Newsletter, September 2007 – The Kitchen Musician

Hello Friends,
Welcome to the September 2007 issue of The Kitchen Musician, my occasional newsletter. Contents:

  • Upcoming Shows
  • Some Recent News
  • “The Jolly Glazier”, music © Larry Hanks, new words © Tom Smith
    My song about the joys of glazing windows!

Upcoming Shows

Sept. 20, Thursday:
I am the feature performer at the Rose Room Review @Rose Garden, Upton, MA. The open mic performers start at 8:00 pm. The feature set (that’s me) starts about 8:50 pm for about an hour. The Rose Room is upstairs. Friendly place, cozy, small, with a dinner menu and bar. Click for directions. Not far from the first exit on I-495, south of the Mass. Pike.

Sept 21, Friday:
Main Streets Market and Cafe, Friday, Sept 21, 2007 in Concord, MA. Right on Main Street in the center of town. I will be doing a 30 minute guest set at 9:00 pm for Two For the Show. I have known these folks for years. They play an enjoyable mix of swing, country, folk and originals… Jake on guitar and Ellen on base. Music runs from 8:00 pm. until 11:00 pm, with my set at 9:00 pm. Come for dinner, or just a drink. (You might want to make a reservation if you plan on dinner).

Sept. 30, Sunday:
I will be one of several performers helping A Gentle Wind (award winning publisher of recordings for children, and publisher of my recording “Chip Off the New Block”) to celebrate their 26th anniversary. The concert is at 5:00 pm at the Steamer No. 10 Children’s Theatre in Albany, NY. Details forthcoming, as this is a tentative booking. (Check my web site for the latest info or click to see other upcoming shows.)


Some Recent News

My song “Talking Post Trauma Blues” continues to gain momentum on Neil Young’s Living With War Today web site. The video is ranked #5 (out of 285 anti-war videos) and the audio is ranked #4 (out of 2125 songs). Thanks to all who have clicked to vote. The response I have received from veterans and their families has been heartening. Some of the comments I received:

“It’s right on and soothes my anger. Thanks. – Netherlands”

“Thank you Tom…you know few will understand – Nobody cares about us but us – always been that way, always will, – USA”

“This is sooo how my husband feels. – USA”

“Fantastic! When is everyone going to wake up? – USA”

“I have forwarded your ptsd song to all of my friends. My husband is in the marine corps and back in california he did 2 tours. A few friends have died, and a few have come back so messed up. It’s hard to know what to do sometimes. It is good that there are people out there that can understand and empathize with my friends. anyways THANKYOU for setting it straight – USA”


Mally Smith will Appear on a DC Compilation CD

Pale Green © 2007 Mally Smith (Click to play audio)

In other news, my daughter (and occasional singing partner) Mally Smith’s original song “Pale Green” has been chosen for inclusion on a forthcoming Modern Times Cafe compilation of Washington, DC singer/songwriters. She did this recording in our living room to make the deadline for submission. Thanks to Mally’s friend John Keefe for dropping by after work with his electric guitar. Stay tuned for more details as they become available. I enjoyed sharing the stage for several shows with Mally this summer. We have another local show planned in January.


This Month’s New Song

The Jolly Glazier,
new words © 2007 Tom Smith, music © Larry Hanks

Autumn is just around the corner, so of course all good homeowners are turning to tasks that must be done before the snow flies… like all of that window glazing that was deferred from last year’s “to do” list. My house, for example, has exactly 30 windows, with which I am intimately acquainted.

This month’s song is my parody of Larry Hanks’ “Apple Picker’s Reel”. Larry wrote his song while working as an apple picker in California. On the contrary, I wrote this song while avoiding the tedious task of glazing the many windows in my house in Dedham, MA. The audio version includes me backing myself up on banjo and mandolin. Caution: the infectious chorus has pandemic potential.


Click To Play “The Jolly Glazier” Video

UPDATE: Here is how this songs on my 2011 CD, “Journey Home”

I never met Larry Hanks, even though we both performed at the Fox Hollow Folk Festival in Petersburg, NY. I have long enjoyed his music from a distance. Larry has shared recording credits with the likes of Jerry Garcia, Mike Seeger, Jody Stecher, and has worked with Malvina Reynolds, Utah Phillips, and even Janis Joplin (so I am told). Although very accomplished and well respected among old-time musicians, Larry appears to prefer to stay out of the limelight. You can find him singing his “Apple Picker’s Reel” on “Smithsonian Folkways recording Oldtime and Country Style Music of Berkeley”, and also on this delightful video.

Larry Hanks
Larry Hanks, Photo © 2006 Tim Porter, used by permission

Here are the lyrics to my song. Take care — once you start singing this song, it can be very difficult to get it out of your head.

The Jolly Glazier
– new words © 2007, Tom Smith
– music “Apple Picker’s Reel” by Larry Hanks (BMI) © Zippity Whippet Music, used by permission

Fall is here and the leaves are red
It’s early in the morning and I’m rising out of bed
I’ve got a job to do, I’ve put it off too long
So you’ll hear me sing my glazier song

Chorus:
Hey ho, been a long long time
Standing out upon the ladder in the bright sunshine
Hey ho, gonna’ lose my brain
If I work on one more window pane

I start with a scrapper and work it all around
Flake the paint and putty as it falls upon the ground
Glaze it nice and easy as I go around the bend
Oops! I slip and break the window, gotta’ start it all again

So I go to the store, get a window glass
I bring it home to cut it, what a pain in the neck
Score it on the top and support it from beneath
Say a prayer and bend it gently, while I grit my teeth

My knees are shaky and my arms are sore
I’ve only got to do just twenty nine more
This antique ladder is a wobbly wreck
I’ll be lucky if I finish with a one-piece neck

At the top of the ladder there’s a real good view
I can see my neighbor pulling on an ice cold brew
Oh, what the heck I think I’ll have me a beer
This glazing can wait for another year

Note: Compare my song with Larry Hanks’ Apple Picker’s Reel.

What do you think?

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1 Comment
  • Susan Noble
    September 8, 2007

    Yes, I received the newsletter in my regular Email so it looks as if the spam problem is solved. Loved the newsletter and chuckled listening to the Glazer Song. How both heart rending and reaffirming the letters from the vets must be.