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about
'Kings of the Mud' is The Crooked Fiddle Band's ode to all the festivals we've played - the dusty, muddy worlds that pop up for weeks and weekends then fade away.
Musically, the source inspiration comes from Macedonian traditional tune Trop Nalo Oro, literally 'crazy dance', about a girl unable to attend a local celebration. So it felt fitting then to make this reimagining about those local celebrations.
We performed a punked up version of Trop Nalo Oro for years, but were never satisfied we had made the tune our own. After not performing it for years, Gordon and Joe found some lyrics of Gordon's that fit perfectly, in form and theme.
Since the vocal-heavy nature of this song is different to most other crooked fiddle material, we thought we'd record this one ourselves, at home, and make the most of trying something new.
lyrics
Lyrics:
we are the kings
in cold metal rings
surrounded and hounded and tattered and frayed
with bows on our strings
we race to the brink
and breathe in the dust of the bloody below
we are the kings
of mud and of string
we are the kings
that no one can own
we are the kings
of mud and of string
and all of the things that no one can own
to the ends of the earth
we battle and burn
and rage through the dust
the dust and the snow
where we go
nobody knows
dust and dirt cloak our retreat
where we go
nobody knows
swallowed by night blackened earth
we are the kings
in cold metal rings
surrounded and hounded and tattered and frayed
with bows on our strings
we race to the brink
and breathe in the dust of the bloody below
credits
released June 22, 2015
Jess Randall played the nyckelharpa (swedish keyed fiddle) and octave violin.
Mark Stevens played the double bass and the 'double bass through a snare drum' contraption.
Gordon Wallace played the bouzouki and screamed, as well as writing most of the lyrics.
Joe Gould sang, screamed a little, played the drums, and helped Gordon with the lyrics.
Written by J. Gould/J. Randall/M. Stevens/G. Wallace (c) 2015
Contains melodies based on traditional Macedonian song Trop Nalo Oro.
Recorded at Soundworks Studios and tcfb HQ, April-May 2015.
Engineered and mixed by Joe Gould
Produced by Joe, Gordon and The Crooked Fiddle Band.
Thanks to Damien Press, Captain Kickarse and the Awesomes, Dan Stans, Ross, Sarah, Emma, Leila, Laura, Toby and all you crooked crew.
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supported by 5 fans who also own “Kings of the Mud (2015 demo)”
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