CDII LINER NOTES

RMMGA CD Vol. 2 - Track Liner Notes

(listed alphabetically by artist's surname/band name)

Page 1: A - D     Page 2: E - L    Page 3: M - R    Page 4: S - Z

All notes, lyrics, etc. are copyrighted by their respective owners; reprinted here with permission.

Rick Marciniec

1) For Heather, Wherever She May Be (Rick Marciniec) - [disc 2, track 3]

I wrote this in December 1990 during the peak of my playing out days, about 6 weeks after I met my wife, before we even started dating. I recently changed some of the words near the end of the song to something more appropriate to our stage in life now, since the original version had me standing alone in the bar again at the end (and I haven't played out in over 7 years).

I somehow managed to use all of my guitars in this song: Martin J-40M, Goodall Aloha GC, Seagull S-12+ Cedar, Fender P-Bass Special, Martin Backpacker, Yamaha FG-331, Fender Telecaster, Danelectro 59-DC-12. Vocals were recorded into a Rode NT-1 and Heather did the harmonies near the beginning and end. I used a Rode NT-1 and an AT831b mic for the acoustics and ran all of the signals through a Mackie 1202-VLZ Pro mixer and into a Darla24 soundcard and used Cakewalk Pro Audio 9 for software. A Line 6 Pod was used for the Backpacker and Tele Leslie effects...I love that effect!

2) Legacy (Rick Marciniec) - [disc 5, track 1]

Written the month following my father's death this past April. He was a great man and I miss him immensely...and I think even more than I miss who he was to me, I miss who he was to my children...we love you, Poppy.

I recorded my Martin J-40M and vocals into a Rode NT-1 mic.

URL: http://www.mp3.com/RPM33

Alan Marshall

Theme of Indecision (Ken Nicol) - [disc 3, track 18]

The recording was made direct to computer by Shirley Worrall using a single microphone at the top of her stairs using Cool Edit. The guitar is a Northworthy Ellastone Custom, strung with Martin M540 phosphor bronze.

This song was learned from Ken Nicol, who wrote it around 1969. I was 17 at the time, and it was the first song I learned in an open tuning, originally in "A" EAEAC#E, but now in "G" DGDGBD, as my voice has altered since those days. I was badgered into recording this by Shirley as Ken has long since forgotten it, and I could just about remember it. The tune was fine, but I dictated the words to Shirley, and printed them out to read as I was playing as I had not played it in its entirety for about 20 years.

URL: http://www.northworthy.com

Tom Maynard

1) Under the Waterfall (Tom Maynard) - [disc 3, track 3]

Copyright 2000 Tom Maynard

	Guitar: Thompson T1
	Tuning: DADGAD
	Strings: Elixirs - light tops/medium bottoms
	Mics: Sennheiser Evolution E825s, Shure SM57
	Tascam 424 mkIII 4-track analog recorder

This was written as an attempt to paint an aural picture of my honeymoon in Nova Scotia; specifically it recounts a magical afternoon in a park along the Cabot Trail on Cape Breton, playing "under the waterfall." After 18 years, it's still magic!! Dedicated to my best friend, Debbie.

2) Wishes (Angela Marseglia / Tom Maynard) - [disc 5, track 15]

Copyright 2000: Lyric by Angela Marseglia, music by Tom Maynard

	Thompson T1
	Tuning: standard
	Elixirs - light gauge
	Audio Technica PRO 95 guitar mic
	Sennheiser Evolution E825s
	Tascam 424 mkIII 4-track analog recorder

Written as an assignment for a local songwriters' circle. We were to trade lyrics and write the music. I want to thank Angela for the inspirational lyric and the permission to include the song in this collection.

Brian McCarthy

Etude (Brian McCarthy) - [disc 1, track 11]

	Guitar: Takamine CP132SC
	Strings: Hannabach 815MT
	Microphone: 1 AKG C1000S
	Recording device: cassette tape recorder

Jim McCrain

1) Epistle (Hoyt Axton) - [disc 3, track 19]

Technical info:                      

	Guitar: Larrivee J-10-K Custom (all koa), Godin Multiac steel-string, Roland GR-30 guitar synthesizer
	Strings: DR Medium "Rare" phosphor bronze
	Sonic capture devices: "L.R. Baggs" ribbon transducer under-saddle pickup, Audio-Technica microphone
	Sonic recording devices:  Recorded at Walrus Sound Productions, using Alesis ADAT multi-track, Behringer "Eurodesk MX8000" mixing board, Digitech "DSP 256XL" effects processors

Esoteric stuff:

I grew up in a small west Texas town, and with a strict religious background. At the age of 16, I "got into trouble" with our church's leadership when I began visiting the churches that my friends went to. The absolute arrogance and hypocrisy displayed by these church "leaders" opened my eyes to a new way of thinking, and soured my views of organized religion. Now, I think more freely, and encourage everyone to open their minds to this new way. This song expresses those sentiments in a much more eloquent manner than I ever could.

Lyrics:

EPISTLE

In the searching eyes of someone's daughter
Is hope that maybe someday things will change.
Peace on Earth will come and find us waiting
Unless you choose to wander out of range... of Salvation!

And to the Church in Baltimore, a Question:
What have you done to ease the pain of Man?
I heard you gave some comfort to some sinners.
I'm still afraid you just don't understand.

To an orphan child dying of hunger
God is just a half a loaf of bread.
You rise up from your hundred-dollar table
Making sure that your parakeet is fed.

And don't forget to save a dime for Jesus.
Don't forget to save ten thousand more.
Take a pill to ease the call of conscience.
It's just a dream. It really can't be won.

And to you marching Men in blue and silver.
Everyone's for Peace, but they still allow the red.
You still can't seem to figure out the reason.
It lies in what the shepherd says.

I will choose you one out of the thousand
Only two out of ten thousand more.
And you shall stand as one again
On the sacred shore of the promised

I am the sea and you the raging river.
You are the sun and I the crystal fountain.
Flowing in the growing love of Heaven.
Spirit, guide us to the holy mountain.
Spirit, guide us to the holy mountain.

I am you and you are me: Now together we are three.
Shining in the mountains of our being.
And just in case our Fathers have forgotten,
Maybe we should help them understand.

And to the Church in Baltimore, a Question:
What have you done to ease the pain of Man?
What have you done to ease the pain of Man?

2) Rollin' By (Robert Earl Keen) - [disc 6, track 3]

Technical info:

	Guitar: Larrivee OM-10, Larrivee J-10-K Custom (all koa), Godin Multiac steel string, Roland GR-30 guitar synthesizer
	Strings: DR Medium "Rare" phosphor bronze
	Sonic capture devices: "Goldline" guitar pickup (OM-10), "L.R. Baggs" ribbon transducer under-saddle pickup (J-10-K), Shure SM58 microphone
	Sonic recording devices: Recorded at Walrus Sound Productions, using Alesis ADAT multi-track, Behringer "Eurodesk MX8000" mixing board, Digitech "DSP 256XL" effects processors

Esoteric stuff:

I graduated from high school almost 20 years ago. Just recently, I had the opportunity to go back there and give some inspirational/motivational programs to the entire student body. While there, I reflected on my memories of this little west Texas town and compared it to what I was experiencing now. This song came to mind.

Lyrics:

ROLLIN' BY

It's a busted old town
On the plains of West Texas
The drugstore's closed down
The River's run dry
The semi's roll through
Just like stainless steel stallions
Goin' hard, Goin' fast, Goin' wild.
Rollin' hard, Rollin' fast, Rollin' by.

The mission still stands
At the edge of the plateau
And a stone marks the graves
Where the old cowboys lie
Asleep in a time
In a town just a young man

The drive-in don't play
No Friday night picture
With no big silver screen
To light up the sky
And gone are the days
Of post-wartime lovers

And me I stand here
At the last filling station
While the wind moans a dirge
To a coyote's cry
And I'm back in my car
And I'm out on the highway
Goin' hard, Goin' fast, Goin' wild.

URL: http://www.TheClimb.com

Burle McGhee

For both songs:

Copyright 2000 Burle McGhee

	Instrument: No name American-made classical guitar.
	Strings: D'Addario hard tension Pro Arte composites.
	Recorded and engineered by Michael Bowes at Big Mic Studios, Richmond, Virginia.

1) Third Floor Attic (Burle McGhee) - [disc 2, track 20]

This is for a good friend up in the northern wine country of upstate New York, who lives in a beautiful and charming 19^th-century home. There are stained glass windows on the third floor, and lots of nooks and crannies to explore. In the attic are countless treasures and memories left behind by those fortunate to have called this place home for more than a century. Climbing up into that attic space is a real adventure, with discovery of many reminders of those days long past. A true step back into time.

2) Wilton Winter (Burle McGhee) - [disc 5, track 13]

Winter often arrives too early in Connecticut, and stays too late...often entirely beyond its welcome. There are countless gray days, the threat of snow and ice, and the constant wondering if spring will ever rear its head again. Despite the feeling of being snowbound, there is a sense of calm, of renewal, and of natural beauty. Those who endure this season of cold and cabin fever are undoubtedly stronger for the experience.

Stan Milam

Dusty Coat (Stan Milam) - [disc 1, track 12]

I wrote this song when I was 19. I had a lot of things going on in my life at the time, most of them discouraging. Chief among them was the fact that my best friend in high school, Dave Wellborn, had moved to Chicago after graduation. I missed him. I missed playing guitar and singing with him. So, one night after work I sat down with my 12-string and this song just materialized. Dave, this song is for you!

Greg Neaga

Fran (Greg Neaga) - [disc 1, track 1]

In summer 1997, a major hurricane named Fran hit the southeast and moved up the coast towards us. Living in New York at that time, my home was within the hurricane's potential path, so we had the Weather Channel on all day. Most of the time, the TV's sound was turned down, and I played guitar while watching the hurricane approaching. After a week, I ended up with this tune and a flooded basement.

Played on a custom Lakewood M-18/RAG. Three tracks (two Shure SM58s, directed at the upper and lower bouts, plus the under-saddle piezo), recorded simultaneously on an ancient Tascam 244 multi-tracker.

URL: http://www.neatone.com

Gerry Nelson

Equipment used for both songs:

Sitka/mahogany Olson SJ recorded into a Sony ECM-MS907 mic with a Sony MZ-R91 minidisc recorder.

1) Blue Moon (Richard Rodgers/Lorenz Hart) / Somewhere Over the Rainbow (Harold Arlen) - [disc 3, track 15]

"Blue Moon" is taken from Tommy Emmanuel's arrangement of this classic while "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" from The Wizard of Oz is my own arrangement -- my first.

2) Variations on "Hey Hey" (Bill Broonzy, arr. Gerry Nelson) - [disc 5, track 22]

This is my take on the great Bill Broonzy's "Hey Hey" which was popularised on Eric Clapton's Unplugged album. It's the first song I ever wanted to learn from that album and one of my favourites to play. Rather than subjecting you all to my singing, I thought I'd do it as an instrumental.

Tom Nelson

Big Iron (Marty Robbins) - [disc 3, track 13]

Technical info:

	Guitar: Gallagher Doc Watson model
	Strings: John Pearse phosphor bronze medium gauge
	Sonic capture devices: Played live into an old EV mic
	Recording devices: Home computer using Power Tracks software
	Standard tuning, capo 3, flatpicked

Esoteric stuff:

This is a song that is so old that the bad guys are bad and the good guys are good. My version is heavily influenced by Steve Goodman. Skip mine, listen to his!

Daniel Nestlerode

Virginia Claire (Daniel Nestlerode) - [disc 4, track 9]

	Guitars: Daniel - 2000 Mauel 000-12 (Sitka and jarrah); Ron Atchison - 1940 Martin D-18.
	Sonic capture devices: Shure SM58 and SM57 siiting about 6 feet away from me and the guitar, pointing across each other's fields. The song was done in one take.
	See Jan Vail's notes for the rest of the technical info, she did the knob twisting.

I wrote this song as an exercise in fiction, and I got the idea for the setting from a lyric posted to rec.music.songwriting.

Erik Nygaard

Tidlos Out of Time (Erik Nygaard) - [disc 2, track 10]

Dieter Ossenberg

All three pieces were recorded on my old Teac reel-to-reel four-track and mixed into my son's minidisc player. I added some reverb with an Alesis effects processor.

1) George O'Reilly's Hornpipe / Cottage in the Grove (both trad., arr. Dieter Ossenberg) - [disc 1, track 14]

From Breandan Breathnach's collection Ceol Rince na hEireann, the reel "Cottage in the Grove" is from The Roche Collection Of Traditional Irish Music. The instruments used are a '79 Martin M-38 and a '73 Martin D-28.

2) The Rights Of Man (trad., arr. Dieter Ossenberg) - [disc 4, track 17]

One of my favorite Irish tunes, I played the D-28 on lead and a '79 Gallagher dreadnought on rhythm.

3) Pretty Girl Milking A Cow (trad., arr. Dieter Ossenberg) - [disc 6, track 6]

My version is inspired by Duck Baker's arrangement via Stefan Grossman's playing, so maybe I might better call it as "The Bakerman's Milkmaid." It's played on a concert-size (rosewood/eur. spruce) guitar by Lincolnshire luthier John LeVoi.

Joe Palumbos

For all songs:

	Guitar: 1974 Guild D25
	Arranged for solo acoustic fingerstyle guitar, using standard tuning.
	Recorded on a Tascam 424 Portastudio, with a mic from Radio Shack and a little reverb.

1) You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To (Cole Porter, arr. Joe Palumbos) - [disc 2, track 11]

I was staying in a hotel in San Francisco a few years ago, and this was the theme song of the Hotel chain. It would play continuously on that in-house station every time you turned on the TV. I left the TV on that station for 4 days. It wasn't until last year that I tried a stab at an arrangement of it; this is the result.

2) Georgia On My Mind (Hoagy Carmichael / S. Gorrell, arr. Joe Palumbos) - [disc 5, track 6]

This is an old favorite of mine, as done by Willie Nelson. I really just wanted to come up with a cool guitar solo in a solo arrangement.

3) Autumn Leaves (J. Prevert / J. Mercer / J. Kosma, arr. by J. S. Tuttle / J. Palumbos) - [disc 6, track 8]

A good friend has been playing this for years. I finally learned it, and tacked on some variations, which were originally intended to augment the original as a duet. (Haven't tried this, yet.)

Charles Park

Gear used:

	Guitar: Chelsvig, with very old Elixir strings
	Mics: Shure SM58 and SM57
	Recording device: Tascam Portastudio 414

1) What a Wonderful World (George David Weiss/George Douglas) - [disc 6, track 16]

Dedicated to RMMGA. I had a few problems getting it recorded and when I finally had it, I went and erased it. At this time I only had two choices, quit or use it to my advantage. After recording "Shake, Rattle and Roll," I got the #1 song on the second take and was very happy, even though there were errors in it too. I figured that's what it was all about. In my living room with the dog, cat, and parrot. It just doesn't get any better.

2) Shake, Rattle and Roll (Charles Calhoun) - [disc 1, track 16]

I changed my second song from my original choice and decided to do "Shake, Rattle and Roll" flat-out no-holds-barred, total fun. First take had a glitch that I should have left in for the humor. Second take was a keeper with me laughing missing a chord and all the other mistakes. Total comedy. I had a ball!

David Prunty

Both Sides Now (Joni Mitchell) - [disc 2, track 2]

Technical info:

	Make/model of guitar: 1999 Martin 000C-15E (w/ Fishman System 1)
	Strings: Elixir custom lights
	Tuning: standard
	Keyboard: Alesis QS6.1
	Mics: AKG C1000S (1)
	Recorder: Roland/Boss BR-8

Why this piece:

This is the first fingerstyle piece I learned, twenty-five years ago, after hearing Randy Scruggs' arrangement, which closed the The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's Will The Circle Be Unbroken. I decided to add the strings after I heard Joni's latest CD with all the orchestral arrangements. (Subconsciously, I must also have been inspired by the coda on Dire Straits' song "Why Worry"...)

About me:

Currently a hobby musician and a social worker (or do I mean a social musician and a hobby worker?) in the Twin Cities, I worked in liturgical music in the '70s and '80s, contributing guitar and vocals on The Monks of St. Meinrad Archabbey's albums Songs Like Incense (1978) and Remaining Faithful (1979), as well as a benefit recording, To Give Light, in 1985. I played Bo Diddley's coffeehouse nights in the '80s and '90s (central Minnesota), opening for Greg Brown and Ann Reed.

Mike Pugh and Pete Gay (No Busking and Gorblimey)

1) Angel from Montgomery (John Prine) - 4:08 - [disc 4, track 7]

2) Friend of the Devil (John Dawson / Jerome Garcia / Robert Hunter; a.k.a. the Grateful Dead) - 4:06 - [disc 6, track 14]

Technical info for both songs:

	Guitars: Mike - Guild Mahogany Jumbo; Pete - Taylor 312 CE
	Sonic capture devices: Everything recorded with Audio Technica ATM 10a's (small diaphragm condenser mics)
	Sonic recording devices: 4-track cassette, mastered to DAT
	Effects: Alesis Wedge reverb; Alesis 3630 compressor
	Recorded in Ashburn, Virginia on July 9, 2000

Esoteric stuff:

Pete and I met and played together (with Phil Stevenson) at the open mic during UK 3 as AcoustiKasualty. In early July, Pete was able to schedule a pass through Washington, DC on a business trip to the States, and we spent a Sunday afternoon drinking beer and playing guitar.

What you hear is a mostly unrefined recording of two guitar buddies "busking" through the afternoon. We bought cassette tapes at the grocery store while on a beer run (hence the occasional dropouts; from cheap tapes, not the beer. Okay; maybe from the beer a little bit). We just sat down and played through the stuff until it sounded like we wanted. I added vocals and a little processing later, but what you hear is pretty much what was happening in the room. Common tunes, easy arrangements; I chugged along on rhythm while Pete played lead. It was a lot of fun to make; I hope the recordings reflect the good time we were having.

Bob Rayburn

For all songs:

	Guitar: David Webber SJ - rosewood/Sitka
	Strings: John Pearse PB lights
	Tuning: standard
	Mic: Audio Technica MB4000C condenser
	Recorded on a Boss BR-8 Digital Recorder

1) Her Light (Bob Rayburn) - [disc 2, track 9]

Written in December '99, first song written with my new Webber

2) Minor Second (Bob Rayburn) - [disc 5, track 5]

I like cluster harmonies; I tried to use chords with minor second intervals and still sound interesting.

3) Caloosa (Bob Rayburn) - [disc 6, track 7]

I wrote this 15 years ago, always like the harmonic flow. Got the name from a lake I lived on and loved, Lake Caloosa.

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Liner notes compiled by Daniel Nestlerode and J. Y. Whang