Just come up with a theme and then draft people. Doesn't have to be on a stage. I'm going to do a Townes Van Zandt song swap for sure. Just a group of people sitting in a circle taking turns doing Townes songs. Harmonizing and playing behind each other. I'll do Pancho and Lefty and Mike Fletcher will do Colorado Girl. Maybe Jimmie will do If I Needed You or Snowing On Raton. Anybody else want to sit with us and do a song? We'll designate a time for it and those who have agreed to do it just need to show up at that spot with their guitar. And the big Townes fans in the crowd can know in advance when to come check it out. We're getting pretty close to start plugging things into time slots.
10 comments:
Hey, John. This TVZ deal sounds like a stone groove--please count me in! Thanks, Patrick
you're in brotha! I think that gives us four so far. I see it being about 30 minutes and if there are 5 guys then I think we'll each "lead off" on 2 songs each. We go counterclockwise around the circle because Townes ran counterclockwise. Once somebody leads off on a song everybody in the vicinity who can play the chords or sing a backup should kick right in. The benefit of grabbing one of the five key slots is that you can pick the two songs best for you, pick the key and sing the lead. With a chorus of angels and devils behind ya.
What songs do you want to do? I think we need to say in advance so people can do a little review and be ready to join in. Print out the lyrics and have them in their pockets.
Lessee, now...how 'bout "Nothin'" and "Mr. Mudd & Mr. Gold"?
very bold choices, sir. As great as it is not many venture Mr. Mud and Mr. Gold because it's so hard to remember all those lines. Learning it is like memorizing a part in a play.
Can't wait to hear you do it.
Brad is another guy who's going to be in it and he told me Sunday that learned "Don't You Take It Too Bad" last week specifically to be in the this group.
Somebody needs to do "To Live Is To Fly".
...yup...good call...and 'Heavenly Houseboat Blues' makes a dandy sing-along... maybe to close out? Ah dunno...I'd best clam up and go learn this durned 'Mudd' tune I went 'n' shot my mouth off about... :)
Seems like we would have met at some point over the years, Pat. Glenn has very nice things to say about you and I'm looking forward to playing together on the 3rd. We'll have the Woodzie to thank for it!
For those who don't know the song, Mr. Mud And Mr. Gold just doesn't have a chorus to rest in. Nothing gets repeated and it just keeps briskly moving. Come to the Townes song circle and you'll be introduced to it.
I'm looking forward to hearing it
The wicked king of clubs awoke
it was to his queen turned
his lips were laughing as they spoke
his eyes like bullets burned
the sun's upon a gambling day
his queen smiled low and blissfully
let's make some wretched fool to play
plain it was she did agree
He send his deuce down into diamond
his four to hart, and his trey to spade
three kings with their legions come
preparations soon where made
they voted club the days commander
gave him an army face and number
all but the outlaw jack of diamonds
and the aces in the sky
He give his sevens first instructions
spirit me a game of stud
stakes unscarred by limitation
'tween a man named Gold and man named Mud
Club filled Gold with greedy vapors
'til his long, green eyes did glow
Mud was left with the sighs and trembles
watching his hard earned money go
Flushes fell on Gold like water
tens they paired and paired again
but the aces only flew through heaven
and the diamond jack called no man friend
The diamond queen saw Muds ordeal
began to think of her long lost son
fell to her knees with a mother's mercy
prayed to the angels every one
The diamond queen, she prayed and prayed
and the diamond angel filled Muds hole
the wicked king of clubs himself
fell in face down in front of Gold
now three kings come to Clubs command
but the angels from the sky did ride
three kings up on the streets of Gold
three fireballs on the muddy side
The club queen heard her husband's call
but Lord that queen of diamond's joy
when the outlaw in the heavenly hall
turned out to be a wandering boy
Now Mud he checked and Gold bet all
and Mud he raised and Gold did call
and the smile just melted off his face
when Mud turned over that diamond ace
Now here's what this story's told
if you feel like Mud you'll end up Gold
if you feel like lost, you'll end up found
so amigo, lay them raises down
John, we've met some, briefly (I've heard you play several wonderful times), and more o' that'll be a dang good thing...
Amy, those lyrics are darned close...seems like every site I looked at had cribbed the same (minor) typos from some (slightly) sloppy source doc...I'm not type A about much, but I try to get the words right when I can, so I spun this disc some listens, you bet...what I dig is that the people are just cardboard props here--we go down and dirty amongst the cards, and they're real and rare as the HeartQueen in Alice...it's a cage match, Diamonds v. Clubs, and angels are callin' the shots (a little deus ex machina for ya', Kids)... anybody think the number of lines (52) and quatrains (13) in this tune are coincidental? Not me... :)
Well, got the words down okay so far in the bathroom, the kitchen, the elevator, and the car--hope they'll rise up when I first try dealin' 'em out in front of folks... :)
Thanks for the kind words, Pat. I'm not much of a singer but I'm getting more confident.. which may be dangerous. Glenn covers me and that's the main thing I have going. :)
the first time I ever heard Mr. Mud And Mr. Gold was 35 years ago, Townes Van Zandt was on a stage not more than 10 or 15 feet in front of me. I didn't have the slightest idea who he was. I think he announced it as being a new or at least a newer thing he had written. Same thing with Pancho And Lefty, it was either new or pretty new. My understanding of music took an unexpected turn right at that moment.
A lot of people have them, we can tell our Townes stories around the campfires.
Last saw him at Cactus Cafe @'92-'93...I believe I hold the dubious honor of being the only creature in that place that night more wasted than Townes his ownself...it's laugh or cry, so might just as well laugh... :)
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