WUMB In-Studio Interview/Performance; Michael Smith

But I have heard cropping up more and more. Bob Franken spoke glowingly of dealing with her one when he came in right after his most recent album had come out. She's incredible. We've been kind of kidding and calling other George Martin of folk music you know after all Martin did with The Beatles it was him and she she does everything she can do charts around she has great ears. She's enthusiastic. I think she's going to be very much in demand I hope I can you know work with her again. Hope she has time and great respect for the musicians she's working with. Nothing overwhelms the the artist. Now she I she's just a she's incredible. She she is great as she's tireless work after it's a 14 hour session. I'm kind of losing focus and thinking maybe it's time for happy hour somewhere and she's going well I think the reverb you know on a track eight is wrong let me adjust that I don't know how she can hear that stuff you know you come back after happy hour it sounds fun. Yes I was great yeah. We got to play something for the album by the way

called the standing eight something we may get back to what what should we hear first. Well. Oh I don't know I yeah I'm kind of partial to girls of Santa Fe and I've got my traditional Appalachian fretless trumpets. And you wouldn't happen know off the top of your head which its own practice on the second side it's a second song. So that would make it number nine number nine. He is this guy knows his record he's heard it before once or twice. Why don't we hear. You the girls of Santa Fe. Stroll around. The Bay stop right where the evening song both. Of the girls. Have a. Dream of Malibu. Do

they stay at home to keep dream alive. Through. Or are young. Right. You smile once for me. Magic beans made it. To the girls. Patrick A. Promise to be true when it comes down my arm to my hand I. Kept in our. Room. Give the girl. Paris. Here the jets go by. Today. Ma'am we're still. Just out. He said. There are young trees to the. Backyard trees. To. Use mild ones for me. Greens made it. And give the details out by. Asking the boys to leave. Is there

any room for love once the heart is filled with these. Are our communities to our young. You smile along from me. Dreams fade in. Size. Or are you off to. Or are you free just to use my. Dreams made it. Tight. The girls of Santa Fe. Bill Morrissey who was with us in the studio the album title standing eight it's a boxing term

for one a fighter is taking a beating. In the ring. In some states the referee can step in the guy's basically out on his feet but he won't go down. And the ref can step in and call it. A call standing eight count which is ruled as a knock down. And that way the action stops as if it were knocked down and there's a count till 8 the mandatory 8 and then the ref looks. At the fighters to see if he can continue. But it's. That how that applies to the record as I just think there are people. A lot of characters. On the record are taking some form of standing ATO or another. I had a lot of the characters are Bill Morrissey Well they're all fiction you know. I mean I mean I look at my songs always fiction there's autobiographical stuff and in a good chunk of them. But. If you treat it as fiction you have the. The power to change things around. The right to take liberties and not offend things in court.

Well yeah I love that. But you can make a better song sometimes because if it's if you just write what happens a lot of times what happen. Isn't that interesting. But you can take how you felt in a certain situation and then. Express that by bringing in different elements. You know I sing in the first person a lot. But I don't think of it ever really as as me. I think of it as a character and sometimes it's a composite of maybe some of my characteristics but combined with another person and how that combination would react in a certain situation. So you're not really Irish and Polish and going and. Well no you know it's like the line in in motels in Plains you know I don't drink as much as they think I do. I do write about it but I am Irish and Polish. But again you know I.

Just approach it from an affection. Point of view. You know some of these songs sounded like they were really tough to write. Some are very very personal. Yeah yeah I went through. Some stuff in the last couple years a lot of things kind of fell apart for me some stuff business wise really relationship wise. And I just. Kind of wanted to lay low and kind of regroup and then. And just you know figure some stuff out. So now if you know I think I've done that you know the next album shouldn't be as the pressing. But then you know then again I mean I try to mix it up too with you had songs like party at the U.N. or Car and Driver which are those are those are kind of goofing off goofing off on the job you know you kind of 20 minutes to knock one of those off and it's their fun you don't have to worry if they're any good or not.

When people are first acquainted with Bill Morrissey I sometimes think their introduction must be a lot like their introduction to Christine Lavin. You get on with the funny stuff. And then you carry them along and there's something very very rich and very deep in the other material once you carry them along you know that's gone most like chicken and the egg I don't know which which gets some first comedy has a more immediate reaction at least for me. I'm more at ease on stage once I've heard the first laugh more than the first applause. But I just like to balance it out. I enjoy doing the funny stuff but the serious things are the reason I get up in the morning that. That's what I'm more concerned with. So I just try to strike a balance. Since we're so carefully rehearsed what should we be playing next but I want to know how about. Motels and planes. I don't know about summer night and that's about what I like. OK.

And you were part of the Wyndham Hill legacy now album and subsequent tour where they brought some of their artists around show them around and how was the response to that. I think it was pretty good it was some of the shows. I think weren't advertised as as well as they should have been. Because it was a last minute and you know there's some some confusion but I think that the shows went. Very smoothly everybody was a pro. we've been doing this a while so. You know when you get like us. In New York say the bottom line there are seven acts. So getting that you know seven acts on and off in a two hour slot is hard but everybody really stayed to the time limit. We got a lot of travel as a low budget tour so I would drive with David Massey on Cliff Eberhardt down a fella and take him down to DC. And I'll do my muffler but if it came it doesn't matter

to you know it doesn't matter. I'll get up you know. But we had a lot of fun. And for those of us who have been looking at that legacy elm as perhaps a bellwether is it too early to to read anything into it what it means for not just Wyndham Hill getting involved in acoustic music but for acoustic music getting perhaps more commercial more successful. I don't feel to be more commercial but more so. Well I mean not in the sense of corruption but I think it's the demand for commercial for acoustic music is is increasing. Sarah Hickman who is on the legacy album signed with Electra. Which is you know I guess Tracy Chapman's label to Cliff Eberhardt and is negotiating with Wyndham he may have signed now. GORKA has signed Pierce is signed. That just seems to be you know greater interest. John's album is out there. I mean because for years

through the late 70s early 80s you know a folk singer couldn't get arrested no you couldn't get tapes to listen to it just you know it couldn't happen we were really at the bottom of the totem pole. And it started to pick up with my suzanne vega came out and. And kind of kicked things wide open. And of course then everybody said well that was a fluke. You know then and Tracy Chapman came around and. I mean it's a graph of his doing doing really well. So who knows I just I just think it's healthier. It's a much help healthier scene all around. And the clubs seem to be doing well all around the country. There's more media attention there's more airplay. So I so I you know I'm hopeful and you're seeing a lot more of the country and and beyond to talk about that when we when we come back after summer night. Travel the river from man

never found the truth and where never broke. That would me. I said. Somehow. Using your power I as the back. Down to the. This might be just wrong. To. Bring. Out such a love song tonight. You're saying this writing is starting to grow. Wait not on the spot where the new White House.

Paul Walker hall. Man give me your. Mind. Is that's a lot of blues. Some tonight. Hold a grudge look good. You make of the messing around wall to make good progress. And maybe that's. Where the song. I was such a

lovely. From a. Very young trans when you start doing wrong. Great mama's love. You as a. Walker. A good. Day. My mom. Is such a lovely song tonight. Is such a lovely. Song. Summer nights from Bill Morrissey's album standing 8. You were telling me while the song was playing and.

That you've been doing this for 20 years 20 years and 69. Yeah. I went. To a small state school in New Hampshire for about. Five seven weeks somewhere around there and decided that. And just. Started playing music full time. I mean it's. You know part of it is I couldn't get make an 8 o'clock class I couldn't. I can do anything in the morning. So music seem to fit the hours sounds reasonable to me. But yeah so they're they're pretty lean years in the beginning I was just trying to learn the craft learn to play guitar learned to sing in the same key I was playing and. Learn to write. So there was a lot of listening time studying you know on my own and working a lot of jobs that have fed those songs over the years as little as possible but that they they were a lot. Yeah there were a lot of jobs. I'd much rather. You know scrape by playing music and then work a day job.

I don't back then. My time is more important and if I could get. I could live pretty cheaply if I was 17. You don't have. A lot of things. You don't you know you don't need to worry about car insurance or dental bills things like that you may need it but you don't need to worry yeah yeah yeah. You know when you're 17 you're. You can't be hurt you know you're invulnerable and so you think. And yet it's only within the last what two or three years that you started working with the rest of the country on a regular basis. When North came out about three years ago I've been working. The East Coast the northeast pretty much and I'd lived out in California work for a little bit and lived down in Texas and worked there a little bit. But when North came out I started getting some calls from the cactus cafe in Austin a fellow.

Just called me up. You know got my number from around her and said you know Well Bill you're getting a lot of airplay down here you know would you come down I said sure. And so I did that and when I worked McCabe's in some other places around the L.A. area you know up and started doing the festivals the Canadian festivals and stuff like that. And you've got a whole lot more touring coming up. Yeah I'm going to be actually going to be really busy we've been laying low just for the last six months just working some local stuff. I just wanted to be around to get the record done checking out artwork checking out. You know test pressings and all that and I'll be going out. I'll be in California do a West Coast thing probably from L.A. up to Vancouver. And March sometime between sometime around then I'll be I'll be doing a Southern two or. And then in April I'm going to Germany for about six states right now I think we're going to add Italy and some dates in Scotland and Ireland.

And then when I come back and do the. 21 days straight it passin down doesn't know that yet but it's in the fine print. You'll find out and then who knows after that probably. Maybe even Providence. You're really going for the big time for the start of all the stops Ripon. Yes I will be will be doing a lot of stuff to the show. Now Chicago in Ann Arbor on those dates. How do you like touring as a what you thought it was going to be. Yeah it's you know it's like any job there are pros and cons it's. It's fun sometimes. I would you know you get to see friends you don't you know and you make friends and that sort of stuff but if you do it for a long time alone it gets to be a drag. It's great if you can travel with a roadie or another musician a lot of times. You know if you're doing

twin bills like Patty Larkin I used to tour together outside New England you know our draws were what we was much stronger together and it was fun just as you know share the driving or show the flying talking. Because after a while you just kind of you know after a month by yourself on the road you. He gets a little weird. But yeah I mean it's not it's just part of the job. I play motels on planes now. Yeah sure. OK. Here I. Sit here back in this. World of this and the following stuff. Is a good place to start. It's a hard place to play tonight. Right. Here. Tonight all. Right. So tell me what's news. Re your guitar I. Never thought you'd be with. That side of the bar. They call me at. 1

0 0 1 for you you know I don't drink as much as a big guy do. A neat smile time a three piece band you know jealously clanging. But the beat swot once my dream. I've got no right to come by. But it. Is up have me a box. Of songs from the state. Of karma. Anyhow. It was made along the road. For months upon months. In fact. And each of. The was Ramos was. Facing the same choice. For his advice. And all. That. To me. Is Play safe and Madness you've got tails and play. Couches and boards and they'll pay through the nose. For the single.

That meet. Again. Smile. It's seat. Train. Now see. A neat smooth once my seat. I've got no right to gum my feet. With. With. Anything. That. Moved. Along doing the door thank you very meek and mild live. Aid together. No. I don't know what. The new what I did wrong. You know me I'm getting into a song. Me on the road. There's no turning back. The way. Back. Now young.

And drinking in song. In the wild ways did. You ever. Get. A. Smile. And it seems. A strange. Thing. Once my. Feet. Got no money. Motels in flames. Bill Morrissey from his new album standing eight. And you will be performing a number of songs from the album. I would suspect this weekend just might yeah. I passed him. I guess I should plug it I'm there. Don't guess tomorrow is tomorrow night and Saturday night and Sunday. I think it's 8:00 and 10:30

and then Sunday it's 3:00 and 8:00 o'clock and 8:00 o'clock. So come on down if you have to pin that your sweater. Yeah you know I've got idiot straps for you know for when I'm on. But I'll be doing some a lot of stuff if there's no one. And coupled ones and some stuff that's newer than this record that I'll be trying some stuff out. Over the course of the week and new things that are kind of works in progress. How does that work. What kind of feedback do you do you seek when you try out a new song or how how finished is it by the time you go up on stage with it for the first time. Well usually I think it's close to being finished but sometimes it surprises you. If the audience gives a real weak response you kind of. Rethink it a bit. But it's more of an intuitive thing you can tell. How people react to certain lines and whatever and just by

singing it takes a while. To learn how to. Perform a song. It has to settle in. A bit you know and so you in your reading of it can change. You might accent one line initially and then realize no it's better overall if I if I hit this line harder and that you can only do with with an audience. You know I think it's a lot a lot of it's intuitive. And it must be different when you're in a studio and you've got backup musicians and have some excellent ones on this album. Yeah I love that that was fun this is I've been calling as my first adult record you know as far as recording with this is the one we did with I've never worked with a click track or done the vocals last that sort of stuff which Darlene was great about. And then we got that we got the musicians we wanted. For this I'm really. Honored a lot of these people. You know are willing to play with a few names that might be familiar like

Suzanne Vega Patty Larkin John Cunningham David Buskin Robin Betto Shawn Colvin. Yeah I got a couple. Not a not a bad one children who are looking for work and what the heck I throw him a bone right. Well yeah you know it's I'm a nice guy. But it was I wanted certain people for certain things like Robin has a more emotional more. Emotive. I don't know if that's the right word style of violin playing. And I used him I she's that kind of mystery. And Johnny Cunningham had to sing like a dryer. Kind of style which I wanted on handsome Ali simile I wanted Suzanne's kind of coolness. And handsome Ali and Schilens. Wrench your heart out kind of singing and she's that kind of mystery. You know I wouldn't work the other way around. So I was able to piece it you know get what I wanted.

Having done that. Gone through the experience of this adult album now when you're raw when you're writing songs when you're working out new songs are you thinking in broader terms about how they're going to be presented. I've been doing that for a while though. I just it took a long time to learn how to use a studio and feel confident in a studio I've always thought in terms of back up years ago. When I used to play every Sunday at a place in Newmarket you have to call the stone church. You know they had a hoot where musicians got a free roast beef dinner and all the beer you could drink. And so it attracted a lot of musicians. Bluegrass bands and reggae bands and I think late Sunday I would have a different backup group we're all friends united seemed during the week. And so one week I might have my bass player Greg Wesley who's Dick Bass and have a sax adobo and two female singers the next week I would have an accordion and a banjo and a

clarinet player and a fiddle player. I mean it but we had worked out arrangements it was so it was. It gave me a chance to experiment with combining different instruments using instruments that aren't necessarily folk music instruments. You know taking them out of context and kind of I'm a great approach to arranging I guess one thing that I've noticed has changed a bit in this last album is your vocal delivery. I mean you're still not doing a Pavarotti imitation. Yeah you got that one. But the style is a little bit different a little bit less. What's the polite term quirky quirky I guess. I just you know I. I'm kind of amazed that I can. Come near the quay I'm seeing and these days my voice I think has gotten better and I think it's gotten a little lower maybe richer. I'm able to do more with it. So maybe I didn't I'm that I have to work as hard as I did before is still a struggle I just. You

know I can bribe my way to a note. But. Also recording singing without having to play guitar just listening I was able to concentrate on the voice and I think you know it was Mike to the over the mike which gives it a warmer. Sound. But I think generally my singing is is better. To be kind of awful if it had gotten worse. But it's it's really well-matched to be the character that you establish in the songs and the way the songs work and it's a very good strong package. Gray eyed and kind of in the in the songs themselves throughout. One thing that frustrates me as an announcer is your songs are never long enough so that I can go to the back wall and pick up a coke and then come back to the studio or whatever these corridors just for a minute so if you feel OK well I put it well a New Way album holds promise but. Everything is extremely tight. I don't get the sense there's a wasted line in

any song you've written. I've spent a lot of time paring things down editing to what I think is essential. If it doesn't absolutely have to be there I throw it out and I cut it out. Thought a guy I don't know a lot of people don't do that have trouble doing that I just you know I'd rather understated. It's just been always been my approach. You know I like I like that kind of affection. You know. You know Randy Newman is good about really inspires things Ray Carver. You know it's good that way. I'd say having which I like but he's all the women would hate me. He's fallen out of fashion and I and Bill Morris He's good like that. Bill another track of your choice. I mean she's a kind of mystery. OK if you need any set up just a. Love Song Shawn sings a syncopated harmony on it that I really like. And Robin better one by one.

OK Bill Morrissey this weekend Passim and Eden 10:30 tomorrow night and Saturday night and Sunday at 3:00 an 8 o'clock the album standing 8 2. Excellent initial reviews. Thanks very much for joining us but thank you John. You're. Going to get to her live performer ever. She's the Rasmus I was the same. She's asked as a summer. She's the kind of story. You. Can write a song with her.

The song will take you away. For you. From the start. You'll never write a song to make your stay. In the sack. Drinking in the way of bread. Crumbs. In a sad. Love songs from the calm of a smile. But it isn't you stay a while. And she followed us we. Will let. You know.

You will know the figure. For it. My pledge for our. Machine. What is my. Love. Come to the founder of a dream in the with the right. From. The start. From the calm of a smile. But it isn't. You don't stay alive. To.

Her. Little boy read. She's a brat. Both are of the same. 2000 as the song done. She's that. Kind of missed. It. It was Harvey Reed an instrumental called the albatross a new compact disc

called solo guest guitar sketchbook a collection of original traditional and contemporary acoustic guitar music. And that's Herbie Reed original. It's 21 minutes before seven o'clock thanks very much to Bill Morrissey who joined us in the studio to chat a little bit and play some of the tracks from his new album standing eight. We will run through the list of community calendar announcements and give away a pair of tickets to hear Bill Morrissey overpass. Coming up here on WNBA FM before we do that let's hear from Rory Block. I'm going. To the street. And Joan. Was.

Home. I don't. Know. How. To have a good time when we. Don't sit down. Was. OK. How. To. Shop. Fraser and.

Soon. To. Do. The bangs. How. Was it. Come on be. Heard. Plan.

To. Eat. Sit down on the banks let's look. Only WM a community calendar coming up at 7:30 this evening a performance by Aztec two step. It's the monthly WNBA fam member concert here at the University of Massachusetts at Boston. Did I mention we are WNBA FM public radio broadcasting from the University of Massachusetts at Boston. Yes. Other items on the community calendar this evening. Ellis Paul and Jim Murphy are a Christopher is in Cambridge at eight o'clock. Kenji Ogata is performing at Passim in Cambridge at 8:30 she

was with us a little bit earlier in the week performing live in the studio. Willie non-injury is featured at the open mike at the old Vienna coffee house in Westboro starting at 8:00 o'clock tonight. Julie Dorothy at Pappy on in Brookline at 8 and Jon Stewart Johnny's in Somerville at 9:30. Tomorrow evening it's Taylor not yet Christopher is in Cambridge at 9. Oh did I mention Bill Morrissey and Pat Donahue at Passim in Cambridge 8:00 and 10:30 tomorrow evening. Phil and Johnny Cunningham along with Broderick Hormats Somerville Theatre at 8 o'clock. There's an open mike at the nameless coffeehouse in Cambridge tomorrow evening at 7 at 8 o'clock rather. Performers are asked to get there by seven. Bob Frankie and Bernice Lewis will be at the New Moon coffeehouse in Hay virility 8 o'clock. Jon Stewart and Pete Kennedy at the old Vienna coffee house in Westboro performances at 7 and 10 o'clock. Tracy Moore will be at the Orchard coffee house at the First Parish Church in Stowe at 8 o'clock. Barbara bacon Denis Pern at the second Friday coffee house in Belmont at eight o'clock. Geoff Warner and Jeff Davis at the University

Lutheran Church in Cambridge that's also at 8. Michael Smith will perform at the Paulist chapel in Boston at 7:30. That's a benefit for the El Salvador sister community project. Incidentally n Hills was supposed to be performing with Michael Smith there and on Saturday at the listening place coffeehouse in Burlington. Michael Smith will be making those engagements and hills is indisposed and will not be Peter Rowan Robert Earl Keen Jr. 10 Larkin and the smoking section at workman's hall in Norwood at 7:30 tomorrow evening. Also on Friday how he burst in and they saw him bray at Lerman hall at Harvard University at 8 o'clock. Layla stone at Pantheon in Brookline a date Kathy thicket at the blackthorn Tavern in Southeastern at 8:30. She's there Saturday night as well and Northern Lights at Littleton high school at 8 o'clock. Now coming up on Saturday Michael Smith at the listening place coffee house in Burlington at 8 o'clock. Brian dozer will also perform. Judy Paul and Anson olds at a new song coffee house in Bedford at eight o'clock.

Southern Rail and compass rose at the home grown coffee house in Needham at 8 o'clock on Saturday evening. Holly Near and faith Nolan at the auditorium at MIT in Cambridge for two shows 5:30 and 9 p.m. Barbara big at the linden tree coffee house in Wakefield at 9. Also nine o'clock start for Tracy smart with J.C. fix and Steve Cardoza. Christopher is in Cambridge at 9. Bill Harley will be at Milton High School on Saturday for a performance at two in the afternoon. Doc Watson tony rice and Norman and Nancy Blake at Sanders Theatre at Harvard University performances at 5 and 9 o'clock. Bill Morrissey and Pat Donahue back at Passim in Cambridge at 8 and 10:30 Tracy Moore with Debbie Lang staff and Diane R. gyrus at the Wits End coffee house in Hyde Park at 8 o'clock the John Michael's unit and an open mic at the Rose Garden coffeehouse in Mansfield at 7:30. Bob Wei and Pamela Roberts at the Discovery Museum in Acton at 1:30 and 3:30 at the nameless coffeehouse on Saturday it's Fred Small Jim Murphy Jimmy Todd and Jan Louis

that starts at 8 o'clock and gay marriage also on Saturday. Pete Kennedy it's Saturday night in Marblehead at 8:30. Bill Staines at the me in the coffee house in Marblehead at 8:30 in the Boston Scottish fiddle club jam session at the Calvary United Methodist Church in Arlington at 7:30. Peter Rowan and Robert Earl Keen junior at the old Vienna coffee house in Westboro at 7:00 and 10:00 o'clock. The roaches will be out in western Massachusetts at Smith College in North Hampton at the John M. Greene hall that starts at 8 o'clock and Cathy Fick it back at the blackthorn Tavern in Southeast and at 8:30. So you were planning to sit home this weekend and watch TV. If you missed any of that or would like further information on any of those performances give me a call on the listener line at 9 2 9 7 9 2 9. It's 13 minutes before seven o'clock. We'll take a look at news headlines in just a little bit. And before we part company at eight o'clock this evening we'll give away those tickets to hear Bill Morrissey and Pat Donahue at

Passim this weekend. Right now here's Bob Carlin.