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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 RTZGUITARS on May 17, 2012 at 8:57am

I get DESPERADOS WAITING FOR A TRAIN & FORTWORTH BLUES The friends of Townes Van Zandt Record. Howahbout a Texas Song Writers Record

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Permalink Reply by Ron "Oily" Sprague on May 17, 2012 at 6:46pm

Dang! I been playin' DWFAT on and off for 34 years! Ok, ok, you can have it; but I want London Homesick Blues, Deep In The West, and Pflugerville, and we can all do Up Against The Wall (Redneck Mother)!

Yeah, a Texas songwriters record would be neat. Gobs of stuff to choose from: Hubert Sumlin, Gatemouth Brown, Lightnin' Hopkins, Willie Nelson, Shake Russell, David Allan Coe, Ray Wyllie Hubbard, Guy Clark, Willis Allan Ramsey, Kinky Friedman, Jerry Jeff Walker, Gary P. Nunn, The Austin Lounge Lizards, the list is almost endless! But we gotta give other Republics a chance, too.

Howsabout right after we do Neil Young? >:-E

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Permalink Reply by robert jones on May 18, 2012 at 1:19am

"Spearhead the effort"...ROFL

Considering my level of experience in that area the results would likely be an amazing fuster cluck.

As it was I didn't mean right away, I was thinking toward the end of summer would be good.

I kinda like RTZGUITARS idea of a "Friends of TVZ record", more material.

Something to think about anyway for the folks with the skill set to bring it all together.

Oh and don't even suggest I sing on anything, I don't do that, the playing I can handle but the singing, the singing she is bad very bad boss.

Easy way to get an idea of what I sound like, you'll need:

1 burlap sack with tie

cheapest worst sounding recorder made

welders gloves

steel toed boots

5 or 6 mangy alley cats in heat

Put on gloves and steel toe boots

Place cats in sack

Tie sack shut

Start recording

Kick sack of pissed off cats repeatedly

Stop recording

Untie sack

Grab recorder and run like unholy hell is chasing you

Play recording through a randomly set up distortion effects box and lay over the backing track of choice

The results will sound better than I do but it'll give you a glimmer, I mean if I sing...dogs howl, babies cry and females run away, far away. I'm telling ya grown men have been known to curl into the fetal position and blubber for their mommies when I've had a few drinks and tune up.

Hell, it's the biggest part of why I quite drinking in public, got tired of those noise ordinance violation tickets.

It's even been suggested I hire out for crowd dispersal, by my friends.

It's so bad that if I pick up a git, clear my throat and paste a soulful expression on my face the bulldog heads for the back door, the girlfriend suddenly remembers the need to pick up a few things from the store and the cat...well, the cat...the cat comes over with a disturbingly intimate (a la' Pepe Le Pew) look in his eye and starts rubbing against my leg purring like a 35hp Johnson but then cats are just four legged snakes with fur anyway so you can't go by anything they do. (Don't let those science types fool you those glowing eyes at night, that's not reflected light, that's the fires of eternal damnation and unremitting evil revealed.)

I don't know, guess I could always hire myself out as an updated Pied Piper of Pussy...cats.

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Permalink Reply by Ron "Oily" Sprague on May 18, 2012 at 7:09am

rj,

We-ell, I had zero experience when we started this project only 2 ( only 2? Seems longer...) months ago. Basically, it has consisted in having an idea, getting other people with waaay more talent and time than me interested in that idea, and kinda watching the end result sort of come together. There weren't no play book, no rules, just desire, enthusiasm, and a willingness to let other people have their head and do what they do well. None of that requires singing.

So far the results have been nothing short of fantastic.

So, yeah, Spearchucker - I mean Spearhead - Jones, you could be the tip of the spear. I dig RTZ's idea too. After the summer would work for me. Let's get this one in the can first, though.

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Permalink Reply by Ron "Oily" Sprague on May 18, 2012 at 7:30pm

Yes, it would. As I've intimated numerous times, this ain't no boyz club; girls can (and should) play, too. Can you imagine a woman's take on "Kathleen?" Ever heard Emmy Lou Harris do "If I Needed You?" Where are the ladies who love playing and singing Townes' songs? C'mon, NightOwl, bemuzic, some of the rest of you...get in the game, here!

Please?

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Permalink Reply by RTZGUITARS on May 24, 2012 at 7:28am

Thorston I was working on a part for 2Hands and have a quick mix do you mind if I post it or would you like to wait? It might help people if they could hear what going on.

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Permalink Reply by Thorsten Hinrichsen on May 24, 2012 at 6:10pm

No problem for me - post it, please. I'll be off to Vienna next week and when I'm back I'll put the whole thing together.

Has anybody considered working on Pancho and Lefty? Don't know if I find time this weekend.

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Permalink Reply by Thorsten Hinrichsen on May 24, 2012 at 7:18pm

Thank you RTZ - this is quite similar to what I've done so far. I think I'll put the bass and your new guitar track louder into the mix. I've already put some compression on the solo voices and also on the bass guitar. Could you post your single guitar track some time next week?

Permalink Reply by Vinylhed on May 25, 2012 at 12:12am

I'll have a go at recording some Pancho vocals next week if anyone wants to use them.

Permalink Reply by Ron "Oily" Sprague on May 25, 2012 at 4:29am

Hey, y'all,

OK here it is, rerecorded: If I Needed You. My sinuses cleared up just enough. It sounds primitive, but that's how I play. Hope y'all like it. Also working on Two Hands this evening.

Attachments:

If I Needed You_vocal_guitar.mp3, 3.2 MB

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Permalink Reply by RTZGUITARS on May 25, 2012 at 6:42am

Bout time, that's what I hear when I think Townes and CBG perfect. One of his best known songs done just right. Welcome to the stew Ron. I'll post the 2hands guitar this weekend Thorsten.