(rock music) - [Narrator] Ocean State Sessions features performances by local musicians and brings you the stories behind the songs.

Coming up tonight: (bright guitar music) ♪ There's many shades of gray ♪ ♪ Many shades of gray ♪ (gentle music) ♪ I don't have a place for that in my head ♪ ♪ How do I think of what you said ♪ (energetic guitar music) ♪ It's times like this ♪ ♪ You wish you had a mind to lose ♪ ♪ Stumbling through these crazy days ♪ ♪ Of living in the shadows ♪ ♪ And they don't praise me ♪ (song fades) ("Grey" by Mike Baker) (soft guitar music) (tempo increases) (tempo slows) ♪ I feel it coming to me ♪ ♪ I feel it breathe ♪ ♪ Each breath is more consuming ♪ ♪ It needs to feed ♪ ♪ Ooh ♪ ♪ Till its stomach's full ♪ ♪ That numbing spoonful ♪ ♪ I'll take what I need ♪ ♪ I feel as though it's cruel ♪ ♪ With each savior's plead ♪ ♪ It's ruling ♪ ♪ Fooling you ♪ ♪ There's many shades of gray ♪ ♪ Many shades of gray ♪ ♪ Yeah ♪ ♪ Many shades of gray ♪ ♪ Conflicted doubt and counting sheep ♪ ♪ In my youth ♪ ♪ Conclusive, clouded sleep ♪ ♪ Ooh ♪ ♪ Not man nor base ♪ ♪ There's many shades of gray ♪ ♪ There's many shades of gray ♪ ♪ Yeah ♪ ♪ Many shades of gray ♪ ♪ See me rotten to the core ♪ ♪ Perception is an open door ♪ ♪ So when you find that man behind the mask ♪ ♪ He'll lack a face ♪ ♪ There's many shades of gray ♪ ♪ Many shades of gray ♪ ♪ Ooh ♪ ♪ Many shades of gray, ooh ♪ (vocalizes) (strums guitar) I write all the time.

I write as, like, a release.

Like, I could go see a therapist, but instead I write music.

(laughs) Some songs are about absolutely nothing, and then I have some songs that are mine and I don't even show anybody, because they're like something special to me that I needed to just get out of me.

There's always a different process, sometimes I'll write a guitar riff first, and sometimes I'll be driving in my milk truck and I'll be like (vocalizes) or sing a melody and I bring it home and then I either put it on guitar, or I put words behind that melody.

There's always a different way.

My head just thinks music constantly.

(chuckles) Something in there that's got to get out.

("Stick Fishin'" by Mike Baker) (bluesy guitar music) ♪ Why in of the sane ♪ ♪ Were made a trippin' out of place ♪ ♪ Indulgin' pain ♪ ♪ Called human race ♪ ♪ Spirals down at a steady pace ♪ ♪ Am I dead or is it hopeful wishin' ♪ ♪ A spot up on the wall ♪ ♪ My brain's gone fishin' ♪ ♪ Get the light ♪ ♪ It took my sight ♪ ♪ And now imagination flies the kite ♪ ♪ Inside we find ♪ ♪ A sea of green ♪ ♪ A porcelain spine ♪ ♪ If your throat is coarse ♪ ♪ Then use your mind ♪ ♪ Inside we find ♪ ♪ Bleeding veins, they're all the same ♪ ♪ Animal instinct leads us all insane ♪ ♪ Tank ♪ ♪ Green ♪ ♪ Your bellow sighs all flow ♪ ♪ Paranoia tears a hole ♪ ♪ Oh, it tears swallow ♪ ♪ Don't ignore sleep ♪ ♪ It's an encroachment of the mind ♪ ♪ Like an entrance to the door ♪ ♪ Sent us in to wine ♪ ♪ He's packed more lines ♪ ♪ Than he could fit in ♪ ♪ Found a chemical balance and the sun got dim ♪ ♪ Inside we find ♪ ♪ A sea of green ♪ ♪ A porcelain spine ♪ ♪ If your throat is coarse ♪ ♪ Then use your mind ♪ ♪ Inside we find ♪ ♪ Bleeding veins are all the same ♪ ♪ Animal instinct leads us all insane ♪ (bluesy guitar riff) ♪ Can you take me back where I came from ♪ ♪ Can you take me back ♪ ♪ Can you take me back where I came from ♪ ♪ Can you take me back ♪ ♪ Can you take me back where I came from ♪ ♪ Can you take me back ♪ ♪ Brother, can you take me back where I came from ♪ ♪ Can you take me back ♪ ♪ Inside we find ♪ ♪ A sea of green ♪ ♪ A porcelain spine ♪ ♪ If your throat is coarse ♪ ♪ Then use your mind ♪ ♪ Inside we find ♪ ♪ Bleeding veins are all the same ♪ ♪ Animal instinct leads us all insane ♪ ♪ Inside we find ♪ ♪ A sea of green ♪ ♪ A porcelain spine ♪ ♪ If your throat is coarse ♪ ♪ Then use your mind ♪ (strums guitar) ("She Don't Seem to Dig Terrible Story" by Kevin Silvia) (plucky guitar music) ♪ She don't seem to dig terrible story ♪ ♪ I started with my best total drag of a bummer ♪ ♪ And it's not like we didn't agree ♪ ♪ Because basically, she and me ♪ ♪ We agreed all summer ♪ ♪ Autumn rolled around ♪ ♪ Still, she didn't like the sound ♪ ♪ She was wearing this invisible frown ♪ ♪ I could totally feel it ♪ ♪ If I said I couldn't part ♪ ♪ That my solos were bad ♪ ♪ Maybe Justin and me disagreed about the set ♪ ♪ Maybe someone on the highway ♪ ♪ Didn't love me enough to let me in ♪ ♪ But she didn't appreciate that kind of bull very much, oh ♪ ♪ Well, maybe it was time for winter now ♪ ♪ All right, I'm going in ♪ (plucky guitar riff) ♪ She don't seem to dig terrible story ♪ ♪ I see her rollin' both eyes to the sky ♪ ♪ She don't seem to dig terrible story ♪ ♪ And I don't seem to freakin' understand why ♪ ♪ Springtime, everything is new ♪ ♪ And everything is weird between us two ♪ ♪ I got a terrible story to learn ♪ ♪ And then to relay to my lady ♪ ♪ But she don't seem to dig terrible story ♪ ♪ She don't seem to dig terrible story ♪ ♪ She don't seem to dig terrible story ♪ ♪ She don't seem to dig terrible story ♪ (bright guitar riff) From my perspective, you know, what the writing process means, what it's about, what I'm trying to go for, I think, for me, it's just, I don't want to be writing stuff that is boring or ordinary.

I like things to be fun, you know?

And if it's boring and ordinary, it's just not very much fun, so.

Lyrically, I'm not gonna be satisfied unless I make it a little bit funny for me, a little bit interesting for everybody else.

Something to chew on and think about rather than predictable.

("What Category" by Kevin Silvia with Lindsey Nogueira-Mayo) (upbeat guitar music) ♪ You may just want to come up to me and say ♪ ♪ Haven't you ever heard anyone say ♪ ♪ Give me something to think of this as ♪ ♪ Is it a program ♪ ♪ I don't have a place for that in my head ♪ ♪ How do I think of what you said ♪ ♪ What type of thing do you call that ♪ ♪ What category ♪ ♪ It might get difficult but I know if we try ♪ ♪ We can likely bring ourselves to recognize ♪ ♪ Things like the unknown ♪ ♪ Just for example ♪ ♪ I don't have a place for that in my head ♪ ♪ How do I think of what you said ♪ ♪ What type of thing do you call that ♪ ♪ What category ♪ (energetic guitar riff) ♪ We could file it under a number of headings ♪ ♪ We could sign it up for a few beheadings ♪ ♪ It just didn't fit into the setting ♪ ♪ At least I didn't think so ♪ ♪ I didn't think so ♪ ♪ I don't have a place for that in my head ♪ ♪ How do I think of what you said ♪ ♪ What type of thing do you call that ♪ ♪ What category ♪ ♪ What category ♪ (plucky guitar riff) (strums guitar) ("Notes From The Edgetimes" by Nate Cozzolino) (soft guitar music) ♪ In and out ♪ ♪ Fast and slow ♪ ♪ In we come ♪ ♪ And out we go ♪ ♪ I sing, here we are ♪ ♪ Surrounded by the stars of the underground collective ♪ ♪ Patterns in the air when we exhale ♪ ♪ Latest retrospective ♪ ♪ Fifty minutes pass like nothing ♪ ♪ If they even come at all ♪ ♪ Yeah, we hustle on regardless of the writing on the wall ♪ ♪ Leash on, drag me home ♪ ♪ These are my notes from the edgetimes ♪ ♪ I don't care if they survive ♪ ♪ Falling out of season ♪ ♪ Or the awakening of the tides ♪ ♪ Of the tides ♪ ♪ Ooh, back and forth ♪ ♪ Side to side ♪ ♪ As we bridge ♪ ♪ Bridge this great divide ♪ ♪ Ooh, well I found the right spot to enjoy the dance ♪ ♪ Of the tribes of Providence ♪ ♪ Oh, so providential ♪ ♪ We've been grooving ever since ♪ ♪ I pinched this off a pinchbeck ♪ ♪ He can pinch one off of me ♪ ♪ And we can burn one down together ♪ ♪ And have a laugh at our ♪ ♪ Originality ♪ ♪ Because these are my notes from the edgetimes ♪ ♪ The words are flying off the page ♪ ♪ If there's a meeting ♪ ♪ You're gonna have to be the ones to find it ♪ ♪ I'm just the joker on the stage ♪ ♪ Oh, Lord ♪ ♪ These are my notes from the edgetimes ♪ ♪ It's funny how tomorrow never knows ♪ ♪ Who will walk beside ♪ ♪ This thinly veiled and blushing bride ♪ ♪ Who will paint this garden as she grows ♪ ♪ As she grows ♪ ♪ As she grows ♪ I came to have a little more confidence in my songwriting process thanks to my band mates' encouragement and the whole experience of growing with them and being inspired by that milieu I was talking about.

I felt like, one day, I really had to somehow encapsulate that feeling, that indescribable feeling that people were making history and weren't even aware of it.

And, that's where "Notes From The Edgetimes" came.

I felt like we had something that people weren't really, fully appreciating.

Not in a negative way, but they just weren't, they say that history never feels like history when you're living through it, and that's how it really felt to me.

("I Built the Shadow" by Nate Cozzolino) (bluesy guitar music) ♪ Ooh, yeah ♪ (vocalizes) ♪ Welcome to the end ♪ ♪ Of the beginning of the film ♪ ♪ We're very glad to see you've come this far ♪ ♪ Still we think it's very strange ♪ ♪ No matter how much time you spend upon the stage ♪ ♪ You forget that you're the star ♪ ♪ Yes, you are ♪ (vocalizes) ♪ Oh, yeah ♪ ♪ You stare out at the audience ♪ ♪ A line dying on your lips ♪ ♪ As you forget you ever had a word to say ♪ ♪ But never fear, you sleepy actor ♪ ♪ You'll have another chance to rise and shine ♪ ♪ Or throw it all away ♪ ♪ But when the music stops ♪ ♪ You don't know what to do ♪ ♪ It's times like this ♪ ♪ You wish you had a mind to lose ♪ ♪ Stumbling through these crazy days ♪ ♪ Of living in the shadows ♪ ♪ And they don't praise me ♪ ♪ When these lights have made me come undone ♪ ♪ So get back up on the stage, boy ♪ (vocalizes) ♪ Now the next scene has begun ♪ ♪ Another costume to put on ♪ ♪ Another stranger walking towards you from the wings ♪ ♪ Behind your back, a rolled up script ♪ ♪ Composed of all the same old dish ♪ ♪ Everything but what you'd really like to say ♪ ♪ Yeah ♪ ♪ But when the curtain falls ♪ ♪ You don't know what to do ♪ ♪ It's times like this ♪ ♪ You wish you had a mind to lose ♪ ♪ Stumbling through these crazy days ♪ ♪ Of living in the shadow ♪ ♪ And they don't praise me ♪ ♪ When these lights have made me come undone ♪ ♪ Yeah, oh ♪ ♪ I understand that the moon pulls heavy ♪ ♪ Tugging on the tides, come bring the levy down ♪ ♪ And no one else can save me ♪ ♪ That's how it goes ♪ ♪ I know that I built the shadow ♪ ♪ Mm, and I could leave whenever ♪ ♪ I could quit today ♪ ♪ Ooh, I could find another ♪ ♪ Two-bit half it to play ♪ (vocalizes) ♪ Yeah ♪ (vocalizes) ♪ But when the applause has died ♪ ♪ You don't know what to do ♪ ♪ It's times like this ♪ ♪ You wish you had a mind to lose ♪ ♪ Stumbling through these crazy days ♪ ♪ Of living in the shadow ♪ ♪ And they don't praise me ♪ ♪ When these lights have made me come undone, done ♪ ♪ Ooh, and I say ♪ ♪ I understand that the moon pulls heavy ♪ ♪ Tugging on the tides, come bring the levy down ♪ ♪ And no one else can save me ♪ ♪ I know that I built the shadow ♪ ♪ Oh, I built, I built, I built, I built ♪ ♪ I built, I built, I built, I built, I built ♪ ♪ I built the shadow ♪ ♪ Oh, I built, I built, I built, I built ♪ ♪ I built, I built, I built, I built ♪ ♪ I built, built the shadow ♪ ♪ Oh, and I understand that the moon pulls heavy ♪ ♪ Tugging on the tides, come bring the levy down ♪ ♪ Down, down ♪ ♪ And no one else can save me ♪ ♪ That's how it goes ♪ ♪ We all built the shadow ♪ ♪ Oh, yeah ♪ (vocalizes) (strums guitar) (rock music) - [Narrator] Go online to hear more music, meet the artists, and more.

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(rock music)