Song Of The Week: 10/8/17

Song: "Father Son Picnic"

Artist: Slick Shoes

Album: "Rusty"

Year: 1997

Place Of Origin: Antelope Valley, California

Years Active: 1994 - present



WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

It should be noted that Slick Shoes is a Christian punk band. So in saying that, it appears to me that "Father Son Picnic" is about no matter what mistakes the vocalist has made in his life, that God, or "Father", has always showed him love and has always been by his side. The thing that makes me feel that the "father" is God and not the vocalist's own father is the line "faith in human beings never got me anywhere". His faith is in God. God never let him down.

SLICK SHOES DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

1997 - Rusty (Tooth & Nail Records)
1998 - Burn Out (Tooth & Nail Records)
2000 - Wake Up Screaming (Tooth & Nail Records)
2002 - Slick Shoes (Tooth & Nail Records)
2003 - Far From Nowhere (SideOneDummy Records)

CURRENT STATUS OF SLICK SHOES:

Named after one of the many gadgets of the character Data from the movie The Goonies, Slick Shoes got their start in 1994. In 1997, they released an EP and also their debut full length album, "Rusty". This marked the beginning of a five year relationship with Christian punk label, Tooth & Nail Records. That five year span saw the release of 1998's "Burn Out", 2000's "Wake Up Screaming" and 2002's "Slick Shoes". In 2003, the band parted ways with Tooth & Nail, not because of religious reasons, but that their contract had ended. The band's most recent release was 2003's "Far From Nowhere" which was distributed by SideOneDummy Records. After touring in support of "Far From Nowhere" in 2003 and 2004, Slick Shoes went on a four year hiatus. During that time some members of the band worked on a side project called Sigmund. Since 2008, the band has been pretty sporadic. They played a few shows in 2008, then all was quiet for about three more years when they got together again in 2012 for a few shows. Again, not much news out of the Slick Shoes camp until 2017, when they opened for MxPx on their 25th anniversary tour. Word is that the band is actually, finally working on new music. Slick Shoes basically has that mid-90's, southern California skate punk/pop punk feel to their music. The biggest comparison to their sound that I can make is definitely MxPx. Both bands were considered Christian punk. Both bands started out on Christian punk label Tooth & Nail. And of course, they're both pop punk/skate punk bands. Along with MxPx, if you're a fan of bands like Rufio, Ten Foot Pole, Pulley or The Ataris, then you should check out Slick Shoes. These guys were young teenagers when they started out. All five of their full length albums are solid. My personal favorites are "Far From Nowhere", "Burn Out" and "Slick Shoes" though I like all of them. Nothing wrong with some California skate punk!!

TEN SLICK SHOES SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

1. Now's The Time
2. For Better, For Worse
3. Angel
4. Feeble
5. Alone
6. Darko
7. East On Tracks
8. Joe's Sick
9. So Much More
10. Another Day