2025 Competition Entry:

Very Cold for June by Grackle

Genre

Rock

Artist

Co-writer(s)

no

Performer(s)

Steve Katsikas (Vocals, Keyboards, Guitars), Myra Kean (Violin), Travis Carlisle (Cello), Jeff Gard (Drums), Mike Lankford (Bass), Jennifer Lauletta (backing vocals)

Description

The song could be a short story soundtrack for a lost traveler lost on a far away planet (Mars perhaps), or it could all just be a metaphor for abandonment, loneliness, and loss.

Bio

Grackle is a Louisville, KY 7-piece ensemble consisting of Steve Katsikas (Keys/Vocals), Jeff Gard (Drums/Percussion), Mike Lankford (Bass), Myra Kean (Violin, Sax, Flute), Travis Carlisle (Cello), Jennifer Lauletta (Vocals), and Josh Parker (Guitar). The band released their third album, “All That Matters” on 11/23/2024 and has released two other albums to date. They have played nearly 50 shows in the region. Their style of music defies easy categorization, mainly due to the unique influence of the featured string players, extended compositions, and obvious chemistry of the players.

In a world where music is categorized, sub-categorized, and compared to current and past music, Grackle is an enigma. Elements of indie piano-rock fuse with classical, progressive rock, jazz, folk, and acoustic rock in unexpected ways. The Louisville, KY based band has been evolving since 2015, releasing their 3rd album, “All That Matters” in 2024. The 7-piece band features electric violin and electric cello, adding classicial flourishes, droney soundscapes, and ferocious sawing interludes to a band that is determined to be its own thing. Lyrically, the band’s vocalist, Steve Katsikas finds inspiration in politics, conflict, peace, and loss, delivering plaintive ballads, angular anthems, and haunting missives. A work always in progress, Grackle continues to fly in irregular and interesting patterns, always in search of what is lost and what is found again.

Lyrics

Very Cold for June

Verse 1
I’m a postcard from the darkness
A one-way ticket old and tattered
I was the center of your eye
But now I’m bored, and nothing matters
I need a sympathetic smile
It has been more than a while
I don’t ask for much
But I’m missing your soft touch

Ch
I am singing all alone
And the band is back at home
Only silence on the phone
I am far beyond the moon
And I won’t be leaving soon
It’s so very cold for June…

Verse 2
Signing off from Eberswalde
From the hazy crimson skies
That are made from dust and sacrifice
Where nothing lives or dies
All the voices and the chatter
Have all turned to hiss and clatter
Been a year since it unraveled
And collapsed the ringing babble

Ch
I am singing all alone
And the band is back at home
Only silence on the phone
I am far beyond the moon
And I won’t be leaving soon
It’s so very cold for June…

Bridge:
Watching movies without sequels
Feeling numb and feeling feeble
The sun is colder than November
How can I just simply end here?

Verse:
I play my favorite mix of music
It’s the last I’ll ever hear
I am talking to the mountains
Though the silence is severe
I am going for an evening stroll
As I open up my only door
I am coming home to be with you
Stepping through the orange hue

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