Such Hot Blood cover imageI had loaned one of my Airborne Toxic Event CDs to someone so they could expand their musical horizons. Actually I loaned them quite a few CDs but this is the one we speak of today. I became a fan of this band back when DirecTV used to attended South By South West filming new bands then airing the stuff over and over again on the Audience channel or whatever it was. This band had just released its debut album and the song “Sometime Around Midnight” reached me. I’ve purchased most of their CDs and even went to see them in concert.

When you are a writer you find yourself attracted to bands that can both play and write. I will be the first to admit the lead singer is lacking in the vocal department but what he lacks in vocal ability he makes up for in angst, loss and every other emotion within the human domain. From the one time I saw them in a college dive with sticky floors and no chairs I can say he appears to leave it all on stage.

This band can tell stories of deep human dysfunction like “The Kids Are Ready to Die.” That link is to the acoustic version where you can make out more of the lyrics. More than half of you reading this wish the ebook you hurled up on Amazon for people to spend money on had half the quality of that songs lyrics and can’t even dream about having one third of the emotion. I couldn’t find a video on their Web site for “This is London,” the song from where this post’s title comes. Consider it a writing prompt. Take it into a happy place or ride it down into the depths of despair.

When you really are a writer, it only takes one phrase to make a story. Here’s your phrase, now make the story.