Fire in the Sugarhouse
Vermont Songbag (VSB 107) 2008
Available (See Ordering Info)
Dan Lindner - banjo, vocals
Willy Lindner - mandolin, vocals
Alan Davis - guitar, vocals
John Drake - bass, vocals
Phil Block - fiddle
| 1. | Fire in the Sugarhouse |
| lead vocal: Al | |
| Who says Vermonters are cold, distant, aloof, uptight? The band turns up the thermostat on this musical tribute to the sweet temptations of love and maple syrup. | |
| 2. | In the Dead of Night |
| lead vocal: Dan | |
| A bluesy number in the rich tradition of bluegrass misery; composed by Dan on one of those long, lonesome drives home from a gig in (when else?) the dead of night. | |
| 3. | Morning Sky |
| lead vocal: Jon | |
| Jon brought this terrific Dan Fogelberg song to us when he joined the band. "Late nights in the kitchen ... " trying to discern if there are embers left from the old flame ... Who hasn't been there? | |
| 4. | True Harvest |
| lead vocal: Al, lead guitar: Dan | |
| Fall in the North Country is a poignant time of celebration and hope in a land where there is little margin for error. The harvest is gathered and stored, but always the lingering question: Is there enough to get us though the coming winter? | |
| 5. | River Under the Road |
| lead vocal: Willy | |
| From North Dakota songwriter Ana Egge, a song rich with promise and layered images, that invites you to delve beneath the surface. | |
| 6. | Tenth of April |
| Dedicated with love to Eleanor Johnson Lindner, April 10, 1972, to March 26, 1996 | |
| 7. | The Moon Song |
| lead vocal: Jon, guitar: Jon | |
| Often in our performances we skinny things down to Jon singing this Harlan Howard song practically by himself onstage. Typical comment after a show: "Is that song on one of your recordings?" The answer used to be, "No." | |
| 8. | Play by Play |
| lead vocal: Dan | |
| Sure, there was music before the days of radio, and there was baseball, too. But the radio changed everything, somehow bringing us sight as well as sound - string bands tearing up the Opry stage an a Saturday night; and the ballgame, with descriptions so vivid you could see the drama unfolding, play by play. | |
| 9. | Yankee Requiem |
| lead vocal: Willy, lead guitar: Willy | |
| Out hiking, Willy discovered an old rural graveyard, with markers from the seventeen- and eighteen-hundreds. On one of the headstones were the words that became the chorus of this song; beneath the other markers lay Vermonters whose lives might have mirrored the stories told here. | |
| 10. | Ice Out (The King of Bangor) |
| lead vocal: Al, bass, harmonica: Willy | |
| A logging song about the forests of Maine that strips away the romance from the hard and risky lives of the men who brought the timber to market. | |
| 11. | Washington County |
| Phil plays this Kenny Baker fiddle tune to a tee, replete with Baker's lovely slides and double-stops and augmented by distinctly Philian notions. | |
| 12. | Old-Fangled Rag |
| lead vocal: Willy | |
| A commentary; somewhat in the Vaudeville vein, that steps back and looks at the sheer absurdity of what passes for normal these days. | |
| 13. | The Hellbound Train |
| lead vocal: Dan, bass: Willy | |
| Smell the sulfur. Your engineer for this trip is the devil himself. The Plowboys hurtle through the song with reckless abandon, like passengers on that express to the Netherworld. | |
| 14. | Harbor of Love |
| lead vocal: Jon, lead guitar: Dan | |
| What could be more satisfying than a Stanley Brothers gospel song, with soulful lead vocals and a call-and-response chorus? Carter Stanley left a legacy of wonderful songs, and this is one of his best. |
Recorded at Stark Brook Productions, St. Johnsbury, Vermont; Winter 2007-2008
Engineer and co-producer: Bob Arnos
Mastered by Bob Arnos
Design: Tim Newcomb with Linda Mirabile
Photos: Stefan Hard and Tim Newcomb
For additional recordings, bookings, and and further information, please visit www.banjodan.com.
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