Welcome back to a special Deadhead addition of the weekly Wednesday jam! Jack Straw is such a fun song to play, I’m not sure why it took us so long to add it to our setlist. It’s in there for good now, especially on Freaky Fridays. Which reminds me, I should change the name of my Weekly Wednesday Jam to ‘Ramsdays’, where every day is a Freaky Friday.
Kidding, that would be a horrible name.
After a recording session this past February, long after the engineer headed home, the band was still hanging out and drinking beer jamming and calling audibles. We were running silent with cans on, so we didn’t have to worry about noise or the neighbors, so we went through a number of covers and new originals. We recorded Jack Straw that night, had so much fun, decided to play it at our first show of the spring.
The Complete Annotated Grateful Dead Lyrics by David Dodd Foreword by Robert Hunter
What a song Jack Straw is, such a fun song to play. Garcia and Robert Hunter are two of the reasons I picked up and leaned how to play guitar as a kid. Hunter’s characters are colorful, his stories, full of action, adventure, and treachery. I was lucky enough to see these songwriters in both large and small venues when I was younger. The late 80s were a good time to be a music fan living in upstate New York. New Paltz, the college town I lived in during university was a stone’s throw from Woodstock, the band’s ‘Big Pink’ house was a quick drive up the road en route to Kingston.
Danko, Jorma (Hot Tuna) were living and playing locally in the area, as was Dylan and so many others. When we got bored of country life, we barreled down to New York City for shows. Good times.
Musicians | The Camp Store Carlsbad, CA | 3.29.2024
* Dan Greenbaum
* Aaron Brownwood
* Mike Hunt
* Mark ODonnell
LyricsWe can share the womenWe can share the wineWe can share what we got of yours'Cause we done shared all of mine
Keep a rollingJust a mile to goKeep on rolling, my old buddyYou're moving much too slow
I just jumped the watchmanRight outside the fenceTook his ring, four bucks in changeNow ain't that heaven sent?
Hurts my ears to listen, ShannonBurns my eyes to seeCut down a man in cold blood, ShannonMight as well be me
We used to play for silverNow we play for lifeOne's for sport and one's for bloodAt the point of a knifeNow the die is shakenNow the die must fallThere ain't a winner in this gameWho don't go home with allNot with all...
Leaving TexasFourth day of JulySun so hot, clouds so lowThe eagles filled the sky
Catch the Detroit LightningOut of Santa FeGreat Northern out of CheyenneFrom sea to shining sea
Gotta get to TulsaFirst train we can rideGot to settle one old scoreAnd one small point of pride...
Ain't no place a man can hide, ShannonKeep him from the sunAin't no bed will give us rest, man,You keep us on the run
Jack Straw from WichitaCut his buddy downDug for him a shallow graveAnd layed his body down
Half a mile from TucsonBy the morning lightOne man gone and another to goMy old buddy you're moving much too slow
We can share the womenWe can share the wine
About the Day2023-24 El Niño weather made for an interesting few years. Our mountains were inundated with snow, our coastal weather was wetter than normal. All of this coming on the heels of a historic 10 year drought. When it rains, it pours. Once again, I was spooked as the local weather forecast said it was going to rain, it didn’t. The week before, I saw another local bank play the stage right up until the moment the sky opened up. The good lord wouldn’t have it any other way, so the weather held. He wouldn’t piss on our first show of the season, I knew that in my heart. Too much practice went into this show, and besides, I had to share my new songs to my friends and family. So we willed the day to be excellent.
Our live shows are about celebrating life, friendship and family, giving back to the newfound community (built by Anthony Marrocotti at his work at The Camp Store), and celebrating our collective enduring spirit. This was the first show our band performed the newly written ‘Warmth of the Fire‘ publicly, and the first time I used my 80s custom Telecaster at live at a show through a Fender Chris Stapleton Princeton. Same combo that effortlessly wrote and recorded my new song ‘Warmth of the Fire‘. During the show, it stayed in tune better than my SG or my es335, but I think I play better on Gibson guitars. I don’t know, I love the way all guitars sound. Could be just the jitters caused by the first show of the season.
About the RamMark "The Ram" O'Donnell is an independent American composer, producer, filmmaker, multi-instrumental performer, designer, and visual artist based out of Carlsbad, California. He performs original, surf-inspired rock-and-roll music on the West Coast.
For more information about the Ram and his music, go to www.TheRamMusic.com
More InformationI currently use DistroKid to get everything out to the streaming platforms, Disco for all sync requests, Bands In Town to list live shows, and Substack for just about everything else.
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