The Inside Track : The Whags - 'Slice of Pie'
Late on a summer evening, Jordan and I (Liam) were showing each other new songs and decided to combine the best bits we had, a little chorus and a little jam. We wanted a song that could be played in circles, backwards or forwards, on and on again that would still be entertaining for folks listening to it. We were singing our way to a melody but stuck on a theme, so we decided to take a break outside and imbibe in a little Sunshine. We found ourselves above Seattle's great concrete canyon, I-5. In the waning evening hours, traffic spewed a heavy stream of white noise and hazy headlights. Needless to say, with our loosened faculties we began to think on the thunderous drive of metal, people, and money and it was all a bit too much. So we went and had a little ramen. We started to sing the line "Goodbye to your slice of pie" because pie makes everything better. Soon enough we were singing about little pie bakers making their way in a place without highways or cares, led by the heroine, Mother Robin, and it was too good to throw away.
Slice of Pie is a classic Whags concoction in that it's two songs in one. Two feels, two stories, and two different voices. While we'd love to claim this is our genius, it's more the product of collaboration and experimentation than anything else. We wanted a tight, Prince-esque feel but also wanted to play in a 6/8 time signature so we put the two together. There is room in the song for it to progress instrumentally but the vocals sit either with the 4/4 or the 6/8 groove so it all blends together.