Like "Oh Shenandoah," "Simple Gifts" is a traditional American song that I first learned during my choir years. It's another folk song that has stuck with me because I still find it beautiful. "Simple Gifts" is a Shaker dance spiritual that was written in the 1800s. I love its catchy melody and message of freedom,… Continue reading Press Play: Simple Gifts
https://soundcloud.com/user-759499852/oh-shenandoah The first time I heard "Oh Shenandoah" was at a concert when I was in elementary school. The boys choir sang it, and I was enchanted. They hit the high notes beautifully, and I instantly loved the melody. "Oh Shenandoah" is a North American traditional folk song with origins in the early 19th century.… Continue reading Press Play: Oh Shenandoah
Illustration by Aileen Torres-Bennett "The House of the Rising Sun" is one of my favorite traditional folk songs. It's a dark tale of remorse, with a catchy melody. The most popular version is the one by The Animals from the '60s. My version is more stripped down. I tried to give it a haunting quality… Continue reading Press Play: House of the Rising Sun
Awakening to the Dead. Illustration by Aileen Torres-Bennett Got a little something for you to listen to this weekend. It's my cover of The Grateful Dead's "Row Jimmy." A lovely song that evokes the Old, Weird America in that particular way that the Grateful Dead's lyricist Robert Hunter did so well. If you like the… Continue reading Press Play: Row Jimmy
I created another acoustic guitar instrumental track, continuing to experiment with Audacity. Same method as my last track: I recorded a snippet of rhythm guitar, copied and pasted it into a sequence in the Audacity timeline, then recorded a solo over the rhythm. You can listen to my last track here and watch a… Continue reading Original Music: Rainy Afternoon
ATB 