“Headache” is song #4 on our set list.  This is a classic punk song – it sounds right out of the ‘80s, cause it was written in the 80s, only never actually finished until recently.  I needed a song for my stage play 1980, so I pulled this one out of the files and Jim put a pretty cool riff to it for the play. When the Submensas reformed it was a natural fit.  So it has the unique quality of being very old and yet our newest original song. We released it as a single and it is doing the best on Spotify of all of our songs. The lyrics are short and direct, as in:

My head hurts / I know why

Too much searching / Not enough prize,

My head hurts/ I know why

Can’t find the Grail in a garbage pile.

Thematically, it is what it is, a song about angst and dreams unfulfilled, but it’s got a catchy refrain and a cascading drum montage by Darryl that really sells the song.  Also a special shoutout to Vernon for a superb vocal arrangement.  Plus, the final mastering was done by a Grammy-winning engineer!

This song kicks off a series of five classic punk-type  songs… the heart of our order. 

Song #3 in the set list is “Blood on the Bands”… hmm, what can we say about BoB?  First off, the AC/DC-esque title is not far off the mark – this song is a screamer (not like Bon Scott, however, more like Henry Rollins).  And, yes, there’s blood, and bands, and one of Jim’s most fascinating guitar leads that sounds like a crazy science experiment boiling over – this lead comes in response to one of my best lyrics ever:

The blood is on the bands

The demands of misfits 

They’re having hope,

But it’s the secret hidden dope in their ears.

… and then Jim’s guitar lead conjures up that ‘dope in the ears’ sensation – and one tends to bang one’s head in that circumstance… Hence, I would call this one a ‘banger’,  It also has a  rhythm that I would put right up next to System of a Down. Thematically, the song calls into question the soporific effect that modern music has on the population – another distraction from the five alarm fire at the center of power. You can’t wash your hands.; the blood is on the bands. Good song #3.

The second song in our set list is our newest addition, “Trading Cards of Glory,” the title song from our 2012 compilation release (44x songs available on Bandcamp). It was one of the last songs composed by the Subs in our first incarnation (‘83 – 93), and it probably hasn’t been played more than once or twice ever. That said, it’s a fantastic song, and more relevant today than ever. It’s got a great guitar hook and the ever-increasing presence of Vernon with his sweet, David Bowie-esque background vocals – we are becoming quite Buzzcocky with our harmonies lately. The ending verse says it all:

“Now is the time for healing and feeling,

So let’s go down to the flea market.”

There’s a lot to unpack in this one, but we are commenting on the passage of time from the 1980s to present day. The only thing is, perhaps recent times have awakened a new energy that puts our reminiscing on hold. But even so, the relics of the past hold even more significance now. Possibly it is in the past where hope that things can be better can be found, and that we can help make it so. Or, perhaps the song looks forward to a future in which the conflagrations of our times are but embers and all of us can just relax and go down to the flea market. I honestly couldn’t tell you which angle the song is taking.

As part of the countdown to the gig at Zen West on February 15, I am bringing back our SET LIST COUNTDOWN featuring the SONG LYRIC of the DAY…. Remember, you can get the whole song in our FREE LYRIC BOOKLET that we provide with every performance…

Returning to the top of the order is the rhythmic thumping of GODZILLA’S GIFT OF LIFE, which contains this brutally mangled metaphor…

“We’ve had Pink Floyd, We’ve had punk rock,

And we’ve shared a thousand beat veins,

But the arteries of artistic expression

Are clogged with fatty antibodies …”

The next lines are probably not FB-appropriate, but you get the idea. Bartlett’s Famous Quotations, are you listening?

Our “Godzilla”, like the monster itself, has gone through several different incarnations since its origin in the late 80s… it’s a snare-heavy hammering out of the artistic quandary, punctuated by one of Jim’s searing guitar solos.

And (shhh, this is a TRADE SECRET) I just bought a Godzilla mask!!

See yas at the show!

February 3, 2025

I am on a quest to find all of my writings that are still available online. Here’s one of my first published stories since my personal renaissance:

https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/damon92/embed/episodes/Episode-6—The-Present-Machine-e1229pb

Merry Christmas! Here’s my contribution to the pantheon of Christmas stories – recorded 3 years ago with my wonderful theater friends – Special hello to Parker Webb, Dan Lake, Cassidee Grunwald, Sheila Blanc, Patch Hatley, Jim Mcpherson, Zander Norko, Allison Eckloff, love you all!

In case you wonder what my problem is…