The More Things Change/The More They Stay The Same

Episode 9 'Dusty Trails' and an old song becomes new again.

Nov 06, 2024

These days, most of my time is busy working towards a new album. It’s been just over 6 months since we released ‘A Way Through Time’ and the response from that has propelled me into writing another album. Crazy the process it takes from start to finish and sometimes you gotta pull back the arrow a bit to shoot forward.

One of the new songs that I’ve been toiling away on is tentatively called ‘Nothing Lasts Forever’ (insert Gn’R comment here…). Calling it new is a bit of a stretch, I first started working on this song in 2021 and never really got it to a decent spot. So then I took it to good buddy and incredible multi-instrumentalist, Mitch Jay and we spent some time trying to wrestle it down but alas, never found it.

Sometimes you just need to let an idea go…

Originally, as I worked through the melody and arrangement, it seemed to fit into the vein of a classic break-up song...which might be a reason why I never found the so it just never came to be.

Fast forward to a few days ago and it randomly popped into my head and a little time did us good!

As new lyrics were scribbled across the pages of my book, a new theme began to take flight, it became clear.

And stop me if I’ve written this before but ‘Nothing Lasts Forever’ is about embracing the very moment we’re in, together.

Because it doesn’t last forever. We don’t. The moment don’t. We really only get so much time here together.

And it goes by so fast.

With the ever changing chaos, uncertainty of the future and whatever will come our way, it’s best we just find the good stuff and revel in it.

Soon I will share this song and more with The Record Club so don’t stray too far!

And now that brings us to the ninth episode of The Record Club Show with JJ Shiplett.

On this show, I play a song that fully stopped me in my tracks, ‘Dusty Trails’ written by Jessica Wolfe / Holly Laessig of the band, Lucius. It’s an haunting song about that very same journey.

‘I’m halfway to misery

Some say when you go halfway there’s still plenty of time to return

Or am I halfway to heaven here?

Some may say when you go halfway, you only have halfway to go’

It was a winter evening a few years back in my buddy Martens garage/bar, The Bunker. We would gather to watch hockey games, then turn the music up really loud and celebrate. Anything to have some fellowship together.

At one point, Martens and another good pal, Brandon Harris start telling me about this song they’ve gotta show me, right now! And they’re the type of dudes who when they say that, you listen…

A few moments later on the big screen in The Bunker comes a performance of ‘Dusty Trails’ by Lucius. Situated in the middle of the Minnesota State Capitol rotunda are these two ladies, singing in the way Simon And Garfunkel used to - where you don’t know who’s singing the melody and who’s got the harmony. They’re voices just blend together perfectly.

We immediately played it again.

I think I went home and watched it again that night. Showed Rebekah right away.

A few days later, I was singing it every time I picked up my guitar.

(This is another one of those lyric heavy songs so settle in, take it deep and embrace the moment…).

Thanks for joining on this wild journey,

-jj