Odetta: 1930-2008

Los Angeles Times Obituary

As someone who grew up in the environmental and peace movements, I was blessed with several opportunities to see her perform live. When she walked out on stage, she took over that space, whether it was an enclosed theater, or an outdoor stage at a festival, she owned that space. And she had the sweetest, richest, deepest, voice I've ever heard, both in terms of its timbre, and the things it had to say.

I was in the front row of an outdoor concert, when I heard her introduce an old folksong from the South this way (may be paraphrased by memory):

"There's a proverb in the South that says you should never trust a crowing hen, or a whilstling woman; *Whistles the tune of the song*"

{sigh}

Paganish Yule Carols what I have written, over the years

Because the poll response, yesterday, was in favor. And it was interesting to actually go back and look for what I've written (the earliest, I never wrote down, until now)

( A Filking I did of HOLLY AND IVY (December, 2001 [maybe?]) )

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This one is my most successful; after I posted it to Mudcat, it got printed in a San Francisco folkmusic club's newsletter, and one Baptist musician asked if I would be offended if he adapted the lyrics to be more Christian (Turnabout=Fairplay FTW!!)

( RAISE ALL YOUR VOICES (November, 2002) )

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This one is one of my personal favorites; I based it on tidbits from that book Santa Claus: Last of the Wild Men. In my personal Yule Fanon, Furry Nicholas (Pelznichol) kidnaps the naughty children and takes them back to his workshop, and forces them to make the toys for all the good children for a year-- sort of like supernatural Juvie Hall. ;-P

( BELLS ON THE WIND (December, 2004) )

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This is my protest song against the saying that "It is better to give than to receive," because I know how insulting it feels to always be on the receiving end of charity (or even basic help). I also remember feeling depressed while writing this song (I think I was still coping with the fact that Shrub had just been re-elected), and so wrote it to cheer myself up.

( SIMPLE, LITTLE, THINGS (December, 2004) )

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This is another dark one, at least, in terms of the tune it wanted to go with; I think I was having premonition of my father's cancer diagnosis, or something.

( TREE OF LIFE (December, 2005) )

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I posted this last month, but for the sake of putting all my holiday songs together, for the record, I'm reposting. It's only tangentially Yuletide-themed, but it does mention winter, and the coming new year, so:

( MY FAIR SHIP (December, 2006) )