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“Rock and Roll Sage”
Lyrics by Jimmy Ho
Music by Tony Nelson, Jimmy Ho, Buck Doss, Mitch Leppicello and DJ Kukielka
Produced by Street Hassle
Recorded by Tony Williamette at Minnehaha Recording
Mastered by Tommy Tousey at Silver Ant Studio
Street Hassle is:
Jimmy Ho: Vocals
Buck Doss: Guitar, Backup Vocals
Tony Nelson: Guitar, Backup Vocals
Mitch Leppicello – Drums
DJ Kukielka – Bass
Street Hassle on Facebook
I got to know Slim first as a photographer, taking photos of his bands many times over the years, including shooting the cover of his album Times Like This. Our song “Rock and Roll Sage” was inspired by a time much later, when I had the pleasure of playing guitar in Slim’s backing band for a few songs during one of his last performances, at the Guthrie Theater in 2011. We had no rehearsal, and didn’t know what he was going to play until he started playing, but we managed to figure out the songs on the fly. In one of the songs, however, when he got to a point where a solo should happen, he just shouted: “Take it!” Being a little startled and unprepared, I hesitated, leaving a gap until someone else in the band picked up the slack. When we finished, Slim turned to me and said: “When you get the chance to take a solo, you gotta take the solo!” Jim took the story and wrote the lyrics around it. It seemed like a good theme for a song: These opportunities have to be grabbed when they happen. Thanks for the inspiration, Slim, and for always sharing your wisdom.
Tony Nelson