We Are Here Playlist

Here is the playlist.

We Are Here

It’s my protest song to all of the institutions, school curriculums, governments and corporations who bully us into their world. I imagine the day when these organisations start to see people as assets instead of an expense and give them the time to better themselves. I guess we are here to right the wrongs and throw back the stones.

When The Levee Breaks

This song goes back to the early 1900’s and even then it had one of the best grooves ever, which still rocks to this day. I’ve included Led Zeppelin versions plus the version that WASP did.

Do Ya Know – Slaughter

Mark Slaughter and Dana Strum are very underrated songwriters in my opinion. “Do Ya Know” is hidden deep into their second album and that groove which sounds like its inspired from “When The Levee Breaks” is enough to hook me in. And Tim Kelly re-interprets the riff written by Mark Slaughter in his own style and it sounds epic.

Plus I like the line “do ya really know who you are?”

Ask a friend who they think you are or a co-worker. If they are honest, you might be really surprised by their answers.

Bully – Shinedown

As soon as this song started I was hooked.

“We don’t have to take this, backs against the wall”

Damn right, we don’t have to take this. But we always take it. Bullies are not just the people in the playground or on social media. The institutions and the corporations and the families all play a part in this behaviour.

Broken Bones – Rev Theory

The first time I heard this song was in early 2009, and in 2010, when I had fractured my foot, I kept on listening to this. And that bridge like section with the lyric lines, “I’m not coming home, no, I swear” makes me press repeat.

Light Me Up – Doom Unit

From Finland, virtually unknown. I came across them via a Spotify Discover Playlist and pressed saved instantly.

The groove of this song reminded me of “When The Levee Breaks” and it instantly became a song on repeat.

The Wind – Kingdom Come

People can’t get over their Led Zep borrowing or their interviews when they flatly denied even knowing who Led Zep was. But to be honest, a lot of teenage listeners in the 80’s didn’t know who Led Zep was, nor had they heard any of their music, so when Kingdom Come hit the scene, it sounded new. This track is from their second album called “In Your Face”.

The simplicity of the drumbeat under the AC/DC style riffing hooked me in, and then when the verse riff rolled around, the drumbeat just kept on rumbling underneath. James Kottak is a monster of a drummer and along with Jason Bonham, they have paid homage to John Bonham on a grand scale.

Louder Than Hell – Motley Crue

The slow dirge groove is what hooks me in.

Stranger In A Strange Land – Iron Maiden

In the key of Em, I like how the bass leads the song and the guitars are there to decorate. Plus its Iron Maiden, one of my favourite bands.

Human – Rag N Bone Man

This song is excellent especially the acoustic version he did for Spotify. The soulful vocal line is enough to hook in people from all different genres, the music is simple, and the lyrics are general enough that anyone can apply their viewpoint or situation to.

Stand Up And Shout – Dio

The message in the lyrics of let it all out by standing up and shouting.

Wake Up The Sleeping Giant – Twisted Sister

The message in the lyrics, about our rights being abused and how it is time to fight back. Very inspirational.

Writing music is a sum of our influences and somehow abstract ideas or songs from artists who are very different from each other, seem to come together into my headspace and out comes something that combines all of these influences plus some things of my own.

That’s how “We Are Here” came about.