With a sound dancing between gutbucket soul, N'awl… Read Full Bio ↴www.mingofishtrap.com
With a sound dancing between gutbucket soul, N'awlins grit-down funk and horn fueled Motown pop, Mingo Fishtrap is an anomaly in the contemporary music scene. With each album, the group gravitates closer to the classic sounds that inspired them to learn their craft. What's old is new again; with young audiences flocking to see a live show that lays its musical roots more in 1969 than 2011. And that's just fine with bandleader Roger Blevins, Jr.
"Blues, soul and R&B is the common denominator of pop music. People around the world know that sound- Chess, Stax, Motown, Muscle Shoals - as part of the soundtrack to their lives. I grew up listening to Pops (Blevins' father and Mingo's bassist, Roger, Sr.) play those tunes to every age, race, color and creed. And from what we see, at least, people still need it."
Mingo Fishtrap traces its beginnings to the mid 90s when Blevins and another five of the group's members were attending the University of North Texas' Jazz Studies program. Originally derived as a loose, after-class jam, Mingo covered songs from Otis Redding, Tower of Power, the Neville Brothers and other soul and funk masters with no particular professional ambition.
"Obviously, there wasn't a lot of classic soul being played around campus," says Blevins. "People around the dorms just took to it and the ball started rolling. We were good friends playing music we loved; that's a good recipe."
More than a decade, thousands of shows and countless miles later it's that same delicious soul food that Mingo cooks up. With an inspired, high-energy live show, they engage the audience - persuade them to, sometimes literally, join the band inside the music. With a new 11 song EP, In The Meantime, featuring music from a recent show in Austin, TX as well as some new studio tracks, adding to their catalog of CD releases, Mingo captures a musical conversation, which speaks with reverence about the past and with hope about the future.
Through their time together on the road, Mingo Fishtrap has performed on bills with a wide range of artists: Sting, Blues Traveler, Ozomatli, Galactic, Delbert McClinton, Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Little Feat, George Clinton & P-Funk, MOFRO and Jonny Lang among others.
Band Members:
Roger Blevins, Jr.- guitar/vox
Chip Vayenas- drums/bk vox
Dane Farnsworth- organ, keys
Mikel Urdy- Perc./bk vox
Roger Blevins, Sr.- bass
Steve Butts- trumpet/flugelhorn
Dan Bechdolt- tenor & alto sax/bk vox
Influences:
Motown, Stax, Chess, Donny Hathaway, Stevie Wonder, Sly and the Family Stone, Otis Redding, Ray Charles, James Brown, Maceo Parker, Anthony Hamilton, John Legend, Soulive, Jamie Lidell, Raphael Saadiq, Earth Wind & Fire, The O'Jays, Aretha Franklin, Tower of Power, Little Feat, Dr. John, Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Lettuce, New Orleans funk/soul, Parliament Funkadelic, Average White Band, G. Love and Special Sauce, Professor Longhair, The Meters, Ozomatli, Al Green, Billy Preston, Marvin Gaye, Kool & the Gang, Slick Rick & Doug E. Fresh, The Brand New Heavies, Beck, Ben Folds, Prince, New Power Generation, Neville Brothers, D'Angelo, Dave Matthews, Delbert McClinton, James Hunter, Jamiroquai, Galactic, Rufus, Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, Derek Trucks, Sam Cooke, Jon Cleary and many more.
End of the World
Mingo Fishtrap Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There's a man with a sign says the end o' times comin'
Betta get yourself right with God
Put a bottle in his hand he can help you out man
Put a good word in when he reach that promised land
Single mother strivin to stay alive and do what she got to do
and oh man what a mile she'd be runnin behind and what would we do if we knew
Run like you did when we were just kids
Singin just as loud as you can
and laugh till you cry and kiss good bye to all of your dreams and your plans
would you hold on tight to what they said wasn't right even as it's fallin apart
would you love like it's the end of the world
would you love like it's the end of the world
say would you love like it's the end of the world
would you love like it's the end of the world
two young lovers on a hill starin deep and standin still
they don't mind the world on fire
No regret and no reward, ain't nobody keepin score
it's a free for all, salvation on the way to meet the Lord
Down in the valley is a typical scene
folks just gettin by by by
whisper on the wind can't get in
ain't no wonder bout the dream about to die
Run like you did when we were just kids
Singin just as loud as you can
and laugh till you cry and kiss good bye to all of your dreams and your plans
would you hold on tight to what they said wasn't right even as it's fallin apart
would you love like it's the end of the world
would you love like it's the end of the world
say would you love like it's the end of the world
would you love like it's the end of the world
if tomorrow never comes
where would you be when the sky comes crashin down
if tomorrow never comes
would your heart be heavy for that love that you never found
if tomorrow never comes
Run like you did when we were just kids
Singin just as loud as you can
and laugh till you cry and kiss good bye to all of your dreams and your plans
would you hold on tight to what they said wasn't right even as it's fallin apart
would you love like it's the end of the world
would you love like it's the end of the world
say would you love like it's the end of the world
would you love like it's the end of the world
The lyrics of Mingo Fishtrap's "End of the World" urge listeners to consider how they would live their lives if it were truly the end of the world. The song describes various scenarios - a man with a sign warning of the end times, a struggling single mother, a couple in love, and a desperate community. In each scenario, the lyrics encourage the listener to think about how they would act if they knew the end was near.
The first verse speaks about a man with a sign warning of the end times. He advises people to get right with God and offers them a bottle of alcohol to help them cope. He asks them to remember him when they reach the promised land. The second verse speaks about a single mother who is doing everything she can to survive. The lyrics ask the listener to consider what they would do if they were in her shoes. The third verse speaks about a couple who are standing on a hill and watching the world burn. They have no regrets and no fear of judgment. The song raises questions about how people would live their lives differently if they knew it was the end. The chorus asks the listener to imagine running and singing like they did as children, laughing until they cry, and holding on tight to what they believe in.
Overall, the song warns us not to take life for granted and to love like it's the end of the world. It encourages us to make the most of our time and to live with no regrets.
Line by Line Meaning
Hooo oooh ooh
Vocalization meant to set the mood of the song
There's a man with a sign says the end o' times comin'
People are warning of an impending apocalypse
Betta get yourself right with God
It's time to make peace with God before the end of the world
Put a bottle in his hand he can help you out man
The man with the sign is offering alcohol as a means of coping with the end of the world
Put a good word in when he reach that promised land
The man with the sign offers the possibility of getting into heaven by doing a favor for him
Single mother strivin to stay alive and do what she got to do
A hardworking single mother is trying to survive and provide for her family
and oh man what a mile she'd be runnin behind and what would we do if we knew
It's difficult to understand the struggles of others, especially when they are working tirelessly to keep their lives together
Run like you did when we were just kids
Escape the apocalyptic reality and return to a time of innocence and freedom
Singin just as loud as you can
Express pure joy through music
and laugh till you cry and kiss good bye to all of your dreams and your plans
Forget about the future and just live in the present moment
would you hold on tight to what they said wasn't right even as it's fallin apart
Would you cling to beliefs or opinions that are no longer serving you, even as the world around you crumbles?
would you love like it's the end of the world
Love unconditionally and with full passion as if it were the last time
two young lovers on a hill starin deep and standin still
Two lovers are focused solely on each other despite the impending doom
they don't mind the world on fire
They are not worried about the apocalyptic state of the world
No regret and no reward, ain't nobody keepin score
There is no need for regret or reward in their world because no one cares
it's a free for all, salvation on the way to meet the Lord
Everyone is free to do as they please and salvation awaits them in the afterlife
Down in the valley is a typical scene
The scene below them is common and unremarkable
folks just gettin by by by
The people in the valley are barely surviving
whisper on the wind can't get in
Their hopes and dreams are irrelevant in the face of the impending apocalypse
ain't no wonder bout the dream about to die
It's not surprising that dreams will be lost in the end of the world
if tomorrow never comes
If there is no tomorrow
where would you be when the sky comes crashin down
What would you be doing when the world ends?
would your heart be heavy for that love that you never found
Would you regret the love that you never experienced?
would you love like it's the end of the world
Love like there's no tomorrow
say would you love like it's the end of the world
Ask yourself if you would love that way
would you love like it's the end of the world
Love with every fiber of your being as if the world were ending
would you love like it's the end of the world
Love like you have nothing to lose
Contributed by Eli F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.