Across The Great Divide

Posted by eagleisland, written by Kate Wolf

[download]  

- Play count: 475

Size: 3,791kb, uploaded 9/18/2010 4:38:43 PM
Genre: Unknown/None Chosen / Playing Style: Unknown/None Chosen

Kate Wolf was a California-based songwriter who died way too young from leukemia. Of all the songs my band does, this one is on my top ten list of favorites; it really lends itself to melodic-style backup. Soundboard mix from a recent festival.

Beaumont Rag

Posted by eagleisland

[download]  

- Play count: 1508

Size: 1,436kb, uploaded 2/23/2008 6:23:06 PM
Genre: Unknown/None Chosen / Playing Style: Bluegrass (Scruggs)

Just noodling around with Audacity. Boy, those on-board mics on Windows computers don't hold a candle to the ones on a Mac... This piece does show, however, how sweet a Hatfield banjo is all the way up the neck.

Chinquapin Hunting

Posted by eagleisland

[download]  

- Play count: 510

Size: 1,112kb, uploaded 1/3/2009 8:34:41 AM
Genre: Unknown/None Chosen / Playing Style: Unknown/None Chosen

This lovely traditional Celtic fiddle tune - very different from another song of the same name - features an arrangement that borrows heavily from that of my friend (and fellow Hangout member) Ron Cody, who may be the best melodic player you never heard of. Obviously, he plays it better, but then again, he's been at it a lot longer. As much as anything, this is a trial of my new USB mic, and boy does it make a difference - even though the sharp-eared will hear the refrigerator running and the dog moving around. Opening voice is my Gold Tone banjola; the banjo is the Hatfield and although I'm loathe to admit it that's me on the guitar, too. NOTE: the BHO jukebox version, for some reason, plays with some crackly sound to it. Download played through Quicktime is cleaner, for some reason.

Coal Sweat

Posted by eagleisland, written by David Lemieux/Skip King

[download]  

- Play count: 1244

Size: 5,277kb, uploaded 12/10/2006 12:57:15 PM
Genre: Unknown/None Chosen / Playing Style: Bluegrass (Scruggs)

(c) 2006 by David Lemieux On 12/9 Lemieux and I got together for the third time. (see comments for further song notes)

Eagle Island (Cumberland Crossing version)

Written/Posted by eagleisland

[download]  

- Play count: 793

Size: 3,171kb, uploaded 3/16/2008 4:00:16 PM
Genre: Unknown/None Chosen / Playing Style: Bluegrass (Scruggs)

(c) 2005, 2007 by Skip King. It's kind of fun to compare this version, recorded recently with my band Cumberland Crossing, with the earlier version I recorded with Lemieux. On the earlier version, it was just us two and I was playing the song as fast as I could, cleanly. The middle section of the earlier recording was Lemieux jamming and me filling; it's fun but I wanted something more structured that could show off the abilities of our guitar and dobro players, with a slightly more interesting chord progression. Hence, the new "C" part. Obviously, the speed has picked up and the drive I always suspected was possible with it comes through. Not a flawless performance by any of us; lousy recording that has a hard time picking up the guitar and mando and some ham-handed cross-fades in this one because I blew some licks and had to grab samples from elsewhere in the take. But you'll get a sense of how it sounds when the band plays it. Audiences seems to dig it, too.

Eagle Island/Mischief

Written/Posted by eagleisland

[download]  

- Play count: 650

Size: 8,093kb, uploaded 11/1/2006 12:29:38 PM
Genre: Unknown/None Chosen / Playing Style: Unknown/None Chosen

(c) 2005 by Skip King. Wrote this song before joining the Hangout and adopting the handle. Heck, wrote the song before I could even play the damn thing. Mando player is named Dave Lemieux - he wrote the middle section. This recording from the first time we played together.

I'm Blue, I'm Lonesome

Posted by eagleisland

[download]  

- Play count: 149

Size: 3,070kb, uploaded 3/16/2015 6:14:00 PM
Genre: Bluegrass / Playing Style: Bluegrass (Scruggs)

Messed up on my break, but really like my backup on this. Not great recording quality - brand new room still dialing in the acoustics, using a Zoom H2N from part way through the room.

In Theory, In Practice

Posted by eagleisland

[download]  

- Play count: 637

Size: 3,614kb, uploaded 12/10/2006 12:53:22 PM
Genre: Unknown/None Chosen / Playing Style: Other

(c) 2006 by Skip King This song started as a noodle and took off from there.

Kentucky Borderline - Rhonda Vincent/Rage - 75 percent speed

Posted by eagleisland, written by Rhonda Vincent

[download]  

- Play count: 226

Size: 1,099kb, uploaded 1/19/2014 4:52:59 AM
Genre: Bluegrass / Playing Style: Bluegrass (Scruggs)

This is the opening and first verse of "Kentucky Borderline" as performed by Rhonda Vincent and the Rage on the Ragin' Live album. It is slowed to 75 percent of speed, in order to facilitate discussion of the right hand roll patterns used by Kenny Ingram in a thread on "Hard Driving Backup"

Love's Gonna Live Here

Posted by eagleisland, written by Buck Owens

[download]  

- Play count: 148

Size: 2,564kb, uploaded 3/16/2015 6:20:26 PM
Genre: Country / Playing Style: Bluegrass (Scruggs)

Great Buck Owens tune. Our new mando player on lead vocals, me singing lead on B part and mando player on bari. That's the way he likes it.

Old Joe Clark

Posted by eagleisland

[download]  

- Play count: 1607

Size: 2,928kb, uploaded 2/23/2008 12:19:59 PM
Genre: Unknown/None Chosen / Playing Style: Bluegrass (Scruggs)

This is a recording from a recent practice session of my new band. 'T'ain't perfect, but then again, that's why they call it "practice", right? Kind of a crude recording, directly into the mic of a Mac powerbook. But as reference, it works. The guitar player was pissed of by his performance on this one, so don't tell him I posted it.

Rain Please Go Away

Posted by eagleisland, written by Del McCoury

[download]  

- Play count: 402

Size: 2,052kb, uploaded 9/18/2010 4:32:14 PM
Genre: Bluegrass / Playing Style: Bluegrass (Scruggs)

I'm not wildly proud of my own playing on this particular grab of it, but I dig the song and Cumberland Crossing's arrangement of it. Soundboard mix from a recent festival. Yeah, blame it on the sound guy.

Red Haired Boy

Posted by eagleisland

[download]  

- Play count: 1109

Size: 2,913kb, uploaded 1/19/2008 8:46:53 PM
Genre: Unknown/None Chosen / Playing Style: Bluegrass (Scruggs)

So... I guess I'm in a band. We've not selected a name yet, but at least we're playing once or twice a week. As a study/practice aid, we're recording some sessions - straight onto a Mac notebook using the internal mic. Amazed how good it can sound. This song is edited down - my first experiment with Audacity - hence the weird crossfade right at the start of my solo break.

There Is Plenty

Written/Posted by eagleisland

- Play count: 431

Size: 2,529kb, uploaded 11/22/2016 7:07:55 PM
Genre: Unknown/None Chosen / Playing Style: Unknown/None Chosen

An original song, with me on banjola and vocals, my friend Eric Shaw on rhythm guitar and mandolin. My vocals are nothing special, but the bass work is superb, and I post this in memory of the wonderful bassist: Brian Sandlin of Falmouth, Massachusetts, killed by a hit-and-run driver in Muscle Shoals in November, 2016. He was 25. (song is copyright 2016 by Skip King)