Saturday, February 04, 2023

John McCutcheon at Eddie's Attic.

It was fun to treat Lillian and Jordan to supper and a John McCutcheon concert. Jordan was not familiar with John's music, and I think we've made a convert. He and Lillian had already picked up John's ancient LP The Wind That Shakes the Barley at an antique shop, adding to their growing vinyl collection. Lillian, being our daughter, has known John's music her whole life. Once about a decade or so ago she and Brannon accompanied Sheila and me to his concert in Rutherford, New Jersey where he shared a stage with two other favorites, Pete Seeger and Tom Paxton. John and Tom are working on a joint album right now that should be out about Labor Day this year.

We got take-out from Siam Thai for dinner and took it with us to Eddie’s Attic.

Should have tried to get a picture of John with each instrument he played. That would have required more pictures.

He made plain with the first song -- an ancient folk song "The Cuckoo is a Pretty Bird" -- that this would be a storytelling experience as well as a musical experience. As he sort of absently plucked the banjo between verses he talked of his grandson Willie, and the Voyager Golden Record, and Carl Sagan and more.

2. The second tune was his topical song about the attempted murder of

Malala Yousafzai.

3. Then a great old guy's song: "I'm Too Old To Die Young". The audience -- pretty long in the teeth themselves, were invited to sing along.

4. In the times of "The Troubles" about the Irish "Troubles"

5. John's song about his Cuban refugee father-in-law's first day at the Georgia steel mill and his first experience with segregated restrooms.

6. I Am Ukrainian Now. (Me too.)

He played guitar, banjo, piano, hammered dulcimer, and autoharp tonight.

7. Hammered dulcimer: (instrumental)

8. Hammered Dulcimer: (Library Book / Silvertone guitar story) Woody Guthrie's Pastures of Plenty (John's favorite Guthrie song)

9. Nimrod Workman, coal miner, fought in the Battle of Blair Mountain -- learned this song from him.
I have sorta known the union song, "Step by Step" for decades, I suppose. John invited us to sing-a-long on parts and I did BUT... I am ashamed to admit that I have never been sure of some of the words. I remember wondering at the words before. I sang the vowels but left some of the consonants sort of indeterminate in places. I pretty sure I've heard John sing this song several times, and I know I have heard Pete Seeger sing it. This time I consulted Mr. Google after the concert. What a wonderful song about cooperative striving for the common good. Here are the words which were adapted from the preamble to the 1870 constitution of the first US mineworkers union:
Step by step, the longest march
Can be won, can be won
Many stones can form an arch
Singly none, singly none
And by union what we will
Can be accomplished still
Drops of water turn a mill
Singly none, singly none

10. Hammered Dulcimer (imnstrumental)

11. With Kerry Newcomer "Camino De Santiago De Compostela"

Walking with ashes -- Our joys, our doubts, our trials.

12. (request) "The Night John Print Died"

13. I'll Write You a Great Song When You're Dead

14. Marjorie Taylor Greene -- "She's got the hots for Putin." Tom Paxton said he had to get in on this song so he wrote a verse. I hope the CDC comes up with a vaccine for Marjorie, Marjorie Taylor Greene.

15. (A palate cleanser) -- Krispy Kreme

16. Christmas In the Trenches

17. The Great Storm is Over

18. Encore: (request) Leviathan (That Whale Song on the Dulcimer)

Eighteen numbers! An hour and a half. Fun!

We bought John's two latest albums: Bucket List and Leap. Here we got to pose with John for a picture afterwards as we have done now several times over the years.

Here are a few pictures from our history with John McCutcheon (and this is probably not half of them):

November 2011, Rutherford, NJ