Well, I have been going to Washington Square, though not writing about it for a while.
I went there earlier this week and had a nice time playing with Pete and a guy named Andy who plays the mandolin. Andy knows many of the same Dylan songs as me.
I was also there on Sunday and there was an Italian TV crew trying to film us. But there was this slightly marginal guy who I guess had gotten pissed off about something, and he kept making a lot of noise and trying to disrupt the song and the shooting. Anyway, cameras love Pete who has no shortage of showmanship, and one of the members of the Italian film crew was trying to keep this guy away from us. So it was pretty cool because it was kind of like being a star and having guards to protect you.
On the other hand, cameras make me nervous, and I never know which way to look when one is on.
Later the producer from the Italian film crew came over with a harmonica and wanted to do a song with us.
Friday, August 17, 2007
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Great NYC Sing: June 21 at 7pm
Jazz station WBAI is promoting a sing along to take place tomorrow, 6/21 at 7pm (the time of the summer solstice). Idea is for everyone in New York to sing "This Land is Your Land" together. Details at: http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/news.php?id=14193
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Washington Square Park 6/9/07
Yesterday, WSP was taken over by some kind of Indian cultural fair, and packed to the gills with people. There were no guitarists in the usual places.
However, I was able to find Pete on a bench on the West side of the park. He recently bought a mandolin, and we messed around with that for a while, and worked on some old-timey stuff like "Lonesome Valley" "Crawdad Hole", "I Ain't Got No Home". Dan joined us a little later, singing harmonies, playing recorder, and trying his hand at the mando also.
Dan told me about this picture of me, taken by Yosef Bates:
However, I was able to find Pete on a bench on the West side of the park. He recently bought a mandolin, and we messed around with that for a while, and worked on some old-timey stuff like "Lonesome Valley" "Crawdad Hole", "I Ain't Got No Home". Dan joined us a little later, singing harmonies, playing recorder, and trying his hand at the mando also.
Dan told me about this picture of me, taken by Yosef Bates:
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
Brooklyn Open Folk Sing 6/6/07
Went to the Brooklyn open folk sing last Wednesday evening. I sang a bunch of songs:
- My Bucket's Got a Hole in it
- The Crawdad Hole
- Don't Think Twice
- You Ain't Going Nowhere
- Worried Man Blues
The group was smaller than usual. Brian and Monica were there. Brian did a nice job on Sonora's Death Row (written by Blackie Farrell, covered by many), and a WWII song called "The D-Day Dodgers" (Wednesday being the anniversary of the D-Day invasion).
Al did a song that I heard the Dubliners do, "The Black Velvet Band".
Afterwards, I had a conversation with Ben and his wife. According to Ben, the folk sing has had difficulty attracting young "talent". Those interested in performing accoustic music seem to be drawn to bluegrass. Maybe this explains some of the people I meet in the park who can play guitar pretty well, but can't sing a note.
Friday, June 01, 2007
It Takes a Worried Man...
Just found myself on YouTube. Thanks to Pete for digging this up.
Anyway, I've been away; will begin posting again soon.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apiVTW81Le0
Anyway, I've been away; will begin posting again soon.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apiVTW81Le0
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
What is Folk?
What is folk? And what does it mean when someone says that "folk is dead in Greenwich Village" as I read recently on the occasion of the closing of one more historic club?
I can think of at least 3 definitions of folk.
The first is: Woody Guthrie, Kingston Trio, Bob Dylan, James Taylor, ie, a certain style of music that involves accoustic instruments and a certain unadorned style that was very popular in the 60's and 70's and kind of petered-out with Carter and died with Reagan, although some have tried to make a comeback, including Bruce Springsteen, Suzanne Vega and others like Tom Russell. This is what you would find if you went to the "folk" section of your record store.
The second is: "Authentic folk". Irish ballads, whaling songs, mining songs, railroad songs, rails, jigs, fiddle tunes, blues--accoustic music that is generally played by "folks"--or at least used to be before radio and TV were invented. This music tends to be appreciated by white upper-middle-class well-educated types such as Pete Seeger and yours truly, for its authenticity and simple charm.
The third definition of folk is: whatever music people who are not professional musicians play when they get together with people they don't know that well. In that sense, any song that we've all heard a million times makes the cut (i.e., LA Woman, Dead Flowers, Me & Bobby McGee, Margaritaville) as well as any song that is so simple that anyone can follow (eg, Jambalaya, My Bucket's Got a Hole in it, Busted). I heard someone say that CCR songs (Proud Mary, Bad Moon Rising) became folk songs as soon as they were released--each one feels oddly familiar and inevitable, even the first time you hear it. And they tend to be pretty easy to play as well. Basically, any song that people can relate to, and possibly play or sing along to if they have some personal musical inclination, is folk. Ideally, folk is music that brings ordinary people together, without pretensions or exclusions.
Anyway, my personal opinion is that the third definition of "folk" is the most true and significant one, and that the first two are either simplifications, subversions or intellectual snobbery.
The first definition is the most pernicious, not because I'm not a huge consumer of Dylan and others (I am). But because it focuses more on a marketing classification than the essence of what the thing is and does not put a premium on the spontaneity and freshness that is the true beauty of folk. And because it makes it possible to say such things as "folk is dead."
Folk music is not dead. There will always be ordinary people getting together to make music--God help us if this kind of activity ever stops. If we're not hearing good folk music it's because we're not listening for it or we're not going out and making it. We know that folk music has served as the inspiration for professional music since the classical composers and before. And we know that it doesn't take much to ignite a popular flame; all it takes is a Guthrie, a Seeger and a Dylan to take something valuable but discarded from the past and present it to the people in a way that they can connect to. Spontaneous music, played by non-professional musicians will never disappear, no matter how technologically advanced we become.
With time, words change and lose their meaning. In Spanish, folk music might be called "popular music", meaning music "of the people" with a distinctly socialist tinge. In English, popular music, or "pop music", means empty, facile, commercial music. And folk is dead. So there is no English word that really succeeds in saying "authentic music of the people". But that doesn't mean that folk music is dead. Folk music will always be around whenever people are willing to get together and play "I've Been Working on the Railroad" or "Oops I did it Again" or "Achey Breaky Heart" and not worry too much if they are playing it exactly the same as on the recording. And eventually, people will prefer it to what they are hearing on the radio or seeing on the tv, then the next Guthrie will come along, followed by the next Dylan, and the next folk revival will be in full bloom.
Anyway, I'm glad to be playing real authentic folk music in historic Washington Square Park, as well as other places. I'm certainly no professional, but music is the opposite of cooking: a song that you make for yourself will always seem better than one that is prepared for you, even by a professional. If your own song sounds even half good it is a joy and a revelation. This is the engine behind all folk music.
I can think of at least 3 definitions of folk.
The first is: Woody Guthrie, Kingston Trio, Bob Dylan, James Taylor, ie, a certain style of music that involves accoustic instruments and a certain unadorned style that was very popular in the 60's and 70's and kind of petered-out with Carter and died with Reagan, although some have tried to make a comeback, including Bruce Springsteen, Suzanne Vega and others like Tom Russell. This is what you would find if you went to the "folk" section of your record store.
The second is: "Authentic folk". Irish ballads, whaling songs, mining songs, railroad songs, rails, jigs, fiddle tunes, blues--accoustic music that is generally played by "folks"--or at least used to be before radio and TV were invented. This music tends to be appreciated by white upper-middle-class well-educated types such as Pete Seeger and yours truly, for its authenticity and simple charm.
The third definition of folk is: whatever music people who are not professional musicians play when they get together with people they don't know that well. In that sense, any song that we've all heard a million times makes the cut (i.e., LA Woman, Dead Flowers, Me & Bobby McGee, Margaritaville) as well as any song that is so simple that anyone can follow (eg, Jambalaya, My Bucket's Got a Hole in it, Busted). I heard someone say that CCR songs (Proud Mary, Bad Moon Rising) became folk songs as soon as they were released--each one feels oddly familiar and inevitable, even the first time you hear it. And they tend to be pretty easy to play as well. Basically, any song that people can relate to, and possibly play or sing along to if they have some personal musical inclination, is folk. Ideally, folk is music that brings ordinary people together, without pretensions or exclusions.
Anyway, my personal opinion is that the third definition of "folk" is the most true and significant one, and that the first two are either simplifications, subversions or intellectual snobbery.
The first definition is the most pernicious, not because I'm not a huge consumer of Dylan and others (I am). But because it focuses more on a marketing classification than the essence of what the thing is and does not put a premium on the spontaneity and freshness that is the true beauty of folk. And because it makes it possible to say such things as "folk is dead."
Folk music is not dead. There will always be ordinary people getting together to make music--God help us if this kind of activity ever stops. If we're not hearing good folk music it's because we're not listening for it or we're not going out and making it. We know that folk music has served as the inspiration for professional music since the classical composers and before. And we know that it doesn't take much to ignite a popular flame; all it takes is a Guthrie, a Seeger and a Dylan to take something valuable but discarded from the past and present it to the people in a way that they can connect to. Spontaneous music, played by non-professional musicians will never disappear, no matter how technologically advanced we become.
With time, words change and lose their meaning. In Spanish, folk music might be called "popular music", meaning music "of the people" with a distinctly socialist tinge. In English, popular music, or "pop music", means empty, facile, commercial music. And folk is dead. So there is no English word that really succeeds in saying "authentic music of the people". But that doesn't mean that folk music is dead. Folk music will always be around whenever people are willing to get together and play "I've Been Working on the Railroad" or "Oops I did it Again" or "Achey Breaky Heart" and not worry too much if they are playing it exactly the same as on the recording. And eventually, people will prefer it to what they are hearing on the radio or seeing on the tv, then the next Guthrie will come along, followed by the next Dylan, and the next folk revival will be in full bloom.
Anyway, I'm glad to be playing real authentic folk music in historic Washington Square Park, as well as other places. I'm certainly no professional, but music is the opposite of cooking: a song that you make for yourself will always seem better than one that is prepared for you, even by a professional. If your own song sounds even half good it is a joy and a revelation. This is the engine behind all folk music.
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Photo I found
I found this photo at http://www.flickr.com/photos/maomee/467579621/
I'm the one with his back to the camera. Pete is playing the resonator guitar, and Australian Pete on the harmonica.
You can read about it here.
Lots of people take pictures of musicians of musicians in the park. But this is the first one of me I've found floating around cyberspace.
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
Monday 5/7/07
Yesterday around 5:30 pm at the height of rush hour I'm walking down 6th Ave by 14th St Street, headed for the park. Someone is begging loudly, would someone please give him some change, he's trying to save enough for a harmonica. All he needs is a harmonica, a little music, he keeps whining, really.
I walk past, then turn to look. The guy is standing by the F train entrance; he's kind of old and raggedy, tall and thin with long gray hair. I start to walk away then turn back again. Finally I ask him: do you really want money to buy a harmonica?
Up close I see he's not so old. Maybe my age. He's pretty dirty and his teeth are mostly gone--3 or 4 brown stubs. He's happy I asked. Of course he wants a harmonica.
I happen to be carrying a backpack full of six harmonicas, so I give him my C harp which is the only marine band. I tell him it's been used, but he doesn't mind. He plays a little bit of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow", then some blues. He gives me a big smile and a big filthy hand-shake, heads down the subway stairs to make some money, I hope.
Two steps down he turns back and says: Who sent you? Was it Jesus?
I keep going to the park It's half-closed, roped-off and patrolled by glowering security guards. NYU graduation is coming.
Some say that NYU wants to make the park its front lawn. NYU is a prestigious university with no campus, except Washington Square which becomes campus defacto, because NYU buildings surround it.
No guitarists are out, but there is a serious jazz duet --bass and saxophone--which demands complete respect. Music students, I guess. If I had their talent and dedication I could probably do at least as well. The guy I gave my harmonica to wasn't bad, either.
I walk past, then turn to look. The guy is standing by the F train entrance; he's kind of old and raggedy, tall and thin with long gray hair. I start to walk away then turn back again. Finally I ask him: do you really want money to buy a harmonica?
Up close I see he's not so old. Maybe my age. He's pretty dirty and his teeth are mostly gone--3 or 4 brown stubs. He's happy I asked. Of course he wants a harmonica.
I happen to be carrying a backpack full of six harmonicas, so I give him my C harp which is the only marine band. I tell him it's been used, but he doesn't mind. He plays a little bit of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow", then some blues. He gives me a big smile and a big filthy hand-shake, heads down the subway stairs to make some money, I hope.
Two steps down he turns back and says: Who sent you? Was it Jesus?
I keep going to the park It's half-closed, roped-off and patrolled by glowering security guards. NYU graduation is coming.
Some say that NYU wants to make the park its front lawn. NYU is a prestigious university with no campus, except Washington Square which becomes campus defacto, because NYU buildings surround it.
No guitarists are out, but there is a serious jazz duet --bass and saxophone--which demands complete respect. Music students, I guess. If I had their talent and dedication I could probably do at least as well. The guy I gave my harmonica to wasn't bad, either.
James Reames in Brooklyn, May 11
This was emailed to me. Sounds pretty good....
"James Reams & The Barnstormers deliver an edge that’s missing from a lot of bluegrass being made today.”
- No Depression magazine
“…tight instrumental excellence and hard-edged vocals …uncompromising, hard-core bluegrass…”
- Sing Out magazine
PLEASE JOIN US ON FRIDAY, MAY 11, FOR TWO SETS OF OLD-SCHOOL BLUEGRASS MUSIC with JAMES REAMS & THE BARNSTORMERS
at
The Good Coffeehouse Music Parlor
Brooklyn’s home for acoustic roots music / 2006-2007: Our 32nd Year
53 Prospect Park West at 2nd Street in Park Slope, Brooklyn, NY
www.gchmusic.org
718-965-8490 / 718-768-2972
or email info@jamesreams.com
Directions by public transportation:
subway: Q train to 7th Av station in Brooklyn; F train to 7th Av; 2 or
3 train to Grand Army Plaza
bus: B69 to 2nd St; B75 to Prospect Park West; B41 or B71 to Grand Army
Plaza; B67 to 2nd St.
Doors open at 7:30; show starts at 8:00
$10 adults / $6 kids
"James Reams & The Barnstormers deliver an edge that’s missing from a lot of bluegrass being made today.”
- No Depression magazine
“…tight instrumental excellence and hard-edged vocals …uncompromising, hard-core bluegrass…”
- Sing Out magazine
PLEASE JOIN US ON FRIDAY, MAY 11, FOR TWO SETS OF OLD-SCHOOL BLUEGRASS MUSIC with JAMES REAMS & THE BARNSTORMERS
at
The Good Coffeehouse Music Parlor
Brooklyn’s home for acoustic roots music / 2006-2007: Our 32nd Year
53 Prospect Park West at 2nd Street in Park Slope, Brooklyn, NY
www.gchmusic.org
718-965-8490 / 718-768-2972
or email info@jamesreams.com
Directions by public transportation:
subway: Q train to 7th Av station in Brooklyn; F train to 7th Av; 2 or
3 train to Grand Army Plaza
bus: B69 to 2nd St; B75 to Prospect Park West; B41 or B71 to Grand Army
Plaza; B67 to 2nd St.
Doors open at 7:30; show starts at 8:00
$10 adults / $6 kids
Sunday, May 06, 2007
Yesterday in the Park
Saturday, May 5 was a beautiful day in Washington Square Park.
For a while I listened to a very capable (ie, professional) blue-grass quintet: guitar, banjo, mando, stand-up bass. The guitar player (also the strongest singer) was a guy I recognized from Paddy Reilly's. I sat in the audience on the low retaining wall nearby and blew along on the harp for a couple of numbers. Sounded OK to me, but they never invited me to stand up and join them. Good warm-up anyway. I saw them send away a couple of guys with guitar and mando who asked to play with them ("this isn't really a jam").
OK, I could criticize these guys for not being open. On the other hand, I know from experience how accoustic music can seriously degrade when there are too many instruments playing at once, especially if some of them are off the beat or out of tune. Paddy Reilly jam often has 6 guitarists, 4 mandos, 3 banjos a couple of fiddles, and assorted others. It invariably sounds muddy and diffuse, even though many of the musicians are excellent. By contrast, this group in the park sounded terrific, probably because they kept it to a minimum (though a fiddle and dobro would have made it even better). So I understand what they were doing.
So I wandered over to where Pete was playing and spent a couple of hours. There was a guy named Jay there, who was a strong gutsy singer and accompanied himself on an Ovation Applause. Kind of a classic rock guy, I suppose: he did a Doors blues, a U2 ballad which I thought went great with the harp, American Pie, The Weight (a park standard) sung along to Bobby McGee in Janis mode, even though Pete was in Kristofferson mode. He said he was in a band--I guess he is the front man.
I did a few Hank shit-kickers, which I am getting pretty satisfied with. I would like to learn a few more.
A guy named Jeff who I met before played some nice leads on a Gibson, Dan was playing recorder and singing some harmonies, Ron was also singing some harmonies. Larry came by later on and did some Cat Stevens songs that a tourist in the audience kept requesting, as well as Nashville Cats which sounded great with harmonies (and I knocked out a very satisfying harp solo).
Towards the end, Pete, Dan and Ron harmonized on a couple of oldies. These guys are old hands at this kind of song and they always sound great to me.
For a while I listened to a very capable (ie, professional) blue-grass quintet: guitar, banjo, mando, stand-up bass. The guitar player (also the strongest singer) was a guy I recognized from Paddy Reilly's. I sat in the audience on the low retaining wall nearby and blew along on the harp for a couple of numbers. Sounded OK to me, but they never invited me to stand up and join them. Good warm-up anyway. I saw them send away a couple of guys with guitar and mando who asked to play with them ("this isn't really a jam").
OK, I could criticize these guys for not being open. On the other hand, I know from experience how accoustic music can seriously degrade when there are too many instruments playing at once, especially if some of them are off the beat or out of tune. Paddy Reilly jam often has 6 guitarists, 4 mandos, 3 banjos a couple of fiddles, and assorted others. It invariably sounds muddy and diffuse, even though many of the musicians are excellent. By contrast, this group in the park sounded terrific, probably because they kept it to a minimum (though a fiddle and dobro would have made it even better). So I understand what they were doing.
So I wandered over to where Pete was playing and spent a couple of hours. There was a guy named Jay there, who was a strong gutsy singer and accompanied himself on an Ovation Applause. Kind of a classic rock guy, I suppose: he did a Doors blues, a U2 ballad which I thought went great with the harp, American Pie, The Weight (a park standard) sung along to Bobby McGee in Janis mode, even though Pete was in Kristofferson mode. He said he was in a band--I guess he is the front man.
I did a few Hank shit-kickers, which I am getting pretty satisfied with. I would like to learn a few more.
A guy named Jeff who I met before played some nice leads on a Gibson, Dan was playing recorder and singing some harmonies, Ron was also singing some harmonies. Larry came by later on and did some Cat Stevens songs that a tourist in the audience kept requesting, as well as Nashville Cats which sounded great with harmonies (and I knocked out a very satisfying harp solo).
Towards the end, Pete, Dan and Ron harmonized on a couple of oldies. These guys are old hands at this kind of song and they always sound great to me.
Saturday, May 05, 2007
Musical terms commonly misunderstood by Country Western Musicians
Musical terms commonly misunderstood by Country Western Musicians and Their Translated "Country" Definitions
(thanks, Gerry)
DIMINISHED FIFTH - an empty bottle of Jack Daniels
PERFECT FIFTH - a full bottle of Jack Daniels
RITARD - there's one in every family
RELATIVE MAJOR - an uncle in the marine corps
RELATIVE MINOR - a girl friend
BIG BAND - when the bar pays enough to bring in two banjo players
PIANISSIMO - "refill this beer bottle"
REPEAT - what they do until they just expel you
TREBLE - women ain't nothin' but
BASS - the things you run aroun in softball
PORTAMENTO - a foreign country you always wanted to see
CONDUCTOR - the man who punches your ticket to Birmingham
ARPEGGIO - "ain't he that storybook kid with the big nose?"
TEMPO - good choice for a used car
A 440 - the highway that runs around Nashville
TRANSPOSITIONS - men who wear dresses
CUT TIME - parole
ORDER OF SHARPS - what a wimp gets at a bar
PASSING TONE - frequently heard near the baked beans at barbeques
MIDDLE C - the only fruit drink you can afford when food stamps are low
PERFECT PITCH - the smooth coating on a freshly paved road
TUBA - a compound word: "hey, woman! Fetch me another tuba Bryl Cream"
CADENZA - that ugly thing your wife always vacuums dog hair off of when company comes
WHOLE NOTE - what's due after failing to pay the mortgage for a year
CLEF - what you try never to fall off of
BASS CLEF - where you wind up if you do fall off
ALTOS - not to be confused with "Tom's toes", "Bubba's toes", or "Do-ri-toes"
MINOR THIRD - your approximate age and grade at the completion of formal schooling
MELODIC MINOR - Loretta Lynn's singing son
12-TONE SCALE - the thing the State Police weigh your tractor trailer with
QUARTER TONE - what most standard pickups can haul
SONATA - what you get with a bad cold or hay fever
CLARINET - name used on your second daughter if you've already used Betty Jo
CELLO - the proper way to answer the phone
BASSOON - typical response when asked what you hoped to catch
FRENCH HORN - your wife says you smell like a cheap one when you come in at 4 am
CYMBAL - what they use on deer crossing signs so you know what to sight in you pistol with
BOSSA NOVA - the car your forman drives
TIME SIGNATURE - what you need from you boss if you forget to clock in
FIRST INVERSION - grandpa's battle group at Normandy
STACCATO - how you did all the ceilings in you mobile home
MAJOR SCALE - what you say after chasing wild game up a mountain, "Damn! That was a major scale!"
AEOLIAN MODE - how you like Ma's apple pie
BACH CHORALE - the place behind the barn where you keep the horses
(thanks, Gerry)
DIMINISHED FIFTH - an empty bottle of Jack Daniels
PERFECT FIFTH - a full bottle of Jack Daniels
RITARD - there's one in every family
RELATIVE MAJOR - an uncle in the marine corps
RELATIVE MINOR - a girl friend
BIG BAND - when the bar pays enough to bring in two banjo players
PIANISSIMO - "refill this beer bottle"
REPEAT - what they do until they just expel you
TREBLE - women ain't nothin' but
BASS - the things you run aroun in softball
PORTAMENTO - a foreign country you always wanted to see
CONDUCTOR - the man who punches your ticket to Birmingham
ARPEGGIO - "ain't he that storybook kid with the big nose?"
TEMPO - good choice for a used car
A 440 - the highway that runs around Nashville
TRANSPOSITIONS - men who wear dresses
CUT TIME - parole
ORDER OF SHARPS - what a wimp gets at a bar
PASSING TONE - frequently heard near the baked beans at barbeques
MIDDLE C - the only fruit drink you can afford when food stamps are low
PERFECT PITCH - the smooth coating on a freshly paved road
TUBA - a compound word: "hey, woman! Fetch me another tuba Bryl Cream"
CADENZA - that ugly thing your wife always vacuums dog hair off of when company comes
WHOLE NOTE - what's due after failing to pay the mortgage for a year
CLEF - what you try never to fall off of
BASS CLEF - where you wind up if you do fall off
ALTOS - not to be confused with "Tom's toes", "Bubba's toes", or "Do-ri-toes"
MINOR THIRD - your approximate age and grade at the completion of formal schooling
MELODIC MINOR - Loretta Lynn's singing son
12-TONE SCALE - the thing the State Police weigh your tractor trailer with
QUARTER TONE - what most standard pickups can haul
SONATA - what you get with a bad cold or hay fever
CLARINET - name used on your second daughter if you've already used Betty Jo
CELLO - the proper way to answer the phone
BASSOON - typical response when asked what you hoped to catch
FRENCH HORN - your wife says you smell like a cheap one when you come in at 4 am
CYMBAL - what they use on deer crossing signs so you know what to sight in you pistol with
BOSSA NOVA - the car your forman drives
TIME SIGNATURE - what you need from you boss if you forget to clock in
FIRST INVERSION - grandpa's battle group at Normandy
STACCATO - how you did all the ceilings in you mobile home
MAJOR SCALE - what you say after chasing wild game up a mountain, "Damn! That was a major scale!"
AEOLIAN MODE - how you like Ma's apple pie
BACH CHORALE - the place behind the barn where you keep the horses
Monday, April 30, 2007
Washington Square Park Sunday 4/29
With the nice weather I have been out in the park the last couple of weekends. Last Sunday I went out with just the harmonicas. No one expects you to lead any songs when you don't have a guitar, so there's a lot less pressure.
My harmonica playing is improving, though I'm still just making it up as I go. Sometimes I can't find the note I'm looking for. Other times, something very simple, like a single note or chord at just the right moment will add a lot to a song.
I'm playing regular Hohner diatonic harps (harmonica). I have a few different keys: A, B, C, D, E and G. I am missing F, and don't have any sharps or flats. Most of my harps are "blues harps" though the C is a classic "marine band" (same kind I had when I was 15), and the G is a "Pro Harp".
There were bunch of different people out on Sunday. Pete knows a lot of songs, and did a really nice singing lead on a doo wop with Arthur and Dan. "In the Still of the Night" (?) He's also working on one of my favorite Waylon Jennings songs: Honky Tonk Heroes, and did a few Hank tunes like Jambalaya and Cheating Heart.
A guy named Michael came by with a new old 12-string that he got for $135 online. It sounded pretty good. He does Dylan, Hank and a bunch of old-timey stuff.
Larry did a few of his songs. I like his version of Lovin' Spoonful's "Nashville Cats". He also does "Mr. Bojangles" in E. I had no problem following him. I had to capo up from C, and it was like playing in my sleep--this was one of the first songs I ever learned. Larry told me that he teaches high school Social Studies in Brooklyn.
There was a Puerto Rican guy named Carlos, who strummed along a bit, but didn't lead. I finally convinced him to do "Rancho Grande". I borrowed his guitar a couple of times, did "Early Morning Rain", "Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues", Hank Williams' "Move it on Over" (twice). I did CCR's "Don't Look Now" but don't quite have the lyrics down.
Jerry came by. Jerry is a big guy with bright red dyed hair. I think he's done some singing at piano bars. He sings but doesn't play an instrument. He did "Boogey Woogey Bugle Boy of Company B", and sort of half did Mac Davis' "I Believe in Music".
Not much of an audience this time, just a few people coming and going. Sometimes it's fun to play different things with different people, and not worry so much about pleasing the people who are listening. On the other hand, sometimes something clicks, and it's nice to have an appreciative audience to confirm that you did a good job.
My harmonica playing is improving, though I'm still just making it up as I go. Sometimes I can't find the note I'm looking for. Other times, something very simple, like a single note or chord at just the right moment will add a lot to a song.
I'm playing regular Hohner diatonic harps (harmonica). I have a few different keys: A, B, C, D, E and G. I am missing F, and don't have any sharps or flats. Most of my harps are "blues harps" though the C is a classic "marine band" (same kind I had when I was 15), and the G is a "Pro Harp".
There were bunch of different people out on Sunday. Pete knows a lot of songs, and did a really nice singing lead on a doo wop with Arthur and Dan. "In the Still of the Night" (?) He's also working on one of my favorite Waylon Jennings songs: Honky Tonk Heroes, and did a few Hank tunes like Jambalaya and Cheating Heart.
A guy named Michael came by with a new old 12-string that he got for $135 online. It sounded pretty good. He does Dylan, Hank and a bunch of old-timey stuff.
Larry did a few of his songs. I like his version of Lovin' Spoonful's "Nashville Cats". He also does "Mr. Bojangles" in E. I had no problem following him. I had to capo up from C, and it was like playing in my sleep--this was one of the first songs I ever learned. Larry told me that he teaches high school Social Studies in Brooklyn.
There was a Puerto Rican guy named Carlos, who strummed along a bit, but didn't lead. I finally convinced him to do "Rancho Grande". I borrowed his guitar a couple of times, did "Early Morning Rain", "Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues", Hank Williams' "Move it on Over" (twice). I did CCR's "Don't Look Now" but don't quite have the lyrics down.
Jerry came by. Jerry is a big guy with bright red dyed hair. I think he's done some singing at piano bars. He sings but doesn't play an instrument. He did "Boogey Woogey Bugle Boy of Company B", and sort of half did Mac Davis' "I Believe in Music".
Not much of an audience this time, just a few people coming and going. Sometimes it's fun to play different things with different people, and not worry so much about pleasing the people who are listening. On the other hand, sometimes something clicks, and it's nice to have an appreciative audience to confirm that you did a good job.
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Show Cancellled!!! Tim Grimm in Brooklyn, 5/4/07
Singer/songwriter Tim Grimm was scheduled to appear at the Good Coffeehouse in Park Slope, Brooklyn. But the show has been cancelled because of a family illness. Look forward to seeing Tim next season.
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Tom Russell at Joe's Pub 4/23/07
Attended Tom Russell concert last Monday 4/23 at Joe's Pub on Lafayette St.
Tom sang and played guitar, accompanied by highly professional Michael Martin on guitar, mando and harmonies. Russell is a terrific songwriter and performer and has a rich voice. A man after my own heart, he opened the set with half a verse from Hank Williams' "Lost Highway", before launching into an original ballad.
He did a tribute to bluegrass renegade Jimmy Martin, and one to Woody Guthrie, which he prefaced with a story he got from Rambling Jack Elliot about his memories of Woody when they were both living in Brooklyn. In introducing the Jimmy Martin song, Russell said he hadn't heard a country song he liked since 1973. I see his point, although Waylon's best albums came out in the late 70's, and Dwight Yoakam is still pretty impressive. (and I'm sure there's plenty of good stuff out there I haven't found yet).
He also did his classic songs "Navajo Rug", "Stealing Electricity", Haley's Comet" (about the dying days of rock legend Bill Haley). Russell is an impressive guy--intelligent, worldly and witty, and a hugely talented songwriter. The guy has been around: living in Southern California, Vancouver, New York City, Texas, Spain, Norway, Nigeria etc. According to Wikipedia he played the Vancouver folk scene in the 70's, then dropped out of the music business. He was driving a cab in New York City when he was "discovered" by Robert Hunter of the Grateful Dead, who hired him as an opening act.
Russell's fans love him; the audience at Joe's was 100% enthusiastic and 100% appreciative. He has already achieved greatness, even if he is not a household name.
If you ever get a chance to see Tom Russell in concert, go for it. Joe's Pub is a beautiful intimate venue, though it is pricey and the sets are kind of short.
Tom sang and played guitar, accompanied by highly professional Michael Martin on guitar, mando and harmonies. Russell is a terrific songwriter and performer and has a rich voice. A man after my own heart, he opened the set with half a verse from Hank Williams' "Lost Highway", before launching into an original ballad.
He did a tribute to bluegrass renegade Jimmy Martin, and one to Woody Guthrie, which he prefaced with a story he got from Rambling Jack Elliot about his memories of Woody when they were both living in Brooklyn. In introducing the Jimmy Martin song, Russell said he hadn't heard a country song he liked since 1973. I see his point, although Waylon's best albums came out in the late 70's, and Dwight Yoakam is still pretty impressive. (and I'm sure there's plenty of good stuff out there I haven't found yet).
He also did his classic songs "Navajo Rug", "Stealing Electricity", Haley's Comet" (about the dying days of rock legend Bill Haley). Russell is an impressive guy--intelligent, worldly and witty, and a hugely talented songwriter. The guy has been around: living in Southern California, Vancouver, New York City, Texas, Spain, Norway, Nigeria etc. According to Wikipedia he played the Vancouver folk scene in the 70's, then dropped out of the music business. He was driving a cab in New York City when he was "discovered" by Robert Hunter of the Grateful Dead, who hired him as an opening act.
Russell's fans love him; the audience at Joe's was 100% enthusiastic and 100% appreciative. He has already achieved greatness, even if he is not a household name.
If you ever get a chance to see Tom Russell in concert, go for it. Joe's Pub is a beautiful intimate venue, though it is pricey and the sets are kind of short.
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Sea Chanty Sing 4/14
This is a monthly event at the Seaman's Church institute by the South Street Seaport. People are very friendly there, and Shoko enjoys it too. A large group, some hardcore folkies, some older folks looking for a laugh. I did "I Wish I Was Back Home in Derry", very well-received.
Washington Square Park 4/14/07
Spent a couple of hours there Saturday pm, playing with Pete and Larry. I mostly accompanied on harmonica--a lot of fun. Pete did Love is in the Air, Moon River, Leaving on a Jet Plane. He also sung a bit with a young lady named Ana Marie who has a very nice voice. We did Honky Tonk Blues, St. Louis Blues, Rambling Boy. Larry did Tambourine Man + others. For a while Anina, who I've met a couple of times before played along with us. She sings pretty good harmony.
I also did a couple of songs with Joe: I Used to Love Her, Honky Tonk Blues, Midnight Hour.
I also did a couple of songs with Joe: I Used to Love Her, Honky Tonk Blues, Midnight Hour.
Thursday, March 29, 2007
3/25/07 Wash Sq Pk and Paddy Reilly's in 1 day!!! Part 2
This is a continuation of the previous post. If you want to start from the begining, click here.
So we went in Pete's car and arrived at Paddy Reilly's where the music was playing. Australian Pete bought us 3 guinesses. I stood at the bar drinking my beer, and chatted for a while with AJ (a singer / guitarist who I met in the park last last fall). He says that a group of old time / bluegrass folks will resume meeting up in the park on Friday afternoons as soon as the weather gets a little warmer, and took my email address. Australian Pete wandered over to the "stage" area, and started playing. Yonkers Pete was parking the car.
Soon I went over to the stage too, and started picking along to the bluegrass music. There were about 12 people playing guitar, fiddle, mandolin and banjo. Mostly familiar faces including Scott, Tony, Tom. There was one older African-American guy. He was playing a banjo most of the time, but at one point he picked up a guitar and led an excellent sweet-sounding version of "Snowbird".
Since we arrived late, there wasn't time for many songs. The regular professional band came in and started setting up, most of the players went home, a few went to the back room. It was no surprise that Pete stayed on the stage for one more (Willie Nelson's "I'm Gonna Get Drunk"). Aussie Pete and I played along. In the middle of the tune, Tony told us that we better move to the back room after the song was over. Pete didn't like it, but we complied.
Aussie Pete struck up a conversation with the Black banjo player, whose name is Norris. It turns out Norris is a member of an all-Black old time string band called The Ebony Hillbillies. The week before, the New York Pinewoods Folk Society had sponsored a concert by this band with tickets at $20 a pop. I haven't heard them play, but I heard they're very good.
Meanwhile, Scott, Aussie Pete, and a great fiddle player named Rick were playing some bluegrass tunes that sounded terrific. All 3 are great players, and this fiddle player always impressed me. I couldn't resist pulling out my guitar, but it's hard to keep up with these guys. I was happy to be in the same room with a guitar in my hand (and a guiness on the counter). Later Pete started trading tunes with Scott. Pete suggested "Girl From Ipanema" which Scott offered up in the key of Eflat. Pete was able to keep up without the aid of a capo, which is pretty impressive.
So we went in Pete's car and arrived at Paddy Reilly's where the music was playing. Australian Pete bought us 3 guinesses. I stood at the bar drinking my beer, and chatted for a while with AJ (a singer / guitarist who I met in the park last last fall). He says that a group of old time / bluegrass folks will resume meeting up in the park on Friday afternoons as soon as the weather gets a little warmer, and took my email address. Australian Pete wandered over to the "stage" area, and started playing. Yonkers Pete was parking the car.
Soon I went over to the stage too, and started picking along to the bluegrass music. There were about 12 people playing guitar, fiddle, mandolin and banjo. Mostly familiar faces including Scott, Tony, Tom. There was one older African-American guy. He was playing a banjo most of the time, but at one point he picked up a guitar and led an excellent sweet-sounding version of "Snowbird".
Since we arrived late, there wasn't time for many songs. The regular professional band came in and started setting up, most of the players went home, a few went to the back room. It was no surprise that Pete stayed on the stage for one more (Willie Nelson's "I'm Gonna Get Drunk"). Aussie Pete and I played along. In the middle of the tune, Tony told us that we better move to the back room after the song was over. Pete didn't like it, but we complied.
Aussie Pete struck up a conversation with the Black banjo player, whose name is Norris. It turns out Norris is a member of an all-Black old time string band called The Ebony Hillbillies. The week before, the New York Pinewoods Folk Society had sponsored a concert by this band with tickets at $20 a pop. I haven't heard them play, but I heard they're very good.
Meanwhile, Scott, Aussie Pete, and a great fiddle player named Rick were playing some bluegrass tunes that sounded terrific. All 3 are great players, and this fiddle player always impressed me. I couldn't resist pulling out my guitar, but it's hard to keep up with these guys. I was happy to be in the same room with a guitar in my hand (and a guiness on the counter). Later Pete started trading tunes with Scott. Pete suggested "Girl From Ipanema" which Scott offered up in the key of Eflat. Pete was able to keep up without the aid of a capo, which is pretty impressive.
3/25/07 Wash Sq Pk and Paddy Reilly's in 1 day!!!
Well I had a great day last Sunday. I had a beer, then went to the park with guitar at around 3 pm.
It was a beautiful sunny early Spring day--warm enough in the bright sun. I saw Pete playing with Alan, Dan and others, a big crowd gathered around. A bearded guitar player I've seen a few times, guitar virtuoso Scott, Joe with guitar mostly not playing , also a good harmonica player who I'd played with the night before. Later on a guy who played a conga drum. I was sitting up on top of a little concrete wall, trying to pick along to the songs. If the song is in G or E I can usually do a halfway decent bass-line, and my guitar has a pretty full sound.
I forget all the songs we were doing, but it was the songs those guys always do, like "Hang on Sloopy" and "Love the One You're With" and "Bad Moon Rising". Pete worked in a few of his songs in between. And Scott did a few. The only one I remember was "Jet" by Paul McCartney and Wings.
Finally I asked Pete if he wanted to work on some folk songs. So we went over to the other side of the circle. He tried to show me his arrangement of "Early Morning Rain" which I still can't follow -- something about the phrasing I guess doesn't jibe with my uniquely fucked-up sense of rythm.
But we played some easier songs, and of course a few people stopped to listen, because there were hundreds of people in the park. Soon the harmonica player from the other group came by. He looked like he had somewhere to go, but I asked him if he would do a Dylan song with us (as a rule, people who play harmonica in Washington Square Park are Dylan fans). So we did "Don't Think Twice" and a bunch of others. This harmonica player was awesome.
He turned out to be an Australian, named Pete ("Pete and re-Pete" ha.ha.ha), visiting New York. He was apartment sitting in a high-rise on 5th Ave overlooking the park (tough life). He heard people singing and playing so he came out. He hadn't spoken to anyone in two days.
We did a bunch of country songs, Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, and anything else we could think of. Of course "Rambling Boy", "My Bucket's Got a Hole in it.", "St Louis Blues". We had a small but very appreciative crowd. One guy said that he used to play in the park in the 50's and early 60's and that he was glad to finally hear some "quality music" again. Last thing I ever thought anyone would call me was quality music. Anyway this guy liked to hear himself talk, and Pete finally told him to shut up (Pete would make a good embassador to North Korea). The woman next to him expressed solidarity with Pete, and told us that she was the guy's ex-wife--they split 10 year's ago. There was also an Israeli woman who tried to sing, a French guy, and a very cute young couple. The guy was enthusiastic about singing along, and had a nice voice.
Finally it started to get cold and dark, and I my fingers got stiff. It was coming up on 7 pm, and we decided to go to bluegrass jam at Paddy Reilly's, which goes from about 5 to 8 pm.
To be continued on next post...
It was a beautiful sunny early Spring day--warm enough in the bright sun. I saw Pete playing with Alan, Dan and others, a big crowd gathered around. A bearded guitar player I've seen a few times, guitar virtuoso Scott, Joe with guitar mostly not playing , also a good harmonica player who I'd played with the night before. Later on a guy who played a conga drum. I was sitting up on top of a little concrete wall, trying to pick along to the songs. If the song is in G or E I can usually do a halfway decent bass-line, and my guitar has a pretty full sound.
I forget all the songs we were doing, but it was the songs those guys always do, like "Hang on Sloopy" and "Love the One You're With" and "Bad Moon Rising". Pete worked in a few of his songs in between. And Scott did a few. The only one I remember was "Jet" by Paul McCartney and Wings.
Finally I asked Pete if he wanted to work on some folk songs. So we went over to the other side of the circle. He tried to show me his arrangement of "Early Morning Rain" which I still can't follow -- something about the phrasing I guess doesn't jibe with my uniquely fucked-up sense of rythm.
But we played some easier songs, and of course a few people stopped to listen, because there were hundreds of people in the park. Soon the harmonica player from the other group came by. He looked like he had somewhere to go, but I asked him if he would do a Dylan song with us (as a rule, people who play harmonica in Washington Square Park are Dylan fans). So we did "Don't Think Twice" and a bunch of others. This harmonica player was awesome.
He turned out to be an Australian, named Pete ("Pete and re-Pete" ha.ha.ha), visiting New York. He was apartment sitting in a high-rise on 5th Ave overlooking the park (tough life). He heard people singing and playing so he came out. He hadn't spoken to anyone in two days.
We did a bunch of country songs, Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, and anything else we could think of. Of course "Rambling Boy", "My Bucket's Got a Hole in it.", "St Louis Blues". We had a small but very appreciative crowd. One guy said that he used to play in the park in the 50's and early 60's and that he was glad to finally hear some "quality music" again. Last thing I ever thought anyone would call me was quality music. Anyway this guy liked to hear himself talk, and Pete finally told him to shut up (Pete would make a good embassador to North Korea). The woman next to him expressed solidarity with Pete, and told us that she was the guy's ex-wife--they split 10 year's ago. There was also an Israeli woman who tried to sing, a French guy, and a very cute young couple. The guy was enthusiastic about singing along, and had a nice voice.
Finally it started to get cold and dark, and I my fingers got stiff. It was coming up on 7 pm, and we decided to go to bluegrass jam at Paddy Reilly's, which goes from about 5 to 8 pm.
To be continued on next post...
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Sea Chanty Sing Mar 10, 2007
Last night I went to a sea chanty singing event at the Seaman's Church over by South Street South seaport. I didn't bring my guitar, but my wife came along. We both had a great time singing along to the old songs. There was a nice turn-out, maybe 20 people, about half of them with guitars. I would say about half of the people were folks I recognized from the Brooklyn folk sing, including Brian and his wife, Frank, Al(?) and his wife Barb (who sings beautiful harmony), Alison (one of the leaders of New York Pinewoods Folk Music club, with an excellent strong voice), Ben who did a nice one on the squeeze box.
A guy sang a pretty humorous song about being lost on the Long Island Rail Road, done to the tune of "Gotta Leave the Little Girl in Kingston Town" ("When I reached Jamaica I forgot to change.").
There was a nice trading of songs, about half sung a capella, half accompanied. Some beautiful voices, nice guitar playing, good feeling. The next one is April 14, 8pm.
A guy sang a pretty humorous song about being lost on the Long Island Rail Road, done to the tune of "Gotta Leave the Little Girl in Kingston Town" ("When I reached Jamaica I forgot to change.").
There was a nice trading of songs, about half sung a capella, half accompanied. Some beautiful voices, nice guitar playing, good feeling. The next one is April 14, 8pm.
Friday, March 09, 2007
New Links
Brian, who I met at the Brooklyn sing along, sent me a long list of links, which I am posting here in its entirety. Thank you very much!
http://www.netrhythms.com/reviewsr.html#tomrussell
http://www.chordie.com/song.php/songartist/Tom+Russell/index.html
http://www.davidfrancey.com/
http://timgrimm.com/
http://www.ibiblio.org/jimmy/mcguinn/
http://www.southernmusic.net/
http://www.westernswing.com/
http://billkirchen.com/CrosstownArts/client_music/kirchen/
http://www.davidmallett.com/
http://wswing.home.texas.net/index.html
http://www.texasplayboys.net/
http://www.bobwills.com/
http://www.asleepatthewheel.com/
http://www.irishsongs.com/
http://guitar.about.com/
http://www.allmusic.com/
http://www.warren-wilson.edu/~appmusic/
http://banjoben.com/
http://www.bluegrasslyrics.com/
brooklyncountrymusic.com
http://www.buddyhollycenter.org/
http://shanty.rendance.org/
http://members.shaw.ca/tunebook/
http://www.carvin.com/
http://www.geocities.com/xulfrepus/folder/guitar.html
http://www.contemplator.com/
http://www.countryrootsmusic.com/
http://www.countrystandardtime.com/
http://sniff.numachi.com/~rickheit/dtrad/aidx/aidxA.html
http://www.elderly.com/
http://fqms.com/
http://www.gramparsons.com/
http://hightone.com/
http://www.mudcat.org/
http://www.takecountryback.com/
http://robbiefulks.com/
http://www.netrhythms.com/reviewsr.html#tomrussell
http://www.chordie.com/song.php/songartist/Tom+Russell/index.html
http://www.davidfrancey.com/
http://timgrimm.com/
http://www.ibiblio.org/jimmy/mcguinn/
http://www.southernmusic.net/
http://www.westernswing.com/
http://billkirchen.com/CrosstownArts/client_music/kirchen/
http://www.davidmallett.com/
http://wswing.home.texas.net/index.html
http://www.texasplayboys.net/
http://www.bobwills.com/
http://www.asleepatthewheel.com/
http://www.irishsongs.com/
http://guitar.about.com/
http://www.allmusic.com/
http://www.warren-wilson.edu/~appmusic/
http://banjoben.com/
http://www.bluegrasslyrics.com/
brooklyncountrymusic.com
http://www.buddyhollycenter.org/
http://shanty.rendance.org/
http://members.shaw.ca/tunebook/
http://www.carvin.com/
http://www.geocities.com/xulfrepus/folder/guitar.html
http://www.contemplator.com/
http://www.countryrootsmusic.com/
http://www.countrystandardtime.com/
http://sniff.numachi.com/~rickheit/dtrad/aidx/aidxA.html
http://www.elderly.com/
http://fqms.com/
http://www.gramparsons.com/
http://hightone.com/
http://www.mudcat.org/
http://www.takecountryback.com/
http://robbiefulks.com/
Thursday, March 08, 2007
Brooklyn Open Folk Sing 3/7
Well, I went to the open folk sing in Brooklyn on Wednesday night and had a nice time. It was a bitter cold night, but the 10-minute chilly walk from Grand Army Plaza adds to the charm of arriving at a warm room with people singing. I must say that the main room of the Ethical Culture Society has beautiful accoustics, and even my simple songs sound good there.
There was a small turn-out, which means that I got to do a few songs:
*Frankie and Johnny
*Ballad of Casey Jones
*Fiddlers Green
Some other songs that others done were:
*40 Shades of Green (sounds like a traditional Irish song, but actually written by Johnny Cash)
*Weila Weila (the moral of the song, as revealed in the last verse is "Don't stick knives in babys' heads")
*Gypsy Rover (my mother used to sing this to me when I was a baby)
*Brennan on the Moor
*Haul Away Joe
Brian did Tom Russell's "Blue Wing".
In keeping with approaching St. Patrick's Day, there were a lot of Irish songs.
I'm looking forward to next month's gathering, on April 4.
There was a small turn-out, which means that I got to do a few songs:
*Frankie and Johnny
*Ballad of Casey Jones
*Fiddlers Green
Some other songs that others done were:
*40 Shades of Green (sounds like a traditional Irish song, but actually written by Johnny Cash)
*Weila Weila (the moral of the song, as revealed in the last verse is "Don't stick knives in babys' heads")
*Gypsy Rover (my mother used to sing this to me when I was a baby)
*Brennan on the Moor
*Haul Away Joe
Brian did Tom Russell's "Blue Wing".
In keeping with approaching St. Patrick's Day, there were a lot of Irish songs.
I'm looking forward to next month's gathering, on April 4.
Monday, March 05, 2007
Live Music at the Reservoir 3/4/07
Monday 3/5 was moving day. My wife and I finished most of the packing on Sunday, so I decided we should celebrate by getting drunk at the local watering hole. Unfortunately, our usual place The Cedar Tavern was closed (temporarily? permanently?) for renovations. So we went down the street to a place called The Reservoir. Years ago this spot was occupied by a club called "Bradley's". Now it's more of an every-day bar where you might go to watch sports.
Anyway, I was surprised to see a couple of musicians setting up at the front end of the bar, near where I was sitting. The main guy's guitar was a Martin which looked very familiar. I asked him, and he said it was a D-28 (same as mine) and that he loved it. A very friendly young man named Tracey. He did a set of all original music, together with a trumpet player. He did a couple of reggae songs, and some jazzy, bluesy songs. The trumpet player was great, very polished and professional. Good original songs. The Martin sounded great (eerily familiar sound) though I'm not sure how well it lends itself to either reggae or jazz.
Aftwards I spoke to Tracey, he told me he is originally a drummer and is just starting out as a guitarist and singer. (He does have a wonderful sense of timing, by the way). Then he introduced the next act. I was pretty drunk by then, but I think his name was Evan Phelps--a 21-year-old kid from Austin Texas. Obviously talented, a beautiful voice, nice guitar playing, pretty songs. He told me that he was having trouble making it in Austin, which is apparently full of talented musicians.
Anyway, it was a nice night out, though I must say I was not feeling 100% on moving day. Suffice it to say that when the bartender offers you a free one, and you make the executive decision to switch to the hard stuff, remember that every action has consequences.
Anyway, I was surprised to see a couple of musicians setting up at the front end of the bar, near where I was sitting. The main guy's guitar was a Martin which looked very familiar. I asked him, and he said it was a D-28 (same as mine) and that he loved it. A very friendly young man named Tracey. He did a set of all original music, together with a trumpet player. He did a couple of reggae songs, and some jazzy, bluesy songs. The trumpet player was great, very polished and professional. Good original songs. The Martin sounded great (eerily familiar sound) though I'm not sure how well it lends itself to either reggae or jazz.
Aftwards I spoke to Tracey, he told me he is originally a drummer and is just starting out as a guitarist and singer. (He does have a wonderful sense of timing, by the way). Then he introduced the next act. I was pretty drunk by then, but I think his name was Evan Phelps--a 21-year-old kid from Austin Texas. Obviously talented, a beautiful voice, nice guitar playing, pretty songs. He told me that he was having trouble making it in Austin, which is apparently full of talented musicians.
Anyway, it was a nice night out, though I must say I was not feeling 100% on moving day. Suffice it to say that when the bartender offers you a free one, and you make the executive decision to switch to the hard stuff, remember that every action has consequences.
Sunday, March 04, 2007
Washington Square Park--Saturday March 3
Another beautiful warm day. Sun shining into my apartment was so strong I had to open the windows to cool the place off. But by the time I made it to the park around 3:30, the sun was behind the clouds and the wind was picking up.
Anyway, I was able to do a few songs with Pete, Dan, and another fellow who sings harmony. A guy named Phil who plays slide guitar was also there, as well as John, who did the drawing at the top of this blog.
Pete had been there for an hour by the time I arrived, and said he was freezing his butt off. My fingers felt cold and stiff nearly from the get-go. But we did a few songs anyway:
*Early Morning Rain -- Pete has his version of this, I have mine. Problem is, I can't quite follow his version yet, so we did mine.
*Margaritaville--Dan does a nice recorder solo. It's an easy song, but I made a hash of it.
*Rambling Boy--Our regular song--nice harmonies all around
*King of the Road--One of Pete's standards
*Honky Tonk Heroes--Pete led it. I'm going to work on my version too.
*You Ain't Goin Nowhere--Our "new" old Bob Dylan song--sounded pretty good to me.
*Buckets of Rain--A Bob Dylan song I've been doing for a while. This time I did it in E, more like a blues.
*Waltzing Matilda--Well, not the whole thing, but Pete showed me how it goes.
*Goodbye Muirsheen Dirken--I tried to to this song that I learned from a Dubliners CD
All in all, I think it was a nice start to the season. Now I am thinking about the Brooklyn open folk sing on Wednesday. Maybe I will do "The Croppy Boy"? Stay tuned.
Anyway, I was able to do a few songs with Pete, Dan, and another fellow who sings harmony. A guy named Phil who plays slide guitar was also there, as well as John, who did the drawing at the top of this blog.
Pete had been there for an hour by the time I arrived, and said he was freezing his butt off. My fingers felt cold and stiff nearly from the get-go. But we did a few songs anyway:
*Early Morning Rain -- Pete has his version of this, I have mine. Problem is, I can't quite follow his version yet, so we did mine.
*Margaritaville--Dan does a nice recorder solo. It's an easy song, but I made a hash of it.
*Rambling Boy--Our regular song--nice harmonies all around
*King of the Road--One of Pete's standards
*Honky Tonk Heroes--Pete led it. I'm going to work on my version too.
*You Ain't Goin Nowhere--Our "new" old Bob Dylan song--sounded pretty good to me.
*Buckets of Rain--A Bob Dylan song I've been doing for a while. This time I did it in E, more like a blues.
*Waltzing Matilda--Well, not the whole thing, but Pete showed me how it goes.
*Goodbye Muirsheen Dirken--I tried to to this song that I learned from a Dubliners CD
All in all, I think it was a nice start to the season. Now I am thinking about the Brooklyn open folk sing on Wednesday. Maybe I will do "The Croppy Boy"? Stay tuned.
A Taste of Spring--Back to the Park (Friday, March 2)!
This weekend it was finally warm enough to get to the park. On Friday, I took the day off from work to pack. But with temperatures in the 50's, and the sun shining, I felt a moral obligation to check out Washington Square Park.
On working days, the park belongs to tourists and NYU students. I watched a young man with guitar and harmonica knocking out a nice blues. That was when I decided that I better go home and get my Martin. When I came back he was gone. I sat in a sunny spot and did a couple of songs on my own:
*Stormy Weather
*Saint Louis Blues
*Whiskey in the Jar
A couple of people stopped to listen, including a gentleman who was very interested in talking about his own musical adventures (he claimed to have written a hit song in 1967, to have introduced Janis Joplin to Judy Garlin, etc.) For all I know he was sincere, and I listened for a while. But he was doing an awful lot of name-dropping, which is something I have little patience for. If you want to impress me, sing a song nice and loud and risk making an ass of yourself.
I walked over and found an old-time group (guitar, vocals, kazoo) who sounded good, in an up-tempo Washington Square Park kind of way. They were collecting a lot of dollars from passers by. They were young--probably students. They gave me a flyer which contained the name "Roots & Ruckus" and a myspace address: myspace.com/rootsnruckus
I also heard a guy playing stand up bass and singing his heart out (unamplified). He was standing behind the statue, facing Washington Place. I could hear him singing up on 5th Avenue and between 8th & 9th street--a good 4 blocks away.
On working days, the park belongs to tourists and NYU students. I watched a young man with guitar and harmonica knocking out a nice blues. That was when I decided that I better go home and get my Martin. When I came back he was gone. I sat in a sunny spot and did a couple of songs on my own:
*Stormy Weather
*Saint Louis Blues
*Whiskey in the Jar
A couple of people stopped to listen, including a gentleman who was very interested in talking about his own musical adventures (he claimed to have written a hit song in 1967, to have introduced Janis Joplin to Judy Garlin, etc.) For all I know he was sincere, and I listened for a while. But he was doing an awful lot of name-dropping, which is something I have little patience for. If you want to impress me, sing a song nice and loud and risk making an ass of yourself.
I walked over and found an old-time group (guitar, vocals, kazoo) who sounded good, in an up-tempo Washington Square Park kind of way. They were collecting a lot of dollars from passers by. They were young--probably students. They gave me a flyer which contained the name "Roots & Ruckus" and a myspace address: myspace.com/rootsnruckus
I also heard a guy playing stand up bass and singing his heart out (unamplified). He was standing behind the statue, facing Washington Place. I could hear him singing up on 5th Avenue and between 8th & 9th street--a good 4 blocks away.
Monday, February 19, 2007
Paddy Reilly Bluegrass Jam 2/18/07
Last Sunday I went to the bluegrass jam at Paddy Reilly's. There were more people than ever, including Scott (guitar virtuoso often in Wash Sq Pk), Pete, Dave (dobro), AJ (a singer with a good strong voice), Steve, Tony, Jen, Arthur, Tom and many more. A lot of mandolin players, a couple of banjo players, stand-up bass, accordian.
Steve told me that he will be out next week because he is getting treatment for a slipped disc--I hope it goes well for him.
Some of the songs that others did were:
Steve told me that he will be out next week because he is getting treatment for a slipped disc--I hope it goes well for him.
Some of the songs that others did were:
- Little Birdie
- Angel Wings
- All the World is Lonely Now
- Sing Me Back Home
- Working on a Building (one of Tom's regular songs)
- All the Good Times Are Past and Gone
Pete did "Act Naturally". Pete is learning to play slide guitar (i.e. dobro), which is probably a good move for this group as bluegrass pickers and strummers are a dime a dozen here.
Jen did a version of "Worried Man Blues" ("Carter family version") where the opening line of each verse is repeated twice instead of 3 times. As she says, "It keeps people on their toes".
As for me, I laid low today and tried to work on my timing. I was thinking of attempting Jimmy Martin's "You Don't Know My Mind", but one of the mandolin players beat me to it. There's always next week.
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Porch Acoustic Music Group Get-Together 2/11/07
Last Sunday I attended the "Porch Demi/Semi Monthly Gathering". Porch is a group for acoustic musicians (mainly amateur) that has a site on www.meetup.com
Some very nice people there, including a guy named Alan, who plays a nylon string guitar and has some good songs, including an excellent acoustic version of Jefferson Airplane's "White Rabbit".
The leader was Harriet, who is not a musician, but who sings along on most of the songs.
This gathering had a theme, which was songs by women. We were asked to bring music (lyrics and chords) so that other guitar players and singers could follow along. I hardly know any songs by women, and went with "Me and Bobby McGee". I also did Hank Williams' "My Bucket's Got a Hole in it", just for fun mainly. Sometimes it's good to do something simple that everyone can play.
The group went through a bunch of songs, including Joni Mitchell's "Both Sides Now", 3 or 4 Mary Chapin Carpenter songs, Cyndi Lauper's "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun", "Going Down to Liverpool" by the Bangles. One guy named Ray actually posted 21 songs on the website. Apparently he is a regular at Washington Square Park, but I haven't played with him there yet.
However Jimmy from the park joined the group. He did not lead any songs this time, though he did do a nice lead on "My Bucket's Got A Hole in it", and is good with that riff from "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" (For me, this makes the song).
Some very nice people there, including a guy named Alan, who plays a nylon string guitar and has some good songs, including an excellent acoustic version of Jefferson Airplane's "White Rabbit".
The leader was Harriet, who is not a musician, but who sings along on most of the songs.
This gathering had a theme, which was songs by women. We were asked to bring music (lyrics and chords) so that other guitar players and singers could follow along. I hardly know any songs by women, and went with "Me and Bobby McGee". I also did Hank Williams' "My Bucket's Got a Hole in it", just for fun mainly. Sometimes it's good to do something simple that everyone can play.
The group went through a bunch of songs, including Joni Mitchell's "Both Sides Now", 3 or 4 Mary Chapin Carpenter songs, Cyndi Lauper's "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun", "Going Down to Liverpool" by the Bangles. One guy named Ray actually posted 21 songs on the website. Apparently he is a regular at Washington Square Park, but I haven't played with him there yet.
However Jimmy from the park joined the group. He did not lead any songs this time, though he did do a nice lead on "My Bucket's Got A Hole in it", and is good with that riff from "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" (For me, this makes the song).
Saturday, February 10, 2007
Awesome website: folkstreams.net
I just found this website called folkstreams. It contains a lot of streaming documentary films about "American folk or roots culture". I just watched one by the great Alan Lomax about folk culture in Appalachia, made in 1991. There seem to be hundreds of others that I want to watch.
Here is my problem: too much music to listen too, too many books to read, too many films to watch, too many songs to learn, too many musical instruments to play. I certainly won't be able to get through all of it in this life, so I guess I'll have to come back a few more times. Meantime, I'll just try to enjoy myself.
Here is my problem: too much music to listen too, too many books to read, too many films to watch, too many songs to learn, too many musical instruments to play. I certainly won't be able to get through all of it in this life, so I guess I'll have to come back a few more times. Meantime, I'll just try to enjoy myself.
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
Brooklyn Open Folk Sing 2/7/07
I took the Martin to Brooklyn to the open folk sing at the ethical culture society. I had told Pete about this, and he showed up along with Jimmy and Dan (Washington Square folks).
I heard a lot of old songs that were new to me, including:
Goodnight and Joy be with You All
Elsie Manley(?)
Good Chowder
Cuckoo's Nest
Bells of Norwich
Whilst Cruising Round Yarmouth
Won't You Come Down to Yarmouth Town
A lot of old traditional songs. Al, a guy who does a lot of sea songs also did "Waltzing Matilda".
Pete did some of the songs I've heard him do in the park:
Greenback Dollar
Buck Owens' Act Naturally
Me and Bobby McGee
There's a young lady at this group who sings very well and knows a lot of songs. She did a couple of standards with Pete after most of the singers had left at the end of the gathering, and I thought they sounded great.
Jimmy did "Baby Let Me Carry You Down" (written by Eric Von Schmidt, who incidentally died last week), and Crosby, Stills and Nash's "Teach Your Children".
I did two songs, "Rambling Boy" and "Whisky in the Jar". I thought they came off pretty well. Everyone seemed to know Rambling Boy, but people seemed to appreciate Whisky in the Jar more.
Al, the sea chanty guy told me that the The Folk Music Society of New York (AKA Pinewoods), also has a monthly sea chanty sing-along. I would like to take a look.
I heard a lot of old songs that were new to me, including:
Goodnight and Joy be with You All
Elsie Manley(?)
Good Chowder
Cuckoo's Nest
Bells of Norwich
Whilst Cruising Round Yarmouth
Won't You Come Down to Yarmouth Town
A lot of old traditional songs. Al, a guy who does a lot of sea songs also did "Waltzing Matilda".
Pete did some of the songs I've heard him do in the park:
Greenback Dollar
Buck Owens' Act Naturally
Me and Bobby McGee
There's a young lady at this group who sings very well and knows a lot of songs. She did a couple of standards with Pete after most of the singers had left at the end of the gathering, and I thought they sounded great.
Jimmy did "Baby Let Me Carry You Down" (written by Eric Von Schmidt, who incidentally died last week), and Crosby, Stills and Nash's "Teach Your Children".
I did two songs, "Rambling Boy" and "Whisky in the Jar". I thought they came off pretty well. Everyone seemed to know Rambling Boy, but people seemed to appreciate Whisky in the Jar more.
Al, the sea chanty guy told me that the The Folk Music Society of New York (AKA Pinewoods), also has a monthly sea chanty sing-along. I would like to take a look.
Sunday, February 04, 2007
Superbowl Sunday
I was away in Washington for most of the weekend (Happy Birthday, Aunt Zelda). No bluegrass jam this weekend.
I did get through a good chunk of WC Handy's autobiography while riding on Amtrak. An excellent read--I'm almost finished.
Got home and watched Indianopolis whip Chicago, and heard Prince do the half-time show. He performed well in the pouring rain. In one song he employed the services of two marching bands as his horn section. He played electric guitar very loud, with a rythm section behind him: drums, bass and keyboards. Some nice leads.
So a couple of things lined up for the coming week. First is the Pinewoods open folk sing in Brooklyn on Wednesday evening. I am thinking of working up "Otto Wood the Bandit" for this (some practice is required, and maybe some printed lyrics for folks?). I would like to come up with a couple of more songs that people will know. Maybe "Whiskey in the Jar"?
Then on Sunday morning at 11am, there is get-together by an acoustic music group that Peter Bud turned me onto. The coordinator is suggesting that everyone come prepared with a song that is either written or performed by a woman. I realize that I hardly do anything that was written by a woman. I'm thinking maybe I can slide by with Me & Bobby McGee. It was written by Kris Kristofferson, but the most famous and well-regarded version was done by Janis Joplin. Or maybe something by the Carter Family. Anyway, I'll come up with something.
Then of course there is the bluegrass jam which is every Sunday afternoon at 5pm.
This evening I played through a few songs from my book that I haven't done in a while:
John Prine's Angel from Montgomery
The City of New Orleans (written by Steve Goodman, I know Arlo Guthrie's version)
Dylan's It's All Over Now, Baby Blue
La Llorona
Bille Joe Shaver's Old Five and Dimers Like Me (I know 2 versions: Waylon Jennings and Jerry Jeff Walker)
The Patriot Game (Dominic Behan)
REM's Rockville (well, it's not really there yet, but I could do it with a little practice)
Summer Wages by Ian Tyson
Sundown by Gordon Lightfoot (I made some nice progress on this song, timing-wise especially)
This Land is Your Land by Woody Guthrie
Who'll Stop the Rain by Creedence Clearwater Revival
I did get through a good chunk of WC Handy's autobiography while riding on Amtrak. An excellent read--I'm almost finished.
Got home and watched Indianopolis whip Chicago, and heard Prince do the half-time show. He performed well in the pouring rain. In one song he employed the services of two marching bands as his horn section. He played electric guitar very loud, with a rythm section behind him: drums, bass and keyboards. Some nice leads.
So a couple of things lined up for the coming week. First is the Pinewoods open folk sing in Brooklyn on Wednesday evening. I am thinking of working up "Otto Wood the Bandit" for this (some practice is required, and maybe some printed lyrics for folks?). I would like to come up with a couple of more songs that people will know. Maybe "Whiskey in the Jar"?
Then on Sunday morning at 11am, there is get-together by an acoustic music group that Peter Bud turned me onto. The coordinator is suggesting that everyone come prepared with a song that is either written or performed by a woman. I realize that I hardly do anything that was written by a woman. I'm thinking maybe I can slide by with Me & Bobby McGee. It was written by Kris Kristofferson, but the most famous and well-regarded version was done by Janis Joplin. Or maybe something by the Carter Family. Anyway, I'll come up with something.
Then of course there is the bluegrass jam which is every Sunday afternoon at 5pm.
This evening I played through a few songs from my book that I haven't done in a while:
John Prine's Angel from Montgomery
The City of New Orleans (written by Steve Goodman, I know Arlo Guthrie's version)
Dylan's It's All Over Now, Baby Blue
La Llorona
Bille Joe Shaver's Old Five and Dimers Like Me (I know 2 versions: Waylon Jennings and Jerry Jeff Walker)
The Patriot Game (Dominic Behan)
REM's Rockville (well, it's not really there yet, but I could do it with a little practice)
Summer Wages by Ian Tyson
Sundown by Gordon Lightfoot (I made some nice progress on this song, timing-wise especially)
This Land is Your Land by Woody Guthrie
Who'll Stop the Rain by Creedence Clearwater Revival
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Dead of Winter
Walked through Washington Square Park with the Martin today (1/28/07) on the off-chance that a) someone would be there, and b) the sun would come out. Temperature: 39 degrees Fahrenheit.
No guitarists were out. Some big orange Chinese mythical animal made of 2 guys in a suit dancing around, someone beating on a kettle drum. Later we saw them carrying everything up 5th Avenue.
But I did get an email from Peter Bud, who is a fixture in the park when the weather is warm.
No guitarists were out. Some big orange Chinese mythical animal made of 2 guys in a suit dancing around, someone beating on a kettle drum. Later we saw them carrying everything up 5th Avenue.
But I did get an email from Peter Bud, who is a fixture in the park when the weather is warm.
Bluegrass Jam Paddy Reilly's 1/28/07
The turnout was a little better than last time. There were a couple of banjo players, Dave the dobro guy, a guy came with an accordian towards the end. The usual fiddler players (one good one, one novice who just did fills), guitarists, mandolin players. No harmonica this time.
I am getting to know a couple of the regulars--Steve is a very nice guy who bought me a pint of guiness last week. A good, versatile mandolin player. Tony, a soft-spoken guitarist (also mandolin and bass and decent singer), looks a bit like Jerry Garcia, plays very well. Arthur, a guitarist / mandolin player. Tom, who knows a lot of great songs and sings and picks equally well. Then I met another Tom, a younger guy, who is an excellent picker and a good strong singer. He was giving out some old CDs he no longer needed, and gave me a 1995 recording of David Grier and Tony Trishka (as he puts it "the best guitar player on the planet playing with the best banjo player on the planet")
I only did one song: the old Jack Elliot / Woody Guthrie 3 chord version of "House of the Rising Sun". I thought it sounded great with backing instruments and solos, though I didn't know how to end it, and it just sort of died on the vine at the end.
Afterwards, Arthur showed me the A minor Animals version of the song (as if I wasn't already aware of this big hit version).
I'm happy to be getting to know some excellent musicians and nice people at this jam. On the other hand, the "cast of thousands" can be a little daunting (there must have been 20 people there tonight). I am looking forward to playing in the park this Spring.
Some other songs that we did:
I Know What it Means to be Lonesome
I'll Fly Away
Crazy Arms
Blue Eyes Cryig
Roll in My Sweet Baby's Arms
If you are interested in this jam, it is every Sunday from 5-8 at Paddy Reilly's bar at 2nd Ave and 29th Street.
I am getting to know a couple of the regulars--Steve is a very nice guy who bought me a pint of guiness last week. A good, versatile mandolin player. Tony, a soft-spoken guitarist (also mandolin and bass and decent singer), looks a bit like Jerry Garcia, plays very well. Arthur, a guitarist / mandolin player. Tom, who knows a lot of great songs and sings and picks equally well. Then I met another Tom, a younger guy, who is an excellent picker and a good strong singer. He was giving out some old CDs he no longer needed, and gave me a 1995 recording of David Grier and Tony Trishka (as he puts it "the best guitar player on the planet playing with the best banjo player on the planet")
I only did one song: the old Jack Elliot / Woody Guthrie 3 chord version of "House of the Rising Sun". I thought it sounded great with backing instruments and solos, though I didn't know how to end it, and it just sort of died on the vine at the end.
Afterwards, Arthur showed me the A minor Animals version of the song (as if I wasn't already aware of this big hit version).
I'm happy to be getting to know some excellent musicians and nice people at this jam. On the other hand, the "cast of thousands" can be a little daunting (there must have been 20 people there tonight). I am looking forward to playing in the park this Spring.
Some other songs that we did:
I Know What it Means to be Lonesome
I'll Fly Away
Crazy Arms
Blue Eyes Cryig
Roll in My Sweet Baby's Arms
If you are interested in this jam, it is every Sunday from 5-8 at Paddy Reilly's bar at 2nd Ave and 29th Street.
Sunday, January 21, 2007
Bluegrass Jam 1/21/06
I am just getting back from the bluegrass jam which takes place every Sunday evening at 5pm-8pm at Paddy Reilly's bar on 2nd Ave and 29th St.
This is the 2nd time I've gone to this jam. The first time I just strummed along and didn't do any songs. I also didn't take any solos because I don't know how to. This time, I led (sang) three songs:
My Bucket's Got a Hole in it (Hank Williams)
Worried Man Blues
Lost Highway (Hank Williams)
I also did Cabin in Caroline with a couple of guys before the jam started.
There were some excellent musicians at this jam: a couple of great guitarists, fiddlers, mandolin players. There was also a guy playing stand-up bass. This time there were no banjo players or harmonica players (last time there were a couple of good banjo players, a harmonica player, a guy playing slide guitar and an accordian player).
I heard a bunch of songs that I didn't know. I am able to follow along with most of them. I wish I knew how to do solos, though.
Some of the songs that I didn't know were:
Red Wing
Banks of the Ohio
Your Love is Like a Flower
Deep Water
Memories of Mother and Dad
Another Day (Del McCray)
Take Your Shoes Off Moses
Whisky for Breakfast
A couple of the songs I like the best were done by a singer-guitarist named Tom.
A few of the songs I did know were:
I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry (Hank Williams)
Will the Circle Be Unbroken
I Saw the Light (Hank Williams)
I have seen Scott at this jam a couple of times, but he was not there last night.
This is the 2nd time I've gone to this jam. The first time I just strummed along and didn't do any songs. I also didn't take any solos because I don't know how to. This time, I led (sang) three songs:
My Bucket's Got a Hole in it (Hank Williams)
Worried Man Blues
Lost Highway (Hank Williams)
I also did Cabin in Caroline with a couple of guys before the jam started.
There were some excellent musicians at this jam: a couple of great guitarists, fiddlers, mandolin players. There was also a guy playing stand-up bass. This time there were no banjo players or harmonica players (last time there were a couple of good banjo players, a harmonica player, a guy playing slide guitar and an accordian player).
I heard a bunch of songs that I didn't know. I am able to follow along with most of them. I wish I knew how to do solos, though.
Some of the songs that I didn't know were:
Red Wing
Banks of the Ohio
Your Love is Like a Flower
Deep Water
Memories of Mother and Dad
Another Day (Del McCray)
Take Your Shoes Off Moses
Whisky for Breakfast
A couple of the songs I like the best were done by a singer-guitarist named Tom.
A few of the songs I did know were:
I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry (Hank Williams)
Will the Circle Be Unbroken
I Saw the Light (Hank Williams)
I have seen Scott at this jam a couple of times, but he was not there last night.
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Websites
A couple of websites that are good to know about.
1) www.umo.com This seems to be Joe Budnick's website, a guy who is in the park a lot, playing and singing (see previous post). This website has a lot of great pictures and advice. I would love to see pictures of Peter Budd, Jimmy from the Bronx, and Curtis (the harmonica player).
2) www.honkingduck.com This was put together by a guy named James Reidy in Trumansburg, NY. He was nice enough to post a bunch of great old country songs from the 20's, 30's and 40's on his website. In his own words:
Contents
This site contains 701 recordings of 78 rpm records in Realaudio format. The music is early country music, string bands, dance calls, sacred harp, skits, ballads, popular songs, etc. The recordings were made in the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s. SourcesAll the 78s were from a collection formerly owned by famous banjo expert Jim Bollman. The collection was sold at auction in the 1980's. The approximate issue dates are based on the tables and techniques described in The Almost Complete 78 Rpm Record Dating Guide. by Steven C. Barr. The recording dates are as reported by Tyrone Settlemier in THE ONLINE DISCOGRAPHICAL PROJECT.
Sound Quality
The sound of these recordings is not great. Each tune started on a 'well loved' 78, then went through 2 generations of cassette tape, then MiniDisc, AIFF, and RealAudio. A few of the beginnings and endings got chopped off along the way. I didn't try to remove any scratches or pops. I encourage everyone to buy the excellent reissues of 78s that are available today. People who make these reissues spend hours on each cut to bring back the best sound possible. LyricsHonkingduck.com does not provide any song lyrics. Many of the songs here can be found at The Mudcat Cafe, either in the Digital Tradition lyric database hosted there, or in the Forum of lyrics, chords, and discussions of song variants and artists. To search the DT and Forum click here. To participate in the all-volunteer, ongoing project at Mudcat to post the lyrics of the songs at Honkingduck, please e-mail motormice@hotmail.com, using the word MUDCAT in the subject line.
Credits
Thanks to the great musicians who made all this music.Thanks to the early recording companies who captured and preserved this music.Thanks to Jim Bollman who once owned this collection of 78s, and who allowed Jacki to copy it .Thanks to Jacki Spector who recorded these 78s onto 23 cassette tapes in the mid-1980s, and let me copy her tapes and logbook.Thanks to Bob Jordan who helped me chop up the MiniDisc version into 746 separate tracks.Thanks to Annie Campbell who designed the honkingduck logo!MiniDisc is a very cool format.Thanks to Steven G. Barr for "The Almost Complete 78 RPM Record Dating Guide (II)".Thanks to Tyrone Settlemier for The Online Discographical Project.Thanks to Christian Roth for Coaster, a Freeware direct to disk recording utility.Thanks to the makers of NetPresenz, formerly Shareware.Thanks to the makers of Flash Renamer, a Freeware file name changer.Thanks to the makers of dBpowerAMP Music Converter, the RealAudio and AIFF Codecs from Daren Ford, and the Blade Codec from Tord Jansson. Thanks to Monte Ohrt for the excellent SmartyPaginateThanks to all the people who are working on Ogg Vorbis.
Donations
If you use this compilation please make me a donation in some denomination showing your appreciation!You can donate on or off line if you click here. CopyrightThis compilation web site, all the text, ID3 tags, filenames, and other information are © 2005 James Reidy, all rights reserved. The "sound recordings that were fixed before February 15, 1972" are "Preexisting Material" and are covered by other copyright laws (see http://www.copyright.gov ).
www.honkingduck.com
Copyright © 2005 James Reidy
1) www.umo.com This seems to be Joe Budnick's website, a guy who is in the park a lot, playing and singing (see previous post). This website has a lot of great pictures and advice. I would love to see pictures of Peter Budd, Jimmy from the Bronx, and Curtis (the harmonica player).
2) www.honkingduck.com This was put together by a guy named James Reidy in Trumansburg, NY. He was nice enough to post a bunch of great old country songs from the 20's, 30's and 40's on his website. In his own words:
Contents
This site contains 701 recordings of 78 rpm records in Realaudio format. The music is early country music, string bands, dance calls, sacred harp, skits, ballads, popular songs, etc. The recordings were made in the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s. SourcesAll the 78s were from a collection formerly owned by famous banjo expert Jim Bollman. The collection was sold at auction in the 1980's. The approximate issue dates are based on the tables and techniques described in The Almost Complete 78 Rpm Record Dating Guide. by Steven C. Barr. The recording dates are as reported by Tyrone Settlemier in THE ONLINE DISCOGRAPHICAL PROJECT.
Sound Quality
The sound of these recordings is not great. Each tune started on a 'well loved' 78, then went through 2 generations of cassette tape, then MiniDisc, AIFF, and RealAudio. A few of the beginnings and endings got chopped off along the way. I didn't try to remove any scratches or pops. I encourage everyone to buy the excellent reissues of 78s that are available today. People who make these reissues spend hours on each cut to bring back the best sound possible. LyricsHonkingduck.com does not provide any song lyrics. Many of the songs here can be found at The Mudcat Cafe, either in the Digital Tradition lyric database hosted there, or in the Forum of lyrics, chords, and discussions of song variants and artists. To search the DT and Forum click here. To participate in the all-volunteer, ongoing project at Mudcat to post the lyrics of the songs at Honkingduck, please e-mail motormice@hotmail.com, using the word MUDCAT in the subject line.
Credits
Thanks to the great musicians who made all this music.Thanks to the early recording companies who captured and preserved this music.Thanks to Jim Bollman who once owned this collection of 78s, and who allowed Jacki to copy it .Thanks to Jacki Spector who recorded these 78s onto 23 cassette tapes in the mid-1980s, and let me copy her tapes and logbook.Thanks to Bob Jordan who helped me chop up the MiniDisc version into 746 separate tracks.Thanks to Annie Campbell who designed the honkingduck logo!MiniDisc is a very cool format.Thanks to Steven G. Barr for "The Almost Complete 78 RPM Record Dating Guide (II)".Thanks to Tyrone Settlemier for The Online Discographical Project.Thanks to Christian Roth for Coaster, a Freeware direct to disk recording utility.Thanks to the makers of NetPresenz, formerly Shareware.Thanks to the makers of Flash Renamer, a Freeware file name changer.Thanks to the makers of dBpowerAMP Music Converter, the RealAudio and AIFF Codecs from Daren Ford, and the Blade Codec from Tord Jansson. Thanks to Monte Ohrt for the excellent SmartyPaginateThanks to all the people who are working on Ogg Vorbis.
Donations
If you use this compilation please make me a donation in some denomination showing your appreciation!You can donate on or off line if you click here. CopyrightThis compilation web site, all the text, ID3 tags, filenames, and other information are © 2005 James Reidy, all rights reserved. The "sound recordings that were fixed before February 15, 1972" are "Preexisting Material" and are covered by other copyright laws (see http://www.copyright.gov ).
www.honkingduck.com
Copyright © 2005 James Reidy
Sunday, January 14, 2007
Washington Square 1/14
A gray, wet afternoon. I played a bit by myself on the Ovation. Tried to accompany myself on harmonica but it sounded pretty awful. I realized later that it was in the wrong key (for cross-harp in the key of E you need an A harp, not B. I found this out the hard way)
I had Vince and Jeff as an audience, and a couple of passers by, including a very interested toddler with intense blue eyes.
A young guy with a guitar came by looking for Scott. I directed him to the bluegrass jam at Paddy Reilly's, where I've seen Scott a couple of times.
I did St Louis Blues and a couple of Dylan songs at Jeff's request (Don't Think Twice, Tambourine Man, Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues). Also did Worried Man Blues and Busted. Did Springsteen's State Trooper, which Vince got a kick out of.
When I was in the park earlier today (practicing harmonica), a guy with a guitar case and a dog came by and asked to borrow a pick. I happened to have one in my pocket and gave it to him. He said that he had been commissioned to do the music for a movie being produced in Europe, and was going to go work on a new song. Nicely dressed guy with an accent.
Arthur was in the park today, showed me how to play "Dance With Me" in key of D. Anthony was there with his Martin, told me he couldn't wait till Spring.
I had Vince and Jeff as an audience, and a couple of passers by, including a very interested toddler with intense blue eyes.
A young guy with a guitar came by looking for Scott. I directed him to the bluegrass jam at Paddy Reilly's, where I've seen Scott a couple of times.
I did St Louis Blues and a couple of Dylan songs at Jeff's request (Don't Think Twice, Tambourine Man, Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues). Also did Worried Man Blues and Busted. Did Springsteen's State Trooper, which Vince got a kick out of.
When I was in the park earlier today (practicing harmonica), a guy with a guitar case and a dog came by and asked to borrow a pick. I happened to have one in my pocket and gave it to him. He said that he had been commissioned to do the music for a movie being produced in Europe, and was going to go work on a new song. Nicely dressed guy with an accent.
Arthur was in the park today, showed me how to play "Dance With Me" in key of D. Anthony was there with his Martin, told me he couldn't wait till Spring.
Saturday, January 13, 2007
Washington Square 1/13
It was in the low fifties, not quite raining. It had been raining lightly all day, and everything wet. I went out around 3:30. I took the Ovation.
Playing under the arch a good dry place surrounded by an audience of about 40 were Joe (guitar, singing), Skip (lead and backup singing), Dan (backup singing and recorder). They did
*Get a Message to You, BeeGees
*Shadow Dancing,BeeGees
*Bad Moon Rising, CCR
*Drift Away (nice singing by Skip)
*Soul Man, Sam & Dave
*In the Midnight Hour
They did a bunch of other songs, almost all of which I recognized. They perform well, and draw a big crowd--very good singing and harmonies, and all well-accompanied by Joe on guitar.
I tried to strum along on my Ovation, but stayed in background for most of them, they were a little hard for me to follow.
I did my version of "St. Louis Blues". Something with more opportunities for the others to sing along might have gotten me more invitations to sing, but this song was running through my head at the time. I think the crowd liked it, especially one woman in the front who was dancing.
Then I got to do a couple more songs when Joe broke a string. I did Me and Bobby McGee, Dan stepped up and accompanied on recorder--I asked him to close out the song. Then I did Hank Williams' Your Cheating Heart and Dan did harmony and took a solo on the recorder. There was a real feeling of give and take in the performance--totally enjoyable. And it definitely kept the audience. Didn't get them too excited, but I'd say it drew them in closer, actually.
Nice crowd, there seemed to be a fair amount of foreign tourists, people taking photos, some older folks, some kids. A couple of people from the audience came up and sang some harmony while Joe, Skip and Dan were doing their "first set".
Playing under the arch a good dry place surrounded by an audience of about 40 were Joe (guitar, singing), Skip (lead and backup singing), Dan (backup singing and recorder). They did
*Get a Message to You, BeeGees
*Shadow Dancing,BeeGees
*Bad Moon Rising, CCR
*Drift Away (nice singing by Skip)
*Soul Man, Sam & Dave
*In the Midnight Hour
They did a bunch of other songs, almost all of which I recognized. They perform well, and draw a big crowd--very good singing and harmonies, and all well-accompanied by Joe on guitar.
I tried to strum along on my Ovation, but stayed in background for most of them, they were a little hard for me to follow.
I did my version of "St. Louis Blues". Something with more opportunities for the others to sing along might have gotten me more invitations to sing, but this song was running through my head at the time. I think the crowd liked it, especially one woman in the front who was dancing.
Then I got to do a couple more songs when Joe broke a string. I did Me and Bobby McGee, Dan stepped up and accompanied on recorder--I asked him to close out the song. Then I did Hank Williams' Your Cheating Heart and Dan did harmony and took a solo on the recorder. There was a real feeling of give and take in the performance--totally enjoyable. And it definitely kept the audience. Didn't get them too excited, but I'd say it drew them in closer, actually.
Nice crowd, there seemed to be a fair amount of foreign tourists, people taking photos, some older folks, some kids. A couple of people from the audience came up and sang some harmony while Joe, Skip and Dan were doing their "first set".
Thursday, January 04, 2007
Brooklyn Open Folk Sing 1/3/07
On the first Wednesday evening of every month the Folk Music Society of New York (AKA New York Pinewoods Folk Music Club) sponsors an open folk sing at the Ethical Culture Society near Prospect Park in Brooklyn.
I went for the first time on January 3. I brought the Martin. There were about 25 people sitting in a big circle, maybe six or seven people with instruments (guitars mostly), most without. Songs included Sea Chanties, Mining Songs, Hank Williams songs, Carter Family songs, original takes on old classics like "Blue". One guy named Brian plays 12-string guitar and does excellent country/folk songs that I do not recognize. I am not sure if this is his original work.
There was a good range of ages, from old-timers to college students. No kids this time, though the website says they are welcome.
Most of the songs are oriented towards singing (about half were done with no accompaniment), and when everyone sings along in this big open room with good accoustics, it really sounds terrific.
A guy named Ben asked me a couple of times if I wanted to play something. I was a bit nervous, but did "Dark as a Dungeon" (a mining song by Merle Travis) and "Worried Man Blues" (a traditional church-type blues). As these are very well-known songs, nearly everyone was able to sing along on the chorus, and it sounded good to me.
Highlights for me were:
1) I really appreciated Ben encouraging me to do a couple of songs, then welcoming me into the group afterwords.
2) When I did Worried Man Blues, a guy in a sweater with gray hair in a pony-tail picked up a squeeze box I didn't even know he had, and accompanied me. It sounded great!
3) After the show, Brian (the 12-string guy) told me I had to come back because the group needed more "country music people". I am happy to be classified as a "country music person", and to be welcomed back.
4) I really enjoyed singing along to the sea chanties. One red-faced Irish-looking fellow was very good at leading these.
I plan to attend the next one, which will be held on February 7, 2007.
I went for the first time on January 3. I brought the Martin. There were about 25 people sitting in a big circle, maybe six or seven people with instruments (guitars mostly), most without. Songs included Sea Chanties, Mining Songs, Hank Williams songs, Carter Family songs, original takes on old classics like "Blue". One guy named Brian plays 12-string guitar and does excellent country/folk songs that I do not recognize. I am not sure if this is his original work.
There was a good range of ages, from old-timers to college students. No kids this time, though the website says they are welcome.
Most of the songs are oriented towards singing (about half were done with no accompaniment), and when everyone sings along in this big open room with good accoustics, it really sounds terrific.
A guy named Ben asked me a couple of times if I wanted to play something. I was a bit nervous, but did "Dark as a Dungeon" (a mining song by Merle Travis) and "Worried Man Blues" (a traditional church-type blues). As these are very well-known songs, nearly everyone was able to sing along on the chorus, and it sounded good to me.
Highlights for me were:
1) I really appreciated Ben encouraging me to do a couple of songs, then welcoming me into the group afterwords.
2) When I did Worried Man Blues, a guy in a sweater with gray hair in a pony-tail picked up a squeeze box I didn't even know he had, and accompanied me. It sounded great!
3) After the show, Brian (the 12-string guy) told me I had to come back because the group needed more "country music people". I am happy to be classified as a "country music person", and to be welcomed back.
4) I really enjoyed singing along to the sea chanties. One red-faced Irish-looking fellow was very good at leading these.
I plan to attend the next one, which will be held on February 7, 2007.
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