Poison Ivy's Kiss

Poison Ivy's Kiss
Written and Recorded 2004

I often forget about this song, though I played it in two bands over the years. It was written in high school  and performed by The Manacles and then revived in college for The King's Gentlemen. It's not a bad song overall, just a rock tune. At the time I was really, really into Queens of the Stone Age. Most of the people in my circle of friends worshipped them, so I did too. This song is me trying to do my best version of QOTSA/ Eagles of Death Metal. Eagles of Death Metal are a side project for essentially the same people as QOTSA but more simple and definitely not death metal.

• This is probably my only song that uses a glass slide, and only for one chord at that. I never could quite get the technique of those things.
• I try way too hard with these vocals to be a rocker and the lyrics are pure fluff, no substance to them at all.
• MORE COWBELL
• The opening progression is your simple four chord progression of   Em  G  C   B7. Then for some reason I use an augmented F chord as a pivot to the chorus in Bbm...I didn't have any grasp of music theory at the time and I'm sure I just wanted it to sound cool, but it sure is weird. It works pretty well to break up the song.
• It's funny to think about those progressions working in the same song. Nowadays, I would never dream of doing that sort of key change mid song. But I think that's the price you pay for knowing the rules of harmony. Back in high school, I didn't know I was breaking rules, I just did things. Since I learned all that music theory, I still break rules, build up expectations and break them, but not like this. 
• This is probably my finest drum set performance (the cowbell is overdubbed...I wasn't good enough!)
• "La da da da da do dee day day." *face palm* These lyrics loosely translate to, "I can't think of another rhyme and this sounds good enough." The lowest of the lows...