That is one of the main reasons I read biographies (where available) of the folks I listen to alot. I think that for alot of my favorites, the main "muse" is one of the human emotions that is maginified by environmental issues growing up. Look at Monroe and his feelings of loneliness. To me, it seems that he spent his entire life holding on to the memories of that old home place and a time when he still had someone whose love he did not have to question. When did he last feel secure - as a young boy? I think alot of folks can identify with those songs because of the emotion/feeling that is driving them.
I think our culture today is just way too different from a hundred years ago and later. Our values and expectations are way out of line with those of our parents in many ways. I would have thought myself abused if I'd been required to miss school and chop cotton all day (like my mother was) or required to get up early and feed the cows, pigs and chickens before school (like my dad was). Kids don't pick up a instrument and write a song when someone makes them feel bad; they take a gun to school and take care of it. On Feb 17, 1:44 pm, mistertaterbug <taterbugmu...@gmail.com> wrote: > Ah, spoken like a true chef. I mean, who else would use the word > "infused" with "hock"? > > Damn, what a big can of worms. Interesting way of looking at the music > scene. Does this mean that banjos will only be perennial below zone 5? > I suppose accordians overwinter well in zone 3 providing there is only > a mild freeze. Is there a natural pest that plagues accordians? Seems > the answer is a resounding "no", but then, it might be polkas. > > You know, I think that the choice of instruments had more to do with > the nationality of the peoples that settled the areas, not climate. Of > course,the climate factor might have had something to do with who > settled where as well. You know, people settling into climates that > they were familiar with. Seems to me that the upper midwestern states > were settled by Europeans who played violins and accordians in the > first place, the Swedes, Germans, Norwegians, Poles, etc. You know, > farmers instruments. So did the French down farther south around > Missouri, and of course the French "Acadians" in Louisiana. I suppose > the African influence in the South brought on the popularization and > eventual standardization of banjos. And so on and so forth for all the > nationalities I left out. Consider that the major population centers > were in Eastern half of the US at the time and most of the industry, > publishing, and mail order houses were too. Most of the people who > could afford to buy records lived there as well. Most of the people > lived there, period. From Chicago to the west there wasn't much until > you got to the West Coast. Radio helped spread the word/music, but > shoot, not many people in the country could afford radio either, much > less get access to electricity. I had an old highway atlas of the USA > once that also had a listing of powerlines on it too. There was one > electrical line in Nashville in 1931 and it was the only one on the > page for the state of Tennessee. I used to collect old radios, and I > had a bunch of battery sets. The batteries that used to go in battery > radio sets were nearly as big as a battery for a Toyota truck. > > I reckon it goes on and on and is far more a big soup today with all > of us influencing each other because of the ease with which the > information hotline is accessed. Not like it was back when places like > Montana were settled. Hell, think of how far it is out there now. > Imagine how isolated it would have been 100 years ago. And, it's a > damned long way to the West Coast from here. But, I think collards > will grow in California. > > This all touches on another subject, and that is the fact that we all > sing songs about subjects that we know nothing or very little about, > basically because we like the sound of them. How many people, given > the choice between modern furnishings and luxuries (like insulation > and inside plumbing and running water) would write romantic songs > about cabin life? Exactly my point. I read a book about Jascha Heifetz > some time ago. In it he is quoted as saying that a person should not > play music that they cannot identify with because, even though their > performances might be good, they will never be great or inspiring > because they have no actual relationship with the material. While I > agree, I also don't feel like we all should just pack it up either. > Does this mean I have to stop listening to my Ali Farka Toure' cd's? > Should I quit playing Swedish tunes off Richard Robinson's website? > Should I not record any more tunes by black gospel groups? Should I > throw away my Bill Monroe and Leake County Revelers Cd's? I like them > but I don't REALLY fit their culture, though I have a toe in both. How > close is close enough? I mean, come on. > > To address the material issue, I think there is a lot of music that > has been just flat out forgotten over the years. Sure, a lot of it was > gone before the technology came along to save it, but I think the > cultures that spawned it died out too, either died or adapted to > another way of life and changed just the same way bluegrass and > oldtime has. Sometimes I think of all the music that I missed back in > the heyday of radio groups. I suspect every little station that could > had a band playing sometime during the day. All that music is whizzing > off through space someplace. Egad. I can only hope that a lot of > what's offered on radio today is forgotten in a hurry. > > Okay. Shut my mouth. > Tatermouth > > On Feb 17, 8:33 am, Mando Chef <saltydogli...@gmail.com> wrote: > > > > > Not being a smart ass here, but, my short answer is TIM O'BRIEN. > > Cornbread Nation has a version of this song and I'm sure it inspired > > alot of the west coast. And I think it's jealousy... If the only > > greens that were available to me from my garden were sage and potato, > > period, I would dream of those smoked hock infused, hint of vinegar > > having little bits of leafy glory, too.- Hide quoted text - > > - Show quoted text - --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Taterbugmando" group. To post to this group, send email to taterbugmando@googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to taterbugmando+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/taterbugmando?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
