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| Album artwork & design by Mike Quigley |
"Nothing Here Is Mine"
Our friends in Brooklyn's High Pony are Pete Stanton (drums), Ben Johnson (bass, guitar, vocals), Seth Goldman (guitar, vocals), Jay Fox (guitar, bass), Benjamin Hecht (piano, organ, rhodes), and Steve Fugitt (vocals). They're preparing to release their sophomore LP, Nothing Here Is Mine, digitally and on vinyl on June 8th; and, today, we're sharing the title track from the record.
"Nothing Here Is Mine" is a song about searching for meaning and like-minded souls in the face of the relentless daily grind. Sonically, the track draws heavily on some Mascis / Martsch influences; and anyone who's spent any time at all on CoolDad Music over the last several years should be able to tell immediately that I love it.
I asked guitarist / vocalist, Seth Goldman, for some background on the track; and he made my job easy, sharing:
I wrote the lyrics for this song when I was in and out of work, bouncing from job to job, never knowing when the next dollar was coming in, or where it was coming from. I lived on the phone looking for the next job, and when the work was done, I would wake up the next morning with a knot in my stomach knowing that I would have to start the cycle again. I saw absolutely no end in sight and there was nothing that I could hold onto. I felt like I was drifting out to sea and that nothing could stop this.
One evening after a long day of working painting on Brooklyn's Bushwick Avenue, I was completely shot -- emotionally and physically. I had to take the Montrose Ave L train all the way back to Church Ave (the ass end of the universe) and when I got to the platform, it was completely packed. The worst feeling in the world is when you want to disappear but are trapped in a sea of faces, with nowhere to go. I remember looking at people and seeing nothing but sadness in their eyes, and it terrified me to believe that everyone was fighting as hard as possible only to fall behind. I didn't want to die, but I didn't see anything to live for, and I had no idea how to change the situation. I just wanted to lie down -- right there on that platform. I was done.
I am 30 now, and doing a little bit better but my 20s sanded me down and taught me lessons I will never forget. When I was going through all this, my dad, who has supported me every step of the way, told me, "Seth, at least you have a roof over your head," and I remember thinking, that can't be it. Life has to be more than just a roof. Sheer physical exhaustion from years of physical labor gave me this image of underground tunnels that you reach after you are about to bottom out and have nothing left to dig up from your soul. When you reach this point, this is where true lovers meet to gather strength and become stronger together as they claw their way out til fear becomes meaningless. In tough times, you figure out what people are all about and what people you belong with. At a certain point, you have to choose.
Insecurity, depression, doubt, and disillusionment continually haunt people who try to take the road less traveled, but there are enough of us out here in these tunnels that we will never have to fight this alone. This is for those out there who don't feel a sense of ownership or entitlement and for those who believe that this present day money-before-all-else society holds absolutely no value.
Check out "Nothing Here Is Mine" right here, right now.
High Pony will celebrate the release of Nothing Here Is Mine with a show at Brooklyn's King Killer Studios on June 8th. Joining them for that one will be Bueno and Genre Mono. The show is $10 and admission includes free beer.
