“Oh shit! Oh fuck!” Andrew repeated from the driver’s seat of our now malfunctioning van, ten minutes away from that evening’s venue in Miami, Florida. He managed to steer the van to the shoulder of the Palmetto Expressway, and we called AAA and our good pal, Taylor Davis. After a few hours and a series of rides between a tow truck and Taylor’s partner Daniela’s Mini Cooper, we managed to get the crew, merch, pedals, and some guitars to the venue, and made the gig happen. I was extremely grateful to be standing on the tables that evening.
While we waited for the repairs, we were grateful to be put up in a hotel with the help of the Chang-Soon’s travel points (thank you forever, Chang-Soon Family!). Taylor was a gracious host and showed us a bit of his home city. We explored the art work of the Wynwood neighborhood, and I ran into the ocean. If you have to get stuck somewhere for a day, Miami isn’t a bad place to do it.
While hanging in the hotel, Hannah [Greve] told us about a time she was on tour with a band and they had similar vehicle woes, if not much worse vehicle woes. She mentioned how they used the mantra “No amens in this van” while dealing with their own death-trap, and like any half-decent songwriter, when I hear a good turn of phrase, to tastefully (beg, borrow, and) steal it. The skeleton of the song came together in that hotel room, and it is about friends sticking together to get through the less-than-ideal situations we often find ourselves in.
P.S. The “Miami 2019” is an homage to Billy Joel’s “Miami 2017” because why not?
lyrics
“No Amens in This Van (Miami 2019)”
B. Mahoney, A. Saul, J. McIntosh, J. Chang-Soon, H. Greve
Let me run
Let me wander
Whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger
Let me run
Let me wonder
Won't be gone too much longer
All-in-one
One and done
Broken heart will do that to you
All for one
One for all
Laughing all the way down the hall
Gray and blue skies, smooth sails ahead
We will get out of this friends, out of this friends
Broke down on Palmetto, there's no turning back
We will get out of this friends, out of this friends
No amens in this Van
No amens
No amens in this Van
5 more days
To Get us through
Until we’re on our way back to you
All it took
Was everything
But now we’re strong as steel at the seams
Gray and blue skies, smooth sails ahead
We will get out of this friends, out of this friends
Broke down on Palmetto, there's no turning back
We will get out of this friends, out of this friends
No amens in this Van
No amens
No amens in this Van
Gray and blue skies, smooth sails ahead
We will get out of this friends
Gray and blue skies, smooth sails ahead
We will get out of this friends
Gray and blue skies, smooth sails ahead
We will get out of this friends, out of this friends
Broke down on Palmetto, there's no turning back
We will get out of this friends, out of this friends
What do you know about making a living?
What do you know about making a killing?
What do you know about making a living?
What do you know about making a killing?
What do you know about making a living?
What do you know about making a killing?
What do you know about making a living?
What do you know about making a killing?
No Amens in this Van
credits
from We Go On,
released April 8, 2022
Performed by Bobby Mahoney, James McIntosh, Andrew Saul, and Jon Chang-Soon
Written by Bobby Mahoney, James McIntosh, Andrew Saul, Jon Chang-Soon, and Hannah Greve
Recorded and Mixed by Joe Pomarico
Produced by Joe Pomarico, Bobby Mahoney, James McIntosh, Andrew Saul, and Jon Chang-Soon
Mastered by Doug Gallo
Album Art by RB Roe
Special thanks to Matthew Koerner, Jon Alba, Zach Kornhauser, Cooper Davis, Carina Duffy, Madison Van Houten, Rebecca Stern, Zack Sandler, Hannah Greve, Mike Cubillos, Gregory Schwartz, Matt Fernicola , and the whole Telegraph Hill Records Team
(C) 2022 Bobby Mahoney Music LLC
(P) 2022 Bobby Mahoney Music LLC and Telegraph Hill Records
supported by 4 fans who also own “No Amens in this Van (Miami 2019)”
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