This song is dedicated to my late, great brother Andrew - who we lost in the sumer of 2014 as he fought cancer as hard as he could.

"Keep your head up and never back down,
Wherever you're wandering these days.
If the sun is shining, and the leaves are blowing,
I'll know you're wandering out there."

Dan Tait - Brothers (Song For Andrew)

Rhonda Lake is a little lake at the top of Big White Mountain in BC, Canada. It's surrounded by a beautiful cliff band, and it's different every time I return... It's often being descended upon by skiers - but I've seen it quietly rippling in a gentle summer breeze with wildflowers gently rustling all around it. I've seen it surrounded by a small herd of deer, grazing. I've played hours of chess with my dear friend Byron beside it. I've bathed in the sun on the rocks with friends, I've swam in it, I've watched it from the top of the cliff to steady my breath before a descent - and I dream about it often.

Rhonda Lake is where I go to be with the ones who have left us. The second line of the song - "a little jar full of ashes and endless pale blue skies" - has happened. I've been a part of a few celebrations of life up there. Every one of my friends and family who have passed on - That's where I visit with them, and that's where they know to find me.

I hope you have a place like that... But if you don't, I'd be happy to share Rhonda Lake with you. <3

This one's for all those I go to visit at Rhonda Lake - my brother Andrew, my friends Byron, Sven & Marc, and countless others.
lyrics
Found my way up to Rhonda Lake to watch all the whiskey jacks fly,
A little jar full of ashes and endless pale blue skies.
I did most of my growing here from sprout to towering tree,
The bumps and scars that I carry now they remain to remind me.

All of my baggage is checked it won't be back to bother me,
And I ain't ready to leave here yet cause I remember who I used to be… Deedeedee.

Rollin' in just like a hurricane all those troubled times abound,
I take off up that mountain road and I'm keepin' the hammer down.
The way it feels oh when I return – I wanna feel it every day,
Keeps me comin' on back for more and I'm hopin' for a way to stay.

All of my baggage is checked it won't be back to bother me,
And I ain't ready to leave here yet cause I remember who I used to be…

Oh won't you take me home, take me home to Rhonda Lake,
Oh won't you take me back to those days.
I always go alone for a dip in Rhonda Lake,
It's time for you to see who I really used to be.

All of my baggage is checked it won't be back to bother me,
And I ain't ready to leave here yet cause I remember who I used to be…

Oh won't you take me home, take me home to Rhonda Lake,
Oh won't you take me back to those days.

Oh won't you take me home, take me home to Rhonda Lake,
Oh won't you take me back to those days.
I always go alone for a dip in Rhonda Lake,
It's time for you to see who I really used to be.
credits

Guitar, Vocals, Slide - Dan Tait
BG Vocals - Aidan Mayes
Bass, Auxiliary Guitar, Keys - Andrew Judah
Drums - Dylan Ranney

Dan Tait - Rhonda Lake

Turns out we're getting older, friends. And no amount of stretching, dieting, healthy habits or otherwise will stop it. But it'll help, that's for sure...

I started conceptualizing this one when I was on the road with my old band last year. We were hung up for a day in a Revelstoke hotel and after checking in at the hotel I got the cot - which is fair. We traded out pretty regularly, I generally sleep well on the road, and getting the cot on occasion is just fine by me.

But on this particular occasion I woke up at 4am with pins & needles in my right leg, and I couldn't move it. My whole leg just decided it was paralyzed because I slept on it funny. Before panic took hold I got up awkwardly, did my best to stay quiet, and went for a walk outside to work it out. I walked around the hotel maybe half a dozen times at 4am - and must have looked like a crazy person on the CCTV feeds. After my 6th turn around the building I returned frozen - but grateful that my leg worked again.

Months later I was working on the story, but I needed a chorus... And then it came to me, much like the concept of the song did in the beginning.

I was writing the song, and I moved to get up from my sectional sofa to get a snack - and what came out of me was an involuntary groan of epic proportions.

"UUUGHHHHh... hhuuup."

I didn't *mean* to make that sound. I didn't even think about it. It just came out.

And *ding* - there it was. The realization that everything I do requires a sound. It was as much a realization of my coming of age as it was the perfect beginning to my chorus.

Enjoy, my friends. <3 

All My Friends Are Old & Injured Now

A live recording of Tiger Moon & Joshua Smith performing TDM3's "Old No. 7" in May, 2016.

Old No. 7 - Tiger Moon (The Devil Makes Three) - Recorded at Duncan Showroom, Duncan, BC.

Dan Tait - Artist, MC, Artist Mentor, Curator, Producer, Artist & Mens Mental Health Advocate...