In soaring three-part harmonies, tinged with echoing guitars played wide open in weighty down-the-road Americana tailoring, Patrick Kelly bellows: “out in the world without my father – no one here teaching wrong from right.”
The Georgia native is about to celebrate a three-year anniversary with his wife, and with it, the three-year anniversary of becoming a stepfather. Among the many thoughtful ruminations explored on his forthcoming EP, An Unclaimed Inheritance, is one of gauging what it means to be a father.
Accordingly, “Lamb”, the debut single under the self-given stage name Alias Patrick Kelly, tells the story of a boy of seventeen who grew up without a father and the resulting fallout; the inability to regulate his emotional state which leads him to kill a man for reasons even he doesn’t fully understand. Reflecting from prison, Kelly’s main character acknowledges that if he had had a good father figure, his life might’ve turned out differently. Today Glide is excited to offer an exclusive premiere of the song. Indeed, “Lamb” captures Kelly’s creativity as a songwriter and his ability to craft powerful, anthemic Americana songs. The song starts with a chant before exploding into a full-fledged Americana rock song that reflects the intense emotions Kelly is conveying through his lyrics, complete with plenty of guitar shredding.
Kelly shares his own story behind the song:
A few things were going on in my life at the time this one was written. I was about to get married and become a step father to a daughter who had never met her real father. The fact that I was about to become THE father figure to a child was exciting and terrifying. “What if I screw her up?” It’s a huge responsibility. The more that I got to know her the more I realized what her bio Dad was missing out on.
I also bartend at a night club where a lot of our customers seem to have spent way too much time listening to songs about being a “VIP at the club.” I’ve gotten to know some of these guys and a lot of them grew up without a father present and a number of their lives are disasters whether through violence, drugs, or just all round bad decision making.
Also, a close friend of mine had a teenage son at the time who’s a really great and talented kid. Seeing as I was about to become the only father in my step daughter’s life I asked my friend how he raised such a great and talented boy who was never in trouble, made smart decisions, and was completely his own person. He said something along the lines of “as a parent you are the one minding the store. You have to be present. If you don’t have time, then make time.”
All of these “father” themes were rolling around in my head while I was listening to albums like Nebraska, Darkness in the Edge of Town etc. The actual “writing” of the song came from me just absentmindedly humming the melody in my kitchen. I suddenly realized that lyrics were coming with the melody. Got probably 80% in the first 30min. The rest took a little more time to get right. Certain lyrics just came out on their own. Even though it’s in a major key I could tell the song was supposed to be a tragedy/lament type of song.
At it’s heart the song is a tale about a young man who’s never known his father and is raised by a mother who is too busy working to just simply get the bills paid. The young man grows up neglected in an environment that doesn’t nurture him. The song begins right after he commits a murder that probably could’ve been avoided and continues with the main character reflecting on not only his actions but questioning all of the steps that got him to that moment. The story ends with his first day in prison.
LISTEN:
For more music and info visit aliaspatrickkelly.com.
