Journal

You've got to start somewhere

I started working on these songs as the Springsteen tour was ending at the close of 2006, but I had been thinking about doing a project like this for a long time.

But I originally envisioned a very different album. Right about now, I'm thanking God this recording turned out like it did, as opposed to how I originally intended it.

The first banjo rap songs I ever did were novelty hiphop tunes. It didn't occur to me there might be a more appropriate style for me to rap in, so I did it MC style. It was beyond ridiculous. This went on as a hobby for a period of time too long to mention. Jesus, I think I'm blushing. And somewhere out there so many people have a low-fi demo version of me rapping about some kind of scatological Santa Claus. Maybe I should regret that; not sure. I guess you've got to start somewhere.

Anyway, when the Springsteen tour ended, I was feeling some serious folk music pride. Every night for months the Boss had just melted people's faces off (in a very meaningful fashion) with all kinds of folk songs. So I'm happy to say that all the songs on this album are rooted in folk music, whose tradition all of us in the Deadly Gentlemen lay a very legitimate claim to.

-Greg