No Drums!

That was the mandate when we started to record "the Moonshiner's Atlas", there were lots of reasons for that, all of them good. But here's the demo for "Atlas", a tune by Russell Wolfe that I always thought benefitted from a good backbeat.

By the way, Rusty caught some sort of disease that landed him in the hospital for ten days and almost killed him. So I was asked by Andy World to record one of his songs as part of a get well CD. Having just gotten the dulcimer as a gift, this seemed like a good way to try it out.

...it was all downhill from there.

I like singing folk songs

I have no idea how people made records before the internet. When i was working on what would become "The Moonshiner's Atlas" scores of mp3's were send back and forth as Robert Force, Chris Martin (seen here desparately trying to make me sound good) decided which tunes to use, and how they should be arranged.

THIS SONG is a demo version of "I like singing folk songs" I found buried in my external HD. I recorded this in my bedroom and played all the instrument (which, when you hear the banjo come in, will be obvious). Back then, I was working as a tour guide back then so my voice was completely shot most days, hence the fuzziness (and total lack of pitch focus) The drums, by the way, are me playing brushes on the back of the dulcimer. Although I'm pleased and proud of the final version, which features some great playing by Matt Sircerly (mandolin), Jeanie Murphy (banjo), Maggie Marshall (bass) and Mark Pearson of The Brothers Four (guitar), this demo version has a vibe to it that i still really enjoy. Maybe it's those "drums".

Happy Birthday: The Pot Calling the Kettle Black

One of my mySpace buddies has a birthday today, she wanted to get a copy of THIS SONG. This is as good an excuse as any to do it. Recorded live at the Point in Bryn Mawr, PA, sardonic song (based on true experiences) from my singer/songwriter days (which are coming back BTW). Enjoy!

I played a Dave Carter song at Launde Abbey

I was at the Nonsuch dulcimer weekend at the Launde Abbey a few weeks ago. There I decided to learn a Dave Cater tune, just to have something great to play at their evening song circles, which are always filled with fantastic traditional folk music. The guys singing harmony to a song they've never head before was —to say the least— heady. You can LISTEN TO IT HERE.

and you can buy the original (and significantly better version) HERE