Johannes Schult

This happened when I went through an old Manticess song (“The Sun’s Song” – unreleased) and tried to remember the middle part. At some point I thought I could just write something new. The result is what you hear here.

#33 The Sun’s Jig

(music by Johannes Schult 2015 Creative Commons by-nc 4.0)

This is a quick folk instrumental tune. The title came about when I set the music to the video.

#17 Gnomes Running Through the Forest

(music by Johannes Schult 2015 Creative Commons by-nc 4.0)

Miracously, I made to the final round of SpinTunes #8. The challenge was:

Painful Progression – Write a song about PHYSICAL pain, and do so using a I-V-vi-IV chord progression in the chorus.

My naive assumption is that I can deal with the musical restriction more easily than the other contestants this round, who are a bit jazzier in my ear. Anyway, for this round I couldn’t just throw out a quick song like I did last round. I’m not a good singer, so a “normal” pop song wasn’t my aim. My first idea was to write some kind of Irish folk song, instead. Even before I picked up my guitar I decided to write about the pain of a menstruating dragon. I had this idea for the first time back in 2006, when I took the Hammerfall song title “The Dragon Lies Bleeding” literally. It took me a couple of hours to come up with a jolly chorus. The rest of the song manifested itself more quickly. I had a percussive click track resembling a bhodran, which I kept in the final version. I went a bit crazy with all kinds of keyboard sounds (including some banjo!) but most of them are buried in the mix. Needless to say, I would have loved to have real instruments. Anyway, there was a deadline to meet and I am quite satisfied with the outcome.

What made me very happy was the following review by Dave Leigh:

This sounds like the sort of thing that Hobbits would sing at the pub. Really demented, sick hobbits. Hobbits who need therapy. Who in his right mind writes a song about a menstruating dragon? Nobody, and that should tell us a thing about Jutze. However, this is the form of insanity that’s just really, really entertaining.

Check out all entries! I also filmed a quick sofa video that ended up with an over-enthusiastic preview thumbnail.

Deep under the mountain in the dark and the cold
Sheltered from the wind and the rain
Sitting on a pile of silver and of gold
The mighty dragon is in pain
Maybe it is time to leave this cave behind
Time to get some fresh air

And it’s raining blood on the town by the lake
Everybody screams, the children are crying
Nobody knows how long it’s going to take
It looks as if the dragon is dying

Only the elders have seen this once before
Almost a century ago
They shut all the windows and they lock every door
Hiding in the cellars below
Maybe there’s a chance to escape the burning flames
Maybe they will survive

And it’s raining blood on the town by the lake
Everybody screams, the children are crying
Nobody knows how long it’s going to take
It looks as if the dragon is dying

High above the lake the dragon’s breathing fire
Feeling that the cycle is complete – once again
There’s no way around it, no use in climbing higher
The time has come to bleed
Maybe it is time she should start to procreate
It sucks to menstruate

And it’s raining blood on the town by the lake
In agony and pain the dragon is flying
Nobody knows how much more it’s going to take
The dragon in the sky feels like dying

And it’s raining blood on the town by the lake
Everybody screams, the children are crying
Nobody knows how long it’s going to take
It looks as if the dragon is dying

2014 Creative Commons by-nc Johannes “Jutze” Schult

When was the first time you heard Simon & Garfunkel? Which song was it? Did you like it instantly? Do you want to have a similar experience? Then meet Dave Carter & Tracy Grammer. You will hear beautiful harmony vocals, nuanced lead melodies, a folky-edge, and a reckless passion for original music. You will find lyrics that venture beyond beyond the run-of-the-mill nonsense of mainstream pop music. And be warned: You will end up yearning for more even though you know very well that the duo is no longer making new music.

Just like Simon & Garfunkel, Dave Carter & Tracy Grammer do not have one typical song. They have a dozen or so masterpieces. And yes, they have some weaker songs, as well. The bleak banjo of “When I Go” is a signature moment; the upbeat number “Gentle Arms of Eden” is another one. “Kate and the Ghost of Lost Love” – a haunting ballad – has been said to have attained the ever-ellusive state of perfection. And then there is “The Mountain”, an enigmatic tune that Joan Baez once played for the Dalai Lama. Personally, I would recommend their 2002 album “Drum Hat Buddha” to newcomers. “Ordinary Town”, its opening track, is the sort of simple song which takes a talented songwriter years to flesh out. Dave Carter’s songwriting, however, is effortless. Tracy Grammer’s clear voice brings the song to life and is augmented by subtle harmonies in the chorus. The second song paints a seemingly complete picture of “Tillman Co.”, mostly thanks to the catchy mandoline hookline and Carter’s poignant vocal performance. I could go on, but hopefully you get the picture. The lyrics are remarkably thoughtful, yet the music is mostly positive and uplifting. This is especially true for “Happytown”, the opener of their second album “Tanglewood Tree“.

Sadly, your local record store is unlikely to carry the duo’s works. I suggest you make the effort to get the music through Tracy Grammer’s homepage, webshops, or digital downloads; regard it as an active protest against soulless mainstream plastic songs and music business politics. Or better, regard it as a treat for your ears and your heart.

Last month, Barney McKenna died. He was the last surviving founding member of the Dubliners. His banjo playing on tunes like “Farewell to Ireland” helped make me discover and cherish Irish folk music in the first place. I’m certainly not the person to write a thorough history of the band. Instead, I have a remark and a song list.

The Dubliners are one of the few established bands whose studio albums have not been (re-)released on CD. There is only a vast number of compilations. A few contain full albums, but most feature what are supposed the greatest hits. I’ve begun collecting the original albums a while ago. The early works contain some of the famous songs, but I find myself liking the albums from the 70s better. Especially “Now” is a wonderful album. If you are looking for a decent compilation of Dubliners songs, I recommend you look for “20 Greatest Hits Vol. I” and “20 Greatest Hits Vol. II” as they contain most of the popular tunes as well as most of the really good songs. Some songs on there are edited, though, for unknown reasons.

Below is the list of my personal favourite songs – very subjective and somewhat intentionally leaving out the more rowdy drinking songs. Also, “The Parting Glass” (1968, from “Drinkin’ & Courtin'”) would be an equally touching closing number, but since “Louse House” is the last song on “20 Greatest Hits Vol. II” I somehow consider it the best closing track.

1. The Rocky Road to Dublin (1964, from “The Dubliners”)
2. Farewell to Carlingford (1975, from “Now”)
3. The Mero (1979, from “Together Again”)
4. The Lifeboat Mona (1975, from “Now”)
5. The Town I Loved So Well (1973, from “Plain and Simple”)
6. The Irish Rover (with the Pogues) (1987, from the single “The Irish Rover”)
7. Lord of the Dance (1975, from “Now”)
8. The Sick Note (live 1983) (1985, from “Live in Carré)
9. The Lark in the Morning (1975, from “Now”)
10. Donnegal Danny (1973, from “Plain and Simple”)
11. Louse House at Kilkenny (1972, from “Double Dubliners”)

A few minutes ago, I put my final 52-second song for 2011 online. By now, I have made 104 52-second songs – 52 in 2010 and now 52 in 2011. Thanks to everyone who listened to my 52-second songs and said encouraging things and shared my little tunes with their friends and had fun along the way. I certainly enjoyed the ride! I’ll update my music page in the near future. Meanwhile, check out the last two songs – each in an extended video version:

“I Won’t Be Your Mary Magdalen” is a homage to Dar Williams and Richard Shindell, whose music I love love love! The lyrics became kind of meta – and I think they provide a nice closure for my 52-second song project. I’m looking forward to write longer songs in 2012, for a change. Actually, I might elaborate on this song fragment with my band Manticess.

“Spoo for Christmas” was inspired the science fiction TV series Babylon 5. In the series, a lot of folks enjoy eating spoo, which “is a meat based food product“. Happy Holidays!

Here’s a review of Richard Shindell‘s early show at the Green Note in London, November 20th, 2011 (abbridged version of my post on the Shindell List).

The Green Note is a wonderful pub in Camden/London. Unfortunately, they didn’t serve any food this early, but the menu looked delicious. The staff was very friendly and made the stay even more enjoyable. There were maybe 50 people and the place was rather packed. (The evening show was sold out; this one possibly, too.)

There was a window in the roof, so the stage actually faced towards daylight. Richard pretended to be annoyed when he came on stage and remarked that he was practically a vampire. “Fishing” isn’t the happiest song in the universe, so the lack of visual gloom didn’t really matter. Richard talked a lot between songs. He told the story behind the guitar (from 1931, which he had bought from Stephen Bruton) in “Your Guitar”, a new song that has a somber feeling, sort of the atmosphere of “Abuelita” mixed with the rhythm of “State of the Union”. Some of the harmonies are pure gold. “Deer on the Parkway”, another new song, followed. He elaborated on the story of the original title (“Deer on the Saw Mill”) and that he didn’t like the implication: “Just… gore.” It sounds a bit like atmosphere of “Calling the Moon” mixed with the rhythm of “Parasol Ants”. I’m looking forward to hear a fully produced version.

“Abuelita” was the first real surprise. I really like how (so far) every Richard Shindell concert I attended featured a couple of songs I haven’t heard live before. I’m also fascinated that there appears to be a healthy mix of all studio albums in Richard’s setlists. In “Transit” he sang “Democrats and Republicans; but mainly Republicans”, which drew some laughter. The audience was “civil”, yet the closeness kept everybody attentive. “Get Up Clara” was groovy with its intricate finger picking and the dark atmosphere. In the middle part he inserted a talking bit that went like: “Here should be a bridge; but it would have to be an aqueduct.” He then promoted his “new” album, “Thirteen Songs You, Or May Not Have Heard Before”. He went on a detour about how it is not (yet) available in the U.S. – and how in the 80s people had always “gone to the UK” and then reappeared as rock stars. He translated this situation to his career in a hilarious way, saying that he’s hoping to raise his hipness factor by having a U.K.-only album – at least for another week before the U.S. release.

There was another unexpected song: “Canciòn Sencilla”. Once again, Richard spent almost as much time telling the story behind the lyrics as he spent playing the actual song. Did I mention that Richard was singing and playing fantastically? He took his time tuning and re-tuning his guitar, but apart from it was a great performance, technically flawless and still really intense. Between “Arrowhead” and “Reunion Hill” he recounted his encounters with civil war reenactors (that are attracted by his war songs) and how they asked him what kind of underwear the characters in his songs would have worn. Unlike the humorous chatter between songs, the actual song (“Reunion Hill”) was just sublime – so hauntingly beautiful! The encore was yet another surprise: “Mariana’s Table”, Richard’s favourite song off “Not Far Now”. He described his new home in Argentina at great length, suggesting that the seemingly endless pampa there would cause “horizontal vertigo”.

After the gig, Richard sold his CD and was, just like during the concert, very nice and talkative. All in all it had been a wonderful concert with many new songs, quite a few unexpected rarities, and some of the classical Shindell “hits”. Here’s the complete setlist:

• Fishing
• Your Guitar
• Deer on the Parkway
• Are You Happy Now?
• Abuelita
• Transit
• The Last Fare of the Day
• Get Up Clara
• Satellites
• Stray Cow Blues
• Canciòn Sencilla
• Arrowhead
• Reunion Hill
• There Goes Mavis
• Mariana’s Table

Last Sunday, Richard Shindell played at the Twickenham Folk Club (upstairs in the Cabbage Patch Pub). It was the third time I saw him live. This time around Richard’s music was augmented by the very tasteful electric guitar playing of Marc Shulman.

I won’t bother you with boring details (keeping that for the Shindell mailing list). Among my personal highlights were a fantastic version of “Fishing”, the groovy new “Stray Cow Blues”, the 3/4-and-yet-no-waltz taxi drive meets folk song masterpiece “The Last Fare of the Day”, and finally “Wisteria”, the achingly beautiful song about a nostalgic encounter with a place from one’s past. It doesn’t get better than this! The timeless story of “Reunion Hill” and the soothing darkness of “Nora” deserve a mention, as well.

Both musicians were in excellent shape. I loved how the whole gig was not a preprogrammed set but a dynamic journey through Richard’s repertoire (along with a couple of cover songs in between). Concert stables like “Transit” were thus played along with requests like “Nora” and “Confession”, the latter featuring very good impromptu arrangements by Marc Shulman. Richard kept telling stories in between songs, which added to the already rewarding concert experience. I really hope he’ll be back in Europe next year or so.

1. The Kenworth of My Dreams
2. You Stay Here
3. Transit
4. The Last Fare of the Day
5. She Belongs to Me
6. Fishing
7. Nora
8. A Change Is Gonna Come
9. Confession
10. Stray Cow Blues
11. Wisteria
12. Satellites
13. Get Up Clara
14. There Goes Mavis
15. A Summer Wind, a Cotton Dress
16. Reunion Hill
17. Arrowhead
18. One Man’s Arkansas

This is possibly the first song in music history that’s sung from the perspective of a happy washing machine. I’m planning on making a video to illustrate the various actions described in the lyrics. I just have to wait until the next laundry day. It’s six days later: the video is finished and my laundry is clean!

The music was heavily inspired by Irish folk songs. I really like the first chorus. I wish I could have used it more often in the song. But the narrative demanded an ongoing flow and the time limit prevented me from a more traditional verse-refrain arrangement. By the way, the tin whistle in the beginning is a real one.

#25 Laundry Day

I woke up to the sound of coins and got myself a drink
Got ready for the 40 degrees the afternoon would bring
A line of that white powder is all I really need
Now I can feel the power that brings me up to speed

So up and down and around it goes
The red and the blue and the white
So in and out the water flows
And it makes me feel all right

Hooray! Hooray! It’s laundry day
I’m going round in circles
You can feel my bottom rock
I’m going to eat that sock
I’m feeling drunk as I’m tumbling away

(words and music by Johannes Schult)