#onemanband — Public Fediverse posts

25 years ago, I recorded an album of some of my original songs, a project that never moved beyond the demo stage. I recently added live drums and created new mixes.

Here's "INSIDE", synced to a live video from that same era.

#music #glam #rock #diy #homeRecording #demo #oneManBand #musicSky

INSIDE — 25 years later

Back in the #1970s I set up a #onemanband. #JesseFuller was my #inspiration and his Fotdilla. My equivalent were self generating bass #pedals. I upgraded over years. The ELKA SGP150 were the last set. They died around 2014.

I bought #Studiologic MP-113 MIDI pedals as a replacement with a Midiplus MiniEngine sound generator, but the combination never worked well so the band's been in abeyance since then. I always claim the band broke up due to #musical #differences

Last week I #discovered the #Behringer Pro VS Mini, a pocket sized #synthesiser. The one man band could be on the way to performing again.

Abner Jay claimed not to know his own birthday, but he did on one occasion describe himself as "25 years older then you think."
#Thrifting #ThriftStoreFind #Folk #Blues #Vinyl #OutsiderArt #OneManBand #Nashville #Atlanta

"...out of all the creatures on earth...every creature on earth has sex lives except one creature, and that's a mule. That's why a mule's face is so long. When you see a man or woman with a long face, they ain't hittin' on nothin'! Look how long my face done got since my woman been gone. And the longer my woman be gone, the longer my face gon' get." -Abner Jay
#Thrifting #ThriftStoreFind #Folk #Blues #Vinyl #OutsiderArt #OneManBand #Nashville #Atlanta

Here's the title track, "The Backbone Of America Is A Mule And Cotton" in its entirety. It's the only original song on the album, but gives you a pretty good glimpse at Jay's personality.
#Thrifting #ThriftStoreFind #Folk #Blues #Vinyl #OutsiderArt #OneManBand #Nashville #Atlanta

Feeling really lucky to have come across this artifact. Traditional songs have, by definition, been done to death, but Jay's renditions are entrancing. His rendition of How Great Thou Art nearly brought this atheist to tears.

The Wikipedia article on the man reveals so much more you'd never know from looking at his own autobiography and notes. Take a look if you've got a few minutes to learn some American history nobody's trying to teach you.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abner_Jay
#Thrifting #ThriftStoreFind #Folk #Blues #Vinyl #OutsiderArt #OneManBand #Nashville #Atlanta

Some of Jay's recordings were complied for release in 2009 for an edition called "True Story of Abner Jay." The release includes a two-page autobiography by Jay. It's good reading.
Here's a thoughtful review with some excerpts and whatnot
#Thrifting #ThriftStoreFind #Folk #Blues #Vinyl #OutsiderArt #OneManBand #Nashville #Atlanta
https://www.covermesongs.com/2017/05/abner-jay-true-story-of-dixie.html

On the back cover are what I assume to be Jay's own notes
#Thrifting #ThriftStoreFind #Folk #Blues #Vinyl #OutsiderArt #OneManBand #Nashville #Atlanta

Just found this at the thrift for $2, and subsequently went down the rabbit hole learning who Abner Jay was. Seems like he was a real character !
https://www.discogs.com/release/9893362-Abner-Jay-The-Backbone-Of-America-Is-A-Mule-And-Cotton
#Thrifting #ThriftStoreFind #Folk #Blues #Vinyl #OutsiderArt #OneManBand #Nashville #Atlanta