Back From Virtual Vacation

Greetings,

Well I'm back from my two week vacation from the web. I just had too much to do in the non-virtual world of folk music. I finished the new album titled, Here We'll Stand, and it is being manufactured as I am writing this to you, presently. I hope to have them back by the beginning of November. Secondly, many of you received my fall postcard with my schedule, etc. Thanks to all of those who helped get that mailing out, to Charlie and Janice of Creative Mailing in St. Charles for addressing them, as well as Joann, Bill Gramley, Bonnie Cooper, Linda Arndt and David MacTavish for engaging conversation that went alongside the interesting array of stamps we used for postage. Also, a busy concert schedule rounded out the "vacation" with trips to Grimsby, Ontario, Commerce Township, Michigan and Henry, Illinois.

I feel compelled to write about this new album of songs that commemorates the War of 1812. I start out with a short song from the election of 1800, Thomas Jefferson vs Aaron Burr. Jefferson and Liberty talks about the American experience, not having to answer to the "King." And how Thomas Jefferson would be the only good choice to move our country forward. Loyal She Remains, written by Alex Sinclair of Toronto, Ontario, refers to those loyal to King George of England who left the USA after the Revolutionary War, many moving north of the border to Canada (then still a British colony) to start a new life. The third song on this CD, Rebecca's Lament, is one I recorded many years ago, and is still a favorite of many fans. Written by James Keelaghan, it chronicles the interaction in the early 19th century between a daughter of a missionary in the Ohio frontier with the a local Shawnee leader, Tecumseh. It is the perspective of these three songs that sets the stage for the rest of this recording.

The Constitution and Guerriere / The Shannon and Chesapeake is a medley of two traditional songs from the period. The Constitution... was written shortly after the American frigate known as "Old Ironsides" defeated the HMS Guerriere in the mid-Atlantic in August of 1812. Less than a year later, in May of 1813, the British returned the favor off of Boston Harbor when HMS Shannon captured the USS Chesapeake, and the second song was created. I figured, two hundred years later, why not have the songs fight it out amongst themselves. Then The Gullible Americans, follows and tells the loss of all of Michigan Territory within the first two months of the war. It is from the perspective of British officers shortly after the capture of Fort Mackinac, Fort Detroit and the surrender of Fort Dearborn (Chicago).

Perry's Victory on Lake Erie, is another song I previously recorded, written within weeks of the battle that took place in western Lake Erie on 10 September, 1813. The American victory gave the frontier settlers much relief from the fear of attack by the British and their Indian allies. In the wake of that defeat, the British decided to pull back east to Lake Ontario and the Naval stations in York (Toronto) and Kingston. This left their Indian allies, lead by Tecumseh, alone to defend their homeland and is chronicled in Our Vanquished Hero. On September 28th, 1813, the British fleet on Lake Ontario, commanded by Captain Sir James Yeo, engaged the American fleet 10 miles south of York, in dirty weather and building seas. The battle was called The Burlington Races, and considered a draw and thus preserved the status quo on the lake till the end of the war.

The title cut, Here We'll Stand, celebrates the defense of the port of Baltimore from the invading British fleet in September 1814. Just a few weeks before, the Americans sustained a severe blow to their morale when Washington D.C. was put to the torch. Francis Scott Key's famous poem, which later became our national anthem, The Star Spangled Banner, follows. This album is then rounded out with the fiddle tune Jackson's Victory, and my own homage to what happens when words become so inflamed that military action seems to be the only recourse. Why Do They Have to Burn calls for a reasoned approach to solving problems between nations, or states, or municipalities, or political parties. This last notion is the over-riding idea behind this album and the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812. Two hundred years of peace between two countries with the longest unfortified boundary between them on Earth, something to celebrate!

That's about it for now. In the coming weeks, look for more information about the Christmas Ship story as well as anything else that the winds or waves will bring our way. Until then,

Fair Winds!


Lee Murdock

tecumsehdrama.com
wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Constitution
wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Star_Spangled_Banner

copyright October 20, 2012 by Lee Murdock