Singled Out: Cassino

"Kingprince" is the nickname of a friend, and the song was a bit of a struggle to write. The words and music came easy, but when you deal with something this heavy, the thought of what others will think weighs on you, especially when these are people you see on a regular basis. This was the second song that was inspired by the death of someone I knew, and the first time I had no idea what my thoughts would stir up. The first time around I planned on using his name in the title of a song, but the family got wind of it and it became a big deal. Here I was in my crappy little bedroom, writing music for an album that would be on the shelves of Best Buy, writing things that deeply affected his family, people who I hardly even knew. I just thought it would make a good song, not even taking into account the circumstances of his death. I guess Music can be a powerful thing sometimes (after all it IS the language of the soul). I felt like an a**hole for not talking to his family first. Honesty is the most important part of music, but I still don't know if there is a line that should not be crossed�

The song "Kingprince" is inspired by a friend who took his own life, and I say "inspired" because I don't really ever write about a certain, particular circumstance (names, dates, times etc.). I guess it's just more about the experience. I write mostly from the 1st person perspective, regardless if it is something that happened to me or someone else. Luckily I also write mostly in metaphors, so in the end it all ends up being pretty universal. I don't know why it's always a metaphor, that's just how it's always been. Anyways�He was always a great friend, a wonderful person, funny, and troubled. Before he passed, he had a couple run-ins with the law, and then was living in his car in Alabama�he tended to disappear off and on towards the end. I hope he knows his friends and family miss him, and I'm sure he's out skating on the rings of Saturn, and exploring all the dimensions we can't see. I was supposed to play at the funeral, but I got mixed up and they ended up just playing a Cassino song on the overheads�I felt really bad�.So I hope he can forgive me for that. I think we would have dug this song�.

Side note- the Harmonica track and the electric guitars were the "demo" very first takes�after about a couple of days of writing parts, we went back and listened, and nothing even came close.