Jam Logs, the Podcast of The 1937 Flood

 Danny and Randy brought us this song just a couple of weeks ago and in no time it became a rehearsal night favorite. Here’s our latest take on the tune, with Randy doing the honors on the vocals and everybody taking a turn on the solos.

 We have a different kind of podcast this week. Recently, the band has been working on some original compositions. This particular melody is one I started writing with back in the late 1970s, but you know what? Even after 40 years, the thing still doesn’t even have a name. Figures, I guess, for a song that’s about … well, procrastination. Anyway, this week’s podcast invites you to eavesdrop as The Flood starts to craft an arrangement for this quirky little tune.  

 The weekly Flood rehearsal has always been an eclectic affair. A typical night will travel from old jazz standards of the 1930s and ‘40s with their flurry of quirky chords to little-known jug band tunes and blues. Maybe we’ll stop along the way to sample a few Flood originals that are still busy being born. And often, after all that musical wandering, we’ll end up back at some simpler folk song of our youth. Last week, for instance, the last tune of the evening was this haunting Perry County, Ky., composition that the great Jean Ritchie built on just two well-considered chords.

 This song has been floating around the Floodisphere for many years, but it didn’t really take flight until Vanessa came along to blend it with a soulful Old World aire, and then Randy stepped up to take the lead on the vocals. Here, with pensive soloing by Dan and Sam, is our merging of the thoroughly American “Dink’s Song” with Scotland’s lovely “Loch Lomond.”  

 This tune really hasn’t made The Flood set list yet — we’ve only just started working with it — but it sure seems like it wants to settle down with us. Here listen to everybody listening to everybody else. For instance, midway through, check out how Veezy’s solo establishes a lovely mood which Danny then beautifully echos when he takes his turn. Yeah, it’s not a regular Floodified number yet, but, hey, stay tuned.

 While Charlie has given his new banjo a nickname — it’s “Buzz Kill” to us in the Flood— the instrument actually does have its moments, especially when then tune on the table turns out to be of the old folksong variation. Here — as Danny, Randy, Sam and Charlie have a go at this classic Eric Andersen tune from the 1960s — the banjo brings a nice little trot.

 When we first started fiddling with this tune, it didn’t seem to gel for us. But that was back before our brother Randy Hamilton returned to the fold after being gone for a couple of years. And lately, when we’ve discovered that it was one of Randy’s all-time favorite songs, we just turned the vocals over to him and suddenly “Moondance” has started finding its footing in The Flood. Here’s the latest rendition, with solos by the whole crew, Danny, Sam and Veezy.

 Regular listeners love all those scintillating sax solos by Vanessa Coffman, and with good reason! For more than two years now, this talented 22-year-old has been rocking our repertoire. But member of the her Flood family know Veezy also is a fine singer, as demonstrated in this song that she has brought us earlier this year. Listen as Danny Cox leads us on beautifully framing this lovely vocal.  

 Our 2022 take of this old favorite was the very first tune we played on a happy summer evening at the Bowen House just  few weeks ago. Veezy Coffman was just back from a month’s vacation with her family, and can’t you just hear how everyone in the room was so happy to be with her again?

 For us, a perfect warmup song to get ready for an evening of music is one whose chords are familiar enough that we don’t have to think about them too hard, but also give us enough stretching out room so that we can just sit back and enjoy each other’s company. This happy tune from Grandpa’s day checks all the boxes.