I intend the following to be a complete back catalogue of the musical endeavours I have embarked on thus far. From my early days as the bassist in film inspired, classic rock three piece “Mr Rogers” up to the ridiculous vocal shenanigans on display in the prog/poppy/mathcore “Life!Death!Prizes!”. Each song will come with a short description of the content, my vague recollections of the conditions under which it was written and maybe the lyrics as well. Who this is meant to appeal to I’ve no idea...
The songs are in video format as that seems to be the least fiddly way for me to put them up here and I guess it leaves me the option to put something visually entertaining along with them, although don’t hold your breath. Also for future reference, the phrase “I wrote” will, unless otherwise stated, refer to the lyrical content of the piece as whilst I have been known to contribute musically, primarily I am the lyricist. Due to the current restrictions on the access to digital information I’m suffering this blog will not be in chronological order, but I’ll start by going back to...
As Hollow as Hallowed
Summer 2004, a season which saw the birth of the “Last of the Okinawa Fighters”, an entity which would become a major factor in my life. At the time I was 16 and had been gigging a bit with my family band “Mr Rogers”, but the old school musical attitude didn’t suit my developing tastes. That year I had discovered a real liking for the dark melodies, changing time signature and poignant prosody of a number of, what I know refer to as, 6/8 metal bands. Mad at gravity and fony and a host of others had come along with their watered down and easier take on what tool and a perfect circle had been doing for years but that wasn’t going to bother me.
Enter then my brother, on a sunny afternoon with a question “Hey, do you want to sing for this band I’m drumming for?”
“What, do you mean practice?”
“Yeah practice and then, play a gig tonight”
He explained that it was the type of thing I’d been loving recently and that they had three song that they wanted to play later that day. So this is one of three songs written by myself in three hours preceding their arrival to have a run through of the songs before heading out to the local jam night for our first live performance.
Like all of my youthful work this song is immature, self indulgent and very simplistic. The name, which alludes to some vague religious content, is entirely and purposefully misleading, although in my own mind it was forever justified. The song is the story of some betrayal perpetrated against me by a close friend, in light of my ever increasing years the incident in questions pales further and further into insignificance, but due to the absence of specifics within the lyrics of the song, it will forever feel as if it was addressing something with more gravitas than a spat between close friends.
This recording was done years later in 2007 and as such is of a much higher quality than some of the things I will be posting here.
Song credits
Composed by Christopher Tookey
Arranged by Gus Rogers
Lyrics by Fergus Rogers
Guest Vocals by Darryl Winstone
Produced by Todd Cambell
Lyrics
Cause’ I couldn’t see anything more
Than you had given to me
I do not feel I could betray
What you had sacrificed
Sacrificed
Now that I see that you couldn’t care
I needed you now
Now that I know what you stood for
All that you said was hollow
I wish you had come with some guarantee
Cause’ what you have done is criminal
Broken and cracked, you have left me
There was no clemency
Now that I see that you couldn’t care
I needed you now
Now that I know what you stood for
All that you said was hollow
For all the times that you walked away
I earned the right to say it
And for all the times that you weren’t there
You were hollow
