News to Me - New Forge

Is There Nothin' I Can Do - New Forge
Here are two new original songs. New Forge recorded them mostly live at Empty Sea Studios in Seattle in Spring 2010. I founded New Forge with some good friends to capture our intuitive instrumental chemistry in the context of original and classic songs.

Myself singing on mandolin, Jakob Breitbach on fiddle, Joseph Mascarella on drums and backing vocals, and Zeke Wakefield on bass and everything else.

Renegade Cafe
Appearing on Hot Club Sandwich's Green Room CD, Renegade Cafe even made it onto NPR's All Things Considered a few times. I named Renegade for the famed secret cafe that provides the best inexpensive, local and mostly organic food in Port Townsend. I felt like this tune captures some of the sneaky and dynamic elements of the Renegade - when you can find it.

Christmas Eve Improv
Congrats to Ari who just appeared on American Idol with Blake Lewis. His bands, like Arisawkadoria are some of the hottest in Seattle. We met at the Oregon Country Fair years ago, when i loaned him my guitar, saying he was too good to be wandering around without one. Ari came over to Port Townsend for Christmas, mostly to get away from the bustle of the city. The cops dropped him off - it's a long story, but it worked out well. We sat down and recorded free improvisations though the night. Here's an example of what it sounded like.

Dunningtown
I wrote Dunningtown based on the stories that came from my Grandma Sircely. Growing up in the mining town of Dunningtown in Western Pennsylvania, her family often couldn't afford coal in the winter even though her dad was a miner. She, her brothers and her sisters came up with a creative solution involving the slowly passing coal trains. Lob on the banjo, Jakob on fiddle.

Forked Deer
I'm convinced that Danny Barnes is a creative genius and feel very fortunate to have been able to spend some time with him. Here's a version of Forked Deer recorded over the Danny's dining room table a couple of years ago.

I'll Take You Back
David Bromberg asked me to accompany him in one of the Concerts for Change in Englewood, NJ on October 24th, 2004. Butch Amiot, who plays regularly with David, played bass and an astounding young player named John Lippencott played electrc guitar. Suzanne Vega, Garland Jeffries, and Jack Hardy were also on the bill. David likes spontaneity in the set, and at one point looked over and said "Talk to me a little bit." Here's what happened.

Desde Que Viniste
I wrote this tune and recorded it with Hot Club Sandwich on Digga Digga Do in 2002 shortly after returning from studying in Tierra Caliente, Mexico with Juan Reynoso, widely revered as Mexico's greatest fiddler. Check out some of his recordings produced by Paul Anastasio at Swing Cat records. The tune is primarily inspired by boleros in the Calentano tradition although Kevin Connor plays a Cuban tres. Tim Wetmiller, who has studied extensively with don Juan plays violin, Greg Ruby is responsible for the gutiar solo, and James Schneider plays bass. The CD is for sale at the HCS site.