Ian Bode Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

10 Cures For Cabin Fever From Eclectopia (Or How Not To Lose It During The Pandemic)

“When the world is running down, You make the best of what’s still around.” -The Police

The forecast, as of this writing, looks like America is in for a long haul. We’re practicing avoiding each other – politely known as “social distancing.”

I’ve washed my hands until they are a bit raw, wiped down every surface with an OCD fervor and IF I go out for groceries, I wear a mask but still find myself holding my breath lest airborne pathogens emmanate from my fellow shoppers. Paranoia has always been a constant companion – nothing new here.

It’s become ridiculous, but this is the new normal. So, what can you do? Answer: whatever is necessary to not get infected, but still not lose your mind from all this quarantined living.

We have to be smart. Unlike the kids who went to party on Florida beaches on spring break, we can use our heads for more than just growing hair.

1. Your home is still your home, but optimized!

HOME now stands for Highly Optimized Multipurpose Environment.

Homeschool! Yes, it’s now a school for you hearty parents to teach your little ones! Got that lesson plan yet? Going to have a mini-graduation ceremony at the end of the semester? Run out of patience yet?

Photo by Emily Gardner. Used by permission.

I see happy photos of kids on social media now, but in two weeks time? Three? I say, soldier on! (And if you like wine/beer, don’t feel guilty having a small glass when the long day is done. You most definitely deserve one. Or two.)

Then let the kids watch Frozen or Frozen 2: The Reckoning on loop while you sneak a little nap. It’s ok. You are a champion! (Editors note – WVPB also has an amazing collection of At-Home Learning Resources for your kids 😉 )

Your pets are now masters of the house. Resistance is futile.

It’s your workplace!

Working from home is also the new norm – stay in your bathrobe or pjs all day. If video conferencing, you might want to upgrade to your fav T-shirt. Pants: that’s your call. Well, ok maybe not. Your significant other might suggest otherwise.

It’s a gym. Forget all that yoga stuff. Work out with Leslie Jordan. He’s become the comedic relief during this terrible time.

2. Read all those books you’ve been putting off.

Who am I kidding? I don’t really read anything. Ask Bill Lynch or Eric Douglas. Both are authors and/or you can read their work, but I bet they have some good suggestions.

Explore the literary world, kiddo! Here’s a list of the 100 best choices. What’s that “No man is an island” quote? Find it at The Poetry Foundation – a fabulous source for all things poetical. I’m a big T.S. Eliot fan and Four Quartets keep me fascinated.

For my temperment, David Sedaris is one of the best humorists today.

3. Listen to music.

If you want to slow the mental gears down to a manageable level (You CAN reach a complete emotional saturation with the daily dire news.), I suggest starting with classical. Mozart, Haydn and Bach’s Aria on a three hour loop to start your step-down of mental trauma.

If thou wants chill, start with Brian Eno – the man who started it all. My favorite is the 61-minute Thursday Afternoon which is audio valium. About 20 minutes into this, the tension has melted away. You can also sing along with Brian or listen to a public talk.

What to avoid: earworms. Talking with my friend George this week, who lives in NJ, I asked about his coping with working from home. It was fine he said, but when we got around to sharing what amused us musically, he asked, “Have you heard the Baby Shark song yet?” No was my answer and then he sent the link. About ten seconds in, I shut it down. Methinks George is coping admirably (Not!), but I won’t post the link.

If you are the type of person who needs a more dark variety of music during a crisis, let me suggest David Sylvian’s masterpiece: Secrets of the Beehive. If you want to go all the way weird, here’s my suggestion: Jan Bang/ Erik Honore’s Uncommon Dieties. Sylvian reads prose over some of the most creative (strange and weird to average listeners) music and sounds.

Otherwise, you can’t go wrong with Neil Young singing, with Spanish subtitles, about Elvis.

4. Watch.

It’s tricky. In this crisis, some may want dystopian movies and others want to escape to island paradises.

Again, you may only want light rom-coms. I have zero suggestions because they are all dreadfully predictable.

Comedy? I’m a Will Farrell kind of guy. Ben Stiller too.

If you want romance, why not The Year of Living Dangerously? It’s got a young (pre-meltdown) Mel Gibson, the lovely Sigourney Weaver, plus Linda Hunt: all set in Indonesia.

Netflix has lots of documentaries. Werner Herzog has made some of the best of them. Both light and dark, but always provocative. If you are really brave, then this one is for you.

5. Humor!

Humor is tricky because, like food, everyone varies in their taste. Here are my suggestions: watch old SNL skits. The Barry Gibb Talk Show! How about Studio 360’s Kurt Andersen with Werner Herzog?

I own the SCTV DVDs with John Candy, so my I suggest my favorite skits like Polynesian Town, or a sendup of Ocean’s Eleven, or Mel’s Rock Pile?

6. There are a zillion podcasts.

I tend to listen to Fresh Air just about every day. Plus, the archive is open! You can find Bowie, listen to Terry’s youthful voice in 1978 when interviewing Steve Reich, Ira Glass interviews Philip Glass (the best I’ve ever heard), and last week I learned that Stephen Sondheim studied with Milton Babbit (and they would analyze Jerome Kern), and many more including the sad, but immensely funny Richard Pryor.

Just when I discovered Studio 360, Kurt Andersen has retired, but archives are up. This American Life has many great stories, but I love this one about an opening night fiasco. I never forgot Scott Carrier’s strikingly honest story about his job taking over his life. Finally, who could forget their Christmas story with Sedaris and David Rakeoff.

Song Confessional – a podcast that uses language that some listeners might find objectionable – has a unique approach to podcasting. Here’s their interview with Tristen.

7. The fridge is not your new best buddy.

On social media, I see all sorts of posts from people about trips to the fridge or overindulgence in food.

Stress eating, hoarding and subsequent overindulging comes with this new normal. Jokes abound about gaining the Covid 15. I’m doing my best not to overindulge and try to get my lazy self out on a walk, hike or a bike ride every day that the temp is suitable. I see others have the same idea. Exercise, like very few other activities, can clear the mind of anxiety.

Photo by Shirley Drennen. Used by permission.

8. People, please stop cabin fever baking. It’s making me hungry!

Ok, I just flatly contradicted myself. I have little to zero resistance to cake. Ok, it’s all out in the open now. Are you happy?

9. Exercise!

Look, just move. Don’t care what, just move. On cold days, I walk. On warm days (has to be at least upper 50’s), I ride my bike. Some folks do yoga in their home. On any day, I will hike!

10. The big summary.

We’re in it for real now, but one day this will be something we ALL went through. Let’s do this right and smart with love and respect for one another. In a dog-eat-dog world, we only show our animal nature. Let’s not do that, please. Be calm, be civil, set an example.

Once we are truly in the clear, things will go back to normal. After all, you are accountable to your friends, your neighborhood and your community.

Please: be kind, be smart, be safe. Reach out to loved ones via technology. You’ll feel recconnected.

Slappin' Da Bass with Charleston's John Inghram

Since the show began almost two years ago, A Change of Tune has highlighted some of the best up-and-coming artists out of these West Virginia hills with podcast-y chats ranging from Ona to Qiet, Sean Richardson to Jordan Andrew Jefferson and beyond.

But those interviews have been a bit infrequent, and since West Virginia Day was this month (and with A Change of Tune’s second birthday on the horizon), we thought we’d do something special: 30 days, 30 brand new #WVmusic interviews that range from Morgantown alt-rockers and Parkersburg singer-songwriters to West Virginia music venues and regional artist management and beyond, all of which contribute to this state’s wild and wonderful music scene.

And today, we are chatting with John Inghram, a producer, composer, and bassist who was born and raised in Kanawha County. John’s #WVmusic history is impressive, as he’s played with The Bob Thompson Band, 600 lbs of Sin, and Johnny Staats and the Delivery Boys, toured with Fletcher’s Grove, and now leads his own jam band band called John Inghram’s Slugfest. Now signed to Ian Thornton‘s Whizzbang Booking & Management, John is ready for the next step in his career, not to mention the next step for Charleston’s budding music scene.

John Inghram‘s Slugfest’s newest single is Kickin’ Slippers. Get ready for a new full-length from the band in the near future. Hear more #WVmusic on A Change of Tune, airing Saturday nights at 10 on West Virginia Public Broadcasting. And for more #WVmusic chats, make sure to go to wvpublic.org/wvmusic and subscribe to our RSS / podcast feeds!

Interview Highlights

On getting into music at a young age:

My mom’s side of the family is musical, so I got a lot of stuff through them through osmosis. They were church musicians, so they played Southern gospel and some country stuff. My grandfather played pedal steel. I had some bluegrass musicians in the family. At the age of 12, I started playing trumpet, which segued into guitar and then bass when I was 13 or 14 because the trumpet wasn’t rocking very hard [laughing].

Up until sixth grade (when I joined the band in middle school), I was in Kanawha County, but then I went to Winfield Middle and High Schools in Putnam County. It wasn’t ideal. [I’m sure] a lot of folks in Appalachia can relate to growing up in an area that is less than diverse. It definitely has its own culture, but I wouldn’t call it diverse. There were a couple of [music] folks that all latched on to one another, and we had a great music teacher whose name was Scott Woodard. He’s actually at West Virginia State now, and he’s doing really great things.

My two best friends at that time… one was playing guitar, one was playing drums. And I said, “I think I’m going to get a guitar. Forget this brass stuff.” They said, “That’s cool, but why don’t you get a bass? We already have the band.” “Okay, yeah, that’s a great idea.” So I got a bass out of necessity. And that’s kind of like how every bassist starts: no one chooses the bass, the bass chooses them.

John Inghram plays in and around West Virginia.

On his passion for playing the bass:

It is who I am. It’s interesting because you find these certain personalities in these subsets of instrumentalists. For example, drummers kind of have these similar personalities. I love the bass. To make people groove, to look out into the crowd and see people dance, that’s the ultimate compliment. To see people having a great time and just moving their bodies, living their lives, and not being too heady or overthinking. Once the groove takes over, whether they know it or not, everybody loses themselves and enters that dream. That’s what I feel like I’m here to do with the bass: to make people feel good or feel something.

On the sound of John Inghram’s Slugfest:

It’s eclectic. I know that word gets used a lot, especially here at West Virginia Public Broadcasting, what’s up Jim [Lange, host of Eclectopia]? We try to keep things kind of weird [with Slugfest], but it all stays pretty funky. That’s the common thread, even when we do stuff that’s country-tinged or Latin-ish, it’s all rooted in the jazz tradition. Because we’re all jazz musicians. Everyone in the band has a jazz background, so there’s an element of improvisation.

But the main thing is it is all about the groove. We really don’t like to get into an area where it’s inaccessible. It’s easy to scratch that a little too much with jazz at times. You have to be geared for that. I love the jam band scene, and I love the Grateful Dead and Phish because there’s a community there that’s bigger than the music. It’s great to see communities of people. To me, that’s what music is all about: living life, feeling good, and people enjoying that together.

John Inghram’s Slugfest is John Inghram, Ryan Kennedy, Randraiz Wharton, Chris Hudson, Christian Tanzey, and Chris Clark.

On his Slugfest band members:

The core of the group is Randraiz Wharton on keyboard. He’s a fantastic player from the Elkins area originally, living in Pittsburgh now. He plays all over the state, the region, and the East Coast.

Our guitarist is the amazing Ryan Kennedy. Anybody who knows Ryan knows that he needs no introduction. I don’t know if I can do him justice. Ryan and I are dear friends and go back a long way. We’ve played in Bob Thompson’s band together for longer than I’d care to admit.

We also have Chris Hudson on the drum set. He’s a fantastic drummer who’s played all over. Like me, if it pays, we play. There’s nothing he can’t do on the drum set.

We have two horn players, which is what sets us apart from some of the other bands in our wheelhouse in the area. People really love the horns. That’s Chris Tanzey on the trumpet and Chris Clark on the tenor sax.

On what it takes to be a band leader:

I’ve been lucky to have gotten to work with great bandleaders, particularly really respectful, intelligent bandleaders like Bob Thompson. I’ve seen them and taken things from them. For Slugfest, what I’m learning in real time is that it’s less about the music and more about coordinating schedules and dealing with personalities and being tactful. Sometimes you just have to pick your spots. Some things you say. Some things you don’t say. Because there may be good ideas in my mind, but you have to ask yourself: will they really benefit the rehearsal or the music at the end of the day? Or will they make things more convoluted and create more anxiety for the players?

Bob Thompson has known John Inghram since he was a teenage rocker in West Virginia.

On working with Bob Thompson over the years:

I’ve never known a man who is more gracious and more giving and has as much to give as he does. This state, this city: his circle goes so far across the world. He’s just world-class, and I’m so, so proud we have him here and that we’ve gotten to learn from him and be around him.

I was 15 or 16 when I first met him at a Wine and All That Jazz Festival at the University of Charleston. A mutual friend introduced us, and we became instant friends. He said, “Why don’t you come up to the house sometime,” Just like he’s done with countless people. He was like, “Come by! Let’s play some music.” So here I am at 16, playing with this legend, and I didn’t realize to what extent his legend was about. After the end of the first session, we were hanging out in the studio, and I said, “How much do I owe you for this lesson?” He said, “Man, don’t worry about that. If you want to play again, just come back and we’ll play.”

It was never about a teacher/student relationship per se. I read a quote that Herbie Hancock said about Miles Davis, and I’m paraphrasing, but he said, “The magic of Miles Davis was his ability to teach someone by letting them figure out the answer.” That’s what Bob does. He lets you find it because he realizes the power in that. It goes back to being a bandleader, and it requires such patience. It’s a powerful thing.

On ranking his roles as performer, composer, and bassist:

No question: playing bass for other people and being a sideman [has played the biggest role]. It teaches you such humility, and it’s an opportunity to play with other people and playing other people’s music. I love that process when it’s up to me to be creative and create something that serves the song and that’s not serving me or any one person. I really enjoy that process.

I’ve always been writing music since I started. I like creating new things. But in the last several years, I’ve been trying to write with intent and to have ideas, clear concepts, of what I want to do with the tunes and to execute them. I think I’m getting better at it. It’s informed my other areas of music.

On Slugfest being a part of Whizzbang Booking & Management’s #WVmusic line-up:

We’re super excited to be working with Ian Thornton. That stable of artists is off the hook. It’s diverse, and it’s only going to grow because Ian’s such a hard worker. Also it’s exciting to not have to book all the gigs myself, which is a nightmare (and anyone who has done it will agree). It’s arguably the most difficult job to do in the music industry because you’re dealing with schedules, personalities, money, negotiating, and clubs who don’t want to give you much money. Some people are so cut out for it; most musicians are not.

I still do some stuff on that end of things, but I want to focus on the music and the best product I can provide, and this is only going to benefit us.

Music featured in this #WVmusic chat:

John Inghram’s Slugfest- “Skoombutt Strutt”

John Inghram’s Slugfest- “Kickin’ Slippers”