Jam Logs, the Podcast of The 1937 Flood

Songwriters are our patron saints, and we've got a bunch of 'em in The Flood. Bob Dylan and John Prine. Jean Ritchie and Hazel Dickens. Hoagie Carmichael and Fats Waller. Two others you might not be as familiar with -- Tampa Red and Georgia Tom -- have also been influencing us for decades. Now, back in the mid-1970s, Roger Samples and Charlie Bowen stumbled upon some raucous old 1920s recordings of Tampa Red and Georgia's Tom's Chicago group called The Famous Hokum Boys. Rog and Charlie introduced Dave Peyton and Joe Dobbs to these silly, happy tunes, and the rest, as they say, is hysteria. Well, here's a recording from a rehearsal just a few weeks ago that shows that in the latest incarnation of The Flood, that spirit of hokum is still alive and well.

This week's freebie features our Valentine's Day (plus one) special. Flood sweetheart Michelle Lewis brought valentines to the table last night. Now, we can't give you any of the Krispy Kreme donuts she and her mom brought in -- they're all gone this morning -- but we can share one of Michelle's even sweeter gifts: a tune for last night. She had us all following her, walkin' after midnight. Click to hear the tune.

We were already having a great rehearsal last night when Paul and Randy, our newest Floodsters, trotted out a tune that just shook the room. Back in 1969, a Scottish band called Marmalade released an original composition, "Reflections of My Life," that became an instant hit around the globe, in part because it spoke of life in an uncertain age. Last night we were all struck by how the song resonates in our time too. Now, we like to use these podcasts to sometimes give you a taste of a tune before the full arrangement gets worked out. This is a case in point. "Reflections" is likely to be on The Flood's set list often in the months to come, and this is where it starts.

A band that's been around for more than 40 has a pretty big extended family -- current members, former members, brothers and sisters, moms and dads, long-time buddies and new friends just now coming through the door. On an especially chatty evening like last night, the stories we tell each other at a rehearsal can claim just about as much times as the songs we play. Well, it occurs to us that one particular tune we do -- one we've played at events as diverse as happy reunions and, well, more often at bittersweet departures -- comes very close to crystallizing that feeling of such a long communion. Here's to all our dear companions.

One of the joys in rehearsing each week is watching and listening as new tunes become Flood tunes. Now, a new song sometimes feels like a new pair shoes, promising but still pinching. Other times, though, that new tune immediately feels like a comfortable old pair of slippers. Here's a case in point. At home over the weekend, Doug Chaffin started picking that old Freddy Fender standard, "Before the Next Teardrop Falls." Doug and Charlie tried it out as an instrumental on Monday night during a jam session at Doug's house. Then yesterday morning Charlie went on the Internet and printed out the lyrics so he could have them waiting for Michelle when she and the guys arrived last night for the weekly practice. As we ran through the new number, we immediately realized we needed to transpose it into a better key, and here's the result. It's second take on the tune, with solos by Doug, Paul and Sam, harmonies by Randy and Charlie and, of course, Michelle's beautiful lead.

It's interesting sometimes what the last tune of the evening is. If it's been an especially neat session, we just don't want to give in to the tyranny of the clock and call it quits, and somebody -- usually Charlie -- will say, "Aw, let's do this one more." However, on this particular evening, it was Doug Chaffin who kept the night going just a little bit longer by launching into one of his favorite tunes, Gershwin's "Lady Be Good," and the result? One of the finest moments of the night!

We are so looking forward to this Saturday night's gig. We're playing at one of our favorite venues, Charleston's beautiful, exciting Taylor Books at 226 Capitol Street. Last night we finalized the set list for the show, which starts at 7:30. Come on out, Charleston, and party like a Floodster waaaaaay downtown!

Our newest bandmates -- Randy Hamilton and Paul Martin -- have brought us such riches: excellent musicianship, extraordinary vocals (leads and harmonies) and warm, lasting friendship. They're also introducing us to some exciting new songs. For instance, last night we greeted the new year with a song by the wonderful Kentucky-born singer-songwriter Chris Stapleton, who these days routinely sweeps award ceremonies. On this track, that's Randy on lead vocal. And our friend Kim Kartes sits in to join Paul with some great harmony on the choruses. Also you'll hear Jacob Scarr on the guitar solo, as he got in one more evening with the Family Flood before heading back to law school in Colorado at the end of the week. So, this is our first take of Chris Stapleton's "Angel of the Night."

Jacob Scarr first played with The Flood in the fall of 2007 when he was just 14 years old. Eventually he joined the band as its youngest member ever, playing with us until 2011 when he left for college in Boulder, Colorado. These days, we don't get to see Youngblood nearly often enough -- he's busy as a first-year law student at the University of Colorado -- so one of our joys at Christmas time is Jacob's annual homecoming, when he always makes time for a couple jam sessions with the old crowd, and he's sounding better than ever.

Doug Chaffin was still a teenager when his daddy bought him a brand new 1958 Gibson Les Paul. Now, more than 50 years later, Doug's still got that guitar -- heck, he's still got the original sales receipt! -- and on special occasions, Doug brings that beauty out to jam with The Flood. Last night was one of those occasions.