52 Week Song Cycle #42
All Ages (c) 2010 Mattroi Berger
My buddy Teddy hipped me to a cool project some people are putting together to celebrate New Jersey basement and house shows. It’s called Please Don’t Hang Out in Front of the House, and it’s a response to a Red Bull advertising campaign that was sort of using the scene’s cred to sell their drink. The Please Don’t… project ask participants to submit a song or story that is a tribute to basement shows.
The DIY spirit of this project, and the movement that it’s celebrating got me excited, no question. I grew up with a lot of corporate music - I never did find the Springfield, VA underground, if there is one. I rarely saw live shows in high school because the ones I knew about were far away and cost too much. Coming to New York City and experiencing new, exciting music again and again for free or cheap in lofts and warehouses, and learning that bands were recording on the fly, in their apartments and at shows inspired and excited me to play and record more. The fact that great music can happen so easily is hugely inspirational to what I do.
I sheepishly submit that I’ve never seen a New Jersey basement show, and I have my doubts this song will make their compilation - it’s pretty far from the hardcore sound that defines the scene. But I enjoyed writing it, either way. It’s exciting to me to be reminded that there are scenes everywhere, and within those scenes are whole worlds for young bands and artists. The way New York excites me, kids are getting excited about music in a real, immediate way in DC and in Richmond and all over. I did my best to make a tribute to that.
UPDATE: All Ages is now available as part of the free, download-able comp Please Don’t Hang Out in Front of the House. The comp celebrates the New Brunswick basement scene and house shows everywhere. Please check it out for songs from a number of amazing artists! (Seriously, not a bad track on it, and plenty of fantastic ones.)
Music and lyrics by Mattroi
***
It wasn’t summer
Smoked with our collars hiked high
But it was summer
It felt like summer inside
Everything is shaking here
But I’m too dumb to try
Nothing could be made more clear at this time
I’m feeling fine
I wanted someone
I wanted someone I could find
And we’ll find someone
Our bodies drunk and side-to-side
Everything is shaking here
But I’m too gone to try
Nothing could be made more clear
Then thick, electric lines
And fists keeping time
The night was hunger
The day was coming for our time
But was it summer?
It felt like summer inside
Everything is shaking here
But I’m too gone to try
Nothing could be made more clear at this time
I’m feeling fine
