“Nice Trick” will be included on the album In The Fifth Circle, which will be released in late 2024 or in January of 2025 (assuming it's ever finished).
Once I walked upon the sun
Just to show it could be done,
They said, “Hey… nice trick.
Is that all you’ve got for me?”
So I helped the blind to see,
Took the lame on walks with me,
They said, “Hey… nice trick.
Is that all you’ve got for me?”
They said, “Hey… nice trick.
Is that all you do for free?”
(piano break)
So I showed them how to live,
How not to take more than they give.
They said, “Hey… nice trick.
Is that all you’ve got for me?””
So they asked if I could die.
No, my misguided friend, not I.
They said, “Hey… nice trick.
Is that all you’ve got for me?””
They said, “Hey… nice trick.
Is that all you'll do today?”
(piano break)
In the light you'll find the way.
Nothing more to do or say.
They said, “Hey… nice trick.
Is that all you’ve got for me?”
They said, “Hey… nice trick.
Is that all you do for free?”
They said, “Hey… nice trick...”
Is that all you'll do today?”
They said, “Hey… nice trick...”
Music & Lyrics: Wicasta Lovelace.
Copyright © 2024: Wicasta Lovelace.
Copyright © 2024: Windhaven Network.
performers
Victoria Lovelace - backing vocals
Wicasta Lovelace - lead & backing vocals, piano, guitars, bass, sample instruments, drums, programming
production
Wicasta Lovelace - mixing, mastering
The short story which matches to “Nice Trick” is titled “Jesus HMF”. It's the story of a wild night in Saint Petersburg, Florida, when it all began unraveling.
AN EXCERPT
Jesus knelt beside her. She looked up at him with wide, fearful eyes.
“Calm yourself, sister,” he told her in even, reassuring tones. He wiped tears from her cheeks and examined the redness of her eyes. She hadn’t faced the full strength of the tear gas, either. “We’re okay here. We just need to move back.”
She nodded, bewildered, and allowed him to help her to her feet. He turned her away from the approaching chaos and pushed her toward the retreating crowds, then watched for a moment as she staggered away.
“They’re killing people,” a man said beside him.
Jesus glanced over at an older gentleman, who seemed as bewildered as the girl. He wasn’t speaking to Jesus, but to the Universe in general.
“What do you mean?” Jesus asked.
The man looked over quickly. “They’re killing people. I just saw them throw a guy down. Cracked his head on the concrete. Blood coming out of his ears. They beat him with batons while he was unconscious. Put zip ties on him. But he was already dead. They knew it. The zip ties were all for show.”
“You should pull back,” Jesus told him.
The man shook his head. “Fuck that. They’re killing us. I’m not getting out of here alive. I’m old. I’m ready. Fuck it. I’m going to take some motherfuckers with me.”
Jesus put his hand on the grizzled man’s arm. “This is not the way,” he said. “Don’t let your story end here.”
“Fuck that.”
“If you die here, brother, the fight ends here. You need to live. You need to keep fighting. You can’t do that if you’re dead.”
The older man looked at Jesus. Blinked. Some of the words got through. Enough of them. The man glared at the advancing militia, but he nodded. Without another word, the man turned and followed the retreating crowd.
Coming in 2024
Coming in 2024
Coming in 2024
Both the album and the short story collection share the title, “In The Fifth Circle”. The common theme between the two is that everything in both collections happened in a fictional nightclub called The Fifth Circle. And both of them are connected to a novel title “Blood & Chartreuse”.
It's complicated, y'all.
Were the songs inspired by the stories? Where the stories inspired by the songs? The answer to both of those questions is “Yes”. To varying degrees there was push and pull in both directions. I hope that in the end they will all collectively add up to an immersive experience that takes us all a little off the beaten path.
The weird stuff is in the weeds. So they tell me. I'll just keep re-visiting these works until they're all finished and there's an album and a book that I can toss onto a fire if need be on those cold, dark nights of the sould. There are too many interesting critters and ideas running around in my head to not see this through.
~ Wicasta Lovelace
Copyright © 2024. Windhaven Network
