“It” is fife and drum, an African take on colonial English marching songs, and one of the oldest forms of distinctly American music, played by the slaves of Jefferson’s Monticello and still played today — by one family, once a year, at this, one of the last of the traditional farm picnics celebrating the end of the growing season. I first met Tamke earlier in the day, before the sun had gone down, when the party was still getting going. He sat beside me on a hay bale, friendly-like, and struck up a conversation. He introduced me to his father, John, who sat nearby in a wheelchair, his left leg amputated above the knee due to the ravages of Agent Orange (and who has since died). After coming home from Vietnam, Tamke Sr. became a local judge. Back in those days, he told me, it was a point of family pride to “take care of the minorities,” and he reminisced about his grandfather bringing him outside, 50 or 60 years ago, to hear the drum call the field hands to the picnic.
Blues Travelers - Adam Fisher, NY Times
Sister Crayon - Futile Devices (Sufjan Stevens Cover)
Sister Crayon are a group based out of Sacramento led by vocalist Terra Lopez. The group have boldly covered a stripped back version of Sufjan Stevens’ (pictured) Futile Devices.
The original song was taken from Steven’s The Age of Adz album - An apocalyptic, transformative recording experience.
While it would be impossible to outdo Steven’s on his own song, Sister Crayon do an exceptional job covering the album opener. They also don’t stray too far from the original and keep with the songwriter’s subdues, introverted style.
Download the track here (right click & save file)
