Mind Travel - Strays II

The psychedelic journey continues down the blurry rabbit hole of time and space. We were lucky to have Mike Campbell co-write a dark rocker called “Unoriginal Sin.” Working with him on some of these songs was like having a master class in songwriting. Sometimes there are dark corners you haven’t explored for some time, but it does some good to clean them out.

“Mind Travel” is one of the more lyrically strange songs I’ve written. Jeremy and I wrote it in South Carolina. It’s pretty much BEAT poetry on drugs with a back beat – it was influenced by having an out of body experience on psilocybin. We both had some pretty incredible breakthroughs about accepting death and just reckoning with how fast it’s all going. It’s okay to be reflective and remember the past as long as you don’t get stuck back there. This part of the trip is where you learn to be satisfied with the present.

I love how these songs came together. “Black Wolf Blues” in particular, Jeremy started writing the words from my exact point of view – he found myself reflecting on my ancestors, my grandparents (Paul & Mary Price) and their love and how it grew despite the drought and the loss of their farm. I wrote the chords and the melody and helped finish the verses and chorus.

Love and pain it comes in waves but it was quite enough in those early days, we were wild as wolves my darlin’, we were strays.

Even though it has a sweetness and a nostalgic way about it, there is a looming darkness – the wolf who’s been watching and weaving his way like a stray throughout the entire album. Look for him. It’s like an invisible plague hanging in the air, it’s the man in the suit and tie who’s lying to you through his straight, white teeth. He hides in shadows.

love and grief are a package deal, the more you have, the more you feel.

Do you have the courage to burn it all down?