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Folk Hero

by The Rooks

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about

If you asked me to list my favorite self-penned songs, FOLK HERO would be in that group.

I don't know why. I just like it.

The chord sequences, melody lines and "I was her folk hero, we gave each other everything" chorus lyrics were written in 1988. The bridge and additional words came in 2003. My focus of attention was based around a fictional dyad enmeshed in a love/hate, hit-and-miss, codependent relationship. Rather like a Sid and Nancy. Only with more warmth and minus the pharmaceuticals. A narrative - of a sort - I imagined could flicker on the silver screen.

The Rooks toyed with FOLK HERO during a few rehearsals but the energy never reached anything capable of becoming fruitful. Something just didn't connect with the colors and sounds I had developed in my imagination.

Fast-forward to 2006. In point of fact, the band was essentially a ghost. Guitarist Pinell was off and married in New Jersey and drummer Yourell was living somewhere upstate near the New York/Canada border. I alone was inexplicably holding tightly to the name of a band that I founded in 1990, hesitant to yet deep-six it.

Not until esteemed journalist and author John Borack contacted me did I reconsider to revive FOLK HERO for a proper recording. John's plan was to include with his in-the-works book SHAKE SOME ACTION: THE ULTIMATE POWER POP GUIDE, a companion (now out-of-print ) CD of rare or unreleased songs by various artists. He asked if The Rooks would consider involvement and I agreed. I may at that point not have had a band, but I now had a purpose and made some calls.

On FOLK HERO, our metronomic boom, bang-and-clatter timekeeper was my longtime Broken Hearts/Rooks partner-in-crime Patrick Yourell. Dave Rave (Teenage Head) skillfully anchored down the rhythm section on bass and Huw Gower (The Records) connected his own artistic dots with concordantly splendiferous licks, bendings and tintinnabulations. The soulful glue to it all was Greg Field (Ronnie Spector) on Hammond organ.

Suddenly, a new (and very temporary) Rooks - for one last time - shook the studio's walls for a tuneful toodle-oo.

lyrics

FOLK HERO
(Words and music by Michael Mazzarella)

I was her folk hero
We gave each other everything
I was her folk hero
And then our world stopped revolving

Well I try, try, try to understand
That in my life I’ll run and fall
And so why, why, why like second-hand
Within our lives we dropped it all

(chorus)

I have no reply and silence goes
With every time she comes to mind
And I try, try, try to overthrow
The memory of our decline

(chorus)

We took a ride to nowhere
Anywhere and anything went down
It did not matter
Not back then when she had me

(chorus)

credits

released September 13, 2007
From the out-of-print compilation CD for John Borack's book SHAKE SOME ACTION: THE ULTIMATE POWER POP GUIDE

license

all rights reserved

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about

Michael Mazzarella image

Michael Mazzarella New York, New York

Songwriter.

Solo artist. Formerly of The Rooks, The Broken Hearts, & Sonic Blue Sound Revue.

Albums here on Bandcamp & 5-CD Songwriter set on Kool Kat Musik.

contact / help

Contact Michael Mazzarella

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