Bassist and singer John Truelove shares his thoughts and stories about each of the 9 songs on "Coppersonic"
On and On - an anti- establishment song. I wrote this tune while working an IT job in midtown Manhattan and having my soul sucked out. I remember it came to me on a Friday evening while I was in a rehearsal space I rented with another couple of musicians down on Mott street. This was before Coppersonic had been formed and I was alone with my guitar and still in my proper corporate suit and tie. I just started playing and singing about my abusive work situation and this is the result. Afterwards I went for a few beers at a bar up the street and polished up the lyrics. “On and On” is the first song Carini and I ever played together and he helped to flesh it out with those guitar lines that have since become our signature sound.
Tomorrow Girl - a song that first showed up on our first recording “Two Bucks a Cup”. It was later completely overhauled, so, if you actually had the opportunity to hear the first recording, I feel certain you would not recognize it to be the same song. Only Carini’s opening guitar riff remains unchanged. I knew a guy that used to claim his wife was paid weekly visits by a secret gentleman caller he referred to as ‘Mr Tuesday’. We have a band joke about the lyric ‘He has hair just like burnt umber’. While this was being recorded Carini was convinced that I was say, ‘He has hair just like Bert Umber’. We envision Bert to be a used car salesmen type in plaid slacks and white shoes who now manages the band.
Memories of Hollywood - this is my favorite track on the CD and is one of my favorites to play. I have always like the rhythm of this one and the organ adds a nice texture. I don’t have access to a keyboard and never had a chance to practice the part before going into the studio to record the track. There is funny picture floating around of Carini and I in the studio together with him bent over the keyboard showing me the part we had written but which I had completely forgotten. Everyone except the engineer left the studio while I worked at laying down a good track. I have to say that nothing can compare to the sensation of a Hammond B3 and a Leslie cabinet shaking the floor.
Highway Blues - ironically enough, the lyrics were written on the German Autobahn somewhere between Nurenburg and Berlin in the cramped backseat of a very small european car. Later when Carini showed me an idea for a new song these lyrics fit perfectly with his music. Still, the best part is the overdriven guitar lead that brings to mind the guitar gods of days gone by.
Stars - the harmony vocals and outro insturmental jam makes this a favorite for live performances. Despite these attributes we had a difficult time translating that energy onto tape and for this reason “Stars” was almost scrapped. Then we had the bright idea to add an acoustic guitar track. Although it isn’t right up front the acoustic track adds a distinct bright, jangly quality similar to John Lennon's acousitc on early Beatles recordings.
Time Wasters Club - another one of my favorites and a classic example of Coppersonic songwriting process. Carini will bring in a song he has been working on and I will have song that fits perfectly with his idea. I think that when two muscians begin working well together they create a kind of physic connection. Often times I find myself working on a seemingly independent idea only to find that Carini has been working on something very similar. Consequently, we have been working to write the same song without either of us consciously being aware of what the other is doing. The name Time Wasters Club came from a circle of friends to which my father belonged when he was a teenager and I always thought it would be a good name for a band. Instead, I wrote a lyric about my own cirlce of friends that used to prowl the lower east side scene in NYC and how circles tend to fall apart.
Love Lies Bleeding - let me be the first to tell you this has nothing to do with Elton John. That was the first question asked by the studio engineer upon seeing the title of this track. This is a tune that was written practically in the amount of time it took to play through it for the first time. The funky beat and layered guitars, including one played through a Leslie cabinet, give this a unique sound. The chorus is catchy and sounds nothing like Elton John, although I have never actually heard Elton’s tune by the same name.
Live Through Anything - Carini loaned me his copy of The Who ‘Live at Leeds’ and insisted I listen to “Young Man’s Blues”. Entwistle’s bassline is certainly something to behold and it really inspired me to let loose while I was practicing one day. Ultimately, “Live Through Anything” captures the spirit of our heros and tips a hat to our all time favorites, Iron Maiden, especially the dueling guitar and bass solo at the end of the tune. We had a lot of fun recording this one and although it is stylistically odd for Coppersonic, it remains a great live number.
Reno - once, before going on a short vacation, Carini gave me a cassette with some musical ideas he had been working on including the music that would be used for “Reno”. He had written ‘New Tunes’ on the tape label but curiously Carini’s ‘N’s’ look more like ‘J’s’ so for about a week I thought he had written ‘Jew Tunes’ and I wondered what the hell he meant. We hadn’t planned to add this track to the CD and only recorded it for the sake of getting a good demo while the microphones were already set up. The lead vocal and guitar were done in one take with Carini laying down the backing vocals afterwards. I got the inspiration for the lyrics from a couple I knew who went to the ‘Burning Man Festival’ together but came back separately.