Regional folk relative to Michigan's Upper Peninsula

11 MP3 Songs
FOLK: Modern Folk, COUNTRY: Country Folk



Details:
Even before I began writing songs Iâve had a desire to capture in words the people, the culture - the essence, that is the U.P. I could see it and feel it but was never able to share it. When I started writing I thought perhaps lyrics and music could help. I struggled for a couple of years on and off trying to find one all-encompassing song. What I realized in the end was I canât capture the UP in one song; I canât capture it in several. The best I could do was to grab pieces of the essence and hope they form a picture from a distance. So thatâs what Iâve tried to do with Leaning UP and falling down. Most of the songs are in some way connected to my experience of growing up Yooper (Leaning UP) and a couple are related to my experience of still trying to grow up (falling down). Leaning UP and falling down is regional folk music with some songs, like Pasty and Little Towns and Water, spanning the peninsula, while others, Goinâ To Henryâs, White Snow, and O Kun de Kun, speak directly about places and history of Ontonagon county. I didnât know the history of the U.P. or Ontonagon county very well when I left the area, so I turned to authors like Bruce H. Johanson, James K. Jamison, and John Bartlow Martin to guide me. And to my mom who did and still continues to feed my desire to understand the people and the land. Theyâre both special; I hope some of that comes out in Leaning UP and falling down.