Chris Sand

I'll be singing solo from 7-8pm. 🐂

Road trip! My good buddy Ian Smith will be joining me for this crazy Olympia Music History showcase in Olympia, WA, on 8/23. It starts at 2pm, but I'm not yet sure what time we start. Probably early-ish.

“Nowhere Left to Hide” is the 4th official video from NON-JUDGMENT DAY which was released on January 21, 2024.

Video directed by Colter Olmstead 

Editing & Cinematography by Colter Olmstead 

Plot idea by Kirsten Kearse 

Big thanks to Nan Parsons for lending her rustic cabin and to Gail Hale for use of the Basin Community Hall.

Musicians - 

Guitar, vox & lyrics: Chris Sand  / Fiddle: Grace Decker / Drums: Joseph Running Crane / Mandolin: John Rosett / Standup bass: John Sporman / Pedal Steel: Gibson Hartwell / Backup vox: Ian Smith, Riddy Arman, Jenny Montgomery, Foreshadow, Maria Zepeda, Sussex School Children’s Choir 

"Nowhere Left to Hide" was produced by Shadow Devereaux at Nu Wav Studio in Missoula, MT, and tracked by Matthew Bainton at Sound Rich Productions.

A year ago today I began Leap Month Tour '24. Here's a no frills summary with the final three weeks truncated:

LEAP MONTH TOUR '24

Day 1 (1/31): Loaded my tour merch, musical equipment, and clothes into my ‘97 Toyota Tacoma and hit the road west from Missoula at 8 PM. Spent the night at Candyce’s duck farm near Medicine Lake, WA.

In the middle of the night, I checked my email and saw that Carrie Oldright had Venmoed me $200, requesting that I play a show for underprivileged kids, ideally in Reedsport, OR. I couldn’t make that happen in Oregon, but I did four weeks later at a daycare in Paw Paw, MI.

Day 2 (2/01): Continued west to Seattle for the LEAP MONTH TOUR ‘24 debut—a house concert at Sheri & Ross’ place. I was rusty after months without playing guitar, but the audience was supportive, and I found my groove halfway through the set. At 1:46 AM, I finally sent out my overdue tour itinerary email, opening with:

“Dear Sandfans: I just played my first house concert of tour at Sheri & Ross’ marigold mini mansion. The audience was extremely supportive, and I found my sea legs about halfway through the set.”

I also mentioned that I’d just released an early version of NON-JUDGMENT DAY on Bandcamp—available only until midnight.

Day 3 (2/02): Woke up to a surprise. Erika Fredrickson of The Pulp (Missoula’s independent news org) wrote a fun article about my accidental album release:

Many thanks to Elgin Smith for compiling the historical footage for this video.

“Darkest Day” was produced by Shadow Deveraux--aka Foreshadow--who also raps on the song. Ian Smith plays Wurlitzer; Grace Decker plays fiddle; Matt Bainton drums; Hermina Harrold and R'Know lend their voices; Nate Biehl plays electric guitar; Gibson Hartwell plays pedal steel; I play acoustic guitar and sing.

I write more about this song here: https://rappincowboy.com/campaigns/1008024

You may hear NON-JUDGMENT DAY in full here: https://rappincowboy.bandcamp.com/album/non-judgment-day-2

Here's a sampling of some of the posters & flyers from my past 22 shows! Kudos to the graphic designers and photographers:

Read all about my upcoming album--NON-JUDGMENT DAY--and February tour here: https://rappincowboy.com/campaigns/896501

The image below is of my folks and me shortly after my birth on Dec. 28, 1970.

The first decent song I ever wrote was titled "The Ballad of Pee-wee Herman" (fall of 1991). It was also my first song that ever made it onto a CD (or cassette for that matter) when The Evergreen State College released it on their 1994 compilation: THE EVERGROWING STATE PROBLEM. 

I was a 20-yr-old anti-establishment "punk" when I wrote it and angry at authority figures, conformists, cultural gatekeepers, etc. I really point fingers at parents in this song which I don't love. By "parents" I meant adults. I guess I was just trying to stick up for the kids who'd lost a fun TV show, in particular my little cousin Ben. His two favorite cartoons were Pee-wee's Playhouse and GI JOE. When Pee-wee's Playhouse was taken off of the air, all he had left was GI JOE.

Here are the lyrics:

THE BALLAD OF PEE-WEE HERMAN 

I'm gonna sing about a man we all know, who parents preferred to ignore
A man who got jailed for touching his penis, touching nothing much more
The verdict was lewdness-indecent exposure. The pious all gave their sermons
“He was caught in the act!” Well, the parents attacked, and they crucified poor Pee-wee Herman 

CHORUS
They crucified Pee-wee, they crucified Christ 
They crucified Dylan twiiiiice
Pee-wee was free but now he's nailed to a tree
Sometimes free ain't a very good price
No it ain't, but who's to blame
Now that cartoons aren't the same, children?
Who? Tell me who's to blame?

Pee-wee’s name was really Paul and acting was his lot
And with his flair for comedy, his future had a shot
He took a couple lesser jobs but finally found his niche
And in the role of an overgrown kid, Paul Reubens soon was rich 

Now Paul, he cared for children and children loved him back
His show had chairs and globes that talked and people white and black
He opened minds throughout the land and it was sad to see
That moms and dads were scared of Paul because his mind was free
Yes they were, they were scared of Paul, because his mind was free 

CHORUS 

Paul was just like me and you, except for how he looked
And just for being who he was, the police force got him booked
If he was framed we may not learn for most adults don't care
But still I wonder what it was that the cops was doin' there 

Now people do what they gotta do to get them through the day
Some stay home and drink a beer while others go and play
Some go driving in there trucks, while some go huntin' quail
But when Paul Reubens played that day they threw his butt in jail

CHORUS 

Pee-wee’s Playhouse was a show they played every Saturday morn
But with its Latin hunks and transvestite queens it quickly gathered scorn
Integration was a goal that scared the status quo
The Smurfs they'd say, at least they ain't gay--we'd better let Paul go 

Now Pee-wee’s name's become a joke and something's funny true
But surely all our grins would fade if it happened to me or you
So sorry children of the States, cartoons won't be the same
The freedoms Pee-wee gave are gone and your parents are to blame
That's what I said, I said your parents . . . Your parents are to blame 

Final Chorus:
Well, they crucified Pee-wee, they crucified Christ
They crucified Sinéad three times* 
They'd crucify me if they thought I was free
Sometimes free ain't a very good price
No it ain't, and they'd crucify you, too,
if they only knew 

###

Long live the oddballs. The rebels. The loners.

RIP Paul Reubens who died yesterday. May you cross over that Great Divide in style. 

--

*Songs evolve, ya know. : )