Vermont Artists in Performance; Pete Smith Studio Performance

Do dee dee. And thank. You. Good evening and welcome to Vermont artist in performance a series of music and

spoken word programs heard every week here at Vermont Public Radio. Tonight we'll hear the music of Pete Smith from Montgomery Vermont. That's up in the Northeast Kingdom and he'll play some tunes of dulcimer guitar and banjo. Some are from the Ozark Mountains and some are compositions that Pete. Has composed himself. We'll have some comments about the music industry a little later on in the program. But he'll begin with a medley and instrumental entitled Is he kewl Proctor. That's to call the M.E. for you to Proctor. Proctor was a half breed

Cherokee Indian. Spent the last 15 years of his life running from the federal government. Chasing him and to having falsely accused him of a crime. Is a long story I'm not going to that I'm going to another team here for him. This next to you here this is a song that's called the blessing of the fleet. And this is a song about my hometown called Gloucester Massachusetts Gloucester one time was the biggest fishing port in the whole East Coast. And once here they have a big shindig out there it's called the St. Peter's fiesta. And they're the last day of the festival and they have what is called the blessing of the fishing fleet. So it's an ordeal it takes place in the middle of last harbor for a couple hours and then the grand finale is when all the fog hons and the fishing boats they all honk the horn simultaneously and you can hear this big

moan come bellowing out of Gloucester if you're in the hills of Magnolia or west last you can hear it. Well I lived in West Gloucester and I would hear that. I wasn't down in the harbor there in the boat. Anyway this is called the blessing of the fleet. It goes like this. I opted you would hit two. Feet into the sea while we women oh is bringing them safely home. Back into the.

Studio. This guy. Goes we. It been so who do you see the sky as if it were green. Clad saying look up OMAC. And it's still no sign of. The cruiser we the fire they get every. Time to set the net surfing.

Event though the halls with fish. Ah but the show that was barely worth their while and the sea. Once again your Majesty a book is a word who we were. Trying to sing. He hears she goes we. The new bridge which big Rudy. And I on once again. Now that they're all my family or Peter that's it all that

praying. Till they sit again with me is have let go of me. Those were. Good girls we would love to give up. 0 which I do want to.

This is a song about a hobo. He was cutting a bill. He got the name cat in a bill. From all the kids in the neighborhood there that you want to wander into in the spring of every year. It wander up into the hills and pick a wildcat up and fill little little nickel and dime bags with it kind of a tongue twister there. And fill a little bag. Come on house to house. Some of the people to look at again. And all the kids would seem there. He was like the Pied Piper. It's got a chorus line on it too. So any of you folks ought to feel like sing along with me please do. I get to sing in harmony.

Little people on here. There was a book written about him too. Children's book I didn't like the book very much anything to portrayed him very well. When my song. Goes like this. BUYER the station. Holder where let me have any door. Looked to the heat to find me some true. Where are your full of grit in you Mark.

Catnip the catnip bin. And you never bowed to no one. When you. Never had much to do a smile so a lot of your own it took was giving me that saw that. When the sound is a builder who is all around the children sure love him to know Gloucester. Gathering all the cats. You never thought to love your pipes.

When you'd be out of cats will have had grins. They would think a little bit. With the bagger that help them get by. While the cats were in your home. To get on the. Boat too long you fire up smoke for one night. He would lure little creatures and

never had to fire. All the children except for his leaving without a goodbye. What good would it do him Lord by. Then one summer for the go go get you know free drink. Where there's only been a brown paper bag for the west of the Brinkmann with just like everybody knew it but you know all the catnip. And mystical lives oh too long

you're fired. Good one. You sound good out there. Let me see here. That one too I just did I travel around a lot and play for a lot of old people when I get a chance to. It's a favorite it is another good one the thing like this is this is a song about a stagecoach robbers name is Black Bart. Black Bart was a very unique stagecoach robber you might say used his head instead of violence. My great California don't go rush period. And he managed to rip off Wells Fargo shipment of gold stagecoach successfully 30 times repaired of eight years and I might

say that during the time that he was managing to do this. Hired in some of the finest detectives in the country to track him down and little did they notice that during the time that they were trying to find out who this was that he was drinking with them in a local saloon somewhere they were thinking him to be a local mine owner or an investor or a banker of sorts as he always dressed very dapper like he was a poet a ventriloquist. You're one of them. The ways that he methods use many many different methods to rip off Wells Fargo. One of my favorite and whether it's true when it was told to me to be a true story or not is beside the point a great story I love it but one of my favorite methods that he had was that he liked us he was a poet and a ventriloquist and he would weave us talents together in a very unique fashion and he would want a way out of the country wait for the Wells Fargo stage coach to come along here and he would step from the bushes because he didn't ride a horse. He carried him with them but was never loaded. He waved his cane near the stage coach stop to pick him up

and he would be a lot of shock and from under his long black coat command people a stage coach not to move. And it was told to me that somehow or other through the it was ventriloquism he would deceive the people in the stagecoach into believing he had partners lurking in the bushes behind them that they hadn't moved without a good set of shotgun down the stage coach open up the strong box take all the gold and coin and he would write these poems in a different penmanship each time and leave him in the empty strong box jump off the stage coach and scary away. Well he only recently caught up with them and at last stagecoach robbery was a little kid at brand a pistol in the alleyway to use it. He took a pot shot at black and wounded him. There's a bloody trail left behind. Caught up with him in San Francisco rundown hotel room. Poems out of the Bible. They sent him away to San Quentin for eight years he did four years of it took him four years to talk his way out of prison get out two more stagecoaches complete with a poem a little nasty poem took off. And nobody's seen him since nobody knows what happened. This is about black.

About a. Black Bar it was a dud postage coat Robin. We're the king and it is that. And that. Is Back. In the body. From the law and he ran. For his life. It still cost him for you. Thought.

A lot. Oh. Sure he was hired. By the law to drive. From rock to rock where that you could buy. With. This is Norway's. Yes and on that the pre laki with. Any Bush does love to ask you about my friend. You better you take or bourses on your. Poems.

And bark discard any book bowing from the bye. Is new to the cross we said that's bae. To be your boss. I want to understand all the bowing. The. Success. And saw. My friend you never. Heard anyone you never know and so I want to. Know and your blast of a breath. As a goal. By the poet it is you wrote regarding

your long been a dreary. One so. Still the last one was it. Do share your farewell. Tour where Rob let us stay. With another home that spoke about. It will. Do With good. Long.

With friend it's been some time. Lunch time with me. Alone stopped with meal while we can stop in the corner you can have a drink. Wilf to. Hand me a room for me then that you play your favorite song of those you know Hank Williams It was an old Hank Williams tune and then you said saw this blow you would dance and softly and then you took me when you said would you hit just one.

When the barmaid scream it's time a glow of applause lot attempt at 12 o'clock and then we found ourselves out on the street will go to get through the dock and say do you listen Fred the next day when you. And I stay with you for this I got to leave in a couple of hours love women leave it up to me let me rest my body by a sad movie. Then she said to me Listen friend you can stay with me you. Can Stay with me for why don't you eat me when you leave. It's best to say let me live a week and find you gone. But it's all the more room for me. Then she smiled she said so long.

Since to love you my love while you're gone I'm gone I think so don't you be too long or off by myself another. There's too much room in me. Yet you smile he said. So long baby say love you my love you my love I want you hold me one more time just get me through my YOU BETTER GO AND GET YOUR DREAM ON MAN MADE ME YOU KNOW WHAT I SAY. Well I said so long to lose you don't see me there is gonna see me very soon. In fact when you see that sunset maybe him a dream at 5 0 3 0 0 at that corner by the sea. I want to see me a lot you got room in your. I think it's a lot of good focus music around. There's a lot of really nice songwriters. Some

excellent music around. Ironically enough I think. I think this more around now than there has ever been. And it's really it's really top you know some top tunes and songs and pieces and instrumentals are coming and being churned out. It's just that ironically enough there aren't the outlets for those people to get out and play them like they were you know you think of the 60s late 60s or very early 70s and through the 60s period there were a lots of places in every city in town that you went to. And it's not as many now. And only because I feel I I feel very very bad about some of the monopolies that are taking place and a lot of your commercial radio stations and a lot of the pop music that's seems to be taken over in monopolizing the airwaves. I feel very bad about that. But I think it's a lot of good music room. You just got to kind of look up and around there's a good there's a good rapport it's a good natural and earthy feeling

to get off the streets and play I play in all Montreal and in New York City and also in Cambridge and St. And so it's a good thing I don't make as much money. Front Street. OK I want to pick up another instrument here this is this is an Appalachian mountain dulcimer.

It's noted to be the oldest instrument actually a probably the purest American instrument there is. People think the banjo was a banjo as only half Americans half African. This instrument comes from the Appalachian region. Missy I want to play a tune on here and here this is called the December dance around the old birch tree. Anybody out there feel like dancing. Knock yourselves out. Much too. Low. For. It.

It's

true. I'm only.

Human with you. But I. This will. Go. Through. I once saw. You all night long. Trying to get. Me.

Just like the birds. The. Birds would never fly. I want to. Love you all night long. But I. John's going. To get to barely do. Because of this is definitely a communication breakdown.

You know when you have a down to earth folk music it's very easy to relate to it's very simplified and again I guess like I say they're they're they're used to listening to a non-communicative. I think it's just it's kind of a non-communicative. I don't know what you'd say call vibration I guess and you're. And they're just not attuned to it. And yeah I would agree with you that I don't know I don't have the answers either I really don't know it's very confusing to me as to what's going on. But I just feel I just feel that this should be fair play fair exposure to all forms of music. I listen I have always listened I was maybe four more fortunate and through the 60s and 50s for the 50s actually I guess it was through the 60s it was a good period that we went through and were able to get exposed to a different form and all of a sudden it became a trend. You know. I listen I have ever since the 60s I've listened to all kinds of music I love all kinds of music and you just couldn't that knockout of.

It was for the city. Were there. But now you just feel. It's. Like any heat of the night. But. You. DO need a. Three.

Hour. Stand. Home. Sweet.

Little Bird. At. The other end. The City. Freedom. I think. Not. Standing. There. See I'll switch to another side of the spectrum here. I got a

2. I just feel like I gotta get out of my system or the system. A bit different to what I've been playing. It's kind of a jazzy tune. And I'm a jazz countries. I brought along my horn section with me here today. Today I woke up all alone and thought about Sweden. That really lit up the bill from where she held me. Back every. Time to roll on out of bed but a lot of the obstacles. And sleep is one monotonous group. I listen dream and decide.

What she thinks of me. She's singing in a choir that's my little horn UP UP UP UP UP UP UP UP UP UP UP UP UP OFF. I wonder what she would. Get in the morning. The grow tired the churning of the. Pit you know

robs my thoughts buds do. Don't you adore this. You see I want to do it to you. That I was good when I said I broke my word thank you. Let me see here. I want to do it to hear about it. I fell in love with the song. This tune I did not write this is written by men in Mike

Smith. I don't hear very much about him. I've read quite a bit about this too. I fell in love with it about six months ago and formulating my own way of playing it and song about a man named The Dutchman. It goes like this. Dutchman is not just some Jim din a day in history. That's. What Amsterdam is golden. My group brings in bread. She will be. He thinks it till it's blue beneath the snow he's met is he can be but sometimes he's around born children.

Let us go to the back with the whoa rise of decided long ago used to be a young man remembers a. Dutchman still with his wooden shoes his captain caught up with low buggered saw. Sometimes I think she is still in Rotterdam watches tugboats Duncan ills and calls out to them when he thinks though. To Margaret comes to take him home again through onboard giving streets that trip him hold as sometimes he thinks he's all alone.

So let us go to the back saw that you we're the law decided long ago I used to be a young Brit remember when those were the winner when she whines muffler tighter these kids whiskey keeps away the dew and Spore and then she makes the bed up singing some old love song a song she learned what it was very new. The homes are lighted too they sing together in the day Till the Dutchman was asleep and then she blow a candle. So let us go

with the warm side. I used to be a young man. Members. Were let me see here. That's beautiful too. I love it. OK I want to play on I really don't know what I'm going to play here. I think up to a Hank Williams tune. Because that way you can all sing along with me there.

This is my favorite tunes by you. I was like this. OK I'm going to wrap my part of the segment of the program up here with the two. This is

called the endless poem of the river bed river bed rhyme it's kind of a tongue twister. And I want to thank Frank and Charlene and her But here at the station and really nice durable experience. And maybe I'll see some of you folks out there when I'm out playing around somewhere in Vermont. And I just moved up to the northern part of Vermont Montgomery area and I expect I'll be playing at several different places in the area here. A place called Food for thought and stolen and maybe even in Burlington expect to be playing a couple places there soon. But most of all I'm going to be playing in some places that a lot of the folks out there may not see me at but maybe you can show up there anyway and maybe some support to be playing. I'm going to try and try my best to get a list of rest homes and some nutrition sites for old folks. And I expect to be playing a lot of music for them that's my main thing. And my Like I say my name is Pete Smith and I guess we'll see later this tune is called the endless poem of a river bed rhyme it goes like this.

See the river running searching to see me and it's always sticking out it's running though it's been a while longer do than me. Like you you know they're all the way. You dream of you know running through.

This with him. Let's go and do it. Again in time where today. But it's all so so what. He you know it was just like a song but it is always singing it's breath too long here this.

Morning. It's also true it's also why. We have been listening to the music of Pete Smith from Montgomery Vermont. That's in the Northeast Kingdom of the state. On June 9th. That's a Friday evening. The next Vermont artist in performance will be heard at 7:00 p.m. here on Vermont Public Radio featuring the poetry of Gary Margolis cornball. The next musical

program in this series will be heard in June 17th at 10:30 PM preempting jazz alive and that will feature the music of the John Weber trio recorded at Bentley's live. I'm Frank Hofmann hoping that you've enjoyed this evening's music with Pete Smith and we'll tune in again for more. Vermont artists in performance on Vermont Public Radio. Vermont artists in performances a production of Vermont Public Radio.