Spun

My long-time friend Kenny Legendre in Germany has been working for months on a CD of other folks doing my songs. It’s called “Spun,” in reference to my CD “Spin,” and has now been released in Europe.

Most of the musicians are German and the songs include a German translation of my song Hard Earned Smile, with the rest in English, featuring varying degrees of German accents. Some of the folks on the record are musically unknown, while others are legendary in their various countries. Ulli Brand is the guitarist for the German band Farfarello, who’ve been wowing huge crowds for decades.

There are some international contributions as well, including three US-based musicians: David Wilcox, Beth Wood and Chris Rosser, while Liz Frencham hails from Australia.

Musically, the arrangements are wildly diverse, from a choir doing New Lullaby to the rock band Knopf doing Spin, Chris Rosser’s Middle Eastern musical influences to Liz Frencham‘s jazzy upright bass and vocal.

It’s deeply moving to me to know that my music has meant enough to these folks that they have put in the time and expense to learn and record these songs.

The CD is out in Germany now, and is only available in the US through CD Baby.

Profits from the CD will go to support the work I’ve been doing with schools in Guatemala through PEG. The tracks should be up on iTunes within a few weeks, too, but the CD’s ready for shipping from CD Baby now.

On the Road Again

Coppell, Texas

I left Asheville at 3:30 in the afternoon on the day before yesterday, and last night played a house concert near Dallas with my long-time friend Beth Wood. What a treat to see and hear her again.  She’s getting married this fall, and moving to Colorado, so you Coloradans keep an ear out for her.

Beth did me the honor of recording a song of mine for a CD that’s being put together by my friend Kenny Legendre in Germany of various musicians doing my songs.  Mostly they are Europeans, but a few Americans are going to be part of it as well.  Beth recorded a version of my song Stranger, from Corners, on piano, and it’s really lovely.  I got to hear it last night for the first time.  

Having someone record your song is metaphorically kind of like having someone marry your child, I guess.  It’s beautiful to see someone else put their heart and their spirit into your intimate creation.  It also helps you to see it in a new light.  I can listen to the song when Beth sings it in a way that I really can’t hear it if I’m listening to a recording of myself.  

I’ll let you know when the record comes out, of course.  It will be a European release, but I reckon we’ll get a few copies over here. 

Chris Rosser, by the way, is going to record my song Spirit, from Spin, and I can’t wait to hear that.  

I’ll be on the road for the next two and a half weeks, culminating with a set at the Kerrville Folk Festival.  It’s an honor to play there at all, of course, but I’m blown away that they gave me one of the top slots on the schedule.  The festival is eighteen days long, but the first weekend is the biggest, being Memorial Day and all. I’m playing on Friday night of that first weekend, at nine pm on the main stage.