Folkies at work

Col Mustard

Col Mustard

Ambassador of Perseverance
Country flag
Well, I heard Whit Hill sing this at a coffee house in Ann Arbor Mi...
and she brought down the house with it. Whit Hill is the author.

I was like, "oh, I'm learning THAT..." so I did.
Recently, I recorded myself on voice and guitar, and planned to get a bunch of Ann Arbor
folkies to join in on the chorus.

Here's a preliminary mix, with me on lead vocal and acoustic guitar (my Martin XC1T)
and Whit Hill (the author) singing a great smokey alto, and Emily Slomovits (who was born
in Ann Arbor) playing fiddle and singing a fine warm soprano part.

https://soundcloud.com/michael-hough-5/ann-arbor-12-30-16

We plan to get a bunch of local Ann Arbor musicians types to join in on the chorus
as if they were sitting in the audience at The Ark in Ann Arbor... I'll likely add a bass
part and tap one of my excellent musician friends to play Second Guitar.
 
Here's the latest version... I got a number of my peers to come to the studio and sing along on the
chorus. Personally, I came to Ann Arbor in 1966 to go to school. I've never really left, although
I can't afford to live there any more. I live outside of town where the cost of my mortgage is less
than what the residents of this excellent city would pay for a one bedroom apartment.

https://soundcloud.com/michael-hough-5/ann-arbor-1-4-17

Anyway, the song is taking shape. I might call on another couple of friends of mine to play...
We could use a fine second guitar part, and perhaps a keyboard with some sustain... That's me
playing bass... we might need to do some tweaks to that. Maybe add some mandolin...

For me, what's fun about this project is to facilitate a number of outrageously talented musicians
who all share a feeling for the remarkable community we've learned to call home.

"Home is the place where: when you have to go there
they have to take you in..." --Robert Heinlein
 
we have our own subculture, our own genre and microcosm. What we do in the folk world
might seem meaningless to those who are bound up in some other field... but then again
it might NOT. So here it is, work in progress. We all are in this together, and we do the
best we can with what we got.
 
Honest comment, not holding back ...
First version, I gave up after about 1 min.
Second version, stayed with it to the end.
There's a tiny little thing (can't think of the word) that changes a folk song from,
"Oh no, another one just like all of the rest"
into
"That's really cool, I like it".
IMHO you managed it in the second version.
 
That's a nice tune, well presented. Maybe the lyrics could use some work - words tripping each other up, or single syllables getting dragged out to cover for two, that sort of thing. Songs in early stages are always like that. The absolute master of getting that right was John Wesley (an atheist praising a Christian - how about that?).
And just for fairness, you should put in some sort of downside - crowded parking at the game, or something. Undiluted praise can start to lack credibility after a while.
 
thanks for the straight talk, you guys. I'm a member of two different songwriter's
workshop groups, and this is how we think (and speak) too.
And it's not a song I'd be likely to present very far outside of the town mentioned...
But within the city, it's got its own merits, and it shamelessly panders to local
memories and all of that. So it's a way to unite the room, and we all need that
badly right now.

For me, Ann Arbor is where I came to go to school in 1966, so the song rings bells for me
because I've never really left. Cain't afford to live there now, but have a home outside of
town where the prices and taxes aren't so high. Ann Arbor is where I started my musical
quest, at the open mike Wednesdays at The Ark. The town's been good to me, so I'm trying
to give something back.

I guess I posted it here because it's been so much fun putting it together. Other local musicians
apparently feel the same way I do when they hear this, and there's a lot of talent available, but
it's like herding cats, of course... Thanks for listening.
 
It was absolutely clear that it came from the heart, so thanks for sharing. But it probably wouldn't (as the saying goes) play in Peoria.
 
DonP said:
That's a nice tune, well presented. Maybe the lyrics could use some work - words tripping each other up, or single syllables getting dragged out to cover for two, that sort of thing. Songs in early stages are always like that. The absolute master of getting that right was John Wesley (an atheist praising a Christian - how about that?).
And just for fairness, you should put in some sort of downside - crowded parking at the game, or something. Undiluted praise can start to lack credibility after a while.
Click to expand...

I sort of agree about the lyrics. Kind of stilted, mot rhyming when they should, etc. That said, I listened all the way through, thought the tune was catchy and the performance really nice and folky. Well done, Col. M.
 
I'm not a huge fan of folk, but y'know what, Michael??? You nailed it! Nice song about your awesome home town. Well done mate!
 
yea, one of the cool things about the folkie subculture is there are linkage with many
over the world. Of course, rock an roll can say the same thing. If you've listened to some
Eastern European Heavy Metal music (the heaviest IMHO) then you can agree (or not).

Anyway, we do have a diverse group of musical types who come here, so I'm proud to open a window
into my weird little world. *grins
 
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