Whoah, sounding GREAT. "Big Plan" collaboration, brought to a successful conclusion. Well done all.

wow, so much history in this song, amazing cover, love all the elements you guys poured into this!

@martkirwan: We agree on both points! Hope the schedule clears out soon (for all of us, we're running slowly here), would love to get some more done with you this year

A song by Whalebone Polly 2004 (me, Kate Stables of This is the Kit and violinist Virpi Kettu) from our only album Recordings with the Window Open, a collection of home recordings recorded in Bristol 2004

Sweetest In The Land

Phone recording added to by The Happy Somethings 

I uploaded Bitter before but in my opinion this Bitter is better.
I wrote and played it on the 1st January 2023.

I have loved The Happy Somethings since I first heard them when in Azerbaijan about 6 years ago.  We share the philosophy that if we try harder it sounds worse!  I am pleased and honoured that they spontaneously decided to colloborate and be my "ramshackle"  backing band on this song!  a bit like with Buddy Holly's apartment tapes, only I think Buddy's were better before...and Buddy was never bitter.    

link to their page: https://on.soundcloud.com/87eTU

...and in the words of The Happy Somethings:

"We have been fans of Cobbled Moth's musical output for some considerable time and when we came across this new song called 'Bitter' we just immediately loved it. One evening, bored with ourselves, and without him knowing, we decided to become his backing band... fortunately he embraced our audacity!"

credits
released January 9, 2023

Artwork by Joy.  Not meant to depict me, I'm still just a young lad...in his late 30s. 

Written by Cobbled Moth.
Copyright - all rights reserved - 
Cobbled Moth - Main vocals and acoustic guitar.
The Happy Somethings - other stuff

Lyrics:
I remember you sweeter
Jiving at Saint Peters
You were a spirit transmitter
But now you are bitter
And it's a shame
If you think no one cares
You went through pain
I know I was there
But you always had a wise word
And a kind word too
What happened to you?
I remember you taller
And now you are smaller
Over the land you would skitter
But now you're just bitter
Ooo oo now you are bitter
Ooo oo now we are bitter
And it's a shame
If we think no one cares
We went through pain
Yet always stayed fair
And we always had a wise word
And a kind word too
The disillusionment grew and grew and grew
I remember you fatter
And it didn't matter
In the days before twitter
When you were not bitter
I remember you jolly
In the rain with no brolly
I remember you shiny
Your wit was perfectly briny
I remember you noble
Before the dragon went global
You were never a quitter
Hope you stop being bitter


Bitter - Cobbled Moth & The Happy Somethings

bag of dirt

This song was written by Jane Bower, a Texas songwriter most well known for her regionally flavored songs. Her first hit was 1955's 'Remember the Alamo' as recorded by Tex Ritter and subsequently by Johnny, Willy, Donovan (where I first heard it) and others. It was also recorded by The Kingston Trio, who (it is easy to forget) absolutely ruled the pop charts in 1959, matching outfits and all. The Trio took a shine to Ms. Bowers's songs and recorded over a dozen over the next few years. 
The Trio's next album, Here We Go Again, featured the first recording of Bowers's song San Miguel, in a haunting solo vocal by Dave Guard to strummed nylon guitars. It was a the b side to their reworking of Worried Man Blues; it's an odd juxtaposition when a song originally about a  runaway slave is turned into a romantic farce, but a song about a doomed love affair in the Southwest is delivered almost straight up.
The song hasn't always been delivered straight up, however, and the brave among you may wish to seek out Lonnie Donegan's version. It's... awful, bad imitation Mexican accent and all.
I started digging through my folks' folk records sometime around 1985 and was captivated by this tune. Playing it back for my father, he told me about how he stopped in a bar somewhere in central PA one night where a patron played it, on repeat, on the jukebox until the owner unplugged the juke box.   The mind boggles at what romantic travail the poor fella must have gone through to get to that point.
Our version is of course less than faithful; we start out with our usual old-timey base and then sort of freak out. I think Hank called it spaghetti hillbilly, which I kind of like. Going for a small amount of inauthentic regional flavor, I added some sort-of mariachi horns, and we got Alan to join us on accordion again. Since we in the US love to conflate Latin cultures, there's also a bit of an Andean hint, courtesy of old-time analogs to the Andean instruments: Hank fills the harp role with his autoharp, and the charango with a teeny tiny ukulele, and my pennywhistles fill the role of the quena.

Then Martin drops a big old bomb on the whole thing, making it feel like Manuel's conversation with the mission bell might be more than just a dream. 
Jeff's mixing as usual brings it all together in ways that would be impossible for me to imagine; his ears, patience and thoroughness are probably our strongest asset and it's amazing to me that he's not getting paid lots of money by labels to do this.

The Kingston Trio 'San Miguel': https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3t5knRANfMY

Our collaborators, whom we're very fortunate said 'yes' to helping out with this idea of ours:
Martin Kirwan: https://soundcloud.com/martin-k-g
Hank Tilbury: https://soundcloud.com/hanklebury
Allan Ingall: https://soundcloud.com/newshoe

Sounds:
Dan: Guitars, vocals, trumpets, pennywhistles, ukulele, xylophone
Jeff: Percussion, basses, banjo, clarinet, vocals, production & editing
Hank: Autoharp, sopranino ukulele, vocals
Alan: Accordion
Martin: Electric guitars recorded during a stampede of wild stallions charging over the hill just on the other side of the mission church

Pic is the closest thing I had to a Southwestern theme in my photo library; it was the winner of the 'Masks' competition at this year's Philadelphia Flower Show, and is made entirely of plant material

San Miguel (with Martin, Hanklebury & Newshoe)

A response to Bob Dylan's poem 'Last Thoughts on Woody Guthrie' 
I called it "Last Thoughts" as a tribute, but in truth they certainly won't be. In fact my silly naive highschooler butt didn't even put together that he wrote "Last Thoughts on Woody Guthrie" when Woody was in the hospital. You'd think the title would have clued me in but either way hope there'll never be any last anythings. This song is kind of about reaching in the dark, finding strength in the words of strangers and old friends too, lighting the path a little further down the road.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0OdNY8Aybw

Written/vocals and guitar by J R Altabef/AManCalledJack/Pe+richor, Copyrighted 2008. 
https://illusionsofthespleen.deviantart.com/art/Last-Thoughts-on-Bob-Dylan-82633236

Last Thoughts on Bob Dylan

Written/Vocals and Guitar by J R Altabef/AManCalledJack/Pe+richor, Copyrighted 01/2017

City Of Minds [Rough Studio Mix]

Jason Goldeberg producing/mixing/mastering/harmonicaneering

The Ladder [TEASER]

Windy

Retrofuturistic global old-time, roots pop & electric folk, with a particular joy in our frequent collaborations with other Soundcloud friends.
"The Split Rail Fence of Sound." Hank Tilbury
"Captivating folk vibes in psychedelic sauce." E-Ruizzo
"Packed to the gills, and still works." Jonathan Beckenstein
"Bonhomie encapsulated in a song." Gary Reeves
"Totally transporting music." Mark J. Bennett
"Like the old stuff... but improved." Chris O(2)


We are:
Greenwood: https://soundcloud.com/lonesomedstringband
Burns: https://soundcloud.com/jeff-burns-4

 Album art by Kenny Keil: http://talestosuffice.com/

San Miguel (with Martin, Hanklebury & Newshoe)

Greenwood & Burns

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