Presented by: Nicholas Hill

The Radio Free All Stars: Dave Schramm, David Mansfield, Jeremy Chatzky, Paul Moschella, and Mark Spencer

Recorded in company with a full house at The Living Room. Ed Askew sang his warm and elevating songs (with a tipple!) & Emily Arin came in from both north and south. The author Leslie Daniels crossed the mighty Susquehanna several times at flood stage, to read an essay about kitchen implements and blow jobs, Don Piper and David Mansfield brought us to China, Amy Allison charmed utterly, romantic New Yorker that she is. And Mark Spencer on keys! Dave Schramm, Laura Cantrell, Peters Blegvad and Holsapple, Kate Jacobs, Nicholas Hill time traveling again and more.

Peter Blegvad, Too Much (Peter Blegvad) performed and recorded by Peter; Copyright Control Peter Blegvad

Ed Askew, For The World (Ed Askew) recorded live with the Radio Free All Stars and Tyler Evans on the tipple; Copyright Control Ed Askew 2011.

Emily Arin, Nothing’s the Same (Emily Arin) recorded live with the Radio Free All Stars; Copyright Control Emily Arin

Nicholas Hill, Wild Geese (Mary Oliver) reading of a poem

Dave Schramm, Under the Influence (Dave Schramm) recorded live with the Radio Free All Stars; Hot Stove Music (BMI)

Laura Cantrell, Space (Laura Cantrell); recorded live with the Radio Free All Stars; Thrift Shop Songs (BMI) admin Bug Music

Peter Holsapple, Game Day (Peter Holsapple) performed and recorded by Peter Holsapple; Hospital Music (BMI) admin Bug Music

Kate Jacobs, The Bad Day (Kate Jacobs, arrangement by Dave Schramm and the RFAS); recorded live with the Radio Free All Stars; Small Pond Music (BMI)

Don Piper, Bamboo (Don Piper) recorded by Don Piper with live overdubs from the Radio Free All-Stars featuring David Mansfield on an unnamed Chinese reed instrument; Situational Sounds (ASCAP)

Amy Allison, No Stars in New York City (Amy Allison); recorded live with the Radio Free All Stars; Shop Girl Songs (BMI) admin Bug Music

Leslie Daniels, Smoothie; Copyright 2010 Leslie Daniels

Nicholas Hill, I’m a Drifter (Travis Edmondson) live with the Radio Free All Stars; Haymarket Music Company (BMI)

Ed Askew, Little Eyes (Ed Askew) live with the Radio Free All Stars and Tyler Evans on the tipple; Copyright Control Ed Askew 2011.

Engineered by Jimi Zhivago and Ed McEntee at The Living Room, NYC, September 10, 2011

Thanks to Jennifer Gilson and everyone at The Living Room.

Notes:

Peter Holsapple: This is probably the most elaborate mix I’ve ever done on one of my recordings; I’ve learned a few new tricks and have decided to show them off, miscues and all.  Sadly, one thing I have not yet learned is how to coax those MIDI-fied trumpet sections and exotic percussion onto my tracks. Later for that. I played plenty of stuff on here, and I might’ve put more on had I not left myself too little time. As my late brother used to remind me, “nothing exceeds like excess.”

The drums, in particular, are a personal triumph. My inner B.J. Wilson revealed itself in the midst of a Saturday drum session when the kids were playing in the Eno river with their mother.

The song is a kind of pep talk one might give a member of a reuniting band who is having doubts. Nobody you know. The sports metaphor is a direct result of my many years with Hootie and the Blowfish who are diehard fans of all sports, so far as I have determined.

Holsapple syndrome is in play, as usual. I hate it when that happens with a song I wrote (?) that I really like.

Have a fun show! Please spread my love around. And sorry I didn’t get the RFSC alternate version ready yet, it’s well underway.

PH

Don Piper: Hello radio free song club from Chengdu, China. I’m happy to present my latest offering to you while traveling around China and Vietnam. That’s how we roll. It’s my first song written on a ukulele. I hope it captures a bit of the Asian vibe that surrounds me right now. I was able to find a recording studio while in Chengdu and throw it down. The engineer was an ex-pat named Jovian. He’s now the proud owner of a RFSC t-shirt. Represent. Now I can’t wait to hear what the all stars bring to it. Onward.

Peace

don piper

Presented by: Nicholas Hill

The Radio Free All Stars: Dave Schramm, David Mansfield, JD Foster, Paul Moschella, Timothy Hill and Doug Wieselman

This show was recorded on a hot August evening in NYC and has a distinctly loopy late summer quality. A positive blessing of songs. Laura Poe came with Don Piper and a wonderful country song (oh that David Mansfield fiddle on a country song . . . );  Greggory Stockert came from Oregon with a song and Nicholas’ brother Timothy Hill joined the All Stars on piano for the night, and guested with his own fresh tune; recorded pieces from Dave Schramm (the evil that man does?) Peter Holsapple (silk and organdy and tulle and things) Peter Blegvad (kill the trombonist); tracks overdubbed by the All Stars from guest Howe Gelb (oh so sweet, and that clarinet), Greg Trooper on a steel deck bridge and his warm wonderful voice, Kate Jacobs requesting and receiving a sweet sad sixties sound from the All Stars; the incurably romantic Jody Harris being as incurable and inscrutable as ever, and most romantic.

Howe Gelb, Reality or Not (Howe Gelb); recorded by Howe Gelb at home. Howe – piano and vocal, Thøger T. Lund – stand up bass. Live overdubs by Doug Wieselman, clarinet, and David Mansfield, thingy;  scatterland my little darlin’ (BMI)

Dave Schramm, The Terrible Hole (Dave Schramm); performed and recorded by Dave Schramm; Hot Stove Music (BMI)

Laura Poe, We (Laura Poe); recorded live with Don Piper and the Radio Free All Stars; Copyright Control Laura Poe

Peter Holsapple, Cinderella Style (Peter Holsapple); performed and recorded by Peter; Hospital Music (BMI) admin Bug Music

Kate Jacobs, This Time Last Year (Kate Jacobs, arrangement by James MacMillan); vocals and acoustic guitar (James) recorded by Kate, live overdubs by the Radio Free All Stars; Small Pond Music (BMI)

Greggory Stockert, Falling Birds (Greggory Stockert); recorded live with the Radio Free All Stars; Greggory Stockert (BMI)

Peter Blegvad, The Cryonic Trombone (Peter Blegvad); performed and recorded by Peter and Andy Partridge; Copyright Control Peter Blegvad

Greg Trooper, Steel Deck Bridge (Greg Trooper); performed and recorded by Greg with live overdubs by the Radio Free All Stars; 52 Shakes Music (BMI)

Timothy Hill, Conguero (Timothy Hill); live with the Radio Free All Stars;  Melihodos Music (ASCAP)

Jody Harris, She Walks It Like She Talks It (Jody Harris); recorded by Jody Harris with live overdubs by the Radio Free All Stars; Copyright Control Jody Harris

Radio Free Song played live by the Radio Free All Stars

Engineered by Gary Arnold at The Chop Shop, NYC August 16, 2011

Notes:

Howe Gelb:

My piano is from 1888 and tuned down a whole step intentionally … so my C is really Bb … Thøger T. Lund plays stand up bass.

Dave Schramm:

I suppose this tune is my entry in the Michael Hurley anti-Monsanto song campaign, though that’s just the second verse.

Peter Holsapple:

Here’s the skinny:

I had a verse of music I liked — the melody was low, but it could’ve been a samba and sounded all right. I opted for my usual ‘folk rock’ style because my kids hid my egg shakers which made a samba out of the question. Lyrics were forthcoming, nothing too great and maybe a little artificial. It was a love song, and it needed to be less about love and more about ancillary events. On the way down to the studio, I passed my smart wife’s sewing room and began to think of cloth and its variances. It all fell together about 1:00 in the morning when I should’ve been long abed; my eyes were drooping and there were long pauses between the words I was trying to write. When it was done, I slept on it and finished the track the next day with only minor revisions.

Radio Free Song Club game: two lines remain from the original artificial version, see if you can spot them!

Instrumentation – four of me singing two parts, two Guild acoustics (one capo VII), the new Squier Modified Jaguar bass, my accordion and, for the first time EVER since ninth grade, flute. My embouchure pretty much stinks, which barely matters since my flute has shed some of its pads, limiting its playability to the notes you hear here (hear! hear!). No drums or percussion (see above for failed samba experiment).

Have a large time at the taping, and say hello to everyone from me.

Love

Peter H.

Peter Blegvad:

For our LUCKY THIRTEEN program, I contributed a track called “The Cryonic Trombone” — me reading a story over my own lo-fi guitar and keyboard riff. Andy Partridge liked the text — he called it “machine porn” — and suggested we re-record it for “Gonwards”, the album we’re making with Stuart Rowe. And, wouldn’t you know, Andy had a piece of music which gave the story a new slant and a much richer atmosphere…

I worry that it might bore regular listeners to hear the same story again, but Andy’s music is so gorgeous… plus I hope some folks might be intrigued to hear the Before and After versions, to witness the process whereby a sketch or demo has become a more ambitious and polished artifact.

About the image : As a kid, my daughter Kaye played trombone. I’ve always loved this wonky papier maché model she made of her instrument at the time…

Presented by: Nicholas Hill

The Radio Free All Stars: Dave Schramm, David Mansfield, JD Foster, Paul Moschella, Andy Burton and Doug Wieselman

Our first show in a club with an audience! On a beautiful May evening we met at The Living Room on Ludlow Street. Many songs were quickly learned by the All Stars before the doors opened. Victoria was in town! Her first time live on the show and what a TREAT as Nicholas would say. Freedy, Don, Laura, Dave, Kate, Jody and guest Jennie Lowe Stearns all played live and the All Stars outdid themselves with instant renderings. Peter Holsapple and Wreckless & Amy sent recordings, which we listened to in rapt silence, gazing at the ceiling. Peter Blegvad and Andy Partridge sent a song and the All-Stars augmented. It happened to be Bob Dylan’s 70^th birthday, so Nicholas acknowledged the elephant in the room, and Victoria too, with a Townes van Zandt song.

Don Piper, Aged and Wise (Don Piper) recorded live with the Radio Free All Stars; Situational Sounds (ASCAP)

Jody Harris, This is My New York Romance (Jody Harris); recorded live with the Radio Free All Stars; Copyright Control Jody Harris

Laura Cantrell, All the Girls are Complicated (Laura Cantrell); recorded live with the Radio Free All Stars; Thrift Shop Songs (BMI) admin Bug Music

Wreckless Eric & Amy Rigby, Zero to Minus One (Wreckless Eric, Amy Rigby); recorded by Wreckless and Amy; Grantland Music admin. by Bug Music

Dave Schramm, Maybe Eventually (Dave Schramm) recorded live with the Radio Free All Stars; Hot Stove Music (BMI)

Kate Jacobs, When Your Worst Fear Comes True (Kate Jacobs, arrangement by Dave Schramm and the RFAS); recorded live with the Radio Free All Stars; Small Pond Music (BMI)

Jennie Lowe Stearns, Mighty Diamonds (Jennie Lowe Stearns) recorded live with the Radio Free All Stars; Porchbone Publishing (BMI)

Victoria Williams, In the Long Run — Poetry — Love Time (Victoria Williams); recorded live with the Radio Free All Stars; Mumbletypeg Music, (BMI)

Peter Blegvad, Sacred Objects (Peter Blegvad) performed and recorded by Peter and Andy Partridge; augmented live by the Radio Free All Stars; Copyright Control Peter Blegvad.

Freedy Johnston, Trapped Down in the Well (Freedy Johnston); recorded live with the Radio Free All Stars; Trouble Tree Music (BMI)

Peter Holsapple, All Hail (Peter Holsapple) recorded by Peter and Webb Holsapple (complete recording notes below); Peter H. and Tray and Kathleen Batson, vocals; Webb Holsapple, violin; Hospital Music (BMI) admin Bug Music

Nicholas Hill, Yea! Heavy and a Bottle of Bread (Bob Dylan) recorded live with the Radio Free All Stars; Victoria Williams and Jennie Lowe Stearns, additional vocals;

Victoria Williams, Buckskin Stallion (Townes van Zandt) recorded live with the Radio Free All Stars;

Engineered by Jimi Zhivago, Steve Ha and Milton Ruis at The Living Room, NYC May 24, 2011

Special thanks to Jennifer Gilson, and everyone at The Living Room.

Notes:

Peter Holsapple: All Hail has been clanging around inside my head like the proverbial bb shot-in-a-pie-pan for about three months; I’d hoped to have it ready for January’s RFSC but it became obvious that something more elaborate was formulating.  So here it is, May 2011, and I got it finished just under the wire for the live show that I can’t attend.

This song is something of a folk-rockin’ political broadside cum operetta with four characters. The first singer (that would be me) is the deluded neo-con politico, drowning in his own Kool-aid. Next comes his distressed and depressed wife, then his teenage daughter (roles sung by Kathleen Batson). Finally, the moneyed politico bigwig weighs in (role played by Tray Batson–Tray and Kathleen are my bandmates in the exceptional kids’ rock band Baron von Rumblebuss).  I played my new Squier Jaguar bass, my Fender ‘Esquire’, my NORD electro and my Guild D40 acoustic, as well as the drums. My son, Webb Holsapple, played the violin parts and engineered my drum tracks; suffice to say, I’m thrilled he enjoyed his studio experience and hope it’s the first of many collaborations with him. And big thanks to Tray and Kathleen for being such good neighbors and talented individuals.

Libretto to follow.

PH
 
Click here for the libretto, as promised.
_____________________________

Wreckless Eric and Amy Rigby:  Here’s our contribution for the live show. It’s called Zero To Minus One – unfortunately the world didn’t end yesterday so this one won’t be a hit because it’s lost a bit of topicality (if such a word exists). Let me know if there are any problems with it or the downloading of it.

Eric (and Amy)

Note: three days before the recording of the show, Harold Camping marketed the Rapture with a prediction of the end of the world. Plenty bought in.

________________________

Dave Schramm: The most interesting thing about this tune for me was the disparity between what I heard in my head and what we ended up with as an arrangement when the All-Stars got their teeth into it. The shape of the song I tried to squeeze the combo into was all wrong. The arrangement that David and Doug led us to made the whole thing work. Silk purse/ sow’s ear and all that. Thanks guys.

And yes, I fixed that chord. But we left the second take of the coda in because it’s great to hear another version of it. What the hell.

Dave

Presented by: Nicholas Hill

The Radio Free All Stars: Dave Schramm, David Mansfield, JD Foster, Andy Burton, and Konrad Meissner.

A hot day in New York City, down on Clinton Street in The Maid’s Room. Michael Hurley and Katell Keineg were in town and joined the Radio Free All Stars for some gorgeousness. Some of it in Welsh. Howe Gelb and Jennie Lowe Stearns were virtual guests; regular members Dave Schramm and Don Piper went live. Holsapple, Wreckless & Amy, and Robin sent finished songs and Kate and P. Blegvad were somewhere in between with layered vocals and Words of Power (wop bop a loo bop etc.)

Wreckless Eric & Amy Rigby, Wrong End of the Night (Wreckless Eric & Amy Rigby); recorded and performed by Wreckless and Amy, Grantland Music admin. by Bug Music

Howe Gelb, Forever and a Day (Howe Gelb); recorded and performed by Howe Gelb with live overdubs by the Radio Free All Stars;

Katell Keineg, Platfform 0 (Katell Keineg); recorded live with the Radio Free All Stars;

Peter Holsapple, Morning Train (Peter Holsapple); performed and recorded by Peter; Hospital Music (BMI) admin Bug Music

Michael Hurley, Disaster on the Wheel (Michael Hurley); recorded live with the Radio Free All Stars and with Betsy Nichols on background vocals; Snocko Music, admin by Bug Music

Jennie Lowe Stearns, Best He Can (Jennie Lowe Stearns) performed and recorded by Jennie; Porchbone Publishing (BMI)

Kate Jacobs, When the Summer Comes (Kate Jacobs) performed and recorded by Kate with live overdubs by the Radio Free All Stars; Small Pond Music (BMI)

Peter Blegvad, W.O.P. (Words of Power) (Peter Blegvad) performed and recorded by Peter with live overdubs by Konrad Meissner (drums) and Andy Burton (moog); Copyright Control Peter Blegvad

Dave Schramm, Two Left Feet (Dave Schramm) live with the Radio Free All Stars; Hot Stove Music (BMI)

Robin Holcomb, Arena (Robin Holcomb); performed and recorded by Robin (see note below); St. Rose Music (ASCAP)

Don Piper, Dying to be Old (Don Piper); recorded live with the Radio Free All Stars; Situational Sounds (ASCAP)

Michael Hurley, The Tea Song (Michael Hurley); recorded live with the Radio Free All Stars and with Betsy Nichols on background vocals;  Snocko Music, admin. by Bug Music

Engineered by Hector Castillo at The Maid’s Room, NYC
April 26, 2011

Mixed by JD Foster and Dave Schramm

Additional guests:  Ted Barron (photography); Betsey Nichols, Heather Fae Speaker

Thanks to Jack McKeever and Jimi Zhivago

Notes:

Robin Holcomb on Arena: It did occur to me that there is a song that I wrote not too long ago that has been heard by nearly no one, and not released on any recording. It is called “Arena” and is part The Heartsong of Charging Elk an oratorio written by Wayne Horvitz (with some other lyrics by Rinde Eckert).  It’s only been performed a couple of times.
The work is based on the novel The Heartsong of Charging Elk by James Welch which tells the story of Charging Elk, an Oglala Sioux rider in Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show who is abandoned by the troupe in Marseilles, France after he is thrown from his horse during a performance. Left behind in the hospital with no language, clothes, money, friends or family, to add insult to injury, his papers are mixed up with those of another rider who died. So he is released into society as an even more anonymous man. Within days of his release he is arrested for vagrancy. His life continues in France with many twists and turns.

I wrote Arena telling of Charging Elk’s visit, many years later, to the site of his accident.

Peter Blegvad on W.O.P. (Words of Power): It would be pushing it a bit to call the WOP montage a song.  It ain’t even sprechgesang or sprechstimme, it’s speech, obviously. But when 4 voices perform the same text/score out of synch like that so it’s only occasionally intelligible it begins to approximate music, I think. And the text is ABOUT song, as attentive listeners may realize. Specifically it’s about songs – like “Louie Louie” “Woolly Bully” “Diddy Wah Diddy” and “Surfin Bird” from the early 60s – which featured WOPS – Words Of Power which make no sense, but work like the ABRACADABRA in a spell to make things change, to make things strange.

Presented by: Nicholas Hill

The Radio Free All Stars: Dave Schramm (electric guitar), David Mansfield (dobro, mandolin, violin), Doug Wieselman (clarinet and bass clarinet, electric guitar, vocals), Andy Burton (piano), Paul Moschella (drums) and Al Greller (bass).

Peter Holsapple kept his promise and made the trek from N.C. It was inspirationally sublime to have him in the studio with a brand new song and a Byrds cover, playing with yet another great All Star gang. Victoria and Laura took the new “sub” option and sent us JP Houston (Vic’s neighbor in the desert), and Jay Sherman-Godfrey (Laura’s neighbor in Brooklyn). In an overflowing evening, Stephen McCarthy and Steve Wynn showed up with a song they wrote that day, special for the show. Kate’s song was deconstructed and arranged by the All Stars. Dave is falling deeper down the hole of wondrous pop melody and Jody could barely keep a straight face singing a lyric that came to him in a dream and kept his wife up. Jennie Lowe Stearns sent a beautiful, brief song and the All Stars played along, showing their most delicate side.

Jennie Lowe Stearns, Stone (Jennie Lowe Stearns) performed and recorded by Jennie with Radio Free All Star overdubs; Porchbone Publishing (BMI)

Peter Holsapple, 1820 (Peter Holsapple); live with the Radio Free All Stars; Hospital Music (BMI) admin Bug Music

Kate Jacobs, The Careless Girl (Kate Jacobs; arranged by Dave Schramm, Andy Burton and Paul Moschella) recorded live with the Radio Free All Stars; Small Pond Music (BMI)

Peter Blegvad, Bureau of Missing Persons (Peter Blegvad) performed and recorded by Peter; Copyright Control Peter Blegvad

Dave Schramm, Man of Few Words (Dave Schramm) live with the Radio Free All Stars; Hot Stove Music (BMI)

Stephen McCarthy and Steve Wynn, Charmed (Stephen McCarthy/Steve Wynn) live with the Radio Free All Stars; Three Chopt Music  (BMI) admin Bug Music/Poisoned  Brisket Music (BMI) admin Bug Music)

Jody Harris, Pretty Creatures (Jody Harris) live with the Radio Free All Stars; Copyright Control Jody Harris  (see below for complete lyrics)

JP Houston, Mother Ann Lee (JP Houston); Words and music by JP Houston (Houstune Publishing) SOCAN

Jay Sherman-Godfrey, New Year’s Here (Jay Sherman Godrey) performed and recorded by Jay with Cheri Leone, backing vocals and Diego Voglino, drums; Kalamakeepsie Music (BMI) administered by Bug Music

Nicholas Hill, The French Girl (Ian Tyson/ Sylvia Fricker) live with the Radio Free All Stars and Kate as the French girl; Publisher: M. Witmark & Sons

Peter Holsapple, Wasn’t Born to Follow (Gerry Goffin/Carole King) live with the Radio Free All Stars and Stephen McCarthy; Screen Gems-EMI Music, Inc. (BMI)

Robin Rosemond, First Poem: The Only Reason To Live Is To Love; Second Poem: Ode To Radio Free Song Club. Copyright: Rosemond Productions. www.rosemondpost.com..

Engineered by Gary Arnold assisted by Mike Anglim at Gary’s Chop Shop, NYC February 24, 2011

Additional guests:  Ted Barron, Linda Pitmon

Pretty Creatures (Jody Harris)

Pretty creatures, with eyes of steel,
confess the Mystery of Sex Appeal
Pretty creatures in evening clothes
talk about the Inviolate Rose
Slender paws, poised to make polite applause
The Hag above
turns her face
to the lovely breeze

But when you’re dead, and all is said and done,
will the little things you do live on?
Cherchez, cherchez
la famine et la peste –
pretty creatures need their rest

And so to bed – send out the raveled sleeve
to be made new (in the Perfect Laundry)
How sweet the pause . . .
And then, another cabbalistic interview
with the elusive
Santa Claus

Do I dare to eat a peach?
You know it ain’t no sin
to take off
your skin

A nameless dread breathes within
the creatures of fame –
penguins jostling on the brink
of the Last Hurrah
Who will be the one to pierce
the ghostly membrane?
And will there be tigers there –
or aspic?
Or Shangri La?

Presented by: Nicholas Hill

The Radio Free All Stars: Dave Schramm, David Mansfield, Doug Wieselman, Konrad Meissner, Jeremy Chatzky and Rob Burger

A billowing night of song.  Guests Don Piper and Glen Hansard took full advantage of the excellent All Star line up for gorgeous live performances — Glen even wrote a song on the spot, taught it to the band in a few swift strokes and voila, captured the essence of the RFSC. Charlie Louvin was honored with If I Could Only Win Your Love, sung by Kate and Alana Amram. Nicholas covered Buffy St. Marie for the heck of it. Author Leslie Daniels  read from her new novel. And plenty more.

Peter Holsapple, Lay It On the Line (Peter Holsapple); see recording credit below in Notes; Hospital Music (BMI) admin Bug Music

Laura Cantrell, Barely Said a Thing (Laura Cantrell) performed and recorded by Laura with live overdubs by the Radio Free All Stars; Thrift Shop Songs (BMI) admin Bug Music

Don Piper, Free to Grow; Turn it On (Don Piper) recorded live with the Radio Free All Stars; Situational Sounds (ASCAP); Situational Sounds / Almo Music Corp (ASCAP)

Peter Blegvad, Cryonic Trombone (Peter Blegvad) performed and recorded by Peter; Copyright Control Peter Blegvad

Kate Jacobs, Birds at the Feeder (Kate Jacobs) arrangement by Dave Schramm; recorded live with the Radio Free All Stars; Small Pond Music (BMI)

Leslie Daniels, Cleaning Nabokov’s House (Leslie Daniels) live reading from the novel; Simon & Schuster 2011

Radio Free All Stars, Reflection on Reading improvisation

Dale Lawrence, I Wouldn’t Lie to You (Dale Lawrence) performed and recorded by Dale Lawrence and Jake Smith with live overdubs by the Radio Free All Stars; Copyright Control Dale Lawrence

Glen Hansard, High Hope; Rare Bird; Alice (Glen Hansard) live with the Radio Free All Stars; Warner Chappell Music

Dave Schramm, Spent (Dave Schramm) performed and recorded by Dave; Hot Stove Music (BMI)

Nicholas Hill, Little Wheel Spin and Spin (Buffy St. Marie) live with the Radio Free All Stars, plus Timothy Hill; harmonic singing, electronic tamboura

Alana Amram and Kate Jacobs, If I Could Only Win Your Love (The Louvin Brothers) live with the Radio Free All Stars

Other guests:  Ted Barron, Tony Cenicola, Jeff Roth

Engineered by Gary Arnold assisted by Shane Steinhilber at Gary’s Chop Shop, NYC
January 25, 2011

Notes:

Peter Holsapple: This month, I decided I’d exercise my option to present an older song that almost no one has heard.  It’s called Lay It on the Line and I recorded it several years ago when I lived in New Orleans. It was written when I was incredibly angry, which you can probably tell from the lyrics.  It’s one of those songs that I trusted implicitly because the words and music came at the same time.  Toying with the idea of making a second solo album, my good friends Tim Sommer and Mike Mayeux wanted to help make that happen. Mike, who’s recorded me since the dB’s days, manned the board and provided an endless supply of coffee; Tim, who I’ve known since his WNYU dj days and who eventually found me employment with Hootie, was the great overseer. I recorded the guitars, keyboard and bass to a very simple drum pattern at Ground Floor, Mike’s studio in Chalmette LA, and then Mike got our mutual friend Mike Barras to overdub real drums played real well. Then we got Alexandra Scott, a superb songwriter and singer, to come in and do the harmonies and background vocals.  Tim and Mike mixed it, presented it to me and I never did anything with it until now. I am eternally grateful to my friends for trying to encourage me to get something going, despite my overt tendency toward inertia.

Presented by: Nicholas Hill

The Radio Free All Stars Dirty Dozen: Dave Schramm, David Mansfield, Dave Hofstra, Paul Moschella, Ted Reichman and Doug Wieselman

Jody Harris, Mr. Nobody (Jody Harris) live with the Radio Free All Stars; Copyright Control Jody Harris

David Mansfield, Ballad of Little Jo (David Mansfield, Nan O’Byrne) live with the Radio Free All Stars; Jocada Music (BMI)/New Line Music (BMI)

Dave Schramm, Been There, Done That (Dave Schramm) live with the Radio Free All Stars; Hot Stove Music (BMI)

Peter Blegvad, Had to Be Bad (Peter Blegvad) live with the Radio Free All Stars; Copyright Control Peter Blegvad

Nicholas Hill, Her Eyes Are a Blue Million Miles (Don van Vliet) live with the Radio Free All Stars; Kama Sutra Music Inc.

Kate Jacobs, Now I Believe it All (Kate Jacobs, arr. by Ted Reichman) live with the Radio Free All Stars; Small Pond Music (BMI)

Todd Snider, Santa Cruz (Todd Snider) performed and recorded by Todd Snider; Nobody’s Collecting on These Songs (BMI)

Peter Holsapple, The Smartest Thing (Peter Holsapple) performed and recorded by Peter; Hospital Music (BMI) admin Bug Music

Victoria Williams, Singing to Freedom (Victoria Williams); performed and recorded by Victoria; Mumbletypeg Music (BMI)

Laura Cantrell, Starry Skies (Laura Cantrell) live with the Radio Free All Stars; Thrift Shop Songs (BMI) admin Bug Music

Peter Blegvad, Just Woke Up (Peter Blegvad) ) live with the Radio Free All Stars; Copyright Control Peter Blegvad

Recorded at Brooklyn Recording by Andy Taub, assisted by Shane Steinhilber

Other guests:  Ted Barron, Tony Cenicola, Jeff Roth

Songwriters’ comments:

Peter Holsapple on The Smartest Thing:

This song is a personal inventory, and hopefully not too personal for listeners that aren’t me; there’s nothing here that you don’t already know about me.  I had tried a whole other set of lyrics, words and phrases starting with be-, but that seemed so contrived that, after I’d written enough to cover most of the song, I started writing an entirely different song, as if to purge the first one from my system.  Didn’t help, I was still days away from any breakthrough.  Eventually, I got these lyrics by way of the tag line, which I assume will be posted at the RFSC site.  There are a lot of words; not like Dylan-a-lot-of-them but a lot for me.  That may make playing this song out impossible, but we shall see.  That’s not important right now anyway, as you have the recorded proof that it did get written, played and sung (and delivered right under the wire to RFSC).

Me on drums, Dano Rumor bass, Nashville-strung Yamaha acoustic, a tremolo-infused Tele and one doing rhythm, tambourine and vocals.  I tried a keyboard on it, but I guess I forgot to tune the first guitar, so everything’s microtonally away from A440.

To Nick and Kate and all my compadres, thanks for helping me write a dozen songs this year.  They’re of varying quality, but there are twelve of them.  For me, that’s a minor miracle, and I’m forever grateful for this opportunity.

See you next year!

Dave Schramm on Been There, Done That

The lyrics for this grew out of a conversation I had with Andy Taub recently where we were both bemoaning the demise of “old school” recording techniques. Not analog tape vs. Pro Tools or some such frivolity, but how the performances are captured. How people would just all sit down in a room together and play and that would be the record, rather than carefully laying down a rhythm section and then layer after layer of separate instruments and voices. Of course Andy still does a lot of recording that “old” way, mostly for jazz sessions. He suggested I write my song about “What We’ve Lost”.

What have we lost? Well, we may have lost some spark of spontaneity and reality. Musicians playing together in the moment sounds different than those same musicians playing separately at different moments. But the song had it’s own plan I guess, because it ended up being about way more than music and recording, and in fact it turns out that it means exactly the opposite of what those two grumbling old farts meant. Gotta shed your skin once in a while or fade into the undergrowth.

And I think there is a whole beautiful world of music out there that may not have been able to come into existence in that “old school” way. So that’s a plus. But wait…that being said, “old school” isn’t really old, is it? I will always rather go sit in a room with a group of people and play together, generating heat and beauty.

Presented by: Nicholas Hill

The Radio Free All Stars: Dave Schramm & David Mansfield

Expecting to Fly by Fred Tomaselli

Peter Holsapple, Happy Birthday to You (Peter Holsapple) performed and recorded by Peter; Hospital Music (BMI) admin Bug Music

Freedy Johnston, The Only One (Freedy Johnston) performed and recorded by Freedy with live violin overdub by David Mansfield; Trouble Tree Music (BMI)

Eric Andersen, Dance of Love and Death, Sinking Deeper into You (Eric Andersen) performed live by Eric on guitar (1) and piano (2), with David Mansfield on violin (1) and mandolin (2); Wind and Sand Music (ASCAP) admin Bug Music

Jody Harris, Aquarelle (Jody Harris) performed and recorded by Jody with overdubs by David Schramm, vibes and shaker;  Copyright Control Jody Harris

Kate Jacobs, At the Park (Kate Jacobs) performed and recorded by Kate with subsequent studio overdubs by Dave, acoustic & electric guitar, and live dobro overdub by David Mansfield; Small Pond Music (BMI)

Fred Tomaselli, visual artist in discussion about art & music.

http://www.jamescohan.com/artists/fred-tomaselli/

Dave Schramm, Eleven (Dave Schramm) performed and recorded by Dave; Hot Stove Music (BMI)

Peter Blegvad, Our First Kiss (Peter Blegvad) performed and recorded by Peter Blegvad; Copyright Control Peter Blegvad

Laura Cantrell, Someday Sparrow (Laura Cantrell and Franklin Bruno) live with Laura, guitar and vocal; Franklin, piano; Dave Schramm, guitar; David Mansfield, dobro; Thrift Shop Songs (BMI) admin Bug Music

Engineered by Dave Schramm in an undisclosed location deep beneath Brooklyn, November 15, 2010

Other guests:  Ted Barron, Carol Rothman

Songwriters’ comments:

Peter Blegvad on Our First Kiss:

All you need is love! As every song writer knows, falling in love is research, an occupational obligation. The narrator in this song is a bit of a creep, a mental stalker. The kind of guy parents dread their daughter will fall for.  Luckily, nothing lasts.

PS – I played everything myself, though the rhythm section was provided by GarageBand.

Peter Holsapple on Happy Birthday to You:

Imagining what it would be like to celebrate without the celebrant present.  I don’t have much more to say, except that 1.) this song is birthed from another unexpected expected death of a friend and 2.) even though the drums are set up, I couldn’t see adding them to the track (or maybe I couldn’t execute them in such a way as to not distract from the song).

It is going to be a resolution of mine in 2011 to get up to a taping of the Radio Free Song Club. [YEAH! ed.]

xo

PH

Dave Schramm on Eleven:

Time, time, time. We’ll have the time of our lives when the timing is right.

Recorded this when I had a wicked head cold. But there was some quality about the vocal that I liked and couldn’t recapture when my head cleared. So what the hell, leave well enough alone.

Jody Harris on Aquarelle:
Blegvad sent me a horrible Europop video, stereotype oleaginous ghoul, lipsynching a dismal little cheery tune against a backdrop of orange sunflowers. Some part of me wanted to be a part of this – if I could pull off a Eurovision Song Contest-type bossa nova thing with a Pataphysical lyric, the universe might actually explode, or something.

The title came out of a dream. I batted it around for a few days and, after bending it back into shape, began writing, in bed in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, early one morning and had an, er, finished, song by the afternoon. Interesting thing is, it’s virtually impossible not to generate meaning. I kept lapsing into sanity despite my best efforts. Am fond, though, of

“Burger to swan, after stotting, a love song?
Missionary, impecunious, arf, arf, arf,”

which came out in one string, like dictation.

Recorded in our computer room on a TASCAM digital 8-track (DON’T buy one) using a Studio Projects B-1 mike (DON’T buy one), performed with much difficulty on a nice Blueridge dreadnought (from the collection of Robert Quine) that I neglected to tune to E before laying down the track, thus condemning Dave Schramm to hours of messing around before he could lay down his too cool vibes.

It would be a lot better with Astrud singing it.

Presented by: Nicholas Hill

The Radio Free All Stars: Dave Schramm, JD Foster, Doug Wieselman, Russ Broussard

What a night! The Chop Shop was packed with players and friends. Susan Cowsill brought a new song and she and Russ joined Peter Holsapple and the All Stars on Peter’s big-hearted sentimental journey. Alessi of Alessi’s Ark from London started her first US tour by singing a wickedly charming song on our show. Good luck Alessi! Robin Holcomb stopped by after her gig and played a new song with her old friend Doug Wieselman on bass clarinet. Wreckless Eric and Amy Rigby sent their first canned club submission—a piece of theater, with many voices. Dave Schramm had the All Stars plus Susan overdub on his already beautiful track, and Kate Jacobs brought another show tune, written with Ted Reichman via file server. The Susan Cowsill Band finished up with an old Continental Drifters favorite and by then it was really late.

Wreckless Eric & Amy Rigby, Sombreros at the Airport (W. Eric & A. Rigby) performed and recorded by Wreckless Eric and Amy Rigby; Grantland Music admin. by Bug Music

Peter Blegvad, Bug House Queen (Peter Blegvad) performed and recorded by Peter Blegvad; Copyright Control Peter Blegvad

Susan Cowsill, I Never Knew There Would Be You (Susan Cowsill) recorded live with the Radio Free All Stars; CoCo Bunny Music (BMI) admin. by Bug Music

Peter Holsapple, No Better (Peter Holsapple) performed and recorded by Peter with live overdubs from the Radio Free All Stars and Susan Cowsill; Hospital Music (BMI) admin Bug Music

Dave Schramm, Slip and a Fall (Dave Schramm) performed and recorded by Dave with live overdubs from the Radio Free All Stars and Susan Cowsill ; Hot Stove Music (BMI)

Freedy Johnston, Old Penny (Freedy Johnston) performed and recorded by Freedy; Trouble Tree Music (BMI)

Kate Jacobs, By the Duty Free (Kate Jacobs) piano arrangement by Ted Reichman, Doug Wieselman live bass clarinet overdub; Small Pond Music (BMI)

Alessi’s Ark, Hey Big Chicken (Alessi Laurent-Marke) Live with Alessi on vocal and guitar, The Radio Free All Stars plus Susan Cowsill and Alexis Marceau singing harmony; Copyright Control Alessi’s Ark

Robin Holcomb, Once (Robin Holcomb) Robin, piano and vocal; Doug Wieselman, clarinet; Dave Schramm, guitar; JD Foster, bass; Russ Broussard, drums; St. Rose Music (ASCAP)

The Susan Cowsill Band, Mississippi (Carlo Nuccio, Ray Ganucheau) Susan guitar, Mary Lasseigne bass and vocals, Alexis Marceau vocals, Jack Craft guitar, Sam Craft fiddle, Radio Free All Stars

Engineered and mixed by Gary Arnold assisted by Shane Steinhilber at Gary’s Chop Shop, NYC October 20, 2010

Songwriters’ comments:

Amy Rigby on Sombreros at the Airport:

Sometimes on tour we think up elaborate scenarios – film scripts, TV shows or just imagining ourselves in other peoples’ lives. One of our earliest inventions was a couple called Graham Critch and Hilary Pond – he’s an aging IT consultant from a place like Milton Keynes, she’s a high school art teacher in Cleveland Heights. They met on a reality show where two middle-aged people, he British she American, were put together on a transatlantic date to see if they hit it off. The type of show that would never actually get made because it would be either too boring or too depressing to watch.

“There’s no denying she’s a very attractive lady,” he says (in an English accent). He doesn’t get out much.

“He’s really interesting.” Neither does she. “And I love his accent.”

Time goes on and even after the show is over they continue to see each other once or twice a year. They take a holiday together in Spain.

Peter Blegvad on Bug House Queen:

These photos come from Bill Zavatsky’s article, RICHARD GRIFFIN, THE BUGHOUSE POET. Zavatsky describes finding copies of Griffin’s collection “Bug House Poetry” at Gotham Book Mart in the 1970s:

Bug House Poetry is dated 1917. All I had to do was open the cover and find the photograph of the author, playing a banjo, pipe in his mouth, wearing a golf cap, knickers, and knee socks, with two huge “vinegerones,” one crawling up his left leg, the other on the face of the banjo. A vinegerone, it didn’t take me long to find out, though I had to go to my unabridged dictionary to hunt down the word as “vinegarroon,” is “a large whip scorpion of the southern U.S. and Mexico that emits a vinegary odor when disturbed and is inaccurately held to be very venomous.” But Griffin’s “vinegerones” look like rubber or papier-mâché critters.

Peter Holsapple on No Better:

The song came pretty much all at once, usually the mark (in my book) that it’s probably going to be alright. Inspired by our special guests, Ms. Cowsill and Mr. Broussard, with whom I share a long, tangled and fortunately vital and happy relationship, I wrote this love song to our old band. They themselves may find this particularly humorous, knowing my penchant for dismissing our work with the sweep of a hand and a snort when I’m in that kind of mood. Well, suffice to say, there’s much love for the Continental Drifters in this outing, and I hope it shows and is taken the right way.

Kate Jacobs on By the Duty Free:

I fly in and out of Shannon Airport a lot and there are often platoons of American soldiers on their way to Iraq and Afghanistan. I wrote this song about them with just a vocal—since I wouldn’t know where to begin finding chords for it. I emailed the track to Ted Reichman who put together this arrangement in an hour or so. It was, as Dave said, like that game where you draw a picture and fold it over and pass it to someone else to finish.

Dave Schramm on Slip and a Fall:

I have tried to condense something of The Magic Mountain down to fill the soup can of the 3 minute song (err….5 minute?) I seem to have left out all the political discussion, but no matter.
And this is yet another languid melancholic waltz. I guess it’s the year of languid melancholy for me. And there are probably more coming.
I’ll try and work on something peppier for next year.

All new music from:
Peter Blegvad, Kate Jacobs, Freedy Johnston, Jody Harris, Dave Schramm, Laura Cantrell, Peter Holsapple and special guest Lianne Smith

Presented by: Nicholas Hill

The Radio Free All Stars Mach 9: Dave Schramm, Anton Fier, Jeremy Chatzky, Gib Wharton

Back in the Chop Shop after summer vacation with special guest Lianne Smith who is recording an album with Anton Fier. Also Gib Wharton from San Antonio — passing through with a one-way ticket to Amsterdam. (Good luck, Gib!) Lots of live All Star overdubbing on club submissions and Nicholas covered for Victoria with her wonderful Frying Pan, All Star treatment of course.

Peter Blegvad, Clacton-on-Sea, Off-Season (Peter Blegvad) produced and engineered by Ed Haber and Ilana Pelzig Cellum. Peter, guitar, vocals and percussion; David Hofstra, bass; Andy Partridge, acoustic science and English seaside organ; Copyright Control Peter Blegvad  (see note below)

Kate Jacobs, Bricks and Mortar (Kate Jacobs); Recorded in Co. Mayo in Ireland. Kate, guitar, vocals; Sarah McEvilly, harmony vocal; Johnny Fadgen, mandocello; Rita Gill, piano; Tim Rogers, mandolin; mixed by Dave Schramm; Small Pond Music (BMI)

Lianne Smith, The Magpie Hunter (Lianne Smith), performed live in the studio with Dave Schramm on electric guitar; copyright control Lianne Smith

Freedy Johnston, Baby Baby Come Home (Freedy Johnston) performed and recorded by Freedy with live electric guitar overdub by Dave Schramm; Trouble Tree Music (BMI)

Jody Harris, In the Lost and Found (Jody Harris) performed and recorded by Jody; live overdubs from The Radio Free All Stars; copyright control Jody Harris

Dave Schramm, Background Music (Dave Schramm) performed and recorded by Dave; Hot Stove Music (BMI)

Laura Cantrell, Letters She Sent (Laura Cantrell) performed and recorded by Laura on a back porch in Signal Mountain, TN; live overdubs from the Radio Free All Stars; Thrift Shop Songs (BMI) admin Bug Music

Peter Holsapple, Dead to Me (Peter Holsapple) performed and recorded by Peter (see note below); Hospital Music (BMI) admin Bug Music

Nicholas Hill, Frying Pan (Victoria Williams) performed live with the Radio Free All Stars; Mumbletypeg Music (BMI)

Lianne Smith, The Thief (Lianne Smith), performed live with the Radio Free All Stars; copyright control Lianne Smith

Engineered by Gary Arnold at Gary’s Chop Shop, NYC Sept. 20, 2010

Songwriters’ comments:

Peter Blegvad on Clacton-on-Sea, Off-Season:

None of the new songs I began made it beyond the embryo stage so this month I’m offering Clacton-on-Sea, Off Season which is old, but was never released on record. This recording began in NYC at least a decade ago in a session produced and engineered by Ed Haber and Ilana Pelzig Cellum. David Hofstra played bass with his customary aplomb, but the track was never finished. Ed (who amongst other things produced “Versatile Heart” – Linda Thompson’s last album) kindly sent me a mix of the track last week to which I added harmonies, percussion, etc. And THEN, 2 days ago, it went to Andy Partridge (he of XTC, the Dukes of Stratosphear, etc. etc.) who added acoustic science and English seaside organ to make it as NEW as dammit, certainly a lot newer than it was. And better.

The lyrics were inspired by an experience I had in Thessaloniki in the early 70s of being transported by a low budget Chinese martial arts film with Greek subtitles.

I’ve never been to Clacton but I see online that it has “lovely sandy beaches, safe sea bathing, water sports, a Victorian pier with undercover amusements & a fun fair.”

Btw, an OAP is an Old Age Pensioner (Clacton is a popular “retirement destination”).

Peter Holsapple on Dead to Me:

I played this song for my wife, and I think she was taken aback by the nastiness of the lyrics.  So I tried then to couch the song in a kind of bluesy joviality, starting with an acoustic guitar that didn’t make the final cut. The drums, while nothing to worry Jim Keltner, are a significant improvement on the last tune’s.  Epi Les Paul Jr, NORD pianner, Dano Rumor bass and my accordion make up the remainder of the instrumentation.  It was big fun to record this in my new studio room, despite its unready state (drywall is up, no doors, no soundproof windows, no paint etc.).  The room gives me the feeling that these contributions may be sounding a lot better really soon.

Kate Jacobs on Bricks and Mortar:

I recorded this at home in Rosmindle, and also in the back room at Hoban’s Pub on the Octagon in Westport, Co. Mayo. If you’re ever in Westport stop by Hoban’s on a Saturday night and say hello to Rita. Sunday night go to the Wyatt Hotel at 8:30 for a session with Johnny Fadgen and Dan Delaney.

Dave Schramm on Background Music:

I had Holsapple Syndrome after penning this one. Felt like I had lifted something wholesale from some well-known 60′s pop tune….I suppose the arrangement reinforces that impression. No matter.

So damn tired of being beeped and dinged by every machine I encounter. And even more dehumanizing to walk down the street and be bludgeoned with music and sound that is merely extraneous, ancillary, incidental, irrelevant, unpurposed, fashion accessory, sales lure. Certainly not possible to actually pay attention to. Get outta my face, man!