Pickers and Pluckers
air date: Saturday, June 13th at 8pm EDT
Happy Saturday!
We are entering peak outdoor concert season in the Midwest, and I hope you are finding space to enjoy the arts with the groovy people around you. I tend to experience a different side of music when enjoying it with friends, and this month Andrew Hughes joins me in the studio to caravan through a plethora of Pickers and Pluckers.
When Andrew mentioned to me that he had in mind a show highlighting virtuosos on the acoustic guitar, two artists came immediately to mind: Norman Blake, and Michael Kelsey. Now, those local to Lafayette will immediately recognize Kelsey (and perhaps you can catch him at the TASTE later this month), but what about Norman Blake? I guess you can chalk it up to my Kentucky roots and love for the banjo!
As we roll through the hour, Andrew and I will chat about his musical selections and some interesting background on the songs and artists. Here’s a bit of the introduction to the song “Freight Train” by Elizabeth Cotten:
Elizabeth Cotten was an African-American folk and blues musician from North Carolina. She taught herself to play guitar left-handed, but with the strings reversed, as you can see in photos and live performances.
The result is that she picks the lighter strings with her thumb and the heavier strings with her other fingers, a reversal of the traditional technique. This means that musicians covering the song in years since are not playing it quite the same way as she did, adding an element of authenticity to the original.
Despite learning the instrument at a young age, she put away the guitar for several decades. She took a job as a maid for the Seeger family, a musically gifted family whose name you may recognize. They reminded her of her musical past, inspired her to pick up the instrument again, and recorded some of her compositions for an album called Folksongs and Instrumentals on Guitar. The album was released in 1958 on the Smithsonian’s Folkways record label, but Cotten wrote the song much earlier, when she was eleven or twelve.
You can catch Acoustic Blend with Barrett Myers on the second and fourth Saturdays of each month (and the following Tuesday) at 8pm on WBAA. Listen online at wbaa.org or over the airwaves (105.9 FM and AM 920). My hope is that you’d find in the music a space for reflection and the peace that comes from a word spoken (or sung) at just the right moment. From time to time I’ll also share some of my original compositions and the work of other local artists. Take a load off and settle in, and thanks for your support of this creative effort by sharing and subscribing.
Playlist: Pickers & Pluckers 📻
01. Hayden Pedigo - “I’ll Be Waving As You Drive Away”
02. Bert Jansch - “Tell Me What Is True Love”
03. Jackson C. Frank - “Blues Run the Game - 2001 Remaster”
04. Joni Mitchell - “Little Green”
05. Nick Drake - “Fruit Tree”
06. Michael Kelsey - “Rain Whispers”
07. Joan Baez - “The Lily Of The West”
08. Moby Grape - “8:05”
09. Paul McCartney - “Calico Skies - 2020 Remaster”
10. Scott Greeson & Kevin Ludwig - “The Prophet”
11. Judee Sill - “Lady-O - Remastered”
12. Fleetwood Mac - “Never Going Back Again - 2004 Remaster”
13. Elizabeth Cotten - “Freight Train”
14. Bert Jansch - “Chambertin - 2009 Digital Remaster”
15. Norman Blake - “Hand Me Down My Walking Cane”
16. Nick Drake - “Road”
Dynamic always-current playlists: Spotify | YouTube
Special thanks to Andrew Hughes and REC Room Recording for their help in bringing this episode to the airwaves and into your beautiful ears. Enjoy, and let me know your favorite picker / plucker in the comments.
Andrew Hughes is a musician, composer, and writer from Lafayette. Since 2018 he has written, recorded and released five studio albums in which he plays just about every instrument. For the last couple years he’s served as Secretary for SAMI (Songwriters Associaton of Mid-North Indiana) and Assistant Engineer at REC Room Recording. You may find him running lights or cameras at many events at The Arts Federation, or running sound for Scott Greeson and Vickie Maris. He also, on occasion, performs his own music in the area, so be on the lookout!
Acoustic Blend airs Saturday and Tuesday evenings at 8pm EST on WBAA (105.9 FM and AM 920) and streaming online at wbaa.org. This month’s show will air June 13th, 16th, 27th, and 30th. Thanks for tuning in!