So here's my contribution to the covid 19 situation we're all facing. I was thinking about collabing but in the end I practiced social writing distancing and put on my mask and gloves....sure is hard playing the guitar with gloves (BTW) but I got it done. My only companion in the studio is my K9 Lilly.

The band is:

Bass: 1417
Drums: Pop 8ths AND Texas rock
Steel: 2541
Dobro: 2040
Mando: 2035
Piano: 2026

Guitars: Me

Flatten the Curve

Lyrics:

I was just 19 and out of school
Drove a jacked up Chevy I was nobody's fool
A couple of boys on a Friday night having fun
Headed on down to the river road bend
Kinda wish I could go back there again
to a time when we didn't have to think or worry about tomorrow

Well I took that curve just a little too fast
Rolled that Chevy across the field out into the grass
When it all was over we all just kinda stood there grinning
The lawman said boy what's the matter with you
You both could have died in that car, that's the truth
So tell me son what in the world were you thinking

I thought we'd flatten the curve, give it a try
life is for living, I don't run and hide
we all want to be on the winning side
I Don't worry about tomorrow I live for today
Forget about the piper we all have to pay
Just give it a try man, and flatten that curve

The nightly news has gone from bad to worse
Seems like we're living...in a twilight zone curse
From something they all call the Covid 19 virus
From the cities and the towns to the hospital rooms
We all pray to God this will be ending soon
And one of these days that sun will just be shining....
Just be shining


We have to flatten that curve, do it or die
we all want to live, we all have to try
So we can all be on the winning side
pray for tomorrow and take care for today
When we all work together we can find the right way
Let's give it a try, and flatten that curve



I hope you all enjoy this.

Well that intro grabs you immediately!

What a cool song man! I love the guitars in the background sliding around and the interspersed mando. A lot going to keep the attention.

The lyrics are perfect in their straight-forward lay out. They sit so well with the melody into the song. Nothing feels forces. A sign of a really good song to me.

Thanks for participating in your challenging. I was beginning to wonder. Seriously, thanks for the challenge as well.

Really well done Herb!!! My favorite thing is just the vibe of the song.......reminds me of John Hiatt! Great job at playing off "flatten the curve"....that's a tough one indeed! Really enjoyable tune!! Stay safe my friend! Take care. Greg

That's one tasty guitar intro.

Clever write, upbeat song, good arrangement. Love the mandolin slipping in and out.

Nice work. Excellent guitar work and vocal.
Stay safe and let's hope that curve does flatten.
Regards,
Leon

A fun listen. Well written, lyrically and musically. It really felt like home. Guitars and mando played well off each other. Much enjoyed.

A good write, Herb. Your best, I think.

The band sounds good.

Hi Herb,

a terrific write wrapped in great music. So well arranged, so well-sung.... Top-notch guitar playing.

I really love thsi song and, yes, let's hope that we can flatten the curve wherever its peaks bring that much misery.

Stay safe, guitarhacker

Stefan

I'm glad you like this. I sat on my chair after I played that intro and thought the same thing.... one take, and off the cuff. Every now and then I get something right on the first attempt. Thanks for listening.

Thanks Greg. I'm not that familiar with Hiatt.... I'll have to check him out. The "flatten the curve" thing is all over the TV and news, and I gave it as a suggestion in my songwriting forum post to this challenge.... I decided to go with it.

Yep.... I had to lick my fingers after I played that.... It's cool. I knew my guitar didn't have the C-19 virus. Thanks for the listen and the nice compliments.

Hello Herb,

That's really a good, strong rocker you made!
I can join everyone one this formum with this opnion.
A very nice -abstract- part was where you had a solo from a mandolin. All that power from the bass, drums, guitars and then... that mandolin. I had to smile about it.
Your voice is very strong and it remainded me in a way of one of the Fogerty brothers from CCR. Of course I heard differences, but the energy felt the same.
Very well done!

Hans

Thank you. Yep... gotta get this thing behind us for sure.

Glad you listened and enjoyed it. Thank you

Interesting.... this was a quick write. I think I literally wrote the first 2 verses in 10 minutes and then worked on the rest of it the following day for about 60 minutes total time. Thanks for listening and commenting.

They just locked NC down...... stay at home unless you are essential. I'm essential so I go out when I need. Aside from that, I'm in the woods with my wife and dog.

Thanks for listening

Interesting that you mention the mandolin.... I was not really intending for there to be a mandolin solo. Problem was, I couldn't find anything else to go there that I liked or thought sounded good. The mando was kind of anticlimatic following the guitar but like I said, I couldn't decide on what else to do there and I didn't want to play the guitar solo out that long..... well actually I thought about it but left the mando in.

I'm glad it made you smile so it's all worth it in the end. THanks.

Herb, that was one of your best. Truly I have been a fan since the early days with you, beagle, myself and the rest of the gang. I thought your guitar work was stellar, actually pro album quality. Your mixing and mastering has just gotten better through the years.

It so cool to know your doing well. Here in SC were not locked down YET so I have been working, but I feel it’s coming soon. Like yourself as a locksmith some of my services are essential. I pulled into the driveway Thursday around 6:45 after a long hard day, and as I got out of the truck I heard a voice behind me say “excuse me sir” I turned around and a older lady had pulled in behind me. She told me that she and her husband were locked out of their house. She was mostly deaf, he could barely walk. So I jumped back in the truck and followed them to their home, and got my lock pick tools and in 5 minutes had them in. It made me feel good to help.

Right from the intro I was hooked. Love the lyrics, your vocal AND guitars (no surprise there). Really cool how you started out at 19, flattening a different curve. I coached baseball for 15 years and was waiting for a nasty curve in the 3rd verse --when the news went from bad to worse. You hit this one out of the park. Stay well, Herb!

This is another that could or should be on the radio. Very well done. I liked the play on words you utilized, made for a great tune.

'Guitarhacker'...

How well you responded to your own songwriting challenge !!!

You vocal performance is as fervent, and has as much urgency in it, as Paul Revere probably had in his voice when he galloped through the colonies crying out to the alarmed citizens that "the British are coming, the British are coming!!!" I feel that I know this song came from your heart.

I think your lyrics absolutely ingenious, 'Guitarhacker'. Wanna know why? O.K. I'll tell you -- 'cause you managed to link the 'live fast, die young, and leave a good corpse' mentality that is typical of any number of youths' life experience with its polar opposite -- the current and dire responsibility all of us have in this country to do our part to diminish, or halt, the spread of COVID-19, to 'flatten the curve', as your song is titled. 'Guitarhacker', your sense of moral and social responsibility is showing out like a candle in a jack-o-lantern !!! Keep that candle burning, dude.

Wish I could slap you on the back for this, 'cause it's sincere, 'cause it's emotionally charged, and most of all, 'cause it's too timely to ignore. It's the 'real deal', musically and topically.

Good work, man, really good work .

Ultra-sincerely & respectfully,

LOREN

Well done. Great production. Like the guitars. Good song.

Ahhhh yes, those heady days of yesterday.... that was a fun forum for sure and we learned the ropes of how to do this thing called recording.... Glad to see you're still hanging out and doing the music thing.... so cathartic. And good to see you are helping folks as well.

Thanks for listening.

Marty.... yep I didn't even think about the curve ball.... with a bit of thought I could have thrown that (pun intended) into another verse.... Thanks for the kind words.

I actually submitted this to the radio station for consideration in the show that has played a few of my tunes..... but alas.... they didn't want to use it "at this dire time".... perhaps later....

Thanks..

Loren.... I'm glad you picked up on the live fast vs we all gotta help each other thing..... yep that was the theme. Great observation. Thank you for the really great compliments. We all have to keep the candle burning in this time we are living in.

Just a nit for history sake. Paul Revere never finished his ride. He was captured early in the evening and detained. There were at least 2 other riders who left Boston with him but by different routes and they made it safely to spread the word. Other riders joined them and by morning there was an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 colonists showing up to meet the British troops. The colonists were British subjects so the call to arms wasn't the "British are coming" but was instead, "The Regulars are out" with the knowledge that the British army troops were called Regulars. The Regulars had a very, very bad day as the sun rose on April 19, 1775.

Thank you for listening and taking the time to comment.

'Guitarhacker'...

Man, that wasn't a 'nit' -- it was a much-needed correction to my incomplete understanding of American history !!!

Thank you so much for that important information .

Most sincerely,

LOREN

Herb, that is a great piece of, if I may, Americana.

Your nice guitar work and vocal with the acoustic instruments sort
of defines what's typical of that genre. And along with
Hiatt there are many Americana artists doing really great
work in this vein.

So whether it was your intention or not we think this fits
right square in an Americana playlist.

And the vocal, guitar, write and production are all hittin' the note.

J&B

I'm good with calling it whatever ..... as long as you like it, I'm a happy camper.

Thanks for listening

Hi, Herb !


We all really try to flatten
that curve, you bet !
Spot on lyrics and a good
tune to go with them !:))

Let´s hope this invisible
killer will pass as fast as
possible !

Dani