Woody's 1942 New Year Resolutions

Washing teeth if there are any, is a good one.

Jerry Jeff Walker - My Old Man - For more funny movies, click here

Gonna have a jam here tomorrow afternoon- decided I'm going to learn this and we can try it out. Come by if you're in the neighborhood

What I found for $4.00

 What I found today at a Thrift Store in West LA. There is a method to my madness

Just In Case You Don't Know It

Do I look like Woody?

Well, I've written my first protest song- in the fine manner of Mr. Guthrie, who would steal melodies and write new lyrics on top of the old song. "This Land Is Your Land" was one of those. This melody he stole for "The Great Cooley Dam" Anyway, it's fair, because this melody is public domain now. You probably know it as Wabash Cannonball. It has been stolen and been rewritten  several times, Roy Acuff and The Carter Family. I've used some of the original words from this version above. The song above is really just an advertisement for the railroad company. Here's mine:

WABASH REVISITED

       G                                                                    C
When Acuff sang this song, folks were living in Hoovervilles,

D7                                                                                 G
Shanties by the tracks named for a President that didn’t care,

G                                                                                                      C
Now they’re camping out on Wall Street and down at the city hall square,

         D7                                                                          G
You’d think they’d give up dreaming or wanting their fair share.

CHORUS

Now listen to the jungle, the rumble and the roar,

As she dashes through the woodland and speeds along the shore,

See the mighty rushing engine; hear her whistle ring out,

As she speeds along forever on that dreaming western route.

From a rocky bound Atlantic to a mild Pacific shore,

From a fair and sunny southland to an icebound Labrador,

There’s another name on the shingle, another name over the door,

Have we forgotten why we’re singing or what we’re singing for?

CHORUS

What happened to the mighty engines, the speed and rush in the night?

The moving on to vast horizons, and the dawn’s early light,

What happened to the trains that would carry us to Glory land,

Or all those dustbowl stragglers out there looking for a hand.

CHORUS

This was after my band played at TRiP on Thursday night. These two are buddies of my kids. The band after us cancelled, so the sound guy put these two up. They played for an hour- really great jazz. It sounded a whole lot better than this. This was recorded on my son's phone.

Learning how to do this

T

This was the best song on an hour and a half set that my son filmed for me at TRiP on Thursday night. The rest were way off to my ear, anyway. You also couldn't see Craig or the bass player Richard and there was only a peek of Betsy. The sound was way off. Norm's guitar was too loud, Oleeta and Nancy's vocal mics were too low. Craig and Betsy couldn't hear the rest of us. This is a learning curve. I'm going to start now standing out front to hear where we are before we start each time. The sound guys we will encounter won't know what our strengths and weaknesses are or who's going to do what in the songs. Had Ben been there, he probably would not have been heard over the wrong balance of things. You couldn't hear Betsy's solo again.

R

Rhubarb at TRiP last night. Hope everyone has a great holiday!

We are playing here on Thursday Night though

Thursday Dec 22, 2011

8:00pm

Honeybear, Rhubarb Meringue Pie and more

We're on at 9:00

Well, in a moment of weakness, I submitted the band to this place. You've probably heard of it. We won't get anything, no doubt. We are still playing songs off music stands. No one practices and we only rehearse once a month. We got a ways to go. I like the Swap Meet because it feels like we are rehearsing live. I've decided I need to start memorizing the songs. Ah, we can dream can't we?

Its Just A Song

It's just a song. A little thing really. 

Still Working on this One

Green Eyes By Kate Wolf

C#m                                E                B                           E
Every night we light the candle that stands beside our bed
       Cm                                                   A
But sometimes the flame's too much to handle
                            E                                B                            C#m
That's what you said. That's what you said and you should know
                       A                                                   E
Because you built a fire in me and you made it burn
          A                                                E                             B
You followed me, watching every move, matching every turn.

CHORUS
   E                                                     B            
Your green eyes they don't miss a thing
          C#m                                     A
They hold me like the sun going down
   F#                                     B                       C#m   B  Cm
Warm me like a fire in the night, without a sound

C#m                              E                   B                                                E

You were waiting till I heard, just as patient as that love light in your eyes,

                  E                    B                                                                C#m
You never threw away a word or ever talked in disguise, I ought to know

                   A                                     E

You were a beacon to a sailor lost at sea

     A                 E                                                         B

I saw it in your eyes when you looked at me, so openly.

CHORUS

C#m                                        E                      B                                              E
The first time I ever saw your laughter break loose inside and tumble out to me

      Cm                                                      A

My heart knew it had found what it was after

E                      B                            C#m

And it came so easily,  we should know

                     A                                          E

After all the years of the hard and lonely times

          A                            E                                                    B
Now our days go by like best friends story lines, yours and mine. 

She removes the second line out of the second verse. The meter is all over the place. And that C#m makes me only play four strings and leaves the high G string out there all alone. Ah well, if you don't stretch, where will you go. Nancy sings it well. The song is a great woman's song about being really loved. Not too many of those around that mean something.

We're going to try to do it at TRiP next Thursday night- Our First Club Date!!

The Second One

The second one- They put obstacles in your way to doing this and sometimes its your friends. Thank you god, for these folks and their support for letting me do this.

Copying the thing

 

 Years of watching television late at night with the sound off has lead me to believe that there are a thousand scenarios for any scene presented. This could be a couple being married confronted by a angry suitor, or a couple being married by a alien, or  a couple being married by a gay woman priest that had been a man in a previous life that that been married to the woman here. It all works. Perhaps the same is true with melody. Here is the mythic depression, the wants-bes of the 60s wishing they were struggling in the 30s.  Woody Allen pretending to be a wanta-be that wanted the 20s in Paris.(The Streets of Paris, the latest movie) Bobby (Dylan) wanted to be Woody Guthrie. George Harrison, etc s, wanted to be Roy Orbison. 

I found this recently:

THE GREAT ROCK-ISLAND ROUTE  by J.A Roff  1882

Dedicated to The General Ticket & Passenger Agent

G                                                                              C
From a rocky bound Atlantic to a mild Pacific Shore
D7                                                                                     G
From a fair and sunny southland to an ice bound Labrador
G                                                                                                                  C
There’s a name of magic import and tis known the world throughout
    D7                                                                                          G
Tis a mighty corporation called the Great Rock Island Route

CHORUS

Now listen to the jingle and the rumble and the roar

As she dashes through the woodland and speeds along the shore

See the mighty rushing engine, hear her merry bell ring out

As they speed along in safety on the Great Rock Island Route

CHORUS

All great cities of importance can be found along its way

There’s Chicago and Peroria and Rock Island so they say

With Davenport and westward still is Council Bluffs far out

As a western termination of the Great Rock Island Route

CHORUS

Now let music soft and tender in its mysric power reveal

Praises to the Great Rock Island that the heart can only feel

And to swell the mighty chorus comes the glad re-echoing shout

That for safety time and comfort take the Great Rock Island Route

This is the original of Wabash Cannonball that morphed into something totally different. 

Wisdom from the Comments

This was left as a comment on Friday night's post : "It may not seem like it at times, but you're on the right track. Let the others get their songs first, then they'll be more willing to work on your material." Today, short handed because of illness, I had to sing for two hours straight. Oleeta did great , but the third voice was greatly needed. Anyhow, this is indeed where we are. Craig, in sort of a break period played this incredible hamonia thing that was amazing. He wrote it. I'm trying to encourage all of them to give us what they have. Its a scary thing, being in front of people. We need to listen and listen again. There is a generosity of spirit that we all have, that can create amazing things. (As long as you ARE NOT an old man that thinks he's right.)

Empty chairs

 

What a feeling when people that have filled your evening get up and leave. We rehearsed. Got a gig Sunday at the Melrose Trading Post Swap Meet for 2 1/2 hours. Missing three tonight. I always worry about people getting disillusioned or that their needs aren't getting met. They all want to be the star. Well, I do too, but I know I'm not going to be. I want to get my songs up and I want to play and sing. I will share with all. I don't have to the center of attention. I just want room to express. Norman wants us to rehearse twice before the Thursday night club date. We should and those that want will. I really need to start memorizing songs. It quiet here now. Sweet dreams children.

First Club

Well, our very first club - Come by if you are in the neighborhood. We get an hour

There's songs that are you. I've been playing thus one for five years now. And only sang it once in public.

Wayfaring Stranger

Another Sawtooth video. I've been playing this behind Sean at the Nursing Home for about a year I think. I used to whistle it to myself when I was hitch-hiking across the country in the early 70s. I find myself still wanting to whistle when I play it. It was on a Michael Parks album when I was a teenager. Maybe it's time I tried singing it. Wonder if I can whistle in tune?

Here's my friends, part of the Saturday morning jam at the park. Ray on upright bass, Sean on guitar & vocals and Ted on Banjo. These guys were happy and friendly when I showed up barely able to play my thing. I still can't play, but who cares. A great tight little group. All great musicians. We're doing a week of Sawtooth.

Freight Train- Our Version

More Nancy

Places I Applied Today for the Band

                                             The Santa Monica Airport Antiques Flea Market

                           The El Monte Tet Festival (where else to sing ugly american folk songs)

Paint: Lab on Main Street in Santa Monica

Paint, Wine and Cheese

Friday & Saturday nights from 6:00 – 9:00pm

Unwind from your busy work week…. Let’s get creative! Uninstructed.

RESERVATION REQUIRED

$30 + Canvas Purchase

(lab fee includes paints, wine & cheese)

* Come paint with us!! Invite your friends!! *

“Last Fridays” Paint, Wine and Cheese include LIVE music

and go until 10 PM! The next one is on November 25

                                                           Well, why not? It might be fun.

You just throw it at as many walls you can find and you hope it sticks.