Who the Hell is Cherry? Stub Lee Talks About the Song and the Video
I’ve been asked…who the hell is Cherry?
In the song, it’s not anyone specifically by that name… Cherry. But, we all know a girl as I wrote about in this song. Maybe that girl doesn’t have every one of these traits or problems, but there are people you know who have been through some things or are currently going through these types of things. Some people will identify with Cherry. The name, by the way, keeps the song somewhat generic. It’s not meant to be someone real. It’s like the old song, “Sarah”, from Hall and Oates, if your name was Sarah, then this song seemed like it was written about you and for you whether you liked it or not. I didn’t necessarily want to do that with a common name.
Rylee Ivins
The face of Cherry in the official video.
In the video (below), the actor’s name is Rylee Ivins. She’s a student-aged young lady that has a background in theater and has even worked behind the scenes in movies. I’ve worked with her before and she was the first person I thought of for the part of Cherry. She had the look, the experience to take instructions, and turns out, patience with me as this was my first video to direct. I really enjoy the collaboration between creative minds.
When thinking about the video for this track, I had a mental image in my head of how Cherry acted. This story I was seeing became more like seeing scenes from a movie. It was pretty vivid, and when we made the video I tried to capture those scenes with a real person- Rylee did an awesome job.
We all have things we wrestle with and things that we are trying to overcome or maybe sweep under a rug so others don’t see. We have to choose how we deal with these things and Cherry’s way is sadly typical in many ways. Substances that alter our reality, that free us from the life we’re living, or hang-ups on social things like in her case, traveling outside her comfort zone. It’s easy to shut yourself in and let the world revolve around you outside your walls, your fortification. But the good news is that in the video, Cherry chooses to turn her back on the pills…maybe it’s her first step in saying no or starting a recovery. We always hope everyone finds that strength.
When I wrote that Cherry “dances in time with her anger”, I’ll admit that at first, it seemed like a lofty poetic line. I’ve since convinced myself that this could mean many things to as many people asked. I think that the listener can (and should) assign their own meaning to some lyrics. It may help them identify with the song and make more sense of their current condition. All I’m doing is writing some of the lines that get their mind going and then they start filling in the blanks as needed.
Stub Lee’s Texas Tele Guitar
This Squier Telecaster by Fender started out in mint condition but it wasn’t long after purchasing it that I wanted to make it look aged or to “relic” it. “Relicing”, also known as "aging," is the process of creating the appearance of wear and tear on a new or vintage guitar to make it look aged. This usually involves a variety of techniques, such as distressing the guitar’s finish or applying wear marks to the metal parts of the instrument.
Stub Lee’s Texas Tele
There are various methods and techniques that can be used to relic a guitar or other instrument. Some common methods include:
Distressing the finish: This can be done using various tools and techniques to create scratches, dents, and other wear marks on the finish of the instrument.
Faking rust or tarnish: This can be achieved using chemicals or other methods to create the appearance of rust or tarnish on metal parts of the instrument, such as the hardware or pickups.
Aged or worn parts: Replacing new parts with older, used parts that have a more worn appearance can add a vintage vibe to the instrument.
Aged or distressed cases: Using an older or distressed case to store and transport the instrument can also contribute to the overall vintage look.
“It inspires me to play the way I feel often times...beaten up and ugly”
It's important to note that relicing a guitar or other instrument is not the same as properly restoring and preserving a vintage instrument. While relicing is intended to create a specific aesthetic, the process of restoring a vintage instrument involves repairing and preserving the original materials and features of the instrument.
On this guitar, I aged all the hardware with muriatic acid to take the shine off then took a sander to the body to “wear” it. I wanted a specific look to the guitar and even took a Texas License plate and cut it to make the makeshift pickguard.
It looks like hell, but I don’t care how much it gets beaten around, knocked, kicked, or dropped. Although the finish looks bad, the electronics are very much up to date. I installed high-quality controls and wiring and included Fender’s Tex-Mex pickups that surely upgraded the stock, cheap, muddy-sounding pickups.
For a cheap guitar, it plays and sounds good and has that “look” of being thrown around and beaten down- it inspires me to play the way I feel often times…beaten up and ugly
Stub Lee Bluesman in the Cosmos Music AI Art Series
Introducing new AI art images in the style of oil paintings by Stub Lee: "Bluesman in the Cosmos." These pieces capture the beauty and majesty of the cosmos, with a mesmerizing nebula swirling in the background. The central figure of the image is lost in the music of his guitar, and the expressive features are captured in artful detail.
Stub Lee uses artificial intelligence (AI) to generate these images, which takes some forethought as to how the images should look, then he translates that into text prompts that the computer can understand.
The vibrant colors and rich texture of the oil paint style bring the scene to life, inviting you to get lost in the mesmerizing beauty of the universe.
Add these one-of-a-kind pieces to your collection today and let them serve as a reminder of the limitless potential of the human spirit and the boundless wonders of the cosmos intertwined with blues music.
There are four in the series and could be a great addition to a man cave, music room, music-listening lounge, or den.
Stub Lee on Stevie Ray Vaughan
Everyone has a story (in the Blues world) about Stevie Ray Vaughan, of course I have one too. My story is a little different in that I never got to see him before his tragic death, but he had a profound effect on me and my guitar playing and tone. If you really dont know Stevie’s level of playing, watch this iconic performance and then come back to the post.
I was married to my wife in 1986. She had been into old Country like Hank Williams Sr. and the like, and I had been raised on Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Van Halen etc. We didn’t really jive on much of the same music until we listened to Stevie Ray Vaughan. He brought us together musically and when we were at odds on some other bands that were playing on the radio, we could always come together on his music.
Working as a mechanic in my early twenties, my wife called the shop and told me of his death, but I pretended it didn’t bother me. Now, I’m ashamed of my feigned indifference in hearing the news. It really shook me as I realized we wouldn’t hear any new material from an artist that was only just taking off again after finding a clean lifestyle again. He was young, full of potential, highly respected by legendary Bluesmen, and now he was gone.
We’ve lost many significant artists to incidents and we all suffer even if we have never personally met that person. Their music helped mold us into who we are and how we look at and hear the world now.
The best I can do now is remember him for the great artist he was and still is in my heart.
FREE Phone Wallpapers designed by Stub Lee and AI Engines
Introducing the Blue Notes collection of Free phone wallpapers inspired by blues and rock music and design by Stub Lee and AI. With these vibrant and stylish designs, show off your love of music in a whole new way. From the classic rock icons to colorful modern blues images, these wallpapers feature a variety of musical influences that will keep you inspired when you open your phone.
Artificial Intelligence is growing rapidly as the technology iOS changing and maturing fast. Stub Lee writes the text prompts that help the AI engine generate the desired image.
“It’s cool to see what comes from an idea that I have and that I have to describe very specifically to get back something that resembles what’s in my head,” Lee says.
And the best part? They're free to download when you subscribe to Stub Lee's Blue Notes newsletter. So don't wait - get your free phone wallpapers and show off your musical style today.
