Friday Night Jukebox, Vol. CDXXXVIII--Bearfoot: Before I Go

 I've written a time or two about songs I discovered from listening to Pandora while I worked at the thrift shop, and this week's featured tune is from their folk channel.  We also have another Jukebox first, as this week's artist is the first from our 49th state, Alaska.  So in a way, this week we'll be going North...to the Future....

Bearfoot (originally Bearfoot Bluegrass) formed in Cordova, Alaska in 1999, though the members had met and began playing years earlier at a Folk Arts Camp.  They got their big break in 2001 when they won the Telluride Bluegrass band contest, and shortly thereafter released their first album.  The band eventually turned their musical skills toward Americana, went through numerous personnel changes, moved to Nashville, and after a show in Montana disbanded in 2013.  For their career they released five albums.  Bearfoot remained especially popular in their native Alaska throughout their years together, being considered "small town heroes."  They also had a devoted following thanks to featuring three female vocalists.

"Before I Go" was released in 2009 on their fourth album Doors and Windows.  The song was not released as a single, and the album did not chart.

A folk song, banjo playing, a mandolin, some fiddle, and female vocals, both lead and backing, that are as sweet and lusciously smooth as a cream pie...pretty much makes for an emaycee fave.  Written by longtime troubadour John Hiatt, "Before I Go" is an ode to life's journey, its glories and failures, its knowns and unknowns, and most of all to having a partner to share it with.  Bearfoot makes the most of its talents and takes a well-written song to heights that are heavenly serene.  And it's just the kind of song that warms the heart of an old fart folkie like me....

Lyric Sheet:  "And I will try, but I will stumble/And I will fly, he told me so/Proud and high or low and humble/Many miles before I go..."

Enjoy:

Republicans = Nazis

Peace,

emaycee

Friday Night Jukebox, Vol. CCCXLI--Maura O'Connell: Feet of a Dancer

This week's tune was discovered on a folk compilation I came across during my troubadour phase in the mid to late nineties.  If I'd had but world enough and time, I'm sure a lot more such songs would be featured here on Friday Night Jukebox....

Maura O'Connell was born in Ennis, Ireland in 1958, and started out working in her family's fish shop before beginning to make music.  At the ripe old age of twenty-two she spent six weeks touring America as a backup vocalist for Irish band De Dannan, gained acclaim by performing on their next album, and then began her solo career.  O'Connell's work has been heavily influenced by American Country and Bluegrass, and while she's never had a lot of commercial success (a little more so in her native Ireland), she's done well enough to make a living from her singing.  For her career, O'Connell has released eleven studio albums, one compilation, and has appeared either as a guest vocalist or a backup singer on at least twenty-two other LPs (including emaycee faves Nanci Griffith, John Prine, and Rosanne Cash).  In 2013, she announced her retirement from her solo career.

"Feet of a Dancer" was released in 1988 on her album Just in Time.   The song was not released as a single and the album did not chart.

While not quite as sparse as old-timey Woody Guthrie nothing but a voice and a guitar folk, "Feet of a Dancer" features a lot of what makes folk, well, folk.  There's some nice touches of steel guitar, a little acoustic guitar here and there, some well placed mandolin playing, and, in what may be an FNJ first (or not--the number of songs featured is getting quite high), wonderful bongo playing to keep the song moving rhythmically.  But what carries the song--as happens quite often with a folk tune--is O'Connell's vocals, which are just north of heavenly.  Her voice shines with all the hope the song  proffers--essentially it's a parent telling a child that life is hard, hoping for the best for you, but regardless, we're always going to be here.  If there's one trait folks is known for is songs that speak to our better angels...and this one has halos floating all around it.

Lyric Sheet:  "I hope you find someone who cares/I hope you find all the right directions, everywhere/Everywhere...

Enjoy:

You Have a Choice:  Pass a Voting Rights Bill, or Welcome Fascism to America

Peace,

emaycee

Friday Night Jukebox, Vol. CCXXIV--Chatham County Line: Speed of the Whippoorwill

A few years back when I was working at a thrift shop, they had Pandora piped in over the intercom and after a few months of listening to drivel, I decided one day to punch in "folk" and see what came up on the system.  I've always been something of a fan of Americana music and it seemed a good opportunity for hearing something new for a change (plus it was run by a religious organization and folk seemed a little less likely to feature devil's music that might offend our Christian customers).  What I didn't realize at the time is that this week's tune--as well as a host of others--proved to be a renaissance of sorts for my love of music, and I've spent a good chunk of what free time I've had since then letting my curiosity get the best of me and finding even more tunes that make my heart go pitter-patter.

Chatham County Line was formed in Raleigh, North Carolina in 1999 and as you might guess, have yet to become a household name.  However, they have released nine albums over the years and have had at least one #1 album on Billboard's bluegrass charts (once again this week, getting info on a small band has proved to be most difficult).  Chatham County Line features four nattily dressed musicians (often in coats and ties) who play acoustic guitar, upright bass, fiddle, and banjo respectively.  They have become known for a lively live show, and have become very popular in Europe (especially the Netherlands--so many cool Dutch kids!).

Needless to say, "Speed of the Whippoorwill" was not released as a single, but it was originally released in  2006 on their most appropriately named album, Speed of the Whippoorwill.  For those wondering, typing a double "o" after a double "p" is extremely odd....

Fun Fact:  I got curious as to just how fast a whippoorwill flies, and while I found they are a nocturnal bird that feeds on moths and other flying insects, lay two to four eggs a year, care for their eggs without a nest on the forest floor, and are named for the sound of their mating call. I could find nothing that said the whippoorwill was a particularly fast flying bird.  Kind of a bummer!

"Speed of the Whippoorwill" tells the story of a man working on the railroad back in the day, the rigors of the job, and why he's doing it--to earn money to get back home so he can be with his true love.  What could be more Americana than that, for Christ's sake?  The song features simple yet heartfelt lyrics, vocals that capture the protagonists hurt as well as hope, an upright bass which keeps the song's rhythm (I'm sure I've featured a song without drums but I'll be darned if I can remember it), and two emaycee fave's, a fiddle and a banjo (how can anyone not love a fiddle and a banjo?).  In all honesty, it certainly might not be everyone's cup of tea musically, but it's a fine example of what American traditional music has to offer, and it's also a nice reminder that the playing of instruments makes some beautiful noise...and it's good once in a while to appreciate that.

Lyric Sheet:  "Water boy come running, I'm dry as the dirt/The day's keep getting longer, I've got hurt on top of hurt..."

Alas, I could only find a live version on YouTube--it doesn't quite do justice to the studio version, but it still showcases the band's talent.  Enjoy:

Fuck Donald Trump,
emaycee