Glad I Stayed: Charleston, West Virginia Singer/Songwriters Volume 1
Glad I Stayed: Charleston, West Virginia Singer/Songwriters Volume 1
ASIN: B00004RJ76
Track Listings
| 1. Glad I Stayed (Steph Gunnoe) |
| 2. Lester Browning (Alan Griffith) |
| 3. Like Your Mother (Tim Nicholas) |
| 4. Simple Gifts (Michael Friedman) |
| 5. DCG (Meredith Gould) |
| 6. Simple Man (Stan Bumgardner) |
| 7. Ophelia (Nathan Hollis Brown) |
| 8. Dallas (Al Smith) |
| 9. Ahab's Blues (Clay Burns) |
| 10. Silly Little Man (Tim Nicholas) |
| 11. ICU (Nathan Hollis Brown) |
| 12. No Such Thing (Al Smith) |
| 13. Vagabond Bill (Stan Bumgardner) |
| 14. Domestication (Meredith Gould) |
| 15. Cool of the Coming Dark (Michael Friedman) |
| 16. Little Thing (Steph Gunnoe) |
| 17. I'll Fall in Love With Lucinda Williams (Clay Burns) |
Editorial Reviews
Shannon Wells, The Charleston Gazette
Original acoustic music may be a rare commodity in Charleston-area clubs, but it is alive and well in several Kanawha Valley kitchens and living rooms.
Evidence is presented in a new, independently released CD called "Glad I Stayed," a compilation of songs written and performed by nine area natives or residents. The disc is a result of local "guitar pulls" - intimate gatherings of musical artists playing songs for one another - which have taken place over the past couple of years.
Many of these low-key hootenannies have been at the home of Michael Friedman, who coordinated and helped form the concept for "Glad I Stayed."
Friedman stresses that the project's origins and goals are modest. "The concept grew out of idle conversations among myself, Stan Bumgardner, and Al Smith," said Friedman, who teaches English at West Virginia University at Parkersburg and is also an occasional free-lance music reviewer for the Gazette.
"We talked about making a little compilation, not so much as a product, but sort of a memento of our guitar pulls. We thought it would be neat to have a document to show what it was like."
Most of the featured performers of "Glad I Stayed," will gather to showcase tunes from the album and elsewhere tonight at the Empty Glass Caf, 410 Elizabeth St.
Besides Friedman, Bumgardner and Smith, the collection features songs and performances from Nathan Hollis Brown, Clay Burns, Meredith Gould, Alan Griffith, Steph Gunnoe and Tim Nicholas. None of the mostly 30-something artists make their primary living from music.
"It's interesting that there are people with completely different lifestyles and educational backgrounds on this who are all attracted to acoustic guitar music," Friedman said.
The idea for a disc was partly inspired by Friedman's prior experience with no-frills recording. He assembled his own CD, "Songs I've Stolen," last year with some help from friends. That project's producer, Roy Kasten of St. Louis, worked on "Glad I Stayed" along with Paul Flaherty.
"Once I did my solo CD, I saw how easy it was to do," he said. "So [this project] became feasible. All you really need is a friend with a computer who is patient enough to sit and listen to a song 15 times. It requires having friends who are good enough musicians to make a good final product."
The simple production values perfectly complement the 17 songs on "Glad I Stayed." Most of the tunes rest easy in folk or country-folk territory and are served by understated voices and simple, yet pretty acoustic guitar patterns. Bumgardner's haunting violin and Griffith's nimble guitar provide ornamentation in appropriate spots throughout.
Variety, however, still manages to shine through the rustic framework. Gunnoe's sweet sentiments and mountain-mama vocals in "Little Thing" and the title track nicely offset the thoughtful vitriol of Nicholas' "Like Your Mother" and "Silly Little Man" (sample lyric: "You're always talkin', you never listen / a big name walks in, you're like a lap dog lickin' "). Brown brings a bit of melancholy pop-folk to the mix with "Ophelia" and "ICU," while Gould provides the eloquent simplicity of "DCG" (named for the song's chords) alongside the edgy confessions of "Domestication" (sample lyric: "Everything I cook I serve burned-side down / and the rinse cycle makes me feel like I might drown").
Many of the artists on "Glad I Stayed " share some common musical influences, such as the late Texas songwriting legend Townes Van Zandt. But Bumgardner says the songs are as individualized as the performers.
"I don't think there's a common theme, " he said. "Lyrically, the songs seem to be all over the place. They're reflected in each person's lives."
Bumgardner has only humble ambitions for the project. "It's something to give to friends or family," he said. "Also, when we play out occasionally, we're asked if we have anything recorded. Anything we sell beyond that is great."
Friedman concurs. "It would be neat if any of the songs came to the attention of people with influence," he said. "The idea is there's a lot of people around town who write their own songs, and some of them are pretty good - and not all of it sucks."
Product Description
Glad I Stayed presents nine singer/songwriters who have been helping to transform the Charleston West Virginia folk scene. Recorded over 4 summer days in Charleston, the performances range from the old time blues of "Lester Browning," to the moody folk rock of "Cool of the Coming Dark"; from the mountain keen of "Glad I Stayed," to the intense storytelling of "Like Your Mother"; from the gospel-flavored "Simple Man," to the affectionate humor of "I'll Fall In Love With Lucinda Williams (If I Want To)." Glad I Stayed is a diverse, beguiling collection of 17 original songs from nine original voices.
Glad I Stayed: Charleston, West Virginia Singer/Songwriters Volume 1,Various Artists
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Glad I Stayed: Charleston, West Virginia Singer/Songwriters Volume 1
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ASIN: B00004RJ76 Release Date: 2000-02-18 |
Tracks:
Album Description
Glad I Stayed presents nine singer/songwriters who have been helping to transform the Charleston West Virginia folk scene. Recorded over 4 summer days in Charleston, the performances range from the old time blues of "Lester Browning," to the moody folk rock of "Cool of the Coming Dark"; from the mountain keen of "Glad I Stayed," to the intense storytelling of "Like Your Mother"; from the gospel-flavored "Simple Man," to the affectionate humor of "I'll Fall In Love With Lucinda Williams (If I Want To)." Glad I Stayed is a diverse, beguiling collection of 17 original songs from nine original voices.Album Review: