Tom Russell’s release Folk Hotel has been in my music rotation for a week or so now, and I like the album more and more each time I listen to it. There are few songwriters whose songs send me to Wikipedia to look up references the way Tom’s does. In fact, I was sent scurrying on the first track: “Up in the Old Hotel.”
The first reference I chased was Joseph Mitchell, whose ghost wanders the halls of Tom’s Folk Hotel. Here’s what I found:
Joseph Mitchell and Up in the Old Hotel
(July 27, 1908 – May 24, 1996) was an American writer best known for his work in The New Yorker. He wrote careful portraits of eccentrics and people on the fringes of society, especially in and around New York City. His book Up in the Old Hotel collects the best of his writing for The New Yorker. Mitchell’s last book was Joe Gould’s Secret (1964). From 1964 until his death in 1996, Mitchell went to work at his office daily, but never published anything significant again. Read More
Dylan Thomas and the Hotel Chelsea
The second reference in the song points to the death of poet Dylan Thomas and his infamous final days:
On 3 November 1953, Thomas spent the day drinking in New York. He returned to the Hotel Chelsea declaring, “I’ve had 18 straight whiskies. I think that’s the record!” Later that week, he fell gravely ill and was admitted to St. Vincent’s Hospital, where he died on 9 November 1953 of acute alcohol-related complications. Read More
One Song, Countless Stories
I love that about Tom Russell’s songs. One verse can send me looking up a writer I’d never heard of, while the next leads me to a poet, a painter, or some forgotten corner of American history. His songs aren’t just stories—they’re invitations to keep exploring.
I’ll have more to say about Folk Hotel in another post, but for now I’ll leave you with Tom performing “Up in the Old Hotel.”
More Tom Russell Stories
If you’d like to read more about one of my favorite songwriters, continue with:
Folk Monday: Old Friend Slaid Cleaves and Tom Russell – How Mesabi first entered my music rotation and led to plans for a special concert.
Tom Russell Live at Jammin’ Java – My memories of seeing Tom and Thad Beckman perform many of these songs live in an intimate setting.
Daily Roots will be a recurring feature of this site. It is a a way of revisiting music, books, and ideas that first took hold decades ago — not out of nostalgia, but because some things refuse to stay in the past. This felt like the right place to begin, because Phil Ochs wrote songs that keep rewriting themselves every time history circles back on itself.
This post was originally written in 2017 during the first Trump administration but it’s even more relevant here in 2026!
Phil Ochs and “Here’s to the State of Mississippi “
As I have watched the unfolding of the events surrounding the President over the last few weeks the similarities to Trump and Nixon get stronger every day. These similarities led me to the songs of Phil Ochs. Well at least to one song “Here’s to the State of Mississippi”
Way back in the mid-60s during the height of the Civil Rights struggle many people were aghast at the actions of the people of Mississippi. Folksinger Phil Ochs responded through song and wrote the classic “Here’s to the State of Mississippi”. In the song Ochs sang….
Here’s to the state of Mississippi, For underneath her borders, the devil draws no lines, If you drag her muddy river, nameless bodies you will find. whoa the fat trees of the forest have hid a thousand crimes, the calendar is lyin’ when it reads the present time. Oh here’s to the land you’ve torn out the heart of, Mississippi find yourself another country to be part of!….
Updating the Song “Here’s to the State of Richard Nixon”
Fast forwarding several years and Phil needed to update the song and change Mississippi to Richard Nixon. In updating the song he added a new versus just for Tricky Dick…..
And here’s to the government of Richard Nixon In the swamp of their bureaucracy They’re always bogging down And criminals are posing As advisors to the crown And they hope that no one sees the sights And no one hears the sounds And the speeches of the president Are the ravings of a clown
Complete lyrics Here. Here’s Phil performing the song……
Hmm, seem like any government we may know??? Yep! Old Tricky Dick and Donald are like twin sons of different mothers!!
And Now – Here’s to the State of Donald Trump
While I was searching YouTube for Phil’s version of the song I can across this updated version of the song. It includes verses for Steve Bannon and Jeff Sessions along with dear Donald! Enjoy!
And after 50 plus years the question remains “why do Republicans hate poor people?”
Philip David Ochs was an American songwriter, protest singer, and political activist. Ochs was known for his sharp wit, sardonic humor, and political commentary. He wrote about 200 songs in the 1960s and 1970s and released eight albums. Wikipedia
Five New Albums to Add to My Music Library from Tunes Used CD Store
Yesterday in the post re-introducing Me, Myself, Music and Mysteries I wrote that previously I had found a lot of music at Tunes in Marlton, NJ.That action reminded me that I still had a $15.00 Gift Card to Tunes that my son Peter had given me about a year ago.
So…. after finishing the post and no Eagles game to watch I decided to make a trip to Tunes. I really haven’t been to Tunes much since my kids have grown and online music sources like Rhapsody and Spotify have come into existence. It’s really a lot easier to check out new music from the comfort of your own house.
The trip today though reconfirmed that I really enjoy scouring the bins looking for those special bargains on great music. Sometimes the bargains are albums from musicians you know. Other times you may find an album from someone you have never heard. However, because the price is so low you can take a chance on the album.
The albums that I found yesterday are all from musicians that I am familiar. Some of the albums I have even written about on this blog. Anyway, here are the five albums that I bought with my $15.00!!
The Five Albums
Two of the albums that I found at Tunes yesterday I have previously listened to and enjoyed. However, I listened to them on Spotify, and I don’t have the physical CD. So it’s great to have them…..They are
Hot Rize – When I’m Free
Released in 2014, When I’m Free was Hot Rize’s first studio album in 24 years.
When I started to listen to a lot of music and collecting CDs, thanks to the used CD bins at Tunes in Marlton, in the early 2000s, I found the music of Tim O’Brien, an amazing multi-instrumentalist and singer. I also discovered the music of guitarist Charles Sawtelle. It took a while before I stumbled upon a great bluegrass album So Long a Journey (2002) from the band Hot Rize. I discovered that both O’Brien and Sawtelle were members of the band, along with Pete Wernick, and Nick Forster.
Subsequently, I discovered that the album was a live album that had been recorded in 1996 and was a reunion album of the band, that had retired in 1990. In 1990, the members had parted ways and went on to have distinguished solo careers Conitnue Reading
The Lonely Heartstring Band – Deep Waters
From My Previous Post
Among the albums that were released this Friday was Deep Waters the debut release on Rounder Records from the Boston-based band The Lonely Heartstring Band. Ken Irwin, a founder of Rounder Records, said
“The Lonely Heartstring Band is not only one of the most exciting bands musically we’ve heard in a while, but they combine artistry with a great attitude and commitment that makes them irresistible. Plus, they’ve just made an amazing record”
After listening to the album yesterday and today, I totally agree Deep Waters is a great album and these 2015 IBMA Momentum Award winners can flat-out bring it. Great pickin’ and singin’! Four out the five members of the band met as students at the Berklee College of Music, which says volumes about their respective musical abilities in my eyes and ears. The band was founded in 2012 by Charles Clements (bass & vocals), George Clements (guitar & lead vocals), Gabe Hirshfeld (banjo), Patrick M’Gonigle (fiddle, vocals), and Matt Witler (mandolin). Since its founding the band has built a devoted following playing and headlining at major music festivals and historic venues from Western Canada to California, from Kentucky to New Hampshire. – Read More
The other three albums are all jazz albums.
Miles Davis – Birth of Cool
I wore out Miles’s Bitches Brew when it was in college. Since then I have listened to and enjoyed a lot of his other albums. However, Birth of Cool was not in my music library until now!
From: AllMusic Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
So dubbed because these three sessions — two from early 1949, one from March 1950 — are where the sound known as cool jazz essentially formed, Birth of the Cool remains one of the defining, pivotal moments in jazz. This is where the elasticity of bop was married with skillful, big-band arrangements and a relaxed, subdued mood that made it all seem easy, even at its most intricate. After all, there’s a reason why this music was called cool; it has a hip, detached elegance, never getting too hot, even as the rhythms skip and jump. Indeed, the most remarkable thing about these sessions — arranged by Gil Evans and featuring such heavy-hitters as Kai Winding, Gerry Mulligan, Lee Konitz, and Max Roach — is that they sound intimate, as the nonet never pushes too hard, never sounds like the work of nine musicians.
Furthermore, the group keeps things short and concise (probably the result of the running time of singles, but the results are the same), which keeps the focus on the tones and tunes. The virtuosity led to relaxing, stylish mood music as the end result — the very thing that came to define West Coast or “cool” jazz — but this music is so inventive, it remains alluring even after its influence has been thoroughly absorbed into the mainstream Read More at AllMusic
Here is a past post about Lee Konitz who played on Birth of Cool
Bud Powell – The Best of Bud Powell – The Blue Note Years
This album contains fifteen tracks from the following albums recorded on the Blue Note label. The tracks were recorded and released between 1957 and 1958. The critic’s rating on all of the individual albums are either 4 or 4.5 stars out of five! So, I think that I am going to enjoy this collection!
1957–58: Bud Plays Bird (Roulette / Blue Note) 1958: Time Waits: The Amazing Bud Powell (Vol. 4) (Blue Note) 1958: The Scene Changes: The Amazing Bud Powell (Blue Note)
Powell’s band mates on the various tracks include:
Fats Navaro, trumpet, Sonny Rollins, tenor sax, Max Roach and Philly Joe Jones, drums!
Yes, I think that I will really like this CD!! Here is a link to short post I wrote about Bud on his birthday!
The Mahavishnu Orchestra with John McLaughin- The Inner Mounting Flame
Columbia released The Inner Mounting Flame in 1971. I know I listened to it way back when, but somehow it never made it into my music library. Thank you Tunes and Peter for taking care of tha
From the AllMusic Review by Richard S. Ginel This is the album that made John McLaughlin a semi-household name, a furious, high-energy, yet rigorously conceived meeting of virtuosos that, for all intents and purposes, defined the fusion of jazz and rock a year after Miles Davis’ Bitches Brew breakthrough. It also inadvertently led to the derogatory connotation of the word fusion, for it paved the way for an army of imitators, many of whose excesses and commercial panderings devalued the entire movement.
Though much was made of the influence of jazz-influenced improvisation in the Mahavishnu band, it is the rock element that predominates, stemming directly from the electronic innovations of Jimi Hendrix. The improvisations, particularly McLaughlin’s post-Hendrix machine-gun assaults on double-necked electric guitar and Jerry Goodman’s flights on electric violin, owe more to the freakouts that had been circulating in progressive rock circles than to jazz, based as they often are on ostinatos on one chord. Read More
The Inner Mounting Flame is one of the 1,000 recordings in the book,1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die. (Note: My son Andrew gave me this book fpr Father’s Day.. You think he was trying to tell me something?)Just joking! Anyway the next time I listen to the album I guess I’ll only have 999 to go! Of course I actually have less because I know I have herd many of the albums already!!
At the end of each article there is a box that lists various information about the album. The information listed includes: the genre of the album, its release date, along with key tracks and a catalog choice track.The final two fields are the Next Stop and After That. After The Inner Mounting Flame the next stop is King Crimson’s Larks’ Tongues in Aspic. After That –Tortoise’sTNT. I know I have heard the King Crimson album, but I don’t know Tortoise’s TNT. So I’m off to find it!
So overall, I think I got a pretty good haul for my $15.00. Actually, I have to confess that the total bill came to $17.08. Which is still almost equal to the price of one CD! So by for now I have some listening and ripping to do!!
Thoughts about 70s Music lead me to – Pearl Before Swine
I was thinking about music in the late 60s and early 70s this morning My thoughts quickly turned to one of my favorite bands, Pearls Before Swine and the album The Use of Ashes. During those years the underground music scene was exploding. Typically AM commercial radio stations played pop music that was singles oriented. Underground music was album oriented and the tracks played were usually much more complex and longer.
As the popularity of underground music grew several Philadelphia radio stations adopted the underground music format. Both WDAS and WMMR made the switch.To me the beauty of the format was the ability of the DJ to play just about anything HE wanted to play. WIBG’s DJ Hy Lit led the transition on WDAS and Dave Herman and his Marconi Experiment paved the way at WMMR.
This morning I read in the article on Underground Music at Wikipedia that Frank Zappa said this about the music….“mainstream comes to you, but you have to go to the underground.”
Anyway new bands seemed to appear every day. Bands came together then split and reformed new bands and it was great.
Pearl Before Swine – The Use of Ashes
Pearls Before Swine founder Tom Rapp
Pearls Before Swine was one of my favorite bands from that era. The band probably received more praise by critics, than commercial success. Again from Wikipedia……
Pearls Before Swine was an American psychedelic folk band formed by Tom Rapp in 1965 in Eau Gallie, now part of Melbourne, Florida. They released six albums between 1967 and 1971, before Rapp launched a solo career…..
My first and favorite Pearls Before Swine album was their 1970 release The Use of Ashes. From Wikipedia….
……The band signed for Reprise Records in 1969, although by this time the other original members had left and the band name now referred to Rapp and whichever musicians he was recording or touring with, one of whom, Jim Fairs, was previously a member of The Cryan’ Shames. The five albums on Reprise were generally more conventional in sound, but contained a unique blend of humanistic and mystical songs, with some whimsical touches. Some were recorded in New York and others – particularly The Use of Ashes and City of Gold – in Nashville with top session musicians including Charlie McCoy, Kenny Buttrey, and other members of Area Code 615.
Wow, one of the things that I had forgotten about the album was the session musicians that played on it. Charlie, Kenny and Area Code 615 were favorites!
One thing that I think many would argue with is that Tom Rapp did not have a commercial music voice. It was quirky and lispish, but for me the musical composition and lyrics of their music more than made up for Rapp’s voice.
Favorite Songs from The Use of Ashes
My two favorite tracks on The Use of Ashes have always been, “The Jeweler” and “Rocket Man” Each of the songs create images for me, that are not soon forgotten. Hey they’ve stayed with me for over 50 years!! Through the years every time I heard Elton John’s “Rocket Man” I would think about Pearl Before Swine.
\ From Wikipedia…..
“Rocket Man ….written the day Neil Armstrong landed on the moon – was credited by Bernie Taupin with inspiring his hit song with Elton John of the same title. Quote : “We didn’t steal that one from Bowie, we stole it from another guy, called Tom Rapp…”.
Listening to The Use of Ashesthis morningreminded how much I like tPearls Before Swine! So Check Them Out!
P.S. My son Andrew has been a big fan of progressive rock bands. Several years ago he told me I should give the genre a listen. I did and discovered that I did like the genre. I also discussed that I had been listening to Prog from many years. Many of the bands that I listened to like Jethro Tull and King Crimson were the founders of progressive rock. Surprisingly Pearls Before Swine also falls into the Progressive Rock genre. Their music is considered Prog Folk!
Last night after I came home from a run, I sat down at the computer and was trying to get back to normal, when my wife asked if I had watched the new parody video from Weird Al “Word Crimes”yet. I said that I hadn’t, she made me come out and watch the video.
The Innocent Brginning……..
The video is very funny and probably funnier if you know the Robin Thicke song, which I don’t and never will, because I can not stand Robin Thicke.
Shortly after that, my wife said, she now had the song stuck in her head. That set my mind to wondering about songs that get stuck in my head. The one that popped up was Gale Garnett’s “We’ll Sing in the Sunshine”. So I went to Youtube to find a video of the song, which I did, from the 1964 Grammy Awards, but I didn’t like the video so I didn’t post it. But if you want you can watch it here.
The Rabbit Hole Opens – No Stay Away From The Sidebar………
After I watched enough of the Gale Garnett video, I began watching some of the videos on the sidebar, which somehow lead me to Suzy Boggess and Jerry Jeff Walker performing “Night Rider’s Lament” a song that they both had recorded and since I love JJW’s version of the song I watched the video….Suzy said that the tough part of the song is the yodeling, which she had to learn to do.
Down The Yodeling Rabbit Hole
I thought she did great, you can watch that video here. My mind was still restless though and was soon thinking about other songs that feature yodeling that I like, the first and maybe only song that came to mind was Slaid Cleaves’ tribute song to Don Walser “God’s Own Yodeller”. Here’s Slaid performing the song
Down and Down I Go…..
Not one to leave well enough alone, I had to wander on and find an original Don Walser tune, so that I could hear God’s own Yodeller! Here’s Don with “A Rolling Stone from Texas
Landing in the 1950s
Now this morning as my mind continued to think about yodeling, as I prepared finhish this post since i often often dressed like this back in the 1950s……
Listening to Roy Rogrers………
My thoughts turned to singing cowboys, and probably the best, Roy Rogers. I found this video using The Cowboy Herd Song….
Happy Trials to Me!
So which one do you like best, or asking another way which do you hate least? No,I shouldn’t have stayed with Gale Garnett because then all day I’d hear…..”We’ll sing in the sunshine, we’ll laugh everyday, we’ll sing in the sunshine then I’ll be on my way” Damn now it’s there…….
Update (2026): I rediscovered this post while adding an internal link from another playlist article, and it reminded me just how much I’ve enjoyed David Wilcox’s music over the years. Back in 2014 I thought blaze was one of his finest albums, and I still do. The good news is that David hasn’t stopped writing. Since then he’s released more music, which means it’s probably time for me to spend a few weeks revisiting his catalog—and, of course, listening to his latest album.
Re-Discovering David Wilcox
Over the last few weeks, I’ve made reference to listening to David Wilcox’s new album blaze, today I listened to it again and I think it’s time i write something about the album!
Why I Keep Coming Back to David’s Music
For me David Wilcox has the whole package, he is an intelligent and thoughtful songwriter, a great singer and a terrific guitar player. What more could one ask for?
I’ve been listening to David since the late 80s when I heard him on the radio singing and discussing the titled track of his first album “The Nightshift Watchman” Which is a song about those people, who sit in underground bunkers watching the skies for a missile attack knowing full well that if they do their job, their job and the world as we know it may be over!!
You can read the lyrics here. Many of David’s eighteen releases can be found in my music library and I feel that blaze is one of his best albums.
Listening to blaze
blazeopens with “Oil Talkin’ to Ya'” which in David’s words is just a different way to look at the future when oil may not be around anymore, and maybe it won’t be as bad as we think. Because those dire predictions may just be the oil talkin’ to us!
Songs That Stay With You
The songs on the album cover a wide range of topics from the part we all play in the destruction of the environment in “Guilty by Degree” to a police officers thoughts on the senseless killing of a young child on the city streets “The Sacrifice”.
I love the imagery created in the songs “Drift” and “It’ll Work You” and how they both deal with change and rediscovery of one self!
Once again, I feel that blaze is one of David’s finest albums, all of the songs are terrific, and it is one of the best albums of 2014!!
You can watch a short video here in which David discusses the making of blaze. Meanwhile you can check out more about David and blaze at the usual places!
Originally posted March 2014 revised and updated July 2026
2026 :Update:When I first started listening to Jerry Jeff Walker, I thought I had simply found another singer-songwriter I enjoyed. Looking back, I realize he became something much more. Through his albums he introduced me to an entire circle of songwriters—Guy Clark, Townes Van Zandt, Chris Wall, and Bill Staines—artists who have remained part of the soundtrack of my life ever since.
Through the Years – Jerry Jeff Walker and the Songwriters He Shared with Us
Through the years, Jerry Jeff Walker introduced me to a whole new world of great songwriters — folks like Guy Clark and Townes Van Zandt who have become legends in their own right. But it doesn’t stop there. On his album Live at Gruene Hall, Jerry Jeff shines a light on two other stellar songwriters whose work may not be as widely known: Chris Wall and Bill Staines.
🎶 Jerry Jeff Covers 3 Chris Wall Tunes
Three songs by Chris Wall appear on Live at Gruene Hall:
I Feel Like Hank Williams Tonight
Trashy Women
Rodeo Wind
These covers turned me into a lifelong fan of Chris Wall’s storytelling. His songs are rooted in dusty plains and dancehalls, with characters that feel lived-in and true. Jerry Jeff’s renditions add that raw, boots-on-the-barroom-floor charm he always brought to a good tune.
Can’t you just see that cowboy out in the barn saddling his horse, with his woman leaning in the doorway, as he gets ready to ride off into the sunset?
🌾 Jerry Jeff Covers Bill Staines’ “The Quiet Faith of Man”
The other songwriter Jerry Jeff salutes on Gruene Hall is Bill Staines, a beloved folk troubadour. If you’re not familiar with him, here’s a bit from his official biography:
For more than forty years, Bill traveled back and forth across North America, singing his songs and delighting audiences at festivals, coffeehouses, and concerts. A New England native, he got his start in the 1960s Boston folk scene, even emceeing the Sunday Hoot at the legendary Club 47 in Cambridge. A reviewer once called him “simply Boston’s best performer,” and he remained a top name on folk radio listener polls for decades.
The song Jerry Jeff chose — “The Quiet Faith of Man” — is, in my humble opinion, one of Bill’s most powerful and moving pieces.
🐾 Bill Staines Sings Bill Staines – “Old Dogs”
To wrap things up, here’s one more Staines gem — Old Dogs, a song that’s tender, wise, and every bit as timeless as the quiet folks it celebrates.
As I was working along last night at Target, my thoughts drifted back to Andrew, Meaghan and little Oliver and the perilous journey that they are embarking on.
We took that trip four times, well maybe we’re still on the journey, and it seems that the results so far, have been very successful! But it’s a tough trip. There are many obstacles along the way. Many wrong words to say, many wrong actions to take. All you can do is try to keep them safe and try to help them develop a strong moral character.
Often as my children were growing I told them, “you know what’s right and what’s wrong so do the right thing! Finally love them unconditionally. That doesn’t mean that they can’t be wrong, or do things that you don’t like. At that point in time, you may not like them very much but you never stop loving them!!
And beyond those things you just hope for the best! And I think we got it right so far!!
Anyway, here are three songs that floated into the jukebox in my head!
The first one “Younger Generation” was a part of my life in the early 70s, at a time when I was in college and maybe a bit rebellious, but it always made me stop and think about what it would be like to look at the relationship from the other side!
The last two first “Father and Son” from Yosuf Islam (Cat Stevens)and then Tom Rush “Child’s Song” talk about those middle stages of the parent child relationship, again these songs came into my life in the 70s when I was in those stages and made me think about what it’s like on both sides of the divide, and maybe how we never should let that divide get too wide!!
So Meg, Andrew and Oliver good luck and I know you two know the right things to do to create a loving and nurturing environment for Oliver! Beyond that Best of Luck!!
John B Sebastian – “Younger Generation”
Yusuf/Cat Stevens – “Father & Son”
Tom Rush – “Child’s Song”
Jerry Jeff Walker “Quiet Faith of Man”
Quiet Faith of Man
A baby child is born along the highway A tiny little thing upon the land An okie with his dreams out on the byway Lifts the tiny baby in his hand The woman smiles a little smile of knowing And whispers something softly in his ear Perhaps a little prayer to help the growing Perhaps a word of comfort through the fears.
You trust the moon to move the mighty ocean You trust the sun to shine upon the land You take the little that you know And you do the best you can You see the rest with the quiet faith of man.
Words and Music by Bill Staines
Post Update 2026
Since this post was written in Marh of 2014 four more grandchildren have been added to our family
Zoe – daughter of son Peter and Melissa (Sept 2014)
Logan – son of Peter and Melissa (Jan 2017)
Emma – daugher of daughter ELizabeth and Marcus Rego (Feb 2023)
Lucas – son of daughter Elizabeth and Marcus (May 2025)
I have had the honor to babysit all of them! And watched them grow with the Quiet Faith of this man, So far so good!
Rod Picott has been friends with Slaid Cleaves since they first met in the 2nd grade in the Maine town of South Berwick where they both grew up.
Slaid left South Berwick went to Tufts University and eventually ended up moving to Austin, Texas with wife Karen in 1991, where he has lived and recorded since then
. Picott left Maine and spent a few years in Colorado, before moving to Nashville in 1994. Where spent several years playing at local clubs and sharpening his skills as a songwriter, he wrote songs for the likes of Fred Eaglesmith and worked and occasionally opened for Alison Krauss.I
Rod Picot -At Quick Look at His Musical History
Hn 2001 Rod released his first solo album Tiger Tom Dixon’s Blues which was named after his great-uncle, a boxer during the Great Depression.
Slaid included the song on his album Wishbones.Rod’s album also included his version of “Broke Down”, which he co-wrote with Slaid. The song had been the title track on Slaid’s break-through second release on the Rounder-Philo label.
Since his first release Rod has released eight more albums and his Americana star has risen with each release. I am most familiar with the last two releases 2011’s Welding Burns which is a terrific album and his current release Hang Your Hopes on a Crooked Nail.
About Hang Your Coat on a Crooked Nail
The songs onHang Your Hopes on a Crooked Nailare varied just like life. They cover lost love “You Ain’t Missing Anything”, the resilience of people reflected in the little “Bluebonnet”, the simple joy of owning a “65 Falcon”, life in a small town “Where No One Knows your Name”, to the end on life in “?Milkweed” and the closing song “Nobody Kno
So if you are familiar with rod’s music this album is a must for your collection and if you’re not it’s a great place to start!
So tonight I was thinking, I would post a song from one of my favorite folksinger songwriters.
The first one that popped into my head was John Gorka, thoughts of John were quickly replaced by thoughts of Mark Erelli. I listened to Mark’ most recent release Little Vigils the other night and was reminded of what a great songwriter he is.
So I thought that I’d post a video, maybe of one of my early favorites songs “They do it every day” but there was no Youtube video,for the song. Then I thought “Compass and Companion” Then I spotted this video for his song “Volunteers” on Don Was’ My Damn Channel and I listened once again to this powerful song and again was blown away!
Don Was On Mark Erelli
Mark Erelli is a great singer/songwriter/guitarist from Massachusetts with a masters degree in Molecular Biology. He regularly tours with Iris DeMent, Catie Curtis and Lori McKenna. Music critics have lauded his latest album, Hope and Other Casualties. Regardless of where you fall in the political spectrum, his brand new song, Volunteer, will provoke some consideration.
The Video
The video was posted in 2007 at Don’s channel and while we are still not fighting the war, there are many volunteers,who are still out there fighting their own private wars and fighting the effects of being that volunteer!! So let’s go “into the morning” with Mark and “Volunteers”
