Norwegian Wood - Kevin Roth

Norwegian Wood (Spotify)

Time for an Appalachian Sunday morning.

Kevin Roth is one of the world's foremost mountain dulcimer players. This is a bit like saying he's the worlds foremost amplexus coordinator as far as how much people understand or care. Which is a shame, because the mountain dulcimer (different from a regular dulcimer) is a beautiful and unique sounding instrument.

The instrument has its origins in the Appalachian Mountain range and is considered a key part of the indigenous music of that region, though Roth plays the dulcimer in an unconventional style almost more like slide guitar.

This is Roth's reading of The Beatle's Norwegian Wood. As opposed to a straight cover of the song, Roth has used the melody framework to create a mini suite more suited to the sound of the dulcimer.

Hooray Hooray, The Woman Is Killing Me - Sonny Terry

I have written about this album at length elsewhere, but I think it's always a good time to spread the word of the washboard.

Sonny Terry, a blind blues harmonica player and singer, recorded an album of washboard band music (a clanking junkyard rhythm sound made of found objects such as pots, pans, brooms and of course washboards) in 1955 for the Folkways record label.

The percussion on these songs is incredible. Beats between beats between beats are layered together in intricately simplistic patterns which create a clattering metal safety net for Terry's leaping impassioned blues howls and yelps.

It's charming, raucous yet intimate, and utterly unique sounding. Makes you wonder (well- kind of) why the washboard has faded from popular music.