This is a collection of the latest tracks from Lester Flats, Joshua Tree, CA. These tracks are arranged and produced by Steve Lester under the name Jt Easy, Mojave Rhythm of Joshua Tree, and the Shadow Mountain Band. All these entities include the personnel from the SMB, along with a few friends from other groups that contribute a part every so often. Most of these are covers of our favorite songs, done in unique arrangements, and the individual tracks list the personnel involved. We hope you enjoy these as much as we enjoyed producing them.

RECENT TRACKS

New mixes from the 2nd Mojave rhythm Duo album

WHEN I'M 64

Another track from our 2nd acoustic duo album, Unadorned Volume 2. To be released summer 2022

ONE TRICK PONY

A radically reimagined cover of the great Beatles song, Drive My Car, written by Lennon/McCartney. This is a rough mic of the song that will be part of the new Mojave Rhythm album, Unadorned, Volume 2, due for release Summer 2022. Fiddle- Bobby Furgo, Vocal/guitar/stompbox- Stephen Lester

DRIVE MY CAR

THIS IS A NEW DUO VERSION OF AN ORIGINAL SONG FROM 2009.
'Ready for The Rockin' Chair' (Lester/Hemingway-Hanged Man Music, BMI)
Bobby Furgo- fiddle
Steve Lester- baritone guitar/vocal/stompbox

ROCKING CHAIR- DUO VERSION

from 'Higher', Shadow Mountain Band's 2nd recording. Released spring 2013. Heartache on my Mind, written by Dave Gleason, is about as mournful and swampy a blues as you are likely to hear. Great photo of Gar Robertson (lead singer on this tune) is by Michele Mcmanmon

HEARTACHE ON MY MIND

-Nothin’ I Want-
Song written by Kyoti King. Used by permission.
Lead vocal/mandolin-Gar Robertson.
Guitar/arrangement – Steve Lester.
Acoustic bass – Damian Lester.
Fiddle- Billy Rhea Bell.
Dobro- Charlie Joe Wallace.
Autoharp- Johnny Ray Martin*.
Harmonies – Darlene and Damian Lester/Johnny Ray Martin*
*This reissue of our first album is dedicated to the memory of Johnny Ray Martin, 1955–2021.
...The first CD edition of this album sold out a year before the plague. I have taken the opportunity to resurrect an old vocal by Johnny Ray, gotten a great new vocal by Gar Robertson (on this song), and have make changes in other songs. I have remixed those and remastered the whole project. I feel like this recording is a solid improvement on the original version but keeps the original vision and vibe. The band has changed,  and I am very happy to re-release the project RISIN’UP. The release will be on CD, as well as all the digital services. 
(Steve Lester 8/2022)

NOTHIN I WANT -REMIX

A great old Tom Paxton tune done up in a duo version, with guitar, vocal stomp box, and fiddle.

LAST THING ON MY MIND

A loving cover of the Lennon/Mccartney song. soon to be released On the the new Mojave Rhythm Duo recording, 'Unadorned- Volume 2.

LUCY

One of my early songs, describing a relationship with a late friend that developed at the first place I played solo as a rock and roll refugee.
This track is featured on a new album, 'Church Of Easy', released summer '23 on New Moon Records, Joshua Tree, CA.
Jeff Lantz- Hammond Organ
Steve Lester- Other Instruments, Vocals, Production.
(C) 1995/2022 Hanged Man Music, BMI

KENNY'S HARP REMIX

Mojave Rhythm
Hard times
Stephen Foster- Trad.
Bobby Furgo- fiddle
Stephen Lester (aka: JT Easy)guitar, vocal, stomp box.

HARD TIMES

RAW TRASH CANNONBALL

Big Money Man

HANG ON SLOOPY.
by Mojave Rhythm.
Jeff Lantz- Hammond organ.
Steve Lester- arrangement/production/other instruments/vocals.
song written by Wes Farrell and Bert Russell (used by publisher's permission).
arrangement/sound recording (p)2015 New Moon Records.
--Mojave Rhythm is a labor of love. We are a Joshua Tree, CA based group of musical friends that participate in various bands and musical projects together and separately. We love playing together and making records. The group is Bobby Furgo- violin/ keyboards; Jeff Lantz- Hammond Organ and acoustic piano; Steve Lester- arranging/production/recording, along with various instruments and vocals. This is the 5th in our series of re-imagined covers of classic tunes. We offer these songs with great respect for the original artist’s versions, and hope you enjoy our funky, desert-inspired interpretations. This track was recorded and mixed at ‘The Song Farm’, a private studio in Joshua Tree.
more info:
facebook.com/mojaverhythm.
www.mojaverhythm.com.
www.newmoonrecords.com.

HANG ON SLOOPY

HANG ON SLOOPY (Mojave Rhythm)

The Galaxy Song (remix)
By Mojave Rhythm
Stephen Lester (aka: JT Easy)- arrangement, Instruments, vocals.
Bobby Furgo- violin.
(P)2020 New Moon Records
ISRC- USQ932012100
-This is a re-imagining of the classic Monty Python track from the film 'the meaning of life'. I have been doing the song in my solo show for years, and this is my own arrangement. This track began as a live recording in the studio which I later embellished with acoustic bass, drums, and orchestra.
-recorded under publisher's license-
(Written by Eric Idle and John Du Prez
Copyright BMG Gold Songs o/b/o Kay-Gee-Bee Music Ltd.)

THE GALAXY SONG

From the album 'Christmas Joy'.
Produced by Ken Peebler and S. Lester for New Moon Records..
a-capella small group vocal renditions of classic Christmas songs.

CHRISTMAS JOY

LULLAY

Lullay (The Coventry Carol)

MONON RAILROAD BLUES.
(C) 2010 HANGED MAN MUSIC, BMI.
Writer/Producer: Stephen Lester (JT Easy).
Piano: Jeff Lantz. Slide guitar: Bob Garcia.
This song was first published on the Shadow Mountain Band album 'Shine' in 2016, in a hillbilly swing version. This version was never released, but is the original form of the song as written.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Monon Railroad disappeared quite a few years ago, but it is a strong part of my childhood memories. It went by my house in Indiana when I was a kid a little after 10PM and it put me to sleep. When the train went by, I knew the world was running properly and it was ok to let go.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Monon Railroad blues

There's a train a’comin’, rolling all night long
there's a train a’comin’, rolling all night long
she’s the Monon Line, come to take me home

they call ‘er the Monon, moanin’ through the night
yeah, they call ‘er the Monon, moanin’ through the night
runnin’ north to Chicago, in the cold moonlight
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
man's got to make a living, also got to live with himself
got to make a living, also got to live with himself
should have never left my home, turned me into someone else

now these big-city people, never give a man a break
these bigshot people, never give a man a break
thinkin’ I could change the world, was a big mistake
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I remember as a child, when I heard that big train moan
on the way up to Chicago, I knew someday I'd have to go
well I loved ‘er and I left ‘er, now she’s come to take me home

There's a train a’comin’, rolling all night long
there's a train a’comin’, rolling all night long
she’s the Monon Line, come to take me home
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
© 2010 steve lester
hanged man music, bmi

Monon Railroad Blues

MONON RAILROAD BLUES (EARLY VERSION)

RING THEM BELLS (Bob Dylan song- used by permission)
Arrangement/guitar/vocal, Stephen Lester (aka: JT Easy).
Piano, Jeff Lantz.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 Mojave Rhythm is a group of artists from Joshua Tree, CA. They are loosely organized around the 'Song Farm' studio at Lester Flats, in Joshua Tree. They are led by Stephen Lester, and comprise Damian and Darlene Lester, Bobby Furgo, Jeff Lantz, Charlie Joe Wallace, Joel and Rhonda Atkins, along with other musical friends that happen to be around when a given session goes down. This is another of our continuing series of original arrangements of classic tunes. We hope you enjoy them, and we appreciate your interest and support.

RING THEM BELLS

A unique arrangement of the Dylan classic, by the Shadow Mountain Band, recorded under publisher's license. 
 ISRC USQ931804111
www.shadowmountainband.com.
www.facebook.com/shadowmountainband (schedule)
Arrangement, guitar, banjo, vocal: Steve Lester
Fiddle: Bobby Furgo
Piano: Jeff Lantz
Dobro: Charlie Wallace
Bass: Damian Lester
Drums: Gabe Lester
Crowd at end: Pappy's Chorus during our Saturday set(2/18)

Single

Rainy Day Women #12 + 35

RAINY DAY WOMEN #12+35

MY SECRET LIFE
Writer: Leonard Cohen (used by permission)
Arr by: Steve Lester
Performed by: Mojave Rhythm
Violin: Bobby Furgo
Background vocals: Darlene Lester, Damian Lester
Lead vocal, guitars, bass, percussion: Steve Lester
Photo: Sneaky Pete's cape, courtesy Anita Kleinow

'My Secret Life' is a cover of Leonard Cohen's song of the same name; Mojave Rhythm's version keeps the lyrical truth and adds an upbeat groove and strong violin melody. Eric Burdon, who is a good friend and for whom Bobby and Steve do studio work, turned me on to the song several years ago, saying he wanted to record it. I did this arrangement for him, but he eventually recorded the song using Leonard's arrangement, a dirge. Leonard's fiddler, Bobby Furgo, and I decided to use our demo as a release because we liked the song in this format. We hope you do too.

'Mojave Rhythm' is a coalition of musicians from the Joshua Tree area of California,with the same basic personnel as the 'Shadow Mountain Band'. Steve Lester is a songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer. Bobby Furgo is a violinist and keyboardist. Bobby played in Leonard Cohen's band for 10 years, as well as many other well-known bands. Jeff Lantz on keyboards has been a top call player for Brian Wilson, Jim Peterik, and too many others to list here. Acoustic and electric bass are provided by Damian (Dooley) Lester,  a Shadow Mountain member. Background harmonies are provided by Darlene and son Gabe Lester, and others in our extended family in Joshua Tree. The songs are recorded, mixed, and mastered at 'The Song Farm' at Lester Flats, in Joshua Tree, CA, under the supervision of Michael Farrow for mixing and mastering.

MY SECRET LIFE

MY SECRET LIFE (REMIX)

Released 9/21/2018,  the new Shadow Mountain Band single, a cover of the Beatles' 'A Litte Help From My Friends'. Done in bluegrass style. Original arrangement (c)2018 S Lester. Recorded, mixed, and mastered at The Song Farm at Lester Flats, Joshua Tree. Mixing/mastering supervision, Michael Farrow.

Shadow Mountain Band really had too much fun (is that possible?) recording this unique bluegrass arrangement of the Beatles classic. ‘A Little Help From My Friends’ has been one of (bandleader) Steve’s favorite songs since he was a teenager. We offer this arrangement with deep respect for the original and for it’s authors, Lennon and McCartney. This track is recorded under publisher’s license. Our show schedule is posted at facebook, under facebook/shadowmountainband, and on Instagram, @shadowmountainband. Come see us at Pappy and Harriets in Pioneertown, CA, if you are in Southern California, we are the house band on Saturdays when we are in town. We would like to thank you for listening, and for your support. Don't forget to check out more of our music here on Soundcloud and all web outlets.

Shadow Mountain Band personnel:
Stephen Lester- guitar/vocals/arrangements
Damian Lester- Acoustic bass/Vocals
Johnny Ray Martin- Autoharp/ Lead Vocal
Bobby Furgo- Fiddle
Charlie Joe Wallace- Dobro
Banjo Bob Hamilton- Banjo/Mandolin
Jeff Lantz- Piano
Gabe Lester- Drums/Vocals

A Little Help From My Friends

A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS

LISTEN
Artists: Shadow Mountain Band
Writer: Amos Lee; Publisher: Soma Eel Music (used by permission)
Arranger/producer: Steve Lester.
Label (p) 2012 New Moon Records.

'Listen' is a bluegrass style cover of Amos Lee's rock song of the same name. 
The Shadow Mountain Band is a Joshua Tree based roots band. www.shadowmountainband.com

HIGHER

LISTEN

One more in our series of covers of our favorite songs, this is the final mix of the new Mojave Rhythm single, a toe-tappin' tribute to Tom Petty, who we miss greatly. Recorded under publishers license, and released for distribution November 2018. Original arrangement/lead vocal- Steve Lester. Piano/accordian, Jeff Lantz. Lap steel, Charlie Wallace. Recorded at The Song Farm studio, at Lester Flats, Joshua Tree. Mixing/mastering supervised by Michael Farrow.................................
I always loved this song. I never met Tom Petty, but his music was always there. He went out like a hero, playing shows 'till he couldn't stand. He seemed like a really good and happy dude, of course 'you don't know how it feels'....Anyway, I recorded this track in his honor with a couple of my best buds.
BTW-When I first started in music, the labels and producers said you couldn't make a track much longer than 2 minutes because of short attention spans. This was back when folks HAD attention spans! That said, here is another >5 minute track, but it has much value in the groove department if you take the time to listen through. Anyone who listens through all the way to the end and doesn't feel happier and uplifted will have their attention cheerfully refunded.

SINGLE

YOU DONT KNOW HOW IT FEELS

Memphis Blues- 
Another in our series of re-imagined covers of classic songs, a great old Dylan song, done up in a unique rootsy style by Mojave Rhythm, a group of musical friends and family from Joshua Tree CA. We treated this much-loved song with our stylistic touches, but remain in awe and respect of the work of Bob Dylan.
 Mojave Rhythm is an offshoot of the well-known Shadow Mountain Band of Joshua Tree, Ca (some of the more unruly members). 
Stephen Lester- arrangement; production; vocals.
Jeff Lantz- Hammond organ.
Charlie Joe Wallace- Steel guitar.
Michael Farrow- mixing and mastering supervision.
Chuck Heiss, Peter and Robert Spoecker, John Boyd, Roger Wandersheid, Kyoti King and VI Cook, Uncle Bill, and Grandpa Bob; looking on from the next world.
Thanks to Pappy and Harriets, our home stage in Pioneertown, CA
Recorded under Publisher's license.
(p)2019 New Moon Records.
ISRC: USQ931901201

MEMPHIS BLUES

This is a brand new release. It is a remix from the Mojave Rhythm 'Unadorned' (duo) album. We have added the other musicians from the Shadow Mountain Band, and it is now a Shadow Mountain Band track. 
Writer: Townes Van Zant. (recorded under publishers license, arr- S Lester)
Violin: Bobby Furgo.
Steel and lead acoustic guitar: Charlie Joe Wallace
Bass/backing vocals: Damian Lester
Arrangement/lead vocal/guitars/percussion: Stephen Lester
Mixing and mastering supervision: Michael Farrow.

single

PANCHO AND LEFTY

PANCHO AND LEFTY (REMIX)

INDIANA
Song written by Bill Wilson (1947-1993) (c)1980 Bill Wilson. 
Arrangement/production by Steve Lester (c) 2012. 
Recording by the Shadow Mountain Band (p) 2012 New Moon Records.

Producer's note: I have always loved this song. I was living in Indiana when my buddy Bill wrote it, and he came out to the farm to play it for me. Within a few weeks, I produced the first recording of it for him. That was around 1980. I went back to California at the end of 1981, and Bill went to live in Florida soon after that. I never saw him again. I still have a drawer full of his demos (even 8 track cassettes), albums, and promo stuff. I'm too sentimental to clean it out.

This new Shadow Mountain Band (my roots band) version has been a hit with our California audiences, so I felt it was time to record the song again. Bill's early passing has left us with a little gap in our lives and hearts for this great creator of music. May his music and his memory live on.


INDIANA

FIXER-UPPER BLUEGRASS DEMO

This is an ambient jazz/spoken word piece from the album 'Message to Myself', by JT Easy/Mojave Rhythm, released 7/22/2016. A combination of ambient trance music and spoken word. An attempt to bring the inner peace, silence and flow of the spirit to the outer, busy, distracted, and imprisoned world. Take the journey, the door is open; see if you can relate.  
Composition/production: Stephen Lester 
Native American flute: John Yonoshonis
(C) 2016 Hanged Man Music, BMI

MESSAGE TO MYSELF

EVERETT'S WALTZ
from the 2013 recording 'Higher'. Performed by Shadow Mountain Band
(writer: Steve Lester) (c) 2013 Hanged Man Music BMI
The song is a tribute to our beloved cousin/father/friend Ev Miller. He will always be in our hearts.

EVERETT'S WALTZ

A traditional song from the 2013 Shadow Mountain Band CD, 'Higher'. Lead vocal/autoharp- Johnny Ray Martin. Guitar/vocals/Arrangement-  Steve Lester. Violin- Bobby Furgo. Mandolin- Gar Robertson. Bass/vocals- Damian Lester. Backing vocals- Darlene Lester
 www.shadowmountainband.com
Shadow Mountain Band Schedule- www.facebook.com/shadowmountainband

Higher

Poor Wayfaring Stranger

POOR WAYFARING STRANGER

HIGHER
(C) 2012 Hanged Man Music, BMI
Performed by Shadow Mountain Band.
Writer+lead vocal: Damian Lester.
Arr: Steve Lester.
from the 2013 album, 'Higher' on New Moon Records.

Left as a child by spaceship in a small Kentucky town many years ago. You know the rest.

JT Easy

Pinned to spotlight

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