Winning big only really happens when we go all in (or at least from my personal experience). It’s the excitement of the race we love until we find ourselves running the same track over and over again in a cyclical pattern and just want to break free from the same ole same ole.

With roots in Kentucky, my grandmother, a country girl, swept off her feet by a city man name Herman, a big hearted passionate, cigar smoking grump with a hankerin’ for standing strong in his worth, and taking action towards big risks for his beloved. Herman kept his promise of building a very successful business, Kean Rigging Company. With the company's profits, Herman bought his wife racehorses. She found herself in the winning circle many times over. But...with those big winnings came big losses. Herman's company's profits dwindled to keep his race horses alive and in good standing (probably breaking even in the long run). My grandmother saw the big money go just as quickly as it had come. Many families can relate to the excitement and fear that go along with what seems at times to be an inescapable hustle of the extreme highs and debilitating lows of such a gig.

It tears me up because this is a part of my family tradition where I find a measure of comfort. I also acknowledge and admit to turning a blind eye to the potential cruelty of the horses that can and does occur in this weird (yet really fun) sport. Why do I do that? Why do we choose to ignore what is uncomfortable to talk about, to keep doing things for the sake of fun and tradition?
How far does a person go to protecting animals? One of my dream jobs as a little girl was to be a jockey. I still love riding horses but sometimes you have to kick the horse on the sides to get it to go. The love of horses runs deep in my veins. They are such beautiful and phenomenal creatures. Somehow I can’t seem to break free of a good race or placing a $2 bet on my favorite jockey or long shot . If you grew up this way, you know what I’m talking about. There is something about stepping onto the cobblestone paddock, with cigar smoke and bourbon wafting about, picking a favorite horse in your Sunday's finest, hats and all, amid the excited race energy sights and sounds of hope and a good time with the people surrounding you on a beautiful Spring day. You get it! But at what cost? It’s more than just the money. I hate to love it, but I do love it!.... Until they have to put a horse down because of an accidental injury. That's a real buzz kill too especially being Derby time and all. It's all fun & games until it aint. Reality kicks in and there is this weird dichotomy of loving and hating the same exact thing at same exact time. And this song is dedicated to just that.

In the song, Cherry POP! our hero, the racehorse, shoots from the gates so fast he loses his jockey, busts out of the track and finds himself in a field of clover where he has always dreamed of better times. He knows he can’t escape who he truly is, but he tries to and in the process discovers he is so much more than what he originally believed himself to be. I would like to think that there is an "actual" possibility to live in both worlds. Among the racetracks and fields of clover is where we express our journey of “Running Free” (the original title of Cherry Pop).

We created the art cover of this single from a photograph I took at the Kentucky Derby years ago assisted with an extra sprinkle of Michael Ivins magic on top.
-J.Kean