https://youtu.be/3fHo4B1x_BY

Seems to be an endless repeated theme for me ~ running away to the countryside, and in recent years this has been the Australian wilderness, from the deep south to the far north.

Dedicated to, and featuring Gary Reeves (aka Mountain Songs) on drums and cymbals (remixed) at the start. Banjo, lap slide guitar (acting as bass), beats and vox by myself. This song is for Gary, who has been a wonderful musical compadre for many of us around the world, via this  Soundcloud Village.

Respect and acknowledgement to the Traditional Owners of the lands, waters and skies in this video, both in Australia and New Zealand. Particular thanks to the Yolgnu people of Gapuwiyak who made me feel so welcome during my short visit to Arnhem Land last year.

Looking Up & Down      Song, recording, audio & video July 2023 - Chris Okunbor (APRA)
I was chained to the city, thinking I could fly,
I gazed at the heavens as the clouds rolled high.
Long, long days working to the plan,
I changed my way of living and I left that town.

Now I'm higher than the mountains, looking down below,
rolling miles above cotton candy snow.
Way beyond the city, just going with the flow.
running to freedom to a place unknown.

Got a window seat, got a beer in hand.
Feeling in my heart for this ancient land.
Well, wild rivers snake,  jeweled seas shine.
Djerimanga Songlines are spinning out my mind.

Higher than the mountains, and the madding crowd,
cruising miles above cotton fields of cloud.
Way beyond the city, going with the flow,
running to freedom, to a place unknown.
To a place unknown.

Looking Up & Down

Looking Up & Down  ~ a song for Gary (video link in notes)

Chris, hailing  from North West  Tasmania in Australia, is a singer-songwriter who pens originals, and  plays vintage music the way it used to be.  Her mashup of  Folk, Blues,  &  Americana  draws on a lifetime of  encounters with places, people, and the magic of nature;  echoing  a multitude of  global grassroots traditions. 
Traveling around carrying her “band” like a pack pony ~ lap-slide, banjo, uke, as well as a few plain ole guitars, she  regularly performs in Australia and Europe.
Growing up in Merseyside, England, Chris was exposed to the vibrant music scene of the late 60’s and 70’s,  and her music is has been influenced by  traditional folk, country blues, and  world music .
In 2016 she represented her State at the International Blues Challenge & National Women in Blues Showcase in Memphis,  and her second album,  “Wailin’ & Raggin’ the Blues” was  a   finalist for “Best Self-produced CD with the Blues Foundation , USA.  Her third album, “Twisted Roots & Twisted Highways” was  a finalist for Blues & Roots Radio Album of the Year in 2018.
www.chrisokunbor.net

New tracks tagged #Lapslide