https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MedCjFKSs0I&feature=related"]YouTube - Cindy Lee Berryhill - When Did Jesus Become a Republican?‏
Well it didn't take long for the band to fall through. They were in their twenties and I'm in my fifties, so I guess they decided they wanted a younger guitar player. But if any of ya'll are interested in an old farts music you can check my other stuff out at... http://www.ourstage.com/profile/rjhangover/songs
Feedback? OK 1) Drums are mixed too loud. 2) It sounds like pretty good stuff. I don't know what you are like in concert, but I wouldn't like a whole series of songs like that in a row. If I were to hear you live, I'd hope that you'd mix some apolitical standards with your own tunes. Perhaps a version of Tom Leherer's "Folk Song Army" ? Nice stuff.
Thanks for the advise Mike. I do my own recording, and as you could tell, I'm not an engineer. And it's a real pain in the ass playing all the instruments and doing the recording levels at the same time. And the mix down sounds different from mastering to the final CD. I only do so many takes before I just say, fuck it. That CD was my third attempt. On my next try I promise, no political shit. But I think there are enough love song crooners, so let's see, how about memories of the good ol days, and future dreams? I've got lots of those. And BTW Mike, What did you think of bells and hunters?
Political shit is fine, but ... folk musicians should be musicians first. (Woody stole the best tunes he could, to set his words to ) I think the best song about political folk is Johnny Cash's "The one on the left is on the right". The last line of that song (plus his history e.g. Bitter Tears) expands the plain meaning of the other words amazingly. The words of the song urge one to keep politics out of folk songs, but the line "the guy in the rear got drafted" shows that you can't. If the song is to be taken seriously, I'd guess that Cash was objecting to folk singers using the current situation to change the past, for example changing The Sinking Of the Reuben James to turn Woody Guthrie into a pacifist to bolster the opposition to Vietnam. (I don't know how he felt about Woody appropriating Wildwood Flower, et. al.) Great song! Bells and Hunters, nice well performed "lazy afternoon" folk. (As opposed to "sing along" folk). But, like a lot of folk, not a lot of tempo or mood variation between songs.
Dylan wasn't much of a musician when he got started, but he evolved. He's playing at Merriweather Post Aug.16th with Leon Russell and Drive By Truckers. Two Geritols and a hillbilly band, what a line up. Johnny Cash was never much of a musician either, or a singer. It was all his stage presents and message to rural America for him. Sounds like you have much knowledge of music. You play?
RJ, I used to book folk shows, and frankly, if this is what I was sent, I would not have listened through the first verse. I don't hear a new take on the same old complaints. I'm not hearing either musical or delivery finesse, but if I did, I'd consider your sound for a cafe show, or early fest slot. Do you play out and about? We lost a man with brilliant delivery last week, Bill Morrissey. He could tell a story that had you holding your sides then the song would make you weep. He never gave away the meat of the song in the intro. But man, could he do intros. Another guy to listen to for delivery is Dan Navarro, or his duo, Lowen and Navarro. Trout Fishing in America, Ellis Paul, Vance Gilbert, Cheryl Wheeler all do good banter. all are on You Tube. I posted Roy Zimmerman above. He does try a bit too hard in delivery, I think, but it is dark shades of Lerher, so I see where he's coming from.
Sorry momma, that I didn't live up to your musical opinion, but hey I was trying to get a message through to the racist hypocrite evangelicals. I've got the song on my profile at http://www.ourstage.com/profile/rjhangover/songs and I'm playing drums, bass and pedal steel. It's all done on one take, with no editing or overdubbing because I'm a novice at recording, and self taught. There are other songs on there like, "life on the hobo" if you like country, or "age of rage" if you like rock. But I know I'll never be able to please everybody, so I got to please myself. I think that's in a song somebody did. (((Mwah)))
RJ, read my post again. CONSTRUCTIVE criticism. Do look over the folks I listed. They are gems of stage banter. and THAT gets you listened to. which gets your message out.
Mama, I'm trying to get my stuff on Band camp(Navarro), but they don't take mp3's, and I haven't figured out how to change them to wav files, which is what they want. youtube has a tutorial on how to change them using itunes, but I still haven't figured out how to launch itunes. I never wanted to be a sound engineer or a computer programmer. I just wanted to play music and compose. Yeah, I know, wah!
