We Do Requests .... Even from Facebook!

The Flood occasionally gets and plays requests, but here's a first -- a request that came in from Facebook! Our old friend Strat Douthat lives in Plainfield, Vermont, these days, but back in the early 1970s, he lived near us here in Huntington, West Virginia, where he was in charge of the local Associated Press bureau. Strat and wife Gail were regulars at the parties where The Flood was being born, serving as spiritual advisors, if you will, in the band's formative years.  Well, recently, Strat was checking out our Facebook page and left a message saying, "You guys still do 'Blackberry Blossom'?" Joe Dobbs remembered that was always one of Strat's favorite fiddle tunes, so he ran off a fresh batch for him at last night's rehearsal. By the way, if you haven't checked out our Facebook page, we hope you will. And we've made it easy for you. Just visit our website -- 1937flood.com -- and click the Facebook logo (the little "F") on the left side of the front page.

June Apple .... Then and Now....

Our dear friend, Floodster Emeritus Chuck Romine, dropped by last night to show off his new tenor banjo and that got us nostalgic for the old tunes -- including SOME tunes that even pre-date Chuck's six-year stint with the band by, oh, several decades or so. For instance, The Flood has featured Dave Peyton and Joe Dobbs on this version of "June Apple" since its earliest days. Last night, Michelle Walker called for the tune and Joe and Dave delivered. Oh, and here's a little extra -- and an interesting footnote on that tune. Just this week, The Flood officially released its first-ever DVD, called "Making of 'Wade in the Water.'" While most of the DVD features videos shot last August as The Flood recorded its latest CD, it also includes a few videos built around some of The Flood's earliest recordings. Among them is a version of "June Apple" recorded at a party more than 30 years ago. For a hoot, you can compare last night's rendering with what we did with it in 1981. Just visit the web site (1937flood.com) and click on the "Our Digital Jam" link on the front. The entry about "June Apple" contains a link to a YouTube video. 

  

Come to the Joe Dobbs Book Tour This Week! We're in Ashland, Charleston and Huntington!

Flood co-founder Joe Dobbs has written a highly-acclaimed memoir called A Country Fiddler, which is causing quite a pleasant stir in the music community. Now to help spread the word, The Flood is launching its three-day "Joe Dobbs Book Tour" this week. The tour kicks off this Thursday evening in Ashland, Ky., with a 7:30 show at the Paramount Arts Center's Marquee Room. On Friday at 6: 30 p.m., we're in South Charleston at The Daily Cup.  And then on Saturday we wrap up the tour with a morning show -- 10 a.m. -- at the wonderful old Heritage Station in downtown Huntington. See our web site -- 1937flood.com -- for all the details. Meanwhile, to get us in the mood, here's a track featuring Joe from The Flood's latest "Wade in the Water" CD.