The Dirty Clergy Come Clean

The Dirty Clergy, out of Winfield Alabama has released their sophomore album Rattlesnake. Here is the story behind the song Summer Days, as told by Brian Manasco, co-founder and guitar/keys player:

'Summer Days' was one of the final songs written for the album 'Rattlesnake'. The original intention for the song was to have a set of these 'beachy/summer' type songs and do a 5 or 6 song EP. I scrapped that idea when The Raveonettes suddenly released 'Pe'ahi'. So when we were going through the songs we had written to put on the album Brad and I thought it had really good potential and when we tossed it up to our producer Lester Nuby III – he was totally into it. I just can't say enough about the bandmates and the producer on this whole album and this song particularly. It has come together really well playing it live with Cody and Ky bringing it in on the drums and bass.

The idea of bringing the female vocalist was up in the air. I wanted it from day one. The others were like, well, we just have to hear it with the right vocalist. So I began my search online. It didn't take me long to find the female voice. Her name is Karina Noelle and she's from Michigan. So that process involved me sending her our music tracks along with an alternate vocal track and she would do her part and then send it back to me. We were never in the studio together. I thought she had a great sound and when the guys heard it, it was confirmed that we would move forward with that. I've always liked hearing The Go Go's, The Raveonettes and similar bands that have these summer songs. I guess I can say we have one now. This one really stands out on the album and from anything else we've ever done. It was also a great fit for the final track of 'Rattlesnake'.

The song is basically about having a good bad time or a bad good time, whichever way you want to look at it. Something we do really well is disguising sad songs with really upbeat, feel good music. They lyrics kind of tell that story without going too deep into it. “Got my new shades in, but I forgot them at home”. Those lyrics are literal. I had a beach trip planned and left without my new sunglasses and didn't realize it until I was about 3 hours down the road. But to each song, they are what you make it. To one person it will represent one thing, to another person it will represent something else. That is the good thing about music, especially when you write something people can relate to.

I guess the moral of the song is that you have something, looking at the smaller picture, that seems to last forever, these things that you want to last forever and things that are just for a little while. The things that seem to be there forever you don't really pay that much attention to. The things that are there for a little while are the things you want to go on and on – at least you 'think' you do. However, to make yourself feel better, the bigger picture really is everything is temporary.

READ OUR REVIEW OF THEIR PREVIOUS WORK HERE

 

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