Grunge Tree

The Bend Song: About the song: This song all starts with our first lead guitarist, Scott Lui. I met Scott while I was working as a personal trainer at Bally Total Fitness. I taught a boxing class there and Scott walked in and told me he wanted to take the class and actually get in the ring and spar. Then he lifted his shirt up to reveal some incredible scars on his chest from receiving a double lung transplant! This was the beginning of an amazing friendship with one of the most inspiring human beings I’ve ever known. A little while into his training he told me he was going to run a sprint triathlon in Bend, Oregon. I told him he wouldn’t be doing it without me.

A while later while I was hosting my annual Easter Beer Hunt we had a guitar jam in my basement. Scott blew me away with his guitar chops. I had been storing my friend Kelly’s drums and Kelly’s friend Ken was a proficient bassist. Grunge Tree was born.

One night at jam rehearsal Scott walked in with a sheet of paper and a chord progression he’d been working on. He said he wanted it to sound like Willie Nelson. He started playing it and sang, “went down to Bend for the race of my life.” Then I chimed in, “we had beer and barbecue that first night…” And the Bend Song was off to the races. (Pun intended.) Sadly, Scott passed away in 2009 and is missed greatly. We can really feel his spirit when we play this song. By the way, our current second guitar player Charlie is Scott’s cousin. Cheers to you and enjoy the song!🎶