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Stephanie's Track-By-Track Notes WESTERN BLISS 1. MONTANA COWGIRL – Mid-May, Daggett Canyon: The eastern sky blazes pink, purple, orange, and red above the still-silhouetted piney hills. A meadowlark on a cedar post trills his first “good morning,” as the little brook at his feet gurgles in cheery agreement. The clean, sweet scent of sage wafts in the breeze, as the little bay colt between your knees twitches his ears to the rhythmic jingling of your spurs. A coyote, no doubt returning from his all-night hunt, appears on the ridgeline. He pauses, studies you for a long moment, then tosses back his head and wails the coyote equivalent of, “It’s a good day to be alive.” You grin, toss back your own head, and, in your best coyote, wail what you hope passes for, “It IS a good day to be alive.” A little rough around the edges. Okay, seriously lacking in pitch and tone. Simon Cowell: “Stick to punching cattle, or whatever it is you do.” But the raven overhead caws for an encore. The little brook chortles. The cottonwoods nod and murmur appreciatively. And to think people wonder why you live out here… 2. HITTIN’ THE TRAIL TONIGHT – Another fine song for belting out on the trail, in the shower, on your rider mower, or, if you’re like me, while waiting for a highway patrolman to hand you a speeding ticket (“Ma’am, if you don’t slow down, you’re going to be Hittin’ The JAIL Tonight.”) Blame Rich O’Brien’s blissariffic, pedal-to-the-metal twin guitar riffs—that, and this blisstastic gem of a song. The words are from the magnificent Bruce Kiskaddon, one of my favorite cowboy poets. Music by Hal Cannon, one of my favorite people. 3. SANTA FE, NEW MEXICO – Late afternoon. The plaza. Tantalizing scents of chiles, meat frying, corn tortillas, drift through the warm desert air. Wildly cascading baskets of fuschia bougainvillea line the street. An ornately dressed trio of Mexican musicans--fiddle, trumpet, guitarron--have just finished “Cielito Lindo.” Your favorite. Maybe it’s a sign. You sigh, silently wishing you could stay in this beautiful place forever. You turn…someone smiles…and says, “Hello.” 4. BRONCO BUSTERS’ BALL – No, in answer to my friend Brad’s nervous inquiry, this song’s title does NOT refer to an unfortunate incident involving a saddle horn. Now that we’ve cleared that up, let me unequivocally state that if you haven’t been to a real cowboy dance, you haven’t lived. And we’re not talking about Tuesday night line dancing at the Rusty Spur. A real cowboy dance is a major social event. EVERYONE goes, from Grandma to baby Mikey…You’ll dance until your legs pert near buckle. You’ll make new friends and catch up with old ones. You might even find yourself sharing the beautifully boxed lunch you bid half a month’s wages on at midnight with its equally beautiful maker. Just be sure to comb your mane—girls hate burrs. 5. LEANIN’ ON THE OLD TOP RAIL – I learned this wonderful classic as a pup, off an Eddy Arnold record. Infectious melody, great lyrics, and Cindy Cashdollar’s steel put the bliss in this one. DAY-YAY-yippie-tay-OH-tee. Saying it three times fast has been rumored to lower blood pressure and cure bunions. 6. NAVAJO TRAIL – There is so much to love about this track – Paul Daniels’ silky background vocals, Reggie Reuffer’s sultry, soulful fiddle, Rich’s exquisite guitar, and of course, the song itself – dreamy, blissful, a delight to sing. Fifty bucks says you’ll be humming this one for days. 7. TEXAS BLUES – Well, it’s not Montana, but over the past few years I have found much to like about Texas, starting with the musicians and ending with the barbeque. Here’s one of my favorite Bob Wills tunes that Rich channels Junior Barnard on. Salty! 8. OL’ FAITHFUL – You’ve heard the saying—in a lifetime, a cowboy is lucky to find one good dog, one good horse, and one good woman…I would add one great guitar player to that list, and Rich O’Brien is it. One listen to this track will tell you all you need to know. 9. TRAIL’S END THEME SONG – “You should do a radio show.” “A radio show? Me?” “You should.” “I couldn’t.” “You could.” That little exchange between me and my hero and friend, Garrison Keillor, took place several years back, and has haunted me since. I could? I should. I will! And so, next February or so, the pilot of Trail’s End Ranch Radio will make its debut. Sketches, sound effects, monologues, the Trail’s End Ranch Hand Band…The details are a bit overwhelming, but it all starts with a theme song…Have I mentioned that we need sponsors? 10. IDAHO – This little Count Basie/Benny Goodman ripper took to our “Western Bliss” treatment like a musician to an open bar. Check out the blistering, first-take guitar solo by our friend Clint Strong, who has worked with everyone from The Hag to Herb Ellis. Guitar players everywhere will be tempted to disembowel themselves and/or burn their axes when they learn that Clint actually talked and laughed all the way through the take. Can you say, “multi-tasking monster?” 11. THERE’S A GOLD MINE IN THE SKY – Yes, I’m an old prospector, promising my one-hoof-in-the grave mule all the grass and good times he can stomach on the other side. Hey, what politician hasn’t convinced us of worse? A charming old crooner made popular by Gene Autry, among others.
WESTERN BLING
1. TALKIN’ BOUT YOU: A fun opening romp of an old Bob Wills tune, featuring the boys’ Louie Jordan-style vocals, Cindy Cashdollar’s delightful steel work, Reggie Reuffer’s breathtaking fiddling, and the white-hot trio guitar stylings of Rich (“Badger”) O’Brien and Clint Strong. Roll up the rug! 2. I DIDN’T REALIZE: Another wonderful Bob Wills tune that I learned from Rich. Features some extra tasty, “How’d he do that?” solos by Clint and Reggie. 3. SOON: Lovely…wistful…a perfect marriage of melody and lyric… This George and Ira Gershwin gem, from the 1929 Broadway show “Strike Up The Band,” shimmers and sparkles with our Western Bling treatment. Check out Rich’s always-tasteful, understated guitar work and Reggie’s swoonarama triple fiddles. 4. HUBBIN’ IT: If the only bailout you’ve been the recent recipient of involved the “gentle as a kitten” stud horse your cousin Lester brought back from the sale barn and an amorous cow moose, here’s your song, Western Bling-style. 5. NEVERTHELESS: Another classic from 1931, also a hit for The Mills Brothers in 1951. Ah, the terrible/wonderful angst of standing, hands clasped overhead, heart pounding, legs poised to spring, off the High Dive Of Love…here’s to all of you brave hearts and remember to check to see that there’s water in the pool… 6. BEYOND THE SEA: We “Western Blinged” this wonderful Bobby Darin classic, and danged if it doesn’t take to it like a newly washed dog to a mudpuddle. Even if your kitchen window looks out onto the Bubba’s Lube, Oil, and Filter, Bakery, and Internet Café (“Have a Baguette and Surf The ‘Net While We Service Your ‘Vette”) parking lot in Bedsore, Oklahoma, this one will have you swaying, swooning, and staring dreamily out to “sea.” Somewhere out there is a handsome/beautiful, exotic, financially independent, sane, sober, non-incarcerated, well…you get the picture… 7. BABY, THAT SURE WOULD GO GOOD: Can you tell we’re crazy about Cindy Walker songs? This one features Oakland’s wonderful Paul Daniels’ velvety background vocals and some sultry instrumental riffs. Our webmaster, manager, and chief cook and bottle washer, Rick, recommends a ’74 Petrus, decanted and at cellar temperature for this track. 8. SLOW POKE: Dealing with someone who’s always running late? Tired of sitting around and waiting? This charming Pee Wee King song has probably saved countless marriages, governments, and even an Earthlink Technical Support operator or two, by encouraging martyrdom, codependency, and a splash of Stockholm Syndrome. We just like making the ticking clock noises. 9. IF I HAD YOU: The dreamy standard, recorded by everyone from Rudy Vallee to Bing Crosby, slips into our Western Bling format like deer guts on a doorknob. Features some ridonculously fabulous steel playing by Cindy. 10. THE BEST THINGS IN LIFE ARE FREE: Economy getting you down? Hey, try being a musician. Or a songwriter. Or a rancher. Or all three at once. Ah, heck. Life is still pretty wonderful, and our take on this sweet classic by the legendary Tin Pan Alley songwriting team of Lew Brown, Ray Henderson, and Buddy DeSylva is guaranteed to put the spring back into your step. 11. GOING AWAY PARTY: My favorite Cindy Walker song, and my favorite track on the whole project. Magical, live, first-take vocals (if I say so myself.) Achingly exquisite solos by Rich, Cindy, and Reggie. The reason God invented Western Bling. If this doesn’t land you sobbing in a fetal position, check your pulse.
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