Saturday Matinee #9 -- The Ballad Rewrite Episode 1/29/22
Channel: Midway Fair
Date: 2022-01-30

While I won't say the practice is unique to me, I don't personally know many songwriters that rewrite ancient ballads into modern contexts. This weekend's solo stream will feature a small selection of them that I've written throughout the last decade along with ballads written in that style. Picks include the ancient epic of Hind Horn translated to 90's small-town America, Riddles Wisely Expounded in a mythical rural America during the westward expansion, my take on Henry the Vee, and ... well, I'll see what else fits.
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Set list (chapter markers start at the intro to the song with the history of the reference material):
00:00 Intro
02:12 Two Crows (from The Distance of the Moon at Daybreak, based on the literary ballad "Twa Corbies")
07:09 The Marriage of Sir Gawain (from the Lost EP, based in part on the ballads of similar names and others in the "loathly lady" category)
14:22 The Field of Agincourt (from No Fortunes / FAWM 2015)
19:00 Riddles (Summer Will Be Coming Soon) (from The Howling Tongue of Each Other / FAWM 2016, based in part on "Riddles Wisely Expounded")
26:03 David and Jane (unreleased from FAWM 2014, based on "Hind Horn")

Songs available at
midwayfair.bandcamp.com
baltimericana.bandcamp.com
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Saturday Matinees are weekly live (whenever possible) streams on the Midway Fair YouTube channel. Subscribe to the channel (or to the mailing list) to get notified of future shows.