Backroads is made possible by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund with money by the vote of the people, November 4th, 2008.

[Music] This old house used to be my mother's This old house used to stand the test of time Now this old house leans into the weather Lets in everything that's cold, wet and wild I tell you what let's put our backs to this field of grass Tamp it down and watch that black blue sky It's been so long since I felt the rain coming Listen for that thunder put my hands to the sky A world gone wild and so have I Rain coming in sheets blowing on the line Everything gone wild so why can't I Built to last only works for a time only works for a time [Music] Wishes in wind dropping rain on my face Wish I could clear out of here Clear out my mind broken windows look out on these dreams Tempting lightening just to prove I'm alive World gone wild and so have I Rain coming in sheets blowing on the line Everything gone wild so why can't I Built to last only works for a time This old house used to be my mothers Now this old house used to stand the test of time Now this old house leans into the weather Lets in everything that is cold, wet and wild My name is Ted Hajnasiewicz.

Together we are the International Treasures.

And we're here today with our Mikkel Johnson and Joe Meyer.

Ted and I got together through an online songwriting group during the pandemic.

We're both songwriters first and foremost and we found this online group as a way to write songs while the whole world had shut down.

Then after it was safe to get together Doyle invited me up to Bemidji and we started writing together up here and the rest is history.

We just fell into this really easy kind of synergy that happens when we write together, when we play together, and it just it's felt right since the beginning.

Local gravestones been disappearing at a rapid rate Granite marked with charcoal tracings and forgotten dates See their names and imagine maybe I could see their face And hear stories robbed by time, wind and torrential rain Nice to know ya.

Nice to know ya Yard sale Bibles boxed and loaded, five for a dime Through the ages, onion skin pages smeared by time Family trees, dedications and verses underlined Meant something to someone Now it means nothing What a crime Nice to know ya.

Nice to know ya.

Time's not waiting for anyone remember what's true Don't waste no time studying signs and regretting all ya didn't do Nice to know ya I better be going Local gravestones been disappearing at a rapid rate Local gravestones been disappearing at a rapid rate Local gravestones been disappearing at a rapid rate We sometimes sit down with like a blank slate and just start goofing off until something seems to stick and we've written a couple songs like that or we've wrestled through it and like I don't like that, no I don't like that, and then finally yeah.

Originally we started by just one person would do a voice memo of an idea, whether it be lyric or a little bit of a hook or a combination of such, and then send it off.

I think we were originally using email and then the other person would take it and it was really this cool kind of volley.

You know I would send something over the net and wait anxiously for what Ted was sending back over and just really so inspirational for a process that would seem to be kind of cumbersome, you know, emailing back and forth, but it was really a lot of energy.

Fun because we literally we would do it with an intention of I'm not going to write the whole song.

I might start something or Doyle, whoever just starts it the other one would send it and say I got this part now it's your turn and it was like Christmas for a few days in a row, writing a song every day is a new gift.

But when we write together we find some of that same energy.

I mean we've written in all kinds of places in Minnesota and we always find a really good energy and a really good excitement and it makes us want to do it again.

Down on your luck maybe you're on the fence This crazy world This crazy world stole all your innocence If it ain't bad news there ain't no news at all This is my song My advice to you Keep your head toward the sky and you'll make it through Headed toward those brighter days I know So leave a little love Leave a little love where you go Go on let your light, let your bright light show It only takes a spark to make the fire roar So leave a little love Leave a little love where you go Up in the air trouble all around but hope is where the lost get found You can be the reason gotta to keep believing I know So leave a little love, leave a little love where you go Go on let your light let your bright light show It only takes a spark to make the fire roar So leave a little love Leave a little love where you go Be light, be hope You're the spark I know Be light, be hope You're the spark I know Oh be light Be hope You're the spark I know Be light, be hope You're the spark I know So leave a little love, leave a little love where you go Leave a little love leave a little love where you go Leave a little love, leave a little love where you go Leave a little love, leave a little love where you go Leave a little love, leave a little love where you go That first time we performed we performed down in Walker at the brewery down there and it was just so natural.

I felt immediately from the very first song that I could follow Ted off the edge of the cliff and he would catch me and it was just so easy and it kind of spoiled us.

It's hard for us to play with other people now because we've got kind of a.

It's almost like we got a secret language or something.

We just kind of, we know what the other one is going to do and it just feels natural.

So we're very, very fortunate to have found one another.

It's incredibly fun.

Doyle likes to tell a story, and I hope it's okay if I tell.

The first time we played together we were doing a song and I was staring at him because I was like I want to look at his eyes so like we're just following each other, we've never played this song together.

It happened to be Suspicious Minds by Elvis.

So he felt uncomfortable because I was staring at him the whole time.

I don't think he realized I just stare sometimes.

The whole first verse and the first chorus.

He's a good-looking guy.

But we became friends because of that I think.

Definitely.

The old picture show has been shut down Ain't much to do in this little town Nobody goes outside They won't look you in the eye but that's alright with me I'm not much for pleasantries and I'd appreciate it if you leave me alone Mondays come down harder on me these days Seems I'm waiting around for my life to change But nothing changes around here, except for the weather Goes from rain to snow in a mist Life just seems to stick it in And I can't help but notice it's passing me by If I had my wish I'd wish for something else Anything just to have a story to tell Cause I've never been able to say all those things I want to say About my hopes and my dreams My plans and my schemes Those things that were dear to me That I starved just to feed the beast They seem impossible to me Getting into music I was too young to understand that I was doing anything creatively.

I would start by singing songs on the radio and then I started making up my own words and I would write these albums in my head and we had those little tape decks, you know, like you see in movies where it's a single tape deck.

And I would sit and tap that for the drums and write these horrible songs and I was probably seven years old and I didn't even have an instrument so I didn't really know.

I just felt like that's what I should do and it's just been a part of my life, all my life.

I should be good at this by now.

I'm still working on it.

Oh you're tremendous.

For me it started at home.

My dad played guitar and used to come in at night when it's time for us to go to bed and play, sing us to sleep and so there was always guitars around the house, always music.

Played a lot on my grandparents front porch and then it's just always been a part of my life.

The songwriting part of it has really come recently.

My family and I did an album in the early 2000's where we each said well, an album needs to be 10 songs, and so there were five of us and we each wrote two songs.

After that I didn't write for a long time and until I found this writing group and yeah so I'm a relatively new songwriter while Ted's been writing his entire life.

Nothing ever looks the same tomorrow Words don't carry the same sound Grasping at moments that are borrowed Counting on the wind dying down She left me dangling in the sunshine Melted snow off the window sill All she wanted was for me to care I'm sorry to say I never will As she turns to look back through an empty rearview I've gone to something better and new.

Now there's just the simple fact She'll never walk in my shoes She may regret all I didn't do But I never will I never will Nothing ever looks the same tomorrow The sound of her words ringing in my head I know I should feel some sorrow But I'm feeling alive instead I'll look back as we're all compelled to do and I hope she's on to something new I'm extremely shy if I don't know people.

I can't just walk in a room and say hi, I'm Ted, nice to meet you, but I can get on stage and it's like my area where I feel like I'm safe and so I own this space and I can just I just love it.

It's I think I'd rather do nothing else, write songs and then sing them to people that would be what I would love to do.

There's nothing better, ice cream, nothing else.

Well performing with Ted is amazing because he's got these decades of experience in the Minneapolis music scene and so I feel like I'm always learning from him and it's exciting.

We play in a whole variety of places and so every time you play you're wondering how is this song going to translate, how is this song going to land with the listener, and Ted has this charisma that's just amazing.

I think the kids call it the rizz, you've got the rizz, yeah.

But we've played these little divey places where we've played songs that people sing along to us and it's because Ted has that charisma that leads people to feel comfortable to participate with us.

White rice, soy sauce and butter You scrape the bottom of that bowl Your eyes make my heart flutter All I think is give me some more We say grace under that picture John Prine on the kitchen wall You say we ain't no high church He's the best saint we can afford Gimme some more give me some more give me some more give me some more give me some more Give me some more The sun sets over your shoulders The wind dies in your hair My dark heart clouds right over When your smile isn't there I'll build towers to your beauty I'll bust them down just to get you back You're paradise lit on fire One look from you and I'll turn to ash Give me some more give me some more give me some more give me some more give me some more give me some more Give me some more All I see is meant to be All I feel is way down deep All I can see is possibility Oh you and me, you and me Every door and light is on or open You don't care what's lying on the floor The world may rob us blind and hold us hostage If I'm with you, give me some more Give me some more give me some more give me some more give me some more give me some more give me some more Give me some more Backroads is made possible by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund with money by the vote of the people, November 4th, 2008.