This particular session was a real treat for me. A veteran of 60's psych folk groups the Holy Modal Rounders and the Fugs, Peter Stampfel was a prime candidate to interpret a Carter tune. This one, called "The Titanic," was originally recorded by the Carter Family in 1950. Peter related to me that he had heard it on the radio around 1960, and had been wanting to play it ever since. I went to his brooklyn apartment to record this song on the evening October 29th, which was coincidentally Peter's birthday! His friend Eli, daughter Zoe, and a whole zoo inside his old Brooklyn apartment got in on the fun, with backing harmonies by his birds Snapdragon, Gus and I.O. For the introduction, Peter relates a story about how the Carter family got personally one-up'ed by the Hiroshima attacks.
credits
from America Salutes The Carter Family,
released May 13, 2011
Eli Smith - Zither; Peter Stampfel - Mandolin and Vocal; Zoe Stampfel - Percussion; Snapdragon, Gus, and I.O. - Whistling
Nicolette Hoang's velvety vocals are the finishing touch on this pitch-perfect update on outlaw country with a touch of 60s glam. Bandcamp New & Notable Feb 27, 2024