I ain't never seen nothin' like a Galway girl

-->

Steve Earle played at Ninigret this year, along with forty other bands, according to the Providence Journal this Labor Day morning. "Longtime couples and complete strangers grabbed one another for a swing, jitterbug or close sway as Roddie Romero and his Hub City All Stars dealt some Louisiana rock. Even those unfamiliar with Zydeco couldn't help tapping their feet."

Earle is one of my daughter Kezia's favorites. She went to see him in Boston recently. It also recently came up that he wrote "Ben McCulloch." It is about the Civil War. 

I killed a boy the other day 

who never even shaved 

I don't even know what I'm fightin' for 

I ain't never owned a slave

Another one of my favorites. I did not know until a month ago that the tune was written in 1974 by Steve Earle. (Editor's Note: Since Earle's album with "Ben McCulloch" -- Train A Comin' -- was released in 1995, this "written in 1974" business may be a product of age-related hearing loss. - KB)

 

So at Ninigret at the Rhythm & Roots festival, I decided to see him in action and talk to him about that tune. He was scheduled on the main stage at 7:45pm Saturday evening. Ninigret Park gates open at 11am. Sandy and I had been Cajun & Zydeco dancing all day and needed dinner and a shower. We were finishing up eating at the picnic tables when two people asked if they could join us.

She was from Austin. It is in Texas. He looked Creole. He probably was. Born in Louisiana but transplanted in San Francisco. For fun, both travel the festival circuit. Both said that this festival was the best of them all. People travel from far and wide and I can't convince nearly anyone to join us. 

Flaco & Enid joined us this year. Halfway through the festival, they were talking about coming for the whole weekend next year. Enid is crazy about banjo music. Who knew? Flaco would probably have married her regardless. Probably. 

We talked with our dinner guests about the other festivals and the musicians. Although she preferred the Zydeco, her favorite performer was a Cajun by the name of Riley. It turns out that California has many Cajun / Zydeco dances. San Diego has an awesome festival. It is in California. Louisiana has the most, and nearly all of them are free admission. We finally broke away from our new friends and headed late to the main stage to see Steve. Earle not Riley.

A football sized field (you know what I mean . . . ) holds the festival attendees for the main stage. 

They added another stage this year to bring it up to five stages. Why? Well you need them if you have forty bands. Dumb question, by the way. 

The sound system is terrific. This is the festival's 16th year and they have it all fine-tuned. There are screens to watch if you haven't secured a closer-to-the-stage seat. It is Bring Your Own chair seating. 

As we drew closer, I heard the song being performed that I had come to the festival specifically to see and hear. 

God damn you 

Ben McCulloch

Hate you more 

Than any other man alive

And when you die 

You'll be a foot soldier just like me

In the devil's infantry

It seems that Steve Earle's soldier had joined General Ben Mc Culloch's Texas infantry for seven bucks a week, all the rations in the Army you could eat, and a ryyfill you could keep. That is how he pronounced rifle. In real life, Ben was a Texas Ranger before the war of Northern aggression.   

General Ben McCulloch

So that was cool, and my mission was almost complete. Now I needed to talk to him face to face at the autograph tent. While we were waiting and listening he sang "Galway Girl." 

So I took her hand 
And I give her a twirl 
And I lost my heart to a Polish girl. 

Lo siento I mean Galway girl. I could not believe it. He wrote that one Also.

Kezia puts all my musical choices together for me for my Christmas CD. Mostly I give her the tunes. Leonard Cohen, Paulo Conte and  Cesaria Evora were suggested additions by her. One day I was walking by her room and heard "Galway Girl." I said, "Kezia whatever that is, I need it for my next Bob's World CD." So it made Bob's World that year. I assumed it was an Irish group. Wrong, Kemo Sabe.

WOW!    ycmuslthis     unburritable

My new favorites playing this year were Taj Mahal,  Los Texmaniacs, and The Carolina Chocolate Drops.

If you would join us there next year I wouldn't have to write this blog. 

Roberto Francisco Tocino