This is the story of my first “eclipse”, experienced alone in the wilderness of Oregon in August, 2017. It’s a long story, but the story behind this song.

I drove to Oregon alone to see the great American total solar eclipse of 2017. In Oregon, there is a famous national park called Crater Lake.  This is the deepest lake in America.   In the middle of Crater Lake is Wizard Island. This lake was formed when a huge volcano blew its top a long time ago.  My plan was to see Wizard Island, get a hotel room, and see the eclipse the next day.

There have been numerous stories of strange occurrences around this area from multiple people over the course of centuries.

The time was around 7 pm when driving up Crater Lake Mountain to see Wizard Island… I wasn’t sure where I was going, or how to get down from the mountain. Finally, I saw Wizard Island just as the sun started to set. I remember there was this misty haze in front of the Island. I could barely see it. I got the chills and a weird feeling... It was very eerie.

I tried to find my way down from the mountain in my car, but it was too late, I was lost, and it was too dangerous. There are areas where you can drive off a ledge and fall a long way. No fun. I had to pull over in the wilderness and spend the night in my car…

Hours passed, and I fell asleep.

What happened next is the strangest thing I’ve experienced in my life. I woke up, it was still night. My phone wasn’t working, my car wouldn’t start or turn on any lights. I didn’t know what time it was. It was disturbing to me they were both "dead", and I was panicked. Then I noticed the area around my car was alternating in brightness, like truck lights... But that wasn't it. I got out of my car to check it out.

But the sky was weird. The moon was weird. It was all weird. The moon was alternating between being clearly visible… And being pitch black. Like it was “blinking”. It would take 5 seconds to get black, then about 5 seconds to get bright again. The stars were barely visible. I stared in disbelief for maybe 30 seconds, it kept happening.  The air around me had a feeling of electric charge to it.   I started hearing a lot more animals, and they seemed to surround me. They were in the bushes and trees, everywhere. It got more troubling quickly when I could discern soft human voices. I couldn't see animals or people. 
I wasn't on any drugs, I was saving my drugs for the following day and the journey home.

Time seemed too slow. I backed up to my car, got in, and locked the doors. I remember a feeling of utter disbelief in my senses. Without any idea what to do, I climbed in the backseat and lied down. I thought any second I could die.

The next thing I remembered, I woke up. It was about 6:30 am. My car worked. My phone worked. And this was the morning of August 21st, 2017… The first day of the total solar eclipse which many of us would see later that day.  

But what I saw was something else.

Something very weird happened to me up there on that mountain that night, and it’s haunted me. I know several people will think "Manufactured lies!" Several others will think "Cool story bro...", well think what you want...

Later that morning when getting breakfast, still shook-up, I asked 2 waitresses if they heard of anything strange last night around Crater Lake. One said "no", the other said, "There's always something strange happening".

I remember one time a girl asked me why my music is so dark...
I’ve seen some sights.

Try to check out Crater Lake, Oregon, if you've never seen it.
Don't get lost.

- John

Crater Lake Eclipse

Best played loud
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25 biggest musical influences

Sonic Youth
Radiohead
Pavement
Franz Schubert
Neil Young
The Velvet Underground
The Cure
The Beatles
Pink Floyd
The Rolling Stones
The Clash
Ramones
Bruce Springsteen
The Doors
Joy Division
Pixies
David Bowie
Creedence Clearwater Revival
Led Zeppelin
The Who
Bob Dylan
Metallica
My Bloody Valentine
Neutral Milk Hotel
Jimi Hendrix
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Thanks for stopping by.

Some of the artwork is by me, most of it isn't.  If I know the artist I'll put their name in the description.  If you know the artist, please add a comment with their name on the song so I can add them in the description.

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