I only realized tonight that with my own sister getting married in two weeks, this is kinda tasteless to put up. But I've been listening to Five Hand Reel lately, and Dick Gaughan absolutely murders this song... I had it on repeat in my car for two weeks straight. Since it's such a definitive version (I don't see any links for it on Youtube or I'd post one here - but seriously, look it up), but I still felt like I needed to record it just to get it out of my head, I took it in a different direction. I obviously don't have Dick's command of Scots, or incredible talent or presence in any way... so I tried to Americanize the language a bit, and boil down the melody and accompaniment to bare essentials. A metronome probably would have been a good idea, but I hate those things.

The meter also probably suffered a bit as tonight was brew night... obviously I had to sample a recently brewed Belgian-style blonde, which I racked tonight onto a gallon of mulberries and some oak cubes. Will be interesting - first time using either. Only bad thing is it'll be next year before I know if it's any good. I also brewed an amber using some of the same yeast, and plan to flavor that with some Cornelian cherries (actually dogwood fruits, should also be fun) after it's fermented.

The Cruel Brother

Child #95, formally known as 'The Maid Freed from the Gallows.' Like most post-classic rock folkies, the first version I learned was Led Zeppelin's, but eventually Leadbelly's blew my mind. Other versions came and went, but when I heard Jean Ritchie's version (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVafGE0L6dM) I finally wanted to sing & play it. It took a long time to work out a guitar arrangement I was happy with - I got caught up trying to replicate Jean's range and free meter, but again found that simplifying the melody and delivery a bit worked better with my so-called voice and also let me round out the guitar part a bit more. As usual with my guitar pieces this is a warts-and-all recording, so hopefully some of those warts add character. Thanks again for reading and listening.

Hangman

My friend Polly has a nice little side business hosting barn sales twice a year, where she sells antiques she collects the rest of the year. Much of my house has been furnished from these. This year she had 4 dulcimers on the wall, but I took one down and tuned it up and of course took it home. Turns it out's a 3-string cardboard box dulcimer - something I'd heard about people making (mostly back in the late '70s and early '80s) but never seen. It's got a great mellow tone, softer and deeper than my also-beautiful wood dulcimer from Folkcraft.

Of course whenever I get a new toy, the first thing I have to do is record it. In this case the obvious choice was this song, which has been driving me crazy since I learned it from the great Jean Ritchie & Doc Watson live record from Folk City. Their version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zWAosCtbjA - I love the way Doc's fiddling provides both a lead and a rhythmic component as well as chordal elements during the verses. And Jean, well, she's pretty much become 2d only to Pete Seeger in terms of inspiration and source material for me.

Without fiddle chops, or dulcimer chops for that matter, I decided to layer the dulcimers - the cardboard one provides the main melody and high melody, the wood one provides the lower chording. The strings on each of them are ancient, and you can tell at the end, but it's too much of a hassle to change strings when I have new songs to arrange and have fun with.

While the dulcimers do carry a certain amount of rhythm, I augmented with my usual glass washboard played with a dish brush in one hand and the other hand's nails.

This song is of course dedicated to my 3 year old, who while no longer a baby still drives us crazy at bedtime.

Picture is of my corner of the basement. The cardboard box dulcimer is right center, off-white and trapezoidal, looking like a dulcimer if Bo Diddley played one.

What'll I Do With the Baby-O

The first time I heard Hobart Smith's 'Banging Breakdown,' I said to myself 'somebody oughtta sample that.' My friend https://soundcloud.com/howisya encouraged me to do it. So a few years later, here we are. The percussion loop in this is Hobart banging on the banjo head as recorded by Fleming Brown, clipped out of the larger piece. My apologies to the estates of Mssrs. Smith and Brown, as well as  Smithsonian Folkways.

Cripple Creek is another one of the most common old-time standards, and among the recorded versions I know I've always leaned toward the solo versions by Jimmie Strothers and especially Uncle Homer Walker. I tried to borrow their sense of elasticity, as well as their blue notes, and transpose it to a string band setting. There's some irony in this, considering I'm using a straight loop as the rhythmic core, but I envision the loop as the dancers pounding out a rhythm as the band lets everyone play lead for the entire (unrehearsed) last song, which keeps going and going. There's some disagreement occasionally over when the A part and the B part are supposed to come 'round, or overlap? The caller's retired for the evening and the bar's making last call, so drink up and have just a little more fun.

I've been messing with the sample for a while, but did the rest of this tonight and decided that if I waited til tomorrow morning and re-listened to it, I'd probably decide to tinker with it some more instead of posting it raw. So here you go. Playing my gut strung banjo, steel string banjo, bad but fun fiddle, harmonica and harp.

Cripple Creek

Child 53, the story of Lord Bateman's bomb of a trip to Turkey and the ultimate good that came out of it. Unless you're the scorned and soon-to-be-ex-wife. Or her mother. Or the Turkish maid's father.

This was a 2011 recording, and I had it up for a while when I first joined Soundcloud but it got like 7 plays in a year, so I don't expect it to be a repeat for too many of you. Song was learned from & based on Jean Ritchie's version, very different from most of the modern British versions I've come across since.

Played on my Howe 'Academy' banjo (headstock in photo) and Shenandoah acoustic played through its built-in pickup and run through the 4-track's preset fuzz effect. I know it's quiet at the start, but be forewarned that the last few electric choruses are loud (aka poorly mixed), so watch your ears as the song progresses!

Lord Bateman

I've commented on here several times how important Pete Seeger has been to me (in more than just musical ways). As a source, I've mostly been drawn to his traditional material and adaptations, but there's no denying that Pete wrote some humdingers of his own as well. The three that have been in my mind this week all have similar, and very Seeger, themes of unity, strength and individualism. 

This one I actually learned from Claudia Schmidt's stunning version (live version here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmVCt5yhhLE) in the late 1980s. It seemed natural to learn later that Pete had written it. I've never gotten tired of singing it and I hope a few of you try it on for size as well. I cherrypicked my three favorite verses and arranged it as sparsely as I'm capable of on the 4 string guitar.

Old Devil Time (written by Pete Seeger)

Yes, another Pete song that's been in my head the past week. Learned from Pete's version on his first live record with Arlo, which I bought was back when I was about 15 and starting to really rediscover the folk that my parents had had around the house when I was really small. It's a great record with a lot of choice cuts. I haven't sung this one in a long time - probably since college, and my 20-yr. reunion is apparently this spring - but the words came when I called for them. I've changed my banjo pattern a bit since then.

Yesterday's tune was pretty naked and bittersweet, so another way to celebrate Pete's legacy is just to have a good time. And, though the words make this more than just a good time, an old-time jam is a good way to help these words have a good time. Layered banjos, guitar, uke, washboard, tub bass. This song surrounds hate, and forces it to surrender.

Well May The World Go

After a bad 9/13/18 hemorrhagic stroke, Pops was stuck in an LTAC unit to wean off ventilator and wake up, and to everyone's surprise one of the first things he started to do was sing along. This was 5 weeks after the stroke and around a week after he started exhibiting conscious behavior.
I hadn't even known he knew this song, but it was a Weavers staple (Wreck of the John B). As soon as he overheard some of us talk about him going home, this came out of him. I fortunately had his old four string on hand  and recorded this to iphone voice memo.

Pic is Dad, taken same day as the recording.

Dad sings Sloop John B, 10/19/2018

Six months after his stroke, it was pretty clear that Dad's mental status wasn't going to get where we had initially hoped, but he still had his sense of humor and a good ability to interact. He was in a physical rehab facility at this point so we were able to spend a lot of time with him, and I would take his four string out most days and play him a few songs. This was probably the best lyrical performance I got out of him.

Dad Sings Midnight Special 3 - 9-2019

Since Jeff & I have been working so far on his amazing original compositions, I wanted to try our hand at a traditional to see what would happen. I've known variations on this tune for ever - I think I learned 'Sail Away Ladies' in elementary school, and of course, there's the version on the Anthology - but it really got stuck in my head first after hearing the version on the Carolina Chocolate Drops' debut. Then I forgot about it. Then https://soundcloud.com/old-time-jam posted a version that I had on replay for a week or more. Go check 'em out.

This started with me playing it on my old banjo, then Jeff added a great counter-melody with his (listen here: https://soundcloud.com/jeff-burns-4/sally-anne-lonesome-d-string) and sent it back to me for fleshing out. I did a bunch of stuff, then sent it back to Jeff, who added bass and did a great job mixing most of the random stuff I sent him. 
LDSB: banjo, guitar, mandolin, jaw harp, ukulele, percussion
Jeff Burns: banjo, bass, mixing & mastering

Same song, Jeff's page - go support!  https://soundcloud.com/jeff-burns-4/sally-ann-lonesome-d-string

Picture: another hellebore, probably circa March 20th 

Sally Anne, with Squirrel Jam Zombie Banjo!

Back in college I had the pleasure of taking a 'January term' class that purported to introduce students to world music. I think I may have been the only student actually interested in the music, but that's not unusual with any subject in J-term (where students take only one class for four weeks, usually something 'fun' which to many means something 'easy.') I remember ethnomusicologist Jennifer Post guest-teaching a class on New England music traditions and trying to get a room full of sleepy meatheads to sing the 'bow and bend to me' chorus to a version of this, with absolutely no success. I'd guess she'd be surprised to know someone remembers it 25 years later.

Anyhow.

Child #10, perhaps a companion piece to 'The Cruel Brother' which I did last year. Not sure why siblings killing each other fascinates me. Also not sure why I started messing with this one last night, other than that it's a classic in its several forms and names, and I've always found this most familiar version of the melody hauntingly beautiful.

Lyrics come from a combination of Garcia's version of 'Dreadful Wind And Rain,' Jean RItchie's 'There Lived An Old Lord' and Loreena McKennitt's 'The Bonny Swans.' As with The Cruel Brother, I opted out of a refrain - among other things, there were too many different ones to choose from - and kept on simplifying the accompaniment until there's almost nothing left. 

Picture: my favorite of the few woodland irises I have

The Cruel Sister

A few months back my Soundcloud buddy Mark Pierce reposted a song by Cadence & Nathan, and I was immediately drawn to their material. Very catchy, slightly country sibling duo singer-songwriters, immaculately produced (seriously, I love whoever drums for them) and arranged, with Nathan's dobro adding a distinct instrumental flavor. I wound up getting their self-titled debut album from iTunes and recommend it enthusiastically; go buy yourself a copy so they can get around to getting some of their dynamite new material onto a second record! 

This is one of Nathan's songs, and I had it on repeat in the car for a week last month, then decided on a whim to try it on for size last night with a sort of Folk Revival picking pattern and arrangement in standard tuning (after failed attempts in open D and G). 

Recorded to iphone using the Soundcloud app, first try at that and I'm fairly impressed.

Nathan, sorry if I didn't get all the words right! Or if this stinks!

More on Cadence & Nathan:
http://www.cadenceandnathan.com/
https://soundcloud.com/cadence-nathan
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cadence-Nathan/217278478361767

Seen Its Day (Cadence & Nathan Cover)

Back in 2009 when I did my arrangement of this old Rinken Band tune, I sent my source tracks to Justin for him to have some fun with. As usual, he was able to pick out the best parts and then take them in a completely different direction. I love the way the beat reinforces the kalimba and the whistle riff just slides right in; there's a hint of a bass part and a beat underlying it that fits the groove by being just shy of off-kilter. And yes, that's my countdown (which I edited out, but part of Justin's genius is the ability to find beauty in and use for parts that aren't immediately apparent.)

I've sent you there before, but you should visit Justin's page at https://soundcloud.com/ajiav and listen to more of his music. It's great.

Pic: purple beautyberry (callicarpa dichotoma)in an early freeze, winter 2013-14

Chimu Ni Kakate (Justin Deremo Remix, 2009)

In mid/late '90s Japan, when I lived in Iwate, there was a surge in interest in updated versions of traditional sounds and styles. One of the early reasons for this was the Rinken Band, and Okinawan pop act with significant success on the Japanese mainland. Never my favorite act - the eisa kakegoe and the sanshin were wonderful, but man, the cheesy synths - they nevertheless had some good cuts, and this was my favorite. Not the cheesy synth version, but the rare and totally, heartbreakingly lovely version for just sanshin and vocals. Can't find a full stream online, but you should be able to preview it here: http://www.shazam.com/discover/track/40854831

Of course I don't have a sanshin, and I'm not Okinawan. But I do have some other toys, so I arranged an instrumental version using the kalimba as a base and leaving the melody to melodica and pennywhistle. Be forewarned the whistle part is neither particularly well-played nor well-recorded, and there's a moment in there you might want to shield your ears.

Pic: Nandina berries, winter 2013-14

Chimu Ni Kakatei

When my wife and I were dating - and it's our tenth anniversary coming up next week - I made a mix CD for her. Like always, I needed a short little ditty to get the full 80 minutes onto the mix, and I picked this tune to round it out.
It's from an obscure Japanese roots pop band called Kusu Kusu. They blended Congolese, Jamaican, Okinawan, Brazilian, and whatever other kinds of influences they could find into a mix that was occasionally breathtaking, but just as often a bit cheezy. They'd been big enough to record a 'live at Budokan' VHS tape around 1992 or 1993 (which I have), but by the time I discovered their stuff in the late 1990s via used CD stores (originally via the J-ska 'Panic Paradise' compilation, but later, liner notes also revealed connections to the Boom, Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra and other personal favorites), not a single Japanese person I asked about them would cop to having heard them. A few videos have popped up on Youtube recently; you can check https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKKn2XRNbrw or https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Edp9yFkLQ0 for more typical examples of their style.
Anyhow. My wife has kept the CD in rotation in her car, and somehow my daughter gravitated to this tune, which the band does on some sort of banjo type thing and accordion.  Before long she had an approximation of the lyrics down and we started messing around with it. I finally got her to sing it for a recording tonight - woefully low quality as we did it directly into the computer via the built-in mic and Audacity, instead of the 4-track. It's my wife's birthday Wednesday and this will go onto a surprise CD I'll get into her car for Wednesday morning along with a few other tidbits.
I've always interpreted the song (and almost the sole lyric) title to mean 'the mountain summit climbed in the moonlight' but there may be something subtle I didn't pick up in it. 
me: uke
my daughter: singing
pic: wood sorrel wit, currently on tap in the basement studio. A good bit dark for the style, and with a bit of an unfortunate  vegetative aroma (dissipating a bit as it matures, however) but a nice flavor with the lemony sorrel finish accentuating the wit's natural citrus.


Tsuki Akari Dake De Noboru Yama (with my daughter)

Mike & me, some homebrew, guitar, uke, harp, and a great John Prine tune.

Mike: rhythm & image, guitar, singing
Dan: uke, harp, singing

Picture Show (John Prine)

Had a lot of fun with this one... building on the ideas of some earlier and sloppier arrangements with overt Jamaican influences, this started out as an acoustic rock steady version of an Irish traditional learned from the terrific John Renbourn/Robin Williamson closer on their 1994 live album of the same title. It' really an excellent album, so go get it, or stream it or whatever kids do these days, if you haven't heard it.
Once again I threw the kitchen sink at Jeff with all the dishes in it and he scrubbed it clean, determining exactly what to layer in where, and I think it came out terrific.  The end result is definitely a bit of a mishmash, and to some extent I blame it on Kim of My Hot Air Balloon, who commented on a previous attempt on this style that it was like "a symphony for toy instruments." I liked that idea so much I tried to run with it. So there's a string section (guitar, uke, a classical junker with only 3 strings, Jeff's banjo), a winds section (out-of-key G and C whistles, melodica, harmonica, and Jeff's clarinet), and a rhythm section featuring Jeff's new guiro. my oft-tweaked kalimba, and phaserized jingles, along with the glockenspiel that we had to get for my 4th grader. He signed up last week to do percussion lessons in school, and we were instructed to get him a 'bell kit' which turned out to be a pretty huge and expensive suitcase. I was complaining about it since I was expecting just to have to get a snare practice pad, but then I realized that the glockenspiel sounds gorgeous and I now have access to it, mwahahaha.

Jeff: Banjo, clarinet, guiro, vocals, mixing & editing
Dan: Guitar, ukulele, washtub bass, melodica, a warbly harmonica from an old toy instrument kit, whistles, kalimba, glockenspiel, vocals

As always, I'll recommend that you check out more of Jeff's stuff at https://soundcloud.com/jeff-burns-4



Wheel of Fortune (Greenwood & Burns)

Did this for my daughter's 5th birthday. Hard to believe she's turning 8 in a few days. Time flies.

Song is from Burl Ives, from an old record of kids' songs that Disney put out ca. 1960. Fiddle, guitar, ukulele.

Pic: She doesn't need a fine white pony. She's perfectly content with a big brown mule.

My Fine White Pony

I used to record Mountain Stage occasionally on those crazy things called cassettes back in the early 1990s. I got lucky to catch Iain Matthews singing this one week in 1992 or so, and figured out a half-assed arrangement a few weeks later. I was already a huge fan of Fairport Convention but hadn't delved into Iain's rather significant post-Fairport body of work at all, so had no idea of the provenance of this song until I grabbed a copy of Matthews Southern Comfort's excellent 'Later That Same Year' record out of a dollar bin a decade or so later. It's one of Iain's few originals on the record, and really captures an eerie, ominous mood with spares accompaniment and the band's trademark gorgeous harmonies.

I was reminded of the song  this summer while listening to an audio book of Sarah Prineas's book Winterling, which I'm sure has nothing to do with the song but involves a lot of the same plot elements. If a movie's ever made of it, And Me should be licensed as the focal point of the soundtrack.

My idea was to turn the original's sparse production on its head, utilizing our 'folk wall of sound' that Jeff's been able to handle so deftly, and really beef up the ominous aspect of the song by using guitar effects, minor open tunings, and the dijeridu. It IS October, really, and if you're going to make a spooky song for October, best go all out.

Jeff really outdid himself bringing this all together; he's really too good to be working with a hack like me. First he did a ton of editing to fix numerous timing errors on the core guitar part (even with a metronome, my timing can be... fluid). The he managed to salvage a terrible attempt at dijeridu playing (I swear I used to be half-decent, but now? notsomuch) by snipping out the half-decent parts and pasting them throughout. Then he layered the 25 or so additional tracks I threw at him perfectly, added a rock solid bass, spooky fat clarinet, filled in the percussion, and finished up with a banjo part that was the missing link. The end result should be a dense listening experience on any speaker set, but I would really recommend headphones to get the full gist of how much work he put into it.

Dan: guitar, ukulele, percussion, dijeridu, glockenspiel, gut banjo, kalimba, vocals
Jeff: bass, clarinet, banjo, percussion, production, editing & mixing

We also seem to have settled on a "band" name of Greenwood & Burns. Stay tuned as there may be a new SC page for that entity before long and I don't know where he'll find the time but Jeff's talking about videos, a Facebook page, and other stuff that's beyond my ken. Thanks for your support, ears and time; hope you enjoy this one. Let us know if so.

Jeff's page is https://soundcloud.com/jeff-burns-4

pic: a fall-blooming anemone, taken last weekend (10/1/14)


And Me (Greenwood & Burns)

Two years after I snapped the second wood tailpiece, I finally got the banjo up to the estimable Bucks County Folk Music Shop for an overhaul. They completely understood what I wanted - this is never going to be a Fine Instrument, but it can be a decently playable one with a great sound. The tech found an old tailpiece for me and (after one of the original pegs snapped as he was restringing it) some upcycled old tuning pegs. Neck was quite bent after 120 years or so, so he put a shim in there to balance it out and the action is way better. "Classic banjo" nylguts sound pretty close to the way I had it sounding with the guts, and they're way cheaper and more playable.

Pretty Polly

I've uploaded this once or twice before. One of my favorite ballads, in an arrangement I put together in college sometime around 1991 and recorded in 2004. Originally learned from Tom Rush. Unfortunately a mic mixup (I've never used mics much) had me playing into the vocal mic and singing into the guitar mic, so the sound's a little odd, especially on the guitar, but such is life.

Barb'ry Allen

In the wake of the classic funky version from Pentangle and Sam Amidon's masterful indie-folk interpretation, the world doesn't really need another hack frailing version of this tune. But I picked it out one night a few years back and recorded but never shared it; and I'm trying to empty the archives onto SC, so ...

Trying to decipher the song's origins is a bit difficult. I learned it originally from the Pentangle version; there are plenty of others out there but it seemms that most trace their way back to Peggy Seeger. It's not clear where she got it from but it appears that she only had a snatch of the song from whomever her source was, and extrapolated the rest of the verses to flesh out the tune.



Wedding Dress

Another classic of my youth. I got to see Dave Van Ronk several times in the early 1990s, and this was always my favorite song of his. I think he played it straight up but I was no way capable of doing that, so started noodling it in open D as I was obviously doing a lot at that point in time. Over time it go faster and noodlier - this is actually somewhat abbreviated. At one point I even played it with a friend who brought back a didgeridoo from his junior year in Australia (but who couldn't circular breathe yet. It was interesting.)

Anyhow. Go look up Van Ronk's version and I think there are a few teaching videos of him doing this one available online. And read that durn book that Dave wrote with Elijah Wald, it's a terrific glimpse of the Village folk scene from a unique perspective.

Pic: Presumably the remains of the eponymous mill on the banks of Mill Brook, Paupack PA

Green Green Rocky Road

I've been working on a fuller band version of this one (Child ballad 74) for the past two weeks, at least; I had one done but decided it could be better. It's been hard finding the time (and, um, talent) to get the revision sounding the way I want it, so in the meantime I recorded a more traditional sounding, one-take version of this ballad on my gut-strung banjo.

Little Margaret (solo)

YES still messing with this one, just working on building up some semblance of technique in Audacity. I still stink, even more than I stink at drums, but fun project to work on adding effects moving tracks around, etc. I might get there someday, but I'm happy with this as a baby step.
Side note: The great thing about borrowing my kid's electronic drum kit was that I was putting these parts down while he was asleep in his bed three feet away.

Effects:
Slowed down
Some distortion added to the guitars
bass booster
some silly wah wah on the accordion
generic distortion on the mandolin
drums run through a Monotron for the right channel

Hilary Dirlam: rhythm guitar, bass, digital tanpura
Alan Ingall: Accordion Bros
Dan: 4-string guitar, mandolin, drums & filters

Pic: helleborus foetidus, Dec. 2017

Rockin' Out In The Parlour (w/Hilary Dirlam & newshoe)

This is unquestionably one of the finest modern folk songs, and indeed one of the finest songs of the latter half of the twentieth century. I have no doubt this song will be sung until no one knows who wrote it or what the titular Vincent refers to. Recorded for my friend Mike, who's always loved the 'red hair and black leather' line, and whose lovely wife rode a motorcycle when he met her lo this quarter century past, and pulled him up behind.

I can't play like Richard Thompson, or sing like Del McCoury, or harmonize like the ladies in Red Molly, so wound up attacking this as a sing-along jam, late night in the campground after a music festival, back when I used to attend such things; it was fun since it's been a long time since I tackled a song this way. Plus it gave me a chance to keep working on my mixing skills and apply things I don't really understand like Compression. It gets a little shaky at points, especially in the vocals, which I think is okay. It's really about the song, not the presentation. 

Guitar, ukulele, mandolin, banjo, washtub bass, dulcimer, washboard, pennywhistle, cigar box slide guitar, ragged singing

Image: basswood leafroller (ID thanks to the wonderful LepSnap app), Sanbornton NH, late July 2018

1952 Vincent Black Lightning

According to the Library of Congress, this is one of the top ten fiddle tunes in the old-time canon, and among the most widely distributed. Although associated with morphine and the Civil War, it apparently dates to the 1760s and is of Scottish origin. I probably first learned it from Michelle Shocked's terrific Arkansas Traveler record (referenced previously as a very influential record for me), backed by Uncle Tupelo. The version with the most influence on this arrangement, however, was the Nashville Washboard Band, recorded ca. 1942 for the LOC and featuring the washboard kit of the great Theophilus Stokes driving a propulsive banjolin lead. 

The percussion here is a loop snipped out of a late night percussion jam with myself, Hanky Tilbury (@hanklebury), and Jeff Burns (@jeff-burns-4). Hank's frame drum sets the tone (E flat); I played a capoed guitar in DADGAD, relished the chance to use my E flat and B flat whistles, and challenged Alan (@newshoe)to play his accordion along in the unfortunate key, and of course he rose to the challenge with several parts which were fun to work into the mix.

Further listening:
Nashville Washboard Band: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Yt2Vs4xiF0
Unfortunately I can't find a link for the Shocked/Tupelo version, but if you happen to see that CD, grab it. 

Alan Ingall (@Newshoe): Accordion
Hank Tilbury (@hankelbury): Percussion, advice
Jeff Burns (@jeff-burns-4): Percussion, mix assistance
Dan: Percussion, sampling, guitar, ukulele, whistles, mandolin, mixing & editing (still working on it

Soldier's Joy (w/newshoe, plus sampled TG&B)

Another very common fiddle tune that is played at Irish, bluegrass and old-time jams, I absorbed this one by osmosis at some point and didn't realize I knew it until I started whistling it early this year. Then I had to backtrack and figure out what tune it was, which wasn't all that hard since there are a bajillion versions online.

Getting more comfortable with the new electric instruments, which also makes recording easier (less likely to pick up ambient noise) now that none of my kids are going to bed on time any more. Also enjoying more the electronic post-production, mixing and editing, thanks to ongoing tutelage from Hank and Jeff. This was originally envisioned with the bass-led third time through as a slinky funk break, but obviously went in a different direction that hopefully doesn't jar you too badly.

Guitar, bass, mandolin, jaw harp, melodica, drum kit & percussion. 

Pic: Closest I could come to red hair. Still had garden tomatoes into December this year, picked before the first frost and ripened indoors. Crazy. Front two are Big Rainbow;  rear is Orange Strawberry.

Red Haired Boy

Hilary recorded a stunning version of this traditional old-time tune in Nepal for her 2015 record 'Tunes From Here and There.' She cites Luther Davis of Galax, VA as her source. I mentioned off hand a few weeks ago as I was listening for the 100th time that I was imagining a dub version in my head; she challenged me to make it happen, and was kind enough to provide the stems to work with. 

I added a few things including lyrics from JP Nestor and Bruce Molsky, then mixed it all up with my still-rudimentary technique, so expect lots of echo and reverb. All the bass is coming from the tablas, and it's worth listening on headphones to pick that up. 

Hilary Dirlam: banjo
Parashuram Bhandari: Sarangi
Achyut Ram Bhandari: Tabla
Dan: mandolin, melodica, whistle, vocals
Nepal recording engineer:  Mashewor Man Rajbhandari

Hilary's album version: https://soundcloud.com/hilary-dirlam/train-on-the-island-american-fiddle-tune

Hilary Dirlam's "Train On The Island" (lonesome dub mix)

I spent much of the 1990s in Japan, three years in a small village called Sawauchi in the Oou mountains of Iwate Prefecture. The village-sponsored taiko troupe, Sawauchi Daiko Hyakunenza, welcomed me in soon after my arrival and gave me much needed outlets, social, athletic and (perhaps most importantly) musical. Unfortunately I don't have any taiko in my basement, but I do have an old selection of bachi (sticks) that I can beat my hand drums with. This is a warmup piece from the Hyakunenza repertoire. This was recorded in 2009. 
If you're interested, my buddy Primus Luta mashed this up with Kanye West's 'Love Lockdown'. Inbox me for details.

Seiryu Daiko

It's my great privilege to mess, beyond reason, with Hank's solo banjo instrumental of this old-time tune.

Hank Tilbury: banjo, original arrangement
Dan: percussion, guitars, bass, melodica, jaw harp, analog synth

Hank credits the tune to the clawhammer playing of Sidna Myers, field recorded in 1965. 
Dan credits his arrangement to overexposure to electronic/folk fusion in the mid 1990s.

Hank's piece can be heard on his terrific new album 'The Beast With Five Strings' which can be listened to and downloaded for free (or more) at https://hanklebury.bandcamp.com/album/the-beast-with-five-strings

Many thanks to Hank for continuing to encourage my worst tendencies.

Go ahead and download for free, and then pop on over to Hank's record and download that too.

Hank Tilbury - Twin Sisters (ldsb '90s ethnodance mix)

Working on the new recording setup tonight, was joined by my daughter. I generally don't think too much of her tastes, but The Magnetic Fields/Gothic Archies is something we can certainly agree on. 

Thanks to Hank & Jeff for the gear. Hope I/we can do it justice. 

Dan: Guitar
Josie: Vocals

I Don't Want To Get Over You (with my daughter)

Jason Steen (https://soundcloud.com/dyslexic-soul) asked to collaborate on a Magnetic Fields cover with Josie and me. We brainstormed a bit and came up with this idea; Jason and I have both recorded reggae-inspired tracks and this felt like a natural fit. He knocked the framework out beautifully in nothing flat, and I spent the next few weeks trying out some additional instrumental embellishments and getting Josie's parts recorded. The mix came together beautifully in Jason's capable hands over the past few days. 

Jason Steen (https://soundcloud.com/dyslexic-soul) - Guitar, bass, programmed drums, vocals, keys
Josie - vocals, trombone
Dan - mandolin, trumpet, hand percussion, kalimba, harmonica, whistle, melodica

Produced, edited, mixed & mastered by Jason Steen
Words and music by the wonderful Stephin Merritt, https://soundcloud.com/themagneticfields

Original song can be heard at https://soundcloud.com/themagneticfields/the-book-of-love-1

Book Of Love (with Dyslexic Soul and my daughter)

Several weeks back Jason posted the finished mix of our reggae-ish take on this Magnetic Fields classic. 
This is the B-side.

Jason (Dyslexic Soul): Guitar, bass, keys, drum programming, vocals
Josie: vocals, trombone
Dan: mandolin, melodica, whistle, harmonica, percussion, trumpet, edits & mixing

Book Of Love (LDSB dub mix, w/Dyslexic Soul & my daughter)

I muck about in the basement on a variety of instruments, a 4 track, and a pint of homebrew, trying not to wake the wife & kids. Starting point is traditional old-time music and Folk Revival fare, ending point is yet to be determined.

Always up for collaborating! A huge thank you to the many musicians who've let me wreck their tracks over the past few years. 

Since 2014 I've mostly been working alongside Jeff Burns, aka Squirrel Jam Zombie Banjo, in our imaginatively named project Greenwood & Burns:
https://soundcloud.com/greenwood-burns
Our debut album, Modern Sounds in Old-Time Music, and our guest-filled holiday spectacular, at Bandcamp: https://greenwoodburns.bandcamp.com/

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