Pigeon Spins Featuring an Interview with Bird Casino

Bird Casino - Bucket of Love

Bouncy cymbals, sneaky bass and keyboard, and a jumpy guitar juice up this tune about keeping an open and ready heart throughout life's everyday journeys. A fun song to do live, especially when the backing vocals kick in!

"Just a bunch of daffy avians from Austin, TX.

We're the pop in popinjay, the wallow in swallow, and the grin in peregrine!"

...

• AGREE
• DISAGREE

Interview with Jonathan D. from Bird Casino

(•)> What inspired this upbeat take on staying open-hearted through everyday life?

Our singer had this lyric knocking around his head: "I lit my boat before it's time, but you've got marshmallows on the mind." Lighting fire to one's boat is a funeral ritual, so it implies giving up on life early, right? But then this other person sees the roaring flame and thinks, "Hey, who's got marshmallows? Anybody got chocolate? Let's make s'mores!" It's that naive but soulful perspective that the song carries forward, to help spite the doomy imagery all around us.

(•)> How did you land on that mix of bouncy cymbals, sneaky bass, and jumpy guitar?

A healthy jam session! We scarfed a pizza to get our heads right, and then we kept that guitar progression flowing while we built the song. Quickly our drummer locked into the cymbal groove, and then the rest flowed naturally as the keys and bass found their frequencies.

(•)> Was there a moment in writing or jamming where the groove really clicked?

When our keyboard player joined their voice to the chorus, devising a lively counterpoint to the main melody -- that's when we really shared a grin.

(•)> What makes this song especially fun to play live?

The cymbals launch into a funky groove that gets the band moving. Then the other instruments dance their way in, and by the time we hit the first chorus, we're having a fine time up there, no matter what's happened earlier in the day (or gig!)

(•)> How do the backing vocals change the energy when they kick in?

They playfully weave around the lead and really boost the chorus section, by adding that extra touch of dynamism to the arrangement.

(•)> Did you build the track around rhythm, melody, or lyrics first?

We already had the lyrics for the first verse, and knew that the chorus had to be something joyful and a touch absurd. Enter the bucket! No better way to tote your feelings around town. Once we roughed out the musical arrangement, we played it several times until things jelled.

(•)> How do you want people to feel by the time the song ends?

Pleasantly jazzed, like when a colleague drops a surprise donut and coffee at your desk.

(•)> Any unexpected influences behind its sound or vibe?

There's a cup of funk snuck in there, more in the rhythm of the playing than the chords themselves. Also a pinch of punk in this brew. Maybe in our dreams we sing like Teddy Pendergrass, groove like Isaac Hayes, and roar like the Ravagers? Our fantasies are but hopeful hallucinations, after all...

(•)> What’s been the crowd’s reaction when you play it live?

Once we had a small circle pit form, which delighted and confused us. Another time, the bartender hoisted up his tip bucket and announced to the drinkers lining the rail, "I've got your bucket of love right here!"

(•)> If this song were a color or feeling, what would it be?

Reddish-orange! That's the color of the bucket we wore on our heads during the recording of this song. We're not above gimmicks here at Bird Casino!