"Home" is the third single off Frank Lazarus' new album, SWANSONGS.

Said Lazarus: "I was checking out this Steely Dan documentary, and I was transfixed on Bernard Purdie playing the drums. I just locked into that shuffle of his. I had these changes laying around that I was working into a new song, and once I hit on that shuffle, it all fell into place."

Full of smooth soul grooves, ripping slide guitar and dirty organ, the song finds Lazarus at a cross between his love of blues and classic rock, and the more direct approach of RnB and even Hip Hop. "I was so locked into Dave's groove and just the feel of the chords that I was naturally inclined to whisper over the verses," he said. "Then, for the choruses, I just wanted to shout. That was kinda the gist of the song to me. You try and you cajole and coddle, but in the end, you just can't help but holler."

Lyrically, the song is something else entirely. "I was thinking all the times in my life I've struggled and scratched and clawed to get something or somewhere and realized in the end that it wasn't even worth it," he said. "That I hurt myself in the process more than I would ever help myself. 'Home' in this case is anywhere you're trying to get, anything you're trying to be. I'm singing about heaven and relationships and the government all in all, because it's all the same. It's all supposed to lift you up but usually it just tears you down."

The track also features Lazarus' band, THE BIRDDOGS, who play on the entire 13-song SWANSONGS, due out on 12.29.20, on Vital Records. Get your copy at www.franklazarus.com, or on all major music distribution services.

THE BIRDDOGS:
FRANK LAZARUS - lead vocals, guitar, keyboards
CAT MYLES - lead and backing vocals
MATT PHILLIPS - guitar
MIKE PEPE - bass
DAVE VOLANO - drums

HOME

"Blood" is the 4th single from Frank Lazarus' new album, SWANSONGS, released in December of 2020.

Unlike the first three singles from the album, "Blood" is a savage, tribal hard rock tune with crunching guitars, screaming organs and crashing drums, complete with a three-part female gospel choir.

"Musically, the band hit upon this sort of hard samba beat - not the way I'd written the song, but in fact way, way more interesting. Again, Dave Train just crushed it. From the second he comes in until the last crash hit, Dave just dominates. And Matt, too...he took two lengthy solos and never once played the same lick twice. Dude's an animal."

Lyrically, the song tracks the progression of politics into out-and-out calls for violence and bloodshed.

"I wrote 'Blood' about a number of different things, all centered around the absolute horrendous political landscape that frames our country today. In the song, the word 'blood' has two meanings. On the surface, it's about the literal bloodshed between the two sides that has turned our once civilized nation into a hotbed of violence and ignorance. But it's also about the blood shared by members of the same family units who have been torn apart over divergence political ideology."

The track features Lazarus' band, THE BIRDDOGS, who play on the entire 13-song SWANSONGS, due out on 12.29.20, on Vital Records. Get your copy at www.franklazarus.com, or on all major music distribution services.

THE BIRDDOGS:
FRANK LAZARUS - lead vocals, guitar, keyboards
CAT MYLES - lead and backing vocals
MATT PHILLIPS - guitar
MIKE PEPE - bass
DAVE VOLANO - drums

BLOOD

"Destiny" is the 5th single off Frank Lazarus' new album, SWANSONGS, released in December of 2020.

Musically, "Destiny" traverses softer ground, though there's still an epic grandeur to the song, thanks to its beginnings.

"I was listening to Tori Amos' first album a lot and I was just all wrapped up in that," said Lazarus. "At the same time, I was writing music for Swansongs and I had this haunting chorus part that, as a nod to Tori, I was calling 'Winter.' Then a while later, I was with a few friends of mine when we shared the news that my wife was pregnant. One of our friends said something to the effect of 'I wish you success in writing your child's destiny,' and I was blown away. I'd never heard the phrase before and it just floored me. I went home that night and fashioned 'Winter' into the 'Destiny' you hear today. In essence, it's about my family: the first verse is about my daughters, the second about my wife and the third about my baby boy. It's a love song, or as close to one as I can write these days."

To match the feel of the lyrics, The Birddogs, Lazarus' backing band, tipped their caps to their quieter influences.

"Musically, we were just shooting for a soft RnB vibe, pitched between late-70's James Taylor and late-90's Dap Kings," he said. "Then we got to the middle section and Dave's reggae roots shone through, which is where that whole rap section emerged. When we hit on that, (Mike) Pepe just took the groove and made it his own. Cat's Greek-choir vocals just sealed the deal. If I can be real, it's my favorite track on the album."

The track also features Lazarus' band, THE BIRDDOGS, who play on the entire 13-song SWANSONGS, due out on 12.29.20, on Vital Records. Get your copy at www.franklazarus.com/swansongs, or on all major music distribution services.

THE BIRDDOGS:
FRANK LAZARUS - lead vocals, guitar, keyboards
CAT MYLES - lead and backing vocals
MATT PHILLIPS - guitar
MIKE PEPE - bass
DAVE VOLANO - drums

DESTINY

"Grown" is the 6th single off Frank Lazarus' new album, SWANSONGS, released in December of 2020.

"'Grown' is a fun one," said Lazarus. "I had the structure in mind, but only when the band ran through it did that soulful little bounce come through. Once we heard that, the song just soared. It was this simple little thing until the band just made it fucking tight. Matt's slide, Dave's Crazy Horse thump, Pepe's bass...just sick. Then we got Cat, Matt, Dan Phillips and even my daughters, Liv & Jules on backing vocals. It was a blast and that energy really jumps at you on the recording."

Lyrically, it's a song about personal sovereignty. I wrote it one day after work when I was just fed up with listening to someone else tell me what do all day. And it wasn't just bosses...it was the government and my wife and this person and that one. Cop. I was just feeling held down by it all, and this song was my way of kicking back up. It's also sort of the unofficial anthem of the men in my family. All the men in my family are these larger than life figures, and I was conjuring all that when I told this story.  

The track also features Lazarus' band, THE BIRDDOGS, who play on the entire 13-song SWANSONGS, due out on 12.29.20, on Vital Records. Get your copy at www.franklazarus.com/swansongs, or on all major music distribution services.

THE BIRDDOGS:
FRANK LAZARUS - lead vocals, guitar, keyboards
CAT MYLES - lead and backing vocals
MATT PHILLIPS - guitar
MIKE PEPE - bass
DAVE VOLANO - drums

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