The Sensational Country Blues Wonders Premiere Their “I Rode the Bus with Joey Ramone” Music Video

For creative people like Gary Van Miert, the man behind The Sensational Country Blues Wonders, dreams can sometimes be the greatest source of inspiration. One particular dream came in very handy for him that led to the writing and recording of “I Rode the Bus with Joey Ramone.” Today marks the premiere of the official music video, an animated, imaginative interpretation of literally riding the bus with Joey Ramone and what that might consist of.

With some comments on the song and the video, Van Miert states:

Once in a while, a song idea comes to me in a dream. ‘I Rode the Bus with Joey Ramone’ is one of those songs. This song describes a vivid dream I had about getting on a local bus and sitting next to Joey Ramone. In the dream, he was a very friendly guy. We discussed many things, none of which I can remember. Even the bus in the dream was headed to Bayonne, which rhymes with Ramone. The lyrics pretty much wrote themselves. I decided that animation was the best way to tell this story with humour while maintaining a dreamlike quality.”

The song is off The Sensational Country Blues Wonders’ recently released new album, If I Stop Moving, I’ll Fall From the Sky (read our recent review of the record). Van Miert’s third proper album under this moniker is composed primarily of psychedelic pop songs. This was the type of music which was all over AM Top 40 radio and FM rock radio stations in the 1960s. This is the music that he grew up with, and he got to a point in his career where he wanted to harness this spirit and energy in his own music. The songs on the new album focus on the sky, the universe, and altered states of consciousness. These were all obviously prevalent topics within 1960s culture.

The album was also inspired by Van Miert’s general sense of wonder about the universe. The subject matter fits well with his brand of psychedelic Americana, which he has been finetuning for many years now. Both trippy and whimsical, the record is like a slice of Van Miert’s life that he is sharing with you. It’s an ode to a time long gone by but one that certainly left its mark on modern culture. Like all great artists, this album makes it clear that Van Miert is an artist who is still learning and evolving and is happy to try new things.

If I Stop Moving, I’ll Fall From the Sky Track Listing:

1. We Are Made of Stardust
2. Why Did I Eat the Whole Bag of Mushrooms?
3. If I Stop Moving, I’ll Fall From the Sky
4. Golden Teacher
5. Head in the Clouds
6. I Rode the Bus With Joey Ramone
7. One More Cup of Mushroom Tea
8. Magic Glasses
9. Gravity
10. Sky Songs

The Sensational Country Blues Wonders ‘If I Stop Moving, I’ll Fall From the Sky’ album artwork