Mermaid Ave III - sorta

[lizish]

Thanks you smarmy condescending, but nice, bitch!

[caliber66]

I'm getting lightheaded.

[bjorn_skurj]

Is it wrong to be a little surprised that Farrar is treading a trail already trodden by Tweedy?

[gogo]

Dan, I was little surprised by it, too. While I certainly think that there's room for lots and lots of musicians to make great music to go along with these lyrics, it strikes me that either:

 

1. Jay Farrar is still competitive with Tweedy, and thinks he can blow him out of the water with his versions of these songs.

 

or

 

2. He's completely past any competition mind-set, or any thoughts of Tweedy at all, and it has not even occurred to him that he'll be compared in any way.

 

If he understands that comparisons will be made, and just plain doesn't care, then he's a bigger person than I could be in that situation, that's for sure.

[Shakespeare In The Alley]

Admittedly, I don't know much about Jay. But I don't see how it could be possible that he hasn't thought "I bet I can do this better than Jeff." He has to know the comparison will be made, so logically, he'd use it as a high-ish profile way to challenge Jeff in a way.

 

I just don't think he can be clueless enough to not consider that people will compare them.

[LouisvilleGreg]

Now this is some crazy news. I can't imagine Farrar intentionally wanting to bring on another tiresome round of media-hyped UT debate, 15 Years on. It's a battle he's been losing since "Being There" was released. Without having heard a note, and with no disrespect to the very accomplished musicians involved in this, I can't imagine anyway in the world that it could stack up to The Wilco/Bragg sessions, especially Volume I.

[caliber66]

Is it wrong to be a little surprised that Farrar is treading a trail already trodden by Tweedy?

He's certainly been playing Woody Guthrie songs basically his entire musical career - longer, probably than Jeff has.

 

Admittedly, I don't know much about Jay. But I don't see how it could be possible that he hasn't thought "I bet I can do this better than Jeff." He has to know the comparison will be made, so logically, he'd use it as a high-ish profile way to challenge Jeff in a way.

 

I just don't think he can be clueless enough to not consider that people will compare them.

There's a difference between knowing that people will compare the two projects and worrying about people comparing the two projects. Woody Guthrie is Jay's musical hero, and I can't imagine any circumstance where he would turn down the opportunity to record this album.

 

Why is it logical to assume that he would use the project to challenge Jeff? It's logical to recognize that as a possibility, I guess, but not to assume that it's probable.

[bjorn_skurj]

Farrar, James, Poughkeepsie's own Anders Parker and Johnson - that's a pretty formidable foursome. They are certainly capable of matching Billy Bragg and Wilco and might even outshine them a little bit. I gotta check out this Gob Iron.

[Golden Smoghead]

VC is blowing my mind on Farrar-related projects today. This is pretty badass, can't wait for more info / hear it.

[Shakespeare In The Alley]

He's certainly been playing Woody Guthrie songs basically his entire musical career - longer, probably than Jeff has.

 

 

There's a difference between knowing that people will compare the two projects and worrying about people comparing the two projects. Woody Guthrie is Jay's musical hero, and I can't imagine any circumstance where he would turn down the opportunity to record this album.

 

Why is it logical to assume that he would use the project to challenge Jeff? It's logical to recognize that as a possibility, I guess, but not to assume that it's probable.

OK, I just meant that I don't think it's possible that that thought didn't cross Jay's mind. Somewhere along the timeline of events leading up to jay agreeing to do this, he had to have made the Jeff connection.

 

Like I said, I don't know much about Jay's personality. And he may not be trying to challenge Jeff. But the idea must have crossed his mind, even if it was just in a "huh, what a coincidence" way.

[LouieB]

Putting tunes to old Guthrie lyrics is fair game for everyone. All artists are entitled to try their hand and it.

 

As for who has sung Woody Guthrie songs longer?? Every contemporary songwriter has been singing them a shorter time than those who started singing them in the 40s 50s and 60s so really who cares.....

 

(Still the best album of Guthrie songs is Country Joe McDonald's Thinkin of Woody....)

 

LouieB

[choo-choo-charlie]

I gotta check out this Gob Iron.

 

Gob Iron is great stuff. "Hard Times" is a great track.

[Analogman]

I would be surprised if Jay will call the album Mermaid Ave III. And of course, it's going to be compared to the albums that Wilco/Billy Bragg created some years ago.

 

I still wonder why Bob Dylan does not do something with the Guthrie material.

[Kalle]

Wasn't Dylan offered the Guthrie lyrics before Wilco/Bragg but something happened miscommunication wise? I remember reading something along those lines at one point in time.

[Shakespeare In The Alley]

Wasn't Dylan offered the Guthrie lyrics before Wilco/Bragg but something happened miscommunication wise? I remember reading something along those lines at one point in time.

If I remember right, from the last time I read Chronicles, Dylan was offered Woody's unreleased lyrics, but Woody's wife didn't know what Dylan meant when he showed up at their place to get them. So he left, and Woody died, and Dylan never got the lyrics.

 

However, it's a Dylan story. So take it at face value.

[tangara]

As you say, I guess Greg Graffin must have passed on the whole thing.

 

But it looks like Jay Farrar, Jim James, Anders Parker and Will Johnson didn't. Think this is from a Will John/centro mail list, but don't have a link:

 

'Will Johnson is the Swiss Army knife of indie rock. During rare downtime

between his bands Centro-matic and South San Gabriel, the prolific local

songwriter is taking a backseat to the Monsters of Folk Bright Eyes' Conor

Oberst and Mike Mogis, M. Ward, and Jim James of My Morning Jacket on a

national and European tour, following the release of the quartet's eponymous

debut Tuesday. "I play [drums] as much as I'm allowed on recordings, but

it's been a little while since I've played live," says Johnson, who last

gigged behind the kit with Jandek in July 2007. His return coincides with

the November release of Jason Molina & Will Johnson (Secretly Canadian), his

debut collaboration with the Magnolia Electric Co. frontman, which Johnson

describes as "a pretty subdued listen." Here's the real bombshell, though.

Alongside Jim James and Anders Parker, Johnson is also taking part in Jay

Farrar's version of Mermaid Avenue, recording original music based on

unpublished Woody Guthrie lyrics at the behest of his daughter, Nora

Guthrie. While no details have been confirmed as far as a release date or

label, the album, which was recorded in New York in March, is currently in

the mixing stage. "Jay sent me a priority mail package full of the lyrics,

and I opened it at 4:30 in the afternoon," Johnson recalls. "Within 17

minutes, I had already documented this one called 'Chorine My Sheba Queen'

to the recording machine. That speaks far more about the song than anything

I did. The lyrics struck me in a way that the music sounded automatic. It

made such sense to my soul and my spirit. It's got an empty and regretful

tone but in a very beautiful way. I just latched onto it."

 

 

 

Personally this is friggin' huge news.

 

Here's the link.

 

http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/Issue/column?oid=oid%3A862638

 

I'm pretty excited for it too.

[ThisIsNowhere]

If I remember right, from the last time I read Chronicles, Dylan was offered Woody's unreleased lyrics, but Woody's wife didn't know what Dylan meant when he showed up at their place to get them. So he left, and Woody died, and Dylan never got the lyrics.

 

However, it's a Dylan story. So take it at face value.

I remember hearing a story about how Nora was going to ask Dylan to do the project but since he recently performed at a concert for the Pope she didn't feel it would be appropriate for him to participate since the pope was pro-life and Woody was pro-choice, or something like that.

 

But who knows what the real story is.

[mybenito]

nora guthrie is such a pain in the ass. they're not her songs, they're her dad's. i thought julian lennon and hank williams III were annoying offspring, but she takes the cake.

 

...or is she a genius?

[Shakespeare In The Alley]

I remember hearing a story about how Nora was going to ask Dylan to do the project but since he recently performed at a concert for the Pope she didn't feel it would be appropriate for him to participate since the pope was pro-life and Woody was pro-choice, or something like that.

 

But who knows what the real story is.

It's been a while since I read that part of Chronicles, but I believe Dylan referenced that the songs he should have gotten went on to be made by Wilco and Billy Bragg.

 

Again, it's a Dylan story. It may or may not have happened in any of the ways it's been described, or at all. Such is the man's genius.

[froggie]

It's been a while since I read that part of Chronicles, but I believe Dylan referenced that the songs he should have gotten went on to be made by Wilco and Billy Bragg.

 

Again, it's a Dylan story. It may or may not have happened in any of the ways it's been described, or at all. Such is the man's genius.

 

 

true that he wrote that. he said something about going to woody's house through a pile of mud and no one was home. the he said that the lyrics were given to billy bragg and "the american band, wilco"

[LouieB]

If I remember right, from the last time I read Chronicles, Dylan was offered Woody's unreleased lyrics, but Woody's wife didn't know what Dylan meant when he showed up at their place to get them. So he left, and Woody died, and Dylan never got the lyrics.

 

However, it's a Dylan story. So take it at face value.

Page 100.

 

LouieB

[Shakespeare In The Alley]

Page 100.

 

LouieB

Page number in the book, I assume?

 

Didn't bring it to school with me, so I can't check. But I may have to see if the library has a copy just to re-read that part.

 

Semi-related note, Chronicles is a damn fine read if anyone hasn't read it. It's just like Dylan's autobio would be; completely non-linear, yet well-written.

[LouieB]

Page number in the book, I assume?

 

 

Yes.

 

LouieB

[Dude]

If I remember right, from the last time I read Chronicles, Dylan was offered Woody's unreleased lyrics, but Woody's wife didn't know what Dylan meant when he showed up at their place to get them. So he left, and Woody died, and Dylan never got the lyrics.

 

I wonder if he showed up in a raincoat wandering around the Guthrie yard mumbling to himself.

[Analogman]

I remember hearing a story about how Nora was going to ask Dylan to do the project but since he recently performed at a concert for the Pope she didn't feel it would be appropriate for him to participate since the pope was pro-life and Woody was pro-choice, or something like that.

 

But who knows what the real story is.

 

I wonder how she and Arlo get along then. (Supposedly, he converted to Christianity.) I suppose I have to wonder why he has not did anything with the lyrics. Or maybe he has. I am not really familiar with his work.