Recent converts to Kraig Johnson and the Program are frequently blown away by a song that usually gets played at or near the end of the show. It's a kick-ass rocker called "Freight Train" -- and that's usually what the listener feels like they've been hit with after experiencing The Program's power on this song. After collecting their senses, I've had more than a few people ask me at shows, "what is that song?...is it a cover?...did the Replacements do it?...it sounds familiar."
"Freight Train" is indeed a cover and an obscure one at that. It was originally done by a San Fran group called Sister Double Happiness. It was written in 1985-86 and was recorded in October 1987 for SDH's self-titled debut 1988 album on the SST label, which just happens to be the label that put out some records by Kraig's band at the time, Run Westy Run. Interestingly, the lyrics of "Freight Train" have some cultural and historical significance -- it's one of the very first rock songs I'm aware of that references the AIDS/HIV epidemic, something that wasn't exactly front page news in most of the country when the song was written. That SDH was based in the Bay Area is no surprise either, considering how San Francisco was one of the earliest battlegrounds for that "plague of the century."
Kraig first came across the song in the SST offices in CA in the late 80s. In short order, "Freight Train" started showing up occasionally in Run Westy Run setlists in the early 90s as a vocal showcase for Kraig, but The Program have really claimed it as their own over the last few years, eventually releasing a studio version in 2004 for the Kraig Jarret Johnson EP, recorded with The Program and other MN musical luminaries. It even pops up occasionally during Iffy shows, Kraig's funk/pop/rock crew with his brother Kirk. Damn near every performance of it these days is a life-affirming experience!
Freight Train
I wake up in the middle of the night
My skin is like a block of ice
Hot sweat pouring out of me
I got the plague of the century
(Chorus)
It's like a freight train
It's like an airplane
It's like a hurricane
Taking me away
I was as good as i could be
My skin smooth as ivory
I swear to God i hardly messed around
That modern plague put me into the ground
(chorus)
I call my mama, she said "Don't come home"
My friends shun me, I'm all alone
Before they touch me they put on gloves
C'mon, people, I need some love
(chorus)
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| Sister Double Happiness s/t album (SST - 1988) |
UPDATE (2018)
Milwaukee-based singer-songwriter Trapper Schoepp has been performing "Freight Train" live in recent years and a studio version is slated for an upcoming album expected in 2018. Trapper and his band learned it while on the road in 2014-15, opening for The Jayhawks, who then featured Kraig Johnson in the lineup. A very memorable Trapper live version of "Freight Train" occurred in 2015 at an appearance at the Turf Club in St. Paul, MN. For the encore, they kicked off with the familiar opening chords of the song, introducing it with "here's a song we learned from Kraig Johnson while on the road with The Jayhawks." Trapper's brother Tanner handled the lead vocal duties and during the guitar break in the middle, Trapper hopped down into the crowd to continue with his solo. After a minute or two, he spotted Ed Ackerson (long time Minneapolis musician and producer, who just happens to be the lead guitarist in The Program) in the crowd. Without missing a beat, he walked up to him and offered him his guitar. Ed obliged and continued the solo while the band raged behind them on stage and Trapper exhorted the crowd to do some call-and-response on the chorus.
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