You guessed it, another edition of LETTERS FROM THE ROAD, our guest post series where we invite musicians we are FREAKING nuts about to take over and write whatever they like. 2 rules: it has to be in the form of a letter, it has to have something to do with music. Introducing my new sonic crush, Leo Blais, Buy everything he’s ever made… seriously. FYI, we featured him on THE DAILY DOSE not too long ago

Dear vocal cords,

I wanted to write you and say how disappointed I am with you and how you let me down during my performance of ‘O Holy Night’ during the Christmas Mass when I was 12.  I practiced my ass off the whole month leading up to it and you failed me!  Not to mention, you teased me with your beautiful sounds of song and then, unlike most kids on Christmas, you took back your gift and left me with no vocal cords at all.

I was alone.  I was confused.  Shaken.  We tried everything to coax you back.  I even made your favorite, but even tea and lemon juice couldn’t stop this train wreck of a rendition.   My little brother had the 1st verse and nailed it like a champ.  You, on the other hand, hit the high register like Don Flamenco taunting Little Mac in Mike Tyson’s punch out.
Lets just say, you were not up to snuff.

I liken you to a deadbeat vocal cord.  You promise to be there and then you never show up.  I don’t know why you decided to take the day off, which led to 4 years of not trusting you whatsoever.  You let me down so badly that day.  I was no longer recognized as the kid who delivers newspapers in the neighborhood.  I was that kid who ruined ‘O Holy Night!’  That kid who didn’t know when to quit.  That kid who probably should have let his brother sing for him.

They didn’t know that you had changed on me.  How could they know?  There were moments when I thought about giving you the opportunity to explain the situation to people.  I wanted you to tell them. However, you’d probably just let me down again and not even show up.

You did come back to me though.  But I’ll never forgive you for that day.  Never.  At least this note gives me some form of satisfaction.  There’s a healing in doing this.  Besides, whenever I try to tell people you never cooperate.  You always bail on me in protest again, which exactly why I can’t trust you to tell the story.   I just wouldn’t be able to get a word out.

Vocally yours,

Leo Blais
http://www.leoblais.com/