The Story of How I Accidentally Learned Red Solo Cup
Anyone who believes the phrase, "You sir do not have a pair of testicles/ if you prefer drinking from glass," either (1.) is an idiot, (2.) doesn't drink good beer, or (3.) is a wuss who is scared to break their glass. The fact is beer, like wine, always tastes better in glass. Respect your beer.
The new song that has already placed itself in the “I can’t believe I’m playing this…” category is “Red Solo Cup.” The first time I heard about this song was actually at a cover gig last year. A lady requested it, and then she was angry that I had never heard of this tune. “It’s the top download on the country charts in iTunes! How have you not heard of it?” I shrugged my shoulders, lied, and said I would check it out when I got home.
Unfortunately, I heard this song a few months later on the radio, so I could no longer deny knowing of its existence. I still could deny knowing how to play it, but that’s half of the problem. When you know OF a song, people still expect you to play it at the bars. You see, being a musician in some patrons’ eyes is like being a “living jukebox*.” (*Hannah Fralick coined this phrase last summer.)
So in December, I was playing at a bar in the Lansing area for a 40th Birthday Party. It was a rowdy crowd, and the birthday boy requested “Red Solo Cup.” I told him I didn’t know the chords of the song, but maybe I could look it up on a set break; then the birthday boy started swearing at me from his table for not playing the song he “demanded.” He was giving me that drunken look that told me it was now or never.
So I cracked: I looked up the song’s chords and lyrics on my iPhone, improv’d my way through the four chords and stumbled through the drunken, half-spoken, half cheered lyrics. Like the flip of a light switch, anger switched to toasts. The bar patrons and birthday celebration cheered PBRs together and the song accidentally became part of my possible cover lists.
Now, I find myself in an interesting debacle. “Red Solo Cup” is getting requested weekly, and I no longer can say I don’t know how to play it.
I have resorted to a new tactic, and it might get me in trouble: You see, my favorite aspect about playing “Red Solo Cup” is not getting everyone singing along, but changing the lyrics of the fourth verse where I make fun of myself for playing such a “ridiculous song that is making a lot of money with four chords and lyrics about plastic cups, beer, and sharpies.” Making fun of a song at a cover gig is risky business; it always offends at least two patrons who will yell out, “Hey! I like that song!”
However, I have discovered most people on earth will admit they too hate themselves a little bit for liking this Toby Keith travesty. While a few lone wolves sincerely yell at me for criticizing the song, the rest of the bar applauds my acknowledgment that “Red Solo Cup” is, indeed, ridiculous.
It’s a win, win. Proceed to party.
* * * A Possible Fourth Verse Substitution * * *
Now you see I know I’m singing this song, and you indeed enjoy singing along,
But let’s take a pause, not for too long, let’s agree that this song is stupid.
It’s got lyrics that were written, by a sixth grader,
And I don’t mean to sound like a stick-in-the-mud-hater,
But drinking beer from a plastic is for those who drink tasteless beer.
So order some Founders, or maybe some Bells,
Glass pints of Darkhorse or MBC will work well,
Just grow a pair of taste buds and stop ordering your beer
based on how you like the commercial.
* * * Note for musicians, do a mash-up and save some pride * * *
If you would like to save some pride and avoid singing all the verses, you could mash-up this song with “Margaritaville” or “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere” in the key of A. I actually might start jumping into “Me and Julio down by the Schoolyard,” “Wagon Wheel,” “Whisky in a Jar,” or the Irish tune “All for Me Grog.”
* * * Chords * * *
Capo 2, key of A, chords relative to capo:
(G) Red Solo cup, (G) I fill you up,
(G) let’s have a (Am) party let’s have a (D) party
[I love you] (G) Red Solo cup, (G) I fill you up,
proceed to (Am) party, proceed to (D) party!
To vote, click here, scroll down to the player, highlight your favorite song, and click the "Download" circle with the music note icon.
“Empty Cup” made the cuts to be entered in the Detroit Music Awards’ “People’s Choice” category! While my chances of winning are slim since the voting is going to be very competitive, the opportunity to share my song with more people is really exciting. You can vote for my song (or any of your Michigan favorites) at www.detroitmusicawards.com by scrolling down to the music player and clicking “download” for your favorite song! A vote is cast for each download.
Ironically, “Empty Cup” was a song I never expected to leave the filing cabinet when I wrote it years ago. I wanted to reflect on just how many people offer help during the completion of a song like “Empty Cup,” and share some “Thank You’s” to people who deserve recognition. Writing a song is more than just me sitting in my little home studio and messing around with chords on the guitar. It’s a spectrum of moments, and many people offer help along the way. Some don’t even know how important their advice is.
The first group that I wanted to thank is the Holly High School students who attended a career fair workshop I led in 2008 addressing the music business. The counseling staff asked me to host a session about being a working musician, and I was a little nervous to try to “be the professional on the subject.” However, this was one of my top memories from teaching. I loved talking to young writers and musicians about my musical journey, and it was fun to discuss how musicians could make a living during the changing paradigm of the recording and downloading industries. My workshops were packed with interested sophomores, juniors and seniors (as well as a few teachers and technology staff who were curious!)
I ended up closing the session by playing a song, and on a whim, I shared a song I had never performed live, a song that I never really felt it was very good because it was so different from my other works. I played the high school students “Empty Cup.”
The session ended before I finished playing my song, but I don’t think any one got up to leave when the bell rang. And the younger audience’s reaction to this song was so overwhelmingly positive, it gave me the courage to continue redrafting the tune.
I later was asked to do some songwriting workshops with Mrs. Farkus’s creative writing courses in 2008-2009, and I think I ended up playing “Only the Rain Knows Why” and “Empty Cup” for those attentive writers too. What really gave me encouragement was students came up to me in the hallway a year later asking, “Where can I get a copy of that Empty Cup song, Mr. Vial?” I had never thought it was a song worth recording!
Sharing an early draft of a song with an audience can be terrifying. It’s hard to believe that a song I first drafted in August of 2007 didn’t become a finalized recording until September of 2011. And without those Holly High School students offering encouragement, it wouldn’t be competing for the Detroit Music Awards’ “People Choice” category. The song would still be sitting unfinished in my filing cabinet.
Next post in a few days will be about the musicians who played on the track, and how a draft of a song from 2007 becomes a full-band arrangement by 2011.
Thanks to you all, and God bless,
Mike
To vote, click here, scroll down to the player, highlight your favorite song, and click the "Download" circle with the music note icon.
“Empty Cup” made the cuts to be entered in the Detroit Music Awards’ “People’s Choice” category! While my chances of winning are slim since the voting is going to be very competitive, the opportunity to share my song with more people is really exciting. You can vote for my song (or any of your Michigan favorites) at www.detroitmusicawards.com by scrolling down to the music player and clicking “download” for your favorite song! A vote is cast for each download.
Being on tour is expensive, especially with gas close to $4 a gallon; however, I thought I’d be smart and cut down on food expensives by having picnicks during my off times, avoid restaurants and fast food by eating, simple healthy meals. Little did I know, this would lead me to meet two, nice officers of the Schaumburg police.
You see, Google Maps shows two large parks right by Chicago City Limits. I arrived to my gig really early, and I decided to spend the afternoon at Atcher Park. Why not enjoy some of this gorgeous, early summer-like weather before being cooped up in a bar all night, right? I found some park benches and read a magazine.
The scene of the crime...
However, I guess these park benches are over the line of the public park and on the St. Marcelline Parish’s “private property.” A representive of the church called the police and told them a man was “camping” on their property.
So this leads to two cop cars arriving to investigate the scary musician eating some goldfish crackers and reading the Illinois Entertainer while laying on a blanket.
Honestly, the cops were pretty cool. Once they realized I simply thought I was using the public park (which was like 30 feet away), they were joking about the “incident.” As I drove away, one of the cops yelled, “Rock out Slayer at your gig!”
So now I’m at a Starbucks, kind of chuckling that the Catholic Church called the cops on a fellow Catholic.
