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THE OUTSKIRTS OF FUN Janice has been wanting to record a honky tonk country tune for quite a while. We thought about doing a cover but decided to see if we could write our own. For the uninitiated, the father of the genre is Ernest Tubb who recorded the classic “Walking The Floor Over You” in the 40’s. The songs featured prominent bass, drums and some of the first country electric guitar -- all to cut through the din for the dance beat. In the south honky tonks were usually small clapboard or cinder block buildings with cheap beer/wine, a jukebox (and the occasional band), sawdust on the floor to facilitate dancing, a pool table, lots of neon and a working class clientele who knew how to party. Good history here: http://www.texasfolklife.org/touring_honkytonk.htmlWhen I was in undergrad school in the late 60’s I used to head to the outskirts of town where a honky tonk lay just across the county line. I’d have a draft, watch the locals two step and clear out the head after a tedious day . Yeah man, I was listening to the Grateful Dead and Ernest Tubb then! A few weeks ago while Janice and I were mountain biking I thought of that old place and the “outskirts of town” became the “outskirts of fun....” A big thanks to Floyd Jane for the harmony and comments are welcome -- even if old school country ain't to your liking. Lead Vocal: Janice via Rodes mic and Blue Icicle USB interface Harmony Vocal: Floyd Jane Mixing: GarageBand interfaced with BIAB Bass: RT 1848 composite of multiple regenerations Drums: RD N’ville swing Guitar R: 964 Guitar R: 959 Guitar L: 1279 composite of multiple regenerations Steel R: 612 Steel L: 1504 composite of multiple regenerations Piano R: 1855 Fiddle R:1114 composite of multiple regenerations
Last edited by Janice & Bud; 09/18/13 03:35 PM.
Our albums and singles are on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, Pandora and more. If interested search on Janice Merritt. Thanks! Our Videos
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Janice & Bud, I really enjoyed this even though I have never been in one. Yeah right. I love this genre and you guys do this well. Janice, your vocals just kill me. So bluesy and yet so pitch perfect. Just beautiful. Floyd, nice job on the low harmony. I think it is much easier to sing a higher harmony and much harder to nail the low part. Great production. Thanks for posting. You guys rock! Tom
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Apprentice
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Totally not my musical cup of tea at all and I found my toe tapping by the first chorus and totally hooked soon after. I am in awe of the talent on this board, this is a great song and it was recorded and mixed with love of that there is no doubt.
BIB is amazing isn't it? And in the hands of musical magicians as most you all are it gets even more awesome.
Thank you for posting this and taking me out of my box for a few min, I really enjoyed it.
Rick
Last edited by rickey2005; 09/18/13 04:56 PM.
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Very nice mix. Great job on the vocs. Your breaks sounded natural and I know that can be a lot of work.
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YEH, that's the sorta country that I like.
It reminds me of a gig we did years back in the Rhonda valley of Mid Wales but with less blood, bottle throwing and fighting and that was just to get a drink LOL!!
Thoroughly enjoyed that; all kudos to you both and also Floyd Jane for harmonies.
Alyn
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Janice, Bud and Floyd
Great work. I love this type of country music. Love the concept of the "outskirts of fun". I think I am on my way there too.
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Cool tune.... swinging honky tonk music in a dive with sawdust on the floor.
BTW: the sawdust on the floor is to keep the dust down. Ever see a herd of cows running?
We played a place one time where the bar keep actually had to add more sawdust because in spite of there being sawdust on the floor, the dancers managed to apparently wear it out and the dust in the air was thicker than the cigarette smoke.
What a dive, but what a fun time we had there.
I like the song.
You can find my music at: www.herbhartley.comAdd nothing that adds nothing to the music. You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both. The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
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Bud and Janice,
Excellent! (As always!) This is the kind of country I grew up listening to. As expected, Janice, you nailed to vocals! You guys keep raising the bar. Good job!
Steve
Steve Young Music"In order to compose, all you need to do is remember a tune that nobody else has thought of." - Robert Schumann
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Hi Janice and Bud, Totally not my musical cup of tea at all and I found my toe tapping by the first chorus and totally hooked soon after. Not necessary to add that Janice's voice is awesome. Floyd's harmonies are a nice touch. Guenter
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Hey Janice & Bud, like many other people Country is not my first choice, I'm a Jazz guy, however I know how to appreciate any musical genre (no rap please!)when well played. Love Janice voice!
Mike B.
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expressed mathematically: Bud + Janice + Floyd = excellent (or maybe fantastic ^3) I grew up listening to Ernest Tubb and "Walkin' the Floor Over You", so this was like an old friend. I'd say you did a great job of capturing the feel of the genre (if your ability to make the listener's foot tap involuntarily is any indication) One thing that really intrigues me about Janice's voice is the way it slides like an eel dancing on butter... yet it always sounds perfectly in tune! The only way I can justify that seeming inconsistency is that she nails the key notes, and everything in between passes as transition. Interesting. I am also intrigued that so many of your songs fall outside the realm of experience... for example, you've got this rock-solid long standing marriage, but a lot of your songs explore the lives of people who have made very bad relationship decisions. Oddly, that makes perfect sense to me, for the following reason: Those with wisdom learn by observing the mistakes of others... the average person learns after making his/her own mistakes... and the fool repeats the same mistakes for a lifetime without ever learning My take-away is that your long standing marriage comes from your ability to see where others have gone wrong, and avoid making the same mistakes. And your ability to vicariously examine life's possibilities without actually going there gives you an endless supply of human drama from which to draw for your songs. Or not. Another attribute of fools is that they just make stuff up then believe it because it pleases them to do so.  Whether any of this is true or not, one thing is definitely true: all 3 of you have an uncommonly well-developed feel for what makes a song interesting, and you know how to actualize your ideas into real songs that knock everybody's socks off. Which is why I'm sitting here without socks, wiggling my toes and listening to your song over and over because it strikes some chord that I never knew needed to be struck. PS: have you seen any of Kevin Emmrich's posts about Streetjelly.com? I would really like to see you there. You've got all these awesome original songs with backing tracks... your presence there would raise the bar for everybody
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Tom, thanks! This kind of singing comes very natural to Janice -- we've listened to it for decades. And yep, Floyd nailed the harmony. I've seen a lot of folks struggle with that part over the years. A great baritone part harmony singer can always find a place in a bluegrass band. Rick, thank you very much. Good to hear that you got outa the box for a bit. I crawl out every now and then and realize how much I like most other genres. Rob, thanks for the comment on the song and particularly on the breaks. Yeah they do take time. Even short ones like these take a lot of cut and pasting to get the right sound. Thanks Alyn, Hey some of the old tonks had chicken wire to protect the band from the bottles! Thank you Joanne -- I think in one way or another at some time or another we've all been there. Glad you liked it! Herb, thanks! I played in one such place and it was a mix up in the booking. Fortunately they liked our bluegrass band and we had a lead singer who could sing country classics so we survived.... Steven, thank you very much. Glad to run into folks here who came along with that kind of music. Janice's father exposed her to a good amount of it when she was a kid. Guenter, thanks! I'm glad that we can enjoy each other's productions! Mike, we appreciate that. BTW, Billie Holiday and Lester Young is about as good as it gets! Pat, thank you for your insightful remarks. I call what Janice does "bent note" singing. When she first started singing I'd encourage her to bend the notes. Listen to Ralph Stanley sing "Oh Death" sometime and you can hear what influenced me. Some of those mournful bluegrass singers could get four notes from the word "of." Most folks when they listen to bluegrass don't get past the high singing or the banjo  long enough to hear what those singers can do. And, yes, vicariously living out those songs may be the key and Lord knows, like all of us there has been enough drama with family and friends to develop some feel for the pain that can exist in relationships. I'm blessed to not have to live the songs out! Thanks again and I'll never forget the slippery eel on butter!!
Last edited by Janice & Bud; 09/19/13 05:40 PM.
Our albums and singles are on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, Pandora and more. If interested search on Janice Merritt. Thanks! Our Videos
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Hi, Janice & Bud & Floyd !
I am out of superlatives for
this great performance and production
so I simply say: I liked it very much !:)
Cheers
Dani
Last edited by dani48; 09/19/13 11:29 AM.
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Bud and Janice, Other than Walking The Floor, ET has never been my taste. When I think of Honky Tonk, I think of Hank Williams Honky Tonkin' or his Honky Tonk blues,etc. I didn't read your link, sorry, I'm from the south so grew up "initiated" with family stories. They were also called "juke joints" because there was usually a jukebox. I think the rest of the country just called them beer joints or dives. But I digress. I like this song. The lyrics are clever in an almost tongue in cheek way and interesting. The tune and chord progression fit it well. Suits Janice's style to a T. I think it's one of your best writes.
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Y'all are just flat-out good.
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Thanks Dani! Glad you liked it.
Thanks Josie, we appreciate the comments! Glad you like the write...it was fun.
Floyd, "flat-out" is good southern speak for "very" and we thank you for the compliment!
Last edited by Janice & Bud; 09/21/13 05:51 PM.
Our albums and singles are on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, Pandora and more. If interested search on Janice Merritt. Thanks! Our Videos
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Well I'll throw mine in . . . Ya'll sure can play!
I loved this tune, production and of course performance.
Later,
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love the mix, glad that you had the chance to explore your musical fancy
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Hey Danny and Gruve, thanks for checking in and listening. Writing and recording this song was a lot of fun. Glad y'all enjoyed it.
Our albums and singles are on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, Pandora and more. If interested search on Janice Merritt. Thanks! Our Videos
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Hey Janice, Bud and Floyd, My feet and fingers are still settling down after tapping their way through the song. This sort of music sure makes a fella feel good. I loved the metaphor of the hook. The concept of "outskirts of fun" creates a hundred images in my head. It's very clever use of language. I've got to say that your compositions continue to leave me wanting more I'm heading back for another listen! Bye for now, Noel
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