Michael Mayo
" A Bidding War"
I’ve been thinking a lot about the situation we find ourselves in as a society, and one of the things I’m often left with is a feeling of futility. Because so much of the way our society functions revolves around money, and most often, those with the most resources to share tend not to share their wealth. And so the wealth gap grows and poverty spreads. This is a cycle we’ve seen over and over again. And this isn’t even considering financial and economic dealings that are under the table. This song describes this phenomenon. I was thinking about the Wells Fargo executives who stole a collective $185 million from their customers for years and to this day have never seen any jail time. The fact that criminals like these have the influence to remain not only out of jail, but also in power actively affecting the lives of millions is so indicative of where we are as a culture. The first lyric of this song, “A nation overseen by rabid criminals, it chooses not to see, chooses not to breathe, chooses not to grow” reflects that. I did a lot of research in putting this song together, and I remember that early on, I was going to make a song that was extremely dark and dissonant. I was struck by the notion that the price of scarcity is an endless bidding war on dwindling resources. And those with the most get first access. I found myself just getting angry the more I researched. But somewhere along the line, I realized that there’s a power in acknowledging the truth and also remaining emotionally detached as much as possible. So I eventually totally scrapped my original progression and melody, and came up with something more consonant, to reflect that clarity. I believe that the more people become aware of the type of world we live in, the more able we are to do something about it. And I’m glad I had the opportunity to meditate on that idea throughout the writing process, and come out on the other side with a deeper understanding.