"Payday"

 Purists tell us this doesn’t sound much like Mississippi John Hurt’s original, but that’s pretty much by design. Once we learn a song, we usually stop listening to the original so it’s free to find its own form in the Floodisphere. At least, that’s our take on what Pete Seeger’s folklorist father called “the folk process.”

"I Am a Pilgrim"

 This great old song is generally performed with mellow reverence by country and folk artists as well as by many gospel groups. However, ever since we started doing the tune a couple of years ago, The Flood has taken its cue to the song’s original recording a hundred years ago. Like the Norfolk Jubilee Quartet which recorded it in 1924, we like to put a little cut its strut and a glide in its stride.

"Two Nineteen Blues"

 For folks who know The Flood only from its studio albums, this is the first tune they may have ever heard from the band. This rollicking Bob Gibson composition was what the guys played on the opening track of their very first commercial album nearly a quarter of a century ago now. A lot changes in a band over the decades, but good old tunes are like cherished letters from home. Here’s a track from a  recent rehearsal, with solos by everyone in the room.

"Just a Closer Walk with Thee"

 Recently Danny Cox read in our newsletter, “Flood Watch,” how the band played “Just a Closer Walk with Thee” at a friend’s memorial service 20 years ago, and he said, “Hey, why don’t we do that song anymore?” Well, why indeed? So lately we’ve been we’ve dusting it off and just listen to the soulful, sassy spin that the guys are putting on this great old jazz standard! Here’s a take from last week’s rehearsal.

"One Too Many Mornings"

 Charlie started doing this song back in college to have something to sing and play to the jam sessions in the dorms. So it was one of the songs he brought along in that summer and fall 50 years ago when Dave, Roger and he started The Flood. And this lonely, lovely Dylan tune is still welcome at Flood gatherings, as it was last week.

"Hey Baby"

 The Flood time machine touched down in 1961 last week to toy with a tune from our youth.

"Somebody's Been Using That Thing"

If there's such a thing as a "standard" in jug band music, this tune is certainly one of them. Our heroes, the Hokum Boys, recorded it back in 1935, and we've always loved it, but The Flood didn't get around to doing it until back in 2009 when Joe Dobbs recommended it. That was right after he’d received a recording of it by old buddy, Ed Light, and his DC-area band with one great name: The All New Genetically Altered Jug Band. We've been Floodifying it ever since.

"Way Downtown"

 It's funny how songs come in and out of our lives. A half century ago when The Flood was thinking about being born, Dave Peyton and Charlie Bowen would get together on weekends to pick and sing, just the two of them, and among the tunes they’d play was “Way Downtown," which they learned from an old Doc Watson record. The song has drifted in and out over the years, and whenever it rambles back in, it’s just as comfortable as an old shoe. Here's a take from a recent rehearsal, with Randy Hamilton leading the harmony on the choruses and solos by Dan Cox, Sam St. Clair, Jack Nuckols and Paul Martin.

"Dinah"

 Whenever the guys haven’t seen each other for a couple of weeks, there’s always a special joy when we all get back together again. That was certainly the case at last week’s rehearsal. Add to that the fact that Floodster Emeritus Paul Martin dropped by to sit in. That always cranks up the energy level in the room. And you can just hear in this first tune of the evening. Listen to the solos from everybody on century-old anthem of the Roarin’ Twenties. Here’s a Flood date with “Dinah.”

"Mama, You Been on My Mind"

 The band’s founders — Dave Peyton, Roger Samples and Charlie Bowen — all started listening to the music of Bob Dylan some 60 years ago, so it’s no wonder that his songs are so deeply woven into the fabric of The Flood. And whenever we’re feeling folky — as we were at this recent rehearsal a week or so ago — it’s likely that a Dylan tune will the first to come to mind.

"Black Coffee"

 Before Floodster Emerita Vanessa Coffman left the band, she taught the guys her mom’s favorite tune, a 1948 jazz standard. Well, everyone fully expected that when Veezy left The Flood last year to pursue other interested that the song would go with her. But then Danny Cox took up the tune and gave it a new life in our world. Listen to Dan’s guitar brewing up some robust “Black Coffee.”

"To Love Somebody"

 It was a quarter of a century ago when Joe’s son, Dale Dobbs, first used the word “eclectic” to describe The Flood’s musical tastes. True, that. We do tap a wide variety of sources for our tunes, from blues and old-time to jazz, jug band and classic rock. Well, even we didn’t see this one coming, but you diehard Bee Gees knew we’d get to you sooner or later. Here’s Randy Hamilton leading us on Barry Gibb’s greatest composition.

"Leaving Home (Frankie and Johnny)"

 When Jack Nuckols switches from drums to fiddle, it often brings back lots of old memories of music parties 50 years ago. Here’s another tune that Dave Peyton, Joe Dobbs and Charlie Bowen first heard at those parties when the good old Kentucky Foothill Ramblers, led by H. David Holbrook, could play a whole evening full of Charlie Poole songs.

"Love Will Keep Us Alive"

 After we Floodified a version of “Peaceful Easy Feeling” earlier this year, we started looking around for another Eagles tune we might bring into the repertoire. That’s when Randy Hamilton stepped up and said, “I might have one.” The old Eagles song “Love Will Keep Us Alive” is his sister’s favorite tune — in fact, Randy sang it at her wedding a while back — and when he started singing for us, it just naturally slipped into a Flood groove. Here from last week’s rehearsal is Randy leading the way!

"I'm Walkin'"

 It was towards the end of a rollicking rehearsal, when between songs the guys start talking about what they plan to do in the week ahead. Danny mentions that he’d been getting out to take his walk in the mornings before the heat sets in. That prompts Charlie to start singing that old Fats Domino song, “I’m walkin’, yes, indeed, and I’m talking’….” Danny — who by anybody’s definition is a walking jukebox — starts playing the old tune. Sam and Jack immediately pick up the vibe. Charlie reaches for the banjo to add a little pepper to the plot as Randy starts searching his memory bank for the words and melody — and suddenly the song seems to be arranging itself.

"Don't Let Your Deal Go Down"

 Dave Peyton and Charlie first heard this great old Charlie Poole song back in the mid-1970s when they were lucky enough to regularly sit in with the good folks of The Kentucky Foothill Ramblers. That band’s founder — H. David Holbrook — was already a walking/talking encyclopedia of old-time music and taught us so many of those good old tunes. So it was only natural when The Flood got re-energized 30 years ago, this old tune was on the playlist. And it still is!

"Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out"

 Some nights are just magical, when everything we do — even a hundred-year-old song — seems suddenly fresh and new.

"Harvest Moon"

 Having known each other since high school, Randy Hamilton and Danny Cox have a bond and shared musical instincts that bring lots of riches to our room. Whenever Dan and Randy put a song to the table — as they did last week with this simply gorgeous old Neil Young classic — they have usually already worked out the arrangement. It’s ready for the rest of us to just  jump on board and ride!

"Careless Love"

 Whenever we played this song back in the day, Joe Dobbs used to say, “I love those chords you found!” It’s true that the simplified country version that Joe grew up hearing was a little boring, but when The Flood started playing “Careless Love,” we dug around to find what Joe like to call “those Nawlins chords” that were favored by the early jazz bands who also played it.

"My Blue Heaven"

 Randy Hamilton and Charlie Bowen have been doing this old song for a dozen years or more, but “My Blue Heaven” also gets a facelift when new people join the band. Just listen to the 2024 version of the song and to what Danny Cox and Jack Nuckols have brought to this great old jazz standard from the Roarin’ Twenties.

 

Whinin' Boy

 This century-old tune has New Orleans written all over it. We just love how it always settles into a groove on any sultry summer night. Click the pic to check it out!

"Rag Mama"

 This song has been floating around in the Floodisphere for nearly 50 years. Nowadays, it’s not often on the set list at the band’s shows, but it almost always comes back at Flood reunion, and we had a wonderful reunion last week. Michelle Hoge, “the chick singer,” drove in from Cincinnati. Bub — Dave Ball — was up from Florida. Old friends like Jim Rumbaugh, Karen Combs and Doug Imbrogno came by. And everybody was singing and playing along with this one from last week’s rehearsal.

"Just Because"

 This wonderfully zany old tune from the late Roarin’ Twenties is a song in search of a comedy routine — and in this track from last week’s rehearsal, we certainly try to do our part. Right from the start, Danny Cox adds guitar accents that would be at home in a Spike Jones arrangement, then Jack Nuckols switches from his usual cool brushes and snare to those funky old wooden spoons, and suddenly the joint is jumpin’.

"Yellow Dog Blues"

Playing this century-old tune from W.C. Handy became the late Doug Chaffin’s favorite way to end of a picking session. And we’re continuing our old buddy’s tradition, as demonstrated in this track from last week’s rehearsal. This one’s for you, Mister Chaffin! It’s that one about the dog…

"Moonglow"

 Rehearsals are not parties. They can be fun and satisfying, but the bottom line is that rehearsals are work sessions. The Flood is always trying to learn new songs — or give a new spin to an old one — and because that’s where the songs are worked out, some rehearsals are more fun than others.  So we usually try to end the evening on a high note. At one such rehearsal recently, Charlie asked if anybody had a tune they wanted to end with. “How about something we know!” said Danny Cox with a chuckle and a grin. In a minute we’d rolled into the 1930s standard “Moonglow” and it turned out to be our favorite moment of the whole night. Give it a listen.

"Jug Band Song"

 Some songs turn up at the beginning of a Flood night and gauge the energy in the room. Others — like this one — usually come at the end of the evening and give everybody one last blast before they pack up and head for home. And oh, be sure listen all the way to the end of this track so you’ll  catch Sam St. Clair’s special end-of-tune sound effects. We think you’ll find they’re right on the nose!

"Shawneetown"

  When Jack Nuckols joined the band late last year, we knew his dynamic drumming would bring spark and sparkling to our jazzy repertoire, but we also had a secret agenda. We were hoping we could also persuade Jack to dust off that fiddle he last played…. oh… 20 years ago so he could bring it to bear on our for folkier numbers. Well, he’s not only done that, Jack’s started suggesting tunes that would fit his fiddling. Here’s one, a great old Ohio River tune from the pen of folk composer Dillon Bustin.

"Wade in the Water"

 We rolled into the West End last Sunday to play at a lovely picnic celebrating the 90th anniversary of Huntington’s beloved Sacred Heart church. For that do, we wanted to supplement our usual musical fare with a health supply of religious numbers. Topping the list was one of the oldest tunes in our repertoire.

"Somebody Stole My Gal"

 Some tunes have really deep roots in the Floodisphere. The late Joe Dobbs loved this song. In fact, Charlie Bowen remembers jamming on this one in Joe’s music shop on its original West 14th Street location in the late ‘70s. It’s also the first song that the great Doug Chaffin played with us a quarter of a century ago. And Sam St. Clair still talks about Chuck Romine loving it; ol’ Doctor Jazz sure did tear it up on his tenor banjo. Now Sam and Charlie have introduced it to a whole new generation of Floodsters — just listen to Randy Hamilton and Danny Cox and Jack Nuckols rocking on “Somebody Stole My Gal!”

"Can You Run?"

 We are big fans of Kentucky singer-songwriter Chris Stapleton. Our Randy Hamilton brought us this poignant song about seven years ago. Lately it’s been back in the repertoire, with Danny Cox doing double duty, singing harmony to Randy’s lead vocala and trading solos with Sam St. Clair, all framed by Jack Nuckols’ tasteful drumming and Charlie Bowen’s little bit of banjo.

"Loving You Would Be So Good for Me"

 Occasionally, we do originals. Here’s a silly, happy little song that Charlie Bowen wrote 30 years with the idea that The Flood would play it someday. And we from time to time we have. But it turns out the tune was really waiting for today’s configuration of players, for Jack Nuckols and Randy Hamilton’s rocking rhythm and for those scintillating solos by Danny Cox and Sam St. Clair.

"Hard Times (Who Knows Better Than I)"

 Rehearsal is always important, of course, but sometimes leaving a song alone for a while also has interesting effects. It’s been probable a year or more since this Ray Charles classic made an appearance at a Flood rehearsal. But it turns out the song hasn’t been stagnating. It was obvious when the song finally did roll around again, it had been percolating in everyone’s memory and all kind of exciting new ideas came out in the solos.

"Driving Wheel"

 It’s funny sometimes how songs come to us. A while back Charlie was just noodling with his new resonator guitar while waiting for a phone call and suddenly he landed on chords from a song he’d not even heard for decades, much less played. A week later he’s sharing it with the guys at a rehearsal, and they latch on to the sound too. And just like that, a song comes soaring in from the Seventies.

"After You've Gone"

 This is a tune that our Flood brother Danny Cox brought to the mix.  In fact, with a  chuckle, he said, “I can’t believe y’all weren’t already doing this one.” True enough. “After You’ve Gone” was one that got away — until recently, when Danny corralled it and brought it to the table.

"Barbara Allen"

Recently Charlie brought a different version to this great old English ballad for the guys to try out after revisiting his all-time favorite rendition of it, Tom Rush’s recording of the tune on the old Prestige/Folklore label back in 1963.

"Didn't He Ramble?"

 Ours is a band that was born at a party and born TO party. Whether we’re at home in our band room at the Bowen House, settled in the living room of somebody else’s house or on stage at a gig, the party tradition that started more than a half century ago continues today. And our next opportunity for a public party will be this very weekend when we launch the Spring Floodango this Sunday afternoon at Huntington’s Alchemy Theater. Here’s a tune we have on tap for the afternoon. Take a listen and you’ll be ready for the sing-alongs when you join us at Alchemy Theater!

"No Ash Will Burn"

 Our friend David Click told us recently how much he enjoys the band’s performance of this tune. He said that while it’s a sad song, he’s found a solace in the lyrics, that it touches him especially in times of loss and grief. We understand; it moves us that way too. For instance, this particular performance comes from back in November at the first rehearsal after we learned of the death of our band mate Doug Chaffin. Doug loved this song, and you might be able to hear this this track how we felt somehow a little closer to him, to be singing this song in his memory on that cold autumn night.

"I Wonder Where My Easy Rider's Gone"

 Some songs just never get old. Here’s a rowdy tune that had already been around for while when Grandpa was a pup and today, well, it’s still pretty sassy, with a cut in its strut and a glide in its stride. It’s the kind of song we like the start the evening with, as we did here at last week’s rehearsal, because it has room for everyone to just stretch out and wail. Listen as the solos pass from Danny to Sam to Randy. And when it’s Jack’s turn, he reaches for those wooden spoons he keeps near his drum kit. See if it doesn’t sound like a jazzy tap dancer has just jumped into the room. So here we go. Set your time machine back to 1913.

"Peaceful Easy Feeling"

 To give this classic from the 1970s a new sound, the guys let my banjo happily trot alongside Jack’s drum and Randy’s bass, ready to frame our vocals and those sweet solos by Danny and Sam. And, hey, be sure to keep listening to reach our surprise ending. We wrap up with a bit of old-time music, a little sumpin-sumpin circa 1680.

"Gotta Shave 'Em Dry"

This rowdy old tune has been rattling around in our brain for a quarter quarter or so — ever since the late Joe Dobbs gave us tapes of some little-known blues records from the 1920s and ’30s — but only recently did it finally pop up in the The Flood’s repertoire.

"I Almost Lost My Mind"

 Some songs in our repertoire we do only when “The Chick Singer” — Floodster emerita Michelle Hoge — is in the room. Our take on this good old Ivory Joe Hunter classic is at the top of that list. This track is from last December when Michelle had driven in from her Cincinnati area home to rehearse with us in preparation for our big “Flood at 50” New Year’s Eve birthday bash at Alchemy Theatre. Just listen to Michelle rocking those vocal harmonies, as always.

"Handy Man"

 You never really forget the songs of your youth. Charlie was 10 years old in the summer of ‘59 when this tune hit the radio. It was such a hoot to take it for a spin at a recent Flood rehearsal.

"Make You Feel My Love"

 We’re late to the party on this tune. Bob Dylan wrote this more than a quarter of century ago, but we just started doing it a few weeks ago. However, it’s suddenly landed solidly in the repertoire. Here’s our take on “Make You Feel My Love.”

"Needed Time"

 We’ve been doing this song for a very long time, and it’s always different, depending on who’s in the room. In this rendition from a rehearsal a few weeks ago, our man Danny Cox makes it special with his signature guitar stylings.

'St. Louis Blues"

 The Flood has been doing versions of this song for decades. This rendition was the first song of the evening at a Flood rehearsal a few weeks ago. Riding on the infectious rhythm laid down by Randy Hamilton and Jack Nuckols and framing the solos by Danny Cox and Sam St. Clair, the number heralded a particularly fun evening at the Bowen house.

"Ready for the Times to Get Better"

 This song took a very long road on its journey to Floodlandia. The first time it was played in our band room was more than a dozen years ago on a mellow autumn night when our friends Randy Hamilton and Paul Martin dropped in to jam with us. Now, neither was a member of The Flood yet — Randy would join the following year and Paul a few years after that — but their song was the hit of the evening. However, the tune never worked its way into the repertoire — until just recently. A couple of weeks ago, Danny Cox just happened to start picking the tune between songs on the night’s practice list and the melody really jingled in our memories. After that, Dan and Randy got together to woodshed a little, working out an arrangement, and at last week’s rehearsal they popped it on the rest of us. With joy, everybody joined in.

Sweet Georgia Brown

 “Sweet Georgia Brown” entered The Flood’s repertoire soon after the band began in the 1970s and in the ensuing decades the tune has come back into the playlist again and again, serving as a sweet showcase for dozens of Flood soloists over the years. This latest rendition, recorded at a rehearsal just last week, has Danny Cox, Randy Hamilton, Sam St. Clair and Jack Nuckols all taking the tune for a spin.

Ain't No Free

 It was 15 years ago when Sam St. Clair brought us this tune, and it quickly became his theme song. Ever since then, “Ain’t No Free” has been a beloved standard in many a Flood show. So, of course, the song had to have a place in honor several weeks ago at our big New Year’s Eve birthday bash at Alchemy Theatre.

(When She Wants Good Lovin') My Baby Comes to Me

 Here’s a tune with some mighty deep roots in the Floodisphere. Two decades after our heroes, The Coasters, released this song in July 1957, The Flood started fiddling with it on another summer night. After that, though, it went to sleep again for, oh, a half century or so. Then not long ago, it popped back into our minds. Right away, Randy Hamilton started singing harmony on the chorus. Suddenly the song is back, evolving into a fine vehicle for Jack Nuckols’ cool drumming and tasty solos by Danny Cox and everyone else in the room. Even visiting pickers. For instance, on this track, Floodster Emeritus Paul Martin dropped in with his mandolin. Just listen to how slowly he jumped right into the mix!

'You Ain't Goin' Nowhere"

 Whenever our old friend Paul Martin is back in the room — or, better still, on the bandstand with us, as he was for our big “Flood at 50” big birthday bash — we always get him to take us on a ride on is favorite Bob Dylan tune.

"Sunny"

  Ever since it came together decades ago, The Flood has always sought a rich diversity in its repertoire. So late last year when Danny Cox asked, “Has the band ever done the song ‘Sunny’?” he heard an invitation in the enthusiasm of the answer: “no.” So, Danny worked out the chords, Jack took up the rhythm, we turned the vocals over to Randy, and suddenly the song is in the works. In fact, it’s even picking up fans among the visitors. On this particular track, for instance, Floodster Emeritus Paul Martin happened to be in the room and happily took a ride on one of the choruses. Here’s the progress report, then, on Project Sunny.