Kaz Murphy “The Hope of a Man in a Bar”
Americana Highways brings you this premiere of Kaz Murphy’s song “The Hope of a Man in a Bar” from his forthcoming album Making Noise: Songs of Redemption and Rebellion, which is set for release September 18 on Green Monke. The album was produced by Kaz Murphy and Pat Kearns; engineered and mastered by Pat Kearns (except one song which was engineered by Kaz Murphy). It was recorded at Goat Mountain Recording in Landers, CA, except “Vote For Broke” which was recorded at Barn Wall Media. The album cover is by Will Amato.
“The Hope of a Man in a Bar” is Kaz Murphy on lead vocals, acoustic guitar and tambourine; Jacque Grad in backup vocals and mandolin; Ben Shaw on backup vocals and lap steel guitar; and Mir Taylor on Irish flute.
We had a brief chat with Kaz about the song. The premiere appears just beneath the interview.
Americana Highways: What was the initial inspiration for this song?
Kaz Murphy: With the threat of ICE, MAGA, and all of the unqualified people becoming part of the president’s cabinet, it seemed like the things we feared might happen, were actually starting to happen. I thought about a regular American guy coming home from work, going into a bar, knocking back a few and starting to get paranoid about the madness happening out on the streets. All he can think to do is refuse to leave and keep drinking until the madness might just disappear.
AH: What’s your favorite line in the song?
KM: My favorite line is “Hey, bartender, I wanna buy the house a round…hey, ya’ll, the next one is on me.” Because now we know that although the man is alone in the bar, he is including all of the patrons. He wants them all to be together and feel safe from the cruel world just outside those barroom walls. He’s willing to spend a load of dough on drinks for everyone so he doesn’t feel trapped in that bar alone. He needs those people. He needs them badly.
AH: What was your vision for the feel of this song?
KM: Being part Irish, I wanted to give it an Irish feel, since, you know, all of us Irishmen drink like sailors and are proud of it. lol. I wanted the verse to tell the story, to sound frightened and hectic, confused and worried. And I wanted the choruses to be the hope part. While the man in the bar frets about this country that’s hog wild, he fears he could die and hopes that heaven is everything they told him it would be back in Catholic school. At the same time, he has hope for his fellow man, hoping that their life is long and they may be happy, but still, he hopes heaven is everything they made it out to be.
I told a friend I was recording a song about a guy in a bar and that it could really use an Irish flute to give it the right atmosphere. He said, “my girlfriend plays Irish flute.” I said, “really, is she good?” He said, “oh yeah, she’s great.” That was it. I called up Mir Taylor and asked her if she was willing to learn a part and record it with us at Goat Mountain Recording where the album was made. The second she started playing that part in the studio, we all just looked at each other as if to say, dang it, it sounds like heaven should sound. She was a real pleasure to work with, and in my humble opinion, her part takes the song exactly where it needs to be.
With the verses sounding desperate and frightened, and while the man keeps getting drunker, I wanted the choruses to bring comfort and relief. Even though the man is hoping heaven is everything they made it out to be, he hopes this because he is starting to believe that he will die from the madness and violence happening outside those doors. The bridge of the song reveals the meaning as to what that heaven would be to him; Angels singing on streets of gold, where you live forever and never grow old, with your loved ones by your side…
AH: What would you say motivates the lyrical character?
KM: Perhaps the man in the bar saw some violence on the street after leaving his job and walking to the bar. Perhaps someone threatened him. Perhaps he was listening to the local news on his transistor radio. But once he gets in that bar, he plans on getting plastered and never coming out. Just drink it all away until the nightmare is over. He befriends everyone in the bar, buys them a round, and gets them all on his side. And when the bartender turns on the lights for last call, he absolutely refuses to budge. He says, “We the people have our rights.” And then all of the patrons, his new friends and compadres, now as drunk as he is come to his side chanting, “Besides, we the people have our rights.” And the song comes full circle, and there is the feeling of power and resilience in their drunken chant.
Thanks very much for chatting with us, Kaz Murphy!
This song is ultimately about the camaraderie and sense of community that takes place in bars all around the world, and particularly about what likely is happening rather often right here right now in bars across the country. “Please don’t try to pull me off this barstool / I don’t wanna know what’s goin’ on out there / Half the country’s gone hog wild / Glass is breakin’, bullets fired / Disarray and madness everywhere.” There’s fear, and there’s people drawing closer together, set to an upbeat sunny musical arrangement.
You can find the music here: https://orcd.co/makingnoisealbum