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Monkey Business

from Deep Water by Allan Thomas

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about

'Monkey Business' backstory:

The place Kauai, the year 1989. Seemed like a lot of my friends were getting busted for growing or selling Hawaiian weed, or pakalolo as it is known locally . Even had a close call myself - of course they were after the wrong guy! - so suffice it to say there was plenty of true inspiration for the lyric, not only from the standpoint of that place and time, but also from my past as a seventeen year old, when telling an undercover cop where to buy $7.00 worth of pot, cost me a year and a half of my freedom.

So with all this close-to-the-bone background on the subject matter I thought it might be interesting to tell the story of a pakalolo smuggler and dealer, from his perspective, as he looks back and reflects on the truths of his journey, and where it has finally led him.


The recording:

Soon after writing the song I was on a flight to Oahu to record a demo of it at my buddy Bryan Kessler's home studio. We cut live to tape with me singing and both of us playing electric guitar and that was that. I performed the song for a few years and eventually let it slip into the archives as new compositions arrived. But in 2010 while searching for tunes for the 'Deep Water' record I listened to that old scorchingly hot 'Monkey Business' demo and decided the tune would be a great fit now with it's driving tempo and character-driven story.

It was easy to find the drum loops for the session and after they were in place I recorded my 1985 Steinberger Trans-Trem electric guitar directly into the Carr Rambler tube amp. Joe Walsh had turned me on to Steinberger guitars while visiting Kauai back in 1984. This guitar still cuts a nice edge in the rhythm department with it's 3 EMG pickups. Following the guitar I had fun recording my vocals, and rewrote a few lines to better suit the story.

Now that the basic tracks were recorded the tune was ready for some more guitar, so I called upon neighbor and serious guitarist Kirk Smart. Kirk and I had played together in the one-show Kauai Donald Fagen band back in 2005, and he had also left his signature style on five tracks of my previous 2007 CD 'Making Up For Lost Time'. I also managed to snag him for work on 'Homegrown' from the 'Deep Water' album. The dude keeps himself pretty busy here as a guitar teacher, solo and ensemble performer, and member of the Donovan Frankenreiter band. On a night off he came by the studio bringing his ultra-great sounding DeTemple Tele electric guitar and a vintage lap steel. Within minutes of plugging his guitar into the mic'd Carr Rambler amp we were off and running. This song was major Kirk Smart territory. First we recorded a few takes with him on bottle neck slide, rolling all the way through the tune for him to get the lay of the land, after that he proceeded to wreak havoc on the solo for a few takes. Having filled any holes or spaces that needed attention we then added some glue with his sweet and viscous lap steel and within a take or two we were packing it in. After spending a few fun day's editing Kirk's parts into comp tracks the song was starting to find it's shape.

I wanted another texture and frequency besides guitar and steel on the track and immediately thought of another Kilauea boy and AT recording band alumni, JP Allen. The man plays many instruments really well, but I needed him to unleash his inner harmonica on this tune. Having played harmonica on the title track of the "Making Up For Lost Time' CD, I knew just what this dude was capable of and I was not disappointed in the least. I remember somewhere in the session trying to describe to JP what I was looking for in the way of his part, asking him to play something that is of no genre, not rock or blues or whatever. He kind of looked stunned for a second or two and said "hit record". I did, and out comes this very cool genre-less lick that could have come from the soundtrack of the sixties hit TV series Gunsmoke. Now we're talking! We wrapped up a very productive and fun session and I spent the next few days stitching together not one, but two JP harp parts that in the end Mike and Brian W would mix hard left and right.

It was time for bass and I could think of no one more suited to the task than old friend Rick Rosas, also known as RTBP, or Rick the bass player. In 1997 Rick contributed bass parts on two songs on my 'Coconut Culture' record. The brother spent ten years or more in the Joe Walsh band, and at least the last fifteen years in Neil Young's band. Having also worked with Jerry Lee Lewis, Etta James, Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood, Buffalo Springfield reunion band, and many others in the rock and blues genre, one needn't have an off-the-charts IQ to know that 'Monkey Business' would be right up his proverbial alley. He was presently in-between gigs with Neil, and found the time to go to his buddy Richard Bosworth's studio and lay the track down. He gave me one smoking track using a Fender P bass, and one stanky track with him sporting a Lakeland bass. I went with the lakeland for it's presence, punch and personality. After Mr. Rosas' solid rock-bottom performance all 'Monkey Business' lacked was some kick-ass drums.

Having worked with much-in-demand drummer Rick Shlosser, on my 2nd record 'The Island', and two other tracks on this CD, made it easy to for me to give Rick the call for work on 'Monkey Business'. I knew he could be counted on to deliver a rocking' track. Mr. Shlosser had just gotten off the road with Van Morrison, so the timing was perfect, and his chops on fire! And deliver he did.


Photo by AT - Selma, Oregon - 1970. The young entrepreneur so intent in the photo had been up all night melting bars of paraffin wax into two giant candles which each contained about a pound of Southern Oregon's finest buds. He brought it with him as part of his luggage on his flight back to somewhere on the east coast.

lyrics

Monkey Business

words & music
Allan Thomas

Been in trouble since a small boy
Did my first deal at seventeen
I'm no stranger to the inner workings
Of the monkey business machine

Attracted by the lure of danger
High times and late night rendezvous
Hope the gravy train rolls on forever
And the man never gets his hands on you
That's how it is in the monkey business

Mustn't leave any tracks or traces
That could lead them to your trail
Keep your profile low and stash some money
Should you ever have to make bail

Say nothing on the telephone
That could give yourself away
Never know who might be listening
Say only what's needed to say
That's how it is in the monkey business
Just how it is in the monkey business

He'll do one more deal then call it quits
But it's endless self deception
Cause you don't have the will to fight
The irresistible temptation

Where luck leaves you without warning
Where you lose more than you gain
Where enough is always never enough
When you gamble at this curious game

Tears escape my eyes like signals
Fear electrifies my brain
And I swear this time I'm pulling out
Before the track derails the train
How it is in the monkey business that monkey business

I'd rather be a poor man
Then to live in ceaseless worry
Rather be a free but poor man
Not chained to that easy money

That's just how it is that's the monkey business
Just how it is in the monkey business
Monkey business monkey monkey business
This monkey business


©2011 Black Bamboo Music - BMI

credits

from Deep Water, track released October 18, 2011
Monkey Business - 5:07

Allan Thomas - vocals, electric rhythm guitar
Kirk Smart - lap steel, bottleneck slide guitar
JP Allen - harmonica
Rick Rosas - bass
Rick Shlosser - drums

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Allan Thomas Hanalei, Hawaii

Aloha and welcome to my Bandcamp Music Store home page. Here you can listen to full-length samples of all seven Allan Thomas albums and three singles. Also to be found are credits, photos, stories and lyrics for all songs. Dig in...

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