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Long Road to Memphis

by Brother Jon and Frensz

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1.
Long Road to Memphis 04:19
lyrics
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It's a long road to Memphis guitar in my hand some of us won't make it but we do the best we can It's a long road to Memphis I wanna hear it all we've got our bags all packed up just waitin for that call Driving in the sunrise, playing in the rain listenin to the stories, hearing them complain Drunkards yelling freebird, play it without shame- that's the price you gotta pay to get that Memphis fame Bright lights and city nights, some will understand life ain't all that easy tryin to be a guitar man Waitin for the band, I hope that they ain't drunk it's 10 to 9 I'm worried, I ain't had the best of luck Lookin for the drummer, he's powdering his nose says he knows about half the set, he's ready for the show Packin up and driving home, asleep behind the wheel spend all my time just driving, rooms ain't in the deal It's a long road to Memphis guitar in my hand some of us won't make it but we do the best we can It's a long road to Memphis I wanna hear it all we've got our bags all packed up just waitin for that call Playin songs I don't remember, doin things that I regret waitin for that last call as I finish up my set Lookin for the girl I saw last time around she probably don't remember, I think her hair was brown Cheap guitars and empty bars, play em without shame that's the price you gotta pay to get that Memphis fame It's a long road to Memphis guitar in my hand some of us won't make it but we do the best we can It's a long road to Memphis I wanna hear it all we've got our bags all packed up just waitin for that call Waitin for the call yeah waitin for the call
2.
4th of July 03:22
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That woman she died on the 4th of July she died on the 4th of July Never got a chance to say goodbye That woman of mine she ain't never comin back that woman, never comin back at least now I know where she's at That woman of mine, she's crazy as can be that woman, crazy as can be lightin up just like a christmas tree That woman of mine, she liked to see me down that woman loved to see me down sometimes I wish that woman's still around That woman of mine, she liked to sing the blues that woman loved to sing the blues when she died that's all she had to lose That woman of mine, she still haunts me all the time that woman haunts me all the time did everything I could to keep my mind That woman of mine she ain't ever comin back that woman, never comin back at least now I know where she's at That woman she died on the 4th of July she died on the 4th of July I never got a chance to say goodbye never got a chance to say goodbye never got a chance to say goodbye
3.
Always Gonna Be Here 04:07
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Sometimes I'm sittin and I get to thinkin that this world, yeah it's too much for me But I get to playin and I remember that this world, yeah it's just right for me You know I'm always gonna be here- happiness or misery Sometimes I'm lonely and no one's out there who can hear my desperate cries at night But I keep on playin Said I remember I'm not alone, there's others with the light You know we're always gonna be here never givin up our fight Sometimes it's crazy and the skies are crying Oh these times, they're coming on too fast But the winds keep changing and we keep on singing becuase our lives, we know they're gonna last You know we're always gonna be here long after all these days have past I said we're always gonna be here long after all these days have past Oh yeah we're always gonna be here long after all these days have past
4.
Reason to Live 04:01
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Give me a reason to live cuz I don't have much to give I've been livin life too fast gotta make it last give me a reason to live Give me a reason to love pray to to the lord up above I've been dealing my own hands and playin one night stands give me a reason to love Give me a reason to die don't wanna break down and cry I've been doing my time since lovin you's a crime give me a reason to die
5.
Dog 04:26
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Well that woman she left me, she done tore me down woman she left me, she done tore me down when I need some lovin she won't dog me around Well that woman got evil runnin through her veins woman got evil, runnin through her veins when she needs some lovin won't see her again I said that woman's got evil runnin through her veins oh that woman, that woman she's got evil runnin through her veins same old song and dance now don't wanna see your face again Well that woman be leavin, middle of the night woman be leavin, middle of the night won't be home till mornin I don't think that's right Well, woman and whiskey, they don't me right woman and whiskey, they don't treat me right both them leave me lonely middle of the night Well that woman's got evil runnin through her veins oh that woman, that woman she's got evil runnin through her veins same and song and dance now don't ever want to hear your name

about

Over the past 3 or 4 years, I've done a nice job weaseling my way into the Brother Jon Band. What started with a few dates sitting in on saxophone has turned into frequent appearances playing horn, singing along, strumming guitars, and hitting drums. It's been a joyful ride- Jon is one of my favorite musicians to play with, and one of the best friends a person can spend time around.

In the last year, we've really doubled down on our collaborations with each other. Jon has joined up with the newly started Frensz Family Band, and the two of us have also started the new duo that we're presenting here, Brother Jon and Frensz. We created and prepared this act for the Minnesota Blues Society's Road to Memphis competition. Every year, the society sends some local artists on a trip for the International Blues Competition. Jon and I figured we'd try our chances.

As our song states, "some of us won't make it, but we do the best we can." We didn't win the contest, but we did enjoy the experience enough to decide to get some recordings of our little set. We arranged 8 microphones in my basement and played our show again. I wanted to capture the same sound and feel of our performance at the competition, so there are no overdubs, just the natural performances.

Working with Jon has been a real pleasure. He wrote 4 of the 5 tunes for this EP. It was a wonderful experience digging into his songs on the intimate level of acoustic instruments and duo performances. The title track is a brand new song written for the competition, while the other 4 have been featured on our CDs. We aimed to get something fresh out of the arrangements on each tune to create variety with comparison to the original recordings. I'm very pleased with the natural and rootsy vibe that has emerged, as I think it highlights the lyrics and songwriting without having the music get in the way too much- something I often struggle with.

We hope you enjoy this first offering from Brother Jon and Frensz, stay tuned for more!

--CF

credits

released September 5, 2022

Jon Rabideaux - Guitars, Vocals, Harmonica
Casey Frensz - Guitar, Vocals, Percussion

Recorded, Mixed, and Mastered at Inner Groove Studios
Minneapolis, MN
Brotherjonband@hotmail.com
Frenszc@gmail.com

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Inner Groove Records Minneapolis, Minnesota

Enjoy these recordings produced in our Nordeast basement!

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