Able Baker Charlie & Dog

Joe Crookston

able baker charlie & dog

milagrito records

jbjo78

1. The Logical Song (4:59)

Joe – Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Accordion

Cary Black – Bass

Can you believe it? It’s true … A Supertramp song on a folk album … a hit song in 1979. Thanks to my buddy Ed Esbeck for inspiring me to come up with my own acoustic version. This song is one of my daughter’s favorites … Here’s to the hope of her growing up, but not growing cynical and jaded.

2. John Jones (4:18)

Joe – Vocals, Guitar

Judy Hyman – Fiddle

Pat Wictor – Slide Guitar

Dana Billings – Percussion

Richie Stearns – Banjo

In 2007, I received a grant to travel throughout the Finger Lakes region of New York, collect stories , interview locals and write songs based on my travels. This song would not exist if it weren’t for Jim Cunningham from Waverly, NY. Together, we visited the homestead and grave site of ex-slave John Jones. John Jones was a man of remarkable courage who escaped a Virginia slave plantation on foot, settled in Elmira, NY, and organized one of the largest “depot” stations on the underground railroad in New York. He eventually helped free some 800 slaves. Thanks to Jim Cunningham for all his inspiration and research.

3. Wandering Shepherd (3:59)

Joe – Vocals, Acoustic and Electric Guitars

Cary Black – Bass

Pat Wictor – Slide Guitar

Jen Middaugh – Vocals

I love community radio. For two years, I was the early morning DJ at Kent State University … 6am. The music library, and the Kent State Folk Festival is where I discovered artists like Nanci Griffith, John McCutcheon, Norman Blake, and The Horseflies. The station was selling old vinyl one day, and I bought Dan Fogelberg’s “High Country Snows” for a buck. I listened to it a thousand times … The song, Wandering Shepherd, bowled me over … it still does, and I’ve been singing it ever since.

4. Freddy the Falcon (4:44)

Joe – Acoustic and Electric Guitars, Vocals

While living in Seattle, I spent two years writing and music with detained youth at The King County Detention Center. Three days a week, I hauled mobile recording equipment into a 6x6 jail cell, set it up and recorded poems, raps and songs written by teens. Mostly, I listened and encouraged them to tell their personal story. This song was inspired by 17-year old skateboarder and sketch artist, “Freddy.”

5. Brooklyn in July (5:24)

Joe – Vocals, Guitar

Doug Robinson – Bass

Molly MacMillan – Piano

Kathryn Caldwell – Vocals

Jen Middaugh - Vocals

This song also came out of my New York/Finger Lakes song project. The action in this song takes place over the period of about 12 minutes, in a café on Fulton Street in Brooklyn. My vision was to write this song as if it were a short film, painting the picture of one pivotal moment in the life of “Frank.” A true story … Frank ended up detained in Willard, NY near Seneca Lake for a good part of his life.

6. Red Rooster in the Mash Pile (4:02)

Joe – Guitars, Vocals

Molly MacMillan – Piano

Doug Robinson – Bass

Jen Middaugh – Vocals

Judy Hyman – Fiddle

This song was inspired by a story told to me by 83-year-old Walt Losey from Alpine, NY. As a kid during prohibition in the early 1930’s. Walt remembered his neighbors having a whiskey still and making bootleg alcohol behind their farm. The roosters would eat the discarded fermented mash, get slobbering drunk and prance around town, cockling and strutting like drunken fools at all hours of the day or night. That image just cracked me up … Thanks to Mike Levy and Beth Taplitz for suggesting that I talk to Walt.

7. Able Baker Charlie and Dog (5:19)

Joe – Vocals, Guitars, Accordion

Cory Black – Bass

My grandpa, Joe Gnap, worked full time in northeast Ohio at a glue factory until he was 96 years old. Eight months before he passed away, he told me this story. As a member of the Navy Construction Battalion, he was based on Tinian Island in the South Pacific during WWII. He, along with 4000 other Navy Seabees, built four runways, one of which was used by the “Enola Gay” when taking off to fly over Japan.

8. Mending Walls (3:25)

Joe – Vocals, Guitars

Molly MacMillan – Piano

Doug Robinson – Bass

Inspired by the poem “Mending Walls” by Robert Frost. This is a poem where we get the phrase “Good fences make good neighbors.”

9. Hands Metal and Wood (5:10)

Joe – Vocals, Guitars

Cary Black – Bass

My great grandfather “invented” the roofing hammer. His initials (AJC) “Anthony Joseph Crookston” are stamped on the wooden handle and metal blade of each hammer. When I travel, I collect them. As a kid, I spent many Saturday afternoons shingling houses with my dad, and I wrote this song honoring the legacy a father passes down.

10. Blue Tattoo (4:33)

Joe – Vocals, Mandolin, Guitar, Keyboards

Kathryn Caldwell – Vocals

Doug Robinson – Bass

A conversation between a mother, and her four-year old daughter. This song was also written as part of my “Songs From the Finger Lakes” project. It was inspired by, and is based on the story of Dina Jacobson from Elmira, NY. Thanks to Debra Chesman for introducing me to Dina.

11. Bird By Bird (3:14)

Joe – Vocals, Guitar, Mandolin

Kathryn Caldwell – Vocals

Molly MacMillan – Piano

Doug Robinson – Bass

A simple song that I love to sing, inspired by Ann Lamott’s book with the same title. I wrote this for my friends at Puget Ridge Cohousing in Seattle … far away, but always with me “take it bird by bird …”

12. Red Rooster in the Mash Pile (4:49)

(Live in Ithaca, NY)

Joe – Vocals, Guitar

Charlie Chew – Drums

Molly MacMillan – Piano

Mike Levy – Bass

Recorded by Karl Fitzke on September 14, 2007 at The Community School of Music and Arts in Ithaca, NY. Walt Losey was in the audience singing along.

13. The Rutabaga Curl (6:05)

(Live in Ithaca, NY)

Joe – Vocals, Guitar

Charlie Shew – Drums

Molly MacMillan – Piano

Mike Levy - Bass

Recorded by Karl Fitzke on September 14, 2007 at The Community School of Music and Arts in Ithaca, NY.

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Ithaca, NY, is the home of the International Rutabaga Curling Championship. The “Grand Commissioner” of the Rutabaga Curl. Steve Sierigk started this annual winter event at the farmer’s market in 1996 and it has become a wildly popular local sensation. Each December, half the town of Ithaca comes out in the freezing cold to roll their rutabaga, in hopes of rolling in closest to the orange pole, not kidding … pure fun!

All songs written by Joe Crookston © 2008 except: “The Logical Song” by Roger Hodgson and “Wandering Shepherd” by Dan Fogelberg.

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Guitar and Bass on tracks 1, 3, and 7 recorded by David Lange in Fife, WA.

For bookings, concerts, tour info, CDs, or to join my mailing list, please visit www.joecrookston.com or email: joecplay@mindspring.com

Thanks for spreading the word about my music … and thanks for supporting independent music by purchasing CDs.

The runways they glittered in the sunshine and fog named Able and Baker and Charlie and Dog

Recorded by Will Russell at Electric Wilburland

Newfield, NY (October 2007 – January 2008)

Mixed by Will Russell and Joe Crookston at Electric Wilburland

Mastered by David Glasser at Airshow Mastering

Produced by Joe Crookston

Back Cover Photo by Kathryn Caldwell

Graphic Design by Leslie Lee and Joe Crookston

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With Guest Musicians:

Kathryn Caldwell – Vocals

Cary Black – Bass

Judy Hyman – Fiddle

Molly MacMillan – Piano

Mike Levy – Bass

Richie Stearns – Banjo

Charlie Shew – Percussion

Pat Wictor – Slide Guitar

Doug Robinson – Bass

Jen Middaugh – Vocals

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Writing Songs, making music, and having a community of friends who listen, respond, and sing along, is one of the greatest gifts in my life. I am absolutely grateful that you’ve taken the time to listen to these songs, come to concerts, and join me on this musical journey … it’s just the beginning. I’ve always had an aversion to “relationship songs.” The kind where the songwriter whines about their latest breakup, and the listener, is supposed to care. It turns out, during the last few years, I’ve discovered a different kind of “relationship” song … songs that explore connections between fathers/sons, mothers/daughters, youth/family and interactions between total strangers, told through the powerful lens of personal stories. It’s been a great discovery, and many of the songs on this recording are relationship songs, enjoy, enjoy … these are your songs.

Thank You. I am humbled everyday by the love and friendship by my wife Kathryn. I’d like to thank her for singing like a bird on this recording, taking the photos, and never ceasing to be a great gift to me. Thanks Beaner! Lots of love to Josie Rae, my 3-year old daughter, for asking “why” and reminding me to appreciate the “magic and wonder” everywhere. Gigantic thanks and great respect to Will Russell at Electric Wilburland for his incredible expertise, generous spirit, and good humor while recording this project! HUGE gratitude to the incredible musicians who joined me on this recording, and much love and thanks to: my extended family and friends at Eco-Village at Ithaca, Cathy, Margaret and little Louie, Lee-Ellen Marvin, The Community School of Music and Arts, in Ithaca, Karl Fitzke, Elisabeth Harrod, Jim and Tina Nilsen-Hodgels, my co-housing family at PRCA in Seattle, Amy Blzake, Steve Gretz, Leslie Lee, Ralph Hunt, Judy Gradford, Tom Knight, Sophis and Emily, Angela Page from WJFF, Lisa Wenzel, Wayne and Robin Edkin, The Nolans, Wayne and Mesa, Tom Ruscitti for the mandolin, Julie and Jonathan, Kit and John Weigel, Mette and Dan, Debra Chesman, Barbara Manners, Gene Shay, John Platt, Michael Ludgate, Alex Adams, Ken Batista at WYEP, Rich Warren at WFMT, Tish Pearlman, Kathryn Mostow and Nathan Scott, Phil Shapiro, Brian Coughlin, Rick Biesanz, Mike Agranoff, Scott Moore, Pat Wictor, Gloria and Kent Betlam, Carol Titus, Joe Jencks, Annie and Danny Keith, Mac McLanahan, Liz Freeman, Nancy Haslam, the folks at Gret Pitts, Trudy James, Brandy Ritts, Dee and Austin and little Julia, Bird and Chuck, Abbey and Noah, brother Rob, Henry and Gabriella, Helen, Gerald, Mike Levy, Beth Taplitz, David Caldwell, Jim Cunningham, and to all of you, for your support! See you soon, Love Joe.
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For bookings, tour info, CDs, and to join the mailing list, please visit:
www.joecrookston.com
email: joecplay@mindspring.com

Milagrito Records
P.O. Box 234
Ithaca, NY 14851

Copyright (C) 2008 Joe Crookston
All Rights Reserved