Alan Kercinik has been a Chicagoan his whole life and a dad since 2009. He finds it easy to relate to his two boys, since he still likes most things from his childhood. All opinions here are his own, to the relief of his wife, employer, family and majority of his friends.
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On Valentine’s Day, we took the boy to his first concert. Since the Megadeath reunion doesn’t start until summer, we went to Old Town School of Folk Music to see Ralph’s World.
Jack loves them. They’re the songs that get him to dance. Granted, his moves are still pretty basic, limited to three: the side-to-side, the bounce and the very beginnings of some kind of head banging. Sadly, those are also my three dance moves.
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The Ralph of Ralph’s World is Ralph Covert. He used to be a lead singer for a band called The Bad Examples. They probably played every bar in Chicago at least twice. Some people follow Phish around the country. Saying I saw the Bad Examples thirty times wouldn’t be much of a stretch.
They were one of those bands I rooted for, hoping they’d get a break bigger than headlining the Cubby Bear. Every once in a while, it seemed like they might. WXRT would play their song “Not Dead Yet” on a regular basis. The same song popped up on an episode of Six Feet Under.
They never got that break. But it wasn’t for lack of trying. They played one February night in the backroom of what used to be Corner Pocket over on Diversy and Seminary. It was a night of crazy Chicago snow, the kind of blind flurry that keeps people inside. The bar was half a block from my apartment, so I walked over with a friend, paid my ten bucks and settled in. There were maybe fifteen other people there, including the sound guy. And the Bad Examples came out and played like it was Soldier Field and a skybox was filled with A/R guys from every major record label.
After the show, Ralph hung around the bar. He sat with us for a bit. I bought him a beer. If this was the kind of shitty day at the office that musician’s have, you wouldn’t have known it. He was in a good mood. I didn’t know how he could be.
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Ralph has been Ralph’s world for about ten years now. And he’s kind of a big deal. He’s on The Disney label. He’s been nominated for a Grammy. The Valentine’s Day show was sold-out, one of two he’d play that day. The early show was at 11.
That’s a.m. Not p.m.
Ralph’s shows are the same, but different. Girls still line the stage, but they’re all younger than 6 years old. There’s still a table full of merchandise for sale, but the shirts are all onesies. He still has his long hair, but it seems tamer because of his round, professorial glasses he now wears, glasses I never saw him wear in his other life.
But being at that show with Jack, watching him clap and laugh, there’s one thing that is completely new. Joy. Just pure joy. Kids dance with abandon and parents get up on stage to make total asses of themselves.
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If an artist’s output reflects his inner life, then I’d say Ralph is happier now. The Bad Examples were always an autumn / winter kind of band. Their songs were about longing and looking and searching and friends named Andrew McCarthy dying of cancer. They never seemed to get what they were after. For a single guy of a certain age who didn’t know what he was looking for either, those songs made sense to me.
But Ralph’s World? Purely spring and summer. They sing songs about neighbors who own dinosaurs and wanting to be a puppy dog. And, in a nod to the parents in the audience without insulting the kids, he’s got one about how he can’t deal with his kids until he drinks a cup of coffee.
Most adults can barely tolerate kids’ music. From what I’ve heard so far, there’s good reason. Most of it is an insult to the ears and the mind. There’s no heart to it.
But Ralph. He’s got kids. And he makes music that probably makes them happy to hear and him happy to play.
Some people might look at him now and think he’s sold out. What’s that even mean any more? Some car company is using a Grizzly Bear song in a car comercial and Death Cab was on the last Twilight soundtrack. There are worse artistic crimes. I think the worst is willfully putting out schlock just because it will sell.
I love that Jack likes Ralph’s World. I feel like it’s a way I can share a little bit of who I was before he came along. And, if Jack ever turns into a twenty-something guy who doesn’t quite know what he’s after, as most men invariably do, then I have another band I can turn him on to.
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If you’re a mom and want to read some impressions about Ralph from “the other side of the aisle”, then check out my friend Lisa’s post from this week.
5 comments
Matt says:
February 24, 2010 at 7:27 pm (UTC -5 )
Ralph always made me feel like it was okay to be a white suburban kid with no clue. Your piece was very well written and entertaining.
Alan Kercinik says:
February 25, 2010 at 6:34 am (UTC -5 )
Thanks for the read and comments, Mike. There were a lot of clueless white kids flocking to see him. Sadly, they are all now in Congress, so not sure they figured anything out.
Alan Kercinik says:
February 25, 2010 at 1:34 pm (UTC -5 )
Thanks for the read and comments, Matt. There were a lot of clueless white kids flocking to see him. Sadly, they are all now in Congress, so not sure they figured anything out.
Alice says:
April 12, 2010 at 9:11 pm (UTC -5 )
Alan,
I stumbled across your blog while searching for “Dear Lara”.
Have had a grand time reading several of your entries. If you ever finish your novel, I'm first in line to buy it.
Alice (Mo's mom, Nonni's friend)
p.s. I laughed out loud at the three dance moves you and Jack have in common—bounce, side to side, beginning of head banging.
Alan Kercinik says:
April 16, 2010 at 11:29 am (UTC -5 )
How nice of you to say, Alice. And please don't let my lack of completion stop you from buying my novel. I have any number of drafts I would be more than willing to sell.