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Not Going Anywhere

from Vol. I: Fairbairn Meadows by Plaid On Flannel

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about

*Song Description By Noles*

"Not Going Anywhere" was written sometime in late May/early June of 2008. I believe I wrote the music and lyrics all in one sitting. Around this time, I was really getting into R.E.M. after their album Accelerate was released. Then I discovered their early albums from the 1980s, and I became obsessed with the band's music. On June 8, 2008, I saw R.E.M. perform their last ever concert in Toronto at the Molson Amphitheatre. The opening acts were Modest Mouse & The National. It was perhaps the best show I've ever witnessed. Mostly because of R.E.M.'s music and their outstanding legacy. I'll never forget that night.

Close to the time I saw R.E.M., I wrote "Not Going Anywhere". Using a good dose of minor chords like a lot of R.E.M. songs do. And singing in about the same vocal range as Michael Stipe. But "Not Going Anywhere" was also influenced by Pink Floyd. As I had gotten into them years earlier. Pink Floyd is another band known to utilize a lot of minor chords in their tunes. As for the meaning behind "Not Going Anywhere", I don't actually know what it's about. But the lyrics do flow well together. It must've been a subconscious experience when I wrote the lyrics for "Not Going Anywhere". Because I was more locked into how the words sounded collectively, rather than what they genuinely meant.

A few years passed, and I began producing Plaid On Flannel's debut album Fairbairn Meadows on September 3, 2011. R.E.M. would then call it quits as a band during that same month. While I was starting Plaid On Flannel as a solo project , R.E.M. was finishing as a band. To me, it felt like it was a passing of the torch. So from that point forward, I cited R.E.M. as a primary influence on Plaid On Flannel's music.

After completing the production of "When Will Everything Begin?", I started recording "Not Going Anywhere" on September 20, 2011. With an acoustic guitar playing throughout the whole song, there are other various elements that bring it into psychedelic territory. The distorted bass guitar plays long notes to follow the chord progressions. It gives the tune quite an edge to it. And the organ brings out the psychedelic tendencies of "Not Going Anywhere". There is a modulated guitar with a chorus effect playing arpeggios starting in the 2nd verse of the song. This carries on for the rest of the tune. "Not Going Anywhere" has no backups vocals at all. Which rarely happens in the songs I record. The closing guitar solo for "Not Going Anywhere" might be one of my favourite solos from the entire Plaidalog. It was inspired by the guitar work of Pink Floyd's David Gilmour, and it lasts for over a minute. Eventually fading out.

I finished recording "Not Going Anywhere" on October 26, 2011, and the entire Fairbairn Meadows album was released the next year on July 1, 2012. "Not Going Anywhere" is a song I've never played with a band or even performed live as a solo acoustic act. But it will live on as the 4th track from Plaid On Flannel's debut album Fairbairn Meadows.

lyrics

Words and music by Nolan Randall

Take a look at what’s goin’ on
And tell me where’s it going?
Take a look at what’s going wrong
Without you even knowing
Yes we’ve heard it all before
And grow tired of it’s meaning
All we ever need is more
It’s travesties we’re fiending

Put the lover aside and take a ride inside the truth
What’s at stake will make or break your mood

It’s a matter of letting go
And stay true to what’s right
If you tell a blind man “no”
it won’t bring back his sight
Thought you’d score some women
for this fabulous occasion
Standing in a room alone in desperate desperation

Put the lover aside and take a ride inside the truth
What’s at stake will make or break your mood

And it’s a fact that you’re not going anywhere
Still got the music left to share
Get with the times and comb your hair
‘Cause we’re not going anywhere

The next chapter’s a definite one
But you may not survive
It might not be your method of fun
But it will help you revive
Thought you’d score some women
for this fabulous occasion
Standing in a room alone in desperate desperation

Put the lover aside and take a ride inside the truth
What’s at stake will make or break your mood

And it’s a fact that you’re not going anywhere
Still got the music left to share
Get with the times and cut your hair
‘Cause we’re not going anywhere
You’re not going anywhere
Still got the music left to share
Get with the times and lose your hair
‘Cause we’re not going anywhere

credits

from Vol. I: Fairbairn Meadows, released June 29, 2012

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Plaid On Flannel Toronto, Ontario

Plaid On Flannel is an alternative indie blues rock act from Toronto, Canada. With 80+ original songs recorded since 2011, singer-songwriter Nolan Randall has remained the sole constant member of the band. POF's music is known for guitar riffs/solos, memorable hooks, catchy melodies/harmonies, evocative lyrics, & superb musicianship. While keeping a focus on originality and songwriting quality. ... more

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