Whiskey has a prominent place in the history of the frontier. There is of course the obvious reason. But one must not discount the economics. It takes a lot of grain to make whiskey, and a barrel of whiskey is easier and cheaper to transport than wagons full of grain. Whiskey You’re The Devil seems […]
Twa Recruiting Sergeants
In rural Scotland, as well as Ireland and England, agents of the king would wander rural areas, looking for the poor, those who found themselves in trouble, or even the feeble minded to serve in the king’s wars. Some used strong arm tactics, others offered a glamorous life of a soldier, while the more disreputable […]
Lakes of Pontchartrain
One from the Paul Brady/Planxty songbook, the liner notes for Planxty’s version state that it was likely brought back to Ireland from soldiers fighting in the War of 1812, which is likely as it’s also listed as a traditional Creole song. The lyrics however must have gone through several revisions, as the train line which […]
(Are You Going To) Scarborough Fair
OLD ENGLISH SONG SMASHED together with Dylan’s version. Not sure if Dylan actually wrote or compiled Girl of the North Country. Some things are just mysteries. Todd Lane and I sang it George and Tammy style, one mike. I’m sure in his mind as well, we were wearing rhinestones and cowboy hats. Scarborough Fair Are you going […]
Barbara Allen’s Cruelty
An old English song, an old American song. The song has haunted me since I was kid, falling in love with the melody. It was used extensively in the soundtrack to Scrooge, the good version with Alstair Sim. Our version is a bit different. Just what the hell did young William do to piss off […]
O’ Shenandoah
THE HISTORY OF THE OHIO RIVER VALLEY is of course, tied to rivers. Not just the Ohio, but a plethora of smaller rivers flow into it, bring with them the stories and songs of the regions the rivers meander through. The Ohio was the river that brought the songs to mass popularity. Shenandoah’s lyrics come from […]
Listen To The Mockingbird
THIS IS THE ONE SONG with a direct connection to Carmi, Illinois’ bicentennial. Which was the reason we were recording folk songs to begin with. In the booklet for Carmi’s sesquicentennial, the author, J. Robert Smith referred to the song being sung in Carmi’s parlors, accompanied by the pump organ. The music was written by a […]
Haunted Plymouth: The macabre history of Plymouth, Mass., where Pilgrim and native American spirits haunt side by side
Haunted Plymouth has been known as America’s hometown over more than four centuries, and its history stretches back even further than that. Ghosts and hauntings seem to attach themselves to locations over time … houses, buildings of all sorts, even woods and entire towns. Plymouth has seen its share of real life horror stories, and […]
