Dave's Music #101 JP Harris - Don't You Marry No Railroad Man

Ok I looked at my past 15 reviews and they are heavy female fronted bands, 9 of them compared to 4 duos and only two male fronted bands.  So I thought I'd change that with the new Chad Elliot CD but alas it would break the first rule of needing to be on Bandcamp.  He said it's on his list, so I'll keep it on mine.  So I scrolled down to see, the second rule have I been listening to it.  Oh my too much music without a play or two; I need to fix that.  Then I hit JP Harris and his Little Carpenter had a high amount of plays from a playlist but every song had a share of plays.  Third rule or suggestion, what's my connection.  Free Dirt records.  Free Dirt did such an outstanding job promoting and videoing Viv and Riley plus they are a label that gets Bandcamp; I decided if an artist is on that label, they are a friend of mine; JP is on that label and why I own his music.  All that said; this falls into my wheelhouse of new old sounding music with frailing banjo and intensely perfect fiddle music.  His voice isn't that ever so popular tenor voice, so it comes across as rural real something that they might have found in the days of field recordings.  Oh and hey Carol Roth, he has a dark side of his writing right up your alley.  

His Bandcamp page doesn't give a lot of background for the album, so I googled it and found this wordy review.  While I loved reading it, I was left with a lot of questions; though I loved this paragraph:

In many ways, Don’t Marry No Railroad Man is J.P.’s origin story set to song. It may not leap out of your speakers, or go viral on Tik-Tok. But it substantiates the rumors that well before he was cutting electric country records and securing contractors licenses in his second occupation as a seasoned carpenter in Nashville, J.P. Harris was a bonafide dirty hobo hopping freight trains and learning the old-time songs and traditions directly from their sources.

The Free Dirt description of the release would confirm to me that these are all traditional songs and likely I should call him "Squash". After that introduction, let's take a walk through the Appalachian Mountains listening to JP:

1) House Carpenter

The release starts with one of the darker song, and sets the tone you will soon appreciate.  Fine tonal frailed banjo, and this song has a mournful fiddle in the background.

2) Closer to the Mill

After the mournful start JP picks it up with a great fiddle tune.  Oh I'd love to have a little honey, so I guess I need to get closer to the mill.  Yes leave it to old tunes leaving something to your imagination.

Back to my intro and my love of Free Dirt.... Yes they did a great video of this song.  I love watching him frail that fretless banjo and wonder; ok if I had him for a house concert, how would I mic and record it... ha.

3) Mole in the Ground

I'm so familiar with this tune but I hadn't heard the verse that brings you the name of the album. It has just enough choral sing - a- long and the banjo and the fiddle work in perfect partnership.

And you figured Free Dirt would get you another awesome video for the title cut of the release.

4) Country Blues

We're back to a ballad with a solo banjo track.  You just start listening ok a heavy folk song so when will someone die; oh the last verse he's buried, so I hope he's dead.  The hero has a lot of women trouble from his rowdy ways.

Found a nice folk fest video of the song.

5) Last Chance

A nice instrumental piece on the banjo.

6) Old Bangum

One of the most played song in my library within the library.  Definitely had a English/Irish sound so I googled the song; and not too surprising Jean Ritchie was in the middle of bring it to the states. 

From Child Ballads In America, Vol. 1; Folkways FA 2301. Jean Ritchie of Viper, Ky was born in 1922 and certainly learned the song in her childhood/teen years hence the date c. 1940 when she was 18. On her 1960 Child Ballads In America, Vol. 1, put out by Folkways Records, Album FA 2301 (now available from Smithsonian Folkways), Jean Ritchie sings a version of "Old Bangum" learned from her mother's cousin, Ellen Fields. Jean admits changing it by adding verses from other sources and she published it under the title, "Bangum Rid by the Riverside." Jean sings a very different version on her children's album, Jean Ritchie, Childhood Songs, put out in 1991 by Greenhays Recordings (marketed by Flying Fish Records). This version sounds British and is called "Olde Bangum". This is one in which Bangum goes after a dragon. Some info above from John Minear.

R. Matteson 2012, 2014

7) Barbry Ellen

I probably could make a playlist of ten songs or more of versions of this song I own; to a point where I almost typed it Barby Allen, because that's the most common  in my mind.  JP's version is perfectly sad and mournful.

Thank you again Free Dirt.

8) The Little Carpenter

This is the song that was on my May 22 Bandcamp favorite playlist Edition 69.  It's a fiddle solo song.

9) Otto Wood

As I went into this review I put it as my companion as I putzed around the yard, including cutting the lawn.  This should be on anyone's playlist if they need a pick the pace.

10) Wild Bill Jones

Another ballad that you again will ask, when will there be a murder; and you don't have to wait too long, second verse. 

It might be the end of him, but it definitely was the end of the album.  Here is a YouTube playlist with all the songs to listen as a ONE-Click; BUT of course I think you should be like the 85 other people in Bandcamp that bought the digital release and OWN it for yourself too.

I hope you loved the journey to the deepest part of traditional Appalachia.  You can find and follow us on Facebook  and as always Good Music has NO Expiration Date, so if you are listening to this ten years from now, it still will be awesome music.  If this is a first time visit, check out the index of themes for past Reviews and Playlist editions and for the Reviews alone, click here. 

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