Freshman Year 15th Anniversary Livestream

[Sais (Egypt) by Lonnie Liston Smith plays in the background]

[Frances Quinlan]

That was, uh, Lonnie Liston Smith in case anyone's interested.
Sais (Egypt) off of Cosmic Funk.
Lonnie Liston Smith, that's the jam, I gotta remember that.
Hello thanks for watching on Sunday, I know what day it is, uh just let me turn off the sound system.
Yeah.
Haah.

Thanks for tuning back in, I appreciate everyone's patience and kind words and, uh... just gonna make sure thing is... ready.
Hope everyone's Sunday is going well.
I did go outside today and it was very nice.

Too much.
I'm gonna get real with you- I only know a very small handful of songs from Freshman Year, so, I hope you like what you hear.
This is not a song from Freshman Year, it's very old, it's actually older than those songs.
And, um- oh shit, I got some buds on here, sup Selena!
I was thinking, how weird it would be if, like, shows somehow worked this way when we can finally go to shows again, if there's an announcement every time someone enters or leaves.
The announcer goes, "Selena just arrived!" and then you see like 20 people are gone, if that makes any sense.

I had the opportunity to keep that observation to myself and I chose otherwise.
Perfect, perfect.
Old song, I don't think I've played this song live like, in over a decade, so let's see how it goes okay.
Here it comes.

["King Crab" begins]

King Crab
Said to his wife, to his son, to his eldest daughter
"I want you to build me a throne above the water"
And they did their best to dissuade him

But when he stared up
He said he could see heaven
Told all the peasants of the ocean
His visions of heaven

King Crab
Didn't know the cage for what it was
He'd gone into the trap
Realized his mistake too late
Heard the screen door snap
And looked into the eyes of the fisherman

And he said
"I don't think that this is heaven"
And the fisherman said
"I don't believe what I'm hearing!"

King Crab
Said to the man of the sea
"You don't wanna eat me
For I'm a crustacean of the very highest royalty"

And the fisherman lifted off his hat, said
"Never did I see such a creature speaking to me"
And he fainted very heavily, very heavily

King Crab
Used his wisdom to set him free
Dove right back into the sea
Said "Ain't there no heaven for me?
Ain't there no heaven for me?"

'Cause when he stared up, he said he could see heaven
"Oh, I can't imagine feeling trapped under the ocean!"
I call out from my island

[Quinlan]

I'm... not the best at ending songs.
And I remember recording the end of that and it was really serendipitous that any of it worked.
Um, so...
Anyway.
Wild to see you all here, um, thank you so much for joining me, uh, whatever time of day it is for you, it's afternoon here in Philadelphia.
So this is a song from Freshman Year, um...
And I'm gonna play it right now.
Ah!
Sup, Cynthia?
Yeah, the comments, comments are coming.
All right, here we go, here's the song.

["Bride & Groom Hot Air Balloon" begins]

Young couple
Is kicking air as their burning balloon
Takes the pair up and up and up and up
An awful windy day

And the young agricultural manufacturer's assistant
I still don't know what that job is
Raises his sleeping eyes
And he opens them wide
The couple cried
To ears that could not hear, "We are up here
And we are so very afraid of heights!"

That morning, the bride said
"I think it's very clear with my
Premonitions here, dear
We were meant for a ride
In the big hot air balloon tonight"
And now she's crying
"Oh, darling, darling, dear, I'm so
Sorry to have brought you here
You seem terrible afeared
We won't get to see the morning sky
And I can't help but wonder why
I'm not afraid to die"
That's a big fat lie

The water's all around them, now
Townsfolk had tried to help, but how?
Now the ground is miles from them
Bound for the ocean
They're bound to let go sometime

And their arms are getting tired
Yeah, their bones are flaked with fire
From the straining of their wires
She looks into his eyes, eyes
Says, "At least we know we tried"
And the couple sighed
For years that, up till here, they both had dreamed
And so, they swept their plans into the sea

She said, "We could be a pair of happy fish, we could live inside a sunken ship
We could be a pair of happy fish, we could live inside a house in a sunken ship," now
They're a pair of happy fish, they live inside a sunken ship, yeah
They're a pair of happy fish, they live inside a sunken ship
Goes to show when you

Let go at the same time
With the flowers all falling down
Let the angels and the flowers floating around
Stand up and make themselves go now
For letting the lovers drown, drown
Drown, drown, drown
Drown

Yeah, let the lovers drown
Without a sound

[Quinlan]

I did it!
I haven't played that song live if that's, y'know, I'll call it that, this is live, it's really happening, um, in ages!
And certainly not without, without the guys, without Hop Along, miss y'all
Um, thanks again for joining me.
Uh oh, getting some wild requests.
I do apologize that um, that we're only taking a small trip back.
I mean,it's not small for me, it's a big trip, but...

Anyway.
I hope everybody's doing well, uh...
Pretty wild time.
I had some, some talking points I wrote down really quick, I would love to shout out.
I mean, there's so many people I've heard from, from my past.
Recently, especially from, from school, from Micah.
Um, shout out to Bree and Molly and Daysha, my housemates in my first year who were major inspirations as well as my cousins.
And major, major shout out and thanks to Chris Archibald and Phil Douglas.
Chris Archibald actually played on the recorded version of, for Freshman Year, of "Bride & Groom", that's Chris on the banjo, backup vocals.
Also I think, I think he plays some additional, like, guitar.
I'm spacing, but he also, like, produced that song and, um, Phil Douglas did all the mixing and mastering and they're both lovely people.
And, uh, I could go on and on about all the people I've met over the years.
Shout out to Long Island, all those first house shows I ever played.
Um, but, uh...

Really quick, this next song, sorry to yammer, um.
But this next song, I did want to say I've never really talked about this, um, but I want to, and uh...
I don't know why I never talk about it, I guess it's just a lot to talk about.
Um, so, there's a, there's a vocal, there's a second, there's a backup vocal on this next song that belongs to an artist by the name of Damien Derose, who also went by the name Peasant.
Um, beautiful, beautiful voice, I met him at open mic night at this place called the Point, which I want to say is in like... Brynwar, I can't remember where the point is.
But I used to go there every week, Friday after school, I had to drive up 76 and I would always be late and I'd always be like number 34 on the sign up lost for, for open mic.
And so I, you know, all the same people got to every week, it was crazy, I heard the same songs, like, dispatch covers and stuff, um, every week.
And I met Damien in line at the Point.
Uh, also, you know, trying to get his turn to play at the open mic, and I heard him sing and play and was stunned, and we became friends.
And he, uh, sings on this next song, he also plays drums, he plays drums on, uh, "Of My Brothers and the Bear" and "Bruno is Orange", and he sings backups on "Bride & Groom" as well, I think.
A few songs, um.
He also sings with Chris and me, oh my, on "Goose & the Wren", it's great.
Uh, but this is a shout out to Damien, we lost him a few years ago.
I was on tour with Hop Along, we were in Europe, it's like 2015 in the fall, I think.
And, uh, Chris told me that he, he had um, he'd passed away, so um...
Yeah, I never really talked about it, uh...
But I wanted to shout out to Damien, the song is for him.
And, um...
All of those who have loved ones that are struggling, all, I mean, I think a lot of people are struggling right now.
And it's, uh- oh, shit, it's starting to get, uh oh!

This song's for Damien, uh, it's called "Laments of a Mattress".
It's, uh, I wrote it on my kitchen floor and um- fun fact, all of the songs for Freshman Year were written by a virgin!
That's really funny to me.
I don't know.
Anyway, I talked a lot.

["Laments of a Mattress" begins]

Green striped sheets lifted from me
Now I am free of two very heavy bodies
Once we three had slept soundly
I couldn't keep them around
Fold the blankets down
And found new sleeping ground

Bed springs squeaking
Tires squealing away from one another
We all used to be lovers here
Bodies playing, they'll say they'll
Stay just like their boxes stacked the same way
Labeled and separated, hey

Go ahead, take the couch
I know I don't want to sit here next to nobody
Go ahead, take the fridge
I know I don't want you going hungry, yeah
Go ahead, take the cat
I know you're only gonna be coming back, so
Go ahead, take it all
I know how you've only been wanting to
Settle down
Has it always been settling down?

One on the left says to the on the right
"I could make a very good wife for you"
One on the right to the one on the left
"Let's take this one step at a time"
One on the the right says to the one on the left
"You know, I need you all the time"
One on the left says to the one on the right
"I think I've changed my mind"

I can't help but think
My insides have to sing
Yeah, the weight gets the better of me
My insides have to sing

A song for the sad ones
Who say they'll marry, they guess
She is wearing a white dress, a
Song for the sad ones
Who say they'll marry, they guess
If he behaves his very best, a
Song for the sad ones
Who say they'll marry, they guess
She is wearing a white dress if he
Song for the sad ones
Who say they'll marry, they guess
He behaves his very, very, very best
Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes
Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes

Go ahead, take the couch
I know I don't want to sit next here to nobody
Go ahead, take the fridge
I know I don't want you going hungry, yeah
Go ahead, take the cat
I know you're only gonna be coming back, so
Go ahead, take it all
I know how you've only been wanting to
Settle down
Has it always been settling down?

My elastic, steel, and spring
They will tell you everything
If you lay down for a minute
My elastic, steel, and spring
They will tell you everything
If you lay down for a minute, a minute, a minute

In the warehouse than recycles mattresses
Intensive labor is done by inmates
Making under a dollar a minute
In the warehouse than recycles mattresses
Intensive labor is done by inmates
Making less than a dollar a minute

While the CEO is making his living by the minute, by the minute, baby, by, by
The CEO is making his living by the minute, baby, by, by
The CEO is making his living, baby, baby, by, by

So go ahead

[Quinlan]

It occurred to me that I just feel like whoever's building mattresses is probably not making a ton of money.
And I looked it up and it turns out that, yeah, that there was a, is or was it, wasn't that long ago that the article was from, that, uh, there are facilities where mattresses are recycled by inmates, it's- yeah I'm not gonna get into that.
Anyway, um, kind of butchered that part, uh, okay.
There was a song on this list that I haven't played in a long time and I'm worried about the- it's not my story, it's not my story to tell.
So... I did... I did talk to my therapist about it, and she was saying, if I explained, maybe it would be more... like less inappropriate, I don't know.
But I'm gonna skip it because this is already such a strange, strange endeavor.
Um, thanks for your, your, your patience, um, I did want to recommend a couple things while you all are watching, if you don't mind.
Uh, first of all... um.
Some great shows, if anyone's trying to watch some, binge watch some shows, you might have all already seen these, I've- I'm certainly late to the part on a lot of things.
Um, Pose, oh my God, who's seen Pose?
Pose? is incredible, blasted right through it.
Um, I was also extremely late to the game with Orange is the New Black.
Incredible show and really... hard-hitting to watch now, um, super late to that game, so no one needs to hear me say that show.
But also, um, if you haven't seen The Last Dance, you should watch it.
Um, thank you Pat for telling me about that, I love it.
It's a docu-series and the montage aout Dennis Ramon.
It gave me chills!
And if anyone's having trouble trying to sleep, um, podcast wise?
I highly recommend this podcast called Sleep With Me.
Uh, it's narrated by this person, Scoots.
I love Scoots.
What a nice thing, someone wants to just keep people company while they're having trouble, uh... having trouble falling asleep.
So, shout out to those things.
And also to, um, I'm gonna butcher their name, I'm sorry, Janaya Future Khan.
Um, I've been following their Sunday sermons.
Actually, I bet they did one today.
They are an incredible, incredible speaker and they said this thing recently that, like, blew my mind.
They said we don't yet have a language to describe the experiences of women in the 21st century and... that blew my head open, so, um...
Here's- I'm gonna play two more songs while I have you guys.
Thank you so much, this is insane!
I really, really can't get over all the kind words everyone had for this old, goofy ass album coming out.
Um, it's so goofy, I'm proud of it, but... funny.
Um, yeah.
Here's the song.

Alright.
Ugh.

["No Good Al Joad" begins]

Put that chicken in your yard
Out of its misery
Its feathers torn apart
No rooster can be more
Ruthless than you, more
Stupid than me

I found your angel in the crow's nest
It's a god-awful mess up here
She's clawed through the floor
Nobody seems to stick around
How much more can you take?

Old men fire from their windows
Warning shots over your head
And your dearest friends
Are all coming around
With their tails between their legs

But your engine is still running, although
The gears are covered with grime
Everybody is a little hard to love sometimes
Oh shit

You are my favorite because you're a long shot
You are my enemy because you forgot

Generous people, they fill me with doubt
But that's something I'd rather not talk about
And no heavy charge can make me stay
I'm a no-good Al Joad, anyway
I'll never lie in the back of no truck

So if you want a whole lot
But without getting caught
Babe, you better go get in line
Everybody is a little hard to love sometimes

The first person I realized was dying
Thanked everyone for the cake, soft and low
"Now I can tell the ground barely feels my footsteps
As I must go"

[Quinlan]

Nghn!
Almost made it, sorta been a minute since I played that one.
Thanks, everybody!
So nice.
Um, all right.
I'm gonna do one more for you all, um, and, uh...
Yeah, I, I dedicate this, I... Truly, to have heard back from so many people who supported me at the very start when, uh...
Goofy, goofy, young person, it's very cool.
Very cool to have that kind of support so early.
And, um...
Yeah, and shout out to Saddle Creek, too, for signing my band, believing in us.
Um, it is a wild and wild decision, is not really the word, I don't know what to say about what's going on.
I hope you're getting by, um.
If you can, find things that you believe in to support, uh.
Thank you so much to D.O.P.E. for what they do and the programs like Reclaim Philadelphia, Beyond the Bars, um...
My brain, oh by gosh, Amistad Law, uh...
Girls Rock Philly, Rock to the Future, I love this city, and uh...
Fucking strings.
I just want this to be perfect even though I'm probably gonna botch it.
Um., this song has been on the web a long time and, uh, it's on YouTube, and I saw the thread of, um, people speculating what it's about and I love what people have to say.
Um, there's so many brilliant... brilliant, uh, theories, I love it.
So here's the last song.
Um, thank you so much to all the, all the beautiful messages I've gotten.
I- I am stunned.

Here it comes.

["Bruno is Orange / Mother" begins]

Bruno, what did you tell that man?
He's a clever man, did you know?
I bet he works for the government
I know you know I know
I know I can't control thoughts of things I need
And I believe everybody needs some encouragement

I think it's real unfair that you should put him there
All we did is kiss on my grave, I swear
Where did you find his shoes? A lock of my hair?
All we did is kiss on my grave, I swear

Some dull morning, we were wearing sheets
He whispered, "I think they know better than me"
See this hand that pushed you into the creek?
Sorry, was just fun, and you were laughing
We were running towards the street
You wrote my name into the fresh painted yellow line
And I wrote your name right there next to mine

We had to dodge a truck
He almost hit a spud
I think we had some luck
And for two bucks
We bought some bread
And fed the grey geese and the ducks

Everyone will come, everyone will yell
I'd thank you just the same if you didn't tell
My mother says that I will surely go to hell
Please be a good man, please say you won't tell

Did you know that that boy is an armed man?
Bearing flowers in two hands
Very able to hold me down
And love me more than anyone

Bruno, what happened to your good sense?
I broke down that man's good
I bet he works for the government

Did you hear about that mother?
Broke her daughter's legs in two
And said, "It's too dangerous out there to walk, so
I had to save you"

Mother, you had me but I never had you
I wanted you, you didn't want me

So I, I just got to tell you
Goodbye, goodbye

Father, you left me, but I never left you
I needed you, you didn't need me

So I, I just got to tell you
Goodbye, goodbye

Children, don't do what I have done
I couldn't walk, no, and I tried to run

So I, I just got to tell you
Goodbye, goodbye

Mother, don't go
Daddy, come home
Mother, don't go
Daddy, come home
Mother, don't go
Daddy, come home
Mother, don't go
Daddy, come home

[Quinlan]

Thank you all so much for watching this, um...
I- there's, really- I really do want to make some shout outs to um, Dominic Angelella, JoAnne Zielo, Cynthia Shimmer, Bree, Molly, Daysha, Whitney for hitting me up with that really funny picture last night.
And to Pat, and, um, my family, and uh... Hop Along.
I'm alone a lot, so I just feel like I want to read, like now, I don't mind, I just want to shout out people.
Um, yeah, I mean, Chris Archibald, Phil Douglas, Damien Derose.
There are so many people that have, were there at the start, and, um, just to get messages from those people as well as new listeners now and people throughout the year is incredible.
And, um, if you happen to have an envelope that I painted- uh, I used to paint envelopes for people when I mailed them their CDs, which always arrived incredibly late.
So if you have a painted envelope from me and you feel like sending me a photo- I've gotten a couple and it's really wild to see them, so thank you all so much and I hope you have a wonderful day.
And um, thanks for checking in, this really, uh, has helped me a lot, so thank you for that.
And, uh, I, I'm just really lucky, so, I hope you're having a good day, uh.
All right, that's enough talking, happy sunday everybody, be safe and be well.
So long.