Lulu's Back in Town (Again)

Okay, we're not saying we're getting old and forgetful or anything, but we ARE saying that sometimes we have to, uh, re-learn tunes that we recorded 14 years ago. And too about half today's Flood wasn't even in the band a decade and a half ago so they just haven't not had the same opportunity to forget what some of us have. Anyway, this leads to some interesting each-one-teach-one moments at the rehearsals nowadays, like this from last night's get-together. We join, in progress, "Lulu's Back in a Town," a nifty 1935 tin pan alley number that we put on our second CD -- "The 1937 Flood Plays Up a Storm" -- way back back in 2002. This track is complete with a little 30-second workshop regarding the chords right in the middle of things. Enjoy.

Blues to Pass the Time on a Summer Night

We've been emphasizing our vocals a lot in the last couple of years -- that's only natural with Michelle Lewis and Randy Hamilton singing such powerful harmonies and leads in our newer tunes -- but the instrumental side of The Flood is doing some pretty interesting things too. For instance, a couple of weeks ago, while we were waiting to get the regular rehearsal started, Doug Chaffin and Paul Martin launched into a little musical conversation that the rest of us were pleased to eavesdrop on -- and we thought you'd like to listen in too -- just a nameless blues to pass the time on a summer night.

Dedicated to Love

We're always looking for new tunes that we can jug-i-fy, and sometimes that means digging deep into the recesses of our collective memory. We in The Flood are long-time Bob Dylan fans and recently, while discussing the subject of love and its multitudinous ramifications and variations, we stumbled upon memories of this old Jesse "Lone Cat" Fuller tune that was the opening track of Bob Dylan's very first album, released in 1962, when Bob was not yet 20 years old and still probably learning a thing or two about love himself.

Sampling the New LIVE, IN CONCERT CD

We've been hard at work this year on our sixth CD, and we're excited to bring it out later this summer. This is our first LIVE, IN CONCERT album, which we recorded at a show last January. It features tunes that are not on any our previous five CDs, songs like "St. Louis Blues" and "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere," "Autumn Leaves" and "Green Rolling Hills of West Virginia," "Ramblin' Boy" and "Crazy Words, Crazy Tune." In addition, this CD is the first appearance of our newest Floodster Paul Martin, whose mandolin and guitar work and vocals have added so much to our sound. Paul also is mixing and editing the new album. Because we're eager to share with you what we've been working on, here are some sound samples from the new disc. And if you want to know more about the new album, visit our website at www.1937flood.com, where you can also pre-order the disc if you like to reserve your copy. Enjoy!

The Jam of the Youngest and Eldest Floodster Emeritus

When word got out that our buddy Jacob Scarr would be heading back to his Colorado home at the end of the week, his fans came out for last night's Flood rehearsal, including his old friend Chuck Romine. So we had the youngest and the eldest Floodster emeritus jamming at the same table, just like old times. And of course, Jacob always brings out our better blues moods, so, naturally, we had to get a little jelly roll going in his honor.

The Jacob Reunion

It's always special when Floodster Emeritus Jacob Scarr comes home from Colorado for a Flood family reunion, and last night we had a little surprise waiting for Youngblood. It's been since his last trip home that Doug Chaffin got his sweet little Paul Reed Smith electric guitar, and Doug was eager to put it in Jacob's hands for a few tunes, like this one. Back a few years ago when Jacob was a regular in the band before he left for college in Boulder, we combined a couple of classic blues numbers -- Willie Dixon's "Hoochie Coochie Man" and Muddy Waters' "Seventh Son" -- to make a special showcase number just for Jacob, and last night we revisited that tune for the first time in years, with Jacob wailing on Doug's guitar.

We're Set to Play at Jewel City Jamboree

The Flood is pleased to be part of the opening night of Huntington's Jewel City Jamboree this weekend down by the riverside. We'll be playing at 5:30 Friday evening at Harris Riverfront Park as part of a great lineup of more than a half dozen bands on that night alone, including Larry Cordle & Lonesome Standard Time and Riders in the Sky! We in The Flood plan to try out a few new arrangements during our set, including this one that we worked out last night for a classic Tom Paxton tune.