Parentheses: Abilene (The Eisenhower Waltz)

Peter Mulvey: Abilene (The Eisenhower Waltz)

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Abilene (The Eisenhower Waltz) doesn’t sound like a political song. It was recorded in 2005, when the Iraq war was much more in the news and the public’s awareness than it is now. Peter Mulvey evokes a period 50 years prior to that, even taking the phrase “Iron cross” from an Eisenhower speech in 1953. He presents Eisenhower as a man who had gotten the country into a tight spot, and took responsibility for it. Mulvey says not a word about the events of 2005 in the song. And his silence says it all.

Ten: You and Me Edition

As I was searching my collection for the songs I would post this week, a strange thing happened: I came across two songs, released sixteen years apart, with oddly similar titles. The only other thing they have in common is that I really like them. So I couldn’t resist posting them together.

Indigo Girls: You and Me of the 10,000 Wars

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First, 1990 saw the release of the Indigo Girls album Nomads Indians Saints. My first selection is not one of their best known songs, which just shows how deep in quality their catalog is. Indigo Girls have been politically active on various causes, but the 10,000 wars of the title have nothing to do with world events. Rather, these are the little wars that flare up in any relationship. The song is probably about a pair of lovers, but there is a line about a “prodigal daughter”. This could just as easily be about a parent and child.

Peter Mulvey: You and Me and the Ten Thousand Things

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Peter Mulvey’s song comes from 2006. Musically and lyrically, I can detect no influence from the older song, so I tend to think that Mulvey may not even be aware of it. You and Me and the Ten Thousand Things list off many reasons why modern life is discouraging, but then offers hope. Mulvey approaches the subject with his typically wonderful sense of whimsy, while the music swings and sways.

Record Labels: Signature Sounds

Peter Mulvey: The Fly

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Kris Delmhorst: Galuppi Baldessare

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Eilen Jewell: Heartache Boulevard

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Signature Sounds has only been around since 1995. But in fourteen years, they have managed to corner the market on the New England acoustic music scene. A Signature Sounds artist or band usually features literate lyrics and interesting instrumental arrangements. The high quality of their roster makes it all but impossible to select a track to represent the label.

The first Signature Sounds act to come to my attention was Dave Carter and Tracy Grammer. I have not presented any of there songs here , because Susan has done recently, here, here and here. .

Peter Mulvey has become another favorite artist of mine, and had to be included. Kris Delmhorst’s album Strange Conversation was a fascinating project; Delmhorst created songs from texts by Lord Byron, Rumi, and Walt Whitman, to name a few, and her musical settings were every bit as inspired as the source texts. And Eilen Jewell was a fairly recent signing, who maintains the standards of quality that Signature Sounds has so carefully cultivated.

So those were my choices. I could have left all of them out, and gone with Crooked Still, Rani Arbo, Jeffrey Foucalt, Mark Ereli... You see my difficulty. I have come to rely on Signature Sounds to release music I love: they haven’t failed me yet.

Bodies of Water: The Ocean

Dar Williams: The Ocean

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Peter Mulvey: The Ocean

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Dar Williams: The Ocean (w/intro, live at the Kate Wolf Festival, June 14, 1997)

Living here in South Florida for soon-to-be 17 years, the ocean is obviously near and dear to my heart... and, although it is only a 25-minute drive from my suburban home to the shores of Hollywood Beach, I don't get there nearly as often as I should - the songs I'm surrounding myself with today are motivation to make a visit this week... to refill my well and replenish my spirit with the sound of the rushing surf and the squawking gulls... the feel of gritty sand on my suntanned skin, the whipping wind in my hair and crunching shells underfoot... and the salty smell of forgiveness and new beginnings...

Of course, Dar Williams' Ocean isn't nearly so kind ("I've bludgeoned your sailors, I've spat out their keepsakes") - the first track above is her original (complete with craggy back-up vocals from John Prine) from her Mortal City CD... the second is a cover by Peter Mulvey on his Ten Thousand Mornings... and the third is a live version (complete with explanatory introduction) from Dar's June 14, 1997 performance at the Kate Wolf Festival in Laytonville, California...

Dar was accompanied by Peter Mulvey during this set - although he doesn't sing/play along on the song on this occasion, I've always wondered if it inspired him to eventually cover her tune, 5 years later...

Winter Wonderland: Black Snow

Peter Mulvey: Black Snow

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Wintertime, and especially the holiday season, can be overwhelming. When you get to thinking of all you have to do, with limited time and resources, it’s easy to just shut down completely. For Peter Mulvey, the perfect symbol of these feelings is a bank of black snow. You can’t make anything out of it, you don’t want to walk in it, all you can do is wish it would melt.

Peter Mulvey began his musical career busking in the Boston subway system. Playing acoustic guitar in such a noisy environment requires you to develop a loud and percussive style. Listening to Black Snow, I can imagine the subway trains providing the percussion parts.