The songs on the album involve vignettes and portraits of people who’ve suffered—old people, sick people, crazy people, people who are alone—but the heart of the songs lies not in the suffering of the characters but in the indomitable faith and humor that sustains them.
The introductory track to the album, Rise, sets the tone and theme of the collection with a folksy and upbeat ballad that offers promise straight up in the face of adversity:
Rise from your slumber
Days without number
Wait for you
Shake off your losses
So many causes
to put your shoulder to
It’s time to mend
Time to turn the next bend
We depend on you to harmonize
so Rise
Rise
Next comes the song, Lovingkindness, which begins with a harmonica intro hook that blends into a pleasing and catchy melody accentuated by lyrics that glorify the personal praise and testimony of a soul grateful to the God of Creation who is fearsome yet loving and kind to those who He has purchased through His sacrifice on the cross in Christ Jesus.
The third track, Palms & Crosses, picks up the beat somewhat with the drums and electric guitar sounds, and it is a song that seems a bit ironic regarding our Lord's passion at Calvary:
One week palms, joy and praise,
Hearts are lifted, voices raised
Next week nails and crowns of thorns
The mother of God herself will mourn
The chorus line to the song is my favorite: "All I know is that tomorrow will decide what yesterday means!" And it's a good application of gospel doctrine that should be exercised by every believer who walks in faith and not by sight.
Winter's Grace is a beautiful ballad, written by Annette Dietz and performed by Rosa Colucci, that is almost existential in its sympathy and awareness of human limitations in the face of adversity but yet we try:
My friend lives in a deserted mine,
He wears brokenness like a cloak.
My friend lives in a deserted mine,
He wears brokenness like a cloak.
My friend lives in a deserted mine.
Tonight, we walk to the quiet shrine
The moon settles onto my upturned palm
With a brilliant dusting of snow.(A brilliant dusting of snow.)
Some days the best I can do Is clear a path for light.
Heaven Was Open, is a song that speaks of "seeing the light" and offers a comparison between unseen spiritual realities and the fallen visible world and the Lord is to be praised for this eye opening experience (of course).
Old Hundredth, is partially based on an old Isaac Watts hymn with modifications and is probably my favorite track on the prolific album which totals thirteen songs. It is modern and moving with timeless words of strength and encouragement:
Eternal are Thy mercies, Lord
Eternal truth attends Thy word
Though mist and shadow all around
I’ll set my feet on solid ground
Solid ground, Solid ground
Solid ground
The final song, It's All Between Me and God, is a great outro song to the album that makes anyone who has spent time plying the path to eternity to pause, look out the window and reflect upon the wonderful (and sometimes frightening) aspects of salvation. And in the final analysis, this might be a good way to sum up the concept behind the entire collection of Red Beets and Horseradish -- a thoughtful musical journey through trials and tribulations of both a personal and social nature that keenly reflect the Christian experience. Do give a listen!
CLICK HERE TO ORDER A COPY OF THE CD!!!
Robert Wagner of Little Wretches
(photo by Melinda Pietrusza)
ROBERT A. WAGNER - THE LITTLEST WRETCH
My songs are mirrors, and I often begin or end my performances by
playing a version of The Velvet Underground’s “I’ll Be Your Mirror”
extended to more than ten-minutes in length to include some of the
images that most shaped my view of the world as a young
man—working men and women enslaved in pursuit of the dollar, the
now-vacant void from whence the spirit fled filled with the distraction of
mindless entertainment, alcohol and assorted drugs, people so numb
that self-destructive violence has lost its impact and the only way they
can hope to feel anything is to hurt the people they love.
Having descended from Slovakian immigrants that sought fortune in
the once-booming steel towns of Western Pennsylvania, I elect to
portray the lives of those around me—family, friends, community,
work. In literature and art, working class characters tend to appear as
comic relief or in the form of the noble savage. They are cast as
victims, oppressed and betrayed. Personally, I'm sick of Tom Joad. I
hold my characters accountable.
If you sell your soul for money, don’t come crying that you got a bad
deal.
I don’t suppose I’ll ever be accused of telling people what they want to
hear. Then again, I’ve crafted some rather compelling musical portraits
of my grandparents and parents, my sister and brother, my neighbors,
closest friends and fellow travelers. There’s a considerable portion of
love and compassion in these songs, though a lot of people tell me I
sound angry.
I’m not angry; I just enjoy a good fight.
As a kid, I idolized Popeye, Mighty Mouse and Bruno Sammartino. I
ran around the neighborhood, an empty can of spinach stuffed under
my shirt and a corncob pipe between my teeth, a super-hero’s cape in
the form of a bath towel pinned to my shoulders as I defended the
weak and battled the evil-doers of my imagination.
I also loved music. My older cousin said The Beatles were the best
musicians because they wrote their own songs, so he and I built
guitars from scraps of plywood, two-by-fours, nails and rubber bands
and started writing our own songs.
My Catholic parents sent me to St. Anne’s School, where I learned
that we can only be happy when we do what God asks of us. The
nuns taught that God has a special purpose for each of us, and we will
know that purpose by the joy we feel when we’re fulfilling it.
God wanted me to grow up to defend the weak and vanquish the evil-
doers by writing songs and telling stories.
And if I’m wrong, I’ve wasted my life.
NO SHELTER - PRECURSOR TO THE LITTLE WRETCHES
No Shelter was co-founded by John Creighton and Robert A. Wagner
while drinking beer in the Squirrel Hill Cafe the night before The
Pittsburgh Steelers faced the Los Angeles Rams in the Super Bowl.
Wagner was battling cancer and wasn't sure he was going to live.
Creighton was depressed and wasn't sure he had a reason to live.
Both loved music and agreed that starting a band was the key to
survival.
No Shelter was part of the first generation of Pittsburgh-area
punk bands. The single Brooks Robinson's Camp / Soldier Boy was
considered a breakthrough for the scene; raising the bar for quality
and production-values and combining powerful lyrics, expressive
performance and a compassionate world-view. Brooks Robinson's
Camp is the transcribed monologue/rant of a deranged man in the
24-hour fast food restaurant where band-members used to drink
coffee and talk. The ascendancy of President Ronald Reagan led to
the cutting of social programs for the mentally ill, rendering people like
the narrator Brooks Robinson's Camp homeless.
THE EARLY WRETCHES - FOLK/PUNK PIONEERS
The Little Wretches was co-founded by brothers Robert Andrew and
Charles John Wagner. Bob wrote original songs and adapted
traditional folk songs, tried to sing and accompanied himself on guitar
while Chuckie worked out counterpoint melodies on violin. Chuckie
and Bob were joined by former members of No Shelter, Ed Heidel on
bass guitar and John Creighton on flute, percussion and background
vocals. Religious missionary Chris Bruckhoff was attracted to the
group because a lot of the songs seemed to have spiritual content,
and he apparently believed he could recruit the members of The Little
Wretches into his church by infiltrating the band. Like John Creighton,
Chris sang background vocals and played various percussion and
wind instruments. Bob Goetz played electric guitar and did some
singing. Deena Alansky took pictures, tried to book gigs, and pasted
posters all over town. The original line-up of The Little Wretches
debuted at The New Group Theater (founded by Martin Giles in the
spirit of the legendary progressive theater company, The Group
Theater) along with the godfathers of the Pittsburgh hard-core scene,
The Five. The earliest version of The Little Wretches came to an end
with the sudden death of John Creighton. John never considered
himself an actual member of The Little Wretches (he was just helping
out), but he was so much a part of the group's sound and persona that
his loss was devastating.
BORN WITH A GIFT - THE CLASSIC ERA
The Little Wretches went straight rock adding Dave Mitchell on
drums, Mike Michalski on bass, and Ellen Hildebrand on electric
guitar. This generation of The Little Wretches played so often at The
Electric Banana, central venue of the Pittsburgh underground, that
many came to regard them as the house-band. The Little Wretches
felt otherwise and eventually stopped performing at The Banana.
Robert Wagner said, "Being content to be the house-band at The
Electric Banana is like a family being content to live on welfare and
food-stamps". Michalski, who later founded The Heretics and The
Kelly Affair and produced recordings for Rusted Root and Get Hip
Records, described his time in The Little Wretches as like going to
rock school, " Hundreds of bootleg recordings were made by friends
and fans of the band."
The theme-song of the era was Born With A
Gift, and songs like Thanks for Saving My Life,The Taste of Dirt, Who Is America, Let Me Play Your Guitar sound as vital today
as they day they were written. This generation of The Little Wretches
ended with the departures of Mike Michalski, Dave Mitchell, and
Chuckie Wagner.
ALTHOUGH IN THE FUTURE, THEY'LL
SAY THESE WERE DARK TIMES -
MAYBE NEXT TIME, MAYBE NEXT TIME
David Losi had been living in Atlanta, performing in groups like Sexy
Up and B-49. He dropped in on a Little Wretches recording session
while in Pittsburgh to visit his family, played piano on the entire
session, and decided to return to Pittsburgh to join the band. Losi was
unembarrassedly Beatles-esque could KILL with harmonies, ballads
and raw rock vocals. Mike Madden was/is one of the best rock
drummers--period. When The Little Wretches performed at The
Decade, the legendary Pittsburgh rock club graced by Springsteen,
David Johansen and any number of blues heroes, the club's manager
asked, "Where'd you get that guy? He's the best drummer to come
through here in years!" Unfortunately, Mike was raising a family and
unable to tour, so The Little Wretches had to look elsewhere for a
drummer. Gregg Bielski, a friend and fan of The Little Wretches, had
been attending Indiana University of Pennsylvania and generating an
awesome body of work as the founder of Shrink Wrap (see G. G.
Allin). Gregg had been working with tapes and drum-programs, started
collaborating with drummerless The Wretches, and soon began
performing with the band. Ellen Hildebrand switched from guitar to
bass, and this new version of The Little Wretches went into the studio
to create JUST ANOTHER NAIL IN MY COFFIN and THIS TIME THE
REBELLION WEEPS, and a modified version of this band (with
Angelo George on drums and Jon Paul Leone on guitar) recorded
THE LITTLE WRETCHES. The band rehearsed and recreated at
Ellen's sheep farm in Clarksville PA, and a major breakthrough
seemed to be right around the corner as the band began to meet with
lawyers, managers and publicists. This generation of the The Little
Wretches passed when various band-members entered the season of
their lives that called for raising children and caring for families. Listen
to the recordings. Read the reviews.
THE FOLK POET - TELLING STORIES AND ASKING
QUESTIONS LIKE JESUS AND SOCRATES
I continue to perform solo and with small acoustic ensembles, usually
appearing at coffeehouses or small clubs. In addition to writing songs
and telling stories, I teach and counsel abused, neglected,
traumatized and court-adjudicated youth. (I have both Crip and Blood
bandanas hanging on my bedroom door, souvenirs from battle.) The
season of rock n roll having passed for The Little Wretches (It no
longer made sense to be carrying amplifiers and unloading trucks at
4:30 in the morning), I had a something of a rebirth after
hearing/seeing/studying the live-performances of Michelle Shocked,
Steve Earle and Peter Himmelman and the live-recordings of Phil
Ochs. I got involved with the songwriter's group at Calliope, The
Pittsburgh Folk Music Society back in the mid-nineties. With Gypsy-
jazzman James Hovan, I co-founded The Calliope Acoustic Open-
Stage at The Bloomfield Bridge Tavern, a weekly event that has lived
for going-on fifteen years. We also founded The Threepenny Opry
performance-series at The Starlite Lounge. I've managed to record
and release some pretty powerful stuff. I hope I get to meet you and
play for you someday.
Sincerely, Robert A. Wagner The Little
Wretches
