ADAM PAVITT

It seems strange to finally have a recording of Walkaway….. If I counted up all the times that I have played this song in the last thirteen years…..well it would be alot! The song has been a staple in my set for as long as i have been performing. Walkaway is a song that goes back to the early days of my songwriting. The chord structure was formed way back in 1994 when I was playing alot of guitar with my uncle Mark Robberds as a teenager. I remember one jam session with my uncle Mark and his good buddy Jeremy Betts where I may have formed my first band called Rambshackle. The jam session inspired us to form a band after hearing the recording back. A rambunctious “rambshackle” was proclaimed as the last phrase before the tape clicked.
As the song developed over the years the lyrics began to develop a tragic love story. The underlying theme to this story people’s attachment to different types of drugs. I have had my struggles with drugs and have lost friends to them. So many people seem to love to hate using them. They wake up in the morning vowing to never drink again, only to start all over again at the next party. The youth are told “don’t do drugs”, and yet so many famous people glorify their use. Kids are told not to do drugs, but then hear of their parent’s drug experiments. Or they are told by their parents “do as i say, not as i do” when it comes to drugs. Eventually it comes down to personal choice, however, the toll is shown in the tattered lives of the addicted. The love affair can not go on forever. Drug addiction is mentally and physically draining.
What about legal drugs? Alcohol, cigarettes, caffeinated products and prescription drugs are all sanctioned and taxed by our government. It seems society can accept some drug use and makes illegal others. People can be addicted to so many things TV, food, sex, sugar rushes, adrenaline, shopping, gambling, internet, excercise, stealing…..the list goes on. Somehow finding a balance in this world is the key. So many addictive things are used by businesses to turn the cogs of the economy, and we will always be faced with these activities that give a short term endorphin rush. How you treat that rush is the important thing as it is all too easy to follow the rush into addiction. The patterns can be all too consuming. The rush or thrill is often followed by guilt and/or self-loathing. The vicious cycles can be broken and there is always help if you ask for it.
I feel we should should all strive for a balanced life. One of contentment where choices are made based on the hope of a positive outcome, not one where the choice will lead to that same old place….regret.
The outro of Walkaway is probably my favorite part. I am happy how the layered vocals turned out. There are two parts that i have sung in a solo capacity for so long, and to hear them layered up was a treat. The harmonies are also beautiful. In your mind you are hoping that the parts will layer up, and then when they do it’s like clockwork.
Rocky Rivers added some smooth fretless bass, which upon reflection I probably would have mixed up up higher in the mix. There is also cool guitar line that sits alongside the bass that has a nice tremolo effect. Josh Morshed played drums after the track had been laid down and that is the last time I will do that. He did really well, it is just such a hard thing to do! Feeling the groove of a song after it has been laid down is a mission. I am really happy to have this song recorded after all these years. I think it sits well near the end of the album, as there is a mellow vibe on the song and a long fade.