Mary Chapin Carpenter and guitar

[phcorrigan]

Originally Posted by mcduffnw

Here is info on her John Greven Guitars that I posted in an earlier thread about her and her Home Youtube Concerts...

Thanks for posting this!

[L20A]

I have enjoyed Mary Chapin Carpenter's music for a long time.
Her at home concerts are great.
I have seen all of them as she posted them.

I also enjoy her guitar work and love the sound that she has developed.

[Mr. Paul]

MCC has a new record scheduled for release on August 7, one of the tunes is "Old D35"

[david57strat]

Originally Posted by Goodallboy

“Stones In The Road” with the incomparable Belmont Tench (Tom Petty’s Heartbreakers) on keyboards would be my suggestion as an introduction to her great talent.

Stones In the Road was the album that got me started in my long journey of listening to and appreciating her amazing talents. Gifted songwriter, with a gorgeous voice, beautifully nuanced guitar-playing skills, and a gift for telling a story that draws you in immediately.

She's an incredible talent - the real deal. I hope to see her play, live, someday.

Songs of hers I would love to learn (tunings, as well) are:

John Doe #24 (I kind of figured this one out, but the voicing isn't quite right)
Another Home
Superman
Sometimes Just the Sky
Chasing What's Already Gone

..to name just a few

[caperrob]

She's an incredible talent - the real deal. I hope to see her play, live, someday.

Me too David - I am a huge fan too. Is it wrong for a guy to play her songs at a jam? I did

Thanks to the OP for starting the discussion on such a talented and incredibly intelligent woman (you learn something new every day).

[boneuphtoner]

Originally Posted by Mr. Paul

MCC has a new record scheduled for release on August 7, one of the tunes is "Old D35"

I just listened to this new recording! Such hauntingly beautiful singing and playing - what is the back story behind this? I guess she has an old D-35? Even though this thread talks about her Grevens

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnM3nxLumkc

[pieterh]

Originally Posted by caperrob

She's an incredible talent - the real deal. I hope to see her play, live, someday.

Me too David - I am a huge fan too. Is it wrong for a guy to play her songs at a jam? I did

Thanks to the OP for starting the discussion on such a talented and incredibly intelligent woman (you learn something new every day).

It’s not wrong at all, we do a couple of her songs in our trio, and I sing them. In fact, one of the songs, This Shirt, is originally in F and we do it in E. She now does it in D so I actually sing it higher than she does!

We also do Grand Central Station. I’d really like to do Goodnight America and if anyone here knows the open tuning for it I’d love to know what it is!

[Rogerblair]

Another huge fan here...loved her since she went public early on.

My favorite song of hers is “I Am a Town”. Love the tuning, and she sings it like she has experienced it. Reminds me of my small hometown.

I’ve seen her a couple times over the years and she is very dynamic on stage.

Rb

[rickcrna]

MCC and Sarah Kay have a 3 episode podcast called "One Story with Mary Chapin Carpenter and Sarah Kay". Each episode is about 33 minutes and much of the discussion focuses on the songs of her latest CD "The Dirt and the Stars". Would highly recommend this podcast to MCC fans.

BTW...the song Old D-35 is a tribute to John Jennings and a guitar he once played.

Check out the podcast.

[peteathome]

Wow. I had always heard of her, but never listened to her until today. What an awesome talent she is! I'm off on a new journey of exploration now to learn all I can about her and her music. Thanks much to the original poster for turning me on to her!

[caperrob]

Originally Posted by pieterh

It’s not wrong at all, we do a couple of her songs in our trio, and I sing them. In fact, one of the songs, This Shirt, is originally in F and we do it in E. She now does it in D so I actually sing it higher than she does!

We also do Grand Central Station. I’d really like to do Goodnight America and if anyone here knows the open tuning for it I’d love to know what it is!

Good stuff Pieter!!!

[jaymarsch]

Originally Posted by Rogerblair

Another huge fan here...loved her since she went public early on.

My favorite song of hers is “I Am a Town”. Love the tuning, and she sings it like she has experienced it. Reminds me of my small hometown.

I’ve seen her a couple times over the years and she is very dynamic on stage.

Rb

Yes, one of my favorite songs as well.

I am enjoying both the podcast and her newest CD.

Best,
Jayne

[gfspencer]

Thanks to everyone for this thread! MCC is fantastic. I love "Why Shouldn't We". A very uplifting song for rough times.

[david57strat]

Originally Posted by caperrob

She's an incredible talent - the real deal. I hope to see her play, live, someday.

Me too David - I am a huge fan too. Is it wrong for a guy to play her songs at a jam? I did

Thanks to the OP for starting the discussion on such a talented and incredibly intelligent woman (you learn something new every day).

I don't think it's at all unusual to want to cover an artist's songs - regardless of their gender. People have been covering other artist's songs forever.

Although I'm not generally a fan of doing cover tunes, there's something about certain artists that prompts me to be a lot more open to working on their songs. I find some of their compositions (lyrics, included, clearly) fascinating and stirring, and welcome the opportunity to take part in re-creating the songs - maybe in part, as a tribute to the artist.

Not too many artists have had this effect on me. They seem to be few and far in between.

Shawn Colvin is another one of these writers, but I'd be more comfortable just sticking with the guitar and having a woman handle the vocalist duties.

Although I've had my share of playing in many cover bands, once in a while, I come across an artist whose music doesn't tire me, or feel like I'm doing just a rehash of their work. Music that really speaks to me. Music with substance; music that actually has something to say, and that's thought-provoking and contemplative.

Mary Chapin Carpenter's music (particularly her soulful piano and guitar ballads) has that very quality.

Many of her more recent songs are in a slightly lower vocal range, so it'd be easier for me to sing them. But even if they weren't, and I wanted to stay in the original key in which they were written, I'd be happy to find a female vocalist that'd be willing to work on them with me. They're beautiful songs. Why not enjoy playing (and possibly even singing some of) them? My hope is that I can do justice to them.

So much of her music (referring to her understated ballads) has a raw power to it - a power that's hidden behind the smoothness of her gorgeous voice.

When you give a good listen to the orchestration in her album arrangements, you can often find a lot of layers to it. It's so beautifully put together (performed, recorded, mixed, mastered...engineered) - but with a seeming simplicity to it that belies its depth. It's rich and full.

This is as much a compliment to those fine musician with whom she has worked, as well as the engineers and producers that helped her with the final product, which is ...........flawless and amazing - at least to me :-)

Her vocal - it's like a restrained power she has....if that makes any sense.

[david57strat]

Originally Posted by pieterh

It’s not wrong at all, we do a couple of her songs in our trio, and I sing them. In fact, one of the songs, This Shirt, is originally in F and we do it in E. She now does it in D so I actually sing it higher than she does!

We also do Grand Central Station. I’d really like to do Goodnight America and if anyone here knows the open tuning for it I’d love to know what it is!

That is a particularly powerful tune, and one of many of hers that I have come to love and appreciate.

Dad and I spent a week in Manhattan, in December of 2005 and visited the Ground Zero sight. Very emotional place. The building site was still in the process of being re-constructed. Dad passed away just this past April, and I will always be grateful to have gotten to spend that time with him, in what was the first and only trip I've ever had the pleasure of making to New York.

I'll remember that trip for the rest of my life.

I saw this video, describing the story behind how the song came to be, then listened to the song for the first time - and it was all the more powerful for me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04L5_cnFVC0

Another song from the same album, that I love, is entitled "My Heaven"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHevzVYVyTs