DAN BERN! Self
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Volume 41 No. 12 December 2015 Join us in welcoming for our first MadFolk Concert of the Year… DAN BERN! self. Dan is touring in support of his newest album, Hoody, which was released this past September. (we hope to have a review of that album in the January newsletter) His voice, to me, is a mix between Tom Petty and Bob Dylan. He has al- ways been defiantly uncompromis- ing in his writing style. He is a singer, songwriter, a painter and a writer and sometimes you get all of that tossed in to one song. He currently has over 2 dozen albums released, everything from a children’s record to a record of just baseball songs. Dan’s songs range from topical to funny, often using iconic char- acters such as, Woody Guthrie, Bob On January 23, we will welcome ternation Folk Alliance Festival, where Dylan, Bruce Springsteen and Mari- Dan Bern making his first MadFolk ap- when he plays a room you be get there lyn Monroe and many, many more. pearance. I first saw Dan Bern play early for a seat, and if you are late, then Dan Bern is a throwback to the days in New York, when he was invited to you are in the hallway trying to get a of exemplary songs and extraordinary play Pete Seeger’s Clearwater Festival. glimpse. It has been fun watching Dan songwriters. He’s one of the very best, I have been following him for years grow musically over the years and we and we sure could use more of his kind with his appearances at the annual In- hope you come out and hear for your- these days. Dec 5 - Graminy vidual members as well as group com- positions. For a taste of GRAMINY, go to www.graminy.net to view a video CD Release Party about the making of ‘Dance of the Almost two years in the mak- Plants’, which includes the live studio ing, original “class grass” proponents, performance of the title track—then GRAMINY, are proud to announce the come down to Trinity United Method- arrival of their second baby, ‘DANCE ist Church (1123 Vilas Ave, Madison) OF THE PLANTS’! Recorded by Andy on Saturday, December 5 at 7:30pm LaValley during the winter of 2014 in a to help the band celebrate the release classic Victorian house up in beautiful of their new album which will be per- Menomonee, MI, ‘Dance of the Plants’ formed in it’s entirety along with a few features new material written by indi- other GRAMINY favorites! BRIAN SETZER ORCHESTRA - ROCKIN’ RUDOLPH SURFDOG RECORDS ~ 2015 ing to fill out the record. “Swingin’ of the same magic. He ends the last Joy” (the swing version of “Joy to the line, “Everyone dancing merrily in World”), “O Little Town of Bethlehem” the new, old fashioned way,” with a and “Carol of the Bells” are pretty, hearty “He-yeah!” It sounds like he’s but straightforward, readings that having as much fun as we just did lis- could have come from almost any tening to it. While the record could big band. They would have ben- have used more tracks like this in its efitted from the same sort of radical latter half, it’s still a worthy record to update the usually sedate “Hark! The work into your holiday rotation. Like Herald Angels Sing” gets, the melody the man says early on, and again in swathed in horns with a little of that reprise, “When you’re with the big rockabilly guitar in the middle. The band, have a yabba-dabba yuletide, Review by Kiki Schueler run of wordless tunes is interrupted a happy sleigh ride, a merry Christ- On its third studio collection of by “Little Jack Frost,” a wintry “Hit the mastime!” Christmas tunes, the Brian Setzer Or- Road Jack” that lets the backing chestra is true to its name--there are vocalists step to the front. Earlier Mad Folk News is published monthly by the a half dozen each of trumpet, saxo- in the record, vocals take priority. Madison Folk Music Society, a non-profit, phone and trombone, four backing Setzer puts on his lounge act for volunteer-led society dedicated to fostering vocalists, two drummers, two bass “The Most Wonderful Time of the folk music in the Madison area. players and a pianist. But only one Year,” which owes everything to Contact us at [email protected] guitar. When that guitar belongs Andy Williams’s version. Not that about concerts, membership, scholarships, to multiple Grammy winner Setzer, there’s anything wrong with that. and volunteer opportunities at who recently donated a replica of The record’s “Rudolph” is re-titled www.madfolk.org. his trademark orange “Stray Cat” “Rockabilly Rudolph,” but could Gretsch to the Smithsonian, that’s just as easily be “Double O Sev- Madison Folk Music Society Board pretty much all you need. The re- en Reindeer.” After the opening cord is a collection of traditionals naming of the sleigh-pullers, the band blasts into a slick, surf rock and old favorites, all reimagined in DarleneBuhler...............President,Concerts, rhythm that could play over the big band style, almost all arranged Advertising opening credits of “A James Bond by Setzer with help from Mark 225-0710~ [email protected] Christmas,” if, you know, there Jones or Charles Floyd. While there PegMichel….…..............................Treasurer were such a thing. Setzer’s snarl- aren’t any true Setzer originals on 831-1876 ~ [email protected] ing vocals add intrigue to a story this record, “Yabba-Dabba Yuletide” Tracy Comer ........Membership & Web Site we’ve heard a million times. certainly should count as one. Ap- 729-4498 ~ [email protected] “Here Comes Santa Claus” propriating the Flintstones theme NorbertWodke….......................…Secretary showcases what the band does music, Setzer adds exuberant holi- 836-8422 ~ [email protected] best, and probably could have day lyrics and wailing horns to make DedeGoldberg..............................Newsletter done more of. A slap bass open- for a high-speed, high-spirited romp. distribution ing is vintage rockabilly, and the An extended version to end the re- 246-4332 ~ [email protected] sugary backing vocals chiming cord nearly doubles the two-minute Neil Morris....................................Newsletter “Here comes S-A-N-T-A, S-A-N-T- running time of the earlier version, editor A. Yes, you know Santa’s on his adding riveting drum and scorching 358-5855 ~ [email protected] way, S-A-N-T-A” are the perfect horn solos. It may be padding on a Meg Skinner.………............... Scholarships lead-in to a song that includes record that would barely break the 238-6950 ~ [email protected] plenty of horns in this nearly over thirty-minute mark without it, but Marli Johnson..................................................... the top, entirely addictive rendi- it’s worth it for more of Setzer’s nim- 770-4643~ [email protected] tion. Opener “Rockin’ Around ble guitar. Ron Dennis …........….....................………. the Christmas Tree,” which, like The second half leans heavily on 226-9472 ~ [email protected] the instrumentals, which adds to the “Rudolph,” is a Johnny Marks feeling that they may have been try- composition, incorporates much cord, so, come to Chicago. I get to making, and he said, "Well you just Chicago, then I meets the big shot. make what you making and sing what And the big shot introduced me to you sing, so I'll put down what I wanna © 2015 some other fella... And he's gonna sit put down, and I'll have the band to Peter Berryman down with me and tell me to play. All play, according to the way what you archived at louandpeter.com right, I'll play... He says now look, he doing." And he get the band together, Alan Lomax, 1915-2002 says, now you got to take out this part himself... and then here comes some of that song, and you gotta put some- little guy, that know NOTHIN' about 2015 is the 100th anniversary of the thing else in there, in between there, NOTHIN', and he come up and says birth of the great Alan Lomax. No because this is, not, right. And you're to Sax Mallard, says well you should doubt most people reading this news- not making CHORDS. You're making be making... this that and the other, or letter have some knowledge of the something that, uh... I don't under- some seventh or some ninth, some work of this tireless man, who be- stand what you're making... And there aug-u-mented or some kind of a crazy lieved sincerely and deeply that the I am, sitting up there, and I don't know thing, and Sax Mallard would say well job of preserving the musics and cul- one chord from another, but I still gotta I'm sorry, say but I'm playing it the way tures of the world is a desperately im- do this because I'm in Chicago, and I the man's singing. And a lot of times portant mission. He was concerned has no money, and no train fare to get they'd have an argument about that. that commercialization and mass back home, and... I gotta do what he Then Melrose would come in and say communication were "graying out" said. So now I gotta FORGET what I "Well I want it to go like THIS." Then these areas and devoted his long life know, and try to do what he tell me... they'd cut the whole thing off and to their preservation and dissemina- So now I gotta go and work and work they'd start back over brand new tion, by putting on concerts, making and study and study all night to try to again, and I'd sing there for maybe, films, writing books, forming organiza- find out what he meant by "take this for, for, sing one song five times, and tions, lecturing, and maybe most im- out and put that in." So finally I did a lot of times I'd sing, and sing, and portantly, traveling the US and the learn that.