death train whistle

[waltertore]

Hi All: I have been back home to NJ for the past week. Lots of stuff to process after being around my roots and family for a week. I was excited to get back in my studio today. Here are some songs that are reflections from the trip.

Saturday Night is My Night - I went to my favorite pizzeria and across the street use to be Wallaces Jazz Club/Liqour store. I played many a night there and many of those nights were tension laced. I had a friend that worked for the mob. He drove limos and busses for one of their businesses and would get a big tour bus when I played. We would load it up with about a 50/50 mix of crazy white drug addicts and downhome black folks. The bus would park out front of the gigs and we would all go in on my guest list. The tension got heavy usually when the black folks started to dance with the local white girls. Wallaces ended up in almost a race riot one such night. That is a night I will never forget. Almost as bad as when I use to play a mob bar and some drunk black guys wandered in and started dancing with the connected guys girls. Both parties were carrying, and a real shootout ensued. Luckly no one was killed. I had a black drummer and me and my bass player dived on top of him till things stopped. Well, now Wallaces is a Chinese take out restraunt. I tried to talk to the owner about the club but he didn't understand a word I said. The pizzeria is still the same place. Tony Soprano types inside and out make it still safe for white folks to go there. Kind of a time freeze against white flight.

Death Train Whistle- My parents are reaching the end of their independence. Lots of stuff about death floating in the air at their house but they will not address it.

My Hometown Blues- Once again I go home and don't fit in. Memories are where I do fit in, but the present is long moved passede. New Jersey and me are like strangers that somehow met in another time in the same place.

You can hear the songs at the links below. I may not be buzz saw cutting new school, and maybe not even old school, but I sure feel blessed to be able to sit down and do all this music stuff.
Walter