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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 Ben on May 2, 2012 at 4:19pm

Turtlehead, thank you so much for the kind words. I couldn't have asked for a nicer compliment!

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Permalink Reply by Uncle John on May 2, 2012 at 1:32pm

Guys, I just listened to 2 of the recent contributions. Ben did a great job on $ Bill. I am glad that song is included. RTZ blew me away with Still Looking For You. Gorgeous.

As good as the blues download is - and me loving blues..... This is going to be even better. Thanks to all and go easy on Ron (Oily) - give him support if you can. He is one of the busiest guys around and I would guess that this is time consuming for him even though it is a labor of love.

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Permalink Reply by Ben on May 2, 2012 at 4:21pm

Thanks for listening John! Your constantly uplifting and selfless attitude is much appreciated around here.

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Permalink Reply by Thorsten Hinrichsen on May 2, 2012 at 6:26pm

Hey Ben, your dollar bill version is fantastic, I love that violin fiddling around the main melody and the archaic rhythm. Like in Townes' early recordings there is also this north European folk feel in your music.

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Permalink Reply by Ron "Oily" Sprague on May 2, 2012 at 8:41pm

Uncle John,

Thanks very much for the support! Interestingly, I don't feel like anyone's being hard on me, or not supportive. Or if they are, I haven't heard or seen it ;-). I'm just amazed at the energy and commitment from people I've never actually met, but hope to one day, on this project. Right now, I'm just trying to fill the role of, I guess, producer. Watching everyone do their thing, making sure cooperation and coordination are going on (which they very much are), trying to cheerlead and uplift where needed. All of y'all are so incredibly talented that every time a submission comes in, I just shake my head in amazement. I will be adding my vocal track to Two Hands maybe later today or tomorrow, after some serious napping, because I was at our-threatening-to-be-annual Battle of the Acoustic Bands until 2 AM! I played almost continuously for over 4 hours, while performing with friends and neighbors ( only pulled the CBG out once, though; too much other stuff going on). We were split into 4 bands, 2 guitarists in each, with lots of talented singers; needless to say, my wife and I were in different groups. That lasted about 2 hours, then we had the free-for-all jam. I got to play rhythm and lead guitar, and some bass. We did lots of Zeppelin covers, lots of rock standards, some slow stuff, the obligatory endless twelve bar blues in E...pretty much anything anyone even vaguely knew - we even managed to hack out Toby Kieth's Red Solo Cup very late in the evening;-). And that was after me plate umpiring a painfully slow, high-scoring 2 1/2 hour Little League Minors game on our first 100-degree evening of the year, immediately after a somewhat hectic and frustrating full day at work! Not whining, mind you. And I was up at 7:00 AM for a hitting lesson with my son and his batting instructor - 10 more days until Travel Team selection! Plus a doubleheader today, for one of which I'm scorekeeping SABR style, and the other of which I'm doing the plate again. This time, I'm umpiring my son's Majors team, a different, much more serious, yet enjoyable, level of play. And then I think we have another party to go to...hafta to check with my Social Coordinator;-). So, yeah, I'm kinda busy. But I love it!

Yes, this TVZ album is a labor of love; but it's waaaayyy more than that. I am truly blessed to watch this process unfold. I, too, have no wish to denigrate the Blues compilation ( hey, I got 3 songs on it myself!), but I truly believe, with you, that this effort is just gonna be stellar, otherworldly, and something we can all literally look back on with honest pride. Plus, we get to listen to it over and over!

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Permalink Reply by Uncle John on May 3, 2012 at 12:13am

Good deal, Ron. And I agree on the enthusiasm and commitment to the project. I just know you are busy and this will be labor for you.

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Permalink Reply by RTZGUITARS on May 3, 2012 at 7:31am

It seems to me Producing CBN Record is not as time consuming as being a family man. Tip of the

cowboy hat to you sir. I don't know how these thing go together but i'm learning and if you need,

want or could use help Mastering this thing let me know Ron I have more time then it looks like

you have. Anyway if i remember right we have two weeks to get the Two Hand vocal tracks for

Thorston, so i'll get mine in today and the sooner the better for the rest of you. When this is done

howabout Neil Young Record his music would lend well as does Townes to the square guitar.

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Permalink Reply by Ron "Oily" Sprague on May 4, 2012 at 12:38am

RTZ,

Naw, family man is just what I do when I'm not messin' around with work or music ;-). We're all some kind of musician in my immediate family, so that part's relatively easy for them to indulge. What freaks them out is that I don't let slip that I'm even associated with stuff like this until it's nearly completed. They wonder when I find the time: odd hours after they've gone to bed, a quiet hour on Thursday or Friday afternoons (the SA equivalent of Saturday and Sunday), occasional stolen half hours and lunchtime at work...

You are reading my frickin' mind, bro! I was gonna suggest that very thing, not long after this one's in the can! You wanna consolidate that one? I'm definitely in for it; Neil is another of my all-time songwriter loves. First song I ever learned on guitar (figured it out myself, and it wasn't easy, 'cuz I'd only been playing about 3 months then, and couldn't - still can't - finger pick for squat) was "The Needle and The Damage Done." Guys I entered Rice U. with in '77 were gigantic Neil Young, Crazy Horse, CSN(Y) and Buffalo Springfield freaks -as well as being standardized stoner freaks, but with hyper-intelligence. I was "in" because I could replicate Neil's weird tenor back then, and could sing harmonies on CSNY tracks.

Oooooo...Hey, Hey, My, My...Powderfinger...Cortez...Danger Bird!... Yaaaaaahhhhhh!!!!!

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Permalink Reply by turtlehead on May 6, 2012 at 2:43pm

I'd be in for some Neil. Down by the River, Cinnamon Girl, Like a Hurricane, the list goes on and on. Yaaaaaaahhhhh!!!! is right.

Oily, I think I'm busy but your life makes mine seem sedentary at best. Sounds like you have it under control, but I'm here if you need anything at all....

About to upload my Two Hands vocals.

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Permalink Reply by Ron "Oily" Sprague on May 6, 2012 at 6:07pm

*snif* I'm proud to call you CBN Friends. Yep, I got it under control; I can quit any time I want. >:-E

Will be doing my Two Hands vocals, and If I Needed You tracks tonight after the wife and kids go to bed.

Glad you're up for some Neil. Amazing catalog, multiple styles, finger pickin' electricity garage grunge...it's all one song! Yay!

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Permalink Reply by RTZGUITARS on May 11, 2012 at 3:54pm

Posting a a capella solo vocal of a praise song is not easy,I have not been to Church in years and it was a good feeling to sing this song. I'm only posting to keep the Townes Tribute on the front page.

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Permalink Reply by turtlehead on May 11, 2012 at 4:17pm

I debated whether to post mine here or send it directly to Thorsten, but I feel like it's the spirit of this site to put it up. It wasn't easy and I did a bunch of takes. This was from a couple of days after I had slaved over it one night. I agree that it was a good feeling to sing.

I feel the time slipping away but I still want to do Pancho. I need to change strings and retune, but I'm hoping to get into it this week. Is there still interest in this?