MEMORY LANE

LINER NOTES

ALBUM CREDITS:

Produced by Zach Meyer

Engineered by Mike Harmon

Mixed by Dan Bui

Mastered by Aaron Thomas, Atmas (Lafayette, LA)

Recorded at Wachusett Recording Co. (Princeton, MA)

Artwork by Sam Wróbel, Sparrow Papercraft (Lafayette, LA)

Photos by Pat Piasecki

1. MEMORY LANE

by Rachel Rosenberg & Zach Meyer

Growing up, my mom used to tell me, “When you want to tell someone just what you think, write them a letter—but don’t send it.” I took her advice to heart, with a musical twist: writing what I call psychoanalytic country, or songs that are letters to specific people. This whole album feels to me much like a musical memoir. It really is a trip down the memory lane of my past few years. And, we’re back!

Looks like you’re back, scratching at my door,
remembering the flame we had.
Your light shone bright when we walked side by side together.
Then you left me all alone—
no one to call my own.
Now seeing your face seems like the place I could call home.

Trips down memory lane are not worth takin’
Move along, save your heart from breakin’
There’s gotta be a better way to go…
Leave behind the things forsaken;
peace of mind don’t come by makin’
bad memories to replace the ones you know.

More and more as time passes
burns tend to blur and fade, and
I’m starting to see you through my dirty old rose colored glasses.
It’s tempting to walk through
the door to be with you
so we can be together again for the last time.

Trips down memory lane are not worth takin’
Move along, save your heart from breakin’
There’s gotta be a better way to go…
Leave behind the things forsaken;
peace of mind don’t come by makin’
bad memories to replace the ones you know.

Rachel - vox, fiddle
Sophie - vox, guitar
Zach - vox, mando
Alex - steel
Dan - bass
Mike - drums

2. SAD SONGS

by Jack Link

We adore this self-referential country song! Jack Link led a honky tonk band in Seattle in the early ‘80s called Tex Jackson and the Panhandlers. Zach’s dad, Bill, was their piano and jazz guitar player. When Bill shared a demo recording that the Panhandlers never released, I fell in love with the song right away. Zach fondly remembers hearing Jack sing it during his childhood and Zach’s vocals on this one really channel Jack’s barroom spirit. Also make sure to check out Caleb and Reeb’s version from their recent album Gold in Your Pocket. If you listen close, you’ll hear some slightly different lyrics but I think it’s how the legendary Pete McCracken remembered them. That’s the folk process in action!

They always ask me why I love to sing the sad ones.
Don’t it get you down? They wanna know.
Well mister, I don’t sing the blues to get 'em.
I just open up my mouth to let 'em go.

So sing me a sad song and make me happy:
a good old country weeper, that’s for me.
And take me to a barroom with a jukebox
and play the song called Misery Loves Company.

Now broken hearts, I know all about 'em:
the flowing of the liquor and the tears.
It’s been that way since love was first invented,
and there’ll be sad songs in a hundred thousand years.

So sing me a sad song and make me happy:
a good old country weeper, that’s for me.
And take me to a barroom with a jukebox
and play the song called Misery Loves Company.

Zach - vox, mando
Rachel - vox, fiddle
Sophie - vox, guitar, 2nd fiddle
Alex - steel
Dan - bass
Mike - drums

3. YOU DIDN’T MAKE ME CRY

by Rachel Rosenberg

I always tell people going through a hard time that if they write a country song about it they’ll probably, even instantly, feel better. It’s the musical version of turning lemons into lemonade. I wrote this one after a fateful weekend trip to New York City to visit someone who (surprise!) did not turn out to be my soulmate. At the time, I was also listening to a lot of Balfa Brothers—you can hear that Madeliene influence in the chorus melody—but the song didn’t come to life as a ‘90s country-style anthem until I brought it to this magical crew.

When I first fell into you it took me by surprise;
there was romance in your eyes.
We talked all day and danced all night and made so many plans.
Seemed this could be worth a chance.

I thought I knew you (found out you live a lie)
You drove me crazy but you didn’t make me cry.

I packed my bags and left my home to meet you far away;
thought it would be safe to stay.
You met me at the bus stop and everything felt right.
Played your game for just one night

Then I saw through you (found out you live a lie)
You drove me crazy but you didn’t make me cry.

The sun shines bright in the morning light; you’ve got no place to hide.
Now my eyes are open wide.
You fooled me once, can’t fool me twice, so I won’t shed a tear.
Going anywhere but here.

I thought I knew you (found out you live a lie)
You drove me crazy but you didn’t make me cry…

I had to lose you (found out you live a lie)
You drove me crazy but you didn’t make me cry.

Rachel - vox, fiddle
Sophie - vox, guitar
Zach - vox, mando
Alex - steel
Dan - bass
Mike - drums

4. LONESOME WHISTLEBLOWER BLUES

A few years back, a boss in a government job started pressuring me to do things I thought were illegal. I called my dad to complain. His response? “You can find yourself a new job or you can try to get whistleblower protection.” Well, I took the perhaps less courageous path of finding a new job, but that’s how I got the idea to write this blues, an homage to Hank Williams and his iconic (I Heard That) Lonesome Whistle [Blow]. My lyrics flip the pain of hearing that lonesome whistle blow in his song to the pride of the lonesome whistleblower in this one. I brought the song to Zach and he of course knew just what to do. Zach’s playful vocals and piano playing bring to mind James Booker, the piano prince of New Orleans, and Moon Mullican, the king of hillbilly piano, while Alex’s tele pulls some Chuck Berry into the mix.

by Rachel Rosenberg

Well I did my time and I paid my dues
so I’ll pay no mind to these lowdown blues.

‘Cause I’m a lonesome whistleblower (lonesome whistleblower)
A lonesome whistleblower (lonesome whistleblower)
I’m a lonesome whistleblower without a friend to be found.

And I won’t sit right here all alone and cry
‘cause I know I’m right and I’m a-telling you why.

Now some people may say that I said too much
but I know I told the truth—plus some other stuff.

No I won’t hang my head low down in shame;
as far as I can tell I been true ta my name.

And I ain’t gonna feel sorry for myself.
Yes my pride’s intact, it’s on the very top shelf.

So I guess it’s gotta be my burden to bear
but I’m no worse off for all the wear and tear.

‘Cause I’m a lonesome whistleblower (lonesome whistleblower)
A lonesome whistleblower (lonesome whistleblower)
I’m a lonesome whistleblower without a friend to be found.

Zach - vox, piano
Rachel - vox, fiddle
Sophie - vox, guitar
Alex - tele
Dan - bass
Mike - drums

5. I KNOW IT’S WRONG

by Rachel Rosenberg

I love playing around with lyrical easter eggs that draw from the country music canon, and I feel like Johnny Cash’s Folsom Prison Blues “I hear the train a-coming / it’s rolling ‘round the bend” is one of the most recognizable lines there is. So when I began (though only in my head) a romance with a married man, I couldn’t resist turning Johnny’s approaching train into my approaching trainwreck. I wrote this waltz way back when, but Zach’s swamp pop piano groove and Sophie’s soaring duet vocals bring it to heights I never could have imagined when I was strumming it on guitar alone in a one-bedroom apartment. (At that time, I texted Dan a scratch recording of the new song and his reply was, “Are you ok??”)

I can hear the trainwreck a-coming, as always it’s just ‘round the bend
telling me it’s time to start running. How did I end up here again?

Why do you feel so right even though I know it’s wrong?
You’re the worst kind of love, so now I’m going, yes I’m gone…

My heart jumps when you come a-calling but someone else shares your bed
while I’m stuck here replaying conversations with you in my head.

Why do you feel so right even though I know it’s wrong?
You’re the worst kind of love, so now I’m going, yes I’m gone…

It’s time to say fare thee well; I won’t wait around for the crash.
Keep moving towards a new trainwreck and bury you deep in my past.

Why do you feel so right even though I know it’s wrong?
You’re the worst kind of love, so now I’m going, yes I’m gone…

Why do you feel so right even though I know it’s wrong?
I keep telling myself: now I’m going, yes I’m gone.

Rachel - vox, fiddle
Sophie - vox, guitar, 2nd fiddle
Zach - vox, piano, horns
Alex - tele
Dan - bass
Mike - drums

This is a true story about a good pal who lives in Lafayette and likes to ask questions that begin with “On a scale of 1 to 10…?” Well, somewhat true. He really did get out of trouble by using the line on a cop while driving a truck, but I took some liberties with the rest. I first wrote the chorus in my head while sitting in the Vermillionville chapel during Blackpot Festival right after Z.P. told me his famous tale. When I got back home, Zach helped me build out the rest of the song with a Riders in the Sky vibe, catchy hooks and all.

6. HOW MUCH TROUBLE?

by Rachel Rosenberg & Zach Meyer

I was pulling out of Reno, got a pistol in my cab,
going 90 miles an hour, gotta leave this town real fast.
So I take a swig of whiskey, make sure no one’s on my tail.
I’ll get across the border before they pull my bail.

Thought I made it past all peril with my pistol and my flask.
The whipping winds they comfort me but someone’s on my back.
When I see those lights a-flashing, I roll my window down,
look the sheriff in the eye and plead for homeward bound.

On a scale of 1 to 10 how much trouble am I in?
I’m ready for the rundown, so let the list begin.
Didn’t mean to make you worry, didn’t mean to make you mad.
I’m just tired of hearing that I’m bad.

Well I got off with a warning (put the pistol out of sight)
The sheriff was a good one but he sure did cause a fright.
I tried to call my lady but the signal line was dead
so I kept on moving for to sleep in a warm bed

When I made it to her door I found my stuff out on the steps.
The door’s about to shut and I’ve got just one more sec.
I need to get some sympathy, I need to make her smile
‘cause if I don’t she’s surely gonna leave me with the pile.

On a scale of 1 to 10 how much trouble am I in?
I’m ready for the rundown, so let the list begin.
Didn’t mean to make you worry, didn’t mean to make you mad.
I’m just tired of hearing that I’m bad.

Zach - vox, mando
Rachel - vox, fiddle
Sophie - vox, guitar
Alex - tele
Dan - bass
Mike - drums

7. OUT OF THE FRYING PAN (INTO THE FIRE)

by Lori Conley & Rachel Rosenberg

My friend Lori came up with the idea for this song after she and her college sweetheart, Mark, reunited following painful divorces. Mark’s mom cautioned him about so quickly falling back in love with an ex and quipped, “Well, isn’t that out of the frying pan and into the fire!” As soon as Lori heard the phrase, she knew it would make a great refrain for a rockabilly song. Lori wrote the lyrics and many years later asked me to write a melody to go with them. It was a hit! As I started thinking about songs for this album, I remembered our co-write. It was a fun songwriting challenge for me to adapt Lori’s original verses to tell a slightly different story for Sophie to sing. I love how this song became the foil to Memory Lane (don’t do it / I’m gonna do it!) and Sophie’s the perfect person to belt this one out.

They say we’re crazy, we’re moving too fast.
They say “slow down” or it ain’t gonna last.
They say we’re fools giving in to desire.
I say: out of the frying pan and into the fire!

I knew you before but you threw me away.
Our eyes locked again; this time you’ll stay.
My heart’s racing fast like I’m on a high wire
so it’s out of the frying pan and into the fire.

Out of the frying pan and into the fire!
Burning with love and fueled by desire, it’s a
hard driving beat not an angelic choir—
Out of the frying pan and into the fire.

You flashed me a grin ‘cross the smoky ol‘ bar.
I couldn’t resist your win from afar.
I’m reeling from the feeling and I won’t ever tire
so it’s out of the frying pan and into the fire

Now I’m head over heels back into your arms
Falling so fast for all o’ your charms.
The world’s looking bright like a shining sapphire
So it’s out of the frying pan and into the fire

Out of the frying pan and into the fire!
Burning with love and fueled by desire, it’s a
hard driving beat not an angelic choir—
Out of the frying pan and into the fire.

We could turn the heat down… we could take our sweet time…
Without you in my life I was doing just fine.
The caution that they preach makes me wanna fly higher
so it’s out of the frying pan and into the fire!

Out of the frying pan and into the fire!
Burning with love and fueled by desire, it’s a
hard driving beat not an angelic choir—
Out of the frying pan and into the fire.

Sophie - vox, guitar
Rachel - vox, fiddle
Zach - vox, mando
Alex - tele
Dan - bass
Mike - drums

8. LEARNING TO LOSE YOU

by Rachel Rosenberg & Zach Meyer

What to say about this song? The morning after a Passover seder, I was thinking about Ma Nishtanah (the Four Questions) that I’ve grown up reciting every year. The first of the four is, “Why is this night different from all other nights?” It seemed like the same question you might ask yourself after a breakup that was a long time coming but also felt very sudden. And that was the seed for this psychoanalytic country song.

When I’m with you it feels like we’re flying;
now you’re far away and I’m alone crying.
You made your choice, there’s no sense denying.
I’m learning to lose you, that’s all.

Somehow tonight’s not like the others
and nobody’s here to say why.
Somehow this fight’s not just another;
instead you’ll leave me behind.

When I’m with you it feels like we’re flying;
now you’re far away and I’m alone crying.
You made your choice, there’s no sense denying.
I’m learning to lose you, that’s all.

Five years ago I gave you my heart;
dark clouds all seemed to pass by.
I can’t see blue skies when we’re apart
but you’re not willing to try.

When I’m with you it feels like we’re flying;
now you’re far away and I’m alone crying.
You made your choice, there’s no sense denying.
I’m learning to lose you, that’s all.

Rachel - vox, fiddle
Zach - vox, mando
Sophie - vox, guitar
Alex - steel
Dan - bass
Mike - drums

9. FAKE FRIEND FOR REAL

by Rachel Rosenberg & Zach Meyer

Sometimes losing a friend is more unexpected, and more painful, than losing a lover because friendship is supposed to last. I wrote these verses in the heat of the moment and then put it away for a long time until the wounds had healed. Zach helped me finish the song just about a month before the recording session. We tracked the album live in one room in just three days, which makes it all the more incredible that the band learned this Beatles-esque number pretty much on the spot. Our rhythm section, Dan and Mike, are the unsung heroes of the Hearts who can play any groove under the sun, so it’s nice that Mike finally gets a lil cameo on this one.

I don’t wanna be your fake friend.
Tell me something real without your phony spin.
Or better yet: tell someone else. I’m putting you back on the shelf
‘cause I don’t wanna be your fake friend

I don’t need your pity party
and I’m not buying that you care deep down for me.
You’ll take my words and twist them round,
delight yourself in the pain you found.
I don’t need your pity party.

You’re a fake friend for real.
My heart’s my own, not yours to steal.

I don’t wanna be your fake friend.
Somethin’ tells me that we’re looking at the end.
If all you got is lips and lies, then it won’t come as no surprise
that I don’t wanna be your fake friend.

You’re a fake friend for real.
Don’t waste my time with a slow reveal.

I see through your phony smile.
You’re not helping you’re just adding to my trials.
It’s not my problem you can’t see what’s a lie and what’s reality.
And I see through your phony smile
so don’t come back across the aisle.

Rachel - vox, fiddle
Zach - vox, mando
Sophie - vox, guitar
Alex - steel
Dan - bass
Mike - drums

10. MY FRIEND THE WINE

by Jack Link

We didn’t plan it this way, but how fitting that my song about a fake friend is followed by Jack’s song about a real one. All the folks who knew Jack seem to remember this song fondly, though it’s never been recorded (as far as we know). Zach first learned it from a cell phone recording his dad made for him from memory and then added a twist during recording: the dramatic James Booker-inspired ending. Pete McCracken says we’re missing a IV chord in the chorus, but I think Jack would approve!

My friend the wine lives at the corner bar.
I can tell I’m always welcome ‘cause the door is left ajar.
And when there’s lots of people the conversation’s fine
but I like it best when it’s just me and my friend the wine.

My friend the wine, that’s the best friend I got left.
Talking with my friend sure beats talking to myself.
And when my darling left me I didn’t sit around and pine.
Why, I might’ve gone crazy without my friend the wine!

Hello wine, why you’ve hardly aged at all since I saw you last.
Yeah, I know that overnight ain’t a very long time
but when you’re like folks like me, well,
maybe sometimes you find yourself growing older mighty fast.

You know I don’t find myself fighting with you
the way I always used to do with her.
Yeah, I guess you’ve made my life a whole lot brighter—
it’s a pity it’s such a blur.

My friend the wine would never do me wrong.
My friend’s as honest as the night is long.
And who needs to cry when I can hear that jukebox whine,
and who needs love when I’ve got my friend the wine.

My friend the wine that’s the best friend I got left.
Talking with my friend sure beats talking to myself.
And when my darling left me I didn’t sit around and pine.
Why, I might have gone crazy without my friend the wine!

Zach - vox, piano
Rachel - vox, fiddle
Sophie - vox, guitar
Alex - steel
Dan - bass
Mike - drums