Jeff Karoub’s latest song has a warm acoustic and a great piano sound – the latter is perhaps not surprising considering how Jeff recorded it, as he explained to Americana UK: “I found myself recently alone with a Steinway grand piano in a ballroom on the university campus where I work — summer means far fewer students and events — and couldn’t resist playing and recording a demo of an original song. It didn’t seem to fit the most recent album, yet I was nonetheless taken with it and thought it would benefit from this, well, “grand” opportunity.”
The sparse arrangement frames a song of ambiguity – on one level it’s just the last song of the night in a bar, with the elusiveness of people you’ll see once and never have the chance to meet again. Then again there’s the observation of the bartender’s role – an ear for all, and ready to serve what each customer wants, standing aside and not passing open judgement, although he knows what fate is rolling down the tracks to be faced in the light of day. A metaphor, then? Jeff Karoub isn’t dictating a viewpoint, as he says: “So, what is it about? Maybe the dark night of a bartender’s soul. Perhaps it’s a lament about late-stage capitalism. Or the real or perceived end of the world—and how we might respond. I felt a little like a cinematographer with this one, imagining multiple angles and points of view. I don’t know what you hear, but I welcome your ears and interpretation. ”
