Crooked Road Songs

This Gathering is a perfect opportunity for non-musicians and musicians alike.  One certainly does not need to play an instrument to want to dive into music history and appreciation.

Did you know that “Amazing Grace” was written by a slave boat captain who realized what he was doing was horribly wrong?  Well, maybe you did, but there are all kinds of other music history and appreciation.  Let me be your guide to the history – the how, the why, and any other questions you may have about different genres and styles.

As an artist, I have decades in the music industry – producer, guitarist, songwriter, and as a historian always searching for more knowledge.  There are the rows and rows of records (LPs, EPs, 10 inch records, 45 singles), the piles of cds, and all the books that line the walls of our home.  Books about music, yes, but also books pertaining to history, poems, novels, fine art (lots of these) and maps; I love maps and the endless possibilities of studying them to gather more knowledge. 

Music and history go hand-in-hand.  Think soul music, along with folk music, and the civil rights movement in the 1960s.  Ken Burn’s gripping Civil War documentary used period music to punctuate his points.  Swing music throughout WWII.  Then there’s Woody Guthrie’s writings and songs that echo John Steinbeck’s writing of the same time period.  And, so much more to dig into and explore.

I want these Gatherings to be communal – like the best music – and a constant flow of thoughts and ideas back and forth.  Yes, I will be bringing topics and my knowledge but the discussion of music should be just as fluid as the growth that happens with the very best of the art of music itself.  Museums are where one goes to look and appreciate.  Gatherings are where one goes to look, listen, appreciate, and discuss.

There is no prerequisite for attending the Gatherings aside from a love of music that has its foundations in American roots music, its beginnings, and where we find it today. 

This will be a six-week, recurring Gathering discussing music history and appreciation. The Gatherings will be a continuing discussion of music history and appreciation, which will sometimes overlap but most often not.  I will be the host and driving force behind the Gathering’s discussions – serving as the historian and moderator.  This is meant to be free-flowing discussions of ideas, questions, concerns, dissent, and agreement between all the participants.  In each six-week Gathering, there will be one or two special guest co-hosts. Each Gathering will be roughly 75 minutes in duration.

As referenced above, we’ll dig into traditional songs and their history and/or how traditional songs ended up being foundations for songs in popular culture.  We’ll dive into various genres such as folk music.  My friend Dave Alvin has been quoted as saying there’s two kinds of folk music: “Loud folk music or quiet folk music,” meaning acoustic-based folk for the latter and electric guitars and amps for the former.  Gospel, soul, r&b, country, jazz, blues, and just American music in general – meaning anything from the Brill Building to The Wrecking Crew to one-chord Mississippi Hill stomps to wherever our collective energy leads while Gathering.

Below is the expanded, week by week syllabus for The Gathering.  The overarching theme is folk music, as talked about earlier.  Folk music is and can be many things to many people.  We will talk about all aspects of folk music, such as the oral tradition in which this Gathering is based.  The give and take, redefining/refining of stories and songs, and adding experiences through the years.  The oral tradition was the manner of passing songs down from generation to generation before music was recorded or widely written down.

Week One – Introduction / It Came from Africa

Week Two – English Ballads to Mountain Music 

Week Three – Blues and Jazz 

Week Four – Country 

Week Five – Civil Rights and Socio-Economics

Week Six – Conclusion / Where Do We Go from Here

 Expanded descriptions of each week available upon request.