One Grain of Sand

Someone asked me about Murder Ballad Blackjack recently. I haven't been doing too much with it lately, I've been focusing more attention on M'Alice. But I think I'll work on it some more in April. I'm re-energized after watching the PBS Pete Seeger documentary 4 times (see below). Without Pete Seeger, I probably wouldn't be paying homage to folk music with a role playing game.

Pete Seeger has influenced my life, and his life has inspired me countless ways through his music and commitment to community and social justice. It wasn't until after Bea was born and I picked up a Pete Seeger album did I realize it. It was an album for children. I knew every single song on it. Sure, many of the songs were in Rise Up Singing, but I probably first heard these songs at St. Anastasia's Montessori Pre-School. Now every time I hear Pete Seeger's children's albums it is clear to me that I became a folk music geek thanks to the music of Pete Seeger. Thanks, Mrs. Leong for playing Pete Seeger in Montessori.

The song "One Grain of Sand" is my all time favorite Pete Seeger song. Anything I say about that song will not do my love for it justice, so you'll just have to listen to the sample or read the lyrics. It speaks for itself. It's a lullaby and love song. Incidentally, Pete does an awesome version of "Pretty Polly", my all time favorite murder ballad.

Bea and Ingrid both listen to Pete Seeger, and like me, they probably don't realize how much he will influence their lives as they get older, musically, politically, socially.

In the American Masters documentary on Pete, there's a scene where Pete and his wife are walking around town and a woman comes up to him and just thanks him for being him, for doing what he's done, for inspiring and provoking and supporting. Yeah. She speaks for so many of us.

So why the orange singing Carmen? Well, I remember that sketch from my toddler-hood, my early Pete Seeger years. It's one of my favorites, from back when Sesame Street really spoke to children's sense of humor and appreciation for the absurd. It also helped inform my love for my favorite opera, Carmen.

Pete Seeger, Montessori Pre-School (cookies and juice, sitting on my dot in a circle, singing songs in groups), an appreciation for the absurd, oranges singing Carmen: that's a little slice of Julia at 3 years old. And 37.

Pete Seeger love links:
Clearwater (especially the Clearwater Festival)
Pete Seeger Appreciation Page
Pete Seeger's Notable Unitarian's Page
Rise Up Singing
One Grain of Sand: the Book

Thanks, Pete!

Play Amistad with Me

Crossposted at Stone Baby Games...

I’m running a session of Steal Away Jordan at JiffyCon this Saturday. I’m trying to decide what the setting will be, and here are some that settings I’m toying with:

An Amistad-esque journey. Not quite sure where it would begin. I’m thinking I could encourage the players to stage a mutiny and go from there. It could be interesting if through most of the game, the subjugators were the stronger soon to be slaves. One of the conflicts might include divisions between the slaves of different villages. (The title of this post does not indicate what setting I've actually chosen.)

That Wikipedia article has several links to other revolts. That could be fun, too. I really want to see a good rebellion. Successful or not, of course.

Seth Ben Ezra was researching a Civil War era game. (Hey Seth! Have you played it yet?) This idea excites me as much as a good slave revolt.

I also want to play Kindred. I could play any of these and still have an unfortunate time traveler.

Folk Story Narratives heavy laden with devils with souls in their mouths, flying slaves, and trickster rabbits.

A more fleshed out version of that 18th century Carolina Rice Plantation I demoed a thousand times at GenCon. This is really the least appealing to me.

Come to JiffyCon and find out for yourself! I’m also running Acts of Evil. Hopefully I’ll be able to get some Murder Ballad Blackjack playtesting in, too. It only takes an hour, folks!

Strength of Strings

It's on it's way. My custom built 21 chord chromatic B model zebra wood autoharp by Timbreline Music. I have the UPS tracking code. As I type this, it's still in Colorado. Estimated delivery date is this Thursday. I have a good feeling it will be worth the wait.

The arrival of a new autoharp makes me want to finish putting the Lumbert Mountain Music diatonic chord bars on my OS EBH/R. (That's an Oscar Schmidt autoharp made in the 70's) Steal Away Jordan forced autoharping to the back burner this past year, but since I'm working on a game where folk music is an integral part of play, I'll have good reason to get strumming. Murder Ballad Blackjack will have the lyrics and chords to about 25 murder ballads.

My heart's all a-flutter! I'm also expecting some blodpudding to show up on my doorstep any day now. Blodpudding, autoharps, what joyful things arrive by mail.

Mystery Murder Ballad

This afternoon, as I returned from the Y,
I went to the co-op, some dinner for to buy
I espied Farmer Tom, in the Co-op parking lot
And I chanced upon his truck, and we talked for a spot.

He told me about his crop this year at Three Sisters Farm
We talked at length of murder ballads amidst the park'ed cars
He gave me a snippet of a song, and I pass on to readers fair
Now I would like to hear it, but the details of it are bare.

I pass along the hints with the hope a reader might know
The who, what, and wheres and how one might just go
About getting a copy of this haunting murderous tune
For my Murder Ballad Blackjack game, which I want to play again soon.

And here is the snippet. I'm not sure if I have it all correctly. I'm transcribing Tom's writing, and the only thing we found to write with and on was a crayon and an envelope.
The closest thing I've found is "The Cruel Ship's Carpenter" as recorded by Mike Waterson.

"...She said Sailor, O Sailor come spare me my life.
When out of his pocket he drew a sharp knife.
He ripped her and tore her and cut her in three.
Then he laid his poor Mary underneath a green tree....

O green grow the laurels, and red grows the rose
and the raven will follow wherever he goes.
A cloud will hang over his...head
And he will never rest easy
Now that Mary being dead."

Name that tune! Please!