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next scheduled video:
JANUARY
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FEB. 19, 7pm CST

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All WHITE KNUCKLE CLUB activity is posted to, and archived on this page, with the most recent activity nearest the top.

RULE 1: Please DO NO SHARE any WHITE KNUCKLE CLUB content.
RULE 2: Respect your fellow members. Let’s keep the WKC a unique place for special fans.

DATE: December 14, 2024
TITLE: “If I’m Wrong”
NOTE FROM JOE: I’ve been messing with this song for months. But I’m not completely convinced it’s done. Let me know what you think in the YouTube comments or the Facebook group.

LYRICS

Verse 1: (Man)
Blackbirds busted out the oak and swum above the corn across the road
I wonder how theft move together, tethered to some rhythm in their souls
I set down my bag upon the porch and go to open up the door
Where I’ll find you in the kitchen, prob’ly pacing back and forth across the floor

Chorus: (Man)
I just wanna tell you, everything will be okay
But baby if I’m wrong, if the sun don’t come at dawn
Will you love me anyway?

Verse 2: (Woman)
All chaos and crescendo, blackbirds out the window paint the sky
And I wonder how they find a common rhythm in the frenzied way they fly
Your boots are fallin heavy up the hall before you sink into the chair
And your shoulders fall below a heavy brow that hides your eyes behind your hair

Chorus: (Woman)
I just wanna tell you, everything will be okay
But baby if I’m wrong, if the sun don’t come at dawn
Will you love me anyway?

Chorus: (Man)
I just wanna tell you, everything will be okay
But baby if I’m wrong, if the sun don’t come at dawn
Will you love me anyway?

Tag: (Woman)
Baby, if you’re wrong, and if the sun don’t come at dawn,
I will love you anyway

the worksheet

Thanks for listening, watching, following along, etc, all the things!

I love you all. Merry Christmas. Can’t wait to see you again out and about next year! I’ll have another song for you next month in January so we can get back on our regular schedule. And our first LIVE of 2025 will be February 19th, so mark you calendars.

Peace, love and blackbirds painted across the sky,

Joe

DATE: November 29, 2024
TITLE: NEW LYRIC STICKER SET - “Christmas Spirits”
NOTE FROM JOE: So I know I owe y’all a new song this month, but I’m afraid I simply got too busy - van shopping, Thanksgiving, in-laws in town, and prepping to leave for the studio tomorrow. BUT a couple things to help make it up to you 1) a new lyric sticker set, 2) I’ll try to get you some content from the studio next week, and 3) I PROMISE to get you a new song posted when I return from Pittsburgh

DATE: September 25, 2024
TITLE: NEW SONG - “Little Crosses”
NOTE FROM JOE: There’s a lot I could say about this song, but I’m just gonna post the video and post the lyrics and let you listen:

LYRICS

Verse 1:
A squirrel jumps out the tall grass on the edge of the road
I seen him dancin in the traffic, seen him searching for a way to go
In his panic, somehow he found the space between my wheels
And I seen him reach the other side when I watched him in my mirror

Chorus:
And I wonder if you’re satisfied, been wondering for years
When I drive away and you’re wipin little faces free of tears
I got two hands on the wheel, I try to focus on the road
But I pass them little crosses and I shiver in those souls

Verse 2:
Them trucks is lined and lit up on the ramp along the rest stop tonight
Standin vigil like some sinner found forgiveness in a ditch before he died
But I know that they’re just sleepin, hell, I know that they don’t care
Is there a single one of them that ever gets this scared?

Chorus:

And I wonder if you’re satisfied, been wondering for years
When I drive away and you’re wipin little faces free of tears
I got two hands on the wheel, I try to focus on the road
But I pass them little crosses and I shiver in those souls
And I wonder if I’ll have the time to tell the Lord I’m sorry
And I wonder if she’ll wait to cash the check until I’m buried

Verse 3:
My rig kicks up a buzzard off the side of the road
Pickin on a carcass owned by somethin musta moved too slow
The wind from my passin by kicks up a bushy tail
Stuck down to the pavement by the carrion meal

Chorus:
And I wonder if you’re satisfied, been wondering for years
When I drive away and you’re wipin little faces free of tears
I got two hands on the wheel, I try to focus on the road
But I pass them little crosses and I shiver in those souls

THE WORKSHEET

Thanks for listening, guys. I appreciate you all so much. Thanks for giving me an audience for these songs.

Looking forward to hearing what you think about this one in the Facebook Group.

Joe

PS: Don’t ever feel like you need to tip in here. I just always include it because some of you find a way to do it anyways. So might as well make it convenient. But I consider your membership a big tip in and of itself.

DATE: August 6, 2024
TITLE: “Wild Man” - A Peek Behind the Curtain
NOTE FROM JOE: Here’s a peek behind the production curtain - our co-producer and mix engineer Joe Carrell has become a noteworthy influencer in audio production circles. In this video, he nerds out on some equipment and walks ya through how he treats vocals and different instruments on our song, “Wild Man”…he also shares some insights into working with us - a “live band” versus studio musicians. Some of his statements, you might think, “Was that an insult?” It wasn’t. He’s just comparing us to world class studio players and explaining how “grittier,” less perfect, performances need to be treated. Anyways, I’m gonna shut up and let him do the talking.

This video might be on the boring side for most of you, which is why I’m only posting it to the CLUB. But I think some of you will find it interesting:

DATE: July 12, 2024
TITLE: NEW SONG - “Forward”
NOTE FROM JOE: I came up with this melody while sitting in the living room playing for Cady. Obviously, imagination weighed heavily into the songwriting process here; but then again, it taps into some of my deepest seated fears. It was a very intense song to finish writing. And it’s a very intense one for me to perform, emotionally.

LYRICS

Verse 1:
I turn and twist the key from off the ring,
Set it on the table at the spot where I would eat,
I gathered up the rest of all my things,
Every time I fall, Lord, I find a way forward

Verse 2:
Tires split the gravel, throwin dust,
“Daddy, I know you’d come if we waited long enough”
The cake is gone and mama’s cleaning up”
Every time I fall, Lord, I find a way forward

Verse 3:
Darlin, won’t ya wait out in the car,
Me and mama gotta talk a little heart to heart
How’d I ever let it fall apart…
Every time I fall, Lord, I find a way forward

Verse 4:
Her little face pressed against the glass,
Watched the cops haul me out and throw me on my ass,
Screamin, “Please, don’t hurt my dad”
Every time I fall, Lord, I find a way forward

Verse 5:
Yelling at her lawyer, at the judge
“Give her all the money, give her all the stuff,
Don’t take my little girl, that’s too much”
Every time I fall, Lord, I find a way forward

Every time I fall, Lord, I find a way forward

Verse 6:
Baby, I can’t make it into town
Even if I could, I ain’t sure if I’m allowed
But Daddy loves ya, don’t let it get ya down
Cause every time we fall, Lord, we find a way forward

Verse 7:
Nothin left but a little bit of dust,
I rub it on my gums and I watch the baggie flush,
No one thought I’d ever amount to much,
But every time I fall, Lord, I find a way forward

Every time I fall, Lord, I find a way forward

The worksheet

reminder:

All the songs I’ve ever shared with the WKC are playlisted and organized by date in our YouTube Playlist: HERE

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLg20-WNaBnlfTe8ZNa-e3uGVC_zsvcd61

Thanks for stopping in and checking out the new song! The rest of the band really dug this one and we started working it up in rehearsals already. It’s a long way from home, but I think it’s gonna be a strong contender to make the next record. Time will tell!

Have a great weekend and see you NEXT WEEK, Thursday, July 18th for a special, bonus WKC Live Stream event on Facebook,

Joe

DATE: July 1, 2024
TITLE: Do you GIVE A SHIT?
NOTE FROM JOE: A new MERCH DROP from the WKC Store is an idea taken right out of the last WKC Live Stream (see, we listen)!

DATE: May 2, 2024
TITLE: NEW SONG - “Learnin Lettin Go”
NOTE FROM JOE: Took about 6 pages of notes (see proof below) and a couple weeks to get this song where I’m happy enough with it. I’ve been spending a lot of time in my notebook since I’ve been couch-bound. That has produced two finished songs and a couple other ideas yet to be fleshed out.

Also! - just rescheduled the Live Stream I missed last week for MAY 29th

Also! - NEW LYRIC STICKERS! - a 3-Sticker Set for “Old Man”…these will be sold as a set for only $10. And as always, only 100 made. Once they’re gone, they gone :) ORDER HERE

LYRICS

Verse 1:
Mama found a lighter in my jeans in the wash
She dug around my room until she found a hiding spot
Cigarettes and magazines and a little bit of weed
Spread across the table in the kitchen where we’d eat, she said…

Chorus 1:
It ain’t worth hangin on if you’re the one who hangs
Even Jesus had enough and figured it was time to change
Oh - oh - oh, roll away the stone
You ain’t learnin livin if you ain’t learnin lettin go

Verse 2:
My ex-wife packed the boxes stacked around my single bed
I was laid back lookin up at Cindy Crawford overhead
Mixin discount gin into the juice inside my cup
When Mama cracked the door into the room where I grew up

Chorus 1:
It ain’t worth hangin on if you’re the one who hangs
Even Jesus had enough and figured it was time to change
Oh - oh - oh, roll away the stone
You ain’t learnin livin if you ain’t learnin lettin go

Bridge:
Mama’s eyes are closed, and her breath is slowin down
But she smiled as I took her hand and the nurses shuffled out
Her voice was clear and strong - she said, son, be who you are
Show kindness to yourself and keep Jesus in your heart

Chorus 2:
It ain’t worth hangin on if you’re the one who hangs
Jesus, even he could only handle so much pain
Oh - oh - oh, roll away the stone
You ain’t learnin livin if you ain’t learnin lettin go

Tag:
You ain’t learnin livin if you ain’t learnin lettin go

THE WORKSHEET

Hope ya enjoyed the new song. And hope you enjoy getting these behind-the-scenes glimpses into my songwriting process and the bonus songs that may or may not ever see the light of day.

I’m recovering well from my surgery…at least as far as I can tell. I’m going back to the doctor next week to get my stitches out, and he’s going to let me start putting some weight on it. One day at a time!

Love you guys. Hope your week is going well!

Joe

new lyric sticker set!

(Order HERE)

DATE: March 13, 2024
TITLE: New Song From Your High School Stories
NOTE FROM JOE: A couple weeks ago, I asked the greater Stammily at large for their high school stories. And y’all delivered in a big way. I just finished a first draft for the song I pulled together from those “inspirational” tales of teenage desperation.

what’d ya think?

Go tell me in the WKC Facebook Group

LYRICS

Verse 1:
We told your daddy you’d be back by ten
But it’s quarter to eleven and we ain’t back yet
Sitting on the top of a playground slide
Suckin on the bottom of a Marlboro Light

Chorus:
Livin life on the edge of a dull knife in a territory town on a Tuesday night…Summertime

Verse 2:
The only wind we been catchin all summer’s
Through the windows down over Goodyear rubber
Blacktop straightaway east of town
Through the pumpjacks suckin at the red dirt ground

A vodka bottle and some Keystone Light
Bo O’Reilly said he’d set it outside
The dumpsters out back the IGA
They’re gonna bust that kid one of these days

Chorus:
Livin life on the edge of a dull knife in a territory town on a Tuesday night…Summertime

Verse 3:
Linda told Tommy that her folks are gone
Tommy told the town that the party’s on
Ten or twelve cars lined up the block
I heard Tommy past out about nine o’clock

Linda’s on a keg standin on her hands
Wearin nothin but a dress and a farmer’s tan
Somebody shouts, “The cops are here”
We scatter through town like white-tail deer

Chorus:
Livin life on the edge of a dull knife in a territory town on a Tuesday night…Summertime

Bridge:
Just some kids playin chicken with consequences, Cut me loose, baby, light that fuse
I’m a Black Cat packet in the bottom of a garbage can

Verse 3:
Meet me down at the high school track
Watch the sun comin up from the pole vault mat
Groundsman shoutin, “What’cha doin down there?”
Runnin to the car in our underwear

Chorus:
Livin life on the edge of a dull knife in a territory town on a Tuesday night…Summertime

the worksheet

Thanks again everyone! Hope you enjoyed the new song. I’ll be seeing you over on Facebook and then “in person” again on April 24th for the next WKC Live Stream. Have a great day!

Joe

DATE: January 31, 2024
TITLE: Lyric Sticker #7 Released - “Wrong Side of Town”
NOTE FROM JOE: “Then the paint peeled off, and the concrete cracked…” You guys voted back in November, and we settled on “Wrong Side of Town” for the next Lyric Sticker. And it is NOW AVAILABLE at the WKC Store!

I thought an old school candy weight captured the right spirit for this sticker. I hope you dig it! 👉 ORDER HERE

DATE: January 15, 2024
TITLE: “Hold On To Me” Full Band Demo (ROUGH First Draft)
NOTE FROM JOE: Listen in with us at our band retreat last week, as we play back our first shot at performing “Hold On To Me” together…which is a song I had you guys weigh in on back in November (here’s the link to that acoustic version: https://youtu.be/-mdOb5WGOiI ). I’d asked you whether I should delete verse 3 or 4. You guys overwhelmingly told me to keep both verses. So I did. This song will likely go through several more changes and performances before it is eventually released.

Thanks for being a part of this journey with us! Let me know what you think about the direction this song is heading.

This is the very beginning of the new album’s timeline, which usually lasts up to a couple years from this stage to release date. But we’re feeling energized and excited about the new project.

Joe

DATE: January 3, 2024
TITLE: “Hopefully”
NOTE FROM JOE: Just got back from 3 days in Wisconsin with my wife, baby girl, coondog, guitar and notebook. We had no internet. We didn’t watch TV (except for the first half of a terrible Vikings game), we took hikes through the 120 acre farm, built fires every night, and I wrote 4 songs. Figured I’d share this one with you. I think it’s my favorite from the batch. Hopefully, it’ll find its way onto a record one day.

LYRICS

Verse 1:
When the water hits the kettle, and the stove heats up the metal
And the water starts to whistlin for the tea

That’s just me singin to you, a tune I’m tryin to brew
To find a little room within your dreams…oh…hopefully…

Verse 2:
When the butter’s on the biscuit, like Grandma used to fix it
And it leaves ya feelin warm and whole and good

That’s just us gettin into lovin, with a little one in the oven
And a whole new set of somethin in our dreams…oh…hopefully…

Verse 3:
Imagine if the sound, of a snowfall driftin down
Fit peaceful in a song just for you

And me and our little girl, in a big ole magic world
Wild and unfurled before our feet…oh…hopefully…

Bridge:
Let’s cut us out a path, but leave the signs to point us back
Should we ever lose the people with the dream

Verse 4:
Cause when I’m just another writer, turnin wine back into water
Steadied by my age and family

I’ll worry if the stuff, I pen to paper has enough
Edge to keep me honest when I sing…oh…hopefully……hopefully…

the worksheet

I hope y’all enjoyed this one. Elise told me to write “something personal” awhile back. This one is pretty darn personal.

The band and I are “going away” for 5 days starting this Thursday. We’re gonna try start the very beginning stages of a new record…combing through songs…finding the ones that stick.

Thanks for being a part of our journey. As as always, let me know what you think of this song over in the Facebook Group.

Hope you had a wonderful New Year. Let’s make 2024 another one to remember,

Joe

DATE: November 15, 2023
TITLE: HELP ME FINISH THIS SONG - “Hold On To Me”
NOTE FROM JOE: This one is fresh out of the notebook. And as you can tell from the 5 pages of written, discarded, edited, redacted, and re-written lyrics in the pictures below, it took me some time to get this song where I wanted it. In truth, I’m still considering removing one of the verses.

In fact, why don’t you help me? If you had to take out either Verse 3 or Verse 4, which would you remove? (See the Lyrics below and then fill out the form with your decision and/or thoughts)

LYRICS

Verse 1:
If I lied, would you lie to me the same
If I died, would ya cry over my grave
If you told me long before that day, you know that I could change
I’d say I’ll try

Verse 2:
If I was mean, and I cuffed you round the mouth
Would ya scream, and throw my shit outside the house
And if the neighbors called the law while I crawled across the lawn
Would you leave

Chorus:
Pull the bottle closer, push the rest away
Open up the throttle, run the gas’line out the tank
Let the gin blossom, purple in my nose
And the balls in my eyes lose their will to float
Hold on to me, I just need one more drink

Verse 3:
Take my hands, take em while they shake
Your wedding band, and so many things I meant to say
Traded by the day for all them bottles hid away
With our plans

Verse 4:
Will ya stay, for just a moment while I rest my eyes
Will ya wait, countin down the times
The breath inside my chest condescends to fall and rise
And fin’lly fade

Bridge:
Ya coulda left a thousand times, Lord knows ya shoulda tried
But ya stayed and prayed and let me drain the dreams out of our lives, while…

Chorus:
I pulled the bottle closer, and pushed the rest away
Opened up the throttle, ran the gas’line out the tank
Let the gin blossom, purple in my nose
And the balls in my eyes lose their will to float
Hold on to me, I just need one more drink

Tag:
Hold on to me, I just need one more drink

Repeat Verse 1:
If I lied, would you lie to me the same
If I died, would ya cry over my grave
If you told me long before that day, you know that I could change
I’d say I’ll try

the worksheet

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts and suggestions on this one guys!

As always, thanks for listening and thanks for giving a damn.

Joe

DATE: November 7, 2023
TITLE: SECOND Show Added
NOTE FROM JOE: Since you guys SOLD OUT Night 1 in a matter of a couple hours, I just added a SECOND Acoustic Christmas Show for Saturday, Dec. 9th! But again, ya better hurry - there’s still only 40 Tickets for this show as well: joestammband.com/acousticchristmas

Night 1 will be exclusively WKC Members, which is super cool. Let’s make a whole weekend out of it!

Thanks for supporting me in such tangible, incredible ways. I appreciate y’all more than I can say.

Joe

DATE: November 1, 2023
TITLE: EXTRA Early Access
NOTE FROM JOE: Check it out - if you’re just here wandering the WKC Home Page, you get even earlier access to my Acoustic Christmas Show at The 33 Room on December 8th. Which is important, because there’s only 40 tickets available: joestammband.com/acousticchristmas (email goes out to the WKC on Friday, Nov. 3 and to the general public the following week…if it hasn’t sold out by then)

Here’s the lowdown…

An interactive, singer-songwriter experience that is unparalleled - solo acoustic shows at The 33 Room are truly magical. Join Joe and only 40 other guests for an Acoustic Christmas show.

But don’t worry, Joe won’t be breaking out holiday classics - he’ll be choosing his favorite songs, and taking your requests, from his own songwriting catalog. The songs are his. The spirit is purely Christmas. Will you join us?

WHEN: Friday, December 8th, 8pm CST (Doors open at 7)
WHERE: The 33 Room, Peoria Heights, IL

Upon purchasing, you’ll be mailed a physical ticket. We will also have a list at the door, should you lose or forget your hard ticket.

The 33 Room is an intimate, 40-person capacity room, located in the old Pabst Blue Ribbon Brewery in Peoria Heights, Illinois (see photo). Pabst executives used to entertain clients and visitors in this recently restored bar.

Hope to see ya there!

Joe

DATE: September 20, 2023
TITLE: All She Wrote
NOTE FROM JOE: There are certain characters in my songs I grow very attached to. This is one of them.

Let me know what you guys think of the song over in the Facebook Group or by sending me an email. I appreciate you 👊🏼👊🏼

LYRICS

Verse 1:
The kids are screamin next door, so the parents scream some more
But sooner or later that tornader burns out
And I’m left with the night flies, playin chicken with the porch light
And I wonder what them kids got to scream about
And I wonder what them kids got to scream about

Verse 2:
Half a mile as the crow flies, there’s a train siren cries
“I’ll be runnin these rails long after you’re dead
I add it up in my head, bought enough to buy a loaf of bread
And I wonder bout them things the news says

Chorus:
That’s all she wrote, some thirty years ago
Cursive in blue ink on a yellow pad
It said, “I’m sorry Joe, but I really gotta go,
This world keeps spinnin and it’s driving me mad”

Verse 3:
I ain’t ever been a sharp one, differ’nt classes than the rest of em
But they gave me a cap and gown all the same
And a job at the school, mostly moppin and pushin broom
And I wonder why they call this shift a grave

Verse 4:
Up and down these dim lit halls, I don’t hear the world at all
Just the pushin of this broom back and forth
But sometimes the sirens howl, like a panic through the town
Like the night I found mama on the bathroom floor
And them sirens wailed right up to our door

Chorus:
That’s all she wrote, some thirty years ago
Cursive in blue ink on a yellow pad
It said, “I’m sorry Joe, but I really gotta go,
This world keeps spinnin and it’s driving me mad”

Maybe she thought I just couldn’t understand
Noone ever thinks I understand

THE WORKSHEET

joestammband.com/wkcstore

Thanks for listening, and hope y’all have an incredible day! - Joe

DATE: August 30, 2023
TITLE: Livestream from WKC Facebook Group
NOTE FROM JOE: Be sure to join the WKC Facebook Group for more of these in the future! This was a lot of fun!

https://fb.watch/mNZGIqoKOl/

DATE: July 24, 2023
TITLE: Candle
NOTE FROM JOE: Are you missing anyone today? 🕯️ I wasn’t sure this was good enough to post…but Elise said that maybe there was someone who needed to hear it.

Turns out she was right…after I posted it to the WKC Facebook Group on Saturday, right after finishing the song, I got a message from a WKC member who lost his mother the very day this song was posted. He wrote, “Your song “Candle is helping. Elise was right. Someone needed to hear….please know that what you do isn’t for nothing. Your music is important and I thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for it.”

That message floored me. This is why the WHITE KNUCKLE CLUB exists and the very reason it is so special. Thank you for being here. All of you.

LYRICS

I’ll burn a candle til the room fills up with you
Till your presence pulls the perfume from the vapors in these fumes
And you’re dancing on the panels with the shadows in this room
I’ll burn a candle til the room fills up with you

I’ll pour a whiskey til the room fills up with you
I’ll pour until the burn pulls your presence from the fumes
And I’ll pull it from the glasses on this table set for two
I’ll pour a whiskey til the room fills up with you

I’ll sing this song until the room fills up with you
Soft and low til the crescendo pulls you into view
And the sweetness in your harmonies reaches through the gloom
I’ll sing this song until the room fills up with you

I still dream about the night you pulled away
Standing by your bedside pulling Scripture off the page
Trembling in the stillness with the candle’s dying flame
I still dream about the night you pulled away

I’ll burn a candle til the room fills up with you
Till your presence pulls the perfume from the vapors in these fumes
And you’re dancing on the panels with the shadows in this room
I’ll burn a candle til the room fills up with you

LIVE STREAM TONIGHT!

june 20, 7pm cst

DATE: June 20, 2023
TITLE: One Year Anniversary Live Stream
NOTE FROM JOE: Hey folks, we’re gonna do a Facebook Live Stream on the WKC Group Page TONIGHT at 7pm CST from Idaho. Bring a couple song requests, grab a drink and let’s hang out for a bit!

UPDATE - our winner is greg canary!

DATE: June 12, 2023
TITLE: Happy 1 Year Anniversary GIVEAWAY!
NOTE FROM JOE: It’s been a helluva first year. I’ve written a bunch of songs and recorded even more. And you folks in the WKC are truly the frontline group of people making that possible.

So let's celebrate with a giveaway! This is the piece of card stock paper where I’ve been drawing our Lyric Stickers. I’m gonna frame it and mail it to one random WKCLUBBER who wants it. BUT YOU HAVE TO TELL ME YOU WANT IT. That’s the only catch. So go to the Facebook post HERE and comment that you’d like it. Or if you don’t have Facebook, just reply to the email I sent today and let me know. I’ll draw a winner sometime next week.

Also, hoping to do a Facebook Live Stream for WKC Members only sometime between June 18-20. I just need to make sure we have good enough wifi at the place we’re staying in Filer, Idaho that week. So it’ll be a gamete decision. As soon as I know, I’ll let you know! But for now…

DATE: May 1, 2023
TITLE: Freedom
NOTE FROM JOE: The beagles from down the road get loose sometimes and run rabbits behind my house. Listening to them one morning, I pulled out the notes app on my phone and wrote down, “Like a screamin beagle…”

Some time later, I was watching 1883 (the Yellowstone prequel) and Elsa said, “there are horrors that hide in the shadows of freedom.” I had found the chorus to my song about screaming beagles.

I posted the chorus to TikTok and Instagram last week and some folks asked me to finish it. So I did. And just you CLUBBERS get to hear it:

LYRICS

Verse 1:
You’re a screamin eagle, up high in the wind
You’re hungry again, ain’t it good to be him

You’re a screamin beagle, out bustin the brush
There’s a rabbit on the run, and there’s gonna be blood

Chorus:
There’s a horror that hides in
The shadows that lie in
The footprints of freedom…of freedom

Verse 2:
You’re a screamin fire, full’a burnin desire
And the doors gonna blow, the whole house’s gonna go

You’re a schemin liar, she’s a woman on a wire
And she finally knows, she can let go

Chorus:
There’s a horror that hides in
The shadows that lie in
The footprints of freedom…of freedom

Bridge:
You’re the white man to the red man
You’re all manifest destination
You’re a selfish son-of-a-bitch
That’s gonna die alone

Chorus:
There’s a horror that hides in
The shadows that lie in
The footprints of freedom…of freedom

THE WORKSHEET

THE CLEANUP

joestammband.com/wkcstore

Thanks for sticking with me, guys! Hope you enjoyed this month’s song and video. Always enjoy hearing your thoughts. Tell me what ya think over in the Facebook Group, and have a great week! (PSSSTTTT…dropping some news that you’ll want to hear tomorrow, May 2nd).

Joe

DATE: March 10, 2023
TITLE: You Picked ‘Em!
NOTE FROM JOE: You guys picked the new Lyric Sticker #4 theme, you picked new Red Dog shirt for the regular merch store, and we’re throwing in a new WKC Pennant T-Shirt (with an offer to bundle with a half-priced pennant)- ALL NOW AVAILABLE!

Hope ya dig the new stuff, guys! Thanks for your help picking it all out. Have a great weekend and hope to see some of you at the Birthday Shows (we will have the new Red Dog shirt at the merch tables, btw, if you want to save on shipping).

Your bud,

Joe

DATE: March 1, 2023
TITLE: A fly on the wall…
NOTE FROM JOE: Last month, I shared this song with you right after I'd written it. This is a glimpse into the next stage of the song process - when the band is figuring out how we want to play it in the studio.

The sound quality isn't polished, of course - it's just my phone in a garage while the band is playing live. There's no guitar solos yet, or other bells and whistles. But it's a little more flesh applied to the skeleton I originally shared. You're now a fly on the wall of our rehearsal process.

(And yes, I did say the word “studio”….because maybe I haven’t been telling you everything…maybe 2023 has a few more surprises for us)

DATE: January 18, 2023
TITLE: Which side of town are you from?
NOTE FROM JOE: I’ve been thinkin about you guys a lot lately…feeling like I’m not doing enough for ya. So I wanted to share a song I just finished.

I struggled with this one. And it took a 4 mile, 7am walk with Sam to sort it out.

I miss y’all.

sorry for my handwriting…

DATE: December 15, 2022
TITLE: “Christmas Spirits”
NOTE FROM JOE: Welcome to our living room! Whether you like Christmas songs or not, give this one a chance. It’s not a typical Christmas song and it’s inspired by my favorite story of all time, Christmas or not - A Christmas Carol.

PS: This song is best paired with a Christmas wine or your preferred potent potable.

LYRICS

Verse 1:
Sittin at the Christmas tree, lights blinkin blue and read and green
Waitin for the family to get up with the sun
Pass the presents out, we scream and we shout
To the smell of coffee and cinnamon rolls and bacon

Chorus:
Oh Holy Night, pullin on a bottle of wine
Waitin in the fire light, for the clock to strike midnight
When the spirits turn the spirits loose on Christmas

Verse 2:
Wipe sleep out of my eyes, little voices in the morning light
"Daddy, wake up, ya oughtta see all the presents"
Cocoa on the stove, wife yawnin in her old bathrobe
A kid on each arm, stretchin em with persistence

Chorus:
Oh Holy Night, pullin on a bottle of wine
Waitin in the fire light, for the clock to strike midnight
When the spirits turn the spirits loose on Christmas

Bridge:
Both my kids called the phone today
Then I hung a wreath on a stone doorway
Drinkin to the Shadows of Christmas Past
Drinkin to the Shadows of Christmas Next

Verse 2:
They'll pass out Santa hats, wheel us into where they have church at
They'll bring in kids to sing us Christmas songs
It ain't where we'll wanna be, but like the lights on a Christmas tree
We'll nod on and off and try to sing along

Chorus :
Oh Holy Night, pullin on a bottle of wine
Waitin in the fire light, for the clock to strike midnight
Oh Holy Night, a little whiskey on the side
Waitin in the fire light, for the clock to strike midnight
When the spirits turn the spirits loose on Christmas

the worksheet

the cleanup

wanna lyric sheet?

joestammband.com/wkcstore

Elise and I both hope you enjoyed the song! And we both want you to know how much we appreciate you and the life you afford us with your support - we’re so thankful to do what we love, and we’re so grateful that we get to share that with you. Especially in a season such as Christmas.

Hope you’ll visit your Christmas Past, Present and Future this year. And wishing you a bunch of joy as you do!

Merry Christmas, Joe & Elise

DATE: December 6, 2022
TITLE: Video Delayed, BUT “it looks like grandma’s passed out on the couch…somebody oughtta take that burnin cigarette out her mouth”
NOTE FROM JOE: We’ve got a NEW LYRIC STICKER! (And a WKC Pennant!)

As for the video that I’m supposed to have for ya tomorrow, I changed the date to next Thursday, Dec. 15th, because I’ve been fighting a cold since last Sunday (yes, the day after our final show of the year and Day 1 of my touring vacation), and I’m still not quite up to singing much. But I’ll make it up to you next week!

In the meantime, I hope you enjoy the new Lyric Sticker and Pennant (and thanks for the ideas for the sticker on our WKC Facebook group). I think this one’s a doozy! Here’s the store link to reserve yours: joestammband.com/wkcstore

DATE: November 16, 2022
TITLE: Wild Man Crowdfund Campaign
NOTE FROM JOE: Our new record is almost done! You can now pre-order the Limited Edition Music & Merch and help us get it released: joestammband.com/wildman

DATE: October 5, 2022
TITLE: Kansas
NOTE FROM JOE: Elise joins me for a brand new song.

LYRICS

We'd drive out to the levy back in high school
And you'd bring that Rand McNally book of maps
We'd trace the outbound highway lines with a 2-cell Eveready light
And never once thought to trace 'em back

Chorus:
We got all damn day to get to Kansas
We got all damn day to work this out
Let the kids sleep in the back
Slide the windows down a crack
Let's burn 'em down, let's blow it out

Verse 2:
Remember the first two ya snuck out your daddy's pack?
I coughed, you laughed, we both took another drag
Right there on the hood of that car blowin smoke into the stars
I said, I lova ya, and you said you loved me back

Chorus:
We got all damn day to get to Kansas
We got all damn day to work this out
Let the kids sleep in the back
Slide the windows down a crack
Let's burn 'em down, let's blow it out

Bridge:
Remember how that smoke first filled our heads
Remember how good it felt to light the end
But the freedom and the thrill
Turned to weakness in our wills
Turned to I became the habit you resent

Chorus:
We got all damn day to get to Kansas
We got all damn day to work this out
Let the kids sleep in the back
Slide the windows down a crack
Let's burn 'em down, let's blow it out
Let's burn 'em down, let's blow it out

Tag:
We got all damn day to get to Kansas
We got all damn day to work this out

the worksheet

The Cleanup

wanna lyric sheet?

joestammband.com/wkcstore

BTW, let us know what you’d like us to stock in the WKC Merch Store! We’re hoping to put some new offerings in there for the holiday season, so now’s the time to start coming up with ideas.

Hope y’all enjoyed the song and are having a great Fall season! I’m so thankful for ya,

Joe

PS: A great way to communicate with me direct on any of the above is via the WKC Private Facebook Group. Unlike the public Joe Stamm Band page, WKC posts don’t get lost in a sea of other comments and notifications.

PPS: Things that are a coincidence and have absolutely nothing to do with this song and video:

1. Elise is an Iowa State alumn, and they just got beat by Kansas in football this last weekend.

2. Elise is wearing Iowa State colors and I’m wearing Kansas colors

DATE: September 21,2022
TITLE: New Merch!
NOTE FROM JOE: Lyric Sticker #2 is here! Taken from your most popular suggestions, I went with a “Song of the Hills” theme, using “I like music that howls on a full moon night” as our lyric. I had a lot of fun doing this one and I hope you dig it as much as I do! You can add it to your Cart below, or shop the whole WKC Store HERE

ALSO, we just dropped new Fall Tour Merch in our Main Storefront. Seems like I keep saying this, but these designs could be my favorite Elise has ever done: FALL ‘22 TOUR MERCH - Bringin’ It Home!

Hope y’all are having a great day. Looking forward to sharing another song/video with you in a couple weeks!

Your friend, Joe

DATE: September 7, 2022
TITLE: Fly On The Studio Wall
NOTE FROM JOE: Just wanted to give you guys another bonus video from our last recording session…

If you were a fly on the wall during a vocal session, this is exactly what you'd hear. It is a clip from last month at Treasure Isle Studios in Nashville, TN (August 17, 2022). I'm recording a lead vocal for a song called "Listen." The music is in my headphones only, so we can isolate just the vocal performance within the track.

DATE: August 24, 2022
TITLE: Our Very Own WKC Facebook Group and a Glimpse Into The Studio
NOTE FROM JOE: Wanna know what it was like to actually be IN the studio with us, last week? Now you can.

But first, we now have our own PRIVATE WHITE KNUCKLE CLUB FACEBOOK GROUP, so y’all can interact, share and discuss WKC content, and foster an even greater sense of community.

Only WKC Members in good standing can join, so all content and discussions remain exclusive. Click HERE to request access, answer a couple questions only WKCLUBBERS will know, and you’ll be approved shortly thereafter.

If you were a fly on the studio wall, this is basically what you'd see (and hear) when we're in studio. The song is called "Timber" and will be on our next album, to be released in 2023.

It is a clip from last week's session at Treasure Isle Studios in Nashville, TN (August 18, 2022). Dave is recording guitar parts along with the guy we had come in to play B3 organ, Blaine Johnson (he walso played B3 on the Midwest Town record). That's producer/engineer Joe Carrell behind the board. And you've got me and Tim listening in.

This is the day after we recorded the drums, bass, acoustic and some additional electric guitar parts. The vocal you hear is what we call a "scratch vocal" and will later be replaced with a more polished performance. We'll also add background vocals and lead guitar solos before sending this into post production.

Hope ya dig getting a glimpse into our process and the chance to be the first ears to listen in on this song!

DATE: August 10, 2022
TITLE: “Cold”
NOTE FROM JOE: As promised, here’s another song that I’ve been working on recently.

WHAT’D YA THINK? cOMMENT here

LYRICS

Verse 1:
A table sits as empty as the cupboards
In a one room studio
A solitary flame atop a burner
Dances on a stove

Chorus:
The air shimmers in the cold
The ice forms on the window

Verse 2:
Boots, soaked through to socks
Soaked through to my feet
That stop to stand and knock on every shop door
Up and down this street

Chorus:
The air shimmers in the cold
The ice forms on the window

Verse 3:
I'll post a letter just as soon as the weather breaks
Or I find work
Tell your papa you'll be comin back to me
Whichever happens first

Bridge:
A kiss blown through the glass
Falls with the snow
Bus, lights, fade,
Down the road

Chorus:
The air shimmers in the cold
The ice forms on the window

Verse 4:
A table sits as empty as the cupboards
In a one room studio
A solitary flame atop a burner
Shivers on the stove

the worksheet

the cleanup

wanna lyric sheet?

joestammband.com/wkcstore

DATE: July 20, 2022
TITLE: Next Lyric Sticker?
NOTE FROM JOE: What lyric should I use for drawing up our next WKC Lyric Sticker?!

Any lyric, from any one of my songs, is fair game (except “Goodbye, John,” since I used “They ain’t shut down these country roads,” for Sticker #1). Submit your nomination here:

(here's just a few other lyric doodles I've done recently)

Thanks for sending me your idea! Once I’ve given everyone a week or so to submit their nominations, I’ll pick the most popular and get drawing. Naturally, we’ll let you know as soon as they’re available at the WKC Store.

DATE: July 6, 2022
TITLE: Merch Order Updates & Surprises
NOTE FROM JOE: Who wants a free sticker? (“Me,” says everyone.) Okay then. We bought a bunch of these little WKC stickers that we will now be putting into every WKC Merch order.

Speaking of merch orders - if you ordered a t-shirt and wondering where it is, wonder no more! We should have them in sometime next week and will ship them out promptly. Thanks for y’alls patient support!

Hope you all had a great holiday weekend. The OG300 enrollment period is almost expired (July 15th). I’ll let ya know how it all shakes out thereafter. Thanks for everything you do for this music!

DATE: June 29, 2022
TITLE: “Bumper Crop of Broken Hearts”
NOTE FROM JOE: Hey folks! I promised you a song from last week’s trip to Wisconsin and here’s one of the four that I finished. And I even took the concept directly from one of your song idea submissions - specifically, from WKC Member, Tim (but THANK YOU ALL for the wonderful ideas y’all sent)!

COMMENT YOUR FEEDBACK ON THIS SONG: HERE

LYRICS

Verse 1:
Up and down these rows and roads
A hundred thousand miles
Haulin bushel after bushel to the bin

Just in time to watch the price
Of grain fall and fuel rise
And break my heart again

Verse 2:
I was up half the night
peelin off the hide
And cuttin up a steer my daughter meant to show

No, I ain't told her yet
I found him dead in his pen
I hate to break her heart again

Chorus:
I watch a dust devil dance
Through a yellow patch of beans
On this hundred acre hand me down farm

Too many mouths to feed
Far too many weeds
And too many worn out parts
Always a bumper crop of broken hearts

Verse 3:
I borrowed for the seed
And I borrowed for the feed
The bank was always quick to lend a hand

But now they're callin every day
My daddy's rollin in his grave
I hate to break his heart again

Bridge:
But the day he passed away
I was the only one could take
A seat behind this tractor steering wheel

And times they ain't the same
It takes more than guts and brains
It takes a thousand acre team of new John Deeres

Chorus: (2x)
I watch a dust devil dance
Through a yellow patch of beans
On this hundred acre hand me down farm

Too many mouths to feed
Far too many weeds
And too many worn out parts
Always a bumper crop of broken hearts

the worksheet

the cleanup

want a handwritten lyric sheet?

joestammband.com/wkcstore

DATE: June 15, 2022
TITLE: Song Ideas?
NOTE FROM JOE: We’re a couple weeks into enrollment, and I am going to give you an update on how it’s going, my first big WKC-enabled endeavor, and how you can help if ya wanna…

THE NUMBERS

Two weeks in, we’re about 1/3 of the way to our 300 Original Members goal.

BUT, because so many of you have been ordering WKC Merch, we’ve almost funded HALF an entire year of marketing! (A full year being the real, when the rubber meets the road, goal for this OG 300 Enrollment period.)

therefore…

With Indepreneur hard at work in the marketing department, I set aside 3 days next week to isolate and write on this 100 acre farm:

Last I had time to do something like this was back in 2020. During those three days, I wrote “Midwest Town,” “Speed Trap,” “The Ghost,” “More,” and a song called “Piece of the Pie.” As you can probably see, we went on to record and release four of those songs.

Now, I don’t expect to be able to write five songs again. Heck, even completing one decent song would make the trip worthwhile. But ya never know what might come out of these three days!

And since YOU ALL are making this writing trip possible, I’ll post another song/video from this trip within the next two weeks or so after I return!

that said…

DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEAS FOR A SONG? If so, send them my way by filling out this form!

These submissions will go right to my email inbox.

Now, of course, I won’t be able to write them all. But any thoughts and ideas are a helpful part of the brainstorming and writing process.

THANK YOU ALL for being members of the WHITE KNUCKLE CLUB! It’s already opening up doors of opportunity and bringing new fans into the Stammily via our new marketing efforts. I’ll keep you updated on WKC member numbers as we get closer to the end of OG 300 enrollment. Maybe we’ll even start letting you guys invite JSB folks who you know would love to join? What’ya think?

Either way, I’ll be in touch again soon! Have an awesome weekend,

Joe

DATE: June 1, 2022
TITLE: “Bottles”
NOTE FROM JOE: From a random observation in the van to the very first WHITE KNUCKLE CLUB enabled song…

COMMENT YOUR FEEDBACK ON THIS SONG: HERE

LYRICS

Verse 1:
Screen door cries as the hinges wine
Moth and mosquitoes in the driveway light
Weeds in the cracks in the concrete drive
Musta broke a mother's back a thousand times

Chorus:
No wonder you're a broken man
No wonder you're alone again
It's a wonder how ya ever found love at all

A sinner in the eyes of God
A drun,k a failure, a fraud
The bottles in the bag say I get what I deserve
My verdict read as I drag em to the curb

Verse 2:
A quiet kitchen on a quiet street
Just the buzz of a bulb above the sink
And the rattle of the bottles in the garbage can
And another in my hand on the witness stand

Chorus:
No wonder you're a broken man
No wonder you're alone again
It's a wonder how ya ever found love at all

A sinner in the eyes of God
A drunk, a failure, a fraud
The bottles in the bag say I get what I deserve
My verdict read as I drag em to the curb

Verse 3:
Eyelids open to a truck out front
And the blinds in a fight with a mid-day sun
My sentence read with a crash of glass
A gavel in the hands of a garbage man

Bridge:
I hate takin out the trash, but it fills up so damn fast
The evidence, the judges and the jurors
The sound of the glass on glass, the sound of a judgement passed

The bottles in the bag say I get what I deserve
My verdict read as I drag em to the curb

Chorus:
No wonder you're a broken man
No wonder you're alone again
It's a wonder how ya ever found love at all

A sinner in the eyes of God
A drunk, a failure, a fraud
The bottles in the bag say I get what I deserve
My verdict read as I drag em to the curb

Tag:
My verdict read as I drag em to the curb
The bottles in the bag say I get what I deserve

the worksheet

the cleanup

want a handwritten lyric sheet?

www.joestammband.com/wkcstore

DATE: June 1, 2022
TITLE: Welcome to the Club!
NOTE FROM JOE: Today, we launched enrollment in the WHITE KNUCKLE CLUB - the Official Joe Stamm Band Fan Club, built to outsource JSB marketing and free up more time for me to write songs! Here is your welcome video from me, with instructions on how this club will function, a couple rules, and some hopes for the future of this Club!

suggestion box

Send me your thoughts, ideas for this club, feedback on songs, etc.