Led by brothers Willy (vocals/guitar) and Cody Braun (vocals/fiddle/mandolin/harmonica), the alternative country-rock outfit Reckless Kelly formed in Bend Oregon in February 1996 before moving to Austin, Texas. The Brauns had previously toured with their father in Muzzie Braun & the Boys, a Western swing band, and were joined in their own group by the lead guitarist Casey Pollock, the bass guitarist Chris Schelske and the drummer Jay Nazz.
With their younger brothers Micky and Gary, Cody and Willy were raised in central Idaho near the Sawtooth Mountains, between Clayton and Challis in Custer County, and were homeschooled by their mother. Originally they were "Muzzie Braun & the Little Braun Brothers", as Muzzie and his brothers Gary and Billy were the "Braun Brothers" from Twin Falls in the 1970s and early 1980s, sons of the musician Eustaceus "Mustie" Braun (1917–1981). From North Dakota, Mustie was a neighbor and relative of the bandleader Lawrence Welk, and was a keyboard player during the last days of legalized gambling in Idaho at Weiser in the early 1950s. He then moved to the new Club 93 in Jackpot, Nevada, on the Idaho border, and moved his family to Twin Falls, about fifty miles (80 km) north. In February 1981, Mustie and wife Marian (née Beckman) were involved in a head-on collision north of Jackpot, and both died from their injuries.
In 1989, Muzzie and his sons appeared on Johnny Carson's Tonight Show twice.
Reckless Kelly played locally on the historic Sixth Street in Austin. They turned Lucy's Retired Surfers Bar, a small bar and restaurant, into a noted music venue. From November 1996 to May 1998, they filled the venue with their Monday night show. During this period, other music venues in Austin invited them to play, including the Continental Club, the Saxon pub, Stubb's barbecue, and Antone's home of the blues.
Reckless Kelly's first album, Millican, appeared in fall 1997 and was officially released in 1998. Acoustic: Live at Stubb's and The Day followed two years later, after which David Abeyta replaced Pollock on lead guitar. Under the Table & Above the Sun in 2003 began the band's relationship with the high-profile Sugar Hill label and won the hearts of the music press and the honky tonkin' legend Joe Ely, who sang the band's praises in interviews. Wicked Twisted Road was released in 2005, and the next year the live album Reckless Kelly Was Here captured the band's stage presence. Bulletproof was released in summer 2008 on a new label, Yep Roc Records, and includes tracks critical of and reflecting on recent sociopolitical unfoldings, such as the Iraq War and Hurricane Katrina. In 2010, Reckless released an album of songs by one of their musical heroes, Pinto Bennett. Somewhere in Time, in the band's own words, highlighted their love of "straight-up honky tonk". The band regularly returns to Austin to play before capacity crowds at venues like Nutty Brown Cafe & Amphitheatre.
Younger brothers Micky and Gary Braun front their own band, Micky & The Motorcars. Both bands play at the annual Braun Brothers Reunion in Challis, Idaho, in August.
Vancouver
Reckless Kelly Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You were sitting under someone else's sunset
And I wasn't around
And you were wishing that I was a guy that you'd just met
And I was probably stumbling down
Some back street alley in Amsterdam
While you were making excuses
Or maybe I was drinking wine
With the pigeons in a square in Venice
And I was wondering what you're doing
And wondering where you are
When the stars came out
I was sitting in a studio on sunset
And the lights were down
And I was wishing the time we had wasn't over yet
And you were probably sitting in the airport
Waiting on a plane to Vegas
While I was packing a suitcase
Staring at a waiting car
Or maybe you were heading out
To some house party on Lake Austin
And I was wondering what you're doing
And wondering where you are
When my luck ran out
I was sitting on a concrete block in Little Rock
We didn't scream or shout
We just said goodbye
And I waited for the click
And the lights went out
And now I'm packing it up and I'm rollin' on out to Vancouver
For some wasted youth and a fresh set of lonely stars
And I'm wondering baby, if you ever saw the best of us
And I'm wondering what you're doing
And wondering where you are
I still wonder what you're doing
And wonder where you are
The song "Vancouver" by Reckless Kelly is a heart-wrenching ballad about the aftermath of a failed relationship. The lyrics describe the loneliness and longing felt by the singer as he reflects on memories of his past love. At the beginning of the song, the singer imagines his former partner watching the sunset with someone else, wishing that he were the one there with her. He then switches to reminiscing about times when they were apart and wondering what she may have been doing during those times. He paints a picture of himself wandering foreign streets and observing the world around him while thinking of her. The lyrics are poignant and reflective, with the singer expressing sincere sorrow that he has lost the person he loved.
As the song progresses, the singer reflects on the end of the relationship. He describes a quiet parting where both parties knew that it was over. The final lines imply that the singer is now moving on to a new place, Vancouver, to start fresh and perhaps forget about the pain of the past.
The lyrics of "Vancouver" are poignant and expressive, capturing the sorrow and regret that often come with the end of a relationship. The song tells a story of loss and heartbreak while also conveying a sense of hope and renewal in the face of adversity.
Line by Line Meaning
When the sun went down
At the end of the day
You were sitting under someone else's sunset
You were spending time with someone else
And I wasn't around
I was not present with you
And you were wishing that I was a guy that you'd just met
You were wishing to be with someone new
And I was probably stumbling down
I was most likely walking unsteadily
Some back street alley in Amsterdam
A dark, narrow road in a city in Netherlands
While you were making excuses
While you were creating reasons for something
And breaking another heart
And damaging someone else's emotions
Or maybe I was drinking wine
Perhaps I was consuming an alcoholic beverage made from fermented grapes
With the pigeons in a square in Venice
Surrounded by pigeons in a public area of a city in Italy
And I was wondering what you're doing
I was thinking about what you were doing
And wondering where you are
And contemplating your location
When the stars came out
When the night sky became visible
I was sitting in a studio on sunset
I was in a studio at sunset
And the lights were down
The lights were switched off
And I was wishing the time we had wasn't over yet
I was hoping that our time together had not ended
And you were probably sitting in the airport
You were likely waiting in an airport
Waiting on a plane to Vegas
Waiting for a flight to Las Vegas
While I was packing a suitcase
While I was putting my belongings in a suitcase
Staring at a waiting car
Looking at a car that was ready to go
Or maybe you were heading out
Perhaps you were leaving to go somewhere
To some house party on Lake Austin
To a party at a house near Lake Austin in Texas
And now I'm packing it up and I'm rollin' on out to Vancouver
Now, I am packing my things and heading to Vancouver
For some wasted youth and a fresh set of lonely stars
To relive my youth and find comfort in the starry sky
And I'm wondering baby, if you ever saw the best of us
And I'm thinking, dear, if you ever experienced the best parts of our relationship
And I'm wondering what you're doing
And I am thinking about what you are currently doing
And wondering where you are
And considering your whereabouts
I still wonder what you're doing
I still think about what you are doing
And wonder where you are
And contemplate where you may be
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Willy Braun
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@marksavage1744
My favorite track from an amazing band. Few bands can have you stompin' your feet to one song, have you mesmerized by some delicate acoustics in another, then feel all the emotions from your past dragged out of you (tears included, no extra charge) in a song like this.
Thanks for the great music RK! I'll never stop listening!