Monthly Archives: October 2022

Catalytic Converter

Oh my God what have I done?!?  Did I just give a theme song to the criminals stealing our catalytic converters?  I doubt it.

So why would I even do this song?  Simple, I was tasked by a friend to write a song about current events, or in other words, a song about something.  He kept sending clips and links to news stories about the plague that has been going on regarding these thefts.

But what the hell could be written about this that could be entertaining?  I kicked the idea around awhile and came up with a funny thought: a song that on the surface sounds like a song about catalytic converter thefts, sung from the point of view of the people that are stealing catalytic converters.  A campy little sing-along! 

But really though, the song is a product of a root cause analysis as to why these thefts are happening in the first place….and, the answer is….the separation of us into the haves and the have-nots. If someone is succeeding, someone else is being held back.  

I realize that this might sound like justification of these thefts to some.  It’s not!  We all have to do are part to fight the status-quo, and to make society, and life, better!  So stop it!  And a warning: most in my neighborhood are alarmed, armed, and have dogs.  So stay out. 

There is also a flaw in the theory that is the underlying meaning of this song though.  And that is that these thefts somehow are affecting the rich.  I really doubt they are, save for perhaps the stockholders of some insurance companies.  Rather, once again, it’s the middle class that is getting screwed!  Which is really the true ugliness of this story, and the lyrics at the end of the song really sum it up.

The video was put together in a couple days by an artist/filmmaker/screenwriter off of Fiverr named Stuart Wahlin.  He’s fantastic to work with.  I literally gave him an overview of what I was hoping to achieve, and he put the whole thing together!  I couldn’t be happier with it.

This song is really the B-Side to Not A Bad Dream.  Really, it’s a newsjacking experiment.  Since the recording business isn’t what it once was, we have to come up with creative ways to promote ourselves.  I’m hoping that this song will drive traffic back to The Mosh Petals website.  How exactly?  Simply by taking the link below and pasting it into the comment section of every news story about catalytic converter thefts that we can find.

So that being said, the 1^st 15 people that paste the link below into 25 news story comment sections on Youtube will get a free Mosh Petals t-shirt of their choice.  So please play along if you like.

As far as the song itself goes, take it with a grain of salt.  It’s ridiculous!  But kind of funny, so sing along! 

🔽🔽 Copy and paste the line and link for newsjacking🔽🔽

The root cause of catalytic converter thefts:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wqp3yDHL090

Ps: Email a list of the links to the catalytic converter news stories that you posted the above link in, (in the comment section), for your chance at a Mosh Petals t-shirt, to themoshpetals@gmail.com

Not A Bad Dream

Not A Bad Dream is a re-working of the Life Explodes song, “Steve.” I love that song!  And once while in an alternate dimension, (Anchorage!), I gave it a facelift and some new lyrics.  Don’t get me wrong, I love the original lyrics, and the song was so fun to play live, but the more I messed with it in the studio, the more it changed into this.

Not A Bad Dream features much of the original music crafted by Marty Neary and Life Explodes.  The main hook, driving guitars, and most of the arrangement that Marty wrote are still here. They are the heart and soul of the song!

The song also features original guitar parts written by Chris Whitehouse. His underlying chord melodies layered into the choruses add beautiful texture.  A lot of the Wah-Wah noise is based on his original tracks as well as the 1^st solo (after the 2^nd chorus).

The rhythm programming is based on Dean’s original drum tracks, which were quite thunderous live.

The current lyrics reflect a longing for hope, truth, and a call to action, although it shines a light on what we currently see in society today.  It poses the question, “Is all really fair in love and war?” I don’t believe it is.  That’s just some crap that we’ve been telling ourselves to justify our actions.  It’s time to spread the love!

I hope you enjoy the song.

-John