Singled Out: Fred Hostetler's Your Mind Is On Vacation

03-31-2025

Fred Hostetler just released his new single 'Your Mind is on Vacation' from his forthcoming album "Blues Back Pages", and to celebrate we asked him to tell us about the track. Here is the story:

In the chaos that is 2025 I accidentally came across the blues song 'Your Mind is on Vacation' (and your mouth is working overtime) when it appeared out of nowhere on YouTube. When something seems out of the ordinary I take note. After listening to Mose Allison's singing on the jazzy bluesy track, what struck me the most was the lyrics. At that moment I knew it was time to do my own rendition.

To get the job done I turned to northern Indiana musician friends from my youth, Tim Heist on harmonica and Eric Troyer on piano, to create a band feel that would include their blues roots. I immediately heard it in a different way, a fresh approach using multiple blues genres and finally spinning off into a groove reminiscent of the band I co-founded with Karen Lawrence, Blue By Nature, as a relief to the 'yakety yak' of the individual personified by the song.

"Your mind is on vacation and your mouth is working overtime" resonates in this present era of mindless chatter. So, there you go. Something a little bit different to enjoy. It's a song that is perhaps a sign of the times. A song about someone who values himself above all others. An interesting side note is that many in the blues community attribute the title to a phrase first used by legendary blues guitarist Buddy Guy. If you know anything more about this matter, I would enjoy hearing from you.

This single will be included on the forthcoming album 'Blues Back Pages' scheduled for release late April or early May 2025.

Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the song, listen and watch for yourself below and learn more here