| Alan | Cello |
| Justin | Drums |
| Matt | Guitar |
| Mule | Guitar |
| Todd | Bass |
The seed that would ultimately grow into The Strain was planted in 2020. It began with two people, Alan and Mule, jamming during the pandemic at the former’s home studio. This was before my wife and I moved to Philadelphia–well before we were even considering leaving Barcelona for that matter. The wife and I joined a community garden. Both Alan and Mule had plots there. At a garden party, in summer of 2021, Mule mentioned a weekly jam, and I started showing up. Then Matt started showing up, then Justin. We continued playing at Alan’s until renovations of his home began in Spring of the next year. As luck would have it, there was a rehearsal studio nearby, so the jamming continued at Apex Music Hub without missing a beat. We reserve four-hour blocks, and generally speaking, it adds up to three hours of playing every week (with breaks; some of us are old men, after all).
The Strain was not always called The Strain. For a long time we had no name at all. The closest we came was ‘The Old Farts,” but the only person who called us that was the owner of Apex, and he only called us that because when I called or texted to speak with him, I’d say, “It’s Todd, one of the old farts who plays every Wednesday night.” The first name we agreed upon was Artificial Garden, and then Arti Gardi, but there was confusion over whether it was Arti Gard or Arti Gardi. Then Justin suggested The Strain, and that one stuck.
In the spring of 2022, The Strain visited South Street Sound to record a few tracks, professionally. The session, along with owner Jeff’s impressive mixing, netted two songs that we were happy enough with to release. Both have since been published and are available for sale on BandCamp.
Those songs are Invisible and Off My Chest. Below are the lyrics for both.
Invisible Lyrics: Have I got the guts / to suffer your indignities / or should I take a bow, shuffle off to sleep / On a day when I was young / Cap gun’s got the safety on / Punch the ticket / Have some fun / Run your laps around the sun / First I turn invisible then I disappear / First I turn invisible / Then it’s been a thousand years / Have I carved enough to see the light beyond the trees / Or will I drag a cross to shoulder my disease / On a day when I was young / Nerf balls in the setting sun / Nickel bags / Old Sedan / Run before the police come / [Chorus] / Am I strong enough / to board the ship and cross the sea / Or should I pray for grace / broke in dungarees / On a day when I was young / Durable and strong enough / Little gray mitten town / Waiting for the world to come / [Chorus]
Off My Chest Lyrics: Got a lotta shit to get off my chest / Let us begin so I can get some rest / I hate your polo shirts and your pleated pants / Can’t take another one of your political rants / Laughing at you while you fall in line / With your 10-cent cheap weak noodle spine / And you’ve got nothing on me / Facing a catastrophe/ No more parlor tricks / I’ll give you just a little kick / To get out of my way / Got a lotta shit to get off my chest / Told my therapist but it made her depressed / Are you the 24/7 center of attention / Your OCD cranked up to 11 / Such a control freak / Sick all the time / Throw a temper tantrum to keep us all in line / [Chorus] / Got a lot of shit to get off my chest / Told it to myself but it got all repressed / Your corporate job made you such a whore / You got all that money buy you’re still so poor / And you can’t hid that you’re looking down on me / So why do all your friends look exactly like I used to be / [Chorus] [Chorus]
We have, over the last few months, starting playing live, which was a first for me and most of the rest of the band. The coming out party was at Mr. John’s Music in Philly’s Italian Market on August 25, 2023. We performed outdoors to a sea of friendly invitees. That part of the city is a real tourist destination with a lot of foot traffic; some folks even wandered in off the street. Truly amazing, one-of-a-kind experience.
We played thirteen or fourteen songs across two 30-minute sets. Very gratifying. I don’t think you get too many new experiences like that after crossing the half-century mark. So I’ve been relishing the whole thing. These are the songs we played at the first show: Arpeggio, Invisible, Off My Chest, All the Crazy Girls, I’m Bored, Why Can’t You Save Me?, Daughter of an Oilman, Hey Baby / No Mercy, There Goes Another Love Song, Skinhead on the Philly Subway, and Another Night in Philly.
Here are several music videos from that first show.
Our second show was at Cavanaugh’s Headhouse on September 27, 2023. On that occasion, we performed five songs: Off My Chest, All the Crazy Girls, Invisible, There Goes Another Love Song, Why Can’t You Save Me, Hey Baby / No Mercy, and Skinhead on the Philly Subway. It was a total blast. People said nice things. One guy said he couldn’t believe it was only our second show. Up at the bar, there were some patrons pumping their firsts during one of the songs.
The third show was at Bob & Barbara’s Lounge on South Street. We got to play four songs as part of a showcase hosted by The Tall Trees. The songs we played were Skinhead on the Philly Subway, Why Can’t You Save Me, Off My Chest, and All the Crazy Girls (Are Better Not Without You).
The fourth show was also at Bob & Barbara’s Lounge. This time around we played six songs: Off My Chest, All the Crazy Girls (Are Better Now Without You), Why Can’t You Save Me?, I’m Bored, There Goes Another Love Song, and Skinhead on the Philly Subway.
The fifth show was incredibly special, as it was held at Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens. Magic Gardens is the creation of Isaiah Zagar. If you’re ever in Philadelphia, you should check it out. Reminds me of some of the buildings in Barcelona and Watts Tower, Los Angeles. It was special because Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens was the first art space I visited after moving here.
July 25, 2024
We performed at the Tin Can Bar in Port Richmond, Philadelphia tonight. We opened for Eddie, from Rustic Music, who did a solo set, and the headliner, Flock of Indifference. What a blast through and through. We had 30 minutes and it was a good 30; even our sound check number–I’m Bored–was good, probably the best we ever did it live. Opening for Eddie and Flock (an amazing band that defies description) was tremendous.
In the interest of social media, there’s a growing catalog of shorts.
July 31, 2024
All things conclude. The Strain disbanded today. It was a great ride!