“33 Slade St.,” by Ball of Wax founder and DIY well spring Levi Fuller, is a protest song of the most localized sort. The lyrics offer a clear narrative about the annoyance and hardship brought on by noisy neighbors rehearsing as band in an attic (presumably on 33 Slade St.). It begins simply with voice and acoustic guitar then gradually introduces pounding drums and angrily distorted guitars as the narrator further details his grievances. Ending with the line “Why don’t they all just move,” the narrator in “33 Slade St.” might be Levi offering the first-person, sobering perspective of a maturing, solace-seeking musician or dramatizing some poor neighbor he tortured with an attic band in his potentially less-considerate youth. I think its a coincidence, but “33 Slade St.” works perfectly as a companion piece to Thee More Shallow’s “2AM”, a great, nearly-forgotten track that adds up to a double-shot of sweet, neighbor-loathing pathos.
I’m thrilled to be playing a show with Levi Fuller and the Library on August 29th (that’s next Thursday) at the Tiny Ninja Cafe in Fremont. It’s free and all ages – good times.