Track by Track thoughts on the new album

Found Objects comes out May 13th. Here's a track by track breakdown of the new CD.

Click here to pre-order "Found Objects"

Manifesto
The way I see it, hip-hop IS folk music. Using two turntables and some old records to create a new form of music is, to me, about as hand-made and folky as it gets. So when I found this recording of Utah Phillips talking about the egalitarian ownership of folk music, I thought it would be funny to pair it with the world’s most sampled drumbeat; James Brown’s The Funky Drummer. Then I thought it would be funny to sample a dulcimer club (‘cuz dulcimer club records rarely show up in DJ sets!). The end result however, came out more profound than I had envisioned.

Camp Meeting on the 4th of July
I used to busk (street perform) in front of the Chattanooga Aquarium. It was a great experience where I developed most of the loop-based stuff I do. This is one of those tunes. Kamanjah is the Arabic word for fiddle, with it’s own set of playing techniques. It turns out, it’s easier to learn to do them than it is to get a fiddle player to return you calls.

Cluck Ol' Hen (parts 1 and 2)
This is another busking song I developed at the Aquarium. If I recall correctly, I came up with part 1 on one day and part two on the next. The next week I decided to put them together.

While My Dulcimer Gently Weeps
I feel like I have been playing this tune forever, but seems to have finally caught people’s attention. Inspired by seeing Jake Shimabukuro's version on ukulele and thinking “If he can play it on his weird instrument…”

Hunting The Buffalo
When someone asks you to go somewhere, you say “yes”. My buddy Tim Cofield once asked me--on four days notice--if I wanted to go on tour with him to northern Ontario, Canada. Despite having to spend 3 hours(?!?!?!) in customs, it was an amazing time. On the way back we played a house concert in Minneapolis where this song was recorded. And I’m glad we recorded it: it’s my favorite version of what is hands down my favorite fiddle tune.

idioteque
Originally conceived as part of a project to pair Radiohead’s murky, divisive and, some would say, best record Kid A with the silent film Nosferatu. While that project never came to fruition. I did get this song out of it.

Someone once asked Radiohead’s lead singer Thom Yorke what he thought of newer bands (like Coldplay) appropriating Radiohead’s earlier sound. Thom replied “Good luck with Kid A.” Challenge accepted.

Fragile
Originally recorded for the Key West Dulcimer Festival compilation CD. Another idea gleaned from Jake Shimabukuro (his version is on his 2003 album Crosscurrent) and also inspired by the fact that, generally speaking, I don’t actually like island music.

The Drop
In 2013 conceptual artist Tim Hinck was commissioned to create a multimedia art piece for the opening of “The Block” a Chattanooga parking garage-public art project-and climbing wall. For it, he repurposed my song Someday This Will All Be Underwater for the grand opening, I played electric dulcimer to my own karaoke song while people climbed and video of outdoor sports projected above me. Oh and ten minutes before all that, I had played Take Me to the River with the one and only Booker T.

It was a very good day.

Chiaroscuro
In 2010, when the Haiti earthquake hit, my friend Charles Alison was in the process recording a song a week for a year. I wanted to do something for the victims of the earthquake, so I approached Charles about making this one of his songs of the week. We then sold it as a digital download and gave the proceeds to ADRA (the Adventist Development and Relief Association) and Doctors Without Borders. We raised nearly $250. I played dulcimer and left the rest to Charles and cohorts. This is one of the first songs I ever wrote on mountain dulcimer.

Red Dress
The Steps was a noir web series filmed in Chattanooga. Dylan Kussman (who is best known as one of the kids in the Dead Poet’s Society) starts as an ex-cop and recovering alcoholic turned private detective. As part of the promotion of the series the had a remix contest. This was my entry. I was pretending that this was the theme song to the character’s show while he was still a cop. It’s chock full of musical references to 70’s and 80’s shows like Miami Vice and The Rockford Files. If I had to pick the favorite piece of music I’ve ever recorded. This is it.

Brand New 1964 Dodge
After Amazing Grace, this is my pick for the best song ever written. I love that the story of the song is not actually what the song is about. Walter Cronkite underscores that here.

Shady Grove
Another song from the A Long Way From Shady Grove CD,I remixed this with Jean Ritchie samples for Dulcimer Players News magazine after Jean passed away. Jean brought the dulcimer out of the mountains and likely saved it from extinction. Every single one of us owe her a debt of gratitude for that. I know I do. While I consider this song and what I do to be an extension of what she did, I’m pretty sure she would hate it. But that’s okay too. Like she says, “I guess this is a fragment of an old ballad, but it’s just a love song now.”

Click here to pre-order "Found Objects"