So in the Top 5 new adds for one of the Americana Music Chart this morning, I saw a name that I didn’t recognize, Doug Jayne with an interesting album titled Folk University So I went to Rhapsody and found the album, gave it a quick listen. I liked what I heard. So later today, I put the album on the Sansa and have been enjoying it all evening!
Doug Jayne is the host of two radio shows, and co-owns one of the few remaining independent record stores, the Last Record Store, in Santa Rosa, California. He also heads Jackalope Records, a label releasing local artists’ work. Folk University is a collection some of my folk music favorites mostly from the 60s and 70s by artist like Phil Ochs “Draft Dodger Rag”, Gordon Lightfoot “Early Morning Rain”, “Lonesome Traveller” by The Weavers and Kingston Trio, oh and one from the 1860s Stephen Foster ” Hard Times Come Again No More”. My two favorites are fine covers of Fred Neil’s “The Other Side of This Life” and Richard Farina’s “Pack Up Your Sorrows” From an article at Bohemian.com
“…..I really tried to make a record that people would want to listen to. My inspiration was certainly the folk era of the ’60s, which I really enjoyed as a kid. But I realized . . . you know when a kid has a toy, and sees a bigger toy, he drops the one toy and moves on? That’s exactly what happened when I saw the Beatles. No more folk—’I must rock!'”
and on why he chose these songs Jayne says:
“Most of them were chosen because they suited me and my ability. If I were to put together a compilation of folk music, I would probably choose totally different songs.”
Jayne has produced some critically successful albums. He formed an Americana Band Laughing Gravy in 2003. The seven piece group features Allegra Broughton and Sam Page from the band Solid Air, as well as one of Jayne’s long time collaborators, multi-instrumentalist Kevin Russell. Their first album, A Tribute to Gram Parsons was released in 2005 and nominated for a Grammy in the Best Country Album category (The Dixie Chicks won). Jayne’s 2007 release Voices In The Wind (which is on the player for listening tomorrow) received great reviews, spent some time on the Americana Music Charts, and was nominated for a Grammy in the Best Contemporary Folk / Americana Album but lost to Dylan’s Modern Times whose “Only a Hobo: is covered on Folk University!
So if you don’t know these folk songs, welcome to the Folk University, you’re in for a treat! If you’re like me and know them, then sit back and enjoy hearing them sung again by someone who loves them as much as you do! You can check Doug Jayne’s music at his page at efolkmusic.org and at his Myspace page
