The 9th installment of my yearly Labor Day Guthrie project, and I have to admit, I was feeling pretty down today. It was tough to record something. So much of Woody's music is encouraging, designed to bring people who are beaten down back up so they can keep on fighting. I've had a hard time finding hope in myself, but I tried to dig deep down. Still, I kept it simple this year. 

Anyway, this year I did a version of "Better World A Comin'" with a little twist... because while billionaire bosses are blasting into space promising a better new world, remember that they aren't building that world for people like you and me. There's no better world for us than Earth, and we're damned near out of time to stop the people who are lining their pockets destroying our one and only home. 

Demand renewable power in your cities, hold your local companies accountable for their consumption of resources and pollution, address your own consumption and do what you can to scale it back, and don't back down when you hit a bump in the road. This is our home and it's where we have to make our stand against greed and corruption. For you and me, there's no better world a comin'.

Just as a reminder, because I only do this once a year, this project is a reframing of Labor Day from being just a day off from work and more a day when we think about labor and our place in the world. Each Labor Day, I spend my time on the day each year recording a pro-people, pro-worker, pro-survival track by Woody Guthrie. I do all the recording, mixing, and mastering all in one day.

(No) Better World A Comin'

A classic from the folk songbook that Guthrie liked to sing. This is my 10th year doing this Labor Day Guthrie Project where I record a song on Labor Day to encourage anyone who hears it to focus on the labor movement, workers rights, and the benefits of people supporting each other. But, just like last year, I'm feeling down, depressed, and just out of gas. 

It's a hard time in history for idealists and sensitive people, and it's so tough for me to not give into the tide of bad news and discouragement in the world, half measures and whole hog awful. When I started doing this, the term "fascist" felt like an extreme concept for our day and age, almost reactionary, but now, of course, we've seen the very definition of fascist ideology re-emerge on the main stage of sincere political discussion, and find the word being used by the very people who fit the description to shut down their critics. 

I'm rambling. 

Anyway, all I could do today, after sitting around depressed, was haul my guitar and my field recorder out onto the back porch and record a couple of single take versions of this song. I ran it through some basic processing, but there's no production. You can hear birds and horns in the background. It's all I could do. Funny to cross the 10 year mark limping. But I'm doing my best. 

I hope your labor discussion is enlivened, I hope your rights are being respected, and if they aren't, I hope you're making a plan.

Worried Man Blues

Year 11 of doing my Labor Day Woody Guthrie Project, and this year I've got a rendition of "Jesus Christ," or "They Lay Jesus Christ In His Grave," as it was sometimes called. 

I think you get it, but just to say, some folks sure do get made when they hear what Jesus said about the poor, and about all the kindness he showed them.

Jesus Christ

Continuing my Labor Day tradition of recording a Woody Guthrie classic, here's "Bed on the Floor" for 2014. Guitar, Mountain Dulcimer, Ukulele, Accordion, and Voice. 

Bed on the Floor

Happy Labor Day! Here's my 2015 entry into my Labor Day Guthrie Project, a rendition of "Hobo's Lullaby." This recording includes ukulele, mountain dulcimer, acoustic guitar, beat up accordion, bodhran drum, denim slapping, sampled bass, and voice.

The rules I have self-imposed for this project are that I must record, mix, and upload the track all on Labor Day. 

Hobo's Lullaby

Happy Labor Day 2016, my friends! Here is my yearly Labor Day Woody Guthrie cover. For 2016, an election year, I have selected This Land Is Your Land. Watch out for fascists, don't forget that this land is your land, and remember that we all have to help each other out from time to time. 

Just as a reminder, my self-imposed rules for this project are that I must record, mix, and upload all parts of the Woody Guthrie song I cover during Labor Day. No part of it can be put down in the project in advance.

This recording contains guitar, ukulele, mountain dulcimer, harmonica, tambourine, sampled bass, and voice. Recorded during a rainstorm.

This Land Is Your Land

Happy Labor Day 2017, everyone! It has been a tough year for lovers of freedom and a just society, and for haters of fascism and pointless war. This year, I recorded "Pastures of Plenty" just a day after the announcement that the DACA program will end, dealing a serious blow to immigrant and migrant communities all throughout our country. Our migrant workers deserve our respect and an opportunity to live in this country. They deserve fair wages, the protection of good laws, and their work is integral to our food infrastructure.  

As a reminder about this project, every year on Labor Day I spend the day recording a Woody Guthrie song. I have set a few rules for myself in doing this, including that I must record, mix, and upload the track all on Labor Day, and cannot include any pre-recorded elements. 

This year, I recorded a borrowed Les Paul (thanks, Ryan!), ukulele, mountain dulcimer, tambourine, voice, and used sampled bass. It was raining again, just like last year, so there might be some thunder in there, too. 

Thanks for listening, keep on fighting fascism, keep on fighting for fair wages, and keep your eyes open and your ears to the ground.

Pastures of Plenty

Happy Labor Day 2018, my friends! Let's not split hairs with the fascists this year and just let them know they're going to lose. Let them know if you see them in the world, and let them know at the ballot box in November, too. 

This is "All You Fascists," and I had a blast recording it today.

In case you haven't seen this yearly project of mine, every Labor Day I spend some time recording a Woody Guthrie song. The rules are simple: I have to record, mix, and upload all the parts of my cover all on Labor Day.

Thanks for listening, happy Labor Day, and keep fighting for fair wages, for equal rights, and keep saying no way to the fascists who try to use violence to stop you from speaking out against hate.

All You Fascists

Happy Labor day, friends! This year's entry into my Labor Day Guthrie Project is a rendition of "So Long, It's Been Good to Know Yuh" with a little nod to the hurricane currently barreling toward the state of Florida. Oh boy.

As a reminder, this is part of a yearly project I've been doing since 2012. The rules are simple: I have to record, mix, and upload all the parts of my cover all on Labor Day. The goal is to keep the focus on labor, workers' rights, and fighting the people who abuse power and worship money. Keep at it, all you good, hard working people. Oh, and if you're in Florida, stay safe!

jaredsilvia

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