New music from Riverboat Records
I was going through some old, unread mail from the SD-Callers email list over the weekend (don’t post unless you have thick skin) and ran across an email that was actually from Buddy Weaver.
Bob Elling, owner of Riverboat Records (I think) is forsaking dosado.com and is going to sell his own music. I’m not sure why as I didn’t ask him. Buddy forwarded a few clips and, after I emailed Bob directly, he replied with two emails worth of music snippets.
Music is purchased via PayPal and is emailed to you from Bob as mp3 files. Songs were $5 each plus a $1 handling fee. Nothing’s free in this world, and I expect that the $1 covers PayPal’s service charge.
I bought two hoedowns. Fur Elise and Take Two. Fur Elise is a VERY WELL made reproduction of a “homemade” hoedown that has made the rounds in the Pacific Northwest. The original is by an artist named DJ Mystic. (I have a copy of the original via eBay. The problem with it is that it is a mashup of other people’s work, so it’s legality is suspect even with an original copy.) DJ Mystic’s version is fast and, to make it work for square dancing, it has been edited heavily and slowed down. Bob and his musicians did a very nice job recreating it.
The musicianship is great and the instruments are rich and full sounding. There’s no doubt, when you listen to it, where to put your feet down.
Take Two is what I would call an “interpretation” of Ann Lee’s song, 2 Times. While not an exact recreation, it is a stellar arrangement with excellent instrumentation. There are a few electronic instruments on both of these tunes but they never distract from the enjoyment of the music.
The third song I bought was “This Land is Your Land.” This was more of a random purchase, but I need some more “Americana” type music for holidays like Memorial Day and the 4th of July. Again, a nice full arrangement with nice sounding instrumentation that should be easy to dance to.
If you’re so inclined and want to give Bob’s music a listen, give him a shout. Here’s his email:
bob.elling@gmail.com
He’s got a host of other tunes as well, some contemporary, others not. I’m on the fence for a couple songs as well.
This music was just too good and I had to let people know.
I can’t believe that you did not purchase Fiesta the hoedown. It is a great hoedown and the dancers love it. I purchased all 3 hoedowns. The music is just as good as the other two hoedowns. Just my opinion and with that and $1.25 you can get a cup of coffee at most places except Starbucks!
I’m on the fence about Fiesta. I liked it, but decided that I wanted to think about it a little more.
I’ll give it another listen…