Collectors Cabinet Continue shopping

Home Front Room Music site

Credits for this CD

Liner Notes for this CD

Lyrics for this CD

FRONT ROOM MUSIC CATALOG
MESS OF BLUES
2017 Blues

Buy now for $10 through Paypal

MESS OF BLUES

U SNOOZE U LOSE

ROOM FULL OF RAIN

IT'S MY LIFE

SOUR GRAPES video link

DRIVER CEMETARY BLUES

TOM & KELLY'S BLUES

WORKING FOR THE ERS

SUBMARINE MAN

NEW BLUES

CREDITS:

WRITTEN & ARRANGED:
JIM - words and music on all tracks except:
It's My Life, written by Charlie Daniels, used by permission.
Bridge for Tom & Kelly's Blues is a quotation from the Townes Van Zandt song "Loretta".

VOCALS:
JIM - lead on all joined by
Rachel Bowery - backing on Mess of Blues

GUTIARS, HORNS, KEYS:
JIM - acoustic & electric guitars
Joey Colarusso - saxes + trumpet
Jamie Hilboldt - keyboards
George Coyne - dobro & tamborine

DRUMS:
Kevin Hall – on all tracks except:
Gary Devries – New Blues and Room Full of Rain

BASS:
Doug Taylor - all tracks except:
Mike Roberts - Sour Grapes, Driver’s Cemetery Blues, Working for the ERS
David Valley - Room Full of Rain
Ted Arbogast - New Blues

BLUES HARP:
Michael Rubin – Mess of Blues
Joseph Brunelle – Submarine Man
Tim Nolan – Tom & Kelly’s Blues
Abbe Waldman – New Blues
Jim Stricklan – Working for the ERS

RECORDED/MIXED and PRODUCED:
Parrot Tracks, produced by Jim Stricklan and George Coyne - all tracks except:
Sonic Arts, produced by David Valley & Kenny Rufenacht - Room Full of Rain
Music Lane, engineered by Bill Munyon, produced by Ted Arbogast - New Blues

MASTERED:
Jerry Tubb at Terra Nova - original mastering
George Coyne at Parrot Tracks - re-mastering for compilation

ART: Pablo Picasso - "The Man with the Blue Guitar"
GRAPHICS: Matt Thomas at Insty Prints

RELEASED: Kokobilly Music, a subsidiary of
PUBLISHED and COPYRIGHT: 2016 Front Room Music ® All rights reserved.

DEDICATED: To Maynard Mills

LINER NOTES:

Strictly speaking, I’m not a blues artist; nor am I an artist of any singular genre of folk music. My strongest musical influences, however, readily reveal themselves in decades of work, in both my live performances and my recordings. Dozens of true blues artists, from Mississippi John Hurt to Johnny Winter, have deeply affected my music in one way or another, over the years. I owe each of them a debt of gratitude, for helping me understanding the structures and, more importantly, the deep feelings that really are the blues. I especially want to thank my longtime friends Sally Townes and Maynard Mills for their significant contributions to the world of blues music. The privilege of hearing and playing with each of them on rare occasions, has really meant a lot to me. I hope this collection of my bluesy song expressions will show my appreciation for this most inspiring and fundamental form of American folk music—as well as appreciation for the many amazing artists who bring it to all who listen and dare to know the deeper meaning.

Jim
January 2017



LYRICS:


MESS of BLUES

She came from Waxahachie-a flower in her hair;
eyes as big as Texas and a devil may care…
I took the stool beside her- and I said, “how do you do?”
she said:” twelve bars and a broken heart
are all it takes to make a mess of blues.”

I said, “I write songs and I sing ‘em; I have since ’63—
honey, what you see is what you get,this old guitar and me.”
She shook her head and said, “barkeep…I’ll have another shot of booze;
cause twelve bars and a broken heart
are all it takes to make a mess of blues.”

Bridge:

I could see that she was leavin’, I said, “stay with me awhile;”
she made it to the door, and then she turned around and smiled…

That breeze from Waxahachie don’t blow through here no more;
when I get that lonesome feelin’ it’s sure hard to ignore-
the memory of that fair-haired girl, and them words that still ring true…
she said, “twelve bars and a broken heart
are all it takes to make a mess of blues.”

Repeat bridge

© 2010 Front Room Music


U SNOOZE, U LOSE

You snooze, you lose…
man in the mirror’s got the blues;
be you enemy or friend—
you won’t pass this way again,
you snooze, you lose.

All things must pass…
sand’s running thru that hourglass;
will you keep all that you find—
or leave something good behind?
All things must pass.

[Snooze Interlude]

Wake up call…
can you read the writing on the wall?
Will you be remembered for—
making love or making war?
Wake up call!

You snooze, you lose…
man in the mirror’s got the blues;
time waits for no one and
it sure won’t wait for you,
you snooze, you lose.

© 2007 Front Room Music


SOUR GRAPES

I can still see the neon lights on the Crazy Horse bar,
at midnight on East Colfax, as I sat there in my car—
it was many years ago, but it seems like yesterday;
still you ain’t heard the news about the dues…
that I’ve already paid.

I was down at Global Village almost every Wednesday night,
singin’ songs to feed my hunger, Dave’s spaghetti was alright—
it was many years ago, but it seems like yesterday;
still you ain’t heard the news about the dues…
that I’ve already paid.

I escaped the ghosts of winter up in Manitou Springs,
they chased me down to Lincoln town
when Nixon was the king;
it was many years ago, but it seems like yesterday;
still you ain’t heard the news about the dues…
that I’ve already paid.

Busted down on Franklin Street, thrown in the calaboose,
steel bars and frozen concrete, random victims of abuse—
for the crime of being human, blind justice never weighed;
still you ain’t heard the news about the dues…
that I’ve already paid.

Beamed out across the airwaves, mostly talkin’ to myself,
when they put me on a pedestal, then back upon the shelf—
like some old forgotten song, you might’ve heard along the way;
can it be you’re still confused about the dues…
that I’ve already paid?

I’ve been close to fame and fortune,
so I’ve seen enough to know—
God grant me grace and dignity before I have to go;
respect is hard to come by, and the music starts to fade…
still you ain’t heard the news about the dues…
that I’ve already paid.

Repeat 1st verse

© 2010 Front Room Music


DRIVER CEMETERY BLUES

Might be June or January
when them bearers come to carry
your poor body there to bury—
got the Driver Cemetery Blues

Might be on the evening news
It ain’t like you get to choose—
when there’s nothing left to lose,
you got the Driver Cemetery Blues

Mortality is going round
puts you in the cold, cold ground;
lots of people standing round
with the Driver Cemetery Blues

Takes the women and the men
all your enemies and friends—
generations of your kin
got the Driver Cemetery Blues

Repeat 1st verse

© 2002 Front Room Music


TOM AND KELLY'S BLUES

Here comes that same song again,
and my patience is wearing thin;
why not play something sweet and low,
like Norah Jones or Norton Buffalo?

You got your jukebox on your iPod—
you can download almost anything you choose;
as for me, I wanna hear Tom sing Loretta,
and Kelly play them Deep River Blues.

Front room music’s still the thing…
hear guitars ring with a simple melody;
there must be too few troubadours
round anymore, who can write real poetry.

You got your jukebox on your iPod,
You can download (Lady Gaga) if you choose…
As for me, I wanna hear Tom sing Loretta,
and Kelly play them Deep River Blues! (drb)

Bridge:

“Loretta, she’s my barroom girl,
wears them sevens on her sleeve—
dances like a diamond shines,”
I still remember every line - cause it’s poetry..

Here comes that same song again,
and my patience is wearing thin;
why not play something with some soul,
like Stevie Ray or Norton Buffalo?

You got your jukebox on your iPod,
you can download anything you choose…
as for me, I wanna hear Tom sing Loretta,
and hear Kelly play them Deep River Blues.

© 2011 Front Room Music



RETURN TO TOP