Music Blog

It's a funny thing about a song, how one individual listening can produce a vastly different interpretation than another, each of which may themselves be light years away from the songwriter's original intention. As listeners we tend to inject our own experience into what we're hearing, and that's okay (according to most). That's part of the fun and the exchange we have with artform of any kind.

But the fun stops here: our semi-regular About a Song series asks the artists themselves about a song they've written-- maybe, just maybe, ruining it all for you in the process. But hopefully not.

Can a song be up-tempo and impossibly catchy AND bring a tear to your eye? Moreover, can a modern day holiday song be embued with real meaning and not be delivered as unintentional schmaltz? Duover's "Grandma's House," the opening track from last year's Christmas Volume 1, would suggest that the answer to all of those questions is "absolutely, yes." And maybe it helps if the Christmas of your youth was synonymous with grandma's house-- the song celebrates that notion and Nathan Jr.'s backstory reminds those who continue to have that kind of holiday how lucky they are. Stream the song below.

"In December of 2009, Rebecca and I were living out our nomadic fantasy in a 1978 Toyota Dolphin RV. We were tooling around Southern California, far from our oldest friends and closest family. As the holidays approached, we made a choice to reinvest in the Christmas spirit, and hatched a plan to record a festive album before the 2010 holidays began. The brainstorming and promises were carefully debated, and we emerged with a plan to write and record the whole project in September of 2010. We agreed that the record would be non-denominational but embrace love and spirituality as natural elements of the holiday season. We also agreed that we wouldn't avoid using the word "Christmas" just because it carries a religious connotation. If you endeavor to craft populist holiday jams, you gotta work with the lingo we all grew up with. Anyhow, we set course as planned, and had a great time making and mixing these songs in a concentrated burst of long sessions and alternating pockets of elation and deflation. We'll probably do it again next year... perhaps with a Mayan Calendar apoca-concept... But first, I'd like to share the meaning of "Grandma's House."

As a kid that spent lots of time with my grandparents in my formative years, I have found myself at odds with ageism in our culture. The constant push of consumer and celebrity media culture lends an artificial weight to the importance of youth and newness. Being young is awesome, don't get me wrong, it feels/felt fantastic. Middle age and old age can feel fantastic too, provided you make good choices and have a little luck -and lots of love- on your side. I think a good strategy, to continue the joy and euphoria of youth, is looking at the folks closer to the finish line and examining the decisions (good and bad) that led them there. "Grandma's House" is an articulation of this theory and a celebration of one of my favorite people I will ever know. I am lucky to have known my Grandmother for my whole life. We are very close and she has shared her many triumphs and regrets with me. Seeing how choices play out over an octogenarian arc, is a bit more profound than having drunk talk with friends my own age, though I enjoyed that very much in my youth. Grandma still enjoys drinking beer: with people her own age, as well as people older, younger, or while alone. She remains curious about the world, hungry for news and keen perspective. I am lucky to know her and pick her brain. I am lucky to watch her putt around her house cracking jokes and tossing out wisdom. We love each other without judgement, and have an easy rapport despite our sizable age difference.

I was about to bring up the internet, and how I feel face to face communication is being negatively impacted by social media, but Grandma would read this and tell me to stop worrying about things I can't control, and do my best in the present moment. So I will."

Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas!

-Love, Duover c/o Nathan Jr.

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Tagged: About a Song