Thanks for subscribing and welcome to my eleventh Newsletter.
I am a member of the Nashville Songwriters International Association (NSAI). I am also a member and Branch Co-ordinator (Bay Sy. George) for the Songwriters Association of Canada (SAC). I am an online student at SongU. I also participate annually in SongStudio – hosted by Rik Emmit and Blair Packham. I am a member of Music Newfoundland and Labrador (MusicNL). I can honestly say that each and every one of these organizations has helped me to continually hone the craft of songwriting and I thank them!
Songs are the main vehicle by which a songwriter communicates with listeners. I will be sharing my songs, and stories about how they were written, in my newsletter. I will also be sharing additional folk art and personal interests.
What’s Happening
My 4th CD, « The Only Sin » is currently being shipped from the replicator, Blu Monster Media, in Kingston, Ontario. I expect to have copies in hand by the time of this newsletter. All, who have worked on the project, agree, that it has been the best of the 4 projects. I have also begun a Production arrangement with Allister Bradley for my 5th Project. The songs are pretty well selected for that project and I am now re-writing and editing the songs for that Project. I usually cover 2 favorite songs for each Project and Project 5 will feature the blues standard « Midnight Special ».
To date I have recorded 4 CD’s; A Field By The Sea, Blue Smoke, Life is Good and The Only Sin. You can sample songs from these CD’s on my CD Baby web page store. As well, some of the songs appear in the audio player on the top of each page on my website. Songs from The Only Sin will be available as soon as I am able to send CD Baby a copy.
I will miss Juan Albarran in a production role as he has been with me for 4 Projects. I am indeed happy that he will continue in a musician’s role as our rhythm guy. A band without solid bass and drums is like a house with no foundation. I look forward to Juan’s continued contributions to my musical efforts. Juan is pursuing his interests in the field of photography. Check him out on facebook.
What I’m Reading
I have just finished Ami McKay’s « Virgin Cure ». The book is a period novel based in 1871 in Lower Manhatten. It explores the life of a young girl who is sold by her mother to a brothel for training as a prostitute. The morals and amazingly deviant medical beliefs surrounding venereal disease are hurdles for a young Moth to overcome while maintaining her dignity, and finding a way to survive and earn a living. Cruelty, ambition, beauty, greed and malevolence all conspire to make life a challenge for Moth. Kindness and a well placed and unexpected mentor or two help her find her way. A well written exploration of deviance and survival.
Best Leonard Cohen Songs
I am a great fan of Leonard Cohen and have often pondered which of his songs were the greatest. The question is; which are the 3 best Leonard Cohen songs of all time?
I suggest that the top 3 are:
– Hallelujah
Without a doubt, this is his greatest song. In fact, it has been called the greatest song of all time. Released in 1984 it took a while to catch on with the music loving public. The greatest testament to the popularity of this song is that in recent years, more than 20 years after its release, 3 versions, including Cohen’s original, all appeared in the charts in England at the same time. The most popular version was recorded by Jeff Buckley but did not achieve chart success until years after Buckley’s death when it finally, in March of 2008, topped the Billboard’s Top Digital Songs list. The song eventually achieved both Gold and Platinum status, more than 25 years after its original release.
– Suzanne
Written about Suzanne Verdal, the wife of a friend of Cohen, in the early 1960’s, in Montreal, this song has become one of the most covered of Cohen’s catalogue of great songs. First recorded by Judy Collins in 1966, the song was later released by Cohen on his first album « Songs of Leonard Cohen » in 1967. Pitchfork Media listed the song in their Top Songs of the 1960’s. Although many suggest that Suzanne and Leonard had sexual relation, both deny this is so, and the lyrics speak of infatuation rather than a relationship.
– Bird On a Wire
Released on Cohen’s 1969 album « Songs From a Room, » once again, Judy Collins was the first to release a recording of the song in 1968. The liner notes refer to the song as both a prayer and an anthem. At the time of writing Cohen was depressed and living with his girl friend Marianne on a Greek island. The song was likely somewhat biographical in nature and was responsible for turning him around and on the path to writing once again. Johnny Cash covered the song on the first album of his American Recordings series. As a vocalist, Johnny brought a spirituality and essence of ownership that was never present in Cohen’s delivery. It was as if Johnny was that man who was « like a drunk in a midnight choir. » Two of the best in traditional folk music combined on this one – Leonard Cohen as the songwriter and Johnny Cash as the artist. Job well done!
Whether or not you agree with my picks, there can be no argument that these are some of the best Leonard Cohen songs of all time
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7383901
The CD Exchange
If you are an artist, indie or otherwise and would like to build your collection of Indie music by exchanging CDs, please e-mail me at smokinjoewiseman@hotmail.com I would be pleased to exchange music with you.
My Family
My son Waylon has just written and passed his veterinarian’s board exam. I guess he can now be referred to as Dr. Waylon Wiseman. I am not sure if he will use the salutation but he has legitimately earned the right. My son Jim is in his last half term of « the books » in his 3rd year of Med School. He will need a year at a hospital (I think they are slave labour) as an intern, to equip himself with the same salutation. I could never have withstood the long haul they have both engaged in to achieve those degrees. Through thick and thin, relationships, personal loss, illness, a marriage, and so on, they were in it for the long haul. Their Mom and I are very fortunate to have these guys as sons!
Kathleen Mae Lano has joined our family as Jim’s wife and she is a pleasure to have as a daughter-in-law. In truth she is more like a daughter and stays in touch as much as our sons. We love her dearly! Kathleen has successfully defended her thesis and now only has minor editing to complete a Master of Nursing degree.
My wife Marie is currently teaching Grade One at Brochet School in Brochet, Manitoba. For her, the teaching of reading is a passion as opposed to a vocation. She loves her work, and the children, and they love her. That’s how it should be in a Grade One classroom. Marie’s idea of a good workout is a 2.5 hour snowshoe in -25 degree weather. Not bad for someone who is finishing a 40 year career of teaching. I am truly a lucky man.
Marie and I are hopefully in Florida and enjoying our retirement residence when you recieve this newsletter. I will share details next issue after we have spent some time and are in a better position to learn about Sarasota County and its treasures. I am hoping for a music community and Marie is longing for nature trails and walks on the beach. I don’t think we will be disappointed.
Tale of a Song
I am a longtime folk music fan and released « Life is Good » as a project devoted to that genre. There are many great folk songs out there and folk song artists cover the great ones. I needed to write my own and have written a couple dozen or more folk songs. It is difficult for me to get away from the genre. Some of my favorites are songs written during my time in Manitoba. One that was written for fun is the song I am currently giving to new subscribers of this newsletter. It’s a long way from « Wal-Mart jeans » to the « Prairie Crocus ». There’s sure to be a Cajun fiddler along the way. Have a listen on my Facebook Artist page. Send me an e-mail – smokinjoewiseman@hotmail.com and let me know what you think.
My First Little Bay Islands Song
My first Little Bay Islands (ancestral home of my parents) song ia « Love of a Hometown Girl. » The song was written as an anthem to the emotions of the « floaters » and « schoonermen » who made a living, fishing off the coast of Labrador. A « floater » was a fisherman who lived aboard his/her schooner from the time he/she went to Labrador in early summer until he/she returned home in the fall. Check out the acoustic version (with fiddle) at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/smokinjoewiseman12
My band Keltic Jam, play some of my songs locally and a version of Too White to Sing the Blues, my first blues release, is available on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ub-QVR-TIPs&feature=share&list=PLJnIFXD-E5j6NGSdQhePM16xeU1HHS-ov Hope you enjoy!
Smokin Joe radiates the soul of Johnny Cash, the sensuality of Jim Morrison and the style of Woody Guthrie wrapped up in a folk/roots package! He’s somewhere between « Ringo Starr and the Grateful Dead » His songs are “real life gritty”, not “Nashville pretty”!
Contact Info and Websites
http://www.smokinjoewiseman.com
smokinjoewiseman@hotmail.com
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Smokin-Joe-Wiseman/124634987594733?v=wall&filter=1
http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/SmokinJoeWiseman1
http://www.songu.com/members/smokinjoe
http://www.reverbnation.com/smokinjoewiseman
http://www.youtube.com/smokinjoewiseman
http://www.myspace.com/smokinjoewiseman
http://www.musicforte.com/member/smokinjoewiseman/
http://itunes.apple.com/ca/artist/smokin-joe-wiseman/id253012691
http://www.twitter.com/tjwiseman
http://www.flickr.com/smokinjoewiseman
Future Topics
- Labrador Retrievers
- Places to Visit
- Smokin Joe Updates
- Photography
