Ferron is doing a small tour in California so it's time to honor her musical contributions down through the years:
Monday, January 30, 2017
Saturday, January 28, 2017
"Folk musician/farmer Gregory Alan Isakov..."
"Gregory Alan Isakov used to be a vegetable farmer who played folk music. Now he’s a folk musician who works a vegetable farm.
Work, he said, is good for you. He spent all day Thursday with his corn, not wandering around the field in a “Field of Dreams” kind of way, but in a cleaning-corn kind of way. Then he came inside, cleaned up, ate some of the vegetables he grows and wrote more music.
“I’d go crazy if I didn’t work,” he said. “A lot of artists look at life through the window of a tour bus. That’s not good for my art. Work is a really big part of who I am.”
Isakov is like all the greats, in that, his music seems so effortless that you think, “I could do that!” And maybe you could, but only if you’re that talented and willing to work at it. Isakov has been traveling all his life, and his songs show it, with their masterful stories of miles and landscapes and the search for a sense of place..."
Go here for the remainder.
Here's a favorite:
"
The Stable Song"
remember when our songs were just like prayers.
like gospel hymns that you called in the air.
come down come down sweet reverence,
unto my simple house and ring…
and ring.
ring like silver, ring like gold
ring out those ghosts on the ohio
ring like clear day wedding bells
were we the belly of the beast or the sword that fell…we’ll never tell.
come to me clear and cold on some sea
watch the world spinning waves..like some machine
now i’ve been crazy couldn’t you tell
i threw stones at the stars, but the whole sky fell
now i’m covered up in straw, belly up on the table
well and sang and drank, and passed in the stable.
that tall grass grows high and brown,
well i dragged you straight in the muddy ground
and you sent me back to where i roam
well i cursed and i cried, but now i know…now i know
and i ran back to that hollow again
the moon was just a sliver back then
and i ached for my heart like some tin man
when it came oh it beat and it boiled and it rang..it’s ringing
ring like crazy, ring like hell
turn me back into that wild haired gale
ring like silver, ring like gold
turn these diamonds straight back into coal.
Work, he said, is good for you. He spent all day Thursday with his corn, not wandering around the field in a “Field of Dreams” kind of way, but in a cleaning-corn kind of way. Then he came inside, cleaned up, ate some of the vegetables he grows and wrote more music.
“I’d go crazy if I didn’t work,” he said. “A lot of artists look at life through the window of a tour bus. That’s not good for my art. Work is a really big part of who I am.”
Isakov is like all the greats, in that, his music seems so effortless that you think, “I could do that!” And maybe you could, but only if you’re that talented and willing to work at it. Isakov has been traveling all his life, and his songs show it, with their masterful stories of miles and landscapes and the search for a sense of place..."
Go here for the remainder.
Here's a favorite:
"
The Stable Song"
remember when our songs were just like prayers.
like gospel hymns that you called in the air.
come down come down sweet reverence,
unto my simple house and ring…
and ring.
ring like silver, ring like gold
ring out those ghosts on the ohio
ring like clear day wedding bells
were we the belly of the beast or the sword that fell…we’ll never tell.
come to me clear and cold on some sea
watch the world spinning waves..like some machine
now i’ve been crazy couldn’t you tell
i threw stones at the stars, but the whole sky fell
now i’m covered up in straw, belly up on the table
well and sang and drank, and passed in the stable.
that tall grass grows high and brown,
well i dragged you straight in the muddy ground
and you sent me back to where i roam
well i cursed and i cried, but now i know…now i know
and i ran back to that hollow again
the moon was just a sliver back then
and i ached for my heart like some tin man
when it came oh it beat and it boiled and it rang..it’s ringing
ring like crazy, ring like hell
turn me back into that wild haired gale
ring like silver, ring like gold
turn these diamonds straight back into coal.
Sunday, January 22, 2017
Ferron - "It Won't Take Long"
To honor those marching yesterday for the cause of humanity:
"They said some men would be warriors and some men would be kings
And some men would be owners of land and other man-made things
And false love as the eternal flame would move some to think in rings
And gold would be our power and other foolish things
But you who dream of liberty must not yourselves be fooled
Before you get to plea for freedom, you've agreed to being ruled
If the body stays a shackle then the mind remains a chain
That'll link you to a destiny whereby all good souls are slain
And it won't take long, it won't take too long at all
It won't take long, and you may say
"What has that got to do with me" and I say,
"You mean to tell me that's all?"
Of three men in a desert wandering, one is knowing and two are scared
They say time is in the river, but the river is not there
Dry in spirit dry in body two will lend themselves to death
And in grief one weeps into his hands and drinks his bitter tears
'Cause it don't take long, it don't take too long at all
It don't take long, and you may say,
"I don't know what you're talking about," and I say
"You mean to tell me that's all?"
And as I stand before you now, I am hopeful in my rage
You know love has finally called for me, I will not wilt upon its stage
But still smaller than my nightmare now do I print upon the page
Do we have to live inside its walls to identify the cage?
'Cause it takes so long, why does it take so long,
But it takes so long, and you may say,
"I don't really care what you're talking about," and I say,
"Are you trying to say you don't belong?"
I am my mother's daughter, but I have seen myself in you
It's this blessing that I follow now, and so I must speak true
I dreamed of thousands dying, it was you and you and you,
And while the city sleeps so quietly there is something we must do
And it won't take long, it won't take too long at all,
It won't take long, and you may say,
"I don't know if I want to know what you're getting at,"
And it makes we want to say, "So long."
Because grief will come in measures, only grief alone will know
And you'll see it on your family, on your own face it will grow
And they'll try to keep you hungry, then they'll tell you to eat snow
You know pride can be a moving thing if we learn the strength of "NO!"
And it won't take long, it won't take too long at all,
It won't take long, and you may say,
"I don't think this has anything to do with me,"
"But did you ever think you could be wrong?"
At noon on one day coming, human strength will fill the streets
Of every city on our planet, hear the sound of angry feet
With business freezed up in the harbour, the kings will pull upon their hair
And the banks will shudder to a halt, and the artists will be there
'Cause it won't take long, it won't take too long at all,
It won't take long, and you may say,
"I don't think I can be a part of that," and it makes me want to say,
"Don't you want to see yourself that strong?"
Division between the peoples will disappear that honoured day
And though oceans lie between us, lifted candles light the way
Half will join their hands by moonlight, the rest under a rising sun
As underneath the sun and moon, a ritual'd wailing has begun
And it won't take long, it won't take too long at all,
It won't take long, and you may say,
"I don't know how to be a part of what you're talking about,"
and it makes me want to say, "Come on!"
And beware you sagging diplomats, for you will not hear one gun
And though our homes be torn and ransacked we will not be undone
For as we let ourselves be bought, we're going to let ourselves be free
And if you think we stand alone, look again and you will see:
We are children in the rafters, we are babies in the park,
We are lovers at the movies, we are candles in the dark,
We are changes in the weather, we are snowflakes in July,
We are women grown together, we are men who easily cry,
We are words not quickly spoken, we're the deeper side of try,
We are dreamers in the making, we are not afraid of "Why?"
"They said some men would be warriors and some men would be kings
And some men would be owners of land and other man-made things
And false love as the eternal flame would move some to think in rings
And gold would be our power and other foolish things
But you who dream of liberty must not yourselves be fooled
Before you get to plea for freedom, you've agreed to being ruled
If the body stays a shackle then the mind remains a chain
That'll link you to a destiny whereby all good souls are slain
And it won't take long, it won't take too long at all
It won't take long, and you may say
"What has that got to do with me" and I say,
"You mean to tell me that's all?"
Of three men in a desert wandering, one is knowing and two are scared
They say time is in the river, but the river is not there
Dry in spirit dry in body two will lend themselves to death
And in grief one weeps into his hands and drinks his bitter tears
'Cause it don't take long, it don't take too long at all
It don't take long, and you may say,
"I don't know what you're talking about," and I say
"You mean to tell me that's all?"
And as I stand before you now, I am hopeful in my rage
You know love has finally called for me, I will not wilt upon its stage
But still smaller than my nightmare now do I print upon the page
Do we have to live inside its walls to identify the cage?
'Cause it takes so long, why does it take so long,
But it takes so long, and you may say,
"I don't really care what you're talking about," and I say,
"Are you trying to say you don't belong?"
I am my mother's daughter, but I have seen myself in you
It's this blessing that I follow now, and so I must speak true
I dreamed of thousands dying, it was you and you and you,
And while the city sleeps so quietly there is something we must do
And it won't take long, it won't take too long at all,
It won't take long, and you may say,
"I don't know if I want to know what you're getting at,"
And it makes we want to say, "So long."
Because grief will come in measures, only grief alone will know
And you'll see it on your family, on your own face it will grow
And they'll try to keep you hungry, then they'll tell you to eat snow
You know pride can be a moving thing if we learn the strength of "NO!"
And it won't take long, it won't take too long at all,
It won't take long, and you may say,
"I don't think this has anything to do with me,"
"But did you ever think you could be wrong?"
At noon on one day coming, human strength will fill the streets
Of every city on our planet, hear the sound of angry feet
With business freezed up in the harbour, the kings will pull upon their hair
And the banks will shudder to a halt, and the artists will be there
'Cause it won't take long, it won't take too long at all,
It won't take long, and you may say,
"I don't think I can be a part of that," and it makes me want to say,
"Don't you want to see yourself that strong?"
Division between the peoples will disappear that honoured day
And though oceans lie between us, lifted candles light the way
Half will join their hands by moonlight, the rest under a rising sun
As underneath the sun and moon, a ritual'd wailing has begun
And it won't take long, it won't take too long at all,
It won't take long, and you may say,
"I don't know how to be a part of what you're talking about,"
and it makes me want to say, "Come on!"
And beware you sagging diplomats, for you will not hear one gun
And though our homes be torn and ransacked we will not be undone
For as we let ourselves be bought, we're going to let ourselves be free
And if you think we stand alone, look again and you will see:
We are children in the rafters, we are babies in the park,
We are lovers at the movies, we are candles in the dark,
We are changes in the weather, we are snowflakes in July,
We are women grown together, we are men who easily cry,
We are words not quickly spoken, we're the deeper side of try,
We are dreamers in the making, we are not afraid of "Why?"
Rod McDonald- "A Tale of Two Americas"
From the Bush years but needed now.
To honor those marching yesterday for the cause of humanity:
"it was the best of times
it was the worst of times
in my tale of two americas
one side basking in the glare
of self-congratulation everywhere
in my tale of two americas
"and for what" cried the other
"you reward yourselves like thieves
with your guns and your greed"
there were those who thought a military
could be used to keep the peace
there were those whose thirst for war would never cease
there were some who say god
wants laws based on their religion
in my tale of two americas
there are those who say religion
is a personal decision
in my tale of two americas
some dream of a country
where they could choose their partners freely
and have their love recognized
some dream of wilderness
where wild animals roam free
and there's not a single oil well in sight
you can buy up all the tvs
newspapers and radios
tell a lie til you convince yourself it's true
you can spend a billion dollars
to attack the other guy
hire some writers to report it like it's news
and those who never knew war
sent other people's kids to battle
in my tale of two americas
they called each other warriors
sat real high up in the saddle
in my tale of two americas
those who never knew peace
looked for someone to attack
hunted terror, left no child alone
they said to stand against them
was an unpatriotic act
there are those who say "freedom starts at home"
you can steal a million votes, you can fill the air with lies
in the end you know it's you who's gonna lose
if i could have one question i could ask the wise:
what kind of future are you gonna choose?"
To honor those marching yesterday for the cause of humanity:
"it was the best of times
it was the worst of times
in my tale of two americas
one side basking in the glare
of self-congratulation everywhere
in my tale of two americas
"and for what" cried the other
"you reward yourselves like thieves
with your guns and your greed"
there were those who thought a military
could be used to keep the peace
there were those whose thirst for war would never cease
there were some who say god
wants laws based on their religion
in my tale of two americas
there are those who say religion
is a personal decision
in my tale of two americas
some dream of a country
where they could choose their partners freely
and have their love recognized
some dream of wilderness
where wild animals roam free
and there's not a single oil well in sight
you can buy up all the tvs
newspapers and radios
tell a lie til you convince yourself it's true
you can spend a billion dollars
to attack the other guy
hire some writers to report it like it's news
and those who never knew war
sent other people's kids to battle
in my tale of two americas
they called each other warriors
sat real high up in the saddle
in my tale of two americas
those who never knew peace
looked for someone to attack
hunted terror, left no child alone
they said to stand against them
was an unpatriotic act
there are those who say "freedom starts at home"
you can steal a million votes, you can fill the air with lies
in the end you know it's you who's gonna lose
if i could have one question i could ask the wise:
what kind of future are you gonna choose?"
Mark Erelli - "Seeds of Peace"
From the Bush years but of so appropriate now.
To honor those marching yesterday for the cause of humanity:
"The American flag is tied to a fence on an overpass
With a homemade sign written in red, white and blue
And it reads "Welcome home, Jason Miller, Private First Class"
And I don't even know him but I'm grateful for any good news
What's become of my country torn by contradiction
The spirit of freedom propped up by a culture of fear
Where's it's unpatriotic to protest or even to question
Have we learned nothing from history or the last couple years
CHORUS:
And the rain pours down
On the fallow ground
And the fruited plain as barren as the sand
Is it not within our will
How long must we wait until
The seeds of peace find purchase in this land
He stood on the deck and he said we'd accomplished our mission
And he twisted the facts 'til he knew it could pass for the truth
Vengeance can fill any fool with conviction
But he can't wash the blood of the fallen from his cowboy boots
CHORUS
I will not be shamed into silence by partisan thunder
And I won't fall in line and march to the drums on the wind
How many more daughters and sons will we see plowed under
How much longer must we wait 'til the harvest comes in
'Til the sun shines down
On this hallowed ground
And the fruited plain so bountiful and grand
Is it not within our will
How long must we wait until
The seeds of peace find purchase in this land"
To honor those marching yesterday for the cause of humanity:
"The American flag is tied to a fence on an overpass
With a homemade sign written in red, white and blue
And it reads "Welcome home, Jason Miller, Private First Class"
And I don't even know him but I'm grateful for any good news
What's become of my country torn by contradiction
The spirit of freedom propped up by a culture of fear
Where's it's unpatriotic to protest or even to question
Have we learned nothing from history or the last couple years
CHORUS:
And the rain pours down
On the fallow ground
And the fruited plain as barren as the sand
Is it not within our will
How long must we wait until
The seeds of peace find purchase in this land
He stood on the deck and he said we'd accomplished our mission
And he twisted the facts 'til he knew it could pass for the truth
Vengeance can fill any fool with conviction
But he can't wash the blood of the fallen from his cowboy boots
CHORUS
I will not be shamed into silence by partisan thunder
And I won't fall in line and march to the drums on the wind
How many more daughters and sons will we see plowed under
How much longer must we wait 'til the harvest comes in
'Til the sun shines down
On this hallowed ground
And the fruited plain so bountiful and grand
Is it not within our will
How long must we wait until
The seeds of peace find purchase in this land"
Keith Greeninger - "Arsenal of Doves"
To honor those marching yesterday for the cause of humanity:
(the lyrics couldn't be located)
(the lyrics couldn't be located)
Kate McDonnell - "Mercy"
From back in the the Bush days and sadly still appropriate.
To honor those marching yesterday for the cause of humanity:
"When evening comes, I hurry home, close and lock the door
I'm tired of our boy king who likes to play at war
He drops his toys upon the floor before he goes to bed
The papers say "mistakes were made" and villagers are dead
Jesus caught the souls of men and he loved them every one
He said to love our neighbor and mercy would be done
How can I love the guy next door, I don't even know his name
Jesus loved the whole wide world and said go do the same
Chorus:
Oh Mercy
My neighbor's getting older and I help take out her trash
When New York needed all of us I sent a little cash
"Love other people like yourself," the preacher says we must
To hear the news you'd think there were no people here but us
They offer us a package deal to sell us the attack
We save the world, we get revenge, bring all our soldiers back
It's war as news product wrapped up in cellophane
They tell us guns are butter and this war is humane
Oh Mercy, Oh Mercy
Now I'm confused because they show people just like me
Do we have to kill them all to make their country free
Axis of evil, hell its just a daily life
Of people pinned to the wall by a crazy man's knife
So who is my neighbor that I'm supposed to love
My neighborhood gets smaller as Bush comes to shove
I'll start by crossing off the map some people overseas
Til they and you and you and you are all my enemies
Oh Mercy, Oh Mercy"
To honor those marching yesterday for the cause of humanity:
"When evening comes, I hurry home, close and lock the door
I'm tired of our boy king who likes to play at war
He drops his toys upon the floor before he goes to bed
The papers say "mistakes were made" and villagers are dead
Jesus caught the souls of men and he loved them every one
He said to love our neighbor and mercy would be done
How can I love the guy next door, I don't even know his name
Jesus loved the whole wide world and said go do the same
Chorus:
Oh Mercy
My neighbor's getting older and I help take out her trash
When New York needed all of us I sent a little cash
"Love other people like yourself," the preacher says we must
To hear the news you'd think there were no people here but us
They offer us a package deal to sell us the attack
We save the world, we get revenge, bring all our soldiers back
It's war as news product wrapped up in cellophane
They tell us guns are butter and this war is humane
Oh Mercy, Oh Mercy
Now I'm confused because they show people just like me
Do we have to kill them all to make their country free
Axis of evil, hell its just a daily life
Of people pinned to the wall by a crazy man's knife
So who is my neighbor that I'm supposed to love
My neighborhood gets smaller as Bush comes to shove
I'll start by crossing off the map some people overseas
Til they and you and you and you are all my enemies
Oh Mercy, Oh Mercy"
Arlon Bennett - "Be The Change"
To honor those marching yesterday for the cause of humanity:
"A woman stepped on the bus
like any one of us
After a hard workin’ day
She walked halfway back
To a seat marked for blacks
and took her place
She was someone who
Really understood
How a law could be a crime
When she wouldn’t give her seat
to a white man on his feet
yea, it was time to
CHORUS
Be the change you want to see around you
Be the right in a world of wrong
Be the one, the one to make a difference
Be the change
Be the change
Many years before
Another place another war
In a struggle to be free
A wise barefoot man
had his own plan
To fight the enemy
He said it makes no sense
To use violence
As a means to an end
We must rise above
What they would do to us
Or we become like them
CHORUS
It’s the pull of a lever
It’s the sound of your voice
It’s now or never
It’s a choice
To,
CHORUS"
"A woman stepped on the bus
like any one of us
After a hard workin’ day
She walked halfway back
To a seat marked for blacks
and took her place
She was someone who
Really understood
How a law could be a crime
When she wouldn’t give her seat
to a white man on his feet
yea, it was time to
CHORUS
Be the change you want to see around you
Be the right in a world of wrong
Be the one, the one to make a difference
Be the change
Be the change
Many years before
Another place another war
In a struggle to be free
A wise barefoot man
had his own plan
To fight the enemy
He said it makes no sense
To use violence
As a means to an end
We must rise above
What they would do to us
Or we become like them
CHORUS
It’s the pull of a lever
It’s the sound of your voice
It’s now or never
It’s a choice
To,
CHORUS"
Friday, January 13, 2017
Sunday, January 8, 2017
"Night Drive, Travels With My Brother"
Such as:
"Being in a band is a bit like running away to join a low rent circus or a badly organized pirate ship"
"Smales Pace was run by a trio of brothers with a love for folk music coupled with a fiduciary death wish"
About a photo shoot: "...It was the middle of the day, and we were squinting and smiling against the bright sunlight, while dutifully holding our instruments up, so that people in the future would know we were musicians and not actually heading to the Texas Book Depository."
"It looked less like a folk club and more like the sort of place where a group of men might gather to empty their pistols into some poor wretch tied to a chair while yelling 'Long Live Mother Russia.'"
When pulled over on the highway by the police: "...the air inside the van smelled of gin and limes and tonic water and cigarette smoke. The cops would know there were only two possibilities. We'd either been drinking or we had kidnapped Noel Coward."
It's a marvelous and intimate read.
Interesting newcomer: Michael Howard
Michard Howard has an intriguing music background coming from the punk rock genre. His songs are oblique with plenty or reading-between-the-lines spaciousness.
Here are a pair of reviews of his 2016 release:
Album Review: Michael Howard - Gasoline Dream
Punk Do-It-Yourself Ethic Morphs Into Americana Brilliance
"She’s okay with wet cigarettes and roses in her hair
She is the finest thing
She’s alright with Brooklyn, and she’s alright by me
Oh darling, you were meant for me
Her mother was a mystic, she is a magical child
Her love is the sweetest thing
We both agreed the Boomers sucked and we wondered why the 60’s died
Well some things, they just aren’t meant to be
Meet me at the front lines, I hear there is something going on
I ain’t sure what it looks like, but I’m sure that you and me can carry on
And we’ll carry on
And all the king’s army came along
She took her body back in time, and she came back as a subway line
Beneath those New York streets
I came back as the Y.P.G. all bleeding out in the infantry
But what’s that got to do with you and me
Meet me at the front lines, I hear there is something going on
I ain’t sure what it looks like, but I’m sure that you and me can carry on
And we’ll carry on
And all the king’s army came along
Then one by one we occupied where the brokers guard the money lines
And there we made our stand
They mocked what we were fighting for “Poor boy, give up your father’s war”
But my darling she’s too good to me
Now halfway through her cigarette with asphalt in her hair
She is the finest thing
We sank into each others’ eyes under billy clubs and flashing lights
Oh darling, you were meant for me
Meet me at the front lines, I hear there is something going on
I ain’t sure what it looks like, but I’m sure that you and me can carry on
And we’ll carry on
And all the king’s army came along"
Here are a pair of reviews of his 2016 release:
Album Review: Michael Howard - Gasoline Dream
Punk Do-It-Yourself Ethic Morphs Into Americana Brilliance
+++++++
"She’s okay with wet cigarettes and roses in her hair
She is the finest thing
She’s alright with Brooklyn, and she’s alright by me
Oh darling, you were meant for me
Her mother was a mystic, she is a magical child
Her love is the sweetest thing
We both agreed the Boomers sucked and we wondered why the 60’s died
Well some things, they just aren’t meant to be
Meet me at the front lines, I hear there is something going on
I ain’t sure what it looks like, but I’m sure that you and me can carry on
And we’ll carry on
And all the king’s army came along
She took her body back in time, and she came back as a subway line
Beneath those New York streets
I came back as the Y.P.G. all bleeding out in the infantry
But what’s that got to do with you and me
Meet me at the front lines, I hear there is something going on
I ain’t sure what it looks like, but I’m sure that you and me can carry on
And we’ll carry on
And all the king’s army came along
Then one by one we occupied where the brokers guard the money lines
And there we made our stand
They mocked what we were fighting for “Poor boy, give up your father’s war”
But my darling she’s too good to me
Now halfway through her cigarette with asphalt in her hair
She is the finest thing
We sank into each others’ eyes under billy clubs and flashing lights
Oh darling, you were meant for me
Meet me at the front lines, I hear there is something going on
I ain’t sure what it looks like, but I’m sure that you and me can carry on
And we’ll carry on
And all the king’s army came along"
+++++++
"Writhing and wringing in gasoline dreams
Together accepting some damned destiny
We let out the string so recklessly
Not daring to reckon the risk it would be
To be gone in a gasoline dream
Remember the miracles that burst in your veins
Undressing for centuries, face first through the green
In pitch perfect shadows, hot hallowing scenes
Then I stole out the exit so purposefully
Gone in a gasoline dream
I mirrored the moon across tangerine sands
Bound by some circumstance I will never understand
As the raven went ransacking sycamore trees
Eyes pine to peel back the past back to the start
Gone in a gasoline dream
My lover your weeping could not set us free
This quake will end quickly, it will end in defeat
Awake from your wondering, from this gasoline dream
I am gone I am gone wherever that be
I am gone I am gone wherever that be
When you call out my name, when you reach out for me
I'll be gone in a gasoline dream"
I was feeling like whole bunch of wild dogs. I was feeling like a speeding train
I was thinking about a girl from Gainesville, how I gotta get back there soon
I hate turning back like the east hates west, and I really hate your town
I made a bet and put my money down on a horse named “California”
I missed the race and I’m low on sleep and I’ll probably lose my mind
But I’m pushing hard until I hit New York, where I gotta pick up a typewriter
I was moving fast leaving burning tracks. Lord knows I’m a misguided fool
I fought my way from town to town, but I don’t think the West was won
I held my fist and I burned my list and I drank like I had nothing to lose
‘Til god and you and me made sense and I finally came undone, unglued
I went up on a mountain, but I came back down again
I sold the rifle on my shoulder to pay for my last meal
I took my dagger from its holder, and I turned it back on me
I opened up my chest. And in the emptiness, all I wanted was to feel
I sold my heart to the Butcher, he fed it to the hipsters and the wannabes
I gave the rest to the witches, to the brokers and the thieves
They said “There ain’t no revolution, no there’s nothing on TV”
Hog Butcher, Hog Butcher what’d you do to me? Can you help me get to heaven?"
Together accepting some damned destiny
We let out the string so recklessly
Not daring to reckon the risk it would be
To be gone in a gasoline dream
Remember the miracles that burst in your veins
Undressing for centuries, face first through the green
In pitch perfect shadows, hot hallowing scenes
Then I stole out the exit so purposefully
Gone in a gasoline dream
I mirrored the moon across tangerine sands
Bound by some circumstance I will never understand
As the raven went ransacking sycamore trees
Eyes pine to peel back the past back to the start
Gone in a gasoline dream
My lover your weeping could not set us free
This quake will end quickly, it will end in defeat
Awake from your wondering, from this gasoline dream
I am gone I am gone wherever that be
I am gone I am gone wherever that be
When you call out my name, when you reach out for me
I'll be gone in a gasoline dream"
+++++++
<
"I came in hot to a Northwest city where Timmy pounds the steel
He has the words To Hell With The Government flung out in a trash tattoo "I came in hot to a Northwest city where Timmy pounds the steel
I was feeling like whole bunch of wild dogs. I was feeling like a speeding train
I was thinking about a girl from Gainesville, how I gotta get back there soon
I hate turning back like the east hates west, and I really hate your town
I made a bet and put my money down on a horse named “California”
I missed the race and I’m low on sleep and I’ll probably lose my mind
But I’m pushing hard until I hit New York, where I gotta pick up a typewriter
I was moving fast leaving burning tracks. Lord knows I’m a misguided fool
I fought my way from town to town, but I don’t think the West was won
I held my fist and I burned my list and I drank like I had nothing to lose
‘Til god and you and me made sense and I finally came undone, unglued
I went up on a mountain, but I came back down again
I sold the rifle on my shoulder to pay for my last meal
I took my dagger from its holder, and I turned it back on me
I opened up my chest. And in the emptiness, all I wanted was to feel
I sold my heart to the Butcher, he fed it to the hipsters and the wannabes
I gave the rest to the witches, to the brokers and the thieves
They said “There ain’t no revolution, no there’s nothing on TV”
Hog Butcher, Hog Butcher what’d you do to me? Can you help me get to heaven?"
Wednesday, January 4, 2017
Ken Nagelberg's Top Five Songs of 2016
Ken Nagelberg <profken@GMAIL.COM>
Top Five Songs of 2016, "It's For Folks," WHYR, Baton Rouge, LA
Disclaimer: The selection is based solely on the judgment of the host of
"It's For Folks," Ken "Dr. K" Nagelberg. Judgment was based on having a
melody that quickly is absorbed by listeners but remains fresh after
multiple listening; lyrics that show depth of emotion, complexity, and/or
expression of an important idea or human condition; vocals (where used)
that are well performed, on pitch, and harmonies (where used) that are
pleasing and blend well; instrumental skills; and high quality mixing and
mastering. The songs do not necessarily represent the Top Five Albums, but
they have all been played multiple times during the year on "It's For
Folks." Selected artists may feel free to use their selection in
promotional materials, so long as they credit "It's For Folks, hosted by
Ken "Dr. K" Nagelberg, from WHYR, Baton Rouge Community Radio." Thank you, artists, producers, and record companies for all the good folk music you
sent me this year!
Ken
*#1*--Gina Forsyth/Sparrows/Copper Rooster & Other Tunes &
Tales/2016/Waterbug
*#2*--Lauren Heintz/Travelin’ Fool/Where I Belong/2016/Gatorbone
*#3*--Scott Wolfson & Other Heroes/Sara’s Hole in the Ground/Welcoming the
Flood/2016/(self)
*#4*--Rebecca Folsom/Extraordinary Days/Extraordinary Days/2016/(self)
*#5*--Thomas Hine/Just Like Juan Ortiz/Some Notion or Novelty/2016/THM
Jim Canales/The Acoustic Revival Best Of 2016 Playlist (Part 1)
Jim Canales <canaljg@GMAIL.COM>
Best Of 2016 Playlist (Part 1)The Acoustic Revival
The Acoustic Revival is heard weekly on 90FM WWSP for three hours on Sunday mornings. This playlist is from the first of two Best Of 2016 radio shows. I will host Part 2 next Sunday morning from 9-noon CST on 90fm.org.
90FM is the largest student run FM station in the Midwest, with 30,000 watts of power and covering all of central Wisconsin. I am a volunteer and have been with 90FM since 2001.
Here is my playlist from Sundays show. Part 2 Best Of coming next week. 62 discs all told...486 albums received and reviewed.
Qualifiers for "Best Of" same as in other years:
* Chosen from albums received, recognizing that there were many other great albums made in 2016 that never made it here.
* Chosen from albums received in 2016, and may have been produced in 2015.
* Chosen for the depth of great songs on a particular album - usually four or more that were marked for radio play.
* Chosen because I really liked them!
Best Of 2016 Playlist, Part 1:
1.Slaid Cleaves - One Good Year - Broken Down - Rounder (For New years Day!)
2.Jason Wilber - A Song For You - Echoes - Self
3.Lizanne Knott - It Ain't Necessarily So - Excellent Day - Proper
4.Mark Erelli - For A Song - For A song - Self
5.Birds Of Chicago - Barley - Real Midnight - Five head
6.Paul Sachs - the Best Hope Can Do - Love Is Love - Self
7.Dead Horses - Golden Sky - Cartoon Moon - Self
8.Dead Horses - Red pony - Cartoon Moon - Self
9.Adam Steffy - No Place To Hide - Here To Stay - Mountain Home
10.Mountain Heart - She'll Come Back To Me - Blue Skies - compass - Burning Bridgett Cleary - The Mountain - These Are The Days - Self
11.The Bombadils - Wild Mountain Thyme - New Shoes - Borealis
12.The Bombadils - I'll Remember You Love In My Dreams - New Shoes - Borealis
13.Matt Patershuk - Harviestown - I Was So Fond Of You - Self
14.The Belle Hollows - Jonah - Millers Creek - el Hill
15.Jack Tempchin - Around Midnight - One More Song - Bluelan
16.Moors and Mccumber - Quick As I Can - Live From Blue rock - self
17.Levi Parham - Wrong Way To Hold A Man - These American Blues - Music road
18.Matt Patershuk - The Prettiest Ones - I Was So Fond Of You - Self
19.Old Man Kelly - Jesus Is My Co-Pilot - Off My Lawn! - Self
20.Rob McNurlin - Got Enough Jesus - The Gospel Guitar - Buffalo Skinner
21.Coty Hogue - Are You Down - Flight - self
22.Rob Heath - Drive - The Key - Self
23.Old Man Kelly - Exitville - Off My Lawn! - Self
24.James Lee Stanley - the Street Where Mercy Died - A Live At Last - Beachwood
25.T-Sisters - Shadoop - T-Sisters - Self
26.Matt Woods - No News - How to Survive - Lonely Ones
27.Johnny Nicholas - How Do You Follow A Broken Heart? - Fresh Air - Self
28.Seth Walker - the Sound Of Your Voice - Gotta Get Back - the Royal Potato Family
29.David Bromberg Band - A Fool For You - The Blues, The Whole Blues, and Nothing But The Blues - Red House
30.Birds of Chicago - Sparrow - Real Midnight - Five Head
31.The Rifters - Architecture O A Fire - Architecture Of A Fire - Howling Dog
32.Steve Dawson - Riley's Henhouse Door - Solid States and Loose Ends - Black Hen
33.Gillian Welch - Wichita - Boots No 1 - Acony
34.Gillian Welch - Annabelle - Boots No 1 - Acony
35.David Mallet - Hard To Live These Country Songs - Celebration - North Road
36.Doolin' - Le Jupon Blanc - Doolin' - compass
37.The Rifters - I Can Live With - Architecture Of A Fire
38.Howard and Skye - Milkweed - Self
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