Strung Out Episode 268: JAMES WEIGEL'S NEIGHBORHOOD

When James Weigel left his home in Metamora, Illinois for Chicago, he brought along his central Illinois, no-nonsense rural outlook on life and choosing a musical path.  Central Illinois is rich in great musical traditions--from REO Speedwagon to Alison Krauss to the late Dan Fogelberg.  Weigel draws from that tradition and has made a home for himself up north, while keeping that downstate sense of steadfast determination to make his music work for him.  An avid player of many stringed instruments, Weigel by day can be found at the northside musical temple of Flatts and Sharpe (where Martin bought his first bass guitar) providing lessons, participating in occasional sessions and having a finger on the pulse of the local performing venues.  His network of venues varies from the local watering holes to listening rooms.  Weigel's songs are also varied for the occasion, fitting easily into the neighborhood setting without compromising any of his integrity.  The result is a man who can travel but chooses to make his neighborhood his castle keep for his musical ambitions.  Excellent song crafting and musicianship guarantees that this farm boy from Metamora is not casting his musical pearls to any swine any time soon.
Learn more about James by visiting:
https://www.ensembleschools.com/flatts-and-sharpe/staff/james-weigel/
https://www.facebook.com/JamesWeigelUnderTheFloorboardsMusic/

Transcript

00:00:00:00 - 00:00:05:20
Unknown
Welcome to Strung Out, the podcast that looks at life through the lens

00:00:05:20 - 00:00:14:44
Unknown
of an artist. Your host is the artist, writer and musician Martin Lawrence McCormack. Now here's Marty.

00:00:14:44 - 00:00:40:44
Unknown
back to Strung Out. And I have with me James Weigel. And I'm so glad to have him here on Strung Out. We've been trying we've been going back and forth trying to connect with each other. You're a busy musician. I think you were down in New Orleans. I was, and, you work, locally over at Flatts and Sharp teaching guitar, dobro, dobro, banjo, ukulele, bass, harmonica and all the capers approves.

00:00:40:44 - 00:01:02:51
Unknown
Capers. A wonder dog is here. Always willing to, tell tell him if he's out of tune or. And. That's right. All right. Capers, does he pass inspection? I think so. We're going to have you play a song first, and then we'll get right into it. You guys know the drill, and so does James. So what's the first song you're going to play?

00:01:02:53 - 00:01:11:57
Unknown
Okay, well, I'll just start with, a love song that I wrote for my wife. Oh, awesome. Okay. This one's called the the closest thing to heaven. Nice.

00:01:29:10 - 00:01:44:44
Unknown
Lay your head down on my shoulder. Put your body close to mine. Yeah, I was getting laid. And now we ain't marking time.

00:01:44:48 - 00:02:00:24
Unknown
Your eyes are dancing slowly. With the light from the TV screen. You're the closest thing to heaven. The soul says every scene.

00:02:00:29 - 00:02:39:14
Unknown
I couldn't stand the weather when the weather was too dry. But our hands together brought water to the sky. Now we'll hold on to each other. You. When the wind blows cold. And me, you're the closest thing I have it. The soul says I receive. You're the closest thing to happiness. So the size of I hand your love consolation to will.

00:02:39:14 - 00:03:13:16
Unknown
Good I turn back. Now I say days are over. My wicked ways redeem. Because you are the closest thing to heaven. The soul, the every singing.

00:03:13:20 - 00:03:53:30
Unknown
Now there are times we stumble. And there are times we stand there in times of trouble. Treat all men and women. But I'll take joy in your anger. Or anything in between. You. Because you are the closest thing that the soul singer's ever seen. You are the closest thing to having the soul sings. Ever have your love brought salvation to the good heart.

00:03:53:32 - 00:04:22:23
Unknown
To bad. So lay your head down on my shoulder. Slip away to peaceful dreams. You're the closest thing to heaven. The soul size ever seen. You are the closest thing to heaven. The souls ever seen.

00:04:22:31 - 00:04:56:25
Unknown
Great. Cool. I love it. It's like a classical country redemption. Yeah, yeah. You know, you know, it's a little early in the day to be singing. Oh, hey, props to you guys. We have to start this a little earlier because James has to work. Down at that place in church. And. Yeah, I mean, it's it's really almost barbaric to have anybody singing before noon, but, you come from Peoria and, Peoria, of course, is the great Dan Fogelberg country.

00:04:56:34 - 00:05:27:11
Unknown
Yeah. I like, you know, I always thought, you know, pure it's. Fogelberg was a consummate and a very good musician and, really kind of, underappreciated, I think to some, some degree, you know, for what he was able to bring, to the music scene. Of course, he was a, big during a time when, that, you know, the 70s and the 80s when a lot of that ballad kind of music was popular.

00:05:27:11 - 00:05:50:43
Unknown
Yeah, which is fantastic. So tell me about your growing up down there, superior. Well, I, I'm from a town called Metamora, which. Oh, yeah, 20, 20 miles outside of Peoria. All right. Farm country. Your first job was to tassel on corn, you know, and, and, worked in a restaurant as a dishwasher and, a lot of lot of country music down there.

00:05:50:54 - 00:06:14:59
Unknown
Yeah. And, and, I, I spent seven years of my life detest corn up in McHenry County, and. Oh, it's not. Yeah, yeah, it's that's where I grew up. There is something about, being out in the country and, picking up country music, of course. But, did you ever get a sense like there was a kind of, a regional vibe as far as some music down there?

00:06:14:59 - 00:06:43:32
Unknown
Was there? We turned on. I mean, how did you get into music? Well, my parents were both musicians. Okay. My my mom was the church piano player. My dad had been a classical tuba player. Okay. And I just. I always loved music. All my my siblings play music, and, you know, Willie Nelson was real big in the 80s, growing up kind of became iconic during that period of time.

00:06:43:37 - 00:07:18:57
Unknown
Sort of just fell in love with it. Regional vibe, I don't know. You know, Aho Speedwagon is also from Peoria, right? You know, I, I forget there's a lot of that sort of classic rock down there, too. Definitely. And it's it's, I think when, you know, a little north of, I-80, you kind of, under appreciate all the stuff that comes down from central Illinois and, and then then you have to get down to, you know, Effingham and that to really kind of it's it's own kind of vibe in a, in and of itself.

00:07:19:02 - 00:07:47:50
Unknown
But that being said, you know, when you were growing up then with your siblings, where do you fall in line and how many do you have? I have five siblings and, second to youngest, second youngest. So the two oldest ones were in marching band when I was, you know, little. And we always went to go see them and, and then, the third one from the oldest played, started playing guitar in high school.

00:07:47:50 - 00:08:05:21
Unknown
And then I kind of started messing around with this guitar, and he showed me a few chords, and then I was off to the races. It was a like the Vaughan brothers were, you know, like, you know, it was like saying, hey, man, don't touch my guitar. It was a little bit we didn't we didn't really get along for a very long time when we were growing up.

00:08:05:26 - 00:08:25:20
Unknown
So you caught the bug early? And and when you, At what age were you when you kind of broke at your parents and said, hey, listen, you know, this is this is my path. You know, I think I was in probably in junior high when I was like, I want to play guitar for, you know, it was something about it.

00:08:25:20 - 00:08:45:50
Unknown
You know, what it really was, was, And seeing, B.B. King, I saw him on, The Cosby Show, and then. And then later on and on. Married with children. You did a little cameo, and I heard him play, and I was like, that is what I want to do. Yeah. Yeah. So even though, yeah, I play, I play more country music.

00:08:45:50 - 00:09:14:15
Unknown
It was it was really the king that did it for me. Well, American Americana music, of course, takes a lot of influences. And so, the blues is right at home to, Duke. Would you classify yourself as a country musician, or do you consider yourself and not to pigeonhole? I know you're singer songwriter, but, if I'm to come out to see you and you have the band The Scattered Remains, right?

00:09:14:20 - 00:09:33:37
Unknown
Yeah. That was an old band that I mostly play solo now. Okay. All right. Sometimes I'll have a drummer or a bass player, but I love, minimalism is, was switch back. We pretty much work as a duo. And then, you know, we have a drummer and every porch, it seems that kind of thing. But, you know, what do you.

00:09:33:42 - 00:09:55:29
Unknown
If I was to ask you, what do you what do you play? Well, I guess Americana would be really the umbrella term. That I used to maybe use the word folk music, but, Right. That's got its own bad connotations. Yeah. You know, so that 60s stuff. Right. Real cheesy kind of stuff. Sure, sure. I think a lot of people think of that when they think folk music.

00:09:55:29 - 00:10:15:36
Unknown
Right. You know, so I, I dislike that term now, I play a lot of bluegrass. In fact, my old bluegrass band is still around the year old. What's what's in the hen house? Prowlers. Oh, the hen house brothers. So they've been around for 20 years or so. And. So what? What got you into doing the bluegrass thing?

00:10:15:41 - 00:10:47:22
Unknown
Oh, yeah, I was doing. Yeah. The bluegrass is like a bug. You. You know, it's a virus. You catch it, you just can't get rid of it. It's. It was in my early 20s. Okay. But, you know, being down from central Illinois, Alison Krauss. Krauss Bloomington area. Yeah. I believe, again, another great example of, you know, just the talent, the stones south of I-80 that, you know, that we tend to not think about, you know, the cultural significance coming out of central Illinois.

00:10:47:27 - 00:11:04:49
Unknown
And, did you ever, you know, go down toward, Saint Louis? Were you ever influenced from that part of, I when I first started touring, I, we played a lot in Saint Louis and made a lot of great friends down there. Now talk about country music, that they love their country music down there.

00:11:04:53 - 00:11:28:23
Unknown
And they have, they have their own Americana. They really do. Yeah, yeah. In fact, I would say the musical scene is a little more cohesive. Which is a grown up in Chicago. But I think it's, you know, a lot to put words in your mouth. But I, you know I think over the years, the, you know, the Chicago music scene is is more like a mosaic.

00:11:28:29 - 00:11:47:32
Unknown
Yeah, it sure is. You know, and it's hard to, you know, and and you think, oh, this is the one piece. And then you realize, oh, no, there's a whole other thing. But what what got you then, up to Chicago? You you met, you know, you met, just in, in college or do you go to college?

00:11:47:40 - 00:12:07:45
Unknown
We went to college down in, North Central College. Okay. Over in the suburbs. Okay. So we were we were actually both, pretty serious long distance runners. Nick Naperville, right? Yeah, yeah. So you did cross country? Yeah. Yep. Cross country. All right. Another met, like, after my own heart, I think from, weird. You have to run down at Peoria.

00:12:07:50 - 00:12:26:14
Unknown
There was the Three Sisters Park. You know where that is? You know, just north of town. And that was where you had to, back in the 80s. H and myself here. But, you know, that's where you would go downstate to run that, cool. We we ran rented this Detwiler Park. Oh, yeah. That was.

00:12:26:23 - 00:12:48:36
Unknown
Yes, yes, yes. Yep. Yeah. So that I, in fact, I stand corrected. It was Detwiler three sisters, just a little north of there. Yeah I think yeah, that it's really cool. So. But so. Detwiler. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. So, Justin, and I moved up to Rogers Park after undergraduate. He was going to Loyola for, the philosophy.

00:12:48:41 - 00:13:06:47
Unknown
Okay. And, I was going down to Columbia for a master's degree that I never finished. And what was that going to be? It was called interdisciplinary Arts. But, you know, that lasted about two months. And then, okay. Done with this. Yeah. And then I started playing music. Yeah. And, you've been at it ever since.

00:13:06:47 - 00:13:24:38
Unknown
And, how have you found this thing? That's been great. You know, I, and I was probably. You used to play every Tuesday night at the Red line. Tap over here, right behind the Hartley Cafe. And we got a famous red line. Yeah, a good little thing gone for a long time. And then I had a kid, and we were traveling a little bit too much.

00:13:24:43 - 00:13:47:08
Unknown
Okay, so I left the band, and they just went on to bigger and better things that they've been they've been around. But, sometimes you have to make that, that jump. And you know, but are you still do you see yourself more of in the local pool of, of shows now. Oh, absolutely. How old is your kid?

00:13:47:13 - 00:14:16:04
Unknown
That's. Oh my kids now. She's 20 in September. Oh okay. Back on the road feeling. Yeah. I don't know. Yeah. To to, Yeah. It's, it's still the same thing, though, whether you're local or you're traveling on the road, right? I mean, as an independent musician, you know, how how do you, you keep your hand in the water?

00:14:16:04 - 00:14:35:19
Unknown
How do you how do you, you know, catch the current of things going on? How do you, how do you get out there? Well, I have to say, I've. I've been a bit removed, for a long time. You know, I just sort of settle down and and became a father, really. And I teach locally, and, you know, I've been happy with that.

00:14:35:29 - 00:14:55:05
Unknown
Yeah. I mean, I'm, I'm saying I'm local to this neighborhood, right? I leave Rogers Park. Well, Rogers Park to somebody. Yeah. It's a great as far as the arts are concerned. Absolutely. I wish I wish the main stage was still here. That was. Yeah. One thing I was excited about moving into this area was just that, I was like, oh, my God.

00:14:55:05 - 00:15:23:25
Unknown
You know, it's like we got Fitzgeralds North here, right? Right. Yeah, it's really, you know, venues. No, there's no use anymore. I mean, but these small bars, you know. Yeah. Carries on divine and, play up at Rambles on Clark Street and. Well, tell me a little bit about that. You know, because a lot of the people that, will be tuning in to this are people that are wondering how they can be like you, you know, living the life, doing music, getting into these small bars.

00:15:23:25 - 00:15:47:56
Unknown
What are the pros and cons? Well, you know, I discovered this when I was younger, and I was in bands where we were really trying to do something. Yeah. And then, you know, we played a venue, see a masters or something like that, and you're on, like, a three band bill, and, you know, you only play for 45 minutes and you get all your friends to come out and take cover, and then the beers are kind of more expensive than they would pay for.

00:15:47:56 - 00:16:06:41
Unknown
And then the other night you made like $8. Yes. Yeah. You know, and and then we started playing at the local bars and like, they would pay us $200. Right. You know, and so it just seemed more logical and we and we got to play the whole night. And did they give free beer. That's the question. Well that's the first one's free.

00:16:06:41 - 00:16:35:16
Unknown
Maybe. Yeah. But it does make a lot of sense. So yeah. Yeah. There is the cons though. You don't get the, you know I guess exposure. I hate that word by the way. But you know, no, nobody knows. You know, nobody's going to know you from playing down at this place on the street. Right. Unless somehow the, you know, the something like John Prine where Kris Kristofferson walks right?

00:16:35:25 - 00:16:59:16
Unknown
You know, you never know, right? Yeah. That's that's the nature of, our business. It's just, crazy. But, did you have to. Did you have to when you were do those local bars? And still do. Would you bring your own kit, your own songs? Oh, yeah, and everything like that. So that's the other part of the independent musician thing is you are.

00:16:59:21 - 00:17:33:22
Unknown
You are the touring. You are self-contained. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. You know. And so do you still keep your system. Do you have one that. Oh yeah. Yeah, yeah. What do you have? I got, one of those chassis powered monitors and kind of just a little Mankey for, for channel mixer. So you go light and I go in somehow and get in and and, and, you know, that's that's the other key to the difference, with, some of the larger clubs that you are playing at in the city or elsewhere, too, is the, sound system.

00:17:33:27 - 00:17:51:51
Unknown
And it seems to be a universal thing. I was just reaching out to a club in Dublin and, not a big club either. It's called the cobblestone. We've played it years ago, and, but it's the sort of thing where they're, they're like, you know, you we have a sound man. You're going to have to play the sound man.

00:17:51:51 - 00:18:18:29
Unknown
Yeah, yeah. You know, that sort of thing. If we're self-contained, you know, that sort of thing, like, you know, but it's difficult. But it doesn't have to be difficult, is what I hear you saying is that you kind of just set your your course and you're happy. How do you measure your, success then? In terms of, you know, doing, being an independent musician?

00:18:18:33 - 00:18:44:06
Unknown
Well, you know, I mean, it's got to be worth your while, you know, money wise, and the bars bar has to be happy. So there's got to be people there, you know? Right. And, I mean, I'm, I'm pretty practically minded that way. Squire caters. Can, you know, don't grow with people on the street.

00:18:44:11 - 00:19:08:28
Unknown
That's interesting. That, you know, as far as maintaining, you know, one of the things that's so difficult to as far as an indie musician is database. Like I'm trying to, how are you? Good with social media and all that sort of thing that I'm okay. I've got I've got a friend in the neighborhood, though, who's who's really sort of.

00:19:08:33 - 00:19:34:00
Unknown
She's really trying to get a scene going again. And, and she's got a organization called the Struggle Bus. The struggle bus presents. Oh, I love it. This lady problem. Okay. And she's she's really just, you know, she's booking these places down on Clark. There's a new club called the Monday Blues Lounge. Oh, she's, Okay. You know, we're trying to get things going, and she's very good at the social media.

00:19:34:05 - 00:19:57:28
Unknown
You have to be, to some degree. And I think the younger people are probably better than, the certainly better than me, because, you know, I mean, you know, I'm pretty, so, that's that's not good. But that being said, you know, and you work in the flats and sharps and so that has its advantages to not teaching.

00:19:57:28 - 00:20:16:22
Unknown
But now you have people coming in from the same. Yeah. So how does that work? Yeah. I mean, it's great. Yeah. I mean, I don't know, I it's way in the back of the store. So I'm, I'm a little bit removed from the people that are coming from the store. But, you know, it's a great way to meet people and, and, you know, spread the word about what I might be doing.

00:20:16:29 - 00:20:34:04
Unknown
Okay. You know, and, a lot of the people are from the neighborhood, and, and so there's just a lot of support. And, I mean, this is a great neighborhood. Here is your daughter musician. She was, we used to do the sort of rock band kids rock band thing over there, if that's a chart. And I still do to a certain extent.

00:20:34:09 - 00:20:54:33
Unknown
But she had she's she did 5 or 6 shows. Wow. She played bass and guitar and piano plus and she's still, she's still every now and then gets the anchor into sit down with the instrument. Does she have the bombs or do you think she has the, the calling or. I don't know. I don't know it, I don't think I don't think so.

00:20:54:44 - 00:21:22:17
Unknown
Yeah. But she she really loves music and loves all kinds of different. Just as a listener. Yeah. Well, like, you know, there's, there's a thing. You just said the magic word, you know, it's like, would we have more people that are willing to listen? You know? I mean, you have to have those people that appreciate music to the point where they will get up and go in and see a gig, you know, and those people are actually probably more in demand than right.

00:21:22:24 - 00:21:58:07
Unknown
Right. Yeah. Rent a lot of it. I mean, it's that kind of thing. But, I want you to think of your second song. How did you, pick up then? The banjo, the dobro, and, was that all self-taught then, or how did you get, you know, was that work with the hen house problems? Where you being made to, you know, jump around, you know, so, the hen house crawlers came together because half of us were already in a band and I was the electric guitar player, but it was sort of like a a mixture of bluegrass and like, AcDc type of rock was really interesting.

00:21:58:07 - 00:22:21:55
Unknown
Yeah. And so we had a banjo player and a studio player, and I played electric guitar and and then we knew some other guys and some other bands, and we were all kind of catching the bluegrass bug. I mean, the banjo playing the fiddle player already had Cup and the bug already, you know, I was just catching the bluegrass bug, and we were sitting around one night and talking about we should get a, like, a traditional bluegrass band together.

00:22:22:00 - 00:22:42:54
Unknown
And one of the other guys was actually a better guitar player than I was. So he was going to be a guitar player, and I just I happened to have a dobro already because I was into blues guitar, and so. Right, I got one at some point, but I never played this, you know? Yeah. But anyway, I had the dobro and I would just kind of by, by default became the dobro player because I wrote songs.

00:22:42:54 - 00:23:02:48
Unknown
I was the guy that could write songs. And so, yeah. And, and so we started playing every Tuesday and, and when we first started playing, I didn't even know how to play the Dover I learned on stage. I love it. That's a great. Well, yeah. You look good though, right? Yeah. I like the part. Right. Yeah. I, I, you know, the one Chicago bluegrass band, special concerts.

00:23:02:48 - 00:23:26:44
Unknown
Yeah. It's one that, I kind of knew, off and on Greg Cahill. Those guys. But bluegrass. Yeah. Of course I started out in Irish music. So there is a healthy appreciation of what bluegrass does and what how how what differentiates bluegrass from everything besides acoustic instruments. What is it, do you think in your mind.

00:23:26:55 - 00:23:49:50
Unknown
Well, well it's it's, you know, it's been described as a high, lonesome sound. Right. And that's certainly part of it, you know, high harmonies. It's fast. Right? It's drive. It's it's sort of like rock and roll before rock and roll was invented. Right? Kind of an adrenaline driven thing. I mean, it really is. I, you know, it's it's my wife hates the bench.

00:23:49:55 - 00:24:13:25
Unknown
She goes, banjo music, she's chasing music. She feels like she's been encouraging me to card. She is. Well, you know, there's so many, so many banjo jokes out there. That's right. Mark Twain's definition of a gentleman as a person who can play banjo. But it doesn't mean you're right. That, well, you know, and that's the five string plus the five string.

00:24:13:30 - 00:24:35:53
Unknown
No, not climber three. Okay. Three things, climbers. The older style. It's the older style. Okay. So what, and with with clawhammer being on the four string then. Or is it still fifth string? Okay. That's string. So, like, Oh. Earl Scruggs, what would he be doing? He's three fingerstyle. So three fingerstyle. Okay. Yeah. So that's that's interesting.

00:24:35:53 - 00:24:55:16
Unknown
And so still though with the picks and everything. Well clawhammer yeah. You don't use picks it it's all downstrokes. Okay. You know it's hard to demonstrate on guitar, but okay. That's the older of the two. It's the older of the two. You know the banjos from Africa. Right. And that's that's how it was always done up until the late 1800s.

00:24:55:23 - 00:25:15:30
Unknown
Right. Okay. You know, that makes a lot of sense that, you know, people started playing classical music on the banjo. And they took the classical guitar technique of playing with the fingers. Yeah. And so that's the the early predecessor of somebody like that. So Bela Fleck is really somebody that's he's actually picking up on a genre, an older style, applying the banjo.

00:25:15:30 - 00:25:45:28
Unknown
But people don't realize the classical interpretation. Yeah, yeah, yeah. How cool is that? Yeah. I'm learning something. Yeah. That's cool. That is really neat. Is is the guitar your weapon of choice or do dobro is know when I, when I perform. Okay. You know, solo I, I have a little kick drum that I do and that I just played dobro and, and it's been a interesting challenge because it's it's not an instrument that's generally thought of as a rhythm.

00:25:45:28 - 00:26:05:05
Unknown
It's not at all. And it's very difficult to accompany yourself, I would imagine. And, and I've spent the better part of about five years trying to figure out how to do it, okay. And play solo, you know, and and when you play solo, you know, you're playing by yourself for three hours. And so there's a lot of material that you have to, you know, work out.

00:26:05:10 - 00:26:27:01
Unknown
Right. And it's a, it's been a, it's been a, a hard challenge, but, but, but very rewarding to figure out how to do it on that instrument. Why? I, I'm enjoying where we're going with this because you're touching into so many things. The idea of like the presentation of a solo act, on an instrument that's not supposed to be exactly.

00:26:27:06 - 00:26:46:01
Unknown
It's like, I have a friend in California, Ted Russell Camp, that's been on this show that, Yeah, he he does, Americana music, but his, his instrument is bass. Oh. And it's I was very much blown away. I'm a bass player, but he did these solo things with just the bass. And I was like, well, that's pretty cool.

00:26:46:08 - 00:27:10:52
Unknown
It was very cool. I was totally impressed. And, I was like, so I think that that's the other thing is, is, you know, don't limit yourself, I guess. Right. So, you know, well, what, and you're playing a Martin. Is that what do we got here? This is actually a what people call a tiger Martin attack. It's a it's one of the, I guess it would be considered the a one of the lawsuit guitars from the 1970s.

00:27:10:57 - 00:27:32:30
Unknown
Okay, so this is this is a tiger meaning guitar, but it's a clone of a Martin. Yeah. Okay. Bradley. Sounds great. Yeah. Yeah. You know, every instrument I've ever had from Japan from that era just sounds fantastic. Yeah. But I think they were going to be doing the entry level. Martin's at some point in the 70s.

00:27:32:42 - 00:27:56:50
Unknown
Right. And so they made them all as clones and even the, the right, the logo was, well, that look like Martin in songs. You know, I don't know, my cheetahs. And so I was like, it looks like Martin Lamb here. But really it really does. But no. Yeah, you're the second meaning. Well, give us a song. We're listening and enjoying, James Weigel here, singer songwriter and full time musician.

00:27:56:55 - 00:28:23:16
Unknown
Yeah. That's what the show is about. What do you got? Well, you know, we were talking about, being down in central Illinois, and I wrote a song that. I guess it's kind of mostly based off of the town of Peoria. Which is one of the best skylines when you drive and. Yeah. Yeah, I know, toward Peoria and the Illinois River there, I'm always like, this is, you know, what a great looking town.

00:28:23:18 - 00:28:42:58
Unknown
Yeah. When I was growing up, you know, it was the big city. It was a big city. Yeah, absolutely. But, you know, it was kind of it it was kind of dead back. Back in the late mid late 80s. You could always shoot a cannon off. I mean, it's funny thing, but that's like some of those towns my brother lived in Decatur.

00:28:43:03 - 00:29:01:05
Unknown
You know it was that kind of thing, you know you'd have a little rush at lunch and then. Right, you know your five year old could ride a tricycle around the main drag. Be right. Probably be okay. Well and a lot of, you know, abandoned buildings. Yeah. You know, there's I think through a lot of towns like this in Illinois.

00:29:01:18 - 00:29:33:58
Unknown
Yeah. Like river towns that seem like their heyday was maybe 100 years in the past. And that's funny. Beautiful buildings. Yeah. It's it's it's very, heartbreaking. I just watched a video about Cairo that some guys shot. And that's just heartbreaking. It's not just Illinois like Keokuk Iowa is another one of these towns where these beautiful Victorians that need a homeowner and some paint, like why can't, you know, Sherwin Williams, just take over a town.

00:29:33:58 - 00:29:49:19
Unknown
And that would be a great promotion. Sherwin Williams give us so this is a Peoria song. Yes. So this is oh I can't remember what I called it. So, times change. Times change.

00:30:02:58 - 00:30:18:18
Unknown
Oh.

00:30:18:23 - 00:30:25:29
Unknown
So town was built by river and by rail.

00:30:25:34 - 00:30:44:46
Unknown
Every corner has a story. And every building in South Town. It's been years since they shut down all the trains. But old towns die hard times change.

00:30:44:50 - 00:30:51:50
Unknown
Almost a ghost town. Now the people move. And,

00:30:51:55 - 00:31:32:30
Unknown
Pretty hard to raise a family. Once the factories were gone to folks passing through these streets. Must seem so strange. The old towns die hard. The times. Gee.

00:31:32:35 - 00:31:39:23
Unknown
And.

00:31:39:27 - 00:32:12:42
Unknown
I came back here to see my town again. But there was nothing left to see. Just garbage in the wind. And no one knows me. No one recalls my name. You can't hold on to a person because towns change. You can waste your time worrying. Time away.

00:32:12:46 - 00:32:37:04
Unknown
Clinging to the catalyst and trade in your today's. You watch the world grow. Alien and strange. But old habits die. Hard times cheap.

00:32:37:08 - 00:32:59:05
Unknown
And.

00:32:59:10 - 00:33:06:06
Unknown
It was long ago. My footprints washed away.

00:33:06:11 - 00:33:51:12
Unknown
These streets hold nothing for me. They're empty, cold and gray. I try to keep up, but it's hard to rearrange. And this world streams fast. Channels stream. So Townsville by river and by radio. Every corner tells a story. And every building has a tale. It's been years since they shut down all the trains. Low towns, the hard times change.

00:33:51:17 - 00:33:56:29
Unknown
Old towns die hard. The towns cheap.

00:33:58:20 - 00:34:05:00
Unknown
All right. We're going to take a little break. We're going to be right back with James Weichel. And you are, strung out.

00:34:05:00 - 00:34:34:06
Unknown
Hello subscribers, and welcome to Inside Views of Marathi Fine Art, where people are talking about their collected works by artist Martin Alma Cormac. Hey y'all! To see introducing our newest piece to our collection, my wife and I, we've been collecting art now for a little bit over ten years. Discovered Martin MacCormack. Love the work he's done.

00:34:34:06 - 00:35:04:45
Unknown
This is our second piece from Martin, but we really like about this are the colors. It really matches the spring with walls and everything. Just got it back from the framers. Beautiful piece. This is an original watercolor. And the reason why we really try to focus on originals now is with all the eye stuff that's around here, if you got something that you can document, that is an original piece of art, it should hold its value or even increase its value over the a few years.

00:35:04:45 - 00:35:28:51
Unknown
So we're looking at this as an investment piece as well. So anyway, it's a beautiful piece. I'll bring the camera in a little bit to give you a closer zoomed in look, but, yeah, we think it's we think it's awesome. Additional originals and prints and merchandise of all of Marty's art can be purchased at Martin mccormick.com.

00:35:28:56 - 00:35:35:14
Unknown
Thanks for watching.

00:35:35:14 - 00:35:42:10
Unknown
we're back with James Weichel. And, Wow. That is just one of those songs. That's great, John.

00:35:42:10 - 00:36:07:10
Unknown
And, I don't want to. I'll just say it. It just reminds me of, like, something that John Prine would write. Yeah. They know. And he was a he was a mail carrier from Maywood. So, people forget that, you know, he, he kind of was rooted in that kind of, Midwestern sense of, the decay, the boom and the bus.

00:36:07:10 - 00:36:37:23
Unknown
Yeah, yeah, you know that. And it's, that's that's an interesting part of being a midwesterner and a midwestern singer songwriter is that, you know, out in California, there's there's this vibrancy kind of exists, and, Illinois has its own kind of vibrancy. But there it's also that that sense of, you know, the times have changed, you know, so much in some of these river towns and such.

00:36:37:28 - 00:36:59:10
Unknown
What was it like with Metamora? Is it, is it one of those towns that, kind of, you know, hangs on or, I think I think so, yeah. You know, and a lot of farmers. Yeah. But, you know, the thing about Peoria, though, and, it's kept them alive is caterpillar. Yeah. And, you know, so a lot of people that that worked at caterpillar.

00:36:59:15 - 00:37:34:39
Unknown
Yeah. You know, even even as far out as Metamora, I mean, yeah, we weren't real far, but right far enough. Far enough. Yeah. You know. Absolutely. Well, that's that's, it's it's something to that. It kind of hangs in the back of your mind. You know, even growing up in Woodstock, you know, you're always thinking, at least for me, about the farming community and, how difficult the all that is, you know, and l, and there's a big chunk of the Midwest that people don't.

00:37:34:46 - 00:37:55:31
Unknown
You know me all the way from western Kansas to eastern Ohio. I mean, these these farmers and a lot of these family farms that are being savaged by corporate, you know, savaged by the the current events, right now with fertilizer and that sort of thing. And thank God, you know, you don't want to be right.

00:37:55:31 - 00:38:19:40
Unknown
And all these kind of sounds about it, right? Yeah. Right. And that way, I mean, you know, but, you know, let's one thing I wanted to ask you about presenting your music when you are playing at a place like, Kerry's, and you play a song like that, do you are you able to get the crowd to, you know, tune into or, you know, generally don't play songs that fit.

00:38:19:54 - 00:38:38:11
Unknown
Okay. I'm, I'm going to perform, you know, it just, in this, it's a listening kind of situation, right? You know, when you're at a bar, you got to expect that, you know, pretty often you're going to be the background music, right? You know, just the nature of of a neighborhood bar. People are there to hang out in.

00:38:38:13 - 00:39:04:48
Unknown
Right. And so I usually play stuff that's, you know, a little bit peppier. Right. And you're fingerpicking style so good and so clean. Obviously the bluegrass influence on you and everything, as well, there's some kind of fun, though, being in the catbird seat when you're out there. Yeah. Playing and observing stuff, you know, observing the people, the the denizens of the, the dive.

00:39:04:50 - 00:39:22:22
Unknown
Yeah. So to speak. I tell you, this is fun today, though, because I it, you know, these songs that I'm playing today, I just I never play them. Yeah. And there's some of my favorites that I've written beautiful songs. The the nice thing about your songwriting is the simplicity of the words. They're not trying to be clever at all.

00:39:22:24 - 00:40:09:39
Unknown
I like the fact you're just. You're sending out the message and it's it's presented in a traditional format that, that is refreshing to hear. You know, so many people, you know, I think my judgment about younger artists, especially when I see younger artists that want to be like Americana artists. And, or even country to some degree, there's, they want to put out first the trappings of being, you know, what they perceive to be an American artist and it, and the I guess that's what I like about what your, your writing about and presenting because all that is right here, it's very present in the Midwest.

00:40:09:39 - 00:40:38:26
Unknown
It's very present and especially in the central Illinois. I mean, that's really where this kind of music was, was really coming out of, you know, the coal fields, the the farm, the hardscrabble. I mean, you know, the boom in the bust, that so many Midwestern towns, have and, you know, so that's, of course, you know, when you bring your music to a bar.

00:40:38:26 - 00:41:02:37
Unknown
Yeah, you have to kind of navigate your way across alcohol and and people. Right, right. And voice white, white noise level. Yeah. So do you find yourself when you, that takes a certain amount of discipline, I think. Right. You know, to, to, to be able to not, try to shout. Yes. Yeah, yeah. And I tell you, when I was younger, I did not like it.

00:41:02:37 - 00:41:21:17
Unknown
I, you know, I thought I'm in the band. Everybody's got to be paying attention to me. Right. You know, I'm like, well, right. I mean, I, I go to see friends of mine play and I have a couple of beers and before I know it, I'm in the back just hanging out with people, socializing. You know, I'm kind of listening to that right now.

00:41:21:17 - 00:41:49:31
Unknown
And right now I don't I don't mind it, although I do I do love playing in situations where it's a listening room and and listening to crowd, and then you can do things that you definitely seem like you. I mean, you would be great for that. I mean, and is there, from your experience, you know, working that not only flats and sharps, but now working with this, young lady or whatever, who wants to?

00:41:49:36 - 00:42:14:23
Unknown
I'm assuming she's a young lady or the woman that's, doing this, trying to get a scene going. Are you are you do do you have in your mind, like. Yeah, I, I want to do more house concerts. I want to do more, you know. Is there a strategy for James White? No, there's no strategy flying by the seat of my pants.

00:42:14:23 - 00:42:36:47
Unknown
All right. And that's, you know, that's good. I mean, I think, but, you know, the trying to find, like, a place, a listening room. Do you create something like that? You can't, you know, and I, I have done house concerts and that that is actually a really it's a really enjoyable to to do those shows.

00:42:36:52 - 00:42:59:52
Unknown
You know, you're in a place like this, and right here might be 20 people there. There might be 30, there might be ten. Right. And everybody's like listening to every word that you say. All right, here comes the mailman, guys. And you know, when that happens, capers goes nuts. But let's see if capers will just become today's oh, this male moment brought to you by capers, the one where,

00:42:59:57 - 00:43:05:21
Unknown
Oh, there you go, capers. Thank you.

00:43:05:26 - 00:43:35:29
Unknown
A she's a good, gets a lot of music in her life, but, well, where where do you see yourself going from here? You know, with, you you seem very, you know, you got, your place to live. You got your music, and you got your gig. You got your instruments. You know, you got a 20 year old, daughter that's on the cusp of going.

00:43:35:29 - 00:43:59:24
Unknown
Awesome. So what? What is, you know, how do you, at the end of the day, when you look in the mirror, how do you you don't how do you tell yourself it's been a good day? Well, you know, if you've done everything that you could to be to be a little bit better. And in that music wise, of course, but in other ways too.

00:43:59:39 - 00:44:31:40
Unknown
You're right. Yeah. Be a better husband or a father or a better person in general. Right? Better neighbor to the people around you, right. You know, in terms of my plans as a musician, you know, I actually don't really know, right? You know, and that's okay. It's okay for me for right now. Yeah, but I think I think recording, recording something, is going to be my next.

00:44:31:45 - 00:44:53:47
Unknown
Well, I bring this up because I think it's it's, it's an interesting thing. I, I wrestle with it. I'm, you know, where you. I, I asked myself, well, this is this is all I should be doing or, or, you know, so it's it's kind of fun to hear somebody like yourself who is doing what he loves to do.

00:44:53:52 - 00:45:23:04
Unknown
And he's happy about it. So, you know, that's, that's a good thing. You know, I feel like in, in the world of playing music, you know, there there's people I think that probably approach it like they're creating and selling a product. Right. And I'm not into that. Yeah. I don't I don't want to quantify what I'm doing in a, you know, corporate capitalist kind of way.

00:45:23:08 - 00:45:50:10
Unknown
Right. And, and that goes with the way I write songs, too. I'm not trying to write a hit song. There's enough drivel out there already, you know? Do you? Does the idea of legacy or, you know, the idea of that, you know, the James Weigel collection, that's kind of idea. Does that does that now get you, any little bit or a little bit?

00:45:50:16 - 00:46:10:17
Unknown
Yeah. Which is what I was saying earlier, like recording something because, you know, I've got a lot of songs that I've just never recorded. And, you know, the older again I'm afraid of, they'll just get lost, you know. Right, right. And and I don't want that. Right. You know, the whole reason I write songs is to put it out into the world, but.

00:46:10:26 - 00:46:44:20
Unknown
Right. You know. So yeah, yeah, I think I think in the back of my head there's a little nagging voice. It's sure, you know, and, and that's, that's important to talk about because I think it's, it's a balancing act I guess. Yeah. I, I find myself I just came back from a big tour tired, you know, all that kind of thinking and, and, and you're like, you know you ask yourself okay, Woody, you know, why did you do that and what, you know, and where does it lead to or should it lead or you know, how dare you even worry about that?

00:46:44:20 - 00:47:10:00
Unknown
You should be so damn happy that you have a house and a wife and a kid and a dog, you know, that kind of thing. And it's. It's a very difficult thing. I think, especially for musicians, because we don't necessarily have like, a community like theater people, you know, the, you know, we're we tend to be more lone wolves.

00:47:10:04 - 00:47:32:33
Unknown
We don't have a comedy club, you know, that kind of thing. We, we play in bars where people may or may not hear us. We might be, you know, at a listening room, but. But then, then you start pushing harder. Then you're getting into a weird commercial world, but you're still that support group doesn't exist, right? Yeah.

00:47:32:33 - 00:47:56:23
Unknown
I mean, is it that am I you know, that's why I, I think, I would love to interview that person that's trying to get that single. Yeah, yeah. Let's start with the earnings problem. Problem? Yeah. Yeah. And, and, and I think, you know, something that I, I've, I've been enjoying now that my kid is a little bit older is, is going out again and going to other people.

00:47:56:28 - 00:48:20:16
Unknown
And I think that's how you create what you're talking about. Right. Is, is you, you show up and then they show up. Right. And and, and just being supportive of one another. But, you know, getting to know people and, and, creating that scene, you know, creating a space where people want to come out and hang out.

00:48:20:30 - 00:48:43:20
Unknown
Yeah. Hang out with other musicians. Right. It's it's, in this weird social media world and where everybody has the locked of their phone and, growing, I think the, you know, a bone in the back of our heads are supposed to be growing longer because they're like this. Right? Right. So important, though, to have a society of that social aspect of music.

00:48:43:20 - 00:49:11:04
Unknown
And I think. But, I would like you to play us out. And, Before you do that, though, people can come, and see, I'm putting up here, your websites where people can get Ahold of you, but are you open for teaching lessons? Flats and. Sure. Oh, yeah. That's awful. Is your dance card full? Well, you know, it's getting to the summer months, which is our slow time.

00:49:11:15 - 00:49:36:33
Unknown
Okay. You know, your kids especially, you'll take the summer off because you want traveling and things, so. Right? Right. So I'm. I've got a lot of open slots right now. Good. Yeah. Good. Yeah. That's that's awesome. Well, we're going to have James play one more on this and then the next, broadcast, next interview, we're going to be talking about his, we get into the nitty gritty, how he goes about being creative.

00:49:36:38 - 00:49:59:57
Unknown
But, and, you know, some of his tips and secrets of success for you people out there that, wanting to be musicians or think you are a musician, but you don't know where to take the leap. And I think that's an important thing. At the same time, where I'm highlighting and showing off our that this vast wealth of treasure.

00:50:00:09 - 00:50:18:30
Unknown
So glad to have you as a writer, Roger Parkin. And we'll have to we'll have to do some music. We'll have to do we'll have to do some sort of community thing. I think, we should talk about that. But, what do you have for the last song? All right. The last song of the day. Last song on this podcast.

00:50:18:32 - 00:50:38:26
Unknown
Okay. And then you got three more for the next one. So. Okay, well, we're talking about, you know, commercialization a little bit there. Yeah. All right, I think I'm going to do the, the, the most antique commercial song that I ever wrote. I love a song that I would never, ever play in front of, a crowd at a bar.

00:50:38:31 - 00:50:51:43
Unknown
What's it called? This is called, The last night on death row. Great title. I'm all ears. It.

00:51:03:47 - 00:51:45:11
Unknown
They asked me what I want to eat this morning. They gave me extra time Neath the sun. They told me I could write some goodbye letters. And promised to meet each and every one. But I used to. The kindness of strangers with two fractured skulls. By the time that I was ten. And one day they've offered more than I ever had before.

00:51:45:16 - 00:52:26:54
Unknown
And it's got me thinking where are you then? Where were you then? When my daddy broke my ribs? Where were you then? When he burned my fingertips? My mama held me down for him again and again I didn't. God, no year at the end. If you cared so much for me. Well, where were you then?

00:52:26:59 - 00:53:06:22
Unknown
They used gentle hands when they came to shave me. They even sent priest so we could pray. He tells me my soul is worth saving. I'm just a lonely lamb who's been led astray. But the only folks I've ever known been demons. And me and God ain't never been friends. And if he is what they say takes the pain life away.

00:53:06:27 - 00:53:49:46
Unknown
Well, it's got me wondering. Where was he that and where were you then? When my daddy broke my ribs? Where were you? The money burned my fingertips. It never held me down for heaven again and again I didn't. God, no. Here at the end. If you cared so much for me. Well, where were you then? Oh.

00:53:49:51 - 00:54:08:59
Unknown
I.

00:54:09:03 - 00:54:47:02
Unknown
The story of my life is one sorrow. My grave will read. The man that might have been. And I'll lay beside the thieves and the butchers. Always two angry, drunk or stoned. To give a damn. I was just a child. When I pulled the trigger. But they handed me the sentence of a man. Not suppose that I could have been somebody.

00:54:47:07 - 00:55:19:54
Unknown
But who I am, I guess, is who I am. Where were you then when my daddy broke my ribs? Where were you? Family burned my fingertips. And let mama hell be done for him again and again. I just gotta know here at the end if you cared so much for me. Well, where were you then? Where were you then?

00:55:19:54 - 00:55:57:55
Unknown
When my daddy split my head. Where were you then? Be with me till I was let go. Tied me down for him again and again. I just gotta know. Here at the end. If you cared so much for me. We'll. We will be there.

00:56:00:15 - 00:56:30:53
Unknown
Awesome song, great lyrics. Powerful I love, I love the the the the the little riff down down there with their own. Yeah, just the Black Sabbath. Yeah, well, this is, it's got everything in it a little bit Americana, but it also has that rock also has, you know, but it's, it's also, a message that really, is just a great message because in this world of, you know, holier than thou, right?

00:56:30:58 - 00:57:00:11
Unknown
You know, well, we're going to we're going to use that, song in our next podcast, where we're just obviously we're unpacking this, beautiful song writing, panoply of, of, beautiful songs that this guy here so don't go away. We got next week. Word. Yeah, well, not next week, but the next interview will be all about the creative, process here with James.

00:57:00:11 - 00:57:08:37
Unknown
And, for the for now, we want to thank you for watching Strung Out, and we'll see you next time. Bye bye.

00:57:08:37 - 00:57:26:20
Unknown
Thank you for listening. For more information about this show or a transcript, visit Martin mccormack.com while there. Sign up for our newsletter. See you next time on Strung Out.

00:57:26:25 - 00:57:39:12
Unknown
It's so strong. Spain, we feel, makes no sense at all. The swan song wasn't part of the deal, was no good. All giving no choice. Giving us a.