Tag: Martin Zellar

The Fifth of Twenty-five

Here we are with the last of my Music Footprint. I’ve had to spend the last couple weeks getting ready to go back to work, so I’ve had to put this on the back burner.

Kentucky Pill – Johnny Flynn

This is a song about growing up. I found a quote from an interview that Johnny did years ago, which I think does a far better job explaining this song than I ever could.

It’s generally a song about a sense of growing up. It’s about finding yourself to be slightly more dangerous and effective as a human being than you thought you could be. When you’re young, you live in a state of innocence, but eventually you realize that actions have wider consequences than you thought. As you grow up, as you get a sense of time, you stop living in your immediate presence. Your emotional world grows and you can kind of start being hard.

It’s an abstract thing, but the song’s about all these situations you experience growing up that stop you from being innocent. It’s about wanting to hurt people and get hurt.

Interviewer: Marah Eakin for the avclub.com

Ain’t the the truth.

Last Goodbye – The Gufs

The Gufs are one of my favorite underrated bands that no one seems to know about. I saw Goran Kralj of the Gufs open for Caroline’s Spine back in the day. I think that might have been the first time I heard them.

This song looking back and feeling full of regret about letting someone go that you probably shouldn’t have. It may or may not have been a mistake, nevertheless, it sucks. And believe me if I had known then, that it would have been the last time and it was going to end, I would have wanted time to slow and and bottled that moment.

Here’s to Everyone – Martin Zellar and the Hardways

I’ve spoken about my admiration about The Gear Daddies a few posts ago, so it goes without saying that I’m also a fan of Martin Zellar.

Here’s to Everyone is a fairly straightforward song, celebrating life, friends, memories and everything that makes life good and worthwhile. I hear this song and it makes me think of lots of loved ones and I smile at the memories of our past adventures, our quiet moments and secrets. I love my friends and I wish them nothing but happiness for all of their days.

For My Brother – Blue October

This live version from Blue October’s Argue with a Tree is my favorite. It’s no secret that lead singer Justin Furstenfeld has had his struggles with depression and addiction. He is a absolute brilliant songwriter whose words are so much more than just lyrics. You know how people say if a song is any good it can stand on its own acoustically? Well, I feel that way about Justin’s lyrics. They don’t need the music behind them. They transcend. Below is just one of my favorite parts of this song.

Believe you can shine when you’re silver,
And I promise you gold, 
I promise you gold
And whenever you’re dark inside, 
Don’t let go

Remember there’s rain, 
And there’s candy,
And Christmasy winter snow,
The snow, the snow

And remember I love you the same,
And I’ll strangle your pain
And he tells me to sing,
So I sing, and I sing for my brother,
Who keeps me sane,
And tells me everything will be,
Okay

I’m never alone, 
No I’m never alone,
I’m not alone, 
Not alone

Justin wrote this song about his brother, Jeremy. In this version Justin invites his brother Jeremy, who is the drummer in Blue October, up to sing with him. It’s very emotional and I dare you not to tear up. I do, even when this is the 987th time I’ve listened to the song this year.

I have not been through the things that Justin has, but I do have two sisters who have been with me through all our moves as kids, who also were subjected to bullying in school. My sister’s and I get each other and really, there isn’t anything we wouldn’t do to support one other. We love each other unconditionally, just as Jeremy loves his brother.

Matthew Sweet – Sick of Myself

Who hasn’t had an infatuation for another person so bad that the person literally made you sick of yourself? Surely not just myself and Matthew Sweet (I assume as he wrote this song)? Everything is catchy about this song of self-loathing; the guitar, the way he sings and the lyrics.

I don’t know if this song really meant anything to Matthew Sweet or not, but for me, this song does have its place in my past.

The First Five of Twenty-Five

If I were to make a post about all 25 of the songs on my Music Footprint list that would be slightly insane. It makes sense to break the list up into groups of 5. These songs aren’t in any specific order.

Drawing Flies – Soundgarden

As you can imagine choosing one single Soundgarden song for me was a difficult decision. I waffled back and forth between several keeping in mind I wanted a song I had a personal connection to rather than it just being a favorite song. I ended up choosing this song because it is something I relate to as an artist. Its’ a song about hitting a creative brick wall, in Chris Cornell’s case it was writer’s block when writing for the album Badmotorfinger. For me this song stuck out from the rest of the material on Badmotorfinger because of it’s upbeat sound and its use of a small horn section. The lyrics are smart, catchy and the antithesis of the cheery music.

Sitting here like uninvited company
Wallowing in my own obscenities
I share a cigarette with negativity
Sitting here like wet ashes
With x’s in my eyes and drawing flies

Stupid Boy – The Gear Daddies

The lyrics are very much straightforward. Lead singer Martin Zellar, sings, from the a girl’s point-of-view, about a girl who discovers a little to late that her man isn’t so special. In fact, he’s just another stupid boy like all the others. All I can say is this: So. Many. Times.

I feel sick and i feel used
You ain’t the boy i thought i knew
You go and put me on your shelf
You never think of no one else but yourself


And lord i’m sick and lord i’m tired of love
And lord i can’t believe it’s true
You’d think after five years i would know you but i don’t
And after all this time i come to find
You’re just another stupid boy
You’re just another stupid boy

Wide Eyes – Badflower

I waffled again on which song to choose with Badflower as well. If I could have I probably would have picked Move Me, but this song has never been released officially and it’s only found on YouTube. For me Wide Eyes speaks to me as much as the same as Move me, but it’s more polished and not as blunt. Wide Eyes tells the story of a relationship that meant more to the narrator than the other person involved in the relationship and how it emotionally wrecked the narrator when the other person moves on. I am sure that I am not the only one who has been through a relationship likes this. Thankfully I was able to move on past it, though it took time. I must confess, my favorite part of the song is when lead singer, Josh Katz screams “I’m the rage I’m the bad guy…” I feel that in my bones. *Warning: This song has a bit of language in it that some might find offensive. If that’s you, you don’t have to listen.

Brand New Shine – Soul Asylum

This fun, peppy, Pop-sounding song was a bit of a departure for Soul Asylum and it get’s me bopping every time I hear it. Yes, it’s another song about a relationship, but the spin here is when the relationship is new, everything is wonderful and how perfect that person is from their “old old hat” to their “blown-out shoes”. This feeling is something I certainly feel when I start to get to know someone, not just romantically.

Wallflower – Caroline’s Spine

This list would not be complete without something from Caroline’s Spine. Spine played such a large part of my life for such a long time. Every song brings back a flood of memories of my friends and our adventures. Wallflower is not my favorite song from Spine but admit I really connect to the lyrics. I’m an introvert and I’ve often felt like I was on the outside, watching. In short, a wallflower.


I could have died,
maybe I should have died.
when I saw you walk inside.
and as you shut the door
I put my eyes back on the floor.
when all I really wanted was to look some more.


does a wallflower play,
or does a wallflower stay on his wall?


you see I live alone,
but I’ve made my happy home.
all my furniture is centered around my phone.
I’m waiting for the call,
my imaginary friends and all.
those who would never let me be taken by the fall.


does a wallflower know,
when it’s time he outgrow his wall?
tell me does a wallflower know
when it’s about time he outgrow his wall…
yeah his wall…


time and time and time and time and time and only time has feeling for me.
maybe, maybe father time will feel sorry for me.
I knew, I knew where there was a time, when i knew it all.
why don’t I ever leave my wall?
why don’t I ever leave my wall?
why don’t I ever leave my wall?
…please don’t ever leave my wall, my wall.


you know that siren’s getting louder,
and these people are starting to crowd in on me.
(all I smell and taste is garlic and gunpowder)
’cause I shot the bad guy dead –
but he got me in the head.
oh with the girl of my dreams
she’s mentioning to me how much I’ve bled.


where do the wallflower go,
when their flowers get pulled from this wall?
oh and though she says I’m brave and bold,
she knows a flower cannot hold up a wall.
I can’t hold up this wall any longer…
no any longer
’cause all I have is time and time
and time
my only friend, time and time, please some more time.
I think i’m over, I think I’m over, I think I’m over…