This week's freebie from The 1937 Flood

This week's freebie features Joe Dobbs and Doug Chaffin, leading us on a tune based on the Irish classic, "Star of the County Down," a tribute to our late friend, Shirley Broh Davis.

As we've said before, Norman and Shirley Davis have brightened our lives in so many ways, coming out to be with us almost every Wednesday night for nearly four years now.

Well, we lost Shirley earlier this week -- her 96 years ended peacefully at the hospice house here in Huntington, and last night Norman and all of Shirley's children, traveling here from all over the Eastern United States, came together for a magical evening to remember Shirley just as she'd want us to -- with laughter and smiles, and just a few tears.

From all of us: Thank you, Shirley. Click here to hear the tribute.

Finally, remember that the tunes from the jam sessions make up our weekly Flood podcasts. You can subscribe for free and get the music automatically delivered to your computer each Thursday. For details on that, click here.

This Week's Freebie from The 1937 Flood

This week's freebie features the 2012 version of the Jean Ritchie classic, "My Dear Companion."

Whenever The Flood has been doing a tune for several decades, we're a little reluctant to go back and listen to the original from which we learned it. That's because we prefer to let a beloved song evolve in our care, with the lyrics and the tune changing subtly -- and sometimes not so subtly -- with the ever-altering currents of our moods and latest band membership.

Here's a case in point -- "My Dear Companion," which has been a Flood standard since the 1980s, has been reborn recently, largely because of the tasteful vocal harmonies of our new Floodster, bassist Randy Hamilton. Click here to hear the tune!

 Finally, remember that the tunes from the jam sessions make up our weekly Flood podcasts. You can subscribe for free and get the music automatically delivered to your computer each Thursday. For details on that, click here.

This Week's Freebie from The 1937 Flood

This week's freebie features a special tune for a special friend. We were just beginning the rehearsal this week when got the news that the health of our dear friend Shirley Davis has taken a bad turn and she's now in hospice care here in Huntington.

Shirley and her husband, Norman, have been regulars at the Flood's weekly rehearsals for almost four years now. It was in early 2009 when our mutual friend, Rose Riter, brought Norman and Shirley to their first Flood practice, and they've been coming back almost every week. A Wednesday night isn't complete with their smiling faces in the corner. In fact, The Flood dedicated its latest CD to the Davises and Rose Riter to commemorate how much a part of our lives they've become.

Usually, when there's a lull in the action and we ask Shirley what she'd like to hear, she calls on Joe Dobbs for a lively fiddle tune. Here's what we sent out to her this week. This one's for you, Shirley -- feel better, sweetheart. Click here to hear the tune!

Incidentally, Shirley, Norman and Rose were featured in a 2009 feature on WSAZ-TV, when newsman Tim Irr visited a Flood practice. That just happened to be that first night the Davises attended a Flood do. Click here to see the video.

 Finally, remember that the tunes from the jam sessions make up our weekly Flood podcasts. You can subscribe for free and get the music automatically delivered to your computer each Thursday. For details on that, click here.

Happy Thanksgiving from The 1937 Flood!

This week's freebie features a Thanksgiving greeting from your friends at The Flood!

The Family Flood has much to be thankful for, especially decades of friendship. Last night, rehearsing on Thanksgiving Eve, we were full of stories, nostalgia and old songs, some of which we've not played in years.

One such piece was that great old West Virginia fiddle tune, "West Folk Girls," which also provided one of the best laughs of the evening, when… well, check it out for yourself: It comes about midway through the track. Click here to hear the fun!

And have a happy, safe Thanksgiving, everyone!

Finally, remember that the tunes from the jam sessions make up our weekly Flood podcasts. You can subscribe for free and get the music automatically delivered to your computer each Thursday. For details on that, click here.

This Week's Freebie from The 1937 Flood

This week's freebie features another of those impromptu moments that make our Wednesday nights so special.

Sometimes -- okay, most times -- the highlight of an evening's rehearsal comes from the totally unexpected. Here's a case in point: We had wrapped up for the evening. In fact, at the beginning of this track, you hear Dave Peyton and others saying their good nights.

But Joe Dobbs and Doug Chaffin felt like doing at least one more tune. They picked the beautiful Irish aire "South Wind." Now, they both knew the tune, but had never played it together, and this was the result. Click here to hear the tune!

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 click here! And be sure to click the "Like" button at the top of the Facebook so you'll be kept up to date on all the Flood doin's.

 Finally, remember that the tunes from the jam sessions make up our weekly Flood podcasts. You can subscribe for free and get the music automatically delivered to your computer each Thursday. For details on that, click here.

Catch The Flood in Ashland, Ky., This Sunday Afternoon!

This week's freebie features our first take on another American classic, this one rather appropriate for the season!

The Flood's fixin' to roll into Ashland, Ky., this Sunday afternoon to play at "The Picnic on Judd Plaza" downtown. We'll also be helping out with a fundraiser for the community's remarkable "Clean Start" program, which has come to the rescue of so many down and out folks in these tough times.

And listen, if the weather doesn't cooperate, c'mon down anyway -- the picnic will just move indoors, so don't let a little rain keep you away. The band will be on hand from 2 to 5 p.m., playing old Flood standards, but also some new things in our repertoire, maybe like this one from the American songbook, "Autumn Leaves," featuring our star vocalist, Miss Michelle Walker. Click here to hear the tune!

 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 click here! And be sure to click the "Like" button at the top of the Facebook so you'll be kept up to date on all the Flood doin's.

 Finally, remember that the tunes from the jam sessions make up our weekly Flood podcasts. You can subscribe for free and get the music automatically delivered to your computer each week. For details on that, click here.

This Week's Freebie from The 1937 Flood

This week's freebie features a revisit with a great old jug band standard.

A few years back, we started messing around with "4th Street Mess-Around," a 1930s classic by our heroes, The Memphis Jug Band. But somewhere along the way, the tune got dropped from the practice list.

Well, at the rehearsal earlier this week, we dusted it off again for another try. And, as you'll hear, you can tell it's a work in progress, because as the track begins, we're still schooling each other on the chords. Click here to hear the tune!

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 click here! And be sure to click the "Like" button at the top of the Facebook so you'll be kept up to date on all the Flood doin's.

Finally, remember that the tunes from the jam sessions make up our weekly Flood podcasts. You can subscribe for free and get the music automatically delivered to your computer each Thursday. For details on that, click here.

This Week's Freebie from The 1937 Flood

This week's freebie features another preview of a work in progress.

Right now, we're preparing for a show this Friday night at Woodlands Retirement Community up the hill from us here in our hometown of Huntington, West Virginia, and we've been thinking about the music that folks there might like. At last night's rehearsal, Michelle Walker suggested "Sentimental Journey," a tune that Joe Dobbs has been doing in his solo performances for years.

Now, of course, the spirit of this weekly podcast is to share The Flood's not-ready-for-primetime moments -- that is, songs still in development -- and here's a prime example. This is literally the first time the band as a whole has tried this tune and obviously we have some … uh, opportunities. The harmonies need tightening, we need to work out better cues for the solos and smooth out the accompaniment.

But for now, I love the enthusiasm everyone's bringing to the song. And it may be fun in a year or so to look back and see how the tune has evolved and mellowed with practice. But first, a voyage of discovery. All aboard! Click here to hear the tune!

And speaking of new audio… The Flood had a fun time on a pleasant Wednesday last May when The Red Barn Radio Show invited us to Lexington, Ky., for an evening. Producer/director Ed Commons has sent us a disc of the show and we're happy to share it with our extended Family Flood. Click here to hear the entire show!

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 click here! And be sure to click the "Like" button at the top of the Facebook so you'll be kept up to date on all the Flood doin's.

 Finally, remember that the tunes from the jam sessions make up our weekly Flood podcasts. You can subscribe for free and get the music automatically delivered to your computer each Thursday. For details on that, click here.

This Week's Freebie from The 1937 Flood

This week's freebie features a rather rapid visit to an old standard.

The drink of choice at The Flood's weekly rehearsals is Community Coffee from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. But there is a downside. After a few cups of this strong, rich, dark brew, the tunes tend to get a bit livelier.

There's a standing joke that after Charlie's had a coupla mugs of joe, he starts kicking the tunes off too fast. Here's a case in point. We don't usually do "Blue Moon" at such a lively clip as this. But, hey, some of us kinda like it like this -- it's got a nice kick, though we're not sure you'd wanna dance to it. See what you think. Click here to hear the tune!

And speaking of audio… As we've mentioned earlier, The Flood had a fun time on a pleasant Wednesday last May when The Red Barn Radio Show invited us to Lexington, Ky., for an evening. Recently, producer/director Ed Commons sent us a disc of the show and we're happy to share with our extended Family Flood. Click here to hear the entire show!

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 click here! And be sure to click the "Like" button at the top of the Facebook so you'll be kept up to date on all the Flood doin's.

Finally, remember that the tunes from the jam sessions make up our weekly Flood podcasts. You can subscribe for free and get the music automatically delivered to your computer each Thursday. For details on that, click here.

This Week's Freebie from The 1937 Flood

In this week's freebie from The 1937 Flood, we have the first take on a tune we expect to be working on in the months ago.

During a break at a gig last summer, our good friend Wendell Dobbs dropped by the bandstand and said, "Hey, I know a great song for The Chick Singer -- 'A Taste of Honey.'" As soon as he said that, our eyes lit up. Yes indeed. It's a wonderful ballad that's been recorded by everyone from Sarah Vaughan to the early Beatles.

Our Michelle Walker had never really tried the song before, but she was game to give a go and last night, at one of The Flood's occasional vocal-only rehearsals, we tested the waters. As you'll hear in this track, Randy and I are still figuring out some harmony parts, but Michelle is already nailing the lead.

In the months ahead, this podcast may be revisiting the tune as we introduce it to the rest of band, but for now, here it is: "A Taste of Honey, Take 1." Click here to hear the tune!

And speaking of new audio… The Flood had a fun time on a pleasant Wednesday last May when The Red Barn Radio Show invited us to Lexington, Ky., for an evening. Recently, producer/director Ed Commons sent us a disc of the show and we're happy to share with our extended Family Flood. Click here to hear the entire show!

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 click here! And be sure to click the "Like" button at the top of the Facebook so you'll be kept up to date on all the Flood doin's.

 Finally, remember that the tunes from the jam sessions make up our weekly Flood podcasts. You can subscribe for free and get the music automatically delivered to your computer each Thursday. For details on that, click here.

This Week's Freebie from The 1937 Flood

For this week's freebie from The 1937 Flood, we're searching through old gold…

These days the weekly rehearsals are largely about figuring out what tunes we'd like to put on the next Flood CD, which we hope to start working on later this year. That means checking out new songs, but also revisiting pieces we used to play a lot but some reason have let slip away.

A case in point is Dave Franklin's classic fiddle tune, "Cincinnati Rag." It was a regular of ours at gigs 10 years ago or so, but it never ended up on a CD. At last night's practice, Joe Dobbs brought it out again. This resulted in an obvious teaching moment -- you can hear us discussing the chords as Joe lays down the melody -- but by the end, everyone was in agreement: this needs to be back on the regular set list. Click here to hear the tune!

And speaking of new audio… The Flood had a fun time on a pleasant Wednesday last May when The Red Barn Radio Show invited us to Lexington, Ky., for an evening. Recently, producer/director Ed Commons sent us a disc of the show and we're happy to share with our extended Family Flood. Click here to hear the entire show!

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 click here! And be sure to click the "Like" button at the top of the Facebook so you'll be kept up to date on all the Flood doin's.

Finally, remember that the tunes from the jam sessions make up our weekly Flood podcasts. You can subscribe for free and get the music automatically delivered to your computer each Thursday. For details on that, click here.

Dave Ball Fundraiser Will be a Foodie Fest!

As many of you know, former Floodster Dave Ball is running this fall for one of the two at-large seats on Huntington City Council, and there's a cool fundraiser coming up Wednesday, Sept. 12. Mark your calendars! Let's let Dave tell you about it -- here's his email on the subject:

To all my "foodie" friends: Many of you know that our son Jeff (Cheffry) is a classically trained chef. He worked 4 seasons at The Colony Hotel on Palm Beach and 3 seasons with the Breakers of Palm Beach. He is now co-executive chef at Shakespeare and Co, USA in Lexington.

Jeff will be coming to Huntington to do a campaign fundraiser for my City Council Campaign and that is as much politics as you will hear about this event. He is planning six courses and will be pairing wines with the courses. This will be an event not to miss. The cost will be $75 per person and that covers the meal, wines and donation. We plan to sell only 40 tickets and at this point there are only 18 left. The event will be held at HIMG at the 29th St interchange. 

For more info, IM, message or give us a call. Hope to see ya there, it will be the best meal of the election season!  The event will be Sept 12th @6:30 pm.  

Thanks.............DAVE BALL 4 CITY HALL

---

Meanwhile, remember you can check out Dave's website at daveball4cityhall.com.

This Week's Freebie from The 1937 Flood

For this week's freebie from The 1937 Flood, we switched things up a bit...

The Flood has a lot more options in instrumentation these days. Doug Chaffin can play mandolin and guitar, even fiddle, not to mention his superb work on the upright bass. And our newest Floodster, Randy Hamilton, usually plays bass nowadays, but also is an excellent lead guitarist.

Last night, we decided to mix things up -- we asked Doug to bring his bass and Randy to bring his six-string. The results were memorable -- but hey, judge for yourself. Here Michelle Walker leads us through Gershwin's "Summertime." Click here to hear the tune!

And speaking of new audio… The Flood had a fun time on a pleasant Wednesday last May when The Red Barn Radio Show invited us to Lexington, Ky., for an evening. Recently, producer/director Ed Commons sent us a disc of the show and we're happy to share with our extended Family Flood. Click here to hear the entire show!

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 click here! And be sure to click the "Like" button at the top of the Facebook so you'll be kept up to date on all the Flood doin's.

Finally, remember that the tunes from the jam sessions make up our weekly Flood podcasts. You can subscribe for free and get the music automatically delivered to your computer each Thursday. For details on that, click here.

This Week's Freebie from The 1937 Flood

To full appreciate this week's freebie from The 1937 Flood, you need to know the background on our strange birthday habits...

It all started at a gig a few years back when a Flood fan said, "Hey, my brother's in the front row and it's his birthday -- would y'all play 'Happy Birthday' for him?'" We had to admit we didn't know "Happy Birthday." Well, that's back exactly true -- we recognize it when we hear it; we just never learned to play it.

Then the fellow said, "So, what do you play for birthdays?" Right there on stage, we huddled a minute and then said, "Well, how about that old jug band tune, 'You Can't Get That Stuff No More"? That got a laugh, we played the song and a new Flood tradition was born. From then on, The Flood's marked birthdays with that Tampa Red tune.

Well, last night, one of our own celebrated a birthday -- Flood co-founder fiddler Joe Dobbs turned 78 -- and we had him playing on his own birthday serenade. Click here to hear the tune!

And speaking of new audio… The Flood had a fun time on a pleasant Wednesday last May when The Red Barn Radio Show invited us to Lexington, Ky., for an evening. Recently, producer/director Ed Commons sent us a disc of the show and we're happy to share with our extended Family Flood. Click here to hear the entire show!

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 click here! And be sure to click the "Like" button at the top of the Facebook so you'll be kept up to date on all the Flood doin's.

 Finally, remember that the tunes from the jam sessions make up our weekly Flood podcasts. You can subscribe for free and get the music automatically delivered to your computer each Thursday. For details on that, click here.

We Take a Request .... From Facebook!

This week's freebie from The 1937 Flood answers a request that came from up along the northern reaches of the Information Highway.

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. Click here to hear the tune!

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 click here! And be sure to click the "Like" button at the top of the Facebook so you'll be kept up to date on all the Flood doin's.

 Finally, remember that the tunes from the jam sessions make up our weekly Flood podcasts. You can subscribe for free and get the music automatically delivered to your computer each Thursday. For details on that, click here.

This week's freebie from The 1937 Flood features a stroll down mem'ry lane...

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. Click here to hear it!

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 at the Live at Trackside studio 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. Here a link to a YouTube video. 

 And more information about the new DVD -- including how you can order online (hint, hint…), click here. 

 Finally, Remember that the tunes from the jam sessions make up our weekly Flood podcasts. You can subscribe for free and get the music automatically delivered to your computer each Thursday. For details on that, click here.

Hi friends,

This morning we wrap up the great Joe Dobbs Book Tour, rolling into downtown Huntington. At 10 a.m., we'll be hoisting the Flood flag at Heritage Station, 210 11th St.


Whether or not you've made any of the earlier stops on the tour -- Ashland on Thursday night,  South Charleston last night -- you definitely want to catch this one! We'll be setting up near the wonderful River and Rail Bakery inside the building, near the Cabell Huntington Convention and Visitors Bureau facilities. The whole band will be on hand, along with guest artist Jacob Scarr, our Floodster emeritus. Joe will read an excerpt from his new memoir, A Country Fiddler, and then visit with readers and sign copies.

And as if you needed further incentive, Joe and The Flood aren't the only pretty faces at the Station this morning. Outside starting at 10 and going all day, the shops of Heritage Station will be holding their first boardwalk sale and artisan market. Come on, Huntington, step out early and party downtown!

We got so much great press attention this week for the tour:

* Dave Lavender wrote an excellent story in The Herald-Dispatch on Thursday. Click here for a .pdf of it.

* Doug Imbrogno also wrote a wonderful piece in The Charleston Gazette on Wednesday. Click here to see Doug's story.

We also featured the tour in this week's Flood podcast, along with a great fiddle tune. Click here to hear that.

Hello, South Charleston! Here's come the Joe Dobbs Book Tour TONIGHT!

Hi friends,

We had a GREAT launch of the Joe Dobbs Book Tour last night in Ashland with a packed house at the Paramount -- what a hoot! -- and now we're eager to move on to South Charleston tonight.

One slight change in the plan. We said earlier that tonight's show at The Daily Cup (246 7th Ave. in South Charleston)  would be 6:30. However, the good people at the Cup have asked us to move that up to 6 p.m. and we're happy to do that.

If you not been to the Cup before, it's easy to get to. Coming from the west (Huntington/Ashland), just take I-64 and get off at the MacCorkle Avenue exit (the one at the end of the new big bridge) and go east. You’ll pass a Krispie Kreme on the left. Keep going for a couple blocks and turn right onto E Street. Go two blocks and turn left onto 7th Avenue and it’ll be about two or three blocks farther. Here's a map too.

Meanwhile, if you can't make it to South Charleston tonight, there will be one more chance make the tour. We'll be at Huntington's Heritage Station, 210 11th St., at 10 a.m. Saturday. Put it on your calendar!

We continue to get great press attention this week in advance of the tour:

* Dave Lavender wrote an excellent story in this morning's Herald-Dispatch. Click here for a .pdf of it.

* Doug Imbrogno also wrote a wonderful piece in The Charleston Gazette on Wednesday. Click here to see Doug's story.

We also featured the tour in this week's Flood podcast, along with a great fiddle tune. Click here to hear that.

The Joe Dobbs Book Tour Starts TONIGHT in Ashland

Hi friends,

Just a quick reminder that The 1937 Flood kicks off the Joe Dobbs Book Tour at 7:30 TONIGHT at the Paramount Arts Center's Marquee Room, 1300 Winchester Ave., Ashland, Ky. The whole band will be on hand with music and good times. And Joe will not only play, but also read excerpts from his new memoir, A Country Fiddler, as well as visit with readers and sign copies.

And if you can't make it tonight, remember, the tour has two more stops this week:

-- 6:30 p.m. Friday at The Daily Cup, 246 7th Ave. in South Charleston.

-- 10 a.m. Saturday at Heritage Station, 210 11th St., Huntington.

We've had a great press attention this week in advance of the tour:

* Dave Lavender wrote an excellent story in this morning's Herald-Dispatch. Click here for a .pdf of it.

* Doug Imbrogno also wrote a wonderful piece in The Charleston Gazette on Wednesday. Click here to see Doug's story.

We also featured the tour in this week's Flood podcast, along with a great fiddle tune. Click here to hear that.

Hope you can join us on at least one of the stops on the tour and celebrate the JoeFest!

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

This week's freebie from The 1937 Flood features a track from the new Flood CD and news of three back-to-back Flood concerts coming up later this week.

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. Click here to hear the tune!

Remember that the tunes from the jam sessions make up our weekly Flood podcasts. You can subscribe for free and get the music automatically delivered to your computer each Thursday. For details on that, click here.

This Week's Freebie from The 1937 Flood

This week's freebie from The 1937 Flood features a tune we're prepping for a series of special concerts we have set in July.

Our good friend and Floodster Emeritus Jacob Scarr is pretty busy with his new life -- college in Colorado and at home right now working a 40-hour-a-week summer job in Charleston -- but Youngblood's still got time for his old buddies. He sat in with us last night. And Jacob's going to be on hand as a guest performer at all three of the free concerts next month in our Joe Dobbs Book Tour.

Oh, wait a minute -- you didn't know fiddlin' Joe Dobbs has written a book?! Well, we'll be telling you all about it in the weeks ahead. For now, though, just mark your calendar for the days between July 12 and July 14 when The Flood will be playing shows in Boyd County, Ky., and Cabell and Kanawha counties in West Virginia to help spread the word about Joe's new book. Meanwhile, click here to hear the tune from last night's rehearsal!

Remember that the tunes from the jam sessions make up our weekly Flood podcasts. You can subscribe for free and get the music automatically delivered to your computer each Thursday. For details on that, click here.

This Week's Freebie from The 1937 Flood

This week's freebie from The 1937 Flood features our first go-around on a tune we hope to develop over the weeks ahead.

Yesterday was West Virginia Day, the 149th anniversary of our state's birth, and that was much on their minds last night as Michelle, Randy and Charlie got together for one of The Flood's occasional vocals-only practices. They found themselves thinking of little-known West Virginia tunes, like this rare gem from the great singer/songwriter Holly Near.

 Now, obviously, this arrangement is nowhere near ready for general consumption -- we're eager to hear what Joe and Doug, Dave and Sam bring to it in the weeks ahead -- but one of the things we'd like to do with these little podcasts is to sometimes document the evolution of an arrangement. So, with that mind and for the record, here's our first take on "West Virginia Friend."Click here to check it out!

Remember that the tunes from the jam sessions make up our weekly Flood podcasts. You can subscribe for free and get the music automatically delivered to your computer each Thursday. For details on that, click here.

Party with Us In Romney, WV, This Sunday Afternoon, June 17

This week's freebie from The 1937 Flood features a tune we're preparing for a special show this Sunday in Romney, West Virginia!

The city of Romney -- population 5,873 -- is West Virginia's oldest town, celebrating its 250th anniversary this year. In fact, the Hampshire County community's main week of celebration kicks off this Sunday and The Flood is honored that we're invited to be part of it.

 We head to Romney this weekend to play a free concert at The Potomac Center at No. 1 Blue Street at 5 p.m. this Sunday. Check out our web site -- 1937flood.com -- for the details.

 Oh, we're so pleased that our old buddy, singer/songwriter Paul Martin, is joining us for the trip and will be a guest artist at the concert. Here's a sample -- at a recent Flood rehearsal, Paul led us on a moving rendition of a great Bob Dylan standard.Click here to check it out!

 Remember that the tunes from the jam sessions make up our weekly Flood podcasts. You can subscribe for free and get the music automatically delivered to your computer each Thursday. For details on that, click here.

Come Party with Us at Tamarack This Sunday!

This week's freebie from The 1937 Flood features a tune we're preparing for a special show this weekend.

Tamarack is a West Virginia treasure. Based in Beckley, W.Va., it is a rich deposit of Appalachian crafts, food, music and just plain pure joy. And The Flood is honored to regularly be invited to perform there in the Gov. Hulett C. Smith Theatre, one of our all-time favorite venues.

We're heading back there this Sunday, June 10. At 2 p.m., The Flood will be back on stage for our 8th performance at Tamarack.

And we're especially happy that our long-time buddy, guitarist Jacob Scarr -- home from college in Colorado -- will on hand to sit in with us for this very special show. Come on out and party with us at Tamarack, this Sunday afternoon! Visit us on the web at 1937flood.com for the details.

Meanwhile, here's a tune from last night's rehearsal as we prepared the set for Sunday's show. Click here to check it out!

Remember that the tunes from the jam sessions make up our weekly Flood podcasts. You can subscribe for free and get the music automatically delivered to your computer each Thursday. For details on that, click here.

This Week's Freebie from The 1937 Flood

This week's freebie from The 1937 Flood features a favorite Bob Dylan tune. Today's Dylan's 71st birthday. Who saw THAT coming?

 Bob has always been a huge part of The Flood's musical landscape. Hardly any weekly Flood practice goes by without at least one Dylan tune.

 For instance, last night Michelle, Randy and Charlie had a rare vocals-only Flood practice and before the night was over, they were trotting out this great Dylan number from the "Nashville Skyline" period.  Click here to check it out!

 Remember that the tunes from the jam sessions make up our weekly Flood podcasts. You can subscribe for free and get the music automatically delivered to your computer each Thursday. For details on that, click here.

This week's freebie from The 1937 Flood

This week's freebie from The 1937 Flood features a track from the best gig of the year.

The Flood always keeps open the third Saturday morning in May in order to play our favorite gig of the year. The Coon Sanders Nighthawks Fans Bash is an annual gathering of traditional jazz players and fans who come to our town from all over the country for three days and nights of good music and good times.

The Flood's so honored be part of this. For more than a decade now, we've played the Saturday morning session with what we call "the jug band breakfast," serving up generous helpings of hokum with their bacon and eggs. Here's a tune from last year's gathering. Click here to check it out!

 By the way, if you're in the Huntington area, come for the fun Saturday morning. See our website -- 1937flood.com -- for the details.

 Remember that the tunes from the jam sessions make up our weekly Flood podcasts. You can subscribe for free and get the music automatically delivered to your computer each Thursday. For details on that, click here.

See ya on the radio!

The Flood is on the road this week, so there will be no podcast this week.

Instead of our usual practice session, we'll be in Lexington, Ky., this Wednesday evening performing on Red Barn Radio (www.redbarnradio.com). If you're in the area, come on down for the show -- it starts at 7 p.m. at 161 North Mill Street in downtown Lexington.

Or if you can't be there in person but still want to check out the doin's, Red Barn streams the live broadcast. Just visit www.wgad.net and click the big red icon on the right of the screen. See ya on the radio!

This Week's Freebie from The 1937 Flood

This week's freebie from The 1937 Flood features a fresh visit with an American classic.

As we noted in a recent podcast, The Flood's at the start of another reconfiguration -- new instrumentation, new tunes -- and so lately the weekly rehearsals have been especially interesting as fresh ideas come to the fore. Here's a case in point. For a while now, Joe Dobbs and Charlie Bowen have messed around occasionally with Irving Berlin's "Blue Skies" and at last night's practice session, Michelle Walker stepped up to put some vocals on top of that. Oh, it's still a work in progress -- consider this a report from The Flood's New Projects Committee.Click here to check it out! Remember that the tunes from the jam sessions make up our weekly Flood podcasts. You can subscribe for free and get the music automatically delivered to your computer each Thursday. For details on that, click here.

This week's freebie from The 1937 Flood features a re-do of an old tune. At a gig last week, a thing that we've been using just as warmup tune got such a nice response that we're thinking it's gonna start making its way onto The Flood's regular set list. "Walk Right In" was a monster hit back in the 1960s for The Rooftop Singers, but it's originally a jug band tune. The great Gus Cannon wrote the song and recorded with his band, The Jug Stomper, back in 1929. Most recently the tune was revived by The Carolina Chocolate Drops. Here's our take on it from last night's rehearsal. Click here to check it out! Remember that the tunes from the jam sessions make up our weekly Flood podcasts. You can subscribe for free and get the music automatically delivered to your computer each Thursday. For details on that, click here.

This Week's Freebie from The 1937 Flood

This week's freebie from The 1937 Flood features a reunion with a wonderful old tune.

We're forever revisiting tunes from our youth. Here's an old song from Eric Andersen that Dave Peyton, Roger Samples and Charlie Bowen used to do 40 years ago in the earliest days of The Flood. The tune's been lying dormant for decades.

But lately, The Flood's been reinventing itself again and Michelle Walker and our newest Floodster, Randy Hamilton, have been working on some tight background vocals. As we've been looking for vehicles to show off their good work, this song came floating back to the surface of our collective memory.

On the evening this particular track was recorded, most of the current Flood members had never heard the song before and you'll hear them still working out their parts, but already you can also hear Michelle and Randy nailing down some vocal ideas on the choruses. It'll be fun to listen to this arrangement come into its own in the months ahead. Click here to check it out!

Remember that the tunes from the jam sessions make up our weekly Flood podcasts. You can subscribe for free and get the music automatically delivered to your computer each Thursday. For details on that, click here.

This Week's Freebie from The 1937 Flood

This week's freebie from The 1937 Flood features a pair of classic fiddle tunes …. but first, a few laughs...

Brother Dave was tired after nearly two hours of practice last night and was ready to pack up his Autoharp and go home. But then we persuaded him to put his picks back on for one more tune. He did, only to find Joe laying in wait for him. Click here to check it out!

Remember that the tunes from the jam sessions make up our weekly Flood podcasts. You can subscribe for free and get the music automatically delivered to your computer each Thursday. For details on that, click here.

This Week's Freebie from The 1937 Flood

This week's freebie from The 1937 Flood features a new take on an old tune.

We were a little ticked at ourselves for forgetting to record "Georgie Buck" when we made our newest CD last August. Dave Peyton brought us this Aunt Jennie Wilson tune several years ago and we'd been doing it regularly in shows, but when it came time to record the album, it completely slipped our minds.

Well, everything happens for a reason. Lately, we've been reconfiguring The Flood, and now we've got stronger harmony vocals from Michelle Walker and Randy Hamilton, so suddenly old Georgie Buck's got a whole new lease on life.

This is one of our takes on the tune at last night's practice session. I think by the time we record that next CD, "Georgie Buck" will be front and center. Click here to hear the audio

Remember that the tunes from the jam sessions make up our weekly Flood podcasts. You can subscribe for free and get the music automatically delivered to your computer each Thursday. For details on that, click here.

This Week's Freebie from The 1937 Flood

This week's freebie from The 1937 Flood features a romp along Basin Street.

Sometimes before the song's even over, you know you're hearing the highlight of the night. This time there was something about the grin on Michelle's lips as she launched into this great old jazz standard that told us all this was going the keeper of the evening. Click here to hear the audio

Remember that the tunes from the jam sessions make up our weekly Flood podcasts. You can subscribe for free and get the music automatically delivered to your computer each Thursday. For details on that, click here.

This Week's Freebie from The 1937 Flood

This week's freebie from The 1937 Flood features a reunion that was "family" in so many ways.

"Floodsters emeritus" is what we call all former members of The Flood, but the truth is there's no such thing as a former member. Once a Floodster, always a Floodster.

One of the earliest members of the band was Joe Dobbs' younger brother, Dennis. In fact, Dennis Dobbs was on stage with us at one of our very first gigs back in the mid-1970s, a weird and wonderful night when The Flood was among the warmup acts for country music legend Little Jimmy Dickens when he played Huntington's Memorial Field House.

Nowadays Dennis and his family live in East Texas and don't back north all that much. But this week Dennis was visiting up here and, fiddle in hand, he came with Joe to the practice last night. Here the Dobbs brothers trade solos on a Bob Dylan standard. Click here to hear the audio

Remember that the tunes from the jam sessions make up our weekly Flood podcasts. You can subscribe for free and get the music automatically delivered to your computer each Thursday. For details on that, click here.

This Week from The Flood Jam Sessions

This week's freebie from The 1937 Flood jam session features Dave Peyton singing a Flood standard.

We've been John Prine fans forever. In fact, Prine's debut album came out 40 years ago, just about the time The Flood was stumbling into existence back in those hippy-dippy days of the early '70s. So it's only natural John Prine songs have been on our set lists since the very beginning.

Dave Peyton, our Mount Union Road crooner, took this tune as his own as soon as it came out, and all these years later, it's still a regular at our weekly jam sessions. Click here to hear "Come Back to Us Barbara Lewis Hare Krishna Beauregard."

Remember that the tunes from the jam sessions make up our weekly Flood podcasts. You can subscribe for free and get the music automatically delivered to your computer each Thursday. For details on that, click here.

This Week from The Flood Jam Sessions

This week's freebie from The 1937 Flood jam session features an original composition by a jam session regular.

On a recent Wednesday night, we were running through old tunes that were as comfortable as well-worn shoes. Part of the joy of the jams is revisiting melodies and lyrics that are as familiar as dear friends. Then suddenly our buddy Paul Martin dropped into a beautiful song that most of us had never heard.

As it went on, grins and winks were exchanged around the room, and at the end, when we asked, "Whose is that one?" Paul quietly acknowledged, "I wrote that."

Now, Paul doesn't make it to the weekly sessions nearly as often as we'd wish, but you can bet that from now on, when he does, there will be a standing request for a repeat performance. Click here to hear Paul and his tune, "Seein' Ain't Believin'.".

Remember that the tunes from the jam sessions make up our weekly Flood podcasts. You can subscribe for free and get the music automatically delivered to your computer each Thursday. For details on that, click here.

From This Week's Flood Jam Session

This week's freebie from The 1937 Flood jam session features two tunes from a dear friend who traveled a long way to get here.

Our old friend Sallie Sublette doesn't get back to us very often. It's all day in airports -- it takes three flights to get to her native West Virginia from her home in Pocatello, Idaho -- but this week, Sallie blew back in and gave us another taste of that sweet western wind. Here she does "I Want to be a Cowboy's Sweetheart."

While it was a great evening, it was all too short, because Sallie was flying out the next day. But before she went to cross the Great Divide, she also left us with a beautiful rendition of a Kate Wolf song on that very theme. Hear the two tunes.

Remember that the tunes from the jam sessions make up our weekly Flood podcasts. You can subscribe for free and get the music automatically delivered to your computer each Thursday. For details on that, click here.

From This Week's Flood Jam Session

This week's freebie from The 1937 Flood features nearly 10 minutes of fiddle tunes born of a single question.

One of the things we all love about the weekly jam sessions is how related tunes tend to come up in bunches like wildflowers. Last night was the perfect example.

At one point, Norman Davis -- who, with his beautiful bride, Shirley, are beloved regulars at our Wednesday night gatherings -- asked Joe Dobbs to play that old fiddle tune with a girl's name in it. Well, that led to a number of fiddle tunes named after women, from "Rachel" to "St. Anne's Reel" to "Red Wing" and more. Hear the tunes.

Remember that the tunes from the jam sessions make up our weekly Flood podcasts. You can subscribe for free and get the music automatically delivered to your computer each Thursday. For details on that, click here.

This Week's Freebie from The 1937 Flood

This week's freebie from The 1937 Flood features an original by a Flood original, one of the band's four founders.

A band that's been around for 40 years has a lot of graduates. And the undisputed valedictorian of the class of Floodsters Emeritus is Rog Samples. Roger is one of the four founders of The Flood, and his vocals and beautiful guitar work, along with the great songs he writes, were central the band's sound for its first 10 years or more, before Rog and his family moved from West Virginia to the green pastures of Mount Sterling, Ky. We still get together as often as we can, and Rog and his brothers, Mack and Ted, are treasured friends.

Now, for the past year, our brother Roger has been making a remarkable, inspiring stand against cancer, and with his typical wit and artistry, he decided there had to be a song in there somewhere too. And so, out of the fight of a lifetime comes his original tune, "Chemo Blues." Hear the audio.

Remember that the tunes from the jam sessions make up our weekly Flood podcasts. You can subscribe for free and get the music automatically delivered to your computer each Thursday. For details on that, click here.

From This Week's Flood Jam Session

This week's freebie from The 1937 Flood jam session features Michelle Walker leading us to fly away.

Wednesday night means The Flood's regular practice session, but it's become so much more than that. The jam session has evolved into a weekly reunion of old friends and new friends, folks we see often, others we see only occasionally.

Last night a recently departed friend was much on Michelle's mind when she suggested this great old gospel number. In the playing of it, it quickly grew into a celebration of all the friends who had come together on that particular rainy winter night. Hear the audio.

Remember that the tunes from the jam sessions make up our weekly Flood podcasts. You can subscribe for free and get the music automatically delivered to your computer each Thursday. For details on that, click here.

From This Week's Flood Jam Session

This week's freebie from The 1937 Flood jam session features a shout-out to the real flood.

Seventy-five years ago this week, most of the streets of downtown Huntington -- and many other cities along the Ohio River -- were under water, devastated by the great 1937 flood. So, if you're a band named after that natural disaster and you have a jam session on its poignant anniversary, what do you play? Why, one of the fine flood songs of Bob Dylan, of course. Take it away, boys. Hear the audio.

Finally, remember that the tunes from the jam sessions make up our weekly Flood podcasts. You can subscribe for free and get the music automatically delivered to your computer each Thursday. For details on that, click here.

From This Week's Flood Jam Session

This week's freebie from The 1937 Flood jam session features a couple of very diverse numbers from newcomers to or weekly gathering.

At the recommendation of Joe Dobbs, bluesman Chris Sutton and his buddy Mike Lyzenga dropped in to share a few tunes.

And from Princeton, W.Va., singer/songwriter Albert Perrone came with his friend and jam session regular Doug Imbrogno.

Finally, in the spirit of all things new, The Flood introduced its new band mate. Bassist/guitarist/singer Randy Hamilton of Willow Wood, Ohio, has become our newest member. Randy's been sitting in with us since late last summer, and we figured it was high time we made an honest Floodster out of him. You'll hear him on both of these tracks from last night's do.

First up is Chris with a bluesy original called "Elevator." Then come Doug and Albert with a wild and woolly rendition of that 1940s standard, "Enjoy Yourself." Doug calls our jam sessions the region's only weekly Irish caili. Well, thank to you guys, we certainly did enjoy yourselves! Hear the two tunes.

Finally, remember that the tunes from the jam sessions make up our weekly Flood podcasts. You can subscribe for free and get the music automatically delivered to your computer each Thursday. For details on that, click here.

Our first VIDEO podcast, featuring a track from the New CD!

This week's freebie from The 1937 Flood features a VIDEO from the band's new CD, "Wade in the Water."

Since we started this podcast three years ago, it's always been an audio affair, but with the start of a new year, we thought we'd try something different -- our first VIDEO podcast. And we got a great one to start with.

Last August, when we went in the studio to record our new "Wade in the Water" CD, Michael Valentine, Adam Harris and the good folks with Live at Trackside made videos of us recording a number of the tunes. This week Michael released a video of us doing this great old Hokum Boys song, "Somebody Been Usin' That Thing." click here to watch it. Hope you enjoy it.

And if you're interested in getting your hands on the new CD, come by the web site at 1937flood.com -- we'll tell you how you can order right online! -- click here to read all about it.