By JOHN DALY
The Streetwalkin’ Cheetahs show that those who don’t remember the battles of the past are condemned to repeat them with their track and video for “Warzone.”
Rock N Roll will definitely stay alive if the guys in The Streetwalkin’ Cheetahs have their way. Frank Meyer is lead vocalist and guitarist, Bruce Duff is on guitar and backing vocals, Dino Everett is on bass, Mike Sessa is drummer and Geoff Yeaton is on sax. “Warzone” is about as Rock N Roll as it gets and the video sets archival footage against modern day video.
The Streetwalkin’ Cheetahs drew from previous events in creating the new video,
“I was able to source footage from a few different places,” said director Miguel Cala. “Directing this video was like stitching a tapestry of past and current social struggles we want to stand for. I found a lot of the lyrics ring as true now as they did during times of conflict in past generations. The protests we see in the streets today started decades ago. This was an opportunity for us, the band and myself, to show up as allies, to make a statement the best way we know how.”
“The original version of the song was recorded by myself and guitarist Bruce Duff on GarageBand for a Burger Records Bandcamp compilation,” Meyer said. “But we dug it so much we decided to include it on the new studio album we are finishing up before the pandemic hit.
“We had our drummer go into a studio by himself and an engineer and cut new drums, and the bassist recorded new bass separately,” Meyer said. “We added sax, and the rest we kept the same. Then we gave the song to director Miguel Cala just as the protests were breaking out. It all seemed so timely. We are usually not a current event type band but this song seemed to need to come out right now.”
Meyer said the song evolved out of his belief that as COVID-19 progressed, pent-up frustration could grow and turn dangerous.
“Originally when we wrote it back in April, it was towards the beginning of the pandemic and I was riffing on this twisted fantasy of ‘What if got really bad and there was just rioting and looting in the streets and it became a war zone like out of the ‘Mad Max?’ Who knew that in a few months it would all be happening in real life?”
‘Warzone’
Directed by Miguel Cala
Available on Burger Records Bandcamp compilation Quarantunes: Songs From Self-Isolation Vol. 2
Frank Meyer – Lead vocals. Guitars
Bruce Duff – Guitars, Backing vocals
Dino Everett – Bass
Mike Sessa – Drums
Geoff Yeaton – Sax