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Sunday, August 5, 2007

The Feelers - Pressure Man


If you ever sat down with me whilst drinking and let the conversation run dry you undoubtedly learned the hard way how much I like to tell stories. Get ready.

Many years ago my good friend Tyler Johnson showed me a music video containing the song Zed – Renegade Fighter. It was a fun song, nothing deep or poetic in any way, but it was a nice hard rocking fun song. I won’t be reviewing Renegade Fighter this month, but I probably will someday.

Several years later while working in my prep hall at the original Ceili’s with my brother Niall, whom I had gotten a job there. While working hard as usual, we were listening to a burned CD Niall had brought with him from home. One track on this miscellaneous CD was none other then Zed – Renegade Fighter.

Steve Gibb had been working at Ceili’s as a busser for several months by this point and is someone I would definitely consider my friend, he is just a really cool guy, real easy going. He wandered into our basement prep hall to get something; he was signing along with Zed under his breath and kind of rocking his head a little. I thought nothing of it, even though the song is virtually unknown by everyone except Tyler, myself, and those whom we turned on to it. Steve took no more then a few steps out of the prep hall before he had a moment of realization, turned around, and immediately returned.

He said something to the affect of “This is Zed.”

So I replied. “Yeah man, they rock.”

“This is New Zealand music.” Needless to say he was very surprised to find us listening to a hit rock song from a few years ago from his country that was unknown outside of New Zealand.

Even though nobody I knew had ever heard of Zed before, I should have guessed that maybe Steve would have known, after all both of them are from New Zealand, and its not that big of an island, haha. Steve recommended to me then that if I liked Zed I would probably like “The Feelers”.

After forgetting to download The Feelers a few times I finally found time away from my working, studying, and avoiding studying to do what I usually regret, downloading someone else’s recommendations for music. The Feelers was the best recommendation I have had in years. They were better then Zed! They were a legitimate rock group with an entire repertoire of great songs, and they were complete unknowns in this country.

Being so grateful as I was, during Steve’s going away party when we were all proper drunk I began to sing drunkenly the songs by The Feelers I really liked to the poor misfortunate Steve. Nonetheless Steve seemed impressed I had learned the quantity of lyrics I had in so short a period of time especially considering how drunk we were. Out of all the songs I had downloaded, and I downloaded somewhere close to twenty songs by The Feelers, Steve and I apparently had the same favorite “Pressure Man”.

I like that story. Nobody got hurt and even though it may be a little bit embarrassing what with the drunkenness and all, it is embarrassing in an innocent way that is almost charming… well almost.

Anyway Pressure Man is a great song, and to those of you who enjoy it as much as I do, I strongly recommend download several Feelers songs, they are a band that is worth our attention.

Until next month, keep on rocking in the free world.

- Colin Kelly