Kith & Kin Vol. 1

by SANDER | SOMMERS

2024

Recorded and produced by Matt Sommers at Sommersville 2023-2024. All instruments/voices by Bob Sander and Matt Sommers, plus special guests as noted below.

3:53

Fiddler's Green (with Ken Langell)

Sander | Sommers
3:42

Willie-O (with Alberta Lathan)

Sander | Sommers
3:35

Red River Valley (with Jon Martin and Gary Wasson)

Sander | Sommers
4:15

Brownie (with Mac Bellner)

Sander | Sommers
1:54

One Little Thing (with Don Lathan)

Sander | Sommers
2:33

Old Gray Squirrel (with Terry Bellner)

Sander | Sommers
4:59

Planting Hope (for Kie and Libbe O'Connor)

Sander | Sommers
3:58

Weavin' Way (with Leslie Selden)

Sander | Sommers
2:02

Zion's Wall (with Kate Smith)

Sander | Sommers
4:02

Is Love Enough? (with David Peerless)

Sander | Sommers
4:58

Canadee-I-O (with Dave Linder)

Sander | Sommers
4:07

You Are My Sunshine (with Nancy Barton and Mary Sander)

Sander | Sommers
5:36

St. James Infirmary Blues (with Pete Townes)

Sander | Sommers
5:45

Kith & Kin (with Jo Jordan, Josie Sommers, and Rachel Sommers)

Sander | Sommers

Album notes

Fiddler’s Green (with Ken Langell)

Bob says: Ken Langell and I first sang this song a cappella, back in the 1970’s. We once got a great impromptu reception from a group of people who stopped at the top of a hidden shopping center stairwell (great acoustics). We thought we were alone. Their applause showed us otherwise. Fiddler’s Green sounds ancient but in fact an Englishman, John Connoly, wrote it in 1966. It’s been a popular song in the folk repertoire since then. As far as an Afterlife goes, if conditions there are like what the song describes, sign me up.

Matt says: I’ve recorded Bob and Ken performing this song several times, but this time I’ve allowed myself to add some cinematic bass to set the atmospheric stage for the very deep message it imparts. This was the song that started it all for Bob and Ken. Originally as a party trick - astonishing all in attendance with a 100 year old harmony. Over the years they have refined the song to the worn creases and tanned patina of an old leather glove, as only the wisdom of age can impart to a song about ultimate retirement. On a compilation with all the great artists we have had the joy to work with, this one should come first.

Willie-O (with Alberta Lathan)

Bob says: You’ll not find a kindlier dialog between a dead man and his living lover as that in Willie-O. Willie is a polite, considerate ghost. Much as she’d like to join him, Willie (“in deep conversation”) convinces his darling girl there’s not enough room in his coffin for two. Alberta Lathan brings just the right timbre and feeling to this haunty ditty. Spooky is probably a better word. Alberta’s been singing with a group of Irish Sean Nos singers for a long while now – and it shows. Besides her great flute backing, Alberta’s vocal ornaments and lilt are what really make this song special. Matt’s driving beat and underlying deep synth lines add additional force. We round things off with the trad tune, Sculley’s Reel.

Matt says: After Alberta exquisitely sang to a drone note and a click, Bob and I were playing around in the studio with the vocal track. Channeling Sinead O’Connor’s brilliant “I am stretched on your grave” and some Dead Can Dance vibe, we settled on an 808 kick with a bodhran-syncopated loop we created as the backbone. I added some deep, long cello notes to match Alberta’s flute. We throw in a little 90’s Detroit house synth and Bob’s excellent fiddle stabs for a groove. The real epic moment came with the crazy Game of Thrones-like finale - Sculley’s Reel. This song really goes places. Still gives me chills.

Red River Valley (with Jon Martin and Gary Wasson)

Bob says: Matt will tell you why we did this song – it’s really his story, and a great one at that. I was just happy to sing and play in such good company. I’ve always felt an affinity for this tune that seems drenched in Americana ethos. On the other hand, there is anecdotal evidence it was composed on the 1870 Wolseley Expedition to Manitoba's (Canada) northern Red River Valley. Then again, there’s also written lyrics in 1879 & 1885 with references to counties in Nebraska. Dozens of locales have likewise staked claims to it. Lots of singing cowboys recorded it. It’s been offered via radio, movies, and vinyl with versions from the Philippines to Germany. I spec’ the heart-broken cowpoke in the song never could have imagined such an international future!

Matt says: I wanted to record this song for my father, Jerry Sommers - the only song he ever learned - for his 80th birthday. I saw a picture of him in his early 20s in the Navy, aboard a submarine with a guitar. He told me he bought the guitar to play Red River Valley. 60 years later I was able to play this recording for him as we sailed to Alaska to celebrate his milestone. He sang every word. On the production side, I am thankful for two longtime friends, Jon Martin and Gary Wasson, for providing dobro, bass, and incredible harmonies. Bob’s blues harmonica shines, as does my Bakersfield guitar/drum influence, to uptempo this traditionally downbeat song.

Brownie (with Mac Bellner)

Bob says: Frank Watson penned a nearly perfect folk song when he wrote Brownie. It’s utterly specific to his own life yet speaks the universal language that anyone who has ever loved a dog will immediately understand. Mac Bellner crafted a stunning interpretation of the song 40 years ago, and her singing still shines with the same verve and emotion today that she brought to it way back then. Matt and I had big fun adding some bluesy filigree and electronic tracery around her performance. Think about some animal you have loved while you listen to this … and enjoy Brownie.

Matt says: Once Mac laid down a perfectly textured vocal delivery, Bob and I had a field day with hand percussion, loops, and mouth sounds to accompany and support her tale. Mac’s playful sense of rhythm opened up a world of almost African-based polyrhythms. The drums and subtle scratching remind me of Beck’s Loser, which adds a nice, ambling half-time to the rhythm bed. Bob’s little fiddle solos sound very psychedelic-era Beatles to me. He also added some fun sax and clarinet stabs - and a sweet banjo part with backing vocals to bring it all home. What a mash up of styles and sounds!

One Little Thing (with Don Lathan)

Bob says: After recording two fine traditional tunes (Angeline the Baker and Jesse) on his banjo, my long-time friend Don Lathan was ready to head out the door of Matt’s studio. I asked if he had anything else. He said: “Well, I could do this one little thing.” It turned out to be a great original piece he’d made just noodlin’ around. We snatched up his words for a title, let the noodlin’ spirit guide us with lyrics and accompaniment, and suddenly, one little thing wasn’t such a little thing after all. Thanks Don.

Matt says: A rock-solid single take from Don was a dream to play drums and bass with. No click, just feel. I love how Bob rose to the challenge of multi-harmonies on the chorus and then rapping the verses. It’s a great contrast to the force-of-nature musical performance propelling the song forward. It just gets bigger as it goes. For an extremely short song, there are some fascinating sounds that come over the wall. Hand claps, fiddle, phased guitar. The way the Bodhran comes in at :47 still renders me out.

Old Gray Squirrel (with Terry Bellner)

Bob says: Terry Bellner’s skillful recitations and song-poems are legendary. Here’s Terry at his mischievous best, from his rollicking concertina playing, right down to the last little grunt at song’s end. Terry’s been a fixture in innumerable folk ensembles here in Indianapolis since the 1970’s. He organized a great folk series in the 70’s - 80’s that brought the best Irish musicians in the world to our humble town long before the River Dance phenomena. As part of the band Hogeye Navvy, Terry held forth to legions of fans for decades every Saturday night at The Aristocrat (Pub) and still delights crowds there once a month to this day. Alfred Noyes penned the poem in 1906, Bob Zantz created a musical arrangement, and Terry likely first heard it performed by Tom Lewis on his 1999 album Mixed Cargo. But I’m here to tell you, this version borrows only the bones; the rest is pure Terry.

Matt says: I learned a long time ago to always be recording. Terry launched into this take (the only take of the song) without warning and we captured every bit of it. His concertina in stereo and his voice in luxurious detail - the majority of the work was done in less than three minutes. Bob and I added drums, bass, whistle, stomps, claps, and various sound effects to polish an already brilliant, spontaneous gem.

Planting Hope (for Kie and Libbe O'Connor)

Bob says: Kie O’Conner was an irascible, generous, funny, bear of a man. He passed recently of ALS. He and his wife Libbe O’Conner created Willowfield Lavender Farm - a more magical place you can hardly imagine. People get married there, have gatherings, parties, and music performances there - and take home arrays of lavender products that Libbe creates and sells. The two of them visited the lavender fields of Provence for inspiration, and, by God, you’d swear that’s where you are when you visit Willowfield. From their long-ago Greenwood music festival to the current Willowfield era, Kie and Libbe have encouraged musicians. I wrote this piece because I wanted to say something true about these two people I love, to celebrate both Kie and Libbe’s life, and to acknowledge the unique gift their farm is to all Central Indiana.

Matt says: First of all, that’s Bob, with soft-shoe and actual sand (in my garage!), at the beginning. He showed up to my house with sand. No lie. This marks the first recording with Bob’s electric fiddle, which extends below the tonal range of a traditional violin. I love how we were able to get a French horn tone from it. That, and the “Indiana Banjo” that pokes up occasionally. One of my highlights from 2023 was traveling to Willowfield and getting to play the song for Libbe. Not a dry eye on the farm.

Weavin' Way (with Leslie Selden)

Bob says: I love to play this jaunty piece with long-time music buddy Leslie Selden. We’ve done this tune together (and many others) long enough that we can riff and improvise all over the place. Leslie’s fiddling is always stellar and, on this day, she used my electric fiddle which lifted her to a whole other plane. I chimed in on octave mando, bodhran and eventually, tin whistle. Add Matt’s magisterial synth and, wow, what great vibes. The tune’s an enigma. Maybe second cousin to other tunes (Kitchen Gals? Over the Waterfalls?). Some think it’s of Scottish or Irish descent. Others disagree completely. But it’s for sure a standard part of American old-time and blue-grass repertoires now. Check out the Weavin’ Way.

Matt says: I always love it when, in the middle of a concept album or concert, prog musicians would “reset” the audience with a long synth pad intro. It was fun to build and play around with Bob and Leslie’s comfortable back and forth, maybe shedding a new light on their excellent musicianship and tonal sensitivity. They played their parts together, live. I added synth pads, bass sweep and some bodhran/percussion. This is a great mid-album track. Looking forward and behind simultaneously.

Zion's Wall (with Kate Smith)

Bob says: Zion’s Wall is one of the first musical things I ever heard Kate do. She has that Irish gift of gab, by which I mean you could do far worse than enjoy listening to her hold forth on any number of subjects. I think an inkling of that comes through as you hear her sing this piece. Shape Note (Sacred Harp) singing migrated (was kicked out?) of New England, only to flourish in Appalachia and the South. Zion’s Wall came from camp meetings in Georgia (there’s a published version from 1855). As he did with Appalachian Spring / Simple Gifts, Aaron Copland once again mined the songbook of Americana for a re-working of Zion’s Walls. Kate’s singing harks back to the earlier style.

Matt says: We heard Kate sing this and realized it was a percussion blank check. Bob and I spent two days in the studio shaking things, hitting things, slapping things, and generally making a drum circle of the space. No tonal instruments were harmed in the making of this song. More to come from Kate and her husband Jim Smith on the next Kith & Kin release!

Is Love Enough? (with David Peerless)

Bob says: Yet another great set of lyrics by my good friend David Peerless. For some reason – genteel and learned Englishman that he is – David nurses an on-going hankering to write country music songs. It’s a little inexplicable, but the results sure bear out in his favor. My wife Nancy says the melody and the way I sing it make it a “Ricky Nelson” piece. I choose to take that as a compliment. It’s Matt’s studio magic that pulls all the elements together.

Matt says: Such a delicate song. You have to treat a sensitive song with respect, and let it exist in its own world. Bob’s piano is so sweet, as are his fiddle choices. We double tracked his acoustic guitar for this one, to great effect. I got to play the slide, double bass, Hammond with Leslie, and the omnipresent desk on this track. It doesn’t get much better than that.

Canadee-I-O (with Dave Linder)

Bob says: I first heard this sung by a fellow Rocky Ripple musician, Dave Linder. Dave’s strong, expressive voice is a perfect match for this lovely song. Plus, Canadee-I-O is an inaugural song for us: it’s the first thing we ever played together one snowy, winter day many years ago. I think we were both shocked by how well our joint effort went. All this time later we still like to play it, and still delight in how our intertwined guitars infuse such a lilting spirit to the song. Dave says he first heard it from a Bob Dylan recording. Wikipedia tells us that Canada-I-O is a traditional English folk ballad believed to have been written before 1839. I love it when everything old gets to be new again.

Matt says: Sometimes you just have to hit the record button and hold on for dear life. I captured Dave singing, Dave’s guitar, and Bob’s guitar all at once - with them standing a few feet apart. What a rush! They nailed it. Nothing left to add but some percussion, bass, and strings. Done!

You Are My Sunshine (with Nancy Barton and Mary Sander)

Bob says: When my kids were small, I’d crack out the guitar after supper and sing a while. This song was a particular favorite of my daughter Mary. Years later I heard the “little Warvey girls” singing in the Cohen Brothers movie ‘O Brother Where Art Thou?’ It occurred to me that their conjoined voices reminded me of Mary and wife Nancy singing with me, years before. So, I convinced the two of them to come up to Matt’s and be little Warvey girls for a morning session. I admit I get a bit misty every time I listen to this. It’s been covered by over 350 artists and translated into 30 languages. Though definite authorship seems lost in a haze of claims and counterclaims, one thing is crystal clear: as a piece of Americana, it’s here to stay.

Matt says: This one was fun to record. I felt like a fly on the wall watching a real family moment. Sorry, the weird solo is me - it just felt right. I am tickled with Bob’s hammer dulcimer and tasty fiddle playing, and the layering of Nancy and Mary’s voices. For such a sad song, it seems so airy and hopeful,

St. James Infirmary Blues (with Pete Townes)

Bob says: Pete Townes sings this blues standard, and boy is his version a classic unto itself. From tasteful (and complex) fingerpicking to his soulful vocal delivery – I replay this again and again. You’ll want to do the same. Though Pete was raised in the Berkshires of Massachusetts, he’s lived in Indy for at least 4+ decades that I know of. He has played in one folk ensemble or another since the Great Folk Music Scare of the 1960’s. I don’t know what version of St. James Infirmary blues you’re most familiar with but relax and enjoy your new favorite.

Matt says: Talk about capturing lightning in a bottle. A cold wind blew into town. We embraced it and set the landscape for a dark tale. Pete’s performance was earth-shaking. Guitar and vocal together in one take. The song sways, rocks, and breathes like a Broadway play. I take the right side with slide guitar and theremin. Bob takes the left with foreboding, distorted echo-violin. Along the way we pick up some organ, bass. a drum kit, and various industrial noises. What a ride!

Kith And Kin (with Jo Jordan, Josie Sommers and Rachel Sommers)

Bob says: We were nearly done recording and assembling this first volume of Kith and Kin when it occurred to me, we could use a title song. Somehow the mere thought became a lit fuse in my noggin. The lyrics and melody appeared in no time. I’ve had this experience before, with poetry and songs. Words come like a phone call, and you just take dictation. Typically, I’m suspicious when it comes to phenomena like this. On the other hand, it’s hard to argue with the results.

Matt says: Bob brought this to me fully formed - channeling the Almighty. I loved it instantly. It’s all true. I built the rhythm section around his guitar and fiddle. Snaps, bass, and snare brushes give it a swing. I have an old children’s xylophone that seemed to add a really fun texture to the choruses. Adding an 808 for the kit seemed like the right thing, especially on the drum fills. That’s Bob’s fiddle through my Altoids™ box amplifier, for a great pre-WWII radio sound on the solo. The real treat was recording my kin - Jo Jordan, Josie Sommers and Rachel Sommers. Their voices made the chorus vibrate on a whole other level. What a great way to end Volume One of this series.