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HARK!
I hear … a sensation.
Forget the corny “You had me at ‘hello’” (from a dreadful Tom Cruise flick that shall not be named): Joan of Arkansas had me on the hook as soon as I saw that brilliant, three-word band name.
With the third JOA song I heard, I wasn’t just hooked — I was pulled in the boat, filleted and ready for dinner.
Joan of Arkansas is brand-spankin’ new (“we’re a baby band”): Drummer Eirean Bradley, singer Kayla Long, guitarist Zach Bird and bassist/singer Joshua Lynch step on the stage for the first time Saturday, Sept. 25 at the Lost Leaf.
First JOA song I heard: “Circa” — pretty grungy. Noise upon noise. Not bad. (Like the other songs, it was recorded by Jalipaz Nelson at Audioconfusion.)
My second JOA song (from the “Make It Uglier” EP, released last month): “Hate Ashbury,” more angry-angst power rock.
My third JOA song started with more gnarly guitars — then a female voice started surfing the guitar-bass, now switching to an uptempo jangly groove.
And “Gay Denny’s” proceeded to kill me, in a good way. It’s wistful nostalgia with an edge: “The Breakfast Club” cut with the “Kids in the Hall” theme (by Shadowy Men).
Before diving in too deep, I had to tread water a bit, here.
I was about 97% sure, but wanted to make certain this song had absolutely no homophobic intentions. So I emailed the band:
“Gay Denny's" is a lotta fun -- just to be clear: it's not pejorative use of the word (like a fifth-grader or someone with a fifth-grade mentality saying "that is so gay") -- right?
Sixteen minutes later, I was relieved to get the answer: NO! Not in any way making fun of gays or, for that matter, the restaurant; as usual, I’m just not hip enough to know this is a real thing.
The email back from joanofarkband@gmail.com:
“Kayla here. No, definitely not. It’s a term of endearment and a colloquialism amongst Phoenicians. The Denny’s at 7th St and Camelback has been known as Gay Denny’s and/or Jenny’s for years. It served as one of the only late night food spots open in the Nineties and early to mid 2000’s and it would usually be full of artists, poets, outcasts, drag performers, and late night bar patrons coming from Charlie’s, Apollo’s, Pookies, and other gay and LGBTQIA friendly establishments near by. I went often after shows or house parties and it was always a safe space. The song lyrics themselves sort of lend to that image …”
The coast is clear, so let’s get deeper into this.
First, I’m throwing up a DANGER! DIVE IN AT YOUR OWN RISK sign in front of “Gay Denny’s.”
It has nothing to do with the lyrics: If you listen to this song, it may get stuck in your head like Jujubes in your teeth (healthy simile: “like quinoa in your grin…”).
“Gay Denny’s” guitar-drum rampage is a whirlpool that sucks you in, with Long’s vocals calling out like a cheery lifeguard, “Have a nice swirl!”
Most wonderfully, this isn’t just a good SOUNDING song, it tells a story with vivid images dancing around HARK Valley.
The official lyrics, as provided by JOA:
You’re a kid in Phoenix, Arizona/ You know the feeling/ of waking up dead/
Like your hometown’s designed to kill you/ got a barbed wire bible/ pointed right at your head/
All your friends have scar collections/ none deserved it, but wear them/ like they were earned/
The dead vacant lots/ and full churches/ would both be happy if you would just burn/
CHORUS: Meet me at the Gay Denny’s/ Where there’s safety in numbers/ Where there’s safety in numbers/ (x2)/
The great malls / that once ate all the Westside/ have all shown their ghosts/ and all curled up and died/
And the freeways wrap themselves around you/ like an asphalt noose/ and there’s nowhere to hide/
And escape might be an option/ but so is retreat/ and that’s the simple truth/
That the fountains of North Scottsdale/ replenish the old/ with the blood of their youth/
CHORUS: Meet me at the Gay Denny’s/ Where there’s safety in numbers/ Where there’s safety in numbers/ (x2)/
-BRIDGE-
You’re the royalty/ of all the Avenues/ the crown princess/ of chain link and broken glass/
And the plants are fully armed/ here, flash their teeth and knives/ every time you walk past/
But you’ll survive this,/ and rise like an angel/ if you take my advice and remember to check/
That the halo/ you were born with/ hasn’t slipped down/ and tightened itself around your neck/
CHORUS: Meet me at the Gay Denny’s/ Where there’s safety in numbers/ Where there’s safety in numbers/ (x2)/
As Long told me, “The song lyrics themselves sort of lend to that image and that there is ‘safety in numbers,’ in the fact that everyone stuck together and looked out for each other within the artistic and (what was seen as) alternative lifestyle communities within Phoenix.
“This is definitely a song singing the praises of safe spaces within Phoenix, especially ones from 20+ years ago when safe spaces were limited or non-existent, when Arizona was more conservative/a red state.”
After listening to the song three or four times more, I emailed again, admitting my infatuation with “Gay Denny’s” and begging for more — when was it written? How long did it take? Lyrics or music first?
Who shot the great video (check it out and more here)? Etc.
Answers:
“-Written about three months ago here in our home (Kayla and E.P. - we are a couple) in Central Phoenix."
“-Our drummer E.P. wrote the lyrics and music in an afternoon. We had the idea after we talked about Gay Denny’s and our childhoods in Phoenix. Eirean was born and raised here, but was away for about 20 years and was surprised it was still a thing after all this time."
“-Our bassist and other vocalist Josh Lynch did all the shooting on his phone!”
Though this is a freshly-minted band, these four are no rookies:
“We formed during covid out of boredom. In a way, the whole covid thing was good for us because it brought some of us out of a damn near decade of musical retirement.”
Joan of Arkansas makes its debut Saturday night, second on a three-band bill, with the show starting around 9 at the artsy Lost Leaf.
When will they play my new favorite song?
“It will be early in our set. I think it will be song three or four.”
Bottom line on “Gay Denny’s,” the song and the place:
“This is definitely a love song to Phoenix,” Kayla Long said, “and a place that many people grew up going to.”