Episode Summary
Summer is departing, gradually and beautifully giving way to the coolness of early fall, and the colors to come. This fall and winter, now that the virtual camps and festivals are wrapping up, and the warm days of playing tunes outside become fewer, I hope that the songs of summer still echo in our hearts, and we can store their energy away for the winter, just as now many of us are canning tomatoes and freezing vegetables. All the musical selections this week were written in honor of friends and loved ones, or in collaboration with them. This week we have music from Buddy System, the Teacups, Everest Witman, Windborne, and Anna Patton. Julie reads a poem by Susan Reid and Ben Williams reads a poem by Emily Dickinson. Take care, everyone.
Episode Notes
1. Serenity Knoll / Dragon Hatchery – Buddy System (Brattleboro, VT and Asheville, NC). These tunes were written for two dear friends in the dance community from Jonesborough, TN. Performed by Julie Vallimont and Noah VanNorstrand on their album Ride the Wheel. www.buddysystemband.com/
2. Morris Set – The Teacups (Medford, MA and UK). These delightful tunes are from the Teacups! The Teacups are Alex Cumming, Kate Locksley, Rosie Calvert, and Will Finn. from their upcoming album In Which…, available for preorder. www.theteacups.co.uk/
3. One foot in summer, by Susan Reid (Montpelier, VT). Read by Julie Vallimont (Brattleboro, VT).
4. Golden Anniversary – Everest Witman (Montréal, QC). Everest composed, recorded, and produced this piece for his grandparents, who just celebrated 50 years of marriage together. www.facebook.com/everestwitmanmusic/
5. As imperceptibly as grief, by Emily Dickinson. Read by Ben Williams (Northampton, MA), with fiddle accompaniment by Rachel Panitch (Boston, MA). Ben writes, “I love this poem — the way Emily Dickinson describes summer like a familiar old friend, and how summer’s light is not fading or dying, but escaping ‘into the beautiful,’ makes it a little easier to bear.“
6. Songs Stay Sung – Zoe Mulford (Manchester, UK) and Windborne (MA and VT). Windborne collaborated on this performance with Zoe Mulford. Lauren Breunig writes, “We were able to spend a few days at [Zoe’s] house in Manchester (England) at the end of our UK tour in March. Zoe wrote the melody and lyrics of Songs Stay Sung, and in two whirlwind days we arranged, rehearsed, and recorded the track.” Visit the YouTube link for a video of their performance. https://windborne.bandcamp.com/track/songs-stay-sung https://youtu.be/b7p\_z40Zii4 www.zoemulford.com
7. Elephant’s Tail – Anna Patton (Brattleboro, VT). Anna wrote, performed, and recorded this tune for Charis Boke’s birthday. It takes its title from William Stafford’s poem A ritual to read to each other. www.annapatton.com/
The opening music is “The Pearl in Sorrow’s Hand” by Julie Vallimont, from her album Dark Sky, Bright Stars. Produced by Julie Vallimont. Mixed and mastered by Dana Billings. All content courtesy of the artists, all rights reserved. This series is supported in part by the Country Dance and Song Society, NEFFA, and Pinewoods Camp. If you enjoy this podcast, please consider supporting it via Patreon: www.patreon.com/starsintherafters