2025 Competition Entry:
Lancaster Road by Josh Rifkin
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Genre
Pop
Artist
Co-writer(s)
no
Performer(s)
Josh Rifkin – vox, acoustic guitar, Wurlitzer, organ
Helton Lima – drums
Thiago Correa – bass
Leonardo Marques – électric guitars
Bart Davenport – backup vox
Helton Lima – drums
Thiago Correa – bass
Leonardo Marques – électric guitars
Bart Davenport – backup vox
Description
I went to visit my father in my hometown for the Thanksgiving holiday. He was in mid-late stages of Alzheimers. I took him on a drive down Lancaster Ave, where we saw all the landmarks from our shared life. The ride culminated at my childhood home, which he had no memory of.
Bio
Josh Rifkin’s latest album Lancaster Road delivers introspection in a range of stories and sounds, dressing its singer-songwriter spirit in shades of soft rock and blue-eyed soul. The title track recalls a hometown drive with his father, whose passing inspired the album’s thoughtful perspective.
For Rifkin, music is a way to honor the past and take in the present, all while moving forward. With a history that includes being signed to Island Records as frontman of San Francisco-based Mumblin Jim (and opening for acts including Cake, Violent Femmes, and Train) as well as solo works featured on hit television shows including The Mindy Project, Parenthood and Friday Night Lights, the Philadelphia native’s well-traveled experience as a musician and live performer brings a sense of emotional immediacy to his songs.
The project itself was a journey, produced by Grammy-winner Leonardo Marques and recorded in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. A host of top South American musicians add their talents to the album’s power and polish, as do the vocal textures of guest performers Jennifer Souza, Niki J Crawford, Miranda Lee Richards, Annie Little, Bart Davenport, and Adam Elk (Mommyheads).
For Rifkin, music is a way to honor the past and take in the present, all while moving forward. With a history that includes being signed to Island Records as frontman of San Francisco-based Mumblin Jim (and opening for acts including Cake, Violent Femmes, and Train) as well as solo works featured on hit television shows including The Mindy Project, Parenthood and Friday Night Lights, the Philadelphia native’s well-traveled experience as a musician and live performer brings a sense of emotional immediacy to his songs.
The project itself was a journey, produced by Grammy-winner Leonardo Marques and recorded in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. A host of top South American musicians add their talents to the album’s power and polish, as do the vocal textures of guest performers Jennifer Souza, Niki J Crawford, Miranda Lee Richards, Annie Little, Bart Davenport, and Adam Elk (Mommyheads).
Lyrics
Jump start the car
And let that engine run
Lancaster Road
Just a father and his son
Where did the time go
Where did it go
Where did the time go
I’ll never know
Outside the house
And it didn’t look the same
No ringing bells
Just getting lost down memory lane
Look where the time goes
Look where it leads
Garden of roses
Started as seeds
Take me back
I wanna go back there
Take me back in time
Take my worry, take my heartbreak
Tell me I’ll be fine
Then I saw your face
And you looked back up at me
Right time, right place
It was where I’m meant to be
Where did the time go
Where did it go
Damnit if I know
Dammit if I’ll ever know
Baby, you’re driving me crazy
Baby, you’re driving me wild
CHORUS
And let that engine run
Lancaster Road
Just a father and his son
Where did the time go
Where did it go
Where did the time go
I’ll never know
Outside the house
And it didn’t look the same
No ringing bells
Just getting lost down memory lane
Look where the time goes
Look where it leads
Garden of roses
Started as seeds
Take me back
I wanna go back there
Take me back in time
Take my worry, take my heartbreak
Tell me I’ll be fine
Then I saw your face
And you looked back up at me
Right time, right place
It was where I’m meant to be
Where did the time go
Where did it go
Damnit if I know
Dammit if I’ll ever know
Baby, you’re driving me crazy
Baby, you’re driving me wild
CHORUS
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