It was during the weekend Ophelia sessions that I decided I wanted to gift Grant some songs in appreciation for his hard work. Initially I gave him some country songs I had in hand (Under the Gun)–thinking they’d make good bluegrass tunes. Later on I ended up sending him a handful of songs I had lyrics for (Oklahoma Rose, Bay Bridge, Son Song, Sutter’s Mill), but no music, as well as some older recordings from 2001 (‘Oh, Elizabeth aka Hillcrest,’ Philadelphia, and Jefferson).

Grant, being the stand-up guy that he is, turned this gesture of friendship into a return gesture of friendship. He took the songs I sent him, wrote music to them, added some new lyrics, rearranged some old ones, and told me he wanted to record an album in the tradition of Merle Haggard’s tributes to Bob Wills and Jimmy Rodgers. On these classic records, there are oftentimes songs written by the singer in addition to the tribute songs. Grant followed this tradition as he included a handful of his tunes (some of the best on the record: Plain & True, Lying There, Broken Down, Long Drive), and a cover written by David Shultz (Butcher) that we all used to play in Ophelia.

After assembling the songs, he gathered a small group for the recording sessions including Jared Poole on mandolin, Jessika Blanks on fiddle– and he didn’t have to ask me twice. I borrowed my wife’s Hohner and we all got together, (for the most part unrehearsed) on a summer Saturday at the Bellevue Theater (RVA Studios). We all sat in a circle and played songs all day. It was beautiful.

The result is an album that I’m mighty proud to be a part of. It was released on Triple Stamp Records last fall with a small pressing and wide digital distribution. Check out the Triple Stamp website and check out the album.

Grant’s next project is a promotions network for old-timey music. He’s constructing a site from scratch, and gathering a great roster of bands. Keep an eye out!
I had tea and coffee recently with my friend Curtis Patton. He described Grant as Richmond’s secret weapon. It’s true. He’s always got something up his sleeve that makes me proud to have made my home in Richmond, VA: e.g. The Golden Band, The Bill Mason Society, River City Band, River City Sacred Singers.

I’m a big fan!

This past Sunday I got together with Paul ‘Watty’ Watson for lunch at the cabin. After some homemade cider and hearty soup, we began to play through some Speckled Bird songs– Paul switching from cornet to classical guitar, to harmony vocal.

It brought back good memories. From 2001 to 2003 Paul and I performed regularly as a duo at old haunts like Betsy’s Coffeeshop and the original Chop Suey. Those years Paul not only supported me instrumentally, he took the time to give an early 20-something youngster advice on the craft of songwriting, lyricism, the blues, and introduced me to a new world of music which included Michael Hurley, Rainer Ptacek and Ron Sexsmith. For that I am forever grateful.

Before and during our collaboration I was a fan of the local groups he performed in: The Griefbirds, Broken Hips, Patrick Phelan, Them Against Them, Blasco Ballroom, One Ring Zero, not to mention Sparklehorse and the legendary Orthotonics.

The list goes on. He’s currently working on a solo album, and performs regularly in both New York and Richmond with Lynn Wright’s project: ‘And The Wiremen.’

I’m proud to have Paul playing with me again in the new incarnation of The Speckled Bird. We plan to take it slow, local, and laid back. I can’t wait to make some noise.

2008 at Chop Suey

The hard work of Kevin Gallagher, Evelyn Fisher, and Richard Kinnard has resulted in the completion of  the film: ‘Turn to Face the Wind’. Shot exclusively on Super 8, it is nothing short of gorgeous.

For both Antonia and myself the project has many levels of meaning: it’s a home movie shot at our cabin and features family and friends (some of whom have since moved to the West Coast), it immortalizes our dear chicken Red (since passed from this veil of tears), it served as a bambo0 clearing project (number one on Antonia’s list), and most important, it was a long anticipated creative collaboration with my friend Kevin, who I’ve known for years, have been mistaken for (and vice versa),  and has since moved to Colorado–a talented filmmaker.

Of note, the totem clearing at the end of the film has become a family graveyard for dearest chickens and cats.  RIP: Emma Kitty, Xu Xa, Agnes, Red, and New Chicken.

The film premiered on yvynyl on September 27th.

Check it out : http://www.vimeo.com/29234922

Wil at the wheel and Joshua as shotgun navigator, we headed up 95 to 301 to Baltimore–a more scenic route to avoid traffic.

Upon crossing an enormous bridge over the Potomac into Maryland, we couldn’t help but to take note of the large number of liquor stores and seedy motels -all of which seemed to be patronized.
Our route led us from the highway, into downtown, through the craziness that is the Inner Harbor, back onto a highway and then into a pocket of town with a handful of bars. It’s Joshua’s theory that Mapquest is in the pocket of the city of Baltimore and takes all traffic through the touristy parts of town, no matter the destination. I might agree with him.
We met Alex Champagne at The Golden West Cafe, unloaded our gear and settled in. Both Wil and I gave Joshua our drink tickets–maybe not the best idea for the navigator to be the one drinking…
The set up for The Songwriter Sessions is a lot like Richmond’s late ‘Live at Ipanema’ series–based in a restaurant, it begins after the dinner crowd ends, the bar remains open, and the show is recorded. Alex talked about moving the series to a more quiet intimate space, which I think is a really good idea.
Amy, AKA, Awkward Read, performed first with a series of vocal loops, samples, and keyboard. When I caught a clear line of her voice it sounded really really good.
I was next. Joshua joined me on cello for a couple of songs, I played some new ones. Wil was pretty into it.
Alex moved a couple mics around and it was Homemade Knives’s turn. We played through five songs fairly easily and got some hoots and hollers from the crowd.

Alex played last and was accompanied by two accomplished cellists. It was an impressive display. Both cellists shredded like hell and generally tore it up.

The drive back was late, full of talk about this and that, and a Wawa stop led to trail mix and tasty cakes. After everything, Wil got us home safe.

Saturday morning,  Antonia and I met-up with Joshua at Bookhouse Studio to track Antonia’s vocals on the six songs that make up ‘The Sky and Country.’

The record has an openness that, to me personally, brings to mind the band’s performance of ‘A Slow Song for Swifts‘ for Michael Lease’s ‘So Long (Not Goodbye)’ last fall, and the film scoring of Jacob Dodd’s travelogue this summer.

On that note, some cornet work from Paul Watson might be a nice addition.

Antonia tracked like a pro while Joshua and I chugged iced green tea, made vague suggestions and hummed harmonies at her from the control room.

Antonia tracks accordion on Monday!

Antonia waxing Aretha

We started off the next day at the cabin, playing with Dolly, and listening to Emmylou Harris’s ‘Roses in The Snow’ and the new Gillian Welch record.

When David Shultz arrived, we all got into to cars and headed out on 64 to Charlottesville.

Once on the mall we grabbed some dumplings, walked around the muggy afternoon, and kept one eye on the sky–which looked like rain.

We ended up at The Twisted Branch Tea Bazaar. We all got iced tea–either Peppermint/ Sage, or Flying Monkey (I had Flying Monkey), and sat at one of the ‘shoes off’ tables by the window.

Antonia, David and I started to busk with songs from the following day’s St. Thomas Bluegrass Mass. It began to rain, and we moved ourselves under the porch protection of The Magruder House where Kiley and Chris joined us.

Luckily the rain stopped and the evening was perfect for a Garage show. I started things off with a handful of songs–some from Ophelia, some from years and years ago. Antonia watched the Chimney Swifts.

David played next with a couple new songs, and some Shultz classics, ending with ‘Nowhere, No Way,’ from Ophelia.

Chris took the final slot and played a beautiful set of songs for a nice gathering on the grassy knoll. The lovely Kiley Ryan joined him on fiddle and backing vocals on some of my favorite tunes: ‘Treehouse,’ ‘Older,’ and ‘Old Piano.’ We were treated to a handful of new songs that are going to be on Chris’s new record due out this fall. At one point David turned to me and said: “Chris is reeeaaaally good.” I was like, “Yeah man.”

After the show Antonia got gelato.

We’re all going to play the St. Thomas Bluegrass Mass this week, followed by an intimate show at Hope Ginsburg’s Sponge HQ at The Anderson Gallery.

photos:

7.21

With Joshua sick, Antonia exhausted, and Chris in Portland, I headed up the 95 corridor alone with my guitar, my face all scratched to hell, and listening to Mazzy Star. It was hot. Damn hot.

Smooth sailing landed me in D.C. at load-in time. Bella is a nice little Ethiopian restaurant right across from the 9:30 club. The upstairs space is a lovely room with a slight stage, good lighting, tables, chairs, a bar, and a PA. Nice and simple–something like this would be perfect in Richmond.

The show was set up by Megan of Fuzzy Logic in collaboration with Sweet Tea Pumpkin Pie (or STPP). They’re a great bunch of folks with their hearts in the right place: the music–and making a difference in the D.C. music scene.

I opened things up and explained that my face had recently been used by my cat as a launch-pad. I brought out some 10 year old songs, some Ophelia tunes and a few from ‘Signs and Wonders.’

PJ Sikes caught up with me in time to see a sublime set by Small Sur. Always a pleasure to hear those guys.

Locals: Kindlewood closed the evening with a set of songs featuring members playing guitars while kicking drums, singing while playing harmonium, accordions, shakers, tambourines–an impressive orchestration. I can’t even brush my teeth and hair at the same time.

After the show we all exchanged pleasantries, loaded up, and headed out. I listened to the new Small Sur record, Tones, all the way home.

Down a torch-lit path past an armored knight and a handmade foot-bridge lies the Moonlight Forest–AKA, Scrappy’s place–the site for the biannual music festival organized by Raph of Hezekiah Jones.

This was our second invitation. We played the ‘Rise and Fall’ fest last October, and this July we had the privilege to be a part of ‘The Duchess & Duke’ fest. Each installment is named after a song on the headlining band’s newly  album. In this case, it was Griz –reggae, grassroots soul rock.

On Saturday morning, Antonia, Joshua and I headed up through traffic to the rolling hills of Pennsylvania to the sounds of Shearwater. Once arrived, we unpacked our instruments, set up camp, and settled in. The stage this year was dressed in blue lights. Standing on either side were white candelabras with white candles casting orange flame. The bonfire, a ways back from the stage, backlit dancers, dogs, and children running round.

We saw some great sets by Griz, Ron Gallo from Toy Soldiers, The Spinning Leaves, and Jessica McDowell, saw some good friends like Phil D’Agostino and Chris Kasper. We played a set of new songs and tracks from our latest record: ‘Signs and Wonders.”  Antonia got hit on afterward.

Cowmuddy, Wissahickon Chicken Shack, and Hezekiah Jones serenaded us while we slept in our tents.

Sunday morning we woke up to a song circle and a smoldering bonfire. We packed up the car, said goodbye to some very tired friends, and headed out back down to Richmond in time to perform at the St. Thomas Bluegrass Mass.

For the past two weeks– among weddings, recording, trips to Mexico, and preparing for a summer residency at St. Thomas Episcopal, the band has been working on a film with local filmmaker, and Jonathan look-alike, Kevin Gallagher:

http://www.anothergallagher.com/

Wrapping up next week, the piece is set to the song ‘Turn to Face the Wind’ and is being filmed on Super 8. It includes bamboo, chickens, fire, and birdhouses. Herzog, look out! All, Stay tuned…

To follow an account of Jonathan and Antonia’s St. Thomas residency, see the blog: ‘Songs to Learn and Sing’ : http://songstolearnandsing.wordpress.com/