Folk Music Notes: 2008

Monday, December 22, 2008

Mostly Folk Playlist, December 21, 2008

Sunday, December 14, 2008

Mostly Folk Playlist, December 14, 2008

Saturday, November 29, 2008

WUMB programs

I like listening to WUMB on the internet because they play folk music, but I especially like the following programs:

Highway 61 Revisited with Barnes Newberry is on Saturdays 8am-noon. They play folk and folk rock of the 60s and 70s.
Folk Odyssey with Dana Westover is on Sundays 2-6pm. They play music from around the world.
Midnight Special is on Sundays, 10pm-midnight. They play a range of traditional, 60's, and modern folk music, all of it good, some of it quirky.

One thing that I like about these shows is that the hosts really seem to put some thought into the playlists. The songs fit together.

Sunday, November 23, 2008

Mostly Folk Warm-Up Show (5-6pm) Playlist, November 23, 2008

Sunday, November 16, 2008

Mostly Folk Warm-Up Show Playlist, November 16, 2008

Friday, October 31, 2008

Playlist, Halloween Special, October 31, 2008

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Janitor Man by Willie the Moak

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzLBQvMZ5vI

One of the janitors where I work is also a professional musician. Here's a video he did.

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Galician folk music

I like Galician folk music. Galicia is in Spain, but the people of Galicia have their own language, which is similar to Portuguese. Galician folk music has Celtic roots and uses bagpipes.

Here are some musicians you can listen to if you want to hear Galician folk music:

Camerata Meiga
Faltriqueira
Guezos
Lamatumba
Leilia
Malvela
Milladoiro
Os Gaiteiros de Soutelo
Sete Saias
SonDeSeu Orquestra Folc
Treixadura

Sunday, October 12, 2008

Mostly Folk Playlist, October 12, 2008

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Playlist, September 21, 2008, 5-6pm fill-in

Monday, August 11, 2008

Some good music

I recently got home from doing a radio show. I found some good selections this time. There were a lot of upbeat and humorous songs. There were two songs about duct tape, a song about toilet training, a song about a petrified pirate, and a song about garlic. Some people say I work too hard on preparing for the show, and it's true that I could get away with spending less time on preparing, but if I just played random songs, that would be pointless, because the reason I enjoy being a DJ is the creativity of putting songs together.

My favorite bands and favorite song of the moment are some uplifting selections from tonight's show.

My favorite song of the moment is "Big Blue Sky" by Rachel Garlin. You can listen to it on Rachel Garlin's myspace page. I was going to make it my profile song, but it's not set up to allow it.

My favorite bands of the moment are Woods Tea Company and Smithfield Fair. Probably I should add Schooner Fare. I haven't listened to them lately, but they are in the same category as Woods Tea Company and Smithfield Fair.

Before I was a folkie

I liked folk music all my life, but I didn't know there was a genre called folk music until a few years after I got out of college. Before that, when someone asked me what kind of music I liked, I might try to explain that I like the songs in Rise Up Singing (or before Rise Up Singing, it was Winds of the People). I also grew up listening to and enjoying music of the 50's, 60's, and 70's. I'm not that old -- I listened to music my parents liked, and then, when I started listening to the radio on my own, the radio played songs that had been hits in the past in addition to the most current hits.

The first popular songs that I liked were "Take Me Home Country Roads" by John Denver and "Joy to the World" by Three Dog Night. Those songs were popular the year that I turned five and somehow made their way into my consciousness even though I didn't listen to the radio much when I was that age. Around that time, I also liked Spirit in Flesh, the band at my father's commune Brotherhood of the Spirit.

Growing up, thanks to my parents, I was surrounded by and came to like the music of Donovan, Joan Baez, Judy Collins, the Beatles, Simon and Garfunkel, Buddy Holly, Herman's Hermits, Roy Orbison, Gene Pitney, Elvis, Johnny Cash, Ray Stevens, Bobby Darin, Meat Loaf, and the Serendipity Singers. We also had a single of "Carolina in the Morning."

When I was in kindergarten or so, I drew a picture illustrating Donovan's song "There is a Mountain."

Before meals, my mother's parents would say a silent grace, but my parents thought us little kids would not get so much out of that, so at our house, before meals, we all held hands and sang the first few lines of the chorus of "Everything is Beautiful" by Ray Stevens.

My mother and I sang and/or played on the piano "This Land is Your Land," "Passing Through," "Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream," "Carry it On," "Both Sides Now," "Joy is Like the Rain," "The George Fox Song," "How Can I Keep From Singing," "Lord of the Dance," "The Magic Penny," "Colours," "Yellow Submarine," "Let it Be," "Hey Jude," "The 59th Street Bridge Song," "Cecilia," "The Sound of Silence," "Bridge Over Troubled Water," and "Riding in My Car." My family also sang songs with lyrics we had made up. "Yellow Cornfields" was to the tune of "Clementine" and "The Bald Bear Song" was to the tune of "On Top of Old Smoky."
When I was around 13, I started listening to the radio a lot. I liked Neil Diamond, Fleetwood Mac, Elton John, Barry Manilow, Abba, REO Speedwagon, Supertramp, Seals and Crofts, Kenny Rogers, Journey, Foreigner, and most of all, the Bee Gees. The Bee Gees new stuff (i.e. it was new when I was listening in the 80's) was completely different from their old stuff, and it was and still is considered un-cool to like their newer stuff, but I liked both. In addition to knowing their hits in their old and new styles, I enjoyed an album called Odessa which had songs I never heard on the radio, and which was in their older style (as my father put it, "before their voices changed.")

When I was a teenager, I also heard the music my brother listened to, including Dire Straits, Pink Floyd, Ozzy Osbourne, Weird Al, and AC/DC.

Below is a list of some songs I liked when I was listening to the radio as a teenager. These songs are considered un-cool, but my message to you is, I'm cool and I like these songs, so don't be ashamed if you like them too.

"How Deep is Your Love" by the Bee Gees
"Sweet Caroline" by Neil Diamond
"Weekend in New England" and "Mandy" by Barry Manilow"
"Funeral for a Friend" by Elton John
"When I Need You" by Leo Sayer
"Just When I Needed You Most" by Randy VanWarmer
"If You Leave Me Now" by Chicago
"Hooked on a Feeling" and "I Just Can't Help Believing" by B.J. Thomas
"Summer Rain" by Johnny Rivers
"Bridge Over Troubled Water" by Simon and Garfunkel
"Can't Help Falling in Love" by Elvis
"Baby I Love Your Way" by Peter Frampton
"Torn Between Two Lovers" by Mary MacGregor
"Kiss You All Over" by Exile
"The Way I Want to Touch You" by Captain and Tenille
"Go Your Own Way" by Fleetwood Mac

Sunday, August 10, 2008

Mostly Folk Playlist, August 10, 2008

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

June 2008 Best CDs

Of the CDs that arrived at the station in June 2008, my favorites were:

Our Time by the Gordons
The Boy Bands Won by Chumbawumba

and the runners-up were:

Money to Burn by Jackie Morris
All I Intended to Be by Emmylou Harris
Dans les airs by Le Vent du Nord
Bad Nights / Better Days by Abbie Gardner and Anthony da Costa
Stardust: 30th Anniversary Legacy Edition by Willie Nelson
Blues and Jazz Guitar by Mickey Baker

Sunday, June 8, 2008

Mostly Folk Playlist, June 8, 2008

Song | Performer | Album

Traditional Folk
No More Auction Block | Paul Robeson| Classic Folk Music From Smithsonian Folkways
Betty and Dupree | Brownie McGhee | Classic Folk Music From Smithsonian Folkways
Born 100,000 Years Ago | Cisco Houston | Classic Folk Music From Smithsonian Folkways
Freight Train | Elizabeth Cotton | Classic Folk Music From Smithsonian Folkways
The Rock Island Line | Kelly Pace, Charlie Porter, L.T. Edwards, Willie Hubbard, Luther Williams, Napoleon Cooper, Albert Pate, and Willie Lee Jones | Negro Work Songs and Calls
Track-Lining Song | Kelly Pace, Charlie Porter, L.T. Edwards, Willie Hubbard, Luther Williams, Napoleon Cooper, Albert Pate, and Willie Lee Jones | Negro Work Songs and Calls
Didn't Leave Nobody but the Baby | Sidney Lee Carter | Alan Lomax: Popular Songbook
Sometimes | Bessie Jones and group of children || Alan Lomax: Popular Songbook
Sloop John B | Cleveland Simmons Group | Alan Lomax: Popular Songbook
Jesus on the Mainline | James Shorty, Viola James, and the Church Congregation of the Independence Church in Tyro, Mississippi | Alan Lomax: Popular Songbook
Gold Watch and Chain | The Carter Family | Gold Watch and Chain
Are You Tired of Me, My Darling? | The Carter Family | Longing for Old Virginia
There's No Hiding Place Down There | The Carter Family | Longing for Old Virginia
In the Jailhouse Now | Jimmie Rodgers | First Sessions, 1927-1928
Dear Old Sunny South by the Sea | Jimmie Rodgers | First Sessions, 1927-1928
Every Time I Feel the Spirit / Swing Low, Sweet Chariot / They Hung Him on the Cross | Leadbelly | Leadbelly Sings for Children
Midnight Special | Leadbelly | Leadbelly Sings for Children
Bring A Little Water Sylvie | Lead Belly | Folkways: The Original Vision: Songs of Woody Guthrie and Lead Belly
Hard Traveling | Woody Guthrie | Folkways: The Original Vision: Songs of Woody Guthrie and Lead Belly
Car Song | Woody Guthrie | Folkways: The Original Vision: Songs of Woody Guthrie and Lead Belly
Pretty Polly | Pete Seeger | American Favorite Ballads
Alabama Bound | Pete Seeger | American Favorite Ballads

Coming up at Clearwater
Lucille | Hungrytown | Hungrytown
Fall on My Knees | The Mammals | Rock That Babe
I Found A Road | The Kennedys | Better Dreams
Letter to the World | Entrain | All One
The Rivers | Cheryl Wheeler | Mrs. Pinocci's Guitar
White Wings | Magpie | Seed on the Prairie
Sailing Down My Golden River | Pete Seeger | Pete
Garbage | Pete Seeger | Pete

Coming up at Old Songs
Recycle | Dan Duggan | The Pieces of Our Life
Looking for Answers | Peggy Eyres and Dan Berggren | Cloudsplitter
Wayfaring Stranger | Christopher Shaw | Been to Town and Back Again
Tikun Olam | Joe Jencks | The Candle and the Flame
Hard Times Come Again No More | Scott Ainslie | Jealous of the Moon
I Have Seen Freedom | Si Kahn | Thanksgiving
Immigrant Eyes | Matt Watroba | The Best is Yet to Be
North Country Waltz | John Kirk and Trish Miller | Quicksteppin'
Cabri Waltz, Midnight on the Water | Bill Spence and Fennig's All-Star String Band | The Hammered Dulcimer

Coming up elsewhere in the region
Two Wolves | John Flynn | Two Wolves
Handsome Molly | Bill Morrissey | The Essential Collection
If I Had Known | Greg Brown | If I Had Known
Cotton Jenny | Gordon Lightfoot | Gord's Gold

And finally, other good stuff
Healing Waters | Carrie Newcomer with Krista Detor and Michael White | Wilderness Plots
She Loved Moses | Amy Fradon | Passion Angels
Did Trouble Me | Susan Werner | King Easy Radio Sampler, Volume 2
Leaves Are Burning | Danny Schmidt | Little Grey Sheep
Voice on the Wind | Tom and Donna Hatton | Oasis Acoustic Radio Sampler Volume VII, 11

Thursday, May 8, 2008

Where to listen online

I'd rather listen to the radio than CDs a lot of the time, because the radio plays unexpected music, while I already know my CDs. The radio stations in my area only play folk music a few hours a week, so I must turn to the internet. I usually prefer listening online to radio stations rather than just music streams, because the radio stations seem to have more personality.

Weekday mornings, I listen to WMPG from Portland, Maine. I like that it's a community station that plays all sorts of music, especially folk and world. Not all shows are in line with my taste, but I think it's good for a radio station to be so diverse, even if it means I don't listen all the time.
Weekday afternoons, WMPG tends to veer away from music I like, so I switch over to WUMB, a Boston station. WUMB is great in that it's a station devoted to folk music. I find their weekday programming a bit bland, but it's good nonetheless. I find some of their weekend shows more interesting, such as "Highway 61 Revisited," and "Midnight Special," except now "Midnight Special" is only on after my bedtime. They used to air it in the morning too.
WMUD from Vermont certainly has personality, in the quirky recorded announcements they play, but they don't have DJs talking live on the air, which makes it less interesting to me.
WKSU in Ohio offers a folk music stream called Folk Alley.
WUMB also offers streams of particular types of folk music: contemporary, traditional, Celtic, French, love songs, and "X-stream" (modern, closer to rock/pop).
General music streaming services such as Pandora, Last.fm, and Yahoo allow you to specify what kind of music you want to hear.

Sunday, April 13, 2008

Mostly Folk Playlist, April 13, 2008

Monday, April 7, 2008

March 2008 Best CDs

Of the CDs that came into the station in March, 2008, my favorites were:

Calhoun, Andrew, and Campground, Bound to Go -- a collection of traditional African American songs.
Oasis Acoustic Radio Sampler, Volume VIII, 2 -- we usually get several of these a month, and usually I like a lot of the songs on both the Acoustic and World samplers, but some seem to have more songs I like than others. This album had fun songs such as "Love that Garlic" by Lehigh Valley Folk Music Society and "Pond Tune" by We Ski Cousins, as well as moving serious songs such as "Amy Isn't Amy" by Teddy Cunningham. There were two songs about people who stood up against the violence of the Civil War and paid with their lives for doing so: "Don't Burn the Zion Church" by Ron Fettner and "Laughlin Boy" by Barry and Brooks. "Until a Drop Becomes A Flood" by Leela and Ellie Grace criticizes the way U.S. policies hurt people, but held out hope for working together to make things better.
Woods Tea Company, The Passage -- I've always liked Woods Tea Company. This album came out after two of their four members died, with replacement members added, and it's just as good as the ones they did before.

Friday, March 21, 2008

Pete Seeger: Power of Song

I went to see the Pete Seeger documentary, Pete Seeger: Power of Song. After the film, there was a discussion and singalong. Pete’s greatness is his ability to inspire and unify. He doesn’t even need to be there to do it – his magic shone at us from the film. During the discussion, one of the panelists commented that Pete was such a great songleader that he noticed while the film was running that people were singing along. I was one of them. During the film, I felt like singing, applauding, giving a standing ovation, and changing the world. The standing ovation was not to the film but to Pete, though the film must have been good if it allowed Pete’s magic to shine through. Seeing Pete live has had all the same effects on me. Perhaps because he is already imprinted on me, it only takes small reminders to bring back what he means.

Why would I pay $15 to see a film that I intend to buy on DVD anyway? Because Pete Seeger is about community. Because being part of an audience, and having the panelists there were so much a part of the experience. Pete talks in the film about spreading seeds. The dozens of people who were in the audience at the film, and the thousands of people I see at the Clearwater festival, are all his seeds. There’s a sense that we all share the same dreams and values, and that we got those dreams and values from him. In my every-day life, I’m often around people whose values are at odds with mine, and I’m often working to achieve things that don’t really mean a whole lot. It’s good to have the Pete Seeger experience to remind my of what I believe in and remind me that there are others who share my values, to make me feel like I’m part of a movement instead of feeling like some inconsequential oddball.

A few other notes about the event:

During the discussion, one of the audience members spoke about using music for peace-making, in which case, music is a "weapon of mass construction."
Arlo Guthrie was funny in the film.
In the discussion, the director, Jim Brown, talked about how Pete always preferred to have the audience participate, rather than to sing alone while others listened, and in making the film, he presented it that way. In some cases, when recordings just pick up the what’s sung at the mic, the film would supplement it by creating a recording of people singing as the audience would have been singing. Also, the film includes other musicians, such as Woody Guthrie, Paul Robeson, and Elizabeth Cotten.
Jim Brown said that Pete didn’t want the film to be all about singing his praises, so at Pete’s urging, Jim went around asking everyone, "Do you know anyone who hates Pete Seeger?"
One of the panelists was Ed Renehan, a historian. Pete asked him back in the 70’s to help him with an album about Hudson River music. Ed obliged by collecting research on Hudson River songs. He brought it to Pete’s house, and Pete said, "Where’s your guitar?" To Ed’s surprise, Ed was going to play on the album. Also to Ed’s surprise, he was given equal billing with Pete on the album. This story was much funnier when Ed told it. He is a good storyteller.
Clearwater director Jeff Rumpf said Pete believes in experiential education, whether it’s singing with the kids, or taking them out on the Clearwater to learn about the environment.
Jeff also said that after reading Pete Seeger’s biography, Jeff’s teenage son decided to start the Say Something Cafe, and now the cafe has standing room only, and is a place where teenagers feel they can express themselves.
As at many folk events, most of the audience had gray or white hair. The first question was from one such person, who asked how we can bring back the spirit of the 60’s, and who commented that today’s music doesn’t move him as much as the music of that era did. Jeff’s story about the Say Something Cafe was a response to that question. My thought in response to the question was too undiplomatic to share. It was "Just because you don’t like the music of today’s youth doesn’t mean that they don’t have it." Many hours later, I formulated a more positive reply: Today we have many young folk bands such as The Mammals, The Duhks, Crooked Still, Uncle Earl, Ollabelle, The Greencards, The Cottars, The Wailin’ Jennies, and Red Molly, and these bands have many fans of their own generation. I found that the slide show on Kristin Andreassen’s myspace page showed something of what a baby boomer might call the spirit of the 60’s, although today’s young people might call it the spirit of today.
There was to be the film, then the discussion, then the singalong. Before the discussion was over, it was past my bedtime and I wanted to go home. The presenters wrapped up the discussion and talked amongst themselves (away from the mics) about what to play. I was sitting in front so I could hear parts of the conversation. Ed said, "Good Night Irene," and Artie replied, "We’ll do a few songs." That made sense, because everyone knows "Good Night Irene" is always done as the last song. That’s what I like about being in the folk community. I know the stuff that everyone knows. Most of the time I’m out in the mainstream world, and I have no idea what’s going on.
Before "Good Night Irene," they had us do first "Kisses Sweeter than Wine" and "If I Had a Hammer." The song leader for "If I Had a Hammer did not know the words as well as the audience did. We indulged him by singing the "bell" verse twice because he forgot the "song" verse.
In the film, there was a story of how Pete would neglect household chores to show a banjo lick to someone who just happened to stop by. Two of the panelists told similar stories. This tendency to neglect chores was frustrating for Pete’s wife. What we forget is that people who have a gift to inspire are still people, and are not perfect in all respects. There’s a tendency for people to be appalled when religious or political leaders turn out to be fallible. I think that we should just appreciate the gifts that people have, while understanding that we are all just people, and that just because someone has a particular gift does not mean they should be expected to be perfect in all respects.

Sunday, March 16, 2008

Playlist, 5-6pm fill-in, March 16, 2008

Friday, March 14, 2008

Some nueva canción artists

Besides English-language folk, another genre I like is nueva canción. If you are interested in nueva canción, listen to Mario’s show Vientos del Pueblo on WRPI 2-5pm on Sundays, or check out these artists:

Guardabarranco
Illapu
Inti-Illimani
Victor Jara
Violeta Parra
Quilapayun
Silvio Rodrigez
Mercedes Sosa

Friday, March 7, 2008

February 2008 Best CDs

Of the CDs that came into the station in February 2008, my favrote was Our Story by D.C. Anderson. This is a humorous album by a singer known for his performances in Phantom of the Opera.

Monday, March 3, 2008

January 2008 Best CDs

Of the CD's that arrived in the station in January 2008, my favorites were:

Cramer, Hank. Caledonia.
Good Scottish fare. Sea chanteys and the like.
Kennedys, The. Better Dreams.
I think there's some strong instrumental work on this album. The final track, Pacé, is especially interesting. It's an ambient instrumental piece, full of wildness.
Oasis Acoustic, Volume VII, Number 16.
Paxton, Tom. Comedians and Angels.
Tom Paxton is classic. Of course his CD's will always make the best of the month lists. He has been around for decades, and he still keeps putting out good stuff. He writes in the liner notes that this is an album of love songs, and that he has a broader definition of love than he used to. Most of the songs are about his love for his wife. They are my preferred type of love song: love songs about long-lasting loves. There's also a song honoring generations of activists, and a song about his love for his adult daughters.
Ulisse, Donna. When I Look Back.
This one crept up on me. I thought it would not be very good and that I'd be able to dispense with it quickly. I liked the first song I listened to, but I thought that was just because it resonated with where I'm at in my life right now. But then I listened to more and more songs and kept thinking, "This one is pretty good too." During one song, I thought, "I like what they're doing with the bass." The bass line was very simple, and yet somehow it really added something to the song. Somehow, the vocals, instruments, and lyrics on this album just worked for me more than I expected at first listen.

And honorable mentions go to:

Cowboy Junkies. Trinity Revisited.
Newcomer, Carrie. The Geography of Light.
Nicholson, Elizabeth, and Stringed Migration. Fly Not Yet.
Schmidt, Danny. Little Grey Sheep.
Somehow the specific songs didn't do that much for me, but I felt he had a good voice, good instruments, good harmony vocals, and good songwriting. Also interesting pictures in the CD case.
Seeger, Peggy. Bring Me Home.
Her music has never been quite my style, but it's good in its way. She wrote in the liner notes about how the songs on this album are songs that she sang as a kid with her family and that have been with her all her life. She wrote, "Like people, they may change shape and sometimes meaning. Unlike people, they are always there." That resonated with me. In these times of often unsatisfying humans, I find solace in the music that is always there for me. She also wrote, "Home, music, family: the blessed triangle of my life." That resonated with me too, at least the music and family part. I'm not really rooted in a home place at this point in my life.
Taylor, Otis. Recapturing the Banjo.

Sunday, February 17, 2008

Playlist for Feb. 17, 2008, 5-6pm fill-in

Saturday, February 16, 2008

Female vocalists

I think my favorite female vocalist is Ronnie Gilbert. Other female vocalists I like are Jessee Havey, Carol Noonan, Leandra Peak, Linda Thompson, Mary Travers,and Carol Young.

Sunday, February 10, 2008

Mostly Folk Playlist, February 10, 2008

December 2007 Best CDs

In December 2007, we only got 9 new CD's, compared to about 55 in January 2008. I guess the best for December were An Nollaig -- An Irish Christmas by Eileen Ivers and Wordless by Lee Murdock.

Sunday, January 27, 2008

Sara McCutcheon and the Golden Glove

"Sara McCutcheon" on Doggone My Time by Cathy Fink
"The Golden Glove" on Trad Arr Jones by John Wesley Harding

Each of these songs tells the story of a woman. Except for the fact that they are separated by centuries, I imagine them being the same woman, with one song about her early adulthood and the other song about her old age. The women in these songs demonstrate the same spirit. When faced with expectations to live a life that doesn't suit them, they find a way to heartily live life the way they want to live it. They don't fight against those with whom they differ, they simply follow their own road. On my list of heroes, I included my grandmother and Luna Lovegood, because I see in them the same spirit described in these songs.

I wish I could more often find a way to follow my path without having to fight others. However, our lives our intertwined with others. We need a certain degree of cooperation from co-workers, health care providers, and everyone else on whom we depend. Unfortunately, sometimes it takes a great deal of persistence to get such people do do what they're supposed to do, and what we need them to do in order to be able to follow our own paths