"I Almost Lost My Mind"

 Whenever Michelle Hoge comes back to visit her old band mates, as she did last week, this tune is among the ones we trot out. Just listen to how Michelle’s superb harmonies seal the deal on this song that Ivory Joe Hunter recorded 77 years ago this month.

"Sloop John B"

 When Jim Rumbaugh and his sweet wife Donna dropped in at last week’s rehearsal, we drew them into our latest project. Listen to Jim join in on singing the chorus as well as contributing a cool bit of harmonica on this century-old siren song of the Bahamas.

"500 Miles Away from Home"

In the autumn of 1963, a new tune hit the charts that sparked the imagination of all of us aspiring young folksingers. It was 63 years ago this month that radio stations throughout our part of the world seemed to hourly played Bobby Bare’s new song. “500 Miles Away From Home” had a special meaning here, because Bobby was famously is of us, a native son of Ironton, Ohio.

 

"Darlin' Companion"

 As much as we try to use the rehearsals to work out arrangements to our regular tunes, we never drift too far away from The Flood’s original loose jam session vibe. That means there’s always room for “sometimes kinda tunes," like this one, heads-up, top-down and just flat-out rattling and rolling into the sunset!

"Abilene"

 This song got dressed up and went to town last week when Danny Cox came to the rehearsal with his sweet Gretsch Super Chet. Just listen to how Dan uses that classic 1970s hollow body guitar to bring sass and class to this long-time Flood standard.

"One Horse Town"

 Here’s the latest treasure that Randy Hamilton and Danny Cox have brought to The Flood’s table, a Charlie Starr composition from Alabama that resonates powerfully in our own Appalachian hills as well.

"Time in a Bottle"

 Here’s an audio snapshot of the end of last week’s rehearsal. We’d had a wonderful evening singing with Flood sweetheart Kathy Castner who had made one of her rare visits in from Cincinnati. At the beginning of this track you can hear folks packing up their instruments and saying their goodbyes. But at the same time, over in the corner, Danny Cox and his guitar have one more tune to do with Kathy. Listen as the guys realize what’s happening and join in for this sweet final moment of the night.

"I Wonder Where My Easy Rider's Gone"

 Here’s a tune that will be on the set list tomorrow night when The Flood opens the festivities at this year’s Diamond Teeth Mary blues festival in downtown Huntington. It’s a 1913 composition by the great Shelton Brooks. And if that name sounds familiar, you might be remembering last week’s podcast when we talked about Brooks’ best-known composition, the phenomenal “Darktown Strutters’ Ball.” As noted last week, by the time Brooks wrote that, his songwriting chops were already firmly established with songs like this one, which was performed by everyone from Sophie Tucker and Mae West to Tampa Red, Georgia Tom and Frankie “Half Pint” Jaxon. Here’s The Flood’s take on “I Wonder Where My Easy Rider’s Gone.” Remember, the Diamond Teeth Mary Medicine Show will be rocking downtown Huntington tomorrow night in the beautiful Heritage Station, 210 11th Street. The Flood takes the stage at 6 p.m.

"Darktown Strutters' Ball"

 We had our old buddy Jim Rumbaugh in the band room recently. Jim will be sitting in with us when The Flood plays at the latest Diamond Teeth Mary blues festival next week. Last week, after we’d worked on the blues tunes we’ll do for the show, we switched this rocking old Roaring Twenties number from Shelton Brooks. It all went well until I tried to tag it with a classic Chuck Romine ending. Hey, who knew there’d be spelling?!

"Gee, Baby, Ain't I Good to You?"

 As we start thinking about what The Flood should play for its set at this year’s Diamond Teeth Mary blues festival here in Huntington, one song seems like a natural. It’s a near-century-old tune that touched the lives of two great West Virginia jazzmen. Big band composer Don Redmond, who hailed from the eastern part of the Mountain State, wrote the song in 1929. Then a dozen years later, the phenomenal saxophonist Chu Berry from Wheeling recorded it in his very last studio session.

"Dusty Boxcar Wall"

Surely, no innovation in modern human history has gotten so deeply into our psyche, into our hearts and minds. Railroad imagery fills our art and music, symbolizing so many beginnings … and endings. Here’s a train tune from our folk-infused youth.

"Murder of Mountains"

 The late Dave Peyton inspired Charlie Bowen to write this song. Railing against the relentless ravaging of our state, he’d say, “Sometimes I think the worst thing that ever happened to West Virginia was when somebody discovered coal.” And what bothered him almost as much was the paralyzing grief felt by generations of Mountain State natives, a communal sorrow for not being able to stop the rape of our home.

"Don't Think Twice, It's All Right"

 An old friend, Jim Strother, once said, “Remember back when you’d see a fella ramblin’ along carrying a guitar case, and he’d have his coat collar turned up against the wind and a cap pulled down over his eyes. With just one look you knew everything you needed to know about that guy.” And the soundtrack in your head when you saw that was always an early Bob Dylan tune, like this one.

"Yellow Dog Blues"

 There’s nothing like a good old train song to capture the crossroads in a man or a woman’s life. Here’s one of the best in our repertoire.

 

"This Land Is Your Land"

 We’re celebrating America’s 250th birthday with Woody Guthrie’s best-loved tune, a song that many of us think ought to be the national anthem. And we’re happy to be joined on this week’s podcast by Cap’n John Ace, who rambled into the band room from Alexandria, Va., by way of Florida with Floodster Emeritus Dave “Bub” Ball.

"Good Time Charlie's Got the Blues

 When the room needs a respite from the band’s frequent fare of loud and raucous tunes, Randy Hamilton and Danny Cox always have just what the doctor ordered.

"Brown's Ferry Blues"

Dave Peyton, Roger Samples and Charlie Bowen used to play this tune back in the ‘70s, but it’s only recently come back into the Floodipshere. Here’s the 1933 signature tune of The Delmore Brothers, featuring Danny Cox’s guitar and Jack Nuckols’ fiddle.
 

"I Am a Pilgrim"

 Our Flood brother Danny Cox and his sweet wife Tami are on vacation this week, but before they hit to the road, we had to give Dan a good Flood set-off. Here’s a little traveling music, the last tune of the evening’s rehearsal.

"Opus One"

 We’ve said it before. We’ll say it again. Much of the music made at our weekly rehearsals is conversations that aren’t burdened with so many words. This particular conversation is saying, “Damn, man, it’s good to see y’all again!”

"Tear It Down"

 A lot of the hokum tunes that The Flood has always loved were born far to the south of us, in place like Memphis and New Orleans. So it’s always a treat to find a song that grew a little closer to home. This tune traces back to a youngster named Bob Coleman — Kid Cole, they called him — from the west side of Cincinnati. It was 98 years ago this very month that Bob recorded it in Chicago.