Page 21 - Black Velvet Rock Music Magazine Issue 92

BV92 pg20-23 Candlebox_BV92 pg21 12/03/2017 20:26 Page 2

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MY FIRE
MY FIRE

song for this record, I wanted something she took the time to become the mother apart in age. I think my mom did the best
that was like The War On Drugs, that band that she is. She’s always been a great she could and I think she did a damn good
out of Philadelphia that I absolutely love, mother, regardless of whether she feels she job. So yeah, she’s a great mom.”
and he sent me the basic foundation of has.”
what is ‘Only Because Of You’, and then we How did his mother react to the song? hese days, although things can be
turned it into the song that it is now. That’s “I think she was taken aback by it,” Tsimilar to back then, with welfare for
really why I thanked him; because that was Kevin replies. “I don’t think she expected example, life is also a lot different. Welcome
what I needed to re-spark my love for mak- me to say what I said in the song about her. to the age of the internet and social media.
ing music the way I want to make it rather She’s run from who she was as a young girl While Kevin was on holiday and soaking up
than how I think people think I should make her entire life and I think that that’s what I the rays on a beach in Bali, he spotted a
it.” wanted to get across to her in the song. young girl wearing fake eyelashes, with
The lyrics to ‘Only Because Of You’ “You don’t need to run from that, that’s who glamorous hair done, taking selfies rather
were inspired by Kevin’s mother. He tells you are and that’s why you are the woman than just enjoying the beach. He was moti-
Black Velvet that that was the first song that you are.” And so I think she was a bit vated to write the song ‘Vexatious’. “That
he’s written for her. “My mom is… how taken aback by it at first and then she real- was an experience, I couldn’t believe that
boys feel about their mothers… she’s got ized exactly what I was saying and was, I was happening,” he says, of the girl.
more friends on Facebook than I have, and hope, pleased by the lyric of the song, be- Kevin, himself, has a young son. He
of course, they’re all her friends, in her cause really what I’m saying is, as a family, says he doesn’t think he can steer him from
opinion. I get a kick out of my mom that this is who we are because of how she social media, but he does give him limited
way. But that was a really hard song for me raised us.” access. “He gets two hours on a Saturday,
to write because my relationship with my Looking back to how he and his sib- two hours on a Sunday, on an iPad. He
mom has always been a little bit challenged lings were raised, he says, “We had those wants a YouTube account; we don’t give
because I love her very much, but I find her moments, we were on government cheese, him a YouTube account. There are things
sometimes to be not the sharpest tool in or welfare… I don’t know what you guys that he wants that his friends at school
the shed and she posts things I think she call it over here. My father worked very, have, but I think being 8/9 years old, you
shouldn’t post,” he laughs. “And says very hard. As our family was growing and should be 8/9 years old. I didn’t have any of
things I think she shouldn’t say. And she his career changes were happening we ran that stuff when I was a kid. I listened to
had a really rough upbringing so I under- into problems but we were always together records, I played in the yard and I was out-
stand that about her and I wanted to make and the family has always been very musi- doors the entire weekend, so I try to keep
sure I said it the right way for her to under- cal. My parents were married 42 years until him as close to how I grew up as possible,
stand how I respected who she’d become, my father passed away at the age of 81, 11 and by limiting those types of electronic
not only as a mother, but as a woman; how or 12 years ago. They were about 20 years connections, or being connected electron-

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