The Wellerman - Human Music at its Best

 

 Sea Shanties from more than a century and a half ago are making a comeback in this age of obscene lyrics, violent talk, abuse of women, strutting strumpets and preening arrogant males. These people young and old using the best capacity of the Internet - the capacity of this amazing tool for creativity and collaboration.

When the Internet first appeared and people became excited about it, the critics and the pundits loudly proclaimed that it was a great danger for human personal growth. People, they opined, would lose their creativity. They would, we were told, sit down beside the flickering tube and become observers rather than active participants - a nation of couch potatoes. It was a near thing to but it was the Internet that seems to have saved us.

The pundits were wrong. We all went the other way instead of the way we were going when we were passive consumers of material created by a tiny few. All we had back then was 5 radio stations, a couple of newspapers and 3 television networks. Back then we had a limited selection of things to watch or listen to passively. Certainly some stout souls were left to make music, movies, television shows and such, but compared to our rapidly growing population, it was a miniscule few.

Enter the Internet and the personal computer. Suddenly a world of information was at everyone's fingertips. If you could read, you could soon find something about how to do virtually anything you wanted to do. I remember visiting a guy who wanted to record his own music.  He spent close to $50,000 equipping a studio in his house. With the advent of the Internet and personal computers, a talented musician, a band or an independent would-be movie producer can produce high quality music, music videos, indie movies, podcasts and indie news and commentary for a pittance compared to the old days.

Rather than stifling creativity, the new technology spawned a prolific creative burst of creation that you couldn't hope to see all of the stuff out there on virtually any subject. Why cat videos alone would cost you years of Internet viewing to even make a dent in the number of samples of that genre. Independent bands now can not only record their music, produce CDs at their desks, but they can also create a website to advertise their music and sell it online.

Even more amazingly, the Internet has created whole new range of media including personal podcasts, flashmobs, personal news and commentary and, of course, cat videos. Let us hope in their zeal to turn the Internet into Pravda, we don't lose the creative joy that is the free market of the Internet where talent can rise if it's good enough and it's a mind to.

© 2021 by Tom King.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Memories - One Voice Children's Choir

 

I discovered these amazing children and their incredible voices.yesterday. I've listened to their music all day today and my heart is lifted. This song is about loss, but it is all about hope as well. I wept all the way through it for I have experienced many losses in my life; in our lives for Sheila and I lost a son. We lost her parents and my father and stepfather. My dad and brother died in tragic circumstances. This music makes me sad and joyful all at the same time. And they have many more songs.

This music is like a visit to the New Earth. I imagine us all making music like this throughout eternity. Music should bubble up from the soul and increase our joy. The One Voice Children's Choir does precisely that.

 

On the Water - My New Theme Song

 I think this is my new theme song. "On the Water" by Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers. I believe there's a reason that the first disciples Jesus called were a bunch of sailors. I love bluegrass music. Every musician gets a turn to shine. It's such an unselfish genre of music.

 

Cripple Creek Masterfully Done

 

Cripple Creek is a lovely little song that's in virtually everyone's banjo repertoire. It's almost a right of passage to do that little slide thing on the third string that Earl does and the rest of us make pathetic attempts to copy.

I love this Billy Conolly version Cripple Creek. It's interesting that in the past few decades we've had some comedians show up as closet banjo players. It's not that banjo players haven't always been odd ducks and would-be humorists, but these three kind of stand out for me.  First Billy:

  

Of course Steve Martin had to have given Cripple Creek a whirl along with 5 others including the great Glen Campbell.  .

No list of comedian/banjo players playing Cripple Creek would be complete without the inimitable Stringbean picking up his instrument.

I hope you found this enjoyable. I love banjo players. They're so wonderfully subversive.

Tom

     

Copenhagen (not in Denmark)

I never really understood the romance behind snuff and/or chewin' tobacco. I suppose you have to have some sort of adversarial relationship with your own teeth to take up the habit for serious. I discovered this Robert Earl Keen song some years back. He and Lyle Lovett went to school together at A&M (I think) or some Texas school or other. They both came out of academia writing strange song. Lovett's "If I Had a Boat" has been featured on this blog before - a stranger song you've never heard even in country music. 

Anyway, it's about a funny incident involving, Copenhagen chewin' tobacco, a date with a girl to the movies, a Coca Cola cup, popcorn and and a terrible mistake. To wit, here's "Copenhagen" in all its stomach churning beauty!

Tom

Grace Amazing and Restoring

Peter Hollen is an amazing indie artist and here he gets together with the equally amazing "Home Free" acapella men's quintet for the most Amazing song in the Christian Hymnals.  All they needed was some bagpipes.

Tom

...and Sometimes No

This is another one of those songs that make me go for the handkerchief (albeit a manly bandana sort of one). I can remember heart searing prayers, that battered me to my knees before God, and finally realizing He had already said "No," despite my weeping. That's hard and a real test of faith for anyone. But you do manage to get through it knowing that it will all work out for good if t love God and are called according to His purpose*.

Jill Paquette's heart-rending song gets to me every time. Losing a baby brother to measles, losing a brother to a shooting accident when he was 16, all of that was tough. Losing Dad to murder by my stepmother was hard too. But doing CPR for 30 minutes all the time listening for the ambulance that came too late to help save my son. That was a moment I never want to relive. I'm sure I will face other tragedies. A son who has severe bipolar who in a manic break getting himself put in prison unjustly, job loss, my Sweet Baboo's own struggle with bipolar, job loss, financial disaster and homelessness - the devil has pounded us hard, but we still are standing.

Our faith holds - sometimes it's by our fingernails. Sometimes by less. But God is love and whatever happens in this life, it will work together for our good.

I am reminded of that popular poster of the kitten hanging from a rod with the caption "Hang in there Baby!"  Sound advice, especially when God says, "No."

Tom King (2019)
* Romans 8:28