Poltrack Blog

I used to mow lawns when I lived in Connecticut. We lived in a neighborhood and I was able to push my lawnmower to each of my patrons. Most of the properties were about a quarter acre but I made the mistake of charging by the hour instead of the job. I kept finishing the job faster as I became more experienced. I only made about $2.50 per lawn not counting tips. I spent my money on records and at that time I was being drawn into the folk revival scene.I had no idea about the roots of the music so my first introduction was the Kingston Trio. It would be decades later till I learned where Tom Dooley came from. The Kingston Trio The Kingston Trio

I've heard live music all of my life. My dad and uncle would get together and sing cowboy songs, Eddy Arnold tunes and even the classic Cab Calloway tune Minnie the Moocher .  In the early 1960s I started to hear the beginnings of what became the folk music revival  with groups such as The Kingston Trio playing tunes like Tom Dooley and the MTA. I bought a number of records with my lawn mowing money and eventually bought a really lousy banjo which was made in East Germany and was almost impossible to play because the string action was so bad. I gave up fairly quickly on that since I realized I was not going to be Earl Scruggs. Later I rode the train to New York City with my cousin who knew where all the music stores were located and I bought a Guild guitar. Compared to the banjo this was a much better instrument. I bought it in 1962 and still have it. I took it all over the place including playing by campfires.  Considering the harsh conditions it has held u...

Jane Fallon performed original compositions at the Living Room Concert at the Mason Coffee House in New Hampshire on Saturday June 17th. From Jane's website : Singer-songwriter, Jane Fallon, is a veteran performer whose smooth, rich voice and well-written songs get noticed. With vocals that have been called “angelic” and “mesmerizing”,  by Boston's Metronome magazine, her original songs “combine humor, intelligence, and deep musicality with an artfulness that is unusual.” (Wildy's Word Music blog).  Currently living in New Hampshire, she was born in California, she spent her formative years on the West Coast. As a member of a large musical family, she began singing and writing songs at an early age. Raised on Traditional country, Appalachian Folk, and Gospel, and trained in classical and jazz, Jane has sung everything from Barbara Allen to Ain't Misbehavin' and La Boheme and back again. Her own songs cover a wide variety of topics with a contemporary fla...