THE HORSE HE RODE IN ON

That's not the horse he rode in on. This photo was an illustration for one of David Mallett's recent songs Dogs and Horses. This horse serves as a metaphor for the fictitious animal from the old farm hand's saying "____ you and the horse you rode in on!

It so happens that the title of Mr. Mallett's latest masterpiece is The Horse I Rode In On. 

In this album he pays tribute to the singers and songwriters who inspired him back in the day. They are (or were) the "horses" that carried him to his current level of songwriting creativity. They include Bob Dylan (Girl From the North Country), Gordon Lightfoot (Second Cup of Coffee), Kris Kristofferson (For the Good Times), and Irving Burgie (Jamaica Farewell). Dave has been previewing the album for two years by featuring Tombstone Every Mile in most of his concerts, and it is one of the highlights of the album. I sure Dave has the same memories I do of being a young man in Maine when Dick Curless had the big hit version of it. It's as Maine as a song can get, with it's scary story of truck drivers who disappear while driving through the Hainesville Woods, a stretch of road "way up in Maine, that's never ever ever seen a smile." My father used to love turning up the volume when it came on the radio while we were driving through those haunted woods. Scared the bejesus out of me! Here's the Curless original:

                                            https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0g5l5r4XBps

Here's Dave's reverent cover of Dylan's Girl From the North Country.

                                            https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fA9xTKp2kWc

Some of you may recall that I blogged about Dave Mallett a few years ago, so I won't bother repeating all of the recording and personal history I shared at that time. I'm breaking one of the promises I made to myself about not visiting a subject more than once, but I guess I'm allowed to break my own rules, as long as I don't make a habit of it!

Dave lives in Sebec, Maine, and that's Sebec Lake in the background behind him. He is a Mainer through and through, and he performs more concerts in Maine than anywhere else. My wife Lorie and I catch him when he visits Roaring Brook in Canton, Connecticut once a year. Dave performs fearlessly in front of the snake cages at the nature center. Bassist Mike Burd provides additional backbone to that performance and all of the others on the folk circuit.

Dave has some fun with Lightfoot's Second Cup of Coffee, as is evidenced by this video.

                                       https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_XMkgD1x0k

My personal favorites from The Horse I Rode In On are Saginaw Michigan and They Covered Up the Old Swimmin' Hole. He also does a very nice cover of Long Black Veil, a tune previously covered by everyone from Johnny Cash to the Kingston Trio. Here's a shot of the back cover so that you may see all of the song titles:

Here's a photo I took at 2013's Roaring Brook concert. That's Dave's lovely daughter Molly on the left and Mike Burd on the right. Molly and her brothers Will and Luke provide backing vocals on several tracks of this latest album. Dave's brother Neil also lends his voice.

David is moving at a faster pace these days, with a new album due out before Christmas. He's drawn upon his fans to finance this record, and they have come through with all of the money needed! The working title so far for the album is #17, but that is likely to change.

With 17 albums to his credit, David Mallett shows no sign of slowing down. The songs are coming out of him on a regular basis and he is mostly pleased with them. We are used to getting a new album every 4 or 5 years, but now it looks like that will be an annual pleasure! We thank you, Mr. Mallett, and long may you thrive.