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Treadmill (or I was a homeless teenage werewolf)

from Unearthed by Mokai

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    Putting a twist on traditional folk and folk-blues styles, Mokai accompanies his soulful vocals with powerful grooves and smokin’ blues riffs. Propulsive, fingerstyle guitar drives Mokai’s music. Playful, then moving, his compositions touch both on big themes and intricate details.

    On his debut CD “Unearthed”, Mokai uses everything from lush arrangements to spoken word, idiosyncratic guitar work and bold lyrics to blaze his own trail. Joined by a group of extremely talented musicians, including Matt Eakle (Dave Grisman Quintet) and Todd Sickafoose (Ani DiFranco) – the result is a fully realized musical vision.

    ‘Unearthed’ was recorded in the historic Hyde Street Studios in San Francisco, California, the studio sound stages (and some of the same microphones!) used on famous recordings by artists such as Jefferson Airplane and CSNY. This gives the acoustic instruments – vocals, guitars, drums, upright bass and wind instruments a rich sonic luster, making this music sound timeless.

    The CD disc has content for the computer, including a graphical interface with lyrics, video and alternate mixes.

    Includes unlimited streaming of Unearthed via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.     ... more
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about

Original Folk Blues, Fingerstyle Guitar, Spoken Word

lyrics

TREADMILL
words & music © Mokai

Treadmill / lesson learned /over and over
Past tense / present / future / tension
No release / pressure / no relief
The same pain / relived / again and again
Power / to decide / raped by power
To divide / again and again / until

The piece left is so tiny / you can’t see it
you only know it’s there
Falling through time / the quark
at the center of the universe
The first dogbark / that strikes the night / sparking
Inevitable reply / unrestrainable / howl
Irrepressible hope / another time / around the


Treadmill / brain probing with eye / stalking with thighs
Burning / lungs / constricted
Heart / hurt / hunting
Hungry / semi-conscious / lagging
Toe dragging / step by step / by step
This one like the first / indistinguishable from the next / the same step

Over and over / and over / on a
Treadmill / mass produced / batteries not included
Government issue / made by prison labor / some assembly required
The upgrade / costs extra / your life
Remote controlled / mandatory / sentence after sentence
Words / thoughts / uncontrollable Treadmill

Treadmill

Treadmill / speeding at a standstill / departing nowhere
Arriving late / tired / broke
Stammering out a lyric / offering a rhythm / hoping to get paid
Getting laid / an orifice / an opening
Crawling through / garbage in / garbage out
Wet with impatience / blood red / coming

Over and over / again and again /
dying the same death
A phosphorescence / spirit or sperm / illuminating
The next body / lover / friend / enemy / the next unique
Retread / blowout / and it cycles round
And I’m still here / treading / on this

Treadmill / trailing in this / roadrace
Waltzing on the bride’s train / digging open graves / picking at scabs
Running on empty / praying for rain / not passing for straight
Passing on the right / braking for sunrise / stealing bases
Putting my best foot forward / everytime / walking on the sunnyside
All the time / wondering / where I am
All the time / wondering / where I am

Wandering in the wilderness / whistling in the wind / pissing in the pool
Going through the motions / playing some / role
Blowing the punchline / standing in the soupline / doing the time for the crime
All the time / wondering / how do I get off this

Treadmill?

credits

from Unearthed, released June 11, 2003
Mokai: spoken word, fingerstyle guitar;
Mark Growden: sax;
John Capobianco: trumpet
Todd Sickafoose: upright bass, zipper;
Michael Israel: drums

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Mokai San Francisco, California

Mokai adds a dose of contemporary attitude to roots music. He's known for his authentic folk-blues picking and eclectic originals.
His guitar style and technique were mentioned in the January 2013 issue of Acoustic Guitar Magazine.
His roots sound and original guitar style echoes his deep connection to the playing of seminal folk artist like Big Bill Broonzy and Dave Van Ronk. ... more

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