Yesterday I had a show in Willimantic, Connecticut, and I decided to surprise the audience with a rendition of its official song, ‘Willimantic, U.S.A.’ The song is pretty goofy — it begins, “Take a look at the map of the United States and you’ll find Connecticut …” — but it’s peppy and fun to play. Here’s a video of me singing the song.
Tracks
Hey, I just noticed there’s some video from my show at the John Henry’s Hammer Coffeehouse in Worcester a couple of weeks ago. In addition to some nice clips of Walter Crockett and the Wannabee Wabbits (the band I opened for), there’s a snippet of me playing ‘That’ll Never Happen No More’ during my soundcheck.
It’s a nice collection of clips from the show. I hope I’ll see Mr. Crockett’s band again soon!
It’s a nice collection of clips from the show. I hope I’ll see Mr. Crockett’s band again soon!
The Day - Live Lunch Break: Jacob Haller | News from southeastern Connecticut
Yesterday I took the day off of work and headed down to the headquarters of theday.com, a Connecticut newspaper, to participate in a live broadcast in which I played seven songs and answered some questions from the host, Rick Koster. I had a great time, and the episode is now online at http://www.theday.com/article/20130321/MEDIA0104/130329943/1128/medialivelunch . If you know anyone who might enjoy it, please share it around!
A couple of months ago, I asked the excellent web cartoonist and artist Shaenon Garrity to pick one of my songs and come up with a shirt design to go with it. She picked ‘The Ballad of Anne Hutchinson’, my song about Rhode Island co-founder Anne Hutchinson, and as soon as I saw the first rough sketch I knew it was going to be really great. (A favorite detail: the letters in the border are based on Puritan alphabet books from New England in the 17th century.)
I got the shirts and tote bags from the printers on Friday, sold a few shirts at a show on Saturday, and today catalogued them and put them up for sale on my website at http://jacobhaller.bandcamp.com/merch. They’re available in mens, womens, and kids sizes. Check ‘em out — I think they look great!
For the day before Valentine’s day I’ve saved up one of my sweeter songs. This one features Joe Auger on drums, Natalie Markward on electric guitar, and Jack Hanlon on upright bass.
I sang it first thing in the morning, as I wanted it to start with as much of a languid feel as possible and I knew that after the first take I would be too excited to do it properly.
Pickle Postcard
Today’s valentine-y song is the tale of a man torn between two loves: his partner, and pickles.
Today’s romantic song
is Hybrid Car Blues. Aw, let’s snuggle up and conserve a little energy together, baby.
Valentine-ish song for Saturday
I hope my friends in the northeast are keeping safe. Here’s a little upbeat song with a scientific message; I played it at an open mike in Georgia last Monday.
Today’s Valentine-ish song is a favorite of my niece Harriet, and it features Joe Auger on drums and Daniel Schleifer on sousaphone. Also, me on the accordion.
Today’s Valentine-related song
is this paean to the blind date, “Was The Moon Too Full?” which Tracie Potochnik was kind enough to sing with me.
A few Valentine-related songs
For the past few days I’ve been posting some vaguely Valentine-related songs to facebook, and it occurred to me that I should do the same here. So here’s what I’ve posted so far:
- Stale Tequila
- A Dozen Lovely Roses
- From Your Neighbors (contains swearing)
A Dozen Lovely Roses features Chris Monti on mandolin and backing vocals, and it’s based on a true story.
Help get me a slot in the Montauk Music Festival
I’ve applied to play in the Montauk Music Festival in Montauk, New York. I think it would be a lot of fun to play there. If you agree, and have a facebook account, you can post on their wall here to suggest me: https://www.facebook.com/themontaukmusicfestival — they’ve suggested that people post there to support their preferred performers.
I think it’s helpful for people to see what they will be getting, so if you like, you could include a link to one of these videos:
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdoQ7ug1MM0 - ‘The Ballad of Anne Hutchinson’
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpvONAdJS3U - ‘I’m a Guy’
or to one of the videos on my youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/jwgh
If anything comes of it, I’ll let you know.
Knitting patterns on my website
I’ve created a web page on my website for my knitting patterns and related stuff. Go to http://music.jwgh.org/knitting/ to see my Stegosaurus and Diplocaulus knitting patterns, plus a few knitting-related songs and tips on how to use kitchener stitch on edges with ribbing. Happy knitting!
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Track Name
Dear Santa
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Album
Circumstantial Evidence
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Artist
Jacob Haller
A little Christmas song from my last album. I hope you’ve been good this year!
Lyrics and chords for the song are on my website at http://music.jwgh.org/lyrics/circumstantialevidence/1DearSanta.html, and you can buy it from http://jacobhaller.bandcamp.com/track/dear-santa.
