Tucson COVID Tales No. 28: Cheating the Pandemic, by In Theory
We started writing “La Triche (The Cheat)” last year for our own enjoyment. We were rehearsing the Françoise Hardy song “Comment Te Dire Adieu,” and Paula began to improvise a spoken French verse about a certain famous orange with “tiny paws.” A longer song evolved from that first couple of lines, and Dan came up with a jaunty guitar part that complemented the irreverent lyrics. Initially we had no real intention of recording the song, let alone making a music video. We thought we might play it live at a few local venues, but like so many other performers, the pandemic put a stop to our live shows.
In March we were both furloughed from our jobs in health care. We found ourselves with much more time on our hands and an even clearer picture of just how much our country’s leadership has failed us. We were inspired to finish “La Triche (The Cheat)” by adding more biting lyrics in the form of the spoken section, and we decided to record and release it as a single.
Recording the song and filming the video were complicated by the limitations of the pandemic. We had to figure out a way to allow our drummer Thad to lay down his drum track in a safe setting, and we filmed his portion of the video masked and socially distanced. He wrote the drum part in a military march style that ties the guitar and lyrics together into a cohesive whole.
We wanted the video to be satirical, but also to reflect the difficulty of this year in a more serious way. In the later scenes it is revealed that we’re not in fact traveling around the country, but trapped at home during a pandemic. As is often the case with art, the adversity of this pandemic fueled us to shape this song that started out as a joke during a rehearsal into an acerbic political commentary.
In Theory, a Tucson trio, performs original tunes and covers in French and English, with a jazzy twist on pop. They are Paula Taylor (vocals, keyboard, oboe, clarinet), Daniel Taylor (guitar), and Thad Lannet (percussion). Visit them at https://intheoryband.wixsite.com/intheoryacoustic.
Category: TUCSON COVID TALES
