This track is from the album One Thing After Another and is available for purchase on CD Baby here: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/renegadestringband2

One Thing After Another

This is your sneak peek of the first track off our forthcoming full-length album, The Worst Horse. Words and melody by Jessica Jarris, arrangement by Renegade Stringband. Recorded and mixed by Bob Stark in Portland, OR in the fall of 2013. Click below to follow our previews telling the story of each track on the album:

http://renegadestringband.com/site/news/

'Take My Hand'

This week we're featuring one of the sneakier songs from our forthcoming album. On the road in 2012, Joe came across these amazing lyrics in John Lomax's wonderful collection, "American Ballads & Folk Songs." After formulating his own melody for the Lulu lyrics, Renegade Stringband worked together in their road-warrior shortbus and came up with the chordal accompaniment for the tune.

Click below to follow our previews telling the story of each track on the album:

http://renegadestringband.com/site/news/

Click here to check out Lomax's book: http://books.google.com/books/about/American_Ballads_and_Folk_Songs.html?id=Dn0cSe2ecuoC

'Lulu'

Like many of Jessica Jarris' original tunes, this song ties into her work as a yogi. I asked her what the inspiration was for this song, her reply: "When we take time to recognize the small wonders that make this world an amazing place, we strengthen our awareness of the inner nature that exists in all living creatures. When we slow down and look with our hearts rather than our eyes, we can begin to see that underneath our possessions, our appearance, our beliefs, we are all the same. When we recognize this truth, we can join and stand together as equals."

The title track off of our album is an original composed by our guitar slinging, hot cookin, easy going guitar player, Austin Moore. Austin came across the following passage in a book on Buddhism and Zen by Suzuki Roshi. The concept inspired the lyrics of the song:

“When you are determined to practice zazen with the great mind of Buddha, you will find the worst horse is the most valuable one. In your very imperfections you will find the basis for your firm, way-seeking mind. Those who can sit perfectly physically usually take more time to obtain the true way of Zen, the actual feeling of Zen, the marrow of Zen. But those who find great difficulties in practicing Zen will find more meaning in it. So I think that sometimes the best horse may be the worst horse, and the worst horse can be the best one.”
 

http://renegadestringband.com/site/worst-horse-liner-notes/

'Worst Horse'

Don’t need religion, but I need faith friends, something to keep my hopes alive.
It does not matter where my road ends, could be a mansion or a dive.

We live in anguish, trapped and troubled. The years vanish like fruitless seed.
When I search my sorrow’s doubled, But it’s wisdom--not joy I need.

    I go on searching through the wilds, 
    I go on searching--through thaw and freeze.
    I go on searching, harsh water’s rising,
    I hear dark whispers on the breeze.

What is the sense in all your riches? With oh so many deep in need?
Before you ever meet your end, You’ll wish you’d sown one healthy seed.

All that wealth--it’s insulation. Makes it so you needn’t feel.
But it don’t give true consolation-- Just blinds you to the world that’s real.
Chorus
 
Rains come steady as ocean waves now, We are too far gone to stop.
Why should the farmer take up his plow? These storms won’t let him grow his crop.

The ground so hard, the sun still baking, Horizons bend in thick heatwaves.
The smoke is keeping me from breathing, The road is paved with stones of graves

Chorus




Released in spring of 2014 as a part of Renegade Stringband's first full-length release, The Worst Horse. Words and music by Joe Seamons. Arrangement by Renegade Stringband.
Recorded and mixed by Bob Stark in Portland, Oregon at Kung Fu Bakery Studios, 2013.  

Jessica Jarris - lead vocal
Joe Seamons - banjo, harmony vocal
Austin Moore - mandolin
Gavin Duffy - guitar, dobro
Ben Hunter - fiddle
Max Kutzman - bass

Dark Whispers

We learned this song from Hobe & Gina Kytr while they graciously hosted us during the Tenor Guitar Gathering in Astoria a couple years ago. Not only did we get to play an impromptu show on a tall-masted ship that weekend, but we also got to add this absolutely glorious, competely obscure fiddle tune to our repertoire. According to Hobe:

"It's from the Collins family, who drifted over from the Ozarks to the Oklahoma Hills in the early 20th century. Earl Collins, who moved to LA during the Dust Bowl days, may have recorded it. I think it was a Rounder record, but it was a long time ago. Earl died decades ago. Tom Sauber, who learned Bear Creek from Earl and the Marion Thede fiddle book, recorded it with Three Legged Dog (Tom, Rafe Stefanini, and Dirk Powell) in the 1990s. It was on cassette. I don't know if it has ever been digitized."

Hear Ben Hunter discuss this tune near the conclusion of his TedX Talk:
http://youtu.be/VjcPSAIQuEE
Ben Hunter - fiddle
Austin Moore - mandolin, guitar
Max Kutzman - bass
Joe Seamons - banjo, howl

'Bear Creek'

Austin Moore's lovely instrumental composition featuring Austin on guitar, Gavin Duffy on mandolin, and Ben Hunter on fiddle. 

Recorded, mixed and mastered  by Bob Stark at Kung Fu Bakery Studios.

Forked Canyon Reel

This song was written during the same period of bewilderment that engendered the Occupy Wall Street movement. Another great song about this point in time is by our friend Allan Wachs:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDeANB-5hhI

This is track 11 off of Renegade Stringband's first full-length album, The Worst Horse. Lyrics and music by Joe Seamons, 2011.

Joe Seamons - vocals, banjo
Austin Moore - guitar
Ben Hunter - fiddle
Jess Jarris - vocals
Gavin Duffy - mandolin
Max Kutzman - bass

Recorded, mixed and mastered by Bob Stark.