Long time dear friend Ko is in the Boreouts. Feels weird calling her a bandmate when we haven't played a show in almost 3 years, but it would feel even weirder to call her an ex-bandmate. We've logged lots of miles together across a couple of continents, my daughters' appreciation of her is on the aunt-like level and after not seeing each other for years, it takes all of zero seconds for us to pick up where we left off like no time has passed. As I get older, I tend to cherish friendships of this nature more and more. That's a good thing.

So her band is kinda just a fun thing that no one is expecting to be taking too seriously. They played down the street from our house in East Nashville on Monday night and it was worth it to me to hire a babysitter for the occasion.

But seeing a bandmate on stage with a bunch of other musicians is an incredibly confusing sensation. It's not like I feel like I'm being betrayed or cheated on...but more so like what we had in the Dirtbombs...it was better, we were better, it was special.

I start having thoughts like "she should really be on stage right and not in the center" and "she's playing a four-string bass but she really kills it on a baritone." As they creep in I have to remind myself, "this is different" and that's ok.

To my surprise though, I was able to just enjoy the lightness of it all. No pretense, no real expectations...just a band playing. They do a song ("Give It To Me") that Ko had been working on, like, twenty years ago, that I remember hearing all the time without it ever being released. The melody embedded in the fibers of my brain, I found myself singing it all day long.

Songs here are enjoyable. "Do Your Scam" is a fuzz guitar and Farfisa organ garage style, straight ahead, not reinventing the wheel, just a solid, good time. "Tightrope" draws me in more, a catchy number with Motown styled backing harmonies, dreamy slide guitars, the special sauce tamborine in the mix, empassioned lead vocals...just can't go wrong.

Was happy to buy two copies of this one with the express intent of giving one away here. Comment whatever you want, have something to say about one of those kinds of friendships or just "gimme free record" and we'll pick one randomly. Get your comment in by midnight central on March 27th. Woohoo.