When I lived in Ottawa in 2009, I joined an original hard rock/metal band called The Scarecrowz. With sounds that resemble 70s hard rock bands like KISS to go with elements of post-grunge and nu-metal, The Scarecrowz were the heaviest band I've ever been a part of. Not 100% metal, but most of the way there. Basically hard rock with down-tuned guitars. Lead singer/songwriter of The Scarecrowz Ger Madden left an impression on me with his songwriting. He had some well-crafted songs in his repertoire. We played Capital Music Hall in Ottawa on March 27, 2010 to a crowd of hundreds. I was only in The Scarecrowz for 8 months before finishing school and moving back to Peterborough. Although it was a brief stint for me in The Scarecrowz, I got some good band experience with them.
After I moved back to Peterborough, I was a band called Three Short and then High Waters Band. I stayed in High Waters band for 3 years. All these assorted original bands and songwriters I worked with all sounded different from each other. From hard rock to alternative to blues rock. These bands would shape the way I approached Plaid On Flannel as a songwriter in the early years.
I wrote most of the music for "Satan's Highway" sometime in May of 2011. The middle section drop-D guitar riffs were written even before than that. I remember trying those riffs out with The Scarecrowz. When I wrote the music for what would become "Satan's Highway", it was influenced by my involvement with The Scarecrowz. "Satan's Highway" is the heaviest song on the Fairbairn Meadows album, and I didn't want to shy away from my metal roots. Even though Fairbairn Meadows consists of mostly acoustic songs. I needed to let it all out on "Satan's Highway".
On September 3, 2011, Plaid On Flannel was born as I started producing the Fairbairn Meadows album. Following the production of 8 songs for the album, I began recording "Satan's Highway" on March 6, 2012. While "Satan's Highway" is driven by drop-D guitar riffs, there are 2 lead guitars working side by side throughout the entire song. Playing harmonies at times. The lyrics for "Satan's Highway" were written on March 9, 2012. As I unleashed some metal fury, I wanted to go for the kind of demonic subject matter that's often explored in the lyrical context of various metal. I was also inspired by The Rolling Stones' "Sympathy For The Devil" from their 1968 album Beggars Banquet. The lyrics for "Satan's Highway" discuss satanic tendencies from a 1st person point of view. The song's title was inspired by the actual Highway 666 that goes north to south from Utah to Mexico in the U.S., with 666 being the devil's number.
I finished recording "Satan's Highway" on March 31, 2012 and the entire Fairbairn Meadows album was released on July 1, 2012. I've never played "Satan's Highway" with a band. But it might show up again someday. At the very least, it will always be track 6 from Plaid On Flannel's debut album Fairbairn Meadows.
lyrics
Words and music by Nolan Randall
Going through the motion, won't you take me there
Gonna make it if you're gonna take me anywhere
Questioning my morals, with my mortality
Nothin's goin' right but nothin's gonna rattle me
Feeling's lost when you're
goin' through the dark ages
Such a cost when you're
flashing through the middle pages
Learning ways of evil without trying it
Everybody sees, but no one's really buying it
Fire rising higher, examining my fate
Things that happen are not what we all anticipate
Take a ride down satan's highway
He'll show you one thing or another, yeah
Get along with him, but not in a shy way
He wants you to become a blood brother, yeah
Nature as a demon, never bothered me
Living life as a supernatural entity
The name is Lucifer, the job is telling you
What they bought,
it may not be what they are selling you
Effective opposite of everything that's been created
Protective opposites will tell you that it's overrated
Never going further than you did before
Seems so pointless
if you're always gonna want some more
Take a ride down satan's highway
Your chariot is ready to leave, yeah
Even if you have to go down the byway
The point is not to ever believe, yeah
Take a ride down satan's highway
He'll show you one thing or another, yeah
Get along with him, but not in a shy way
He wants you to become a blood brother, yeah
Take a ride down satan's highway
Your chariot is ready to leave, yeah
Even if you have to go down the byway
The point is not to ever believe, yeah
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
Combining crooned murder ballads with raw, angsty hard rock hooks, Melbourne's The Ugly Kings are a wrecking crew well worth watching. Bandcamp New & Notable Sep 15, 2021
The slashing roots rock on “Out On the Line” always makes its way to the kind of triumphant chorus that quickens the pulse. Bandcamp New & Notable Apr 2, 2023
Brighton, UK band leaven surging hard rock with spaced-out stoner-doom on their second LP, recorded in an old chapel on the English coast. Bandcamp New & Notable Nov 9, 2022
The surprisingly comical new video from roaring metal group Red Fang is a tip of the hat to the original “Predator.” Bandcamp New & Notable Sep 12, 2016
