03 Phil Ochs

Hello folks!

I would like to apologise for the delay in this post being put up.

First of all, I ran into some unexpected problems with my account login but these were solved by the nice people at google after a couple of days.

Secondly, while working on the post, i realised that Phil Ochs is not the easiest person to introduce to people to because of the nature of his music. To add to the pile, Phil also happens to be one of my greatest heros so i didn't want to give a slipshod piece of obligatory crap (not that I would for any other folk artiste/group either).

So thanks for being so patient and kind to wait for this to come out!

Yours ever so sincerely,
Dom Wong
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I can't remember exactly how I was introduced to Phil Ochs but I vaugely remember reading a Suzanne Vega interview in which she named him as one of her influences. In any case, I remember google-ing Ochs later on, expecting an old and unfashionable man who sang like Leonard Cohen.

Instead, I found pictures of a handsome young man whose years were definitely not beyond 40. He was well dressed and clean-cut (unlike Dylan) and his voice carried the melodies of his songs in a pleasantly haunting way.

Then came the forray into his ideas and beliefs and his love for his country and all humanity; his fervent fight against the war in Vietnam; and his bad case of writer's block which is relevant to any kind of writer in the world. By forray, I mean looking into his lyrics because out of all the protest singers of the 60s and 70s, Phil Ochs was one of the few (if not the only one) who had written his life into his lyrics without even knowing it.

Which brings me to the fact that Ochs' lyrics are deep and don't always set in on the first listen. This is the reason why I decided to insert the lyrics for every song introduced in this post. So this post is probably going to be the wordiest, slowest-to-load post that I will ever write and I have to apologise if everything suddenly loads really slowly.

So now that I've said my peace (it is the first post in a long time)....

A Journey Through Folk introduces a man whose lyrics speak for himself so much that they could form an entire biography..... Phil Ochs! ___________________________________________________
...and what better way to start off with a song!

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There But For Fortune

This video is the only video available on youtube of Phil Ochs singing it but it is incomplete. So... I've put another version by (no prizes for guessing) Peter Paul and Mary with beautiful harmony and immense conviction.

Show me a prison, show me a jail
Show me a pris'ner whose face has grown pale
And I'll show you a young man
With many reasons why
There but for fortune, go you or I

Show me an alley, show me a train
Show me a hobo who sleeps out in the rain
And I'll show you a young man
With many reasons why
There but for fortune, go you or I

Show me the whiskey stains on the floor
Show me a drunk as he stumbles out the door
And I'll show you a young man
With many reasons why
There but for fortune, go you or I

Show me a country where the bombs had to fall
Show me the ruins of buildings so tall
And I'll show you a young land
With many reasons why
There but for fortune, go you or I
You or I
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Ochs was strongly against the Vietnam war (or any war for that matter), and at times the cops as well. That, however, was in the 60s when the cops were corrupt and you could hardly fine a policeman who wasn't scum.

Things have changed today and while I've left the cop-bashing songs out this post, I've kept all the anti-war and pro-justice songs in. "Power and the Glory" was a good example of such a song (see last post) and the next song is another. *Unfortunately youtube does not have an original Ochs version*

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Is There Anybody Here?

Is there anybody here
Who'd like to change his clothes into a uniform
Is there anybody here
Who thinks they're only serving on a raging storm
Is there anybody here with glory in their eyes
Loyal to the end, whose duty is to die

I wanna see him, I wanna wish him luck
I wanna shake his hand, wanna call his name
Put a medal on the man.

Is there anybody here
Who'd like to wrap a flag around an early grave
Is there anybody here
Who thinks they're standing taller on a battle wave
Is there anybody here like to do his part
Soldier to the world and a bullet to his heart

Is there anybody here who's proud of the parade
Who'd like to give a cheer and show they're not afraid
I'd like like to ask him what he's trying to defend
Oh I'd like to ask him what he thinks he's gonna win

Is there anybody here
Who thinks that following the orders takes away the blame
Is there anybody here
Who wouldn't mind a murder by another name
Is there anybody here whose pride is on the line
With the honor of the brave and the courage of the blind
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Despite being so convicted to peace and an ideal society, Ochs also had a soft side to him and he wrote quite a few songs about life in general while subtly touching on love. To this day I haven't heard a cry-your-heart-out Ochs love song but he does slip love themes into some of his songs.

One of the first few songs that I fell in love with was a very simple song with repititive folk rythym but lyrics that made me think of what I'd be able to do if I were to die tomorrow. The answer......

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When I'm Gone

There's no place in this world
Where I'll belong when I'm gone
And I won't know the right
From the wrong when I'm gone
And you won't find me
Singin' on this song when I'm gone
So I guess I'll have to do it while I'm here

And I won't feel the flowing
Of the time when I'm gone
All the pleasures of love
Will not be mine when I'm gone
My pen won't pour out a lyric line when I'm gone
So I guess I'll have to do it while I'm here

And I won't breathe the bracing air when I'm gone
And I can't even worry 'bout my cares when I'm gone
Won't be asked to do my share when I'm gone
So I guess I'll have to do it while I'm here

And I won't be running from the rain when I'm gone
And I can't even suffer from the pain when I'm gone
Can't say who's to praise and who's to blame when I'm gone
So I guess I'll have to do it while I'm here

Won't see the golden of the sun
When I'm gone
And the evenings and the mornings will be one
When I'm gone
Can't be singing louder than the guns
When I'm gone
So I guess I'll have to do it while I'm here

All my days won't be dances of delight when I'm gone
And the sands will be shifting from my sight when I'm gone
Can't add my name into the fight while I'm gone
So I guess I'll have to do it while I'm here

And I won't be laughing at the lies when I'm gone
And I can't question how or when or why when I'm gone
Can't live proud enough to die when I'm gone
So I guess I'll have to do it while I'm here
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Ochs, as with every artiste in the world, was a normal human being. But, as with many other artistes in the world, his eccentricity and artistic inclinations were probably a little bit too much for his wife and they drifted apart. He then did the sensible thing (to songwriters) and wrote a song about how he felt about his ever-changing life.

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Changes

Sit by my side, come as close as the air
Share in a memory of gray
Wander in my words
Dream about the pictures that I play of changes.

Green leaves of summer turn red in the fall
To brown and to yellow they fade
And then they have to die
Trapped within the circle time parade of changes.

Scenes of my young years were warm in my mind
Visions of shadows that shine.
Till one day I returned and found
They were the victims of the vines of changes.

The world's spinning madly, it drifts in the dark
Swings through a hollow of haze
A race around the stars
A journey through the universe ablaze with changes.

Moments of magic will glow in the night
All fears of the forest are gone
But when the morning breaks they're swept away
By golden drops of dawn of changes.

Passions will part to a strange melody.
As fires will sometimes burn cold.
Like petals in the wind
We're puppets to the silverstrings of souls of changes.

Your tears will be trembling, now we're somewhere else
One last cup of wine we will pour
And I'll kiss you one more time
And leave you on the rolling river shores of changes.
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Then there is the open expression of dissatisfaction with Richard Nixon (fella behin the Vietnam war and Watergate scandal) with the next song. it was originally written as 'Here's to the state of Missisipi' and later adapted to fit the Nixon frustration.

This song lives on today in 'Here's To The State Of George W.'

Here's To The State Of Richard Nixon

Here's to the state of Richard Nixon
Where underneath his borders
The Devil draws no lines
If you drag his muddy rivers
Nameless bodies you will find
And the fat trees of the forest
Have hid a thousand crimes
And the calendar is lying
When it reads the present time

Oh here's to the land you've torn out the heart of
Richard Nixon, find yourself another country to be part of

And here's to the schools of Richard Nixon
Where they're teaching all the children
That they don't have to care
All the rudiments of hatred are present everywhere
And every single classroom is a factory of despair
There's nobody learning such a foreign word as "fair"

And here's to the laws of Richard Nixon
Where the wars are fought in secret
Pearl Harbor every day
He punishes with income tax that he don't have to pay
And he's tapping his own brother just to hear what he would say
But corruption can be classic in the Richard Nixon way

And here's to the churches of Richard Nixon
Where the cross once made of silver now is caked with rust
And the Sunday morning sermons pander to their lust
And the fallen face of Jesus is choking in the dust
And Heaven only knows in which God they can trust.

And here's to the government of Richard Nixon
In the swamp of their bureaucracy, they're always bogging down
And criminals are posing as advisors to the crown
And they hope that no one sees the sights and no one hears the sounds
And the speeches of the president are the ravings of a clown

Oh here's to the land you've torn out the heart of
Richard Nixon, find yourself another country to be part of
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As you would have realised, though Phil Ochs was somewhat respected in the folk scene, he was not terribly famous and he never really had a hit single or anything like Dylan's 'The Times They Are A Changing' or Denver's 'Country Roads'.

The unfortunate but unavoidable result was that this lack of popularity actually bothered Ochs. We like to look back on people (especially artistes) who have passed on and say that they were perfect and nice and apathetic to popularity. But the truth was that Ochs was deeply frustrated by, among other things, his inability to write a hit song. He sang about everything he believed in, wrote passionately about justice and humanity and yet all of that was simply not enough to make him popular. And which human being doesn't like to be popular?

When I see Ochs' videos I relate to him so much because in his eyes I see a man who wanted recognition; a man who knew he had the musical talent to write songs and to move people.. and yet it just fell short of Dylan or Denver or PPM; I see a man who was crumbling under the pressure he put on himself to achieve at least what he knew he was capable of; a man who took to the bottle wondering why Bob Dylan drew crowds in the thousands while all he could fill were little leftist halls.

This next song was probably the closest Ochs got to a hit song. Looking back on his life, 'Chords of Fame' feels almost autobiographic to me. Perhaps, just perhaps... it was.

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Chords Of Fame (incomplete)

Melanie Safka - Chords Of Fame 1975 @ Phil Ochs Tribute

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Found him by the stage last night
He was breathing his last breath
A bottle of gin and a cigarette was all that he had left
I can see you making music cause you carry your guitar
God help the troubadour who tries to be a star

So play the chords of love my friend, play the chords of fame
If you wanna keep your soul don't, don't, don't
Don't play the chords of fame

I've seen my share of hustlers
As they try to take the world
When they find their melody
They're surrounded by the girls
But it all fades so quickly
Like a sunny summer's day
Reporters ask the questions they write down what you say

They'll rob you of your innocence
They will put you up for sale
The more that you will find success
The more that you will fail
I've been around I have my share
And I really can't complain
But I wonder who I left behind
On the other side of fame

So play the chords of love my friend, play the chords of fame
If you wanna keep your soul don't, don't, don't
Don't play the chords of fame
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Phil Ochs had many more songs that are worth listening to but they aren't available on youtube (my ONLY source of music for this site). Also, if I add anymore videos to this post all our computers are probably going to crash before we even get to see anything.

BUT... there is just one last song I would like you guys to remember Ochs for - one of his more well-known songs; a song which actually means even more now than it did back in the 70s; which is even sadder because Ochs himself is not with us anymore...

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I Ain't Marching Anymore

Oh I marched to the battle of New Orleans
At the end of the early British war
The young land started growing
The young blood started flowing
But I ain't marchin' anymore

For I've killed my share of Indians
In a thousand different fights
I was there at the Little Big Horn
I heard many men lying I saw many more dying
But I ain't marchin' anymore

It's always the old to lead us to the war
It's always the young to fall
Now look at all we've won with the saber and the gun
Tell me is it worth it all

For I stole California from the Mexican land
Fought in the bloody Civil War
Yes I even killed my brothers
And so many others
But I ain't marchin' anymore

For I marched to the battles of the German trench
In a war that was bound to end all wars
Oh I must have killed a million men
And now they want me back again
But I ain't marchin' anymore

For I flew the final mission in the Japanese sky
Set off the mighty mushroom roar
When I saw the cities burning
I knew that I was learning
That I ain't marchin' anymore

Now the labor leader's screamin' when they close the missile plants
United Fruit screams at the Cuban shore
Call it "Peace" or call it "Treason,"
Call it "Love" or call it "Reason,"
But I ain't marchin' any more
No I ain't marchin' any more
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So there you have it - Phil Ochs. I hate writing the last paragraph of each post because I know that no matter how many videos I feature in the post, it simply is not enough. But as usual, I hope that '03' of A Journey Through Folk has given you some insight into Phil Ochs' music and has sparked off an interest for you to explore more of his songs, lyrics and poetry.

(ii) Power and Glory

So we finish August off with a short introduction (more like a sneak preview) to a man whom I regard as having the largest testicular fortitude amongst ALL protest/topical singers.

Keep your eyes peeled for the first post of September featuring.... Phil Ochs!

For now...

Power and Glory


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Come and take a walk with me thru this green and growing land
Walk thru the meadows and the mountains and the sand
Walk thru the valleys and the rivers and the plains
Walk thru the sun and walk thru the rain

Here is a land full of power and glory
Beauty that words cannot recall
Oh her power shall rest on the strength of her freedom
Her glory shall rest on us all (on us all)

From Colorado, Kansas, and the Carolinas too
Virginia and Alaska, from the old to the new
Texas and Ohio and the California shore
Tell me, who could ask for more?

Yet she's only as rich as the poorest of her poor
Only as free as the padlocked prison door
Only as strong as our love for this land
Only as tall as we stand
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"Power and Glory" became popular in 1963 when it's composer and performer, Phil Ochs, was starting to get known in the folk music community.

Like many other folk songs, the lyrics of this song was relevant 40 years ago and remains so today. Though it contains one verse that speaks specifically of America's beauty, I chose it as a sneak preview of next week's post on Phil Ochs for a very simple reason -

Ochs wrote "Power and Glory" at a time when his country was becoming increasingly wealthy, materialistic and apathetic towards the growing disregard for basic human rights and values...

...is it not time to think of what our nation is (or should be) like?

02 The Man Who Lived Through The Times - Bob Dylan

In May 1941, a little boy was born to the Zimmerman family in a cold and dreary town called Hibby in Minessota. His parents looked at his face and named him Robert and, like all parents, hoped that he would grow into a man who could make the best out of his life. But little did they know...

...that little Robert Zimmerman would change his name at 21 years old and from then on, the entire world would look up to new man that he became - Bob Dylan - as an inspiration in almost all areas of their lives.

Indeed, and I say this with no exaggeration, the breadth of Bob Dylan's music and lyrics cannot and will not be covered by this post. In fact, I dare not even try. The man's music spans half a decade - a feat which many artistes are incapable of because of the kind of lifestyle that comes along with a life in music. But Bob Dylan has survived all these years and when he's not on his "Never Ending Tour", he's probably up in his Malibu house working on paintings. The multi-faceted talents of this man just shows how much is inside him waiting to be expressed.

In this post, I will attempt to introduce you to Dylan, through the times.

House Of The Rising Sun


This is one of the older recordings of Bob Dylan that can be found on youtube and I think it's important to know that Dylan was a big fan of Woody Guthrie (in those days they weren't called fans.. but Guthrie was definitely Dylan's hero). Guthrie, who mentored and encouraged Dylan even when he was on his deathbed, also had a version of "House Of The Rising Sun" (which is a traditional American folksong, NOT an original by The Animals) and a quick listen to that version on youtube will let you know where Dylan's roots really came from.

Dylan's version, which differs quite a bit from Guthrie's, probably served as a base for the hit single which shot British band "The Animals" to fame. Call me puritan or minimalist but I think Dylan's 1962 version conveyed much more emotion and feeling.

Blowing In The Wind


I first heard this song being sung by a group called "The Hollies" and I found it to be very nice and sweet. But when I heard the original Dylan version, I was blown away by how a song can be so simple and yet have so much to offer. The melody gave way to the colour of the lyrics of the song to become a message - a message that called for peace.

What really hit me in this song, though, was the punch in the face that Dylan delivered to me in the words "How many times can a man turn his head/ And pretend that he just doesn't see" because I realized that unfortunately for a lot of us mortal beings, even though the answer to that is "blowing in the wind", many of us will never grow out of pretending not to see injustice just to make ourselves feel better.

Knocking On Heaven's Door


Knocking On Heaven's Door is what I regard as every songwriter's song to fall back on. Whenever there are problems in a song that I'm working on, I put everything else down and just play the four chords that make up this song and sing the sad words that Dylan wrote.

The most popular cover of this song would definitely be the Guns & Roses version - the one which most of us would have grew up on (even though it was written years before) and they bring a different side of the song out; a little less dark, a little more rebellious, a little more excruciatingly painful as compared to Dylan's sombre 'hurting inside' kind of painful.

But if there's anything that the two versions have in common - squeaky vocals.

Like A Rolling Stone


This song, though recorded in 1965, marked the switch in Dylan's style from folk into.... "1970s Dylan". While the rock influence is obvious, one can still hear folk elements in the lyrics of this period. However, the most important (albeit shocking and disappointing to some) change was Dylan's instrument - from acoustic to electric.

Dylan had always performed in true folk fashion - alone with an acoustic guitar and harmonica. However, on 25 July 1965 appeared on stage with a full band and (gasp) and electric guitar. The audience reaction was mixed - an array of cheers and boos were heard and some even said things were thrown at him by outraged folk fans. Pissed, Dylan walked off stage only to return with an acoustic guitar to finish off the set.

So what exactly was the 1970s like for Dylan?


This video sees Dylan performing in 1975 with The Rolling Thunder Revue. He is visibly angsty with a garish, errie white mask (face paint) on his face, the result of a painful breakup with his wife. The 70s were full of music like Isis - a song which some say was autobiographical. Personally, this period of his music is a little disturbing to watch.

Hurricane


This performance, also in 1976, was about a black boxer who was convicted of a a triple murder. While Dylan's purpose of writing the song was probably to tackle injustice and racism, he was slammed for being biased towards the protagonist of the song. A simple example would be a trait of the boxer - a very bad temper. After the protagonist was convicted (in real life) at a re-trial, Dylan stopped performing this song 'live'.

Every Grain Of Sand


In the 80s, after his conversion to Christianity, Dylan began to write songs about his religion and what he went through (he had a motorcycle accident). That also meant that he stopped writing secular songs for a good year and a half and when the 'secular Dylan' resurfaced, his style had modernized and he began singing his old songs very differently (which disgruntles his fans even up till today).

Every Grain Of Sand is an extremely poetic song that marked the beginning of Dylan's style in his older years and seems to trace the footsteps of his life. To me, the most beautiful lyrics Dylan has ever written are contained in the lst four lines of this song:

I hear the ancient footsteps like the motion of the sea
Sometimes I turn, there's someone there, other times it's only me.
I am hanging in the balance of the reality of man
Like every sparrow falling, like every grain of sand.

Only a man who has been through unbelievable trials and tribulations in life can write lyrics as haunting as that and it is quite evident that a man as great as Dylan will not stop writing until the day he dies. While I look forward to whatever new songs he has, I am more excited about uncovering the songs he has written in the past; for within them i know I will find timeless tunes and lyrics that tackle issues that will never go out of date.

Though this post has barely covered a fraction of Dylan's music, I hope that it is useful as an introduction to the man.. through the times.

And with that, I leave you with a video that captures the great Bob Dylan in his young, scruffy signature image complete with acoustic guitar and harmonica.

Mr Tambourine Man

01 Peter Paul & Mary (Only The Greatest Folk Group Of All Time)

In Singapore, we have Orchard Road for the hip and happening and Bugis Junction for the local ah bengs'; we have clubs Clarke Quay for the middle to upper class people out for a night of revelry along with good music and KTV pubs at Boat Quay for ah bengs and ah peks whose idea of good music revolves around people who sing karaoke badly and know it and those who don't know it.

Well in New York between the Hudson River and Broadway, there is a place called Greenwich Village. More popularly referred to as simply "The Village", Greenwich Village was the place to be if you were a musician - especially if you were into folk music. In fact, it was the place where almost every successful folk musician had his/her break and not surprisingly, many of them continue to sing freedom and peace songs till this day despite being in their 60s, 70s and 80s.

So it is really not surprising that out of a place seething with so much musical energy was born what I personally regard (and dare say that not many people would disagree with) as the greatest folk group of all time - Peter Yarrow, Noel Paul Stookey & Mary Travers - Peter Paul & Mary.

Peter Paul & Mary was created by Albert Grossman who somehow got the idea of putting a tall blonde with a funny guy and handsome man to form a folk group. It turned out to be a good idea (or a really good trio) because when PPM released their self-titled first album in 1961, they were nothing short of fantastic. Words cannot describe what was so good about them so I will leave you with a few videos and you can see for yourself.

Leaving On A Jetplane (written by John Denver)


If I Had A Hammer (written by Pete Seeger)


As you might have noticed, PPM was more famous for songs written by other singers/songwriters - Leaving On A Jetplane, If I Had A Hammer, Blowin' in The Wind etc.

While it may be tempting to say something like "eew.. that's a cover band", but PPM are the perfect example of what the folk movement in Greenwich Village was about - taking someone else's work (if you appreciated it) giving it your own interpretation and spreading the message to more people. Few songs of those times were ONLY about love and romance; they were about peace, equality and above all, meaningful human existence that challanged the rising capitalism and materialism by which we have all been consumed today to some extent.

Many of the songs PPM chose to 're-interpret' are timeless pieces that, despite time-specific references, are still very relevant in today's world. Here are two of those:

The Times They Are A Changing (written by Bob Dylan)


Where Have All The Flowers Gone (written by Pete Seeger & Joe Hickerson)

It was this video of Mary Travers with the Kingston Trio that made me fall in love with a beautiful lady who is now 72 years old and still singing.

But while they certainly were more well known for their 're-interpretations', PPM did have their own stuff... and here's my favourite one. Once banned in Singapore during the hippie era for containing drug references, PPM maintains that it's a children's story about a boy and his dragon (now doesn't that sound wrong already? =p).

Puff! The Magic Dragon


But one of the things that I hold Peter Paul & Mary in high regard for is the tremendous amount of chemistry three amazing performers can have. Artistes are known for their individualism and generally speaking, great performers don't perform well with each other. Of course there are many exceptions but credit still has to be given to these three 'great folks' who have given their life to music. In fact the next video will show you just how much they love music.. so much that they will probably never give it up.

With that, the question of the century..

Where Have All The Flowers Gone?
(yes, it's the song you heard earlier, but its many years later!)

(with Pete Seeger)

The last video never fails to move me to tears at the conviction of Peter Paul & Mary as well as Pete Seeger. Despite being grandparents many times over, they still arouse audiences all around the US, spreading messages of peace, love and humanity.

So then, when will we ever learn?

(i) Thirsty Boots

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ You've long been on the open road and sleeping in the rain From dirty words and muddy cells your clothes are soiled and stained But the dirty words and muddy cells will soon be judged insane So only stop and rest yourself and you'll be off again

Oh, take off your thirsty boots and stay for awhile Your feet are hot and weary from the dusty miles And maybe I can make you laugh and maybe I can try I'm just looking for the evening and the morning in your eyes

Then tell me of the ones you saw as far as you could see Across the plains from field to town, marching to be free. And of the rusted prison gates that tumble by debris Like laughing children, one by one, they look like you and me

I know you are no stranger, now, to crooked rainbow trails From dancing cliffheads to shattered sills to slander shackled jails Where the voices drift up from below, his walls are being scaled Yes all of this, and more my friend, your song shall not be failed ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

So I've been racking my brains the past few days over which prolific and most mainstream folk singer or group to introduce to you but I decided to act on impulse and introduce a song by a not-so-known singer instead.

"Thirsty Boots" was written by a man called Eric Andersen and subsequently covered and recorded by other people like Judy Collins and John Denver. Great are the graphic and sometimes over-dramatic pictures that Andersen paints of a slightly abnormal life. But what is really incredible is that you will find it very hard to laugh the song off as being melodramatic or 'cheesy'.

In many ways, each and every one of us, regardless of social or financial status can relate to the lyrics of this song. None of us live completely normal and mundane lives because we all travel down an open road and sleep in the rain at some point. Metaphors like 'prison' describe the trouble we get into along the way; 'laughing children.. look like you and me' describe the insecurities we all face because of our innocence' etc.

But personally, the most powerful emotion that this song is capable of evoking is that of being wronged. With "From dirty words and muddy cells your clothes are smeared and stained," Andersen draws you in and keeps you waiting for the final resolution when justice is done and though you don't know for sure that it is done, "Yes, all of this and more my friend, your song shall not be failed," certainly sets your heart at ease for at least you know that someone believes in you.

As a final note (and a small one as well because it potentially affects the outlook of this song), Andersen was good friends with proetst singer Phil Ochs who, after years of fighting not only injustice and writer's block but also bipolar disorder, hanged himself in his sister's house. If not for Ochs, for whom Andersen sang a part of "Thirsty Boots" for in the subway on the way to the Village (I'll talk about that in another post), Andersen may never have finished what is an amazing song that will probably never be forgetten. After Ochs' unfortunate death, Andersen often did "Thirsty Boots" as a tribute to Ochs.

*One such tribute can be found on youtube without much effort.*

00 A Short Introduction

Hello everyone! I'm Dom Wong and welcome aboard this little blog adventure I like to call "A Journey Through Folk".

I picked up the acoustic guitar when i was about 12 years old and managed to sing and strum through my very first song about half a year later. I then spent the next 8 years of my life exploring many different styles and genres of music and trying to fit myself into a particular one that I felt comfortable in. The sad thing was that, it took me 8 years to discover folk music and its beauty.

Some of you may immediately associate folk music (especially in the local sense) with songs like "Bengawan Solo", "Kookabura" and for the most part, you're right. Folk music goes back many many years where lyrics and melodies were passed down by oral tradition instead of the pen and paper we have today (more like mp3 records and the likes). But before you dismiss folk music as an uninteresting thing of the past, I'd like you to hear me out.

If you've listened to a Damien Rice song (I'm sure you have.. Blower's Daughter, 9 Crimes, Cannonball?) you would have thought that his vocal style and arrangement of his songs are utterly boring. But there is that something that is present that keeps you stuck to your seat and in a way, lets you experience a certain kind of catharsis.

Well, that's the effect that a lot of folk music has on most people so just sit back, relax and let me share my 'folk experiences' with you.

Just to round things up and let you know a little more about myself and my music, here are two tracks from my EP "Everyday From Today" for your listening pleasure. It's not folk music as I will be introducing to you and takes a few seconds to load, but do leave some comments if you feel inclined to do so. =)