brainwavez.org | Stephen Kellogg And The Sixers: "My Old Man"

Stephen Kellogg And The Sixers: "My Old Man"
From brainwavez.org's Collection Of Music To Note

By: Jase Luttrell on 25 February 2010
Category: Music > Music To Note

"My Old Man" from Stephen Kellogg And The Sixers is a profound song of loss, nostalgia, and disappointment, with a surprising and near-contradictory playfulness that will make you want to have one last word with your old man. We are not responsible for any therapy sessions that may be required, though we will take credit for introducing you to this awesome track.

Boots Factor of Stephen Kellogg And The Sixers

Back in November 2009 I went to see Stephen Kellogg And The Sixers at the Aladdin Theater in Portland, Oregon, in the US, on tour with headliner Tyrone Wells. After an electrifying performance, Stephen Kellogg met fans in the lobby to sign autographs and make new friends, while promoters passed out the business cards to market The Bear, the band's new album.

As part of the promotion people can download "My Old Man" from the album, after signing up for the band's newsletter. I have since signed up for the newsletter (and downloaded the song, just to make sure the process works), and I've yet to hear anything from the band, so there's little risk of a high volume of messages infiltrating your inbox.

"My Old Man" is a playful, short song that teeters on the edges of nostalgia and disappointment, with a subtle tinge of longing for a father. The song comprises two choruses, a long first verse, and a very short second verse. There is no bridge, no outro, and only a very quick instrumental intro. The bulk of the lyrics are in the first verse and they focus on the singer finding notes in the attic written by his father. Stephen Kellogg pines for the advice his father never gave, such as "school will never matter half as much as they say" and "happiness depends on how you handle the day". In the second chorus we learn that the father is dying and is a "page from the history" of the family, which adds to the pensive nature of the song.

The instrumentation of the song has subtle influences of multiple styles of music, least of all rock and blues. The introduction features the harmonica, which is only played during this section. The subtle distortion of the guitars develops the feelings of frustration and loss portrayed by the lyrics and the slide guitar provides the song with a wandering, aimless feel, which is something that is so often prevalent in times of profound loss. With all of this talk of loss and disappointment, you might wonder why I initially described this song as "playful". The answer is simple: the percussion and electric piano provide the track with a bouncing step that moves the song along quickly, almost as if it were written in a rag-time style. Furthermore, the electric piano, with its numerous Blues-style accidentals (especially after the line about school), creates an interesting interplay between the maturity of the lyrics and the developing maturity of the singer.

I highly recommend signing up for the newsletter so that you can download and listen to this song and if you like what you hear (and you will, because we know these things) then purchase The Bear and the other albums from Stephen Kellogg And The Sixers. You won't be disappointed but you may feel a need to call up your old man and see how things are going for him.