The “Best of 1922” program was delayed for release because of last-minute scheduling difficulties so is being released in February, as opposed to January. The program is introduced by Audio Producer, Nate Butler, Wild Rose Moon’s new director, Maggie Kubley, and long-time host of the program, George Schricker.
The episode begins with an entrancing piece, entitled, “May,” by the Minneapolis band, Humbird. Headed up by the literary songwriting talents of Siri Undlin, and sung by the same, the song’s clever arrangement uses a variety of synthesizer effects to add swells and Moog textures to enhance its theatrical presentation. The song, recorded on the band’s “Still Life” album, has been co-produced by Siri’s fellow bandmate, Adie Strei, also an accomplished songwriter.
Another Minneapolis-based songwriter, the philosophical, J. E. Sunde, heads up the next number, “Love Gone to Seed.” The song, “Love Gone to Seed,” has a Buddy Holly beat and a rock’n’roll refrain, and feels as if it rolled right out of 50’s jukebox while Sunde’s signature vocal style adds even more 50’s mythos to the mix.
Then you cast it to the wind/ And I chased it like an idiot, to see if I could capture it/to see what I could hold./Hold on baby . . .baby hold on . . .I'm asking you baby please hold on.
Next up is Southside Denny Snyder, A blues rocker, originally from South Bend, Denny has been living in Montréal since 2007 and has continued to develop new material and execute it with marvelous precision. Here he demonstrates that he can echo the feeling of the great Leo Kottke, by performing a tribute called, “Blame it on Leo.” The song emulates so much of the fingerpicking stylings Kotke is known for that draws on blues, jazz, and folk music, and for those syncopated, polyphonic melodies.
The classic notes of Nate Butler’s Shiny Shiny Black guitar dive in next with “Hometown Stranger.” The song, along with the guitar, captures that 50’s sense of isolation, ala James Dean. Nate sings, with a nod to Exodus 2:22:
I'm a stranger, in my own town. There are a thousand native tongues that I don’t understand. I’m a stranger in my own land, and from a million miles away, I can’t shout loud enough to reach you.
Scottish musicians, Jim and Susie Malcolm are a highlight of the next curious mix of songs, featured as much for their introductory stories as the fine songs that follow. Susie masterfully weaves us into the fish-gutting song, “The Gutting Queen,” while reflecting on her grandmother’s gift for gutting herring at lightning speed. As the couple sings the muti-syllabic lyric, Jim’s masterful and mellow harmonica reiterates the melody in a dramatic fashion.
Music Producer, John Bahler, then introduces his song “Postwoman,” a song delineating his brother’s infatuation with the woman who is delivering his mail, and why, to his advantage, he wants to be outside when she arrives. And he sings, Right now is the right time–to be outside. In this case–working in the garden to be noticed by his dream person. It’s a love song with a twist.
And speaking of love songs, the next piece, by Humbird, entitled, “Pink Moon,” is Siri Undlin’s fine tribute to the late and much-revered songwriter, John Prine. Siri unveils the story “When John died, there was a big pink full moon just hangin’ in the sky. I had a beer and just wrote this song for him.” What follows is the perfect tribute to a man who was known for a simple songwriting style that reached out to the whole wide world. The last stanza just nails it.
Tomorrow I will try again, to not break and simply bend, with the wind and the rain and the distant stars and the distant sun lighting up the dark. I suppose that’s all anyone can do, and if you promise me, I’ll promise you. To revel in the beauty and howl like a fool, and raise my cup to the big pink moon.
Kyoto-born, Hiroya Tsukamoto begins an instrumental on guitar with his beautiful, “From Coast to Coast.” The piece begins with calming bell sounds from the guitar and rolls into beautiful note structures that weave the piece together until his voice enters as a second instrument to follow the melody in a bliss-delivered prayer. Like so many of his fine layered and textured pieces, the song assists the ardent listener – by leading them into a meditative state.
The Ft. Wayne-based-newgrass band the Debutants shift the mood demonstratively with their song, “Never Gonna Be the One to Let Me Down,” a break free of life’s prison-making song. The piece features a relentless drive and super tight solos from all the instruments – and John’s assertive voice calling out – the back and forth of the instruments driving the breaks in remarkable synchrony until he sings, Never gonna be the one – to walk like a ghost in the Midwest sun. Lynn Nicholson and John Swain started up this bluegrass train and added the seasoned studio musician, Sean Hoffman, and the up-and-coming, Lauren Blair. Chandler Cashdollar, plays bass, Michael Earle Newsome, sports the banjo, and Ellen Coplin fills in some of the bottom-end with her marvelous cello – helping to make the music bow-heavy and symphonious with the two fiddles in tow.
Wild Rose Moon Radio Hour’s belated New Year’s show closes with the boys from Ireland, Jig Jam, lead by Jamie McKeough, t take us into 2023 singing their signature drinking song, “Tullamore Dew.” The song, celebrating the celebrated whiskey that is created in their home county, calls out–
So take me home and brighten up the day, from Tullamore to Boston out to Cal-ih-forn-i-aye – and give every man, give every man his due!
We hope all of you have a brighter day and a brighter 2023, listening to the Wild Rose Moon Radio Hour - A Home for Humans! And doing it right here on WVPE FM 88.1 on the first Monday of every month at 7 p.m.