Jam Logs, the Podcast of The 1937 Flood

 “Bright Star” — the musical in which we’ve been honored to be perform as the house band this summer — wraps up this weekend, and we’ll be performing the last of our nightly pre-shows starting this evening. For our little pre-show sets, we’ve sought out old folk songs that complement the play’s new original music. Here’s the song we like to end our set with, a rollicking, silly number about a ramblin’ rascal named Buster...

We in The Flood are honored and thrilled to be invited by Mike Murdock and Nora Ankrom to be part of their brilliant Alchemy Theater production of the new musical, “Bright Star.” This evening is opening night, where we join the extraordinary Mark Smith and John Kinley in the show’s house band. In addition, Mike and Nora have asked The Flood to do a few songs in a pre-show at each performance...

 “The folk process” is a term that Charles Seeger came up with to describe the tendency of songs to change a little — or a lot — as they are passed from person to person over the years. It’s a process that greatly pleases us in The Flood, because we’ve always done everything we can to put our own stamp on every song we do...

 In the summer of 1963, a young Ironton, Ohio, native named Bobby Bare walked into the RCA Victor studio and recorded what would become the best-selling single of his long career, his poignant rendition of “500 Miles Away from Home.” Now 60 years later, here’s The Flood’s tribute to Bobby and that folk music classic.

 In Danny Cox’s world, two household gods are Chet Atkins and Jerry Reed, and both of those two legendary guitarists were responsible for this showcase tune. Here, from a recent rehearsal, is Danny’s take on Jerry Reed’s 1968 instrumental classic, “Drive In.”

 The Flood started playing this tune a quarter of a century ago, and it’s had a wide variety of arrangements over the years. In this latest version, Randy Hamilton is doing double duty. Not only does Randy take over the vocals, but his sweet, soulful bass lines set the mood for the whole thing, inspiring equally introspective solos by Sam St. Clair and Danny Cox. Here’s “Summertime,” 2023.

 We always have fun at the rehearsals with these sassy old songs, and sometimes they even create their own little legacies. Here’s a case in point. Midway through this track from a recent session, you’ll hear a bit of a crash, like the sound of something hitting the floor — and that’s just what it is. A while back, The Flood’s ever-jolly den mother, Rose Riter, gave us some nifty bird-in-flight figurines that we put around the practice room...

 The Flood’s eclectic repertoire can routinely pivot from an R-rated blues or hokum tune to a some sweet family-friendly ballad. Even a lullaby might pop up from time to time, like this lovely Irish melody. And we toss in the banshee for free!

 One of the song we’ll be bringing to Sal’s Speakeasy for this weekend’s gig was a monster hit on the radio in the early 1960s. But actually it was written almost a hundred years ago, an iconic jug band tune of the era. Here’s our take on “Walk Right In.”

 We first started doing this song more than 40 years ago, and since then, every configuration of The Flood has made its own version of “The Dutchman.” Lately we’ve tried something news, adding a bit of banjo to the accompaniment. Tell us what you think about that. And don’t hold back, now. One thing we’ve learned about banjos — they’re used to some fairly brutal criticism!