5090 by FAWM: "The Leatherman"

The Leatherman

9 weeks ago by @odilongreen

The Leatherman

odilongreen

00:00

Liner Notes

This song--which, let me say up front to manage expectations, is NOT meant to be humorous, ironic, etc.--has its genesis in my desire to make use of the mountain (Appalachian) dulcimer I got back last fall. For its recording debut, I thought some folklore Americana would be appropriate. I’ve long been interested in doing a song about the (very real) Leatherman, who you can read about at https://shorturl.at/AVxBj (shortened Wikipedia link), so this seemed like the perfect opportunity.

I know that some of you, knowing me and seeing the title “The Leatherman,” expected an ode to Glenn Hughes, the original biker for the Village People (genuinely one of my favorite bands). And that’s a terrific idea! Maybe next time…

In any event, this song is not meant to be humorous, which is why I went with synthetic vocals. (And they’re not “vocal replacement” from a recording of me; they’re hand-coded in Synth V, which I’ve found to give better results.) I do feel a bit… guilty?… about exploring synthetic vocals this 50/90. Isn't "authenticity" supposed to be important or something? But after 10+ years of recording songs here and elsewhere, I’ve come to realize that although my own vocals have their place in the right song, sometimes, like here, I’m going for a different effect than I can deliver. I’m hardly a vocal chameleon (or skilled singer), and synthetic vocals are finally giving me the chance to explore some things I don’t feel I could ever sing on my own.

Anyway, this is live, real mountain dulcimer (I’m very new at it), with sampled, keyboard-played percussion, bass and bone flute.

#dulcimer #americana #folklore

Lyrics

Sixty pounds of leather
Worn like a second skin
And I find myself just wondering
What were you keeping in?

Three hundred sixty five miles
Just walking round and round
And though you did not hide
You were not looking to be found

***

And it seems the people liked you
Even though you hardly spoke
They gave you food and for your pipe
Tobacco you could smoke

But you never lost your faith in God
At least that’s how it looks
Among your few possessions
Was a leather-bound prayer book

***

One time you were arrested
So that they could ascertain
Whether you were fit for freedom
They decided you were sane

So through some thirty years you walked
But never gave your name
Now “The Leatherman” is all it reads
Upon your Spartan grave

Comments

@nilsjesper 5w

This is so good! I love the dulcimer when the bass then kicks in. and a great vocal line. Kind of reminds me of early crooked fingers or something. But any way, great job.

@mikeskliar 6w

wow, what a wild true story (which i had never heard of before this).. and that musical setting and lyric is perfect. I never would have guessed that is AI vocals- jeez, thats scary good, and the dulcimer adds just the right touch of old british folk to the mix--- excellent!

@fuzzy 7w

Don't you think all that leather might be a bit warm?
Lovely tune here for sure.
You're really rokkin that dulcimer.
Those vox are actually perfect for this, so well done there, too.
Nice.

@orinthebard 8w

I always like a character profile song, even moreso about a historical figure. A fitting tribute to a man with no name. The hammer dulcimer sounds great 😃

@djtjb 8w

My grandma and her twin sister were born in the Appalachian mountains and wandered barefoot into civilization eventually. So I've developed an ancestral infatuation with all things Appalachia. This really captures the feel of the mountains. My great aunt wanted to return home to be buried, so I went there for the first time as a preteen. That dulcimer gives me stark memories of seeing those mountain roads for the first time. Also kudos on the synthetic vocals, if you hadn't said anything I would have assumed you got someone to sing this.

@nancycunning 8w

Oh, these lyrics are so fun to sing along with and that dulcimer is gorgeous. I was expecting an Ode to the knife/tool. I like the storytelling and the details.

@freshspotlessyouth 8w

Wow, this is lovely and touching. I was not at all expecting something like this. That's an interesting story. I'm really looking forward to hearing more in in this vein. It's great how you abruptly step off at the end

@brisk 8w

I like this song!

The vocals are interesting - I didn't read that they were a vocaloid-style thing until the second verse so I thought they were a real human's pipes. Quite weird because I didn't really get the uncanny valley feeling... until I knew it wasn't a person and then I could hear that it wasn't a person. Whatever. It has a really nice airbrushed kind of feel that sits interestingly alongside the dulcimer which sounds real and rough (though if you now tell me it was done using nothing but a supercomputer I will believe you).

The melody is interesting because it feels really "neutral" - it isn't overtly emotional, or melodramatic, it feels like it is being kind of conversational. I'm not explaining this well! It just means that the song has a nicely detached feel to it.

One thing I didn't understand is that you repeated several times in the notes that this wasn't a joke song, or humorous. I didn't get a sense that it was a joke at all - I wonder if you can explain what you meant by this?

@kosch 9w

Nice use of the dulcimer - it can be such an almost haunting sound. I like the choice of percussion for this.
I love tidbits of history given their due in song - and as I live on his route, have visited a couple of the "Leatherman caves" (as a kid, he had almost superhero status in my mind 😆)

@jerrypettit 9w

Oh, wow--I downloaded Synth V a year or so ago. Seems to have improved quite a bit. That's encouraging, because I'm feeling my old vocal chords turning more and more to dust and gravel with every passing year. I did skim through the Wikipedia article--wasn't familiar with the guy. VERY nice song.

@cts 9w

So - first off, congrats and applause for the debut of the use of the dulcimer. I have a friend who plays a dulcimer and she has so much fun with it; posting a lot of her musings on You Tube. Interesting story of the Leatherman (that pic though...eh...kinda spooky). Nicely arranged and if you ever feel so inclined, I'd really like to know how you accomplished this. I know it's AI, I get that, but I'd really like to know the process to get the end result. Pretty cool what you've got here and I agree that after 10+ years, you can absolutely other ways to achieve your creative goals.

@cheslain 9w

Great folky vibe in the melody emphasized by the really nice sounding dulcimer. Hadn't heard of Leatherman before, but I'm glad you told his story. I like how you simply tell us the few facts that are known about him and leave all interpretations of the character to the listener. I enjoy the absurd humour present in most of your songs but it's cool to hear something more serious from you.

@atitlan 9w

I've been waiting for your dulcimer track since you mentioned that you'd intended using one this FAWM. I really enjoyed the story of the Leatherman and the atmosphere created by the instrumentation - dulcimer and flute is a nice combination.

As for Synth V, to me it's another instrument given how it has to be programmed.

@kahlo2013 9w

This is fabulous! Wonderful story telling! Love that you are using the dulcimer for it and the layers of flute bass a percussion works so well! The vocals you choose sound great as well.

@dreamscuba 9w

Great dulcimer tones. Great live playing. The vocals work well with this. Do I gather that the vocals are AI? Wow, how do you do that. Cool.

@ttg105 9w

I do prefer your own vocals, since, while not technically as good as the AI, are bursting with your unique worldview/personality. But this is a fine listen -- I like the flute and the skillful storytelling.

@candle 9w

I love those dulcimer tones. I first heard about the Leatherman from the Pearl Jam B-Side of the same name, but I quite enjoyed your musical take on the tale. Well done!

See You In The Shadows…

@musicsongwriter 9w

Wonderful song and story telling. Folk with your unique flavour with your unusual voice sound, yet distinctly yours :)

@chris_buono 9w

Great capture, telling, and reveal in this lyric and folklore-ish Americana play and vocals, man. You seem to be acing that dulcimer well! Cool early Segar cadence, too, in your vocal delivery here. Dug this all from write to song!

@billwhite51 9w

neveer heard of him. thanks for the wiki link. the background helped me understand the song. you did a fine jogfo telling the tale. the voice does not sound like yours. isit an AI voice, your voice manipulated, or is this your normal singing voice? such things are not so important, but interesting to know.