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Townes Van Zandt CBG Tribute Album - Your Submissions needed

Hey, y'all!

Townes Van Zandt (1944 - 1997) was a Texas singer-songwriter-poet, whose music has touched a deep chord (pun intended) amongst many of us here at CBN. No, he's not related, except perhaps very distantly, to those other musical Van Zandt boys many of us also love. Townes was hailed, back in 1985 by none other than another gifted songwriter, Steve Earle, as "the greatest songwriter in the world, and I'll stand on Bob Dylan's coffee table in my cowboy boots and say that!" Whether or not you agree with ol' Steve, there is a deep knowledge of the blues, heartache, pain and melancholy in Townes' songs. For those of you unfamiliar with his work, please visit his estate's website to get to know him better (all proceeds go to support his children and his second wife, Jeanene):

https://townesvanzandt.com/

Several of us here at CBN (myself, Uncle John, Turtlehead, and maybe some others I haven't seen or heard - I know the owner of Diamondbackguitarshop and beStillroy are also huge fans) have done videos of us playing our versions of Townes' songs, many of which came out nearly 40 years ago. We realized that the CBG may be the perfect instrument on which to reinterpret and breathe new life into Townes' songs. In fact, we've been kicking the idea around in the Comment section of Uncle John's video rendition of "Flying Shoes" for the last coupla weeks (check it out), and came up with the idea for a tribute album, using only CBGs (I know, I know: Townes never played one, to my knowledge, and I and perhaps many others of you learned "Pancho and Lefty" on a 6-stringer, but still...).

So, if you're still with me, we're looking for MP3 submissions from those who play Townes' songs, wanna try 'em on CBG, may have never heard of him but like what they hear - any and all are welcome. His catalogue is pretty deep, so I'd like to lay claim to "If I Needed You" right here, right now! (hmmm. Jesus Jones...nah) ;-) We're also looking for someone willing to create some original cover art. The idea behind this is not to make money. We wouldn't want to charge for these songs or this album. We just wanna get 'em out to the larger CBN audience. As currently envisioned, it would be of a similar nature to the free download Robert Johnson tribute album, or the various CBN Christmas albums. It is not designed to detract from, or compete with, the Blues Album Dan Sleep is currently putting together for CBN, which many of us here are also contributing to. All we ask, like the judges on American Idol, is that you make your submitted TVZ song your own.

For those who are interested, you can add MP3 files using the Attach Files or Upload Files link at the bottom left to this Discussion. Record 'em however y'all feel comfortable: lo-fi, hi-fi, wi-fi, or in-fi, doesn't matter. You can PM me here at CBN for any offline technical or otherwise discussions. I will, eventually, get back to you.

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Permalink Reply by Ron "Oily" Sprague on April 18, 2012 at 6:34pm

Gents ( and ladies, if any of you wish to join in. Pleez?! Townes ain't just for the guys...)

I have been asked about a deadline. June 15, 2012 will be the absolute, final, final, no excuses, none, OK maybe just one more song deadline for submissions to the TVZ tribute album. Gives me time to finish my songs ;-), and yet also puts a definite punctuation point on this already way-too-cool project that y'all are making so much more amazing than I ever envisioned. I won't say Thank You just yet, because the ideas and submissions are still fermenting and bubbling up. I know I've said it before, but I am amazed, humbled, and just tickled silly at how talented, creative, and into this y'all are. Keep 'em coming; I think we're in double album territory now. And considering the number of page views, there's more than a tad passing interest here at CBN in Townes and his tunes, and that just makes me downright happy.

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Permalink Reply by Ron "Oily" Sprague on April 18, 2012 at 9:30pm

George,

All of us are "unpro" and most of us are "ill-recorded;" I'd say this fits right in there perfectly well with everything else submitted so far. I can see you sitting on the front porch of Gypsy Sally's, singing this as the merchants and passersby trudge through the wagon-rutted, mud clogged streets.

I like the rough husky tone and cracking delivery of your voice, too. Don't worry; this is good.

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Permalink Reply by Uncle John on April 18, 2012 at 11:20pm

Oh, George! I like that quite a lot.

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Permalink Reply by Vinylhed on April 18, 2012 at 11:55pm

Wow, that's amazing! Some real back woods authenticity going on here. Man, I'd kill for a voice like yours, it's so soulful. Nicely played on the old guitar as well. This album is shaping up to be my album of the year!

Much kudos to you sir.

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Permalink Reply by Thorsten Hinrichsen on April 19, 2012 at 12:16am

Very authentic. You've got a great voice that tells stories only with its sound.

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Permalink Reply by RTZGUITARS on April 19, 2012 at 3:42am

And the Townes fans come out of the woodwork. Tophat that's perfect one off my favorite song. I can see a video of you standing over a grave singing this, it's wonderful a smile on my face and a tear in my eye.

That's the real deal folks.

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Permalink Reply by Russell Carlin on April 19, 2012 at 9:57am

Wow, this is beautiful,reminds me of springsteen at his best.Youv'e done a great version of this,really heartfelt.

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Permalink Reply by Rev Mike on April 19, 2012 at 1:16am

Is it too late to get in on this?

If not has anyone covered Lungs, Talking Thunderbird Blues or Delta Momma Blues yet?

rev

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Permalink Reply by Ron "Oily" Sprague on April 19, 2012 at 7:47am

Rev,

This ain't a closed shop by any means. Of course you can get in on this! You have until June 15 to provide an mp3 file of any TVZ song you wanna do, and make it your own. That's all. You can do any song, even if someone else has already done it. We wanna hear how you think it should go. We've already heard some outstanding versions that are not like the originals.

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Permalink Reply by Thorsten Hinrichsen on April 19, 2012 at 1:29am

Hi TVZ addicts. I'd like to make a basic track for "two hands". But give me a week, boys. I'd use programmed rhythms which make it easier to sing. The drum track doesn't need to appear in the final mix. Concerning the key - I'd suggest G.

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Permalink Reply by RTZGUITARS on April 19, 2012 at 3:54am

I was thinking you only need a few stringed instruments and a group clap track.

putting all the vocals together could be trouble, you might have to weed out a few

to keep the noise down but it would be a great last track.

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Permalink Reply by Thorsten Hinrichsen on April 19, 2012 at 8:29am

We could all sing the whole song and one of us cuts the best parts together so that everybody appears for a couple of times on the final song (but not everybody at the same time).

You're right, I'd rather make a "naked" backtrack. If you want, I can cut the voices (and guitars, bass, whatever you want to do...) together and finish "Two hands" or "Pancho and Lefty".