The Odd Jobs Sessions
Imagine a gritty, underground art gallery. The air is thick with smoke and the energy is electric. A small, ragtag band of art schoolmates is huddled together, instruments in hand.
At the center is a hellion redheaded girl, her fingers dancing across the strings of a Empire State lap steel guitar. Her playing is raw and punk. Beside her, a guitarist shreds with reckless abandon, his riffs sharp and angular.
Then, the real spectacle begins. Another band member stands holding a long, sawed-off metal blade. With a bow, he draws out eerie, haunting melodies, that sound like a cross between a violin and a rusty gate creaking in the wind.
Finally, there's the drummer, a wild-eyed individual who pounds on his kit with a manic intensity. His beats are chaotic and unpredictable, driving the band forward with a frenzied energy.
Generally the Odd Jobs rarely repeated any song they created. There were cassette tapes made at each session, but most are pretty unlistenable.
Together, they created a sound that is both beautiful and terrifying. It's a cacophony of noise, a sonic assault that leaves you breathless. And yet, there is a strange kind of harmony to it all, a sense of chaos that somehow feels perfectly controlled.
The Odd Jobs were more than just a band. They were a statement of artistic rebellion, a refusal to conform to the rules of traditional music of any legion. They were a testament to the power of creativity and the endless possibilities of sound.
This is one of the earliest songs I wrote with my art schoolmate friends in the mid 1980s. It is based on an actual friendship but I keep the name out…to protect the innocent. ~dg
GIRL FROM FRAYSER
I know a girl from Frayser
She drives a Demon car
We spray paint our phrases
Upon the city walls
Girl from Frayser
Stays out all night
Girl from Frayser
You really are a sight
Sometimes we go out
Playin’ pool at the bar
We try not to drink too much
Cuz we know we’re in a car
Last Friday night
We stole a box
Of Dynamite
I didn’t think we’d use it
But we got into a fight
Girl from Frayser
Impending doom
Girl from Frayser
We made the bar go boom
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