Thanks for subscribing and welcome to my twelfth Newsletter.
My Help
I am a member of the Nashville Songwriters International Association (NSAI), Branch Co-ordinator (Bay Sy. George) for the Songwriters Association of Canada (SAC), student at SongU, participant SongStudio – hosted by Rik Emmit and Blair Packham, member of Music Newfoundland and Labrador (MusicNL), and a member of SOCAN. 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 finished and I am planning a CD release sometime in July. I am currently out of the loop in Brochet, Northern Manitoba.
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.
What I’m Reading
I have just finished Martha Stout’s « The Sociopath Next Door ». As a School Principal I received threat assessment training which included some basic information on sociopaths. Reflection on the nature of the school as a functioning organization convinced me that the safest school is one with a warm, open, caring environment where information is shared. The sociopath finds it difficult to function in that environment and his/her true nature is quickly revealed.
Martha Stout has also opened my eyes to the true nature of much of the conflict that has occured in my many years of dealing with the public and with various organizations. Her belief is that 4 out of every 100 people is a « person without conscience » – a sociopath. They cause conflict wherever they are – in families, at work, in community groups, in large organizations and so on. The average person has no idea that people can function in their everyday world without a conscience. The sociopath simply desires to win and it does not matter what they win, just as long as they do. Many times, the destruction of a happy family, the well-being of a happy person or the resulting misery their actions create is a win for them. This book is a must read for anyone desiring to understand the impact of, and the way to deal with, the sociopath.
Best Johnny Cash Songs
I spent some time teaching school children from grades 2 through 12 the fundamentals of songwriting. Part of the process would be to talk about different genres of music and eventually focus on the blues. I would model a traditional blues song for the students and then sing one of my own. From there we would begin a new song and I would have the class, in groups, write verses to finish the song. I have done this in dozens of classrooms in Manitoba and Newfoundland. I found it amazing that students, in school after school, would ask me to sing a Johnny Cash song and that he was one of their favorite singers.
I am a huge fan of Johnny Cash and have been for a long time. He has written and covered a lot of songs in his lifetime and I have enjoyed just about every one of them. The question is; which are the 3 best Johnny Cash songs of all time? Here is my list.
I suggest that the top 3 are:
· Hurt
This song, from the American Legend Recordings, and written by Trent Reznor of the rock band, Nine Inch Nails, is accompanied by a powerful video. Created in the last year of Johnny’s life, the video shows the lines of time and great character in Johnny Cash’s face. The video received seven nominations at the MTV Video Music Awards and won for Best Cinematography. The image of Johnny, the man in black, in that video, will stand as the most powerful and lasting of his career. The lyrics tell the story of a drug addict who wishes he had time back and could start all over again. Johnny Cash had this opportunity in his own lifetime with the love of June Carter and his deep spirituality.
· Folsom Prison Blues
This song is probably the best known of all Johnny Cash songs. The opening riff is classic and one learned by the vast majority of country guitar virtuosos. The song also became famous because of the album that was recorded at Folsom Prison where Johnny gave one of his greatest performances. The song and the album helped revived Johnny’s career which was on a downward spiral at the time. He performed at other prisons including San Quentin and quickly became the most requested performer among inmates of US prisons. The qualities and image of a driven man haunted by complex morality, and redemption would follow Johnny all of his life.
· I Walk the Line
It would be difficult to produce a collection of best Johnny Cash songs without including this classic. The posthumous movie of the same name stands as an honest portrayal of the life of Johnny Cash. His early years were troubled and Johnny often walked the line between failure and greatness. This song hit number 1 on the country charts and crossed over into the pop charts as well. Johnny was a man of many genres including folk, rock, country, blues, gospel and pop. He has, for his whole career, walked the line between all of those musical genres.
You may not agree with my selections but there is no doubt that these are some of the best that Johnny Cash has written or performed.
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 is currently a veterinarian in Brisbane, Australia.
My son Jim is in his last year of med school in Dumaguette (the city of gentle people), Negros, Phillipines.
My daughter in law, Kathleen Mae Lano Wiseman, has just achieved her Master’s Degree in Nursing and is employed as a nurse in Dumaguette, Phillipines.
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.
I have just purchased a winter residence in Port Charlotte, Florida. Not a condo on the beach but a condo within a short drive to the beach. We are looking forward to the pleasures of Charlotte County, Florida.
Tale of a Song
I am a longtime blues music fan and released « Blue Smoke » as a project devoted to that genre. There are many great blues songs out there and blues artists cover the great ones. I wanted to write my own and have written a couple dozen or so blues songs. One of the songs in the 12 bar blues format was recorded in my home town with local artists who were friends of myself and my son Waylon. « Do the Time » features Waylon Wiseman, Gerry Flynn, Andre Savidon, Bonny O’Keefe, Stan Gallant and Shanee Card . What fun it was! 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
Recent developments in Little Bay Islands, an isolated Newfoundland outport foreshadow the disappearance of this beautiful island paradise. Resettlement to the mainland of Newfoundland is inevitable. I hope you enjoy my tribute.
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
