Premiere: The Alpha Boys’ First New Song is called Back In The Clubs

It’s about to happen again. Very soon. The six of us climbing another stage. The third show of our new band Alpha Boys feat. Joe Scholes is on this weekend in Hattingen near Bochum.

A Miracle

It seems like a miracle if you consider that we never ever all make it to the same place at the same time. Not for rehearsals at least. And to tell you a secret, one of the reasons for subtly shortening our set at the last show was to make it possible for our sax player to reach his next gig at a discotheque some 70 miles away.

Even more stunningly, we actually rehearsed and recorded a new song. The first rehearsal was also the recording date. And our recording equipment was the internal microphone of an iPhone. I’m not selling “Back In The Clubs” as the future of this music. I’m just happy I can share it with you. Far from being perfect I like the energy of the song.

What is it about?

The lyrics to “Back In The Clubs” do not deal with a love relationship as so many other songs of mine. I guess that’s one reason why this was the first song I presented to the others. Some faithful readers might remember my proclaimed will to improve on topical diversity.

“Back In Clubs” is written from the point of view of a band that went from major to minor. A band that used to do Stadium shows and now is back to playing the really small venues again. And a band that tries to see the positive things in this development. In other words: I was thinking of “Spinal Tap” in Ska.

[audio:http://www.joescholes.com/wp-content/uploads/audio/Back In The Clubs/Back In The Clubs – Alpha Boys.mp3]

Good Catering

It’s important for me to point out that the second verse with statements about the catering situation in small venues does not mirror the reality of many places I have visited. Far from it, many promoters are very anxious to share the best food available. They go to great extends with their budget, also exploiting their friends and family, especially when they organise a festival with – let’s say – three Ska bands. I can only support this extremely lovable strategy. But like everywhere else there are also some black sheep in the field.

Bad Catering

I remember arrving at a club in hot summer a few years ago. We asked the promoter about catering (always a good way to start a conversation), and she lead us to a room where a very big pot of chili con carne was waiting for us. As we came nearer, an odour of death and dismay filled our nostrils. Premonition became bleak awareness, when she uncovered the pot for a very short moment. “Our chef cooked the chili yesterday already I think. Maybe we should have put it in the fridge”, she pointed out correctly. There was nothing to add except for asking directions to the next pizzeria.

Let me know what you think about the song. Comments in English, German and many other languages are welcome. Especially to the readers in Latin America I say: I can’t wait to test this Portugese-Spanish-German-English translation app.