Uploaded September 2021 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Covering an old folk song is out of character for me. I almost always write my own music, and it usually ends up being progressive rock. I first heard this Derroll Adams tune performed by Ramblin' Jack Elliott on Pete Seeger’s Rainbow Quest TV program. I casually played around with the song, but it turned into a much sadder piece of music in my hands. It became part of my repertoire, and I put it down on tape. I added a viola part, but since I can’t play chin-held instruments, I tuned it like a guitar, and bowed it like a cello in my lap.
I own an old 8-channel 1/2” tape machine. The only way to justify keeping it is to make sure it gets used. In 2020, I recorded a small collection of songs with it. This song being one of those. I’ll release that collection soon.
I wanted to make a very simple video for myself. No stop-motion. No special effects. Just me performing the song. I used an old Sony AV-3400, a camera from 1970, to shoot this. Those old tube-based cameras have a special quality about them. Callie Day helped me with shot and lighting setups.
Enjoy.
Covering an old folk song is out of character for me. I almost always write my own music, and it usually ends up being progressive rock. I first heard this Derroll Adams tune performed by Ramblin' Jack Elliott on Pete Seeger’s Rainbow Quest TV program. I casually played around with the song, but it turned into a much sadder piece of music in my hands. It became part of my repertoire, and I put it down on tape. I added a viola part, but since I can’t play chin-held instruments, I tuned it like a guitar, and bowed it like a cello in my lap.
I own an old 8-channel 1/2” tape machine. The only way to justify keeping it is to make sure it gets used. In 2020, I recorded a small collection of songs with it. This song being one of those. I’ll release that collection soon.
I wanted to make a very simple video for myself. No stop-motion. No special effects. Just me performing the song. I used an old Sony AV-3400, a camera from 1970, to shoot this. Those old tube-based cameras have a special quality about them. Callie Day helped me with shot and lighting setups.
Enjoy.
