from the vaults #1 - "Prom Song" (2003 Demo)

(the first in a series of blogs featuring old, unreleased material that's been gathering e-dust on my hard drive for years)

Though recorded (properly) for the first time in 2003, this song actually dates back to Stairwell, a band I played with in college (the remaining members of which later went on to form the very talented Throwback). Listening to it now, the stains of Freshman Year are all over this song; every word's an (often too-) obvious effort to cast off the imagined shackles of youth in the name of adulthood (which, as it turns out, has its own shackles). I recorded it with Joe Durniak -- that's him playing drums and bass on this recording -- in a messy, difficult recording session in the summer of 2004, when I realized I was growing out of it and ought to commit the thing to tape before it was too late.

Stairwell @ Battle of the Bands, Just For Laughs Museum, Montreal (2000)

When we started out, our little band was anchored by two fairly well-established talents: an eloquent lead singer and songwriter, and a multi-talented percussionist/beatboxer with a huge stage presence; I sort of felt my way around a lead here and there, held down the high harmonies and sang the occasional cover tune, pretty comfortable in my role as the "Other Guy" at our campus festival gigs and impromptu rez-hall jams. But after we began to expand off-campus and the venues got to be a little bigger, the crowds a little thicker, I wanted to bring something larger and more powerful to our sets than the slow dirges I'd been writing. Compelled by the twin forces of a burgeoning inferiority complex and the aforementioned heady dose of frosh freedom, "Prom Song" (boo-urns to that title on restrospection) was my first (and last?) attempt at writing A Big Rock Song: big chorus, big statements, big images, and big chords, one that would help me stand out in the band and, hopefully, get me laid, perhaps even often.

Stairwell @ Le Swimming, Montreal (2002)

...which didn't exactly happen. In fact, it didn't almost happen (see: guy with Jonas-brother hair above). Though, to its credit, "Prom Song" did spend some time in that coveted, rockers-only Last Song of the Night slot, so mission accomplished, I guess. Though they're largely exaggerated and clumsily-stated, I always liked the lyrics to this one, and for the most part, the performance recorded here isn't bad (minus the terrible "holding on to..." part, which is the only reason this hasn't been shared before, but alas, no master tracks, so no re-dos. Warts and all).

At 27, I sometimes feel like I'm already too cynical to sing this one with any degree of seriousness, so it's disappeared from setlists in recent years. But as I've got all this stuff sitting in folders, I figured I'd start to share it. Enjoy...

Prom Song (2003 Demo) - Justin Pope