Happy New Year, Beloved Patrons! Dan McGowan here, bringing you a special recording from the Tea Club archive.
In October of 2017, me and Pat made this demo of what would become The Tea Club song "Came At a Loss" on our album If/When. This demo just features Pat on the 12 string acoustic guitar and me singing and overdubbing harmonies. I had just written the lyrics and the harmonies, and I remember setting up in our church while no one was there to record my voice.
This is one of my favorites from If/When, because I feel like lyrically I really nailed what I was trying to convey. However, this original demo includes a verse that was ultimately omitted from the record, that further explore the shadow side of nostalgia that I was dealing with. Here are those lyrics.
And I still can recall
That the day I learned how to sing
Was the day I got drafted to war
And it's hard to unsee
That it's me who keeps it alive
When I know that it came at a loss
And here's a picture of me and Pat from around the time this was made.

This recording of "Came At a Loss" was performed by:
Patrick McGowan - 12 String Acoustic Guitar
Dan McGowan - Vocals