Porch Music
"The West Was Burning" by Martha Scanlan
Reeltime Travelers - 2004 Durango Meltdown - courtesy of Chip Russell
Source: SBD >DA-P1>Sony ES-700>
Soundforge 6.0 > WAV > CDR
Recorded by: Leigh MacKenzie
Transcribed to MP3 format for this webpage by John Hotze
I encourage those who enjoy the music here, not to distribute it in this MP3 webpage listening format. jkh
Requests for a CD of the full show which this song was transcribed from can be posted on the RTT forum at the following location http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ReeltimeTravelers/. I'm sure someone there will be more than happy to help you with obtaining a copy.
Dai writes:
One of Martha Scanlan's masterpieces is the beautiful tune "The West Was Burning" (I understand that this title is provisional and may change, but this is how her fans know it presently). This tune has been nothing short of legendary among passionate 'Travelers fans since its first few performances, which reduced grown men to tears. Have you ever heard of music with such power before?
If you are anything like I am, this tune will grow and expand inside you over time, opening your heart to everything beautiful in life. Martha's lyrics and singing are so stunningly beautiful and rich that every moment you invest in this tune will be rewarded many times over. Its meanings will burst into your consciousness when you least expect them, and leave you tingling with amazement.
Early performances were arranged for ensemble playing throughout, with a generally intensifying dynamic which added steadily increasing drama to the lyrics. There are several extant versions of this arrangement that are wonderful, especially the Rockygrass 2003 version although the recording itself has some limitations. As far as I know, this version from Durango April 2004 was the first time it was performed in its present arrangement, which has Martha opening the tune solo with a full cycle of guitar chords so exquisite that when her vocal begins and softly lands on top of this sweet foundation, its almost too beautiful to bear, in this immaculate recording.
Her lyrics have such depth that its impossible to comprehend them the first time, at least it was for me. I've been listening to it almost non-stop for 8 months, and it still sparkles magnificently today. The fact that I was there to witness it in performance adds only a little additional gravity to this masterwork for me. I think the recording delivers most of what was there to feel that evening.
When I listen to this tune, and several others by Martha, I am profoundly thankful to be alive at this time, to share in such beauty. Her music has opened my heart as never before, and this tune is central to this ongoing revelation.
Dai McClurg
For those of you interested in digging into The Reeltime Travelers some more, please visit their website at the following URL: http://www.reeltimetravelers.com/