08 Aug 18
1 edit
Originally posted by @sonhouseSo if I don't like folk rock, I hate the commoners? [eye roll]
Tom, you said you 'hate' Dylan and Joni Mitchell which you are totally entitled to your opinion but is there ANY folk music you like? Who would you put up here to show any appreciation for music from the common folk? The ones who don't need stadium electronics to show off their music, just a guitar or mandolin or fiddle and such, instrumentals or vocals?
Most of the music I like is produced in Europe on shoe-string budgets. One of my favorite singers of all time quit the music biz and took a job managing a small retail shop in the Netherlands. I'm all about the common folk.
08 Aug 18
Originally posted by @tom-wolseyKind of a 'we will, we will rock you' kind of vibe understated though.
More music from a small, unknown band.
[youtube Amazing Meet Project]IIbAsO8rOrk[/youtube]
If I put up common folk playing what would be your reaction? I know a lot of great musicians, and I play myself, I have 66 tracks, over 40 originals for solo acoustic guitar, mandolin, dulcimer and keyboards and my wife has some nice songs onstage and recorded in our flat in Jerusalem with some great singers there, wonder if you listen much to acoustic instrumentals much or do you mainly listen to electric bands? There are some jaw dropping acoustic virtuoso's out there totally unheard of by the general public which is part of the charm of folk music, you go to someone's house, sit on the front porch and listen to a totally unknown genius playing guitar or fiddle or whatever and you just go OMG, and realize you are one of the very few to have ever been lucky enough to have heard of that person.
One total unknown was a guy who became my guitar teach, Mike Stewart, AKA Backwards Sam Firk, he and Stephan Michaelson AKA Delta X, recorded on Adelphi Records owned by a buddy of mine, Gene Rosenthal.
I used to live in Alexandria Virginia in the old town district a few blocks from the river and I found out just a couple blocks away was the Alexandria Folklore center, great hangout for folkies like me.
So I asked them one day if they needed a guitar teach, they said yes, come in Saturday and we can talk.
I go in Saturday, guitar in hand, king of the world, hot shot guitarist that I was (well what I THOUGHT I was🙂 and talked to the manager, he said we got Mike Stewart instead. I go who is that? He says You don't know about Mike Stewart, Backwards Sam Firk? I go No, he goes Boy are you in for a surprise! I say so where is he, He is in the third teaching booth down on the left.
So I go over and introduce myself and we get to talking and he plays a couple of pieces and my jaw drops about 2 feet, and I went instantly from being potential teacher to actual student and stayed with him for a couple of years, when I got laid off from the Apollo tech job I had at Goddard Space Flight Center, we, gf and I, drifted back west to my parents house in Escondido.
But Firk and Delta X still are with me, even though Firk is gone now, died in 2004 of massive heart attack. Stephan is still around, he has a Phd in economics and has a CD with a trio of like folks singing songs about money and such and his great guitar playing.
I had a self produced CD ready to send to Firk when I found out from Joe Bussard (Fonotone records) that he had died. I was a bit devastated to hear of Mike's death. And his wife, Carol, Gene's sister who died at age of 28 of also a massive heart attack, I still grieve them both.
I love having played music with some of the greats of folk, Pete Seeger, Libba Cotton, Rev. Gary Davis, Sam Mcgee, Firk, Delta X, Tom Hoskins (Fang), Fang and Firk are the ones who went to Avalon Mississippi and found Mississippi John hurt, got him out of retirement and back to Maryland where he lived at Firk's place for 3 months and then hit the folk circuit and had a great 5 years before he too died.
Those are the kind of common folk I talk about but uncommonly strong musicians.
17 Aug 18
Originally posted by @sonhouseTommy Emmanuel teaches a D6 tuning on acoustic guitar:
An old band mate, Sara Grey and her band 'Lost Nation Band" playing on a sidewalk in Lithuania, really nice American folk music. She was in our band in Arizona long time ago, Sugarloaf mountain String band:
[youtube]_jttDilksnI[/youtube]
18 Aug 18
Originally posted by @handyandyBeautiful music, fascinating performance.
Korngold Violin Concerto
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pvm8PLYIizc
27 Aug 18
Originally posted by @torunnWhen I first heard that song I thought it was a woman singing but then I noticed the Donny🙂
[youtube]pSnmNaCk53M[/youtube]
Donny Hathaway - A Song For You (1945 - 1979)
Which is what my sister and mom call me to this day. His bio says he jumped out of a 15th story window, ruled suicide. Roberta Flack was his friend and was devastated over his death.