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

[Music] Cindy said she'll be real quick.

It'll be her last go around.

She could leave with the dust disappear from this one story town.

She been so scared of her mother.

Her father's gone with the wind.

She just stares out the window, wonderin' when her life will begin.

Well ye, you ain't the only lonely.

Well ye, you ain't the only lonely.

[Music] Well, Tommy's been greasin' the locals, doing their dirty work.

Well, he's quick with the wink.

He'll show up and no one will get hurt.

Yeah, but time's getting short.

He's got this desire for more.

At night he stares at his beer dreamin' of the West Shore.

Well ye, you ain't the only lonely.

Well ye, you ain't the only lonely.

Well ye, you ain't the only lonely.

Well ye, you ain't the only lonely.

[Music] Molly thought she had a nice man.

He works at the park.

She came home from the airport, drivin' way after dark.

Well, He left her a note, said "honey, I'll be home real soon..." She fell asleep on the couch, she's been alone all afternoon.

Well ye, you ain't the only lonely.

Well ye, you ain't the only lonely.

Well ye, you ain't the only lonely.

Yeah ye, you ain't the only lonely.

[Music] My name is Greg Selisker, guitar player, lead singer and harmonica player.

Songwriter.

Songwriter.

My name is Larry guitar player, lead guitar.

And we got Bobby Campbell on drums, percussion.

Marcus Aulie, extremely talented keyboardists and vocalist.

And Kevin Larson on bass and sometimes background vocals.

The mighty trains band, there you go.

It's my roadie outfit and it's doing fine.

So, Bobby's brother, Clyde, he works for us.

And I contacted him and said, "Hey, I just want to get some songs recorded, been writing songs forever."

And he didn't really want to tell me about Larry because he didn't want me to throw Larry under the bus, whatever.

He said, "I'll contact a guy and maybe get a hold of you."

Alright, so he contacted me.

I think I sent Bobby some songs and Larry some songs, and I went over to Larry's house and played a couple and just decided to give her a try.

The three of us--me being a guitar player and Bob the drummer and Kev the bass player--we were playing three-piece stuff.

And we were just learning 60's stuff and just blasting that stuff out for the fun of it, just to keep our chops up and getting a few yucks out of it.

And Marcus and Greg were playing together for a couple years, writing songs and working things out and it was really kind of cool because we had been doing some original stuff with the three of us--me and Bob and Kevin--and then all of a sudden here's Marcus and Greg, they come along.

And Greg's songs are basically what we've been writing, and he's using all the really cool chords that we liked.

Three.

And so, all of a sudden, it's like, "Yeah, this will work."

Because we've tried other guys and worked with other guys and it just didn't seem to click, and then, all of a sudden, this just seemed to click naturally.

it was really fun, yeah.

It was cool.

Fun from the start.

[Music] Would you meet me in the mornin'?

Been a good time tonight.

Dancin' on the side of the stage.

We ain't gotta act our age.

Would you meet me in the mornin'?

Or I could walk with you home tonight.

Gonna be so polite.

Countin' every streetlight.

Oh, honey been right beside me.

And oh, we could do a midnight ride, we Got no one to answer to.

Lay down your dancin' shoes.

I'll trade me for you, and we could rendezvous.

Would you meet me in the morning.

Got a heart of gold tonight.

Soon it'll be daylight.

We could watch the sun.

Oh, honey been right beside me.

And oh, we could do a midnight ride, we.

Got no one to answer to.

Lay down your dancing shoes.

I'll trade me for you, and we could rendezvous.

[Music] Would you meet me in the mornin'?

Fell asleep on your bedroom floor.

We don't have to wait no more.

Oh, honey been right beside me.

And oh, we could do a midnight ride, we.

Got no one to answer to.

Lay down your dancin' shoes.

I'll trade me for you, and we could rendezvous.

[Music] And oh, honey been right beside me.

And oh, we could do a midnight ride, we.

Got no one to answer to.

Lay down your dancin' shoes.

I'll trade me for you, and we could rendezvous.

[Music] The lyrics that Greg is coming up with are really intriguing because they're funny.

And they have a sense of humor, and it's a lot of it's tongue-in-cheek.

And a lot of it's just point blank.

"This is the way it is," you know?

I mean that's the way it is for you.

That's the way it is for me and the camera guy and all three of you.

You feel a little bit of all of us in the in the type of songs that he maneuvers around.

Time Bomb is about a guy coming home, putting his watch in the fridge and the--what in the sink?

Billfold in the sink.

Yeah.

Stayed out all night.

What's she gonna think?

Time bomb.

Eventually she leaves him.

Sleepin' in the chair.

Yeah.

[Music] Ya comin' home late.

Ya missed the first step.

Ya think you got it made, but the door ain't open yet.

Ya put your billfold in the fridge, watch in the sink.

Ya stayed out all night, yeah, what's she gonna think?

Time bomb.

Ya know what's gonna happen.

Time bomb.

Another late night distraction.

Yer sleepin' downstairs in the chair that's right.

Yer a tickin' time bomb every Saturday night.

[Music] When you wake up in the morning, what's she gonna say?

She said it all last night, hear it all again today.

Yer gonna smooth it over, buy her a rose.

You got softball practice.

Everybody knows.

Time bomb.

Ya know what's gonna happen.

Time bomb.

Another late night distraction.

Yer sleepin' downstairs in the chair, that's right.

Yer a tickin' time bomb every Saturday night.

What's gonna happen to you when she says she's done?

What's gonna happen to you when she's had enough?

What are you gonna do when her car is gone and there's a note on the table.

[Music] Well ya got home late, but you won the big game.

You were the big hero.

Everybody knew your name.

You pulled into the driveway.

Where's her Pontiac?

There's a note on the door.

She ain't ever coming back.

Time bomb.

You know what's gonna happen.

Time bomb.

Another late night distraction.

Yer sleepin' downstairs in the chair, that's right.

Yer a tickin' time bomb every Satruday night.

Time bomb.

You know what's gonna happen.

Time bomb.

Another late night distraction.

Yer sleepin' downstairs in the chair, that's right.

Tickin' time bomb every Saturday, tickin' time bomb every Saturday night.

[Music] He wrote these songs, and what it's like for him is to take them, twist them in many different ways, and send us phone files of the samples of the songs.

And, all of a sudden, when it's like good enough and Marcus hears them and we get them--all of us get them--and we go, "Okay, yeah.

We like this one."

You know?

So, the process comes from just hearing it in your head and and trying to translate it into something that makes sense in a musical format.

Am I not right?

Yeah.

Yeah, no, it's a hoot.

I mean, I just put them on the phone, send it to these guys, and if it, you know, sounds like something we can-- you know, they all kind of know the song when we come in, so then we come in it's kind of, "1 2 3, let's go."

[Music] I'm gonna build me a house on a little piece of land.

Find myself a girl who will understand.

Got a bible in the left, devil in the right.

Neon lights, my buddies inside, gonna show'em how to live tonight.

[Music] I'm gonna build me a house on a little piece of land.

Got a million dollars in my pocket, girl.

You wanna join my plan?

Buy a round for all my boys, bartender.

We know how to do this right.

I'm gonna build me a house after I make it through another night.

I may have been the alter boy, back in the days of school.

I could have been your best friend.

Now I'm just too cool.

I'm gonna build me a house on a little piece of land.

Someday I'll be the one to know a good spot for your boy's deer stand.

[Music] I'm gonna build me a house on a little piece of land.

Find myself a girl who will understand.

Work all day in the dust and clay.

Take it out on the bars at night.

I'm gonna build me a house if I can ever get my stuff right.

I may have been the alter boy, back in the days of school.

I could have been your best friend.

Now I'm just a fool.

I'm gonna build me a house on a little piece of land.

Find myself a girl who will understand.

[Music] [Music] She grew up in Minnesota.

He grew up out on the coast.

Her daddy was a welder.

His momma was a host.

They met out on the water, outside of a town in Idaho.

He smiled.

She looked real pretty.

She said, "I'd follow you anywhere you wanna go."

He held her to his offer.

She had a midwest heart delight.

He cared for her intentions, together day and night.

One salty, summer morning, Texas town along the shore.

She felt kinda strange when he said, "Baby, there's so much more."

We got the wind behind us.

No one will find us.

Between the river and the streams, life bustin' at the seams.

We'll make money off the land, ridin' hand in hand.

I gotta plan.

They jumped in his black Durango, filled it up with gas.

Crossed the Kansas border, drivin' way too fast.

Held up a Circle K, a little town in Ohio.

She didn't know why he was runnin', till he told her, a couple miles down the road.

We got the wind behind us.

No one will find us.

Between the rivers and the streams, life bustin' at the seams.

We'll make money of the land, ridin' hand in hand.

I gotta plan.

They headed up to Michigan, stayed with his good friend.

Runnin' out of money in a bar in Macomb County.

Headed back out on the road, with nowhere to go.

[Music] He messed with her mind, for the last time.

The cops were closin' in.

She gave them a sign.

Hotel room in Indiana, she'd leave it all behind.

Bought a ticket for the train to take her back to the land of lakes and pines.

She got the wind behind her, no one will find her.

Between the rivers and the streams, life bustin' at the seams.

Make money, got a job.

Ain't married to the mob.

She gotta plan.

She gotta plan.

She gotta plan.

[Music] When we got together, it really just clicked and you could tell these guys, you know, have been around the block before.

My gosh, you guys been playing for years and years.

So we're very fortunate, in that way, where we didn't have to start from scratch or, you know, it was just--we just hit the ground running.

I played a long time with Kevin Larson and Bob Campbell.

And the 3 of us have played in a lot of bands over the years, cover bands, and we got to know each other as players really well.

And so, that really pays off for something like this, where you go into a room and you say, "Okay, we got a phone file here.

Now, let's make it a band song."

You know?

And these guys are experienced from their past too with the duck tones and just extensive background and it just all shows when you're creating a song and it's coming from just a guitar and a voice, to make it feel like it's everybody's song, you know?

And it's a good feeling to do that and the experience that you mention is really important.

It's necessary.

There's no jitterbugs about it.

It's not like, "That's one great song.

Now, excuse me.

I gotta run off to St.

Cloud for 4 weeks and play with another band," or something, "and I'll call you guys in 6 weeks."

You know?

Or whatever.

I mean it's concentrated.

It's focused.

And we really appreciate that because we are experienced in knowing what we want to do, you know, so it's important.

[Music] I was waiting on the outside for you.

Thunder and lightening, nothing new.

Had a really good night and I wanted to tell everybody in town.

They don't wish me well.

C'mon, c'mon.

Girl, tonight.

I ain't no stranger, don't wanna fight.

C'mon, c'mon.

Girl, tonight.

Maybe later than ya think.

It'll be alright.

[Music] I wake come Thursday, desperate dream.

You were living by the river, near Stacy's ravine.

I laid so close I could hear your heart.

I'm a dreaming man, you're a work of art.

C'mon, c'mon.

Girl, tonight.

I ain't no stranger, don't wanna fight.

C'mon, c'mon.

Girl, tonight.

Maybe later than ya think, it'll be alright.

Girl, tonight, what would you do if I came after you?

[Music] I was waiting on the outside for you with a head full of dreams, down yer dark avenue.

C'mon, c'mon.

Girl, tonight.

I ain't no stranger, don't wanna fight.

C'mon, c'mon.

Girl, tonight.

Maybe later than ya think, it'll be alright.

C'mon, c'mon.

Girl, tonight.

I ain't no stranger, don't wanna fight.

C'mon, c'mon.

Girl, tonight.

Maybe later than you think, it'll be alright.

[Music] Awesome.

Thank you guys so much.

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