The Whistling Shit-Can of Death

We loaded our instruments and selves into Slim's blue van (aka The Whistling Shit-Can of Death), and he cranked the engine over - BANG! Hilarity. We were piled in, sitting, squatting, holding on for dear life, headed to KRNL to do two songs on live radio to promote a gig. We pulled onto the campus of Cornell College in sleepy Mt. Vernon, IA, and the van growled dangerously and backfired once more as Slim parked.

We gratefully swarmed out, John, Jake, Slim and me, and Pete, our recording engineer, and Michael, my muse and truest companion. We had their attention, those wide-eyed young college students, so full of promise. We swept through them and made our way to the KRNL studios, both amused and gratified by their attention. Jake led the way, with his rock-star swagger and movie-star looks, followed by Slim, who was literally and figuratively far larger than life in his black leather jacket and jeans tucked into boots, his wildly curly hair flying, his jovial laugh booming, dog-house bass carried high over his shoulder. John, Pete, Michael and I followed in their wake; John's shy sweetness radiating like a space heater because he just can't help it, Pete's New York City cool and puppy-friendly charisma lighting up the room, Michael being the calm, clear eye of the storm, my long coat swirling like Gandalf's cloak behind me...

We crammed into the control room like sardines, Slim in the corner with the bass, Jake and John along the wall next to him, me in the other corner, trying desperately not to hit the wall with my bow... The DJ crawled under the desk because there was no place else for him to be. Student noses pressed against the glass window of the control booth door as we launched into one of Jake's songs, "Dirty South." Nobody held back. Jake's voice boomed like a canon over the top of two dreadnaught guitars, a bass and a fiddle. John's blistering hot bluegrass shredding sparkled and dazzled, my fiddle wailed, giggled and soared...

We're Kodiak Flats and we came to play, so open up your ears and hang the fuck on...