During a fit of lunacy, I ordered a stack of albums from Jalopy Records, the in-house record label for the Jalopy Theatre and School of Music, located in Red Hook, New York.
The 7 Inch Series was pretty unique. Each month, Jalopy pressed a new record for subscribers. Performances were captured as live takes, mixed to a tape machine on location. The music was kept analog all the way through the process of making the vinyl record, and only at the last phase were they digitized for download. This series was produced in 2017 and funded through a Kickstarter campaign to aid in the high cost of production. It would be cool if they were able to offer another subscription series in the future.
Pat Conte, 7 Inch Series (above), which features four songs, and American Songs with Fiddle and Banjo (2011), an LP that I believe was first album released by Jalopy Records (labeled 001). The seven-inch includes "This May Be Your Last Time," "Old Time Indians," "I'm Dying Mother" and "I Had a Good Mother and Father." The LP features 14 tracks. It is pressed on red translucent vinyl and comes with a handsome booklet with illustrations, tune information and lyrics. My copy had a bit of a pressing issue causing a skip.
Down Hill Strugglers, Lone Prairie (2017), the debut LP for the old-time stringband that features Eli Smith, Walker Shepard and Jackson Lynch, features 13 tracks. The band was previously called the Dust Busters and often toured with John Cohen. Their rendition of "Roving Gambler," recorded with Cohen, appeared on the soundtrack to the Coen Brothers' 2013 film, Inside Llewyn Davis. The album includes liner notes by Do Not Sell at Any Price author and The New Yorker contributor Amanda Petrusich.
Clifton Hicks, 7 Inch Series, includes five tunes, "Sourwood Mountain," "Prodigal Son," "Hook and Line," "Hand Me Down" and "Coal Creek." However, they would have been wise to limit the album to four songs because the needle runs out of space on the second side in the middle of final song with no run out groove. This is one instance where it's definitely nice to have the digital copy.
Lost Train Blues: John & Alan Lomax and the Early Folk Music Collections at the Library of Congress (2016), is a collection of field recordings the Lomaxes made during the 1930s and '40s. Most of the tracks have never been released before. I have never heard of any of the musicians on the album, but it's a fascinating document. The LP has an essay by Nathan Salsburg of the Association for Cultural Equity/Alan Lomax Archive on the back cover and a 14-page booklet with background information about the recording sessions, tunes and musicians.
Jerron "Blind Boy" Paxton, 7 Inch Series, features four songs, "Alabama Bound," "Painting the Clouds with Sunshine," "Michigan Water Blues" and "Civil War Medley." Paxton is one of those musicians I wish had more music available for purchase. He's such an electrifying performer and seems to be a master of any instrument he touches.
Walker Shepard, 7 Inch Series, features four songs, "Roll Along John," "Laid Awake Blues," "What's A Matter Blues" and "Stingoree Blues." Shepard is a member of the Down Hill Strugglers. I've seen him several times as a member of the Dust Busters and always appreciated his singing and musicianship. This small sampling of his solo work doesn't disappoint.
Eli Smith, 7 Inch Series, features five songs in total, "Wild Bill Jones," "John Hardy," "Hong Kong Blues," "Last Chance" and "Guitar Rag," four of which appear on vinyl and the fifth as digital edition extra. Smith is also a member of the Down Hill Strugglers, as well as the producer for the Brooklyn Folk Festival and the somewhat dormant Down Home Radio Show.
My first experience with the Jalopy catalog was last year when I reviewed Clarence Ashley, Live and In Person: Greenwich Village 1963 for The Old-Time Herald. Jalopy is one of the few labels today that is publishing old-time music on vinyl. They have a fairly robust catalog of new releases and reissues, as well as its 7 Inch Series that was originally available as subscription service.
The 7 Inch Series was pretty unique. Each month, Jalopy pressed a new record for subscribers. Performances were captured as live takes, mixed to a tape machine on location. The music was kept analog all the way through the process of making the vinyl record, and only at the last phase were they digitized for download. This series was produced in 2017 and funded through a Kickstarter campaign to aid in the high cost of production. It would be cool if they were able to offer another subscription series in the future.
In addition to the physical copies of the albums, you also get a digital download code when you buy from Jalopy. Some of the 7 Inch Series records have additional songs included with the digital version. So here's a rundown of the albums I got:
If you're like me, and you enjoy listening to your old-time music (or any kind of music, really) on vinyl, then check out what Jalopy has to offer. The 7 Inch Series records are presented with minimal packaging, and the pressing quality varies a bit, which is likely because of the stripped-down recording process. Otherwise, the pressings are well done, and the packaging is superb with robust booklets that are reminiscent of the old Folkways label.
Jalopy's most recent release is Nora Brown's debut album, Cinnamon Tree. Brown is a 13-year-old banjo phenom. I fear I might have to make another purchase soon ...
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