SALIDA - OUR NEWEST SONG

​SALIDA: ABOUT THE SONG...
 
This isn’t just a song about smoking pot, but it was inspired by smoking pot. Salida is a song about what is illegal in one state but is perfectly acceptable in another state.
Salida takes you on a journey that reflects the dangers of limiting access and criminalizing the needs of individuals. “This is a strange thing for us all to be in the same country but not have the same rights.” says Aaron Earl Short, the songwriter.
 
The story of Salida is about the choice to use marijuana and the “seedy” conditions to get it. Iowa has significantly higher binge drinking rates then the rest of the United States. Quitting drinking in a state that is rampant in alcohol consumption is difficult and the use of marijuana eases the withdrawals that come with not drinking.  Salida’s bridge in the song speaks of the difficulty of this tipping point of staying on the wagon and just how slippery that slope can be.
 
The chorus lyrics ring, “Goodbye, Iowa. It’s been quite the ride” and it keeps getting wilder. This song speaks directly to the rights and safety of friends, family, and our kids. It is about the “Great Unwelcoming”, our government passing laws that are dangerous and directed at marginalized and vulnerable groups. “As I hide out near Salida” reference where and in what conditions the song was written in while searching to understand not just where you fit, but where your family belongs.
 
“Back home in that conservative state, more than a buck or two short and a day too late” are lyrics that speak to backward ways and how very hard and fearful it is to reside under these conditions. The anxiety in existing while having to fight for your rights greatly effects mental health and wellness.
 
Living in Iowa, now releasing a song about leaving Iowa, is movement towards the freedoms that align to your values, your identity. So yeah, it isn’t just a song about smoking pot. It is a song about human rights and the right to our own identity.
 
Salida was written by Aaron Earl Short – performed and produced by The High Crest - Aaron Earl Short: vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, piano - Kat Darling: harmony vocals, drums
 
Released 2/9/24