notes that are more simple and powerful. The extra guitars tend to have a psychedelic sound to them. Especially during the song's verses. With delay and modulation to add texture. The guitar solo follows the melodies of the verses and pre-choruses quite a bit. And then the final chorus has guitars feeding back. To add some dynamics while the drums take a rest, and whole note chords are played with the other instruments.

"Generation" is one of the few songs on Parkdale Fever that has no percussion. I felt like adding a tambourine would make it too festive. And that would interfere with the melancholy vibe of the tune. Simon's drums provide more than enough rhythm for the flow of this song. There are other tunes on the album where the percussion is a lot more necessary.

The vocals use a lot of harmony throughout "Generation", but there is only one backing vocal in the entire song. It lifts the melodies in certain parts. Most of the tune has double lead vocals to bring up the intensity. And there's even triple lead vocals every time the word "generation" is said. In some cases it's also "generation now".

I honestly can't wait to play this song live with a band. It has the right tempo for headbanging. I'm sure "Generation" will be a staple in Plaid On Flannel's live repertoire for years to come.

#PlaidOnFlannel #Generation #AcousticVersion

Love Her Madly/Touch Me (The Doors Cover) - Nolan Randall Of Plaid On Flannel

Plaid On Flannel 2021-09-08 | 🎤 plaidonflannel.com
🎸 plaidonflannelshop.com

An acoustic double cover of "Love Her Madly" and "Touch Me" by The Doors. "Love Her Madly" is from their 1971 album L.A. Woman for Elektra Records and "Touch Me" is from their 1969 album The Soft Parade for Elektra Records.

Words and music by Robby Krieger

"Love Her Madly"

Don't you love her madly?
Don't you need her badly?
Don't you love her ways?
Tell me what you say

Don't you love her madly?
Wanna be her daddy?
Don't you love her face?
Don't you love her as she's walkin' out the door?
Like she did one thousand times before

Don't you love her ways?
Tell me what you say?
Don't you love her as she's walkin' out the door?

All your love
All your love
All your love
All your love

All your love is gone
So sing a lonely song
Of a deep blue dream
Seven horses seem to be on the mark

Yeah, don't you love her?
Don't you love her as she's walkin' out the door?

All your love
All your love
All your love

Yeah, all your love is gone
So sing a lonely song
Of a deep blue dream
Seven horses seem to be on the mark

Don't you love her madly?
Don't ya love her madly?
Don't ya love her madly?

"Touch Me"

Come on, come on, come on, come on
Now touch me, baby
Can't you see that I am not afraid?
What was that promise that you made?
Why won't you tell me what she said?
What was that promise that you made?

Now, I'm going to love you
'Til the heaven stops the rain
I'm going to love you
'Til the stars fall from the sky
For you and I

Stronger than dirt

*Song Facts*

"Love Her Madly" is a song by American rock band The Doors. It was released in March 1971 and was the first single from L.A. Woman, their final album with singer Jim Morrison. "Love Her Madly" became one of the highest-charting hits for The Doors. It peaked at number eleven on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart and reached number three in Canada. Session musician Jerry Scheff played bass guitar on the song.

Cash Box described the song as being "a precision combination of FM and top forty potentials." In 2000, Robby Krieger, Ray Manzarek and drummer John Densmore recorded a new version of "Love Her Madly" with Bo Diddley for The Doors tribute album Stoned Immaculate.

The Doors' guitarist Robby Krieger composed the music of "Love Her Madly" while experimenting on a twelve string guitar, and he was inspired to write the lyrics from his troubles and fights with his then-girlfriend and later-wife Lynn. The song's title was taken by Duke Ellington's line "We love you madly". A phrase that he uttered to the audience at the end of his concerts.

According to longtime Doors producer Paul A. Rothchild, "Love Her Madly" was the song that instigated his departure from the original L.A. Woman sessions. With Rothchild dismissing the song as "cocktail music". Conversely, Krieger has claimed that "Riders on the Storm" was the song to which Rothchild was referring. Following Rothchild's departure from the project, The Doors opted to self-produce the album. In association with longtime engineer Bruce Botnick.

"Touch Me" is a song by The Doors from their album The Soft Parade. Written by guitarist Robby Krieger in late 1968, it is notable for its extensive usage of brass and string instruments.

It was released as a single in December 1968 and reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 (their last Top Ten hit in US) and No. 1 in the Cashbox Top 100 in early 1969 (the band's third American number-one single). The single also did well elsewhere, peaking at No. 1 in the RPM Canadian Singles Chart and at No. 10 in the Kent Music Report in Australia. However, despite the band's commercial success the previous year, "Touch Me" did not chart in the UK Singles Chart.

According to Bruce Botnick's liner notes, the song was initially referred to by its various working titles; "I'm Gonna Love You", from a line in the chorus, or "Hit Me", a reference to blackjack. The opening line was originally "C'mon, hit me ... I'm not afraid". The line thus reflecting the first person vantage point of a blackjack player. Lead singer Jim Morrison changed the lyric out of concern that rowdy crowds at their live shows would mistakenly believe that "hit me" was a challenge to physically assault him. At the end of the song, Morrison can be heard shouting "stronger than dirt". Which was a slogan from an Ajax cleaning product commercial.

"Touch Me" incorporates influences from traditional pop music. The song's writer, Robby Krieger interpolated the guitar riff from the 1967 Four Seasons song "C'mon Marianne". The track's last section piece includes a jazz-inflected saxophone solo played by Curtis Amy.

Writing for AllMusic, critic Jason Elias wrote that the song has "the style of pop and pure lounge." Some critics suggested the track blends pop with psychedelic rock; a combination which was unique at the time. It has also been characterized, along with other album tracks, as an early attempt of progressive rock.

#TheDoors #LoveHerMadly #TouchMe

Dropping In (Acoustic Version) - Nolan Randall Of Plaid On Flannel

Plaid On Flannel 2021-08-17 | 💿 Get Parkdale Fever on CD 👉 plaidonflannelshop.com/products/parkdale-fever

Nolan Randall of Plaid On Flannel performing a solo acoustic version of "Dropping In". The studio version has a full band sound. "Dropping In" is the second single from Plaid On Flannel's fifth full-length album Parkdale Fever. An 11-song album that can only be heard on CD. Not for streaming or downloading. But for the listening enjoyment of album ownership.

Words and music by Nolan Randall

Searching for clarity, far as I can see
Seeking a remedy for this poverty
Away from the disease, bitter from the breeze
Today I’m on my knees, better days than these

Spinning as I’m dropping in, winning only to begin
Thinning as I’m within where I have been
Spinning as I’m dropping in again

Unveil a battle cry, rattling nearby
Upscale to step aside, to be kept inside

Spinning as I’m dropping in, winning only to begin
Thinning as I’m within where I have been
Spinning as I’m dropping in again

Falling in a motion, slipping through the streams
All the virtuous devotion, going to extremes
On a mighty tumble, detrimental truth
In the movements of my stumble, rooted to my youth

Spinning as I’m dropping in, winning only to begin
Thinning as I’m within where I have been
Spinning as I’m dropping in
Spinning as I’m dropping in
Spinning as I’m dropping in again

© Copyright 2021 Plaid On Flannel

*Song Description By Noles*

A children's sing-along song with adult lyrics and distorted guitars. That's how I would describe "Dropping In". The melodies sound happy and the lyrics sound sad. "Dropping In" was written in June of 2020. With the music composed on June 9th, and the lyrics written on June 14th.

I wrote "Extraordinary Dream" around the same time as "Dropping In". And I look at those two songs as brother and sister. Which is why they're the first two singles from Parkdale Fever. One is minor-based and the other is major-based. They both have guitar riffs that play arpeggios on the same part of the neck between the 7th and 11th frets. But at the same time, both songs sound very different. In large part due to the difference in minor and major keys.

While I was writing the lyrics to "Dropping In", I changed the chorus lyrics completely from what they originally were. The original chorus was "Losing air like oxygen" instead of "Spinning as I'm dropping in". I believe I was thinking of the song "Love Is Like Oxygen" by Sweet. What I was doing was building upon the lyrics I had for "Extraordinary Dream". Which deals with a subject of respiratory illness. This was around the time I was formulating the concept for the Parkdale Fever album. With a plan to have lyrics that address poverty more than a respiratory disease.

The line "Spinning as I'm dropping in" was inspired by the psychedelic vibe of the song's guitar riff. Playing open strings on the root notes while playing arpeggios on other strings. As those root notes ring out. It seemed quite psychedelic to me. And it gave me a vision of a kaleidoscope moving in circles. But it also gave me a vision of water swirling down the drain of a sink. The guitar riff seemed like it moved in circles. And "Dropping In" is also related to the act of "dropping acid". As psychedelic music has been associated with LSD use since the 1960s. I don't do chemical drugs, but I wanted to give the listener that kind of psychedelic feeling.

"Dropping In" is simply a story about my life as a poor person. As I drop into poverty and struggle to make ends meet. The anxiety that comes with it. And the uncertainty that surrounds it. These unpleasant feelings cause me to spin into a manic frenzy. The line "Winning only to begin" is about making progress in your life while your back is against the wall. And then there's the line "Thinning as I'm within where I have been". Which is really about burnout. Despite working really hard to get to where you are, you're still losing yourself. Your composure is lost, while you're still trapped in the same old situation.

Even though "Dropping In" has a dark tone in the lyrics, it's still a fun song. And that's the whole point. To not take it too seriously and laugh it off. Things will get better. But I want to speak to those people that have been through similar experiences, and let them know that they're not alone. That is my intention as an artist. To give people solace when they're at their lowest. Because so many artists have done the same for me.

"Dropping In" has a lot of lead guitar throughout the song. Each chorus has two vocal-guitar/call-and-response parts that are played in a major pentatonic scale. And the guitar solo section uses that same major scale. Replicating some of the melodies that are sung in the verses. My intention with the guitar solos in my songs are to make them as melodic as possible. Singable solos. Turning them into memorable hooks. Some of my favourite guitarists have the ability to do that.

#PlaidOnFlannel #DroppingIn #AcousticVersion

Solsbury Hill (Peter Gabriel Cover) - Nolan Randall Of Plaid On Flannel

Plaid On Flannel 2021-08-04 | 🎤 plaidonflannel.com
🎸 plaidonflannelshop.com

An acoustic cover of “Solsbury Hill” by Peter Gabriel from his 1977 self-titled debut album for Atco & Charisma Records.

Words and music by Peter Gabriel

Climbing up on Solsbury Hill
I could see the city light
Wind was blowing, time stood still
Eagle flew out of the night
He was something to observe
Came in close, I heard a voice
Standing, stretching every nerve
I had to listen, had no choice
I did not believe the information
Just had to trust imagination
My heart going boom, boom, boom
"Son", he said, "grab your things, I've come to take you home"

To keep in silence I resigned
My friends would think I was a nut
Turning water into wine
Open doors would soon be shut
So I went from day to day
Though my life was in a rut
'Til I thought of what I'll say
Which connection I should cut
I was feeling part of the scenery
I walked right out of the machinery
My heart going boom, boom, boom
"Hey", he said, "grab your things, I've come to take you home"

When illusion spin her net
I'm never where I want to be
And liberty she pirouette
When I think that I am free
Watched by empty silhouettes
Who close their eyes but still can see
No one taught them etiquette
I will show another me
Today I don't need a replacement
I'll tell them what the smile on my face meant
My heart going boom, boom, boom
"Hey", I said, "you can keep my things, they've come to take me home"

*Song Facts*

"Solsbury Hill" is the debut solo single of English musician Peter Gabriel. He wrote the song about a spiritual experience atop Little Solsbury Hill in Somerset, England. Which was after his departure from the progressive rock band Genesis, of which he had been the lead singer since it's inception. The single was a Top 20 hit in the UK, peaking at number 13, and reached number 68 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1977.

Peter Gabriel on the meaning of "Solsbury Hill": "It's about being prepared to lose what you have for what you might get ... It's about letting go."

The song is mostly written in 7/4 time, an unusual time signature that has been described as "giving the song a constant sense of struggle". The meter settles into 4/4 time only for the last two measures of each chorus. It is performed in the key of B major with a tempo of 102 beats per minute. And Gabriel's vocals ranging from F♯3 to G♯4.

Producer Bob Ezrin placed some restrictions on the session musicians to give the song it's distinctive sound. While earlier versions of the song featured more prominent electric guitar, Ezrin instructed guitarist Steve Hunter to instead perform the main riff on a 12 string guitar, an instrument "he hadn't played in a long time". However, Hunter states that he instead borrowed a Martin acoustic guitar, and Travis picked the voicings with a capo on the second fret. As Ezrin wanted the acoustic guitar to be tripled, Hunter was required to provide three satisfactory takes, all of which had to be aligned with one another. Ezrin used the variable speed oscillator on guitar tracks for the chorusing effect.

Rather than employing a full drum kit, Allan Schwartzberg made do with a shaker in one hand and a drum stick in another, which he used to strike a telephone book. For additional rhythmic textures, Larry Fast constructed a fake drum kit on his keyboard, which he dubbed the "synthibam". Although the liner notes credit percussionist Jimmy Maelen with the instrument. After all of the session musicians departed, Fast also overdubbed some additional electronics. From verse two onwards, a four note flute riff played by Peter Gabriel himself sounds-off the beginning of each line of lyrics.

Built around an acoustic guitar riff, "Solsbury Hill" is much more simple and toned-down compared to Gabriel's extravagant work with Genesis. As a solo artist, Gabriel proved completely unpredictable, venturing into pop, electronica, world music... Whatever lit his fire. His next album, produced by Robert Fripp was hitless. But his 1986 album So found a huge audience and holds up as a classic.

On his 2011 album New Blood, Gabriel recorded new versions of 13 of his older songs. He planned to leave this song off the set, but added it after fans requested the tune. Gabriel sent his engineer to the actual Solsbury Hill to record the ambiance, which was used as the intro to the new version of the song.

"Solsbury Hill" has been used in a number of films and television shows, including the 2001 film Vanilla Sky and the 2004 film In Good Company. More recently, it has been used in the trailer of Finding Dory and featured as the send-off song for the series finale of AMC's Halt and Catch Fire. It was also used for the conclusion of an episode of Fox's 9-1-1. It was used in a Cingular Wireless TV ad campaign, and a Nespresso TV ad campaign. Its prevalence in romantic comedy trailers has been called "ubiquitous", particularly its inclusion in a satirical re-cut trailer of The Shining.

#PeterGabriel #SolsburyHill #ArtRock

Extraordinary Dream (Acoustic Version) - Nolan Randall Of Plaid On Flannel

Plaid On Flannel 2021-07-09 | 💿 Get Parkdale Fever on CD 👉 plaidonflannelshop.com/products/parkdale-fever

Nolan Randall of Plaid On Flannel performing a solo acoustic version of "Extraordinary Dream". The studio version has a full band sound. "Extraordinary Dream" is the first single from Plaid On Flannel's fifth full-length album Parkdale Fever. An 11-song album that can only be heard on CD. Not for streaming or downloading. But for the listening enjoyment of album ownership.

Words and music by Nolan Randall

Every day in the neighbourhood, we did everything we could
Far away from the way we stood, we know this ain’t Hollywood
Entertain to carry the load, get salvation a la mode
Cargo on the side of the road, setting what’s been overflowed

Out of control, when it’s sure to take a toll

Extreme extraordinary dream
Supreme imaginary theme, a dream

Ventilate a community, breathing air to some degree
Respirate a society, wake up to reality
Cure the fever that no one knows, wary of the highs and lows
Caution taken until it slows, there’s no telling where it goes

On a patrol, with the order to console

Extreme extraordinary dream, supreme imaginary theme
Extreme extraordinary dream, supreme imaginary theme
A dream, a dream, a dream

Extreme extraordinary dream, supreme imaginary theme
Extreme extraordinary dream, supreme imaginary theme
A dream, a dream, a dream

© Copyright 2021 Plaid On Flannel

*Song Description By Noles*

"Extraordinary Dream" was written in June of 2020. With the music composed on June 9th and the lyrics written on June 13th. The song was a response to the COVID-19 pandemic. When the world changed in March of 2020, I had already recorded the bed tracks for 3 new tunes. These songs were made to be included on Plaid On Flannel's 5th full-length album Parkdale Bandits. With about a half-dozen written tunes ready to be recorded next.

At first, the pandemic seemed like it was transitory. Something that would fade away by the time the weather got warmer in 2020. As it turned out, that wasn't the case. Because the world experienced something that had never happened in our lifetimes, that changed my approach on the album I was making. I examined the songs I had already recorded, and tried to figure out where to go from there.

One of the tunes I had already recorded called "All Along" has the opening line, "Ahead is an unknown fever, lurking in the after dark". I had no idea what it meant when I wrote it in 2019. Then suddenly in 2020, that unknown fever became what they called a "coronavirus". As if I had subconsciously predicted what was to come. That really got me thinking. Another song that I had already recorded called "Priscilla" is a true story about me falling for a nurse after I was hospitalized in 2018. Because of the health care theme I had gathered from those tunes, I decided to change the name of the album to Parkdale Fever.

I changed a lot of the lyrics for the next song I recorded called "Where We Belong". I also recorded another tune that isn't included on the album. As a test for how the whole album would be made. After I laid down the foundation for those tunes, I threw away the other songs I had ready to record. And decided to write brand new tunes for the new theme on the Parkdale Fever album.

At this point, I was reading my book on blues history. To go back a century and see what life was like for people in the last pandemic. And it turns out, a lot of those legacy blues musicians were poor. Socially at a disadvantage. But because of this, they had a strong connection with their audiences who had been through similar experiences. In the book, they called it "empathizing with the audience". That sincerity made the music more captivating. And provided a deeper connection with the listener.

I would say I'm one of the lucky ones, but I've experienced a fair bit of poverty in my adult life. And I happen to live in a low income neighbourhood. One day in the spring of 2020 when I was sitting by Lake Ontario staring at the water, it all came to me. A concept album themed in pandemic poverty. As inequality becomes more extreme. I had never written a song about being poor in my life, but I was ready to dive into it. I wrote a few mediocre tunes, and then I wrote "Extraordinary Dream".

In the lyrics of the first verse, there's a reference to Jethro Tull's "Aqualung" in the line "Get salvation a la mode". Aqualung is a character created by Ian Anderson and his then-wife Jennie Franks in the early 1970s. They were inspired to write it after seeing a photo of a homeless person. It was a unique idea at the time.

The guitar riff in "Extraordinary Dream" was difficult to come up with. I knew what the chord progression going along with the riff would be. The same chord progression as the choruses. But the arpeggiated notes and positioning was tricky to figure out. By the time I got it down, I knew it was the most appropriate riff for the song.

#PlaidOnFlannel #ExtraordinaryDream #AcousticVersion

Boy Inside The Man (Tom Cochrane Cover) - Nolan Randall Of Plaid On Flannel

Plaid On Flannel 2021-07-01 | 🎤 plaidonflannel.com
🎸 plaidonflannelshop.com

An acoustic cover of “Boy Inside The Man” by Tom Cochrane & Red Rider from their 1986 album of the same name for Capitol Records.

Words and music by Tom Cochrane

So long so long, so long we've been away
So long so long, so long he's back again

When I turned seventeen
We had passion, we had dreams
Thought the love we were fighting for
Was something holy, something more

When I turned twenty-one
We were outside on the run
When I walked out with my girl, yeah
We went halfway around the world, 'round the world

And I, I dreamed that I saw her standing there
They're running for the boy inside the man
I was hit hard by the light so bright it burned
And all at once I knew she'd understand
Understand, understand
The boy inside the man
The boy inside the man

When I turned twenty-five
We were hungry, we had drive
Then I turned much older then, oh
'Cause the boy was lost in pride

Now I just turned thirty-one
And I have lost and I have won
Still I've kept my dreams alive, yeah
'Cause the boy will never die, never die

And I, I dreamed that I saw her standing there
They're running for the boy inside the man
I was hit hard by the light so bright it burned
And all at once I knew she'd understand
Understand, understand
The boy inside the man
The boy inside the man

And I, I dreamed that I saw her standing there
They're running for the boy inside the man
I was hit hard by the light so bright it burned
And all at once I knew she'd understand
Understand, understand

And I, I dreamed that I saw her standing there
They're running for the boy inside the man
I was hit hard by the light so bright it burned
And all at once I knew she'd understand
Understand, understand
The boy inside the man
The boy inside the man

So long so long, so long we've been away
So long so long, so long he's back again

*Song Facts*

Tom Cochrane and Red Rider is the fifth studio album by the Canadian rock band Tom Cochrane & Red Rider, released in 1986. The album earned Cochrane two Juno Awards for Composer of the Year and Group of the Year.

The album reached # 116 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart in 1986. In Canada, "Boy Inside the Man" reached # 27, "The Untouchable One" hit # 70, "One More Time (Some Old Habits)" hit # 85, and "Ocean Blues (Emotion Blue)" made # 88. The album was certified Platinum in Canada.

Tom Cochrane himself on "Boy Inside The Man": "This is my own 'My Way', and has become the Tom Cochrane and Red Rider signature song. We've tried this song everywhere else in the live set and we've learned that it just has to end the show. Leaving it out of a live show is like walking on stage without one arm. The song dissects the rites of passage I think most men go through from 17 to our 30s. I was so paranoid at 25 about dying and leaving nothing behind - no kids, no legacy, no real work or music of value. I became almost desperately ambitious. 'Boy' reflects back on all that. Later, with family and kids and a bit of success, my priorities changed. This song was recorded in Wales, and it was the best recording experience of our careers to that point, pure magic! I mean, till then the recording process had been like spending months at a time in the dentist's chair. This was our declaration of independence from a very uncomfortable management deal and even though we were almost broke and destitute after parting company with Bruce Allen, we were happy and creatively alive again. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. And no man is an island. Without friends like Deane Cameron, who became President of EMI Music Canada, and Tim Trombley, who headed the A&R department at the time, we couldn't have made it to the next level." - Tom Cochrane

*Noles Thoughts*

I couldn't find a lot of information for "Boy Inside The Man" online. It's usually that way with Canadian-made music. But I'm more than happy to talk about how this amazing song has had an impact on me.

I remember hearing "Boy Inside The Man" on the radio when I was a kid. And thinking, "Oh, this is just 80s music." With the signature reverberated production of the 1980s. I never really paid attention to the lyrics until I was older. And I could understand them more. By the time I reached my 30s, the lyrics spoke to me deeply. As that was about the age Tom Cochrane was when he wrote it. And it truly is a song about reflection and the loss of innocence. But at the same time, staying true to the spirit of your youth that kept you going all along.

"Boy Inside The Man" is a song that could be recorded in any era and still be incredible. It has a timeless feel and expression to it. I saw Tom Cochrane perform this song acoustically at the Roundhouse in Toronto. There was another guitarist/vocalist backing him up. I had goosebumps the whole time. Which inspired me to cover the song on my acoustic version. I changed the key to fit my vocal range, and I slightly altered the lyrics.

#TomCochrane #BoyInsideTheMan #ClassicRock

Switching Gears (Guitar Solo & Riff) - Plaid On Flannel

Plaid On Flannel 2021-05-10 | 💿 Get Get On! [EP] on CD 👉 plaidonflannelshop.com/products/get-on

Nolan Randall playing the guitar solo and closing riff of “Switching Gears” by Plaid On Flannel from the 2017 EP Get On!

Personnel includes:
Nolan Randall (Vocals/Guitars)
Jen Doyon (Keyboards/Vocals)
Les Cassling (Bass)
Minas Hatzigiannatzoglou (Drums/Percussion)

Produced by Ruben Huizenga

Mastered by Michael Kossov

Words and music by Nolan Randall

There's a girl from the other side
She's got diamonds in her eyes away from here
See the girl from the other side
It comes as no surprise to disappear

What you see is what you get
Until you haven't seen it yet
Take the time to resurrect
While you collect your fears
She doesn't wanna complicate
She'll make you wait while you run late
You feel the need to compromise
While you are switching gears

See the girl on the boulevard
She's always gone too far away from here
Meet the girl who never cares
She feels too unaware to make it clear

Out in the distance there's a lot of things you'll see
A lot of things to plead
That have been lingering for years
She wants to live the normal life
While you wanna live in your own write
You feel the need to improvise
While you are switching gears

© Copyright 2017 Plaid On Flannel

*Song Description By Noles*

The origin of "Switching Gears" can be traced back to 2013, shortly after I finished the 2nd Plaid On Flannel album Mission of Mercy. I came up with the music for "Switching Gears" on June 29, 2013. But a lot of it was changed when I eventually started recording the song a couple of years later. In fact, the only parts that remained the same were the guitar riff and the pre-chorus progression. And even those parts were eventually slightly altered. The initial riff I came up with was inspired by Ted Nugent's "Stranglehold". It's in the same key of A which is my favourite key, as it is right in my vocal range.

By the time I wrote the lyrics for "Switching Gears" in the spring of 2015, my life had changed drastically from when the song idea started. I was single, living in a different city and Plaid On Flannel was a band at that point. Keyboardist Jen Doyon had recently joined the band on February 22, 2015 and played her first gig with us on March 21, 2015. POF's original drummer Adi Taylor soon left the band and was replaced by Minas Hatzigiannatzoglou on May 2, 2015. As I was recording my 3rd album Primitive Normative, I wrote the lyrics for "Switching Gears" on April 19, 2015. Which was the day after our last gig with Adi on drums. At the time, I had already finished most of the songs that would end up on Primitive Normative. And I knew it was time to record a pure rocker for the album. So I used that music I wrote in 2013 and wrote the lyrics.

"Switching Gears" has lyrics that were written almost subconsciously without any specificity. It wasn't until years later that I realized the song is about being rejected by women. During that period, romance was largely absent from my life. I spent my time working at a brewery and working on music every chance I could get. My obsession with music always interfered with my love life. And even if I tried to get women, I wouldn't get the ones I truly wanted. "Switching Gears" is about the attractive women I wasn't "worthy" of attaining. And attempting to "Switch Gears" in order to get desirable women. It's almost a universal language among single men. In modern dating, the women get to choose more then the men do. I'm not being sexist. It's true and it's simply the way it is.

The Primitive Normative version of "Switching Gears" was recorded from April 12, 2015 to May 18, 2015. That version can be heard here... youtu.be/h4Q9kMhdRjI The album was released on December 31, 2015. After the POF band released the Rising Above EP on May 14, 2016, we started playing "Switching Gears" and performed it at shows. The tempo was sped up from the original version and Jen's keyboards and backup vocals added some much needed flavour for the song. We started recording the Get On! EP on February 4, 2017 and that's when the music video for "Switching Gears" was shot in the studio live off the floor. We knew it would be the opening track for the record because it's a song that gets right to the point.

The guitar riff of "Switching Gears" is used quite a bit in different variations throughout the song. It even changes keys up to D after the guitar solo towards the end of the tune. The chorus was influenced by the style of Canadian rock band Sloan. Especially when it comes to the vocal harmonies. Minas played tambourine on "Switching Gears" and it really worked well with the fast tempo. The guitar solo uses a good dose of wah pedal. We performed this song quite a bit, and it's one that will be played live again with a POF band.

#RockAndRoll #BluesRock #RootsRock