Death/lack of life was the theme for tonight’s jam and there was a surprising plethora of material. Whose idea was this anyway? Joining us for this dark but sometimes jovial gathering was Jack, Larry, Jean, Bill (with some of his sound making toys), Betty, Frank, Louise, Jen, Ken, Abbie and Ken’s brother Bill who gave depth to our sound with his electric bass.

A shout out to Irene who had knee replacement surgery and Sally who had surgery for her injured hand. We all hope you are both well on your way to feeling stronger and better. We missed you both.

The new chord sheet for our starter song, Big Rock Candy Mountain, was fixed (thanks Bill). We sounded good and then Ken just had to play around at the end and dragged out the last two or so chords.

Will The Circle Be Unbroken by The Carter Family (Ken) was good but we forgot the tremolo at the end. OOPS.

I’ll Fly Away (Ken) was a very lively number. It was written in 1929 by Albert E. Brumley and has infiltrated several genres such as gospel, bluegrass, Christian rock, country, and has been used in TV and film. This one was easy and familiar and very upbeat. I would like someone to play it at my funeral or Shiva. This goes on the list!

That’ll Be The Day, A Buddy Holly classic (Arlene) was OK. With a little work, it could make the list.

Spirit In The Sky by Norman Greenbaum (Arlene) was familiar to most. Needs some work for list potential.

I sometimes find bizarre yet fun songs with little effort. This next one has to top the list. I was perusing the San Jose song list and the title Send Me to Glory in a Glad Bag intrigued me. I checked it out on YouTube and decided we had to play it. Maybe good for a drunken party list.

Tom Dooley (Bill) is an “Appalachian sweetheart murder ballad” (Wikipedia) made famous by the Kingston Trio in 1958 although it was written in 1929 and based on the alleged 1866 murder of a North Carolina woman, Laura Foster. I love to learn the story behind some of the things we play. We sounded good.

Blowin' in the Wind (Jean) gave Ken a chance to dust off his Bob Dylan impersonation. It was a good song except for Ken’s antics. For that reason, it will not make the list.

Last Kiss (Louise) was sad. Recorded by Pearl Jam and if you want to believe Wikipedia, partly based on a true story. I wrote weak in my notes although I cannot remember why. Looking at the chord sheet now, it looks easy enough. Anyway, it’s too sad for the list.

Only The Good Die Young (Louise) but I wasn’t familiar enough with the phrasing or timing on this but Louise did an excellent job of playing and singing.

Knocking On Heaven’s Door (Louise) was very nice. Maybe Ken restrained himself on this one. My notes don’t mention another BD impersonation.

Uncle John’s Band (Louise) in honor of the passing of Grateful Dead’s Robert Hunter. To quote a line from it: “how does this song go?” I think Bill Hong was the only one who knew it.

Casey Jones (Louise) was interesting. Another Grateful Dead Robert Hunter song.

Tie Me Kangaroo Down (Bill) Easy but long so Ken cut it short so we could fit in some other songs in the final 20 minutes.

Poor Wayfaring Stranger (Betty) was a sad folk song from the 1800’s.

A Man of Constant Sorrow (Betty) I think only Betty knew this one.

(Everything I Do) I Do It For You (Jen) Jen has a way of picking the prettiest songs. I didn’t think I knew this one until we started playing.

Annie’s Song (Jen) Pretty

My Way (Bill Hong) Bill provided information about this originally being a French song called "As Usual" but it was rewritten by Paul Anka. And here I thought it was an Anka original! It quickly became famous as Frank Sinatra’s signature song. We did a great job belting this one out. On the list for sure!

The evening ended with Long Black Veil (Betty) Another grim and brooding number.

Once again Best Wishes to Irene and Sally for a speedy recovery.

Say it ain’t so! Our next theme is based on the fact that Bill will be closing on his home in a few weeks and moving north as well as doing some traveling. So the let your song choices reflect his eventual departure and include farewell, goodbye, moving on, going north, and travel.

Until then, you keep strumming,

-- Arlene.