April 28, 2025 • 61 mins
Get a first listen of my new solo album "Detours" along with some stories behind the songs.
Album is available on the High on Stress Bandcamp page this Friday, May 2nd.
Album is available on the High on Stress Bandcamp page this Friday, May 2nd.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:09):
You are listening to the figure Outs podcast.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
I'm your host, Nick Leet from the band High On
Stress out of Minneapolis, Minnesota, and this is a different episode.
Speaker 1 (00:19):
We do not have a guest today. I'm usually interviewing someone.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
That's super sweet, but today we are going to preview
my new solo record, Detours.
Speaker 1 (00:30):
Which is coming out this Friday, May second.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
It will be available on the band camp to High
End Stress band Camp and it will also have subscens
coming out to those are big manufacturers seeking pre order
of those. They are almost done, so shipping shouldn't be
too far after release.
Speaker 1 (00:48):
And hope you'll check it out. I hope you will
give it a listen and maybe pick up a copy.
Speaker 2 (00:53):
All the support is appreciating on a High on Stress front.
The album continues to be record. We're hoping for a
late twenty twenty five release and that's the official follow
up to twenty twenties Hold Me In and then other
High on Stress news. We are hitting the road Friday
(01:13):
Dope by Led Thursday May first, debukee Iowa at the
Lift Friday May second at Montrose Saloon in Chicago, Illinois
as part of the International Pops Overthrow festival. I was
a good time, great bands, great crowds, and it kind
of rules. And then Saturday we are going to be
(01:33):
playing at the Law Office Lub in Yorkville with the
Strug Center pal Matt Dirda in the Hiowan. So all
kinds of high end stress shenanigans about to kick off
here as well as the solo Detour's elbow soap. Thank
you for your patients. It's been a long long time since.
Speaker 1 (01:52):
We've released the music, and now we've got the solo.
Speaker 2 (01:55):
Record coming out and followed by the high on.
Speaker 1 (01:57):
Stress record as soon as we get that done. So
thank you for your patience through all that. Without further ado,
I bring you.
Speaker 2 (02:07):
Detours.
Speaker 3 (02:35):
He's to the rising sun. Leave me We're alive. Don't
expect too munch plan of my next move inside of.
Speaker 4 (02:47):
My control Biston holder, cold sun coming around the game.
Speaker 3 (03:02):
Let me take you there on the colder stairs back
where we push mean susher for a piece of mind.
We were too young at five, was.
Speaker 2 (03:16):
Trying to get to staxt.
Speaker 5 (03:20):
Cold windside color around again, the.
Speaker 3 (03:29):
Cold windside color around.
Speaker 6 (03:33):
In the way we cut the man into blanket stars.
Speaker 7 (03:49):
In the words shoes shoes could.
Speaker 3 (03:52):
But stand from kid Win noos in the.
Speaker 4 (03:55):
Backs of bars and I'm so whim pressed but attached
to what should think.
Speaker 8 (04:05):
Been next.
Speaker 7 (04:08):
As you dude.
Speaker 1 (04:36):
Cold Wins.
Speaker 2 (04:38):
That is the first song off of Detours. I've got
some guests on that. Kevin Salem is playing guitar. Also
a game of co write on that.
Speaker 1 (04:48):
Quite honestly, like that guitar part that he put on
that thing.
Speaker 2 (04:51):
Come on, I made that song go so big props
to Kevin Salem for playing guitar on that, and uh,
Dan Murphy also played guitar and backing vocals on that.
Dan of Soul Asylum and Golden Smog and his great
new band of Scarlet Goodbye Fame.
Speaker 1 (05:11):
That was quite the honor.
Speaker 2 (05:13):
I'm I've been a big fan of Kevin Salem's work
now for quite a few years. At this point I
was late to the game, but it's I love his albums.
All of them are really good. He's played with a
lot of people as well, like he does a lot
of studio work, Sideman work. He's played with Freddy Johnston,
Yola Tango and he was a Dump Truck and played
(05:36):
with Rachel Yamagatta Masters, the Mike Doughty records.
Speaker 1 (05:40):
Like He's oh and Matthew Ryan. I'm a big Matthew
Ryan guy.
Speaker 2 (05:44):
He actually worked on the Boxers record with Matthew Ryan
and played on one of my favorite Matthew Ryan songs.
And then she threw me like a hand grenade. Check
out that song. It's freaking great. But Kevin Salem like
minded dude. Love the way he views the world. I
love his guitar playing.
Speaker 1 (06:02):
Oh my gosh.
Speaker 2 (06:03):
When he sent me that track, I was like, I
was in Soma City Heaven. And if you're a fan
of Kevin you know that that's his Soma City was
his debut record back in the nineties. He was so
freaking cool, so really cool to have Kevin on this.
Dan contributed as well with guitar and backing vocals.
Speaker 1 (06:21):
He played some super cool stuff.
Speaker 2 (06:24):
He's a great dude, obviously, Minneapolis legend over here in
the Twin Cities, and quite an honor to have him
jump on on the record and lay down some cool
parts and some great backing vocals. So that was Cold
Winds Up next is remember their names. The song doesn't
need much in terms of prepping. It kind of speaks
(06:47):
for itself.
Speaker 9 (07:01):
Wheneverything is said and done, it will still be right
and wrong and.
Speaker 3 (07:09):
Disasters head it's ted.
Speaker 9 (07:14):
Found it on the backs of others against We're finally
showing our cous country that is lost.
Speaker 3 (07:23):
It's weird, we're remade bad name.
Speaker 9 (07:53):
The competing since Nickol's division and blood of boy.
Speaker 10 (08:00):
You know what trade is?
Speaker 3 (08:02):
I was gonna trade.
Speaker 11 (08:06):
When everything stood and ash nothing was built to last.
Speaker 3 (08:13):
Weeding fool the youth do have it's we will remain.
Speaker 12 (08:23):
Name.
Speaker 9 (09:25):
When everything is said and done, there will still be
right and wrong.
Speaker 13 (09:32):
After disaster's head, it's died. After disaster's head. It's after disaster's.
Speaker 3 (09:48):
Head is to how did we get here?
Speaker 9 (10:21):
That slowly roading like the years in our lives and
the bars on the flag.
Speaker 3 (10:32):
We'd like to think we had no way and no one,
But slowly and faster we gave it all.
Speaker 9 (10:58):
You couldn't get ad attack, quel challenge, you can get busy.
Speaker 14 (11:07):
We'll continue to cry, judging people buy the color of
the skim.
Speaker 15 (11:17):
Slowly then faster people.
Speaker 5 (11:22):
Uh time, Maybe we all had it color. It's clear
now as nothing to do.
Speaker 12 (11:43):
With barely.
Speaker 1 (11:47):
We gave it away.
Speaker 3 (11:55):
The only way forward is through.
Speaker 14 (12:26):
Now is the time for decisions. We shake where it's
on fire. We stir our phones because it's hard to
be alone. Slowly then faster.
Speaker 3 (12:49):
Walking.
Speaker 12 (12:52):
While me we are coming.
Speaker 3 (13:05):
It's clear now there's nothing to do with barely word.
We gave him away.
Speaker 16 (13:23):
The only way forward is true, maybe way ouside coming.
Speaker 3 (13:36):
It's clear now there's nothing to do.
Speaker 12 (13:43):
With very word.
Speaker 3 (13:46):
We gave him the only way fo It's true.
Speaker 1 (14:07):
That was remember their names.
Speaker 2 (14:11):
With Jim Sol on backing vocals, followed by slowly then faster,
which also has Jim sol this time on bass guitar.
And then my good friend Andrew Hira, he of Billy
Pilgrim and Smoking Nova's and solo fame. If you've been
following high End Stress for the last handful of years,
you probably have heard me shouting from the rooftops the
(14:34):
magic and wizardry that is Andrew Hyra.
Speaker 1 (14:38):
Andrew was in a band and is in a band
called Billy Pilgrim.
Speaker 2 (14:42):
There were in Atlantic Records in the nineties and my
first band, Standard Thompson. Our first show in Surre, North Dakota,
at our high school. We were playing some three chord
yelling punk rock stuff and we didn't have enough songs,
so singer Mike Jelden and I sat down Who's Now
in Dakota Shakedown. You probably have listened to that episode
(15:02):
of the podcast as well. But we sat down and
did a handful of acoustic songs just to kind of
open for ourselves, to make the show longer. And one
of the songs that we had played was this song.
There was a I think it was called Current Visions
and you could buy the CD at Target and it
was like a record label compilation that had the Jayhawks.
(15:25):
I think Blue was on there, which is amazing. Obviously
the Goo Goo Dolls were on there. I think Reverend
Horton heat. I don't have it in front of.
Speaker 1 (15:33):
Me, but Billy Pilgrim is on there.
Speaker 2 (15:35):
And Mike and I heard sweet Louisiana Sound and we
were both like, the song is really really damn cool.
Speaker 1 (15:42):
So we learned it. We played it at our first
ever show and years later.
Speaker 2 (15:49):
You know, I go down to Ottaw, Illinois to play
shows there often usually solo acoustics style stuff, and my
friend Dave, who runs the Songwriter series, I was telling
me about this this great musician that was coming named
Andrew Hira, and I'm like, okay, yeah, that's cool.
Speaker 1 (16:04):
What's that like?
Speaker 2 (16:04):
And he's like, he was in this band called Billy Pilgrim,
and I was like, wait, wait, wait what? And so
thanks to Dave for making the introduction there. But it's
become kind of a mutual admiration society. Andrew likes the
high end stress stuff and I've obviously loved Andrew's stuff for.
Speaker 1 (16:24):
A very long time. Didn't even realize his name.
Speaker 2 (16:27):
I just knew Billy Pilgrim, and you know, he and
Christian Bush are Billy Pilgrim. Christian Bush went on to
start the country super stardom act Sugarland.
Speaker 1 (16:39):
Also quite a nice guy.
Speaker 2 (16:42):
But Andrew Poultz co wrote never got that far and
saying on it on the last High on Strus record,
hold Me and and around that point we were doing
more and more writing and collaborations, just really having a
good time with it and you know it. Some points
we talked about doing an EP and ended up playing
(17:05):
some shows and Jim and I Jim Soul and I
from Hyan Stress also we went down to Atlanta and
played some shows with Christian and Andrew and Matthew Taylor.
Speaker 1 (17:17):
Who's something you got to check him out to.
Speaker 2 (17:20):
But it's just amazing, amazing, amazing musicianship out of those
two cats tell you what just watching them work on
new songs together face to face, you know, sitting on
the couch with guitars.
Speaker 1 (17:34):
There is some magic to what Andrew and Christian do.
And you can listen to records, you'll be like, these
are great songs, and this is some amazing singing. When
you are in a room with that, it is a
freight train. I can't even describe just the level of
skill emotion. I've heard Andrew described as singing with his
(17:56):
whole his whole body. That is a thing.
Speaker 2 (17:58):
He's just a brilliant, brilliant singer guy, also very like minded,
which I can appreciate these weird times and really glad
to know them. And on that song, slowly than faster,
it's kind of a weird time. You might recall I
live in the Twin Cities and in twenty twenty we
were going through a pandemic. I don't think you've forgotten
(18:21):
that bit, and George Floyd was murdered, which was horrifying
and terrible, and the city was in a loss for words,
to say the least. And the policeman who killed him
is now in jail, and during this time, there were
(18:42):
riots and protests and all sorts of things going on,
and you know, there were tanks going down the street,
and there were people coming into town and raising problems
as well, and it was just a weird time. This song,
the last one you just heard, actually wrote that during
(19:05):
the riots, so I could hear helicopters flying over my
house and all that was going on. My family actually
went out of town just to get away, and I
stayed back and wrote that song while that was going on.
And that's really what that's about. And Andrew played some
amazing stuff. That harmonica on there is fantastic mandolin guitar.
(19:33):
He kind of does it all. So I'm glad I
was finally able to put that one out. That one's
from twenty twenty. Just been kind of sitting on it
and really proud of it. And it kind of came
from a honest and strange place and one that I
definitely won't forget. So that was slowly then faster with
(19:54):
Andrew Hira and Jim Soul. This next one, jeez, I
need a running order in front of me. What kind
of operation is this? Edge of Town is up next?
Also featuring Andrew Hyra doing all those wonderful Andrew Hyra things,
including Ebo.
Speaker 1 (20:13):
This one's called edge of Town.
Speaker 3 (20:29):
Darkness on the edge of town. When you have what
you wanted bonus never enough, then what is.
Speaker 10 (20:37):
Love to is my mind?
Speaker 3 (20:39):
Ain't it funny? All the lies that we tell ourselves.
It's quite on the edge of town can't seem to
pass the storm inside your head.
Speaker 17 (20:58):
You know it's what you chase saying, but it's never
far enough to run yourself.
Speaker 3 (21:14):
The friends you had all been lost, You arth they.
Speaker 18 (21:19):
Were heading a last seen all the dusty road, and
I believe in love truths have the too.
Speaker 3 (21:51):
Darkness on the edge down last two months gone right
before your rise. You never know what is wrong. Nothing
makes sense well to sweet this guy's the friends you've.
Speaker 18 (22:15):
Had have all been lost steal and if they were
here at all, last seeing on the dusty road, be
even long lies that they too. The friends you've had
(23:01):
all been lost, You.
Speaker 12 (23:03):
Arf they were.
Speaker 3 (23:07):
Sea steer road.
Speaker 1 (23:15):
It's edge of Town with Andrew Hira.
Speaker 2 (23:38):
That one was written probably that might have been twenty nineteen,
even twenty nineteen, twenty twenty somewhere in there.
Speaker 1 (23:48):
Later on twenty nineteen, I think, but.
Speaker 2 (23:51):
We live in a weird, divisive time, and that one's
about growing up in a place that does not share
your views and values and slowly watching your old friends
uh kind of branch off and suddenly disappear.
Speaker 1 (24:11):
And you know, as life goes on.
Speaker 2 (24:15):
It's interesting. I think when you're younger, you're really like,
you want to hold on, right, you don't you want
everybody to like it. You want to hold on, and uh,
you know, I think as people we all want that
even later as time goes on. But I think you
start to understand too at times where relationships kind of
run their course. At times, sometimes people are put in
(24:36):
your life during certain times for certain reasons. I truly
believe that. I don't know what that is exactly, but
I I feel that and I've and I've noticed that
throughout my life as well. But yeah, there's there's certain
times where things are just broken. And uh, if you
if you're looking at things completely different from a values
(25:01):
morals standpoint, you know, I wish you nothing but the best,
But I'm gonna I'm gonna go this direction, and and
that song's about that and about other people go in
the other direction on me as well. So uh, that
was Edge of Town. I'm a big fan of that song,
so thanks to Andrew for that. This next one's Jim
(25:21):
Soul unbacking vocals. It's called playing tricks again.
Speaker 3 (25:36):
Maybe someday seeing the world through someone's side.
Speaker 2 (25:47):
Sometimes if heels like key, then Nancy's your heart playing
tricks again.
Speaker 3 (25:57):
Some days are trying to hold onto that old fire.
Speaker 1 (26:08):
Sometimes appeals is good enough, but that's just true.
Speaker 11 (26:12):
You'll call in love, go on to leave.
Speaker 3 (26:23):
When you're making friends with the ghost is what you
fear the most is seeing your.
Speaker 12 (26:34):
Mind gotta leave it all behind.
Speaker 3 (26:51):
Maybe someday I'll understand. Don't you want to impress?
Speaker 12 (26:57):
Don't give a damn.
Speaker 3 (27:01):
Sometimes you feel like giving it, but that's just your
mind laying tricks again.
Speaker 19 (27:12):
Sometimes it seems all so clear, so motionous, keep enough
to fear.
Speaker 2 (27:23):
Sometimes it seems so enriched, but that's just your mind
laying tricks again.
Speaker 3 (27:33):
Gold on to the oath.
Speaker 9 (27:38):
When you're making friends with the ghosts, because once you
fear the most, it's.
Speaker 3 (27:48):
In your mind.
Speaker 2 (27:53):
You gotta leave it all behind.
Speaker 1 (28:19):
Jim Soul, I love me some Jim Soul.
Speaker 2 (28:21):
Who doesn't love some good Jim Soul Jim's been in
High on Stress for most of the band's life. He's
been on every record other than Moonlight Girls. He's been
doing great things. He also does solo stuff. Go check
out his record. You can find it streaming. Jim sol
solo record. He covered one of my songs, one of
(28:42):
my unreleased songs. So thanks Jim.
Speaker 1 (28:44):
That's on there.
Speaker 2 (28:45):
And he even let me play bass on a song.
I didn't even have to strong arm him too much,
but it was an honor to play his record, and
I thank him for playing on this solo Shenanigans. This
next song we're making our way through. I've been thinking
what do I like best? What are the songs that
I like best on this record? Cold Wins is one
(29:06):
of them, which you heard earlier, featuring Kevin Salem and
Dan Murphy.
Speaker 1 (29:09):
Edge of Towns up there for me. This is another
one of them.
Speaker 2 (29:14):
It's called The Valley. It was written in December. A
lot of these songs were written between the some slightly
before Hold Me In came out up until this December.
Speaker 1 (29:24):
And it's.
Speaker 2 (29:27):
I think we've lost something as a society. We've you know,
cheering on death without forgetting what that means. Who's impacted
by death and cheering that on publicly. It Yeah, it's
doesn't sit right with me. I don't love it, and
I just think we are living in those the aforementioned
(29:52):
device of times, and I wish we weren't. It's the
strangest time I've seen. But this song is kind of
about what's going on in the world, people cheering on
death for whatever reason. And I got Dan Murphy on
this one as well. He actually appeared with me. We
played this thing called Morningside after Dark that was put
(30:12):
together by the late great Lorie Linden from Zuzu's Pedals.
I've talked about her on here as well, but she's
from Zuzu's Pedals. She's an author of the book Pedal Pusher.
She sang backing vocals on which this moment gone on
the High End Stress record, which was the first single
on Hold Me In. And she was just a fantastic person,
(30:33):
a great supporter of our band, and which was quite
an honor for us because just just a brilliant person, magnetic,
great person. And she passed away last summer. It's been
a weird ten months, a lot of loss in so
many different ways. But she passed away and there was
(30:53):
a tribute show at Morningside after Dark. It was a
series she put together of writers, poets, singers, like all
sorts of stuff. And last time I played there, I
did wish this moment gone. And she's sang backing with vocals.
This time we were doing a tribute episode, tribute show
(31:16):
of her old morning Side after Dark, and Dan came
up and played guitar on the song with me and
also played it on the record. So this is one
of my favorites and quent honor to have Dan Murphy
had been a fan of Dan since I was literally
in high school. Don't tell him, but I had to
give my Soul Asylum shirt to my son so I
wouldn't accidentally wear it around him. True story, Dan, if
(31:39):
you're listening, I had to give that shirt away. It
would have been too awkward for you to show up.
And I'm wearing this shirt so my son now owns
it to good hands. This next one's called the Valley.
Speaker 3 (32:02):
Everyone has lost their minds. Everyone has so much to
say with words you can't take back. When they leave
the station, then along down the tracks, let it go.
(32:28):
Word just flow down from the Valley.
Speaker 20 (32:31):
Below everyone just finds inne of me realord imagine they cancious.
Let it be, knowing what everybody is. I was thinking,
(32:56):
turn it off, tune it out.
Speaker 3 (32:58):
It's driving. I am to drinking.
Speaker 12 (33:01):
Let it go.
Speaker 3 (33:04):
Versus flow the down from the valley glow? Which way
(33:51):
is the direction? Now? The road is already made? How
do we fix what is broken? How did we get
here in the first place?
Speaker 12 (34:13):
Let it go?
Speaker 17 (34:16):
Words flow down from the valley blow, Let it go,
Urges flow down from.
Speaker 3 (34:31):
The valley glow. Everyone has lost their.
Speaker 21 (34:40):
Mind, walking along, handful of saying, headphones on, trying to
(35:18):
see what I can stand?
Speaker 3 (35:22):
Went through the trees, forgotten cold. It's the longest my.
Speaker 15 (35:32):
On the quietest road, chest fold, the sparse, forgotten name.
Speaker 3 (35:58):
Ain't it just?
Speaker 12 (36:00):
He can me.
Speaker 3 (36:02):
To be somewhere else again? But there is no con
trump this side. No, it's life, slide of hand, trying
to see what we can stand?
Speaker 12 (36:21):
How high is high?
Speaker 3 (36:25):
How?
Speaker 12 (36:28):
How far come? How far can go?
Speaker 3 (36:36):
Same life? Wait? Until far?
Speaker 12 (36:46):
How fuck?
Speaker 7 (37:20):
How high is high?
Speaker 12 (37:24):
Hell is?
Speaker 10 (37:27):
How far have you come?
Speaker 12 (37:31):
How far can we go? Sa? Hi?
Speaker 3 (37:39):
The wind?
Speaker 22 (37:42):
How far have you come?
Speaker 12 (37:45):
How fun can be? One thing.
Speaker 2 (38:54):
That was night walker featuring me playing some weird Phil
Collins keyboards. Yeah, that's right, and.
Speaker 1 (39:05):
My daughter Mary leak Ton backing vocals.
Speaker 2 (39:07):
It's she's a gymnast who sings and then sings more
and then sings even more than that. She's I was singing,
and I put her to work, put her in front
of the mic and said, we need some backing vocals.
Speaker 1 (39:18):
Let's do this.
Speaker 2 (39:20):
Last week, that song actually got radio play in Virginia,
which was kind of cool because that was her first
time on the radio and she was super excited about it,
and so really fun to be able to work with
my daughter on that song and put some Phil Collins
keyboards on it. And also just a note, Henry Leet,
my son, did the album art for this as well,
(39:44):
so it was a family affair. I should have had
my wife play the kazoo. I don't know what I
was thinking. Next time around, she will play the kazoo.
But that was night Walker. Not much to say on
that other than back back when I was a teenager,
I would go for these walks in my small town
(40:05):
from one end to the other. It's about a mile long,
and I've referenced this town in many different ways on
many different songs. If you listen to our music Memorial
Day from like the coplit parade talks about the town,
it shows up a lot as most people who write
songs kind of drawback from where they came from and
(40:26):
where they were raised and things that went on at
that time.
Speaker 1 (40:30):
And so Surrey, North Dakota gets a lot of.
Speaker 2 (40:35):
Love from a songwriting standpoint, and that's what I'm singing
about here.
Speaker 1 (40:43):
But I used to go for these walks.
Speaker 2 (40:44):
I'd put on put on my headphones, get some sunflower
seeds and walk at night from one side of the
town to the other. It's about a mile long, this
entire town, about a thousand people, tiny, tiny place that
I grew up and just have these fond memories of
listening to the music that I loved. And I'm really
(41:07):
thinking of it. What were some of the things I
was listening to back then? Well, first of all, a
lot of podcast guests, to be honest, That's kind of
the beauty of this thing is I've been able to
talk to a lot of these people that I've been
fond of their work for years. But in the headphones
back then, there was a lot of all shout out
to Scott Reynolds there, who is a podcast guest. Knapsack
(41:31):
was being played a lot. Shout out to Blair and
Surgery there. I don't listen that much anymore. It's just
a little too hyper but less than Jake Hell a
rock review album. Not quite my cup of tea these days.
But I think I've got too much going on in
(41:51):
my head to listen to all those horns. But Stephen
Bradley did that record. He was my first guest on
this podcast, so kind of neat. So it all kind
of ties together because these are some of the if
you look back on the guests on the show, a
lot of that's a lot of what I was listening
to on these walks that I would take kind of
(42:12):
by myself in the middle of the night, and I
were talking about it. So that was night Walker featuring
Mary Leet of my daughter Fame. This next one is
also one of my favorites and probably the least like
any song I've ever released. It's called Take two, and
it's called Take two because back in I don't know,
(42:36):
must have been twenty eighteen, twenty nineteen, I started putting
the recording studio together, and I put it together as
a Demo Studio. High End Stress is recorded.
Speaker 1 (42:45):
With a lot of great in a lot of great
studios over the years.
Speaker 2 (42:49):
OBT.
Speaker 1 (42:50):
That was the first three records.
Speaker 2 (42:52):
Moonlight Girls, cop By Parade, and Living Is a Dying
Art were all recorded there. Recorded three my old band
reference Standard Thompson. We did three albums at O'll Bet
back in the day as well with John Tranbury who
was the original High End Stress bass player and played
on Moonlight Curls.
Speaker 1 (43:09):
And then we did.
Speaker 2 (43:11):
Leaving Minneapolis at the Sound Gallery in Minneapolis which is
no longer there sorry, by target Field, scariest fire escape
you'll ever stand on. And then we did Hold Me
In at guitar Player Chad Studio Triple T. And Chad
has become an amazing not only an amazing guitar player
(43:31):
but and friend, hey Chad, but also an amazing recording engineer.
Speaker 1 (43:37):
So he's.
Speaker 2 (43:39):
He recorded Hold Me In, He's recorded a lot of
great stuff, and quite honestly, we're working on this new
High End Stress record, and because I wanted.
Speaker 1 (43:47):
To learn more and more, I've been sitting behind him.
Speaker 2 (43:50):
Awfully close, very very close Chad to watch what he
was doing as he was engineering a high end Stress
record because I wanted to learn. I wanted to get
better at this. So originally it started out is I
don't care it'll sound decent because I've got some decent gear.
Speaker 1 (44:08):
But it's simon on.
Speaker 2 (44:08):
I'm like, I want to get better at this. So
I really shout out to Chad for allowing me to
stare over his shoulder and giving me tips, and really,
you know, he isn't on this record, but his spirit
is there on the recording side, even selling me one
of his microphones.
Speaker 1 (44:29):
So shout out to Chad.
Speaker 2 (44:31):
This next one, take two, is originally one of those
demos that was recorded when I didn't know what I
was doing, and it was kind of weird. It was
an example just kind of a trying it out, sampling
it out and see what I can do with it,
and it ended up kind of cool, and I sat
on it for years, and then Andrew Hira heard it
(44:52):
and really liked it. And it's funny because it sounds
nothing like High on Stress. It sounds nothing like Billy Pilgrim.
But it turned out kind of cool, and I wanted
to get it out because I think it's an interesting song.
So shout out to Andrew on this. He played a
whole bunch of stuff, and this one's called take two.
Speaker 19 (45:13):
Take it from me, Take it from me, because I'm
taking notes that if you want something, you better start
letting me know.
Speaker 3 (45:51):
Call my blood.
Speaker 12 (45:58):
For some.
Speaker 1 (46:22):
And you solf comfort.
Speaker 20 (46:27):
You don't my letting the show. But if I wanted
joey advice, I would let you know.
Speaker 23 (46:41):
Way someone called my blo. I've been way someone to sappen.
Speaker 3 (46:59):
You had a change.
Speaker 7 (47:03):
To give me ground control, but chin had no sweet
Just let it go.
Speaker 8 (47:20):
Skipp me ground control, Skip me ground control.
Speaker 3 (48:09):
I'm not here.
Speaker 4 (48:11):
Smoking around in dusty shoes. Better leave me where I
am just hanging on. I was born to soon running
circles in my room.
Speaker 9 (48:25):
Better leave me where I am just hanging a.
Speaker 12 (48:30):
Curse on.
Speaker 1 (48:33):
Swe freeze.
Speaker 12 (48:35):
I'm gone.
Speaker 3 (49:02):
Lost one slowly road, feeling you no longer hole. I
guess it's won't bring you back home.
Speaker 6 (49:12):
Feeling someone lucky the cold diamond Kentucky with.
Speaker 12 (49:17):
My on five.
Speaker 3 (49:22):
It's slowly the wild.
Speaker 11 (49:33):
The fact as snow knows me like to the fact
its snow, one knows me lack to.
Speaker 3 (49:54):
You're the only one that's made it clear. Good time
has come back, gone and June no longer.
Speaker 1 (50:38):
Not Here to Lose, not Here to Lose.
Speaker 2 (50:43):
It's it's I've been I've been writing songs for a
really long time, and uh, I have a tendency to
go towards the first person and what I'm experiencing at
a given point, and I still do that.
Speaker 1 (50:57):
I also report what I see and.
Speaker 2 (51:01):
Then sometimes in the case of this, this is more
and less about me and more about.
Speaker 1 (51:08):
What I'm observing with other people.
Speaker 2 (51:10):
So don't worry about me on this one, ladies and gentlemen.
But this song is called not Here to Lose, and
where that came from from a song standpoint, it's not
about the situation specifically. But Jeffrey Brower, he's a He's
a High End Stress fan out of Atlanta, Georgia, and
posts videos of himself playing guitar and his porch playing Dakota,
(51:35):
the High on Stress song. So I love that and
he should keep doing that because it always makes me smile.
But he came out to see Jim and I play
when we went down to Atlanta for that Duoh show
along with with Andrew Hyra and Christian Bush from Billy Pilgrim,
and he was at those shows or one of the shows,
and he was going through it last year. He had
(51:56):
some family stuff going on that was pretty rough, and
he was kind of reporting on it social media wise,
and he always said, not here to lose, We're not
here to lose, as they were fighting through some things.
And I was inspired by that to write a song
because I love that not here to lose. I've it's
been a weird year, to say the least. I've I've
(52:17):
lost five friends, and not not due to politics well
that too, but lost five friends who passed on since
she's I think July, and I can't say that's ever
been the case of my life up until this point.
And I'm sure as time goes on it happens more
(52:37):
and more and more because that's what happens. But kind
of hard to take. Lost my job last year too,
right around when all this started to happen, just due
to weird economies that seem to be getting weirder? Am
I right?
Speaker 1 (52:50):
Who's with me?
Speaker 12 (52:52):
Jesus?
Speaker 18 (52:54):
Well?
Speaker 1 (52:54):
Weird times it was.
Speaker 2 (52:55):
It was not good and uh, and this record has
really helped a lot with that. I spent a lot
of time last summer writing and adding and redoing vocals
and remixing and all sorts of stuff, and it really
taught me. It really taught me to focus and be
(53:17):
able to do things on your own. I think is key.
And if you think he can't do something, see if
he can do it. I never thought I would be
able to put a record together that I recorded on
my own with some guests. Of course, we've the guests
who appeared did some recording and engineering too, but a
majority of the record is recorded at my studio that.
Speaker 1 (53:40):
I learned how to use.
Speaker 2 (53:43):
Finally, and.
Speaker 1 (53:46):
Weird here, Weird Year for everybody. Weird Year. Shout out.
Speaker 2 (53:52):
Shout out to my friend down there at Atlanta. He
bought me a piece of pizza the next day after
the show too, So forever friends. Anybody who buys me
a slice pizza if I'm in town, we're friends of forever.
Speaking of friends forever. On that track, Brent Brann appears.
I've known Brent since I was fifteen years old. He
was the guy who would be like, your band needs
(54:13):
to record, your band needs an album, your band needs
a music video, your band needs to move to Minneapolis.
He's the biggest supporter non related in my life since
I was fifteen years old and I say non related,
but in reality we are related. I've told him we
are family at this point, and he stuck with me
and he appears on a piano and organ on that
(54:36):
song and did a great job and recorded some songs
on guitar and bass on some of his records. We've
worked on some songs recently.
Speaker 1 (54:47):
I hope to do more. I love that guy.
Speaker 2 (54:50):
He's one of my favorite people ever and it's cool
that he's on this And the song got played on
the radio the other day, So shout out to Brent,
Shout out to the radio. I hope more people will
spin the record and yeah and infinale. We've got one
more song left that I'm going to tee up here.
(55:11):
But thank you for listening to this. Hope you'll like
the record, Hope you'll pick it up. Shout out to
my bandmates Jim soul, Mark Deverage and Chad Wheeling for
the support here. We'll work on that high on Stress record.
And I appreciate the fact that they they gave me
some room to explore this space. I know that you
always hear those band stories of like no side projects,
no nothing. We don't operate like that. Jim's got a
(55:33):
solo records that he does, Chad Records bands, Marks in
five bands here in Minneapolis. I think we're probably the
Count of Five. And you know, no hard feelings by anybody,
and that's cool, and I appreciate their support through this
because this was definitely a project to keep me on
the path through all the weird shit that happened last year.
(55:54):
So this last song once again brings us back to
certain North Dakota and it's called Goodbye Gravel Roads.
Speaker 1 (56:03):
And I co wrote this with Andrew.
Speaker 2 (56:07):
I wrote the main guitar part in like the first verse,
and I think chorus must have been right around the
same time I wrote gold Star on Moonlight Girls, our
first High on Stress record, And this was also written
around the time of Dakota, which was on Hold Me.
And so some of these songs have just kind of
made their way back and are released. And I never
(56:27):
finished this one. I just had that verse and chorus
had kind of the weird guitar part, and I sent
it to Andrew. This was probably twenty nineteen as well,
and said, can you do anything with this because I've
got this part and this part and then maybe this
part go at it and I was in San Francisco,
and I said a hotel room in San Francisco, and
(56:48):
I got a text from him that says, check your email,
and I checked it, and holy shit, dude ran with
it in the best possible ways and it sounds really cool.
He had his friend Steve Fontaine contribute as well, did
bass and programming stuff, and he mixed U when I
mix the record, but he mixed this song specifically, So
(57:10):
cred to Steve out in Palm Desert, California. Steve has
worked with Andrew a lot on his solo stuff, production
wise and playing on it. And he's also done remixes
for David Bowie, Aerosmith, Madonna, and Kesha and a whole
bunch of other people, which is kind of awesomely weird.
(57:34):
So way on the bottom of his resume, if you
look with a magnifying glass, you will see Nick Lee Detours.
Thank you, Steve, and this is the last track on
the record. It's coming out next Friday on band camp.
You can download it. You can check it out. CD
is coming soon limited runs. You can do pre orders
of CDs. I would love it if you'd buy a
(57:54):
physical copy because my son Henry did the artwork. Come on, man,
you gotta support the kid. Come on, what are you
thinking anyway? Thank you for listening to this episode of
the Figure Eights podcast where we did a little uh
listening for the new solo album Detours. This is the
last track, Goodbye gravel Roads.
Speaker 9 (58:21):
Forget the feeling you were born in the wrong place
on these old dusty roads. Road mad Bess, leave me.
Speaker 3 (58:32):
Away from this disgrace to a new zip code. I've
been always so long, Just wanna again. I'm gone, goodbye
gravel rope.
Speaker 10 (58:50):
So now fin and myself I didn't live, man again
on the lost side town sliding now.
Speaker 12 (59:13):
With down.
Speaker 10 (59:17):
I've been away so long, just one lookin.
Speaker 3 (59:23):
I'm gone, good bye gravel Roots.
Speaker 24 (59:44):
I'm out there on the edge of it now, out
there with the distant storm clouds.
Speaker 10 (59:53):
Were lighting and Bazin's way to the ground. I'm out
there on the edge of it now.
Speaker 12 (01:00:04):
They're on the.
Speaker 16 (01:00:05):
Edge of it now, and they're with the distance of
clouds were lightning.
Speaker 24 (01:00:13):
It finds us way in the ground. I'm out there
on the edge of it now. They're on the edge
of it now.
Speaker 22 (01:00:29):
And every day waking up trying to keep your head up,
let's low things down, the grounding in your coffee cup,
trying to keep from giving up in.
Speaker 3 (01:00:44):
This post office town. All along you chase these grad
little room.
Speaker 12 (01:01:03):
Haunting.
Speaker 10 (01:01:03):
They're on the edge of it now, they're on the.
Speaker 3 (01:01:11):
Humping down, on.
Speaker 12 (01:01:15):
The show it.
Speaker 3 (01:01:22):
Now forget the feeling you were born in the wrong place. Home,
these old dusty roads,
You are listening to the figure Outs podcast.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
I'm your host, Nick Leet from the band High On
Stress out of Minneapolis, Minnesota, and this is a different episode.
Speaker 1 (00:19):
We do not have a guest today. I'm usually interviewing someone.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
That's super sweet, but today we are going to preview
my new solo record, Detours.
Speaker 1 (00:30):
Which is coming out this Friday, May second.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
It will be available on the band camp to High
End Stress band Camp and it will also have subscens
coming out to those are big manufacturers seeking pre order
of those. They are almost done, so shipping shouldn't be
too far after release.
Speaker 1 (00:48):
And hope you'll check it out. I hope you will
give it a listen and maybe pick up a copy.
Speaker 2 (00:53):
All the support is appreciating on a High on Stress front.
The album continues to be record. We're hoping for a
late twenty twenty five release and that's the official follow
up to twenty twenties Hold Me In and then other
High on Stress news. We are hitting the road Friday
(01:13):
Dope by Led Thursday May first, debukee Iowa at the
Lift Friday May second at Montrose Saloon in Chicago, Illinois
as part of the International Pops Overthrow festival. I was
a good time, great bands, great crowds, and it kind
of rules. And then Saturday we are going to be
(01:33):
playing at the Law Office Lub in Yorkville with the
Strug Center pal Matt Dirda in the Hiowan. So all
kinds of high end stress shenanigans about to kick off
here as well as the solo Detour's elbow soap. Thank
you for your patients. It's been a long long time since.
Speaker 1 (01:52):
We've released the music, and now we've got the solo.
Speaker 2 (01:55):
Record coming out and followed by the high on.
Speaker 1 (01:57):
Stress record as soon as we get that done. So
thank you for your patience through all that. Without further ado,
I bring you.
Speaker 2 (02:07):
Detours.
Speaker 3 (02:35):
He's to the rising sun. Leave me We're alive. Don't
expect too munch plan of my next move inside of.
Speaker 4 (02:47):
My control Biston holder, cold sun coming around the game.
Speaker 3 (03:02):
Let me take you there on the colder stairs back
where we push mean susher for a piece of mind.
We were too young at five, was.
Speaker 2 (03:16):
Trying to get to staxt.
Speaker 5 (03:20):
Cold windside color around again, the.
Speaker 3 (03:29):
Cold windside color around.
Speaker 6 (03:33):
In the way we cut the man into blanket stars.
Speaker 7 (03:49):
In the words shoes shoes could.
Speaker 3 (03:52):
But stand from kid Win noos in the.
Speaker 4 (03:55):
Backs of bars and I'm so whim pressed but attached
to what should think.
Speaker 8 (04:05):
Been next.
Speaker 7 (04:08):
As you dude.
Speaker 1 (04:36):
Cold Wins.
Speaker 2 (04:38):
That is the first song off of Detours. I've got
some guests on that. Kevin Salem is playing guitar. Also
a game of co write on that.
Speaker 1 (04:48):
Quite honestly, like that guitar part that he put on
that thing.
Speaker 2 (04:51):
Come on, I made that song go so big props
to Kevin Salem for playing guitar on that, and uh,
Dan Murphy also played guitar and backing vocals on that.
Dan of Soul Asylum and Golden Smog and his great
new band of Scarlet Goodbye Fame.
Speaker 1 (05:11):
That was quite the honor.
Speaker 2 (05:13):
I'm I've been a big fan of Kevin Salem's work
now for quite a few years. At this point I
was late to the game, but it's I love his albums.
All of them are really good. He's played with a
lot of people as well, like he does a lot
of studio work, Sideman work. He's played with Freddy Johnston,
Yola Tango and he was a Dump Truck and played
(05:36):
with Rachel Yamagatta Masters, the Mike Doughty records.
Speaker 1 (05:40):
Like He's oh and Matthew Ryan. I'm a big Matthew
Ryan guy.
Speaker 2 (05:44):
He actually worked on the Boxers record with Matthew Ryan
and played on one of my favorite Matthew Ryan songs.
And then she threw me like a hand grenade. Check
out that song. It's freaking great. But Kevin Salem like
minded dude. Love the way he views the world. I
love his guitar playing.
Speaker 1 (06:02):
Oh my gosh.
Speaker 2 (06:03):
When he sent me that track, I was like, I
was in Soma City Heaven. And if you're a fan
of Kevin you know that that's his Soma City was
his debut record back in the nineties. He was so
freaking cool, so really cool to have Kevin on this.
Dan contributed as well with guitar and backing vocals.
Speaker 1 (06:21):
He played some super cool stuff.
Speaker 2 (06:24):
He's a great dude, obviously, Minneapolis legend over here in
the Twin Cities, and quite an honor to have him
jump on on the record and lay down some cool
parts and some great backing vocals. So that was Cold
Winds Up next is remember their names. The song doesn't
need much in terms of prepping. It kind of speaks
(06:47):
for itself.
Speaker 9 (07:01):
Wheneverything is said and done, it will still be right
and wrong and.
Speaker 3 (07:09):
Disasters head it's ted.
Speaker 9 (07:14):
Found it on the backs of others against We're finally
showing our cous country that is lost.
Speaker 3 (07:23):
It's weird, we're remade bad name.
Speaker 9 (07:53):
The competing since Nickol's division and blood of boy.
Speaker 10 (08:00):
You know what trade is?
Speaker 3 (08:02):
I was gonna trade.
Speaker 11 (08:06):
When everything stood and ash nothing was built to last.
Speaker 3 (08:13):
Weeding fool the youth do have it's we will remain.
Speaker 12 (08:23):
Name.
Speaker 9 (09:25):
When everything is said and done, there will still be
right and wrong.
Speaker 13 (09:32):
After disaster's head, it's died. After disaster's head. It's after disaster's.
Speaker 3 (09:48):
Head is to how did we get here?
Speaker 9 (10:21):
That slowly roading like the years in our lives and
the bars on the flag.
Speaker 3 (10:32):
We'd like to think we had no way and no one,
But slowly and faster we gave it all.
Speaker 9 (10:58):
You couldn't get ad attack, quel challenge, you can get busy.
Speaker 14 (11:07):
We'll continue to cry, judging people buy the color of
the skim.
Speaker 15 (11:17):
Slowly then faster people.
Speaker 5 (11:22):
Uh time, Maybe we all had it color. It's clear
now as nothing to do.
Speaker 12 (11:43):
With barely.
Speaker 1 (11:47):
We gave it away.
Speaker 3 (11:55):
The only way forward is through.
Speaker 14 (12:26):
Now is the time for decisions. We shake where it's
on fire. We stir our phones because it's hard to
be alone. Slowly then faster.
Speaker 3 (12:49):
Walking.
Speaker 12 (12:52):
While me we are coming.
Speaker 3 (13:05):
It's clear now there's nothing to do with barely word.
We gave him away.
Speaker 16 (13:23):
The only way forward is true, maybe way ouside coming.
Speaker 3 (13:36):
It's clear now there's nothing to do.
Speaker 12 (13:43):
With very word.
Speaker 3 (13:46):
We gave him the only way fo It's true.
Speaker 1 (14:07):
That was remember their names.
Speaker 2 (14:11):
With Jim Sol on backing vocals, followed by slowly then faster,
which also has Jim sol this time on bass guitar.
And then my good friend Andrew Hira, he of Billy
Pilgrim and Smoking Nova's and solo fame. If you've been
following high End Stress for the last handful of years,
you probably have heard me shouting from the rooftops the
(14:34):
magic and wizardry that is Andrew Hyra.
Speaker 1 (14:38):
Andrew was in a band and is in a band
called Billy Pilgrim.
Speaker 2 (14:42):
There were in Atlantic Records in the nineties and my
first band, Standard Thompson. Our first show in Surre, North Dakota,
at our high school. We were playing some three chord
yelling punk rock stuff and we didn't have enough songs,
so singer Mike Jelden and I sat down Who's Now
in Dakota Shakedown. You probably have listened to that episode
(15:02):
of the podcast as well. But we sat down and
did a handful of acoustic songs just to kind of
open for ourselves, to make the show longer. And one
of the songs that we had played was this song.
There was a I think it was called Current Visions
and you could buy the CD at Target and it
was like a record label compilation that had the Jayhawks.
(15:25):
I think Blue was on there, which is amazing. Obviously
the Goo Goo Dolls were on there. I think Reverend
Horton heat. I don't have it in front of.
Speaker 1 (15:33):
Me, but Billy Pilgrim is on there.
Speaker 2 (15:35):
And Mike and I heard sweet Louisiana Sound and we
were both like, the song is really really damn cool.
Speaker 1 (15:42):
So we learned it. We played it at our first
ever show and years later.
Speaker 2 (15:49):
You know, I go down to Ottaw, Illinois to play
shows there often usually solo acoustics style stuff, and my
friend Dave, who runs the Songwriter series, I was telling
me about this this great musician that was coming named
Andrew Hira, and I'm like, okay, yeah, that's cool.
Speaker 1 (16:04):
What's that like?
Speaker 2 (16:04):
And he's like, he was in this band called Billy Pilgrim,
and I was like, wait, wait, wait what? And so
thanks to Dave for making the introduction there. But it's
become kind of a mutual admiration society. Andrew likes the
high end stress stuff and I've obviously loved Andrew's stuff for.
Speaker 1 (16:24):
A very long time. Didn't even realize his name.
Speaker 2 (16:27):
I just knew Billy Pilgrim, and you know, he and
Christian Bush are Billy Pilgrim. Christian Bush went on to
start the country super stardom act Sugarland.
Speaker 1 (16:39):
Also quite a nice guy.
Speaker 2 (16:42):
But Andrew Poultz co wrote never got that far and
saying on it on the last High on Strus record,
hold Me and and around that point we were doing
more and more writing and collaborations, just really having a
good time with it and you know it. Some points
we talked about doing an EP and ended up playing
(17:05):
some shows and Jim and I Jim Soul and I
from Hyan Stress also we went down to Atlanta and
played some shows with Christian and Andrew and Matthew Taylor.
Speaker 1 (17:17):
Who's something you got to check him out to.
Speaker 2 (17:20):
But it's just amazing, amazing, amazing musicianship out of those
two cats tell you what just watching them work on
new songs together face to face, you know, sitting on
the couch with guitars.
Speaker 1 (17:34):
There is some magic to what Andrew and Christian do.
And you can listen to records, you'll be like, these
are great songs, and this is some amazing singing. When
you are in a room with that, it is a
freight train. I can't even describe just the level of
skill emotion. I've heard Andrew described as singing with his
(17:56):
whole his whole body. That is a thing.
Speaker 2 (17:58):
He's just a brilliant, brilliant singer guy, also very like minded,
which I can appreciate these weird times and really glad
to know them. And on that song, slowly than faster,
it's kind of a weird time. You might recall I
live in the Twin Cities and in twenty twenty we
were going through a pandemic. I don't think you've forgotten
(18:21):
that bit, and George Floyd was murdered, which was horrifying
and terrible, and the city was in a loss for words,
to say the least. And the policeman who killed him
is now in jail, and during this time, there were
(18:42):
riots and protests and all sorts of things going on,
and you know, there were tanks going down the street,
and there were people coming into town and raising problems
as well, and it was just a weird time. This song,
the last one you just heard, actually wrote that during
(19:05):
the riots, so I could hear helicopters flying over my
house and all that was going on. My family actually
went out of town just to get away, and I
stayed back and wrote that song while that was going on.
And that's really what that's about. And Andrew played some
amazing stuff. That harmonica on there is fantastic mandolin guitar.
(19:33):
He kind of does it all. So I'm glad I
was finally able to put that one out. That one's
from twenty twenty. Just been kind of sitting on it
and really proud of it. And it kind of came
from a honest and strange place and one that I
definitely won't forget. So that was slowly then faster with
(19:54):
Andrew Hira and Jim Soul. This next one, jeez, I
need a running order in front of me. What kind
of operation is this? Edge of Town is up next?
Also featuring Andrew Hyra doing all those wonderful Andrew Hyra things,
including Ebo.
Speaker 1 (20:13):
This one's called edge of Town.
Speaker 3 (20:29):
Darkness on the edge of town. When you have what
you wanted bonus never enough, then what is.
Speaker 10 (20:37):
Love to is my mind?
Speaker 3 (20:39):
Ain't it funny? All the lies that we tell ourselves.
It's quite on the edge of town can't seem to
pass the storm inside your head.
Speaker 17 (20:58):
You know it's what you chase saying, but it's never
far enough to run yourself.
Speaker 3 (21:14):
The friends you had all been lost, You arth they.
Speaker 18 (21:19):
Were heading a last seen all the dusty road, and
I believe in love truths have the too.
Speaker 3 (21:51):
Darkness on the edge down last two months gone right
before your rise. You never know what is wrong. Nothing
makes sense well to sweet this guy's the friends you've.
Speaker 18 (22:15):
Had have all been lost steal and if they were
here at all, last seeing on the dusty road, be
even long lies that they too. The friends you've had
(23:01):
all been lost, You.
Speaker 12 (23:03):
Arf they were.
Speaker 3 (23:07):
Sea steer road.
Speaker 1 (23:15):
It's edge of Town with Andrew Hira.
Speaker 2 (23:38):
That one was written probably that might have been twenty nineteen,
even twenty nineteen, twenty twenty somewhere in there.
Speaker 1 (23:48):
Later on twenty nineteen, I think, but.
Speaker 2 (23:51):
We live in a weird, divisive time, and that one's
about growing up in a place that does not share
your views and values and slowly watching your old friends
uh kind of branch off and suddenly disappear.
Speaker 1 (24:11):
And you know, as life goes on.
Speaker 2 (24:15):
It's interesting. I think when you're younger, you're really like,
you want to hold on, right, you don't you want
everybody to like it. You want to hold on, and uh,
you know, I think as people we all want that
even later as time goes on. But I think you
start to understand too at times where relationships kind of
run their course. At times, sometimes people are put in
(24:36):
your life during certain times for certain reasons. I truly
believe that. I don't know what that is exactly, but
I I feel that and I've and I've noticed that
throughout my life as well. But yeah, there's there's certain
times where things are just broken. And uh, if you
if you're looking at things completely different from a values
(25:01):
morals standpoint, you know, I wish you nothing but the best,
But I'm gonna I'm gonna go this direction, and and
that song's about that and about other people go in
the other direction on me as well. So uh, that
was Edge of Town. I'm a big fan of that song,
so thanks to Andrew for that. This next one's Jim
(25:21):
Soul unbacking vocals. It's called playing tricks again.
Speaker 3 (25:36):
Maybe someday seeing the world through someone's side.
Speaker 2 (25:47):
Sometimes if heels like key, then Nancy's your heart playing
tricks again.
Speaker 3 (25:57):
Some days are trying to hold onto that old fire.
Speaker 1 (26:08):
Sometimes appeals is good enough, but that's just true.
Speaker 11 (26:12):
You'll call in love, go on to leave.
Speaker 3 (26:23):
When you're making friends with the ghost is what you
fear the most is seeing your.
Speaker 12 (26:34):
Mind gotta leave it all behind.
Speaker 3 (26:51):
Maybe someday I'll understand. Don't you want to impress?
Speaker 12 (26:57):
Don't give a damn.
Speaker 3 (27:01):
Sometimes you feel like giving it, but that's just your
mind laying tricks again.
Speaker 19 (27:12):
Sometimes it seems all so clear, so motionous, keep enough
to fear.
Speaker 2 (27:23):
Sometimes it seems so enriched, but that's just your mind
laying tricks again.
Speaker 3 (27:33):
Gold on to the oath.
Speaker 9 (27:38):
When you're making friends with the ghosts, because once you
fear the most, it's.
Speaker 3 (27:48):
In your mind.
Speaker 2 (27:53):
You gotta leave it all behind.
Speaker 1 (28:19):
Jim Soul, I love me some Jim Soul.
Speaker 2 (28:21):
Who doesn't love some good Jim Soul Jim's been in
High on Stress for most of the band's life. He's
been on every record other than Moonlight Girls. He's been
doing great things. He also does solo stuff. Go check
out his record. You can find it streaming. Jim sol
solo record. He covered one of my songs, one of
(28:42):
my unreleased songs. So thanks Jim.
Speaker 1 (28:44):
That's on there.
Speaker 2 (28:45):
And he even let me play bass on a song.
I didn't even have to strong arm him too much,
but it was an honor to play his record, and
I thank him for playing on this solo Shenanigans. This
next song we're making our way through. I've been thinking
what do I like best? What are the songs that
I like best on this record? Cold Wins is one
(29:06):
of them, which you heard earlier, featuring Kevin Salem and
Dan Murphy.
Speaker 1 (29:09):
Edge of Towns up there for me. This is another
one of them.
Speaker 2 (29:14):
It's called The Valley. It was written in December. A
lot of these songs were written between the some slightly
before Hold Me In came out up until this December.
Speaker 1 (29:24):
And it's.
Speaker 2 (29:27):
I think we've lost something as a society. We've you know,
cheering on death without forgetting what that means. Who's impacted
by death and cheering that on publicly. It Yeah, it's
doesn't sit right with me. I don't love it, and
I just think we are living in those the aforementioned
(29:52):
device of times, and I wish we weren't. It's the
strangest time I've seen. But this song is kind of
about what's going on in the world, people cheering on
death for whatever reason. And I got Dan Murphy on
this one as well. He actually appeared with me. We
played this thing called Morningside after Dark that was put
(30:12):
together by the late great Lorie Linden from Zuzu's Pedals.
I've talked about her on here as well, but she's
from Zuzu's Pedals. She's an author of the book Pedal Pusher.
She sang backing vocals on which this moment gone on
the High End Stress record, which was the first single
on Hold Me In. And she was just a fantastic person,
(30:33):
a great supporter of our band, and which was quite
an honor for us because just just a brilliant person, magnetic,
great person. And she passed away last summer. It's been
a weird ten months, a lot of loss in so
many different ways. But she passed away and there was
(30:53):
a tribute show at Morningside after Dark. It was a
series she put together of writers, poets, singers, like all
sorts of stuff. And last time I played there, I
did wish this moment gone. And she's sang backing with vocals.
This time we were doing a tribute episode, tribute show
(31:16):
of her old morning Side after Dark, and Dan came
up and played guitar on the song with me and
also played it on the record. So this is one
of my favorites and quent honor to have Dan Murphy
had been a fan of Dan since I was literally
in high school. Don't tell him, but I had to
give my Soul Asylum shirt to my son so I
wouldn't accidentally wear it around him. True story, Dan, if
(31:39):
you're listening, I had to give that shirt away. It
would have been too awkward for you to show up.
And I'm wearing this shirt so my son now owns
it to good hands. This next one's called the Valley.
Speaker 3 (32:02):
Everyone has lost their minds. Everyone has so much to
say with words you can't take back. When they leave
the station, then along down the tracks, let it go.
(32:28):
Word just flow down from the Valley.
Speaker 20 (32:31):
Below everyone just finds inne of me realord imagine they cancious.
Let it be, knowing what everybody is. I was thinking,
(32:56):
turn it off, tune it out.
Speaker 3 (32:58):
It's driving. I am to drinking.
Speaker 12 (33:01):
Let it go.
Speaker 3 (33:04):
Versus flow the down from the valley glow? Which way
(33:51):
is the direction? Now? The road is already made? How
do we fix what is broken? How did we get
here in the first place?
Speaker 12 (34:13):
Let it go?
Speaker 17 (34:16):
Words flow down from the valley blow, Let it go,
Urges flow down from.
Speaker 3 (34:31):
The valley glow. Everyone has lost their.
Speaker 21 (34:40):
Mind, walking along, handful of saying, headphones on, trying to
(35:18):
see what I can stand?
Speaker 3 (35:22):
Went through the trees, forgotten cold. It's the longest my.
Speaker 15 (35:32):
On the quietest road, chest fold, the sparse, forgotten name.
Speaker 3 (35:58):
Ain't it just?
Speaker 12 (36:00):
He can me.
Speaker 3 (36:02):
To be somewhere else again? But there is no con
trump this side. No, it's life, slide of hand, trying
to see what we can stand?
Speaker 12 (36:21):
How high is high?
Speaker 3 (36:25):
How?
Speaker 12 (36:28):
How far come? How far can go?
Speaker 3 (36:36):
Same life? Wait? Until far?
Speaker 12 (36:46):
How fuck?
Speaker 7 (37:20):
How high is high?
Speaker 12 (37:24):
Hell is?
Speaker 10 (37:27):
How far have you come?
Speaker 12 (37:31):
How far can we go? Sa? Hi?
Speaker 3 (37:39):
The wind?
Speaker 22 (37:42):
How far have you come?
Speaker 12 (37:45):
How fun can be? One thing.
Speaker 2 (38:54):
That was night walker featuring me playing some weird Phil
Collins keyboards. Yeah, that's right, and.
Speaker 1 (39:05):
My daughter Mary leak Ton backing vocals.
Speaker 2 (39:07):
It's she's a gymnast who sings and then sings more
and then sings even more than that. She's I was singing,
and I put her to work, put her in front
of the mic and said, we need some backing vocals.
Speaker 1 (39:18):
Let's do this.
Speaker 2 (39:20):
Last week, that song actually got radio play in Virginia,
which was kind of cool because that was her first
time on the radio and she was super excited about it,
and so really fun to be able to work with
my daughter on that song and put some Phil Collins
keyboards on it. And also just a note, Henry Leet,
my son, did the album art for this as well,
(39:44):
so it was a family affair. I should have had
my wife play the kazoo. I don't know what I
was thinking. Next time around, she will play the kazoo.
But that was night Walker. Not much to say on
that other than back back when I was a teenager,
I would go for these walks in my small town
(40:05):
from one end to the other. It's about a mile long,
and I've referenced this town in many different ways on
many different songs. If you listen to our music Memorial
Day from like the coplit parade talks about the town,
it shows up a lot as most people who write
songs kind of drawback from where they came from and
(40:26):
where they were raised and things that went on at
that time.
Speaker 1 (40:30):
And so Surrey, North Dakota gets a lot of.
Speaker 2 (40:35):
Love from a songwriting standpoint, and that's what I'm singing
about here.
Speaker 1 (40:43):
But I used to go for these walks.
Speaker 2 (40:44):
I'd put on put on my headphones, get some sunflower
seeds and walk at night from one side of the
town to the other. It's about a mile long, this
entire town, about a thousand people, tiny, tiny place that
I grew up and just have these fond memories of
listening to the music that I loved. And I'm really
(41:07):
thinking of it. What were some of the things I
was listening to back then? Well, first of all, a
lot of podcast guests, to be honest, That's kind of
the beauty of this thing is I've been able to
talk to a lot of these people that I've been
fond of their work for years. But in the headphones
back then, there was a lot of all shout out
to Scott Reynolds there, who is a podcast guest. Knapsack
(41:31):
was being played a lot. Shout out to Blair and
Surgery there. I don't listen that much anymore. It's just
a little too hyper but less than Jake Hell a
rock review album. Not quite my cup of tea these days.
But I think I've got too much going on in
(41:51):
my head to listen to all those horns. But Stephen
Bradley did that record. He was my first guest on
this podcast, so kind of neat. So it all kind
of ties together because these are some of the if
you look back on the guests on the show, a
lot of that's a lot of what I was listening
to on these walks that I would take kind of
(42:12):
by myself in the middle of the night, and I
were talking about it. So that was night Walker featuring
Mary Leet of my daughter Fame. This next one is
also one of my favorites and probably the least like
any song I've ever released. It's called Take two, and
it's called Take two because back in I don't know,
(42:36):
must have been twenty eighteen, twenty nineteen, I started putting
the recording studio together, and I put it together as
a Demo Studio. High End Stress is recorded.
Speaker 1 (42:45):
With a lot of great in a lot of great
studios over the years.
Speaker 2 (42:49):
OBT.
Speaker 1 (42:50):
That was the first three records.
Speaker 2 (42:52):
Moonlight Girls, cop By Parade, and Living Is a Dying
Art were all recorded there. Recorded three my old band
reference Standard Thompson. We did three albums at O'll Bet
back in the day as well with John Tranbury who
was the original High End Stress bass player and played
on Moonlight Curls.
Speaker 1 (43:09):
And then we did.
Speaker 2 (43:11):
Leaving Minneapolis at the Sound Gallery in Minneapolis which is
no longer there sorry, by target Field, scariest fire escape
you'll ever stand on. And then we did Hold Me
In at guitar Player Chad Studio Triple T. And Chad
has become an amazing not only an amazing guitar player
(43:31):
but and friend, hey Chad, but also an amazing recording engineer.
Speaker 1 (43:37):
So he's.
Speaker 2 (43:39):
He recorded Hold Me In, He's recorded a lot of
great stuff, and quite honestly, we're working on this new
High End Stress record, and because I wanted.
Speaker 1 (43:47):
To learn more and more, I've been sitting behind him.
Speaker 2 (43:50):
Awfully close, very very close Chad to watch what he
was doing as he was engineering a high end Stress
record because I wanted to learn. I wanted to get
better at this. So originally it started out is I
don't care it'll sound decent because I've got some decent gear.
Speaker 1 (44:08):
But it's simon on.
Speaker 2 (44:08):
I'm like, I want to get better at this. So
I really shout out to Chad for allowing me to
stare over his shoulder and giving me tips, and really,
you know, he isn't on this record, but his spirit
is there on the recording side, even selling me one
of his microphones.
Speaker 1 (44:29):
So shout out to Chad.
Speaker 2 (44:31):
This next one, take two, is originally one of those
demos that was recorded when I didn't know what I
was doing, and it was kind of weird. It was
an example just kind of a trying it out, sampling
it out and see what I can do with it,
and it ended up kind of cool, and I sat
on it for years, and then Andrew Hira heard it
(44:52):
and really liked it. And it's funny because it sounds
nothing like High on Stress. It sounds nothing like Billy Pilgrim.
But it turned out kind of cool, and I wanted
to get it out because I think it's an interesting song.
So shout out to Andrew on this. He played a
whole bunch of stuff, and this one's called take two.
Speaker 19 (45:13):
Take it from me, Take it from me, because I'm
taking notes that if you want something, you better start
letting me know.
Speaker 3 (45:51):
Call my blood.
Speaker 12 (45:58):
For some.
Speaker 1 (46:22):
And you solf comfort.
Speaker 20 (46:27):
You don't my letting the show. But if I wanted
joey advice, I would let you know.
Speaker 23 (46:41):
Way someone called my blo. I've been way someone to sappen.
Speaker 3 (46:59):
You had a change.
Speaker 7 (47:03):
To give me ground control, but chin had no sweet
Just let it go.
Speaker 8 (47:20):
Skipp me ground control, Skip me ground control.
Speaker 3 (48:09):
I'm not here.
Speaker 4 (48:11):
Smoking around in dusty shoes. Better leave me where I
am just hanging on. I was born to soon running
circles in my room.
Speaker 9 (48:25):
Better leave me where I am just hanging a.
Speaker 12 (48:30):
Curse on.
Speaker 1 (48:33):
Swe freeze.
Speaker 12 (48:35):
I'm gone.
Speaker 3 (49:02):
Lost one slowly road, feeling you no longer hole. I
guess it's won't bring you back home.
Speaker 6 (49:12):
Feeling someone lucky the cold diamond Kentucky with.
Speaker 12 (49:17):
My on five.
Speaker 3 (49:22):
It's slowly the wild.
Speaker 11 (49:33):
The fact as snow knows me like to the fact
its snow, one knows me lack to.
Speaker 3 (49:54):
You're the only one that's made it clear. Good time
has come back, gone and June no longer.
Speaker 1 (50:38):
Not Here to Lose, not Here to Lose.
Speaker 2 (50:43):
It's it's I've been I've been writing songs for a
really long time, and uh, I have a tendency to
go towards the first person and what I'm experiencing at
a given point, and I still do that.
Speaker 1 (50:57):
I also report what I see and.
Speaker 2 (51:01):
Then sometimes in the case of this, this is more
and less about me and more about.
Speaker 1 (51:08):
What I'm observing with other people.
Speaker 2 (51:10):
So don't worry about me on this one, ladies and gentlemen.
But this song is called not Here to Lose, and
where that came from from a song standpoint, it's not
about the situation specifically. But Jeffrey Brower, he's a He's
a High End Stress fan out of Atlanta, Georgia, and
posts videos of himself playing guitar and his porch playing Dakota,
(51:35):
the High on Stress song. So I love that and
he should keep doing that because it always makes me smile.
But he came out to see Jim and I play
when we went down to Atlanta for that Duoh show
along with with Andrew Hyra and Christian Bush from Billy Pilgrim,
and he was at those shows or one of the shows,
and he was going through it last year. He had
(51:56):
some family stuff going on that was pretty rough, and
he was kind of reporting on it social media wise,
and he always said, not here to lose, We're not
here to lose, as they were fighting through some things.
And I was inspired by that to write a song
because I love that not here to lose. I've it's
been a weird year, to say the least. I've I've
(52:17):
lost five friends, and not not due to politics well
that too, but lost five friends who passed on since
she's I think July, and I can't say that's ever
been the case of my life up until this point.
And I'm sure as time goes on it happens more
(52:37):
and more and more because that's what happens. But kind
of hard to take. Lost my job last year too,
right around when all this started to happen, just due
to weird economies that seem to be getting weirder? Am
I right?
Speaker 1 (52:50):
Who's with me?
Speaker 12 (52:52):
Jesus?
Speaker 18 (52:54):
Well?
Speaker 1 (52:54):
Weird times it was.
Speaker 2 (52:55):
It was not good and uh, and this record has
really helped a lot with that. I spent a lot
of time last summer writing and adding and redoing vocals
and remixing and all sorts of stuff, and it really
taught me. It really taught me to focus and be
(53:17):
able to do things on your own. I think is key.
And if you think he can't do something, see if
he can do it. I never thought I would be
able to put a record together that I recorded on
my own with some guests. Of course, we've the guests
who appeared did some recording and engineering too, but a
majority of the record is recorded at my studio that.
Speaker 1 (53:40):
I learned how to use.
Speaker 2 (53:43):
Finally, and.
Speaker 1 (53:46):
Weird here, Weird Year for everybody. Weird Year. Shout out.
Speaker 2 (53:52):
Shout out to my friend down there at Atlanta. He
bought me a piece of pizza the next day after
the show too, So forever friends. Anybody who buys me
a slice pizza if I'm in town, we're friends of forever.
Speaking of friends forever. On that track, Brent Brann appears.
I've known Brent since I was fifteen years old. He
was the guy who would be like, your band needs
(54:13):
to record, your band needs an album, your band needs
a music video, your band needs to move to Minneapolis.
He's the biggest supporter non related in my life since
I was fifteen years old and I say non related,
but in reality we are related. I've told him we
are family at this point, and he stuck with me
and he appears on a piano and organ on that
(54:36):
song and did a great job and recorded some songs
on guitar and bass on some of his records. We've
worked on some songs recently.
Speaker 1 (54:47):
I hope to do more. I love that guy.
Speaker 2 (54:50):
He's one of my favorite people ever and it's cool
that he's on this And the song got played on
the radio the other day, So shout out to Brent,
Shout out to the radio. I hope more people will
spin the record and yeah and infinale. We've got one
more song left that I'm going to tee up here.
(55:11):
But thank you for listening to this. Hope you'll like
the record, Hope you'll pick it up. Shout out to
my bandmates Jim soul, Mark Deverage and Chad Wheeling for
the support here. We'll work on that high on Stress record.
And I appreciate the fact that they they gave me
some room to explore this space. I know that you
always hear those band stories of like no side projects,
no nothing. We don't operate like that. Jim's got a
(55:33):
solo records that he does, Chad Records bands, Marks in
five bands here in Minneapolis. I think we're probably the
Count of Five. And you know, no hard feelings by anybody,
and that's cool, and I appreciate their support through this
because this was definitely a project to keep me on
the path through all the weird shit that happened last year.
(55:54):
So this last song once again brings us back to
certain North Dakota and it's called Goodbye Gravel Roads.
Speaker 1 (56:03):
And I co wrote this with Andrew.
Speaker 2 (56:07):
I wrote the main guitar part in like the first verse,
and I think chorus must have been right around the
same time I wrote gold Star on Moonlight Girls, our
first High on Stress record, And this was also written
around the time of Dakota, which was on Hold Me.
And so some of these songs have just kind of
made their way back and are released. And I never
(56:27):
finished this one. I just had that verse and chorus
had kind of the weird guitar part, and I sent
it to Andrew. This was probably twenty nineteen as well,
and said, can you do anything with this because I've
got this part and this part and then maybe this
part go at it and I was in San Francisco,
and I said a hotel room in San Francisco, and
(56:48):
I got a text from him that says, check your email,
and I checked it, and holy shit, dude ran with
it in the best possible ways and it sounds really cool.
He had his friend Steve Fontaine contribute as well, did
bass and programming stuff, and he mixed U when I
mix the record, but he mixed this song specifically, So
(57:10):
cred to Steve out in Palm Desert, California. Steve has
worked with Andrew a lot on his solo stuff, production
wise and playing on it. And he's also done remixes
for David Bowie, Aerosmith, Madonna, and Kesha and a whole
bunch of other people, which is kind of awesomely weird.
(57:34):
So way on the bottom of his resume, if you
look with a magnifying glass, you will see Nick Lee Detours.
Thank you, Steve, and this is the last track on
the record. It's coming out next Friday on band camp.
You can download it. You can check it out. CD
is coming soon limited runs. You can do pre orders
of CDs. I would love it if you'd buy a
(57:54):
physical copy because my son Henry did the artwork. Come on, man,
you gotta support the kid. Come on, what are you
thinking anyway? Thank you for listening to this episode of
the Figure Eights podcast where we did a little uh
listening for the new solo album Detours. This is the
last track, Goodbye gravel Roads.
Speaker 9 (58:21):
Forget the feeling you were born in the wrong place
on these old dusty roads. Road mad Bess, leave me.
Speaker 3 (58:32):
Away from this disgrace to a new zip code. I've
been always so long, Just wanna again. I'm gone, goodbye
gravel rope.
Speaker 10 (58:50):
So now fin and myself I didn't live, man again
on the lost side town sliding now.
Speaker 12 (59:13):
With down.
Speaker 10 (59:17):
I've been away so long, just one lookin.
Speaker 3 (59:23):
I'm gone, good bye gravel Roots.
Speaker 24 (59:44):
I'm out there on the edge of it now, out
there with the distant storm clouds.
Speaker 10 (59:53):
Were lighting and Bazin's way to the ground. I'm out
there on the edge of it now.
Speaker 12 (01:00:04):
They're on the.
Speaker 16 (01:00:05):
Edge of it now, and they're with the distance of
clouds were lightning.
Speaker 24 (01:00:13):
It finds us way in the ground. I'm out there
on the edge of it now. They're on the edge
of it now.
Speaker 22 (01:00:29):
And every day waking up trying to keep your head up,
let's low things down, the grounding in your coffee cup,
trying to keep from giving up in.
Speaker 3 (01:00:44):
This post office town. All along you chase these grad
little room.
Speaker 12 (01:01:03):
Haunting.
Speaker 10 (01:01:03):
They're on the edge of it now, they're on the.
Speaker 3 (01:01:11):
Humping down, on.
Speaker 12 (01:01:15):
The show it.
Speaker 3 (01:01:22):
Now forget the feeling you were born in the wrong place. Home,
these old dusty roads,
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