Holy Modal Rounders Roundup

Subject: The Holy Modal Rounders
From: Lonesome EJ
Date: 21 Feb 99 - 08:14 PM

Many years ago,there was a very strange offshoot of traditional folk music that included Wild Man Fischer,Country Joe and the Fish, Captain Beefheart among others.A friend of mine was into all this,and played for me one evening one of the wierdest collections of acoustic,electric and Far eastern instruments all accompanied by strange vocal warblings and abstract lyrics to traditional melodies.Also mixed in were strains of actual folk and bluegrass.The band I remember as "The Holy Modal Rounders" and it seems like they actually had a song on the "Easy Rider" soundtrack.I have never been able to locate that album(not the Easy Rider soundtrack,The original HMR album),or find anyone else who remembers them.Anyone have a clue about the musicians,songs,album names involved with this band?

Subject: RE: The Holy Modal Rounders
From: harpgirl
Date: 21 Feb 99 - 09:04 PM

Ah yes, I was just talking to my bf about The Holy Modal Rounders who put out two albums as I recall. Buckminster Fuller took a turn singing with them I think. I like to sing Across the Alley from the Alamo, Don't You Take Me For No Lowdown Dog, and Pinto Poney. I think those were HMR songs. I'll wager we have some experts here at Mudcat on the HMRs....harpgirl

Subject: RE: The Holy Modal Rounders
From: rick fielding
Date: 22 Feb 99 - 12:51 AM

Ahhh the "rounders". Pete Stampfel (who I believe lives in California) and Steve Weber (whereabouts unknown) had a sound that was definitely their own. Songs like "Blues in the Bottle, Mr Spaceman, Hey Hey Baby,...oh what a great first album! Hunt it down and pay whatever the cost!

Subject: RE: The Holy Modal Rounders
From: rick fielding
Date: 22 Feb 99 - 01:10 AM

Lonesome, you got me thinkin' so I typed in Holy Modal Rounders in my favourite search engine (metacrawler) and got tons of stuff, including a wonderful interview with Pete Stampfel who is very much alive. Try it.

Subject: RE: The Holy Modal Rounders
From: John Clark
Date: 22 Feb 99 - 01:29 AM

I recall the Holy Modal Rounders. Recorded slightly bent versions of folk tunes in the early '60's. Later recorded even more eccentric records, a sort of folk/psychelelic mix, later on. I think there was some overlapping personnel on both the Rounders recordings and recordings by Ed Sanders' band the Fugs. In 1967 I was living in New York and knew a piano player named Lee Crabtree who invited me along to a recording session with the Rounders one evening. It was a chaotic and idiosyncratic affair all around. If I recall correctly, the drummer was Sam Shepard, the playwright. I remember that one tune called for a chorus of football cheers and everyone who was hanging around the studio was drafted for it...my only vocal appearance on record. I think it was released under the title Indian War Whoop. I've never seen it or heard it since that evening. Anybody got a copy?

Subject: RE: The Holy Modal Rounders
From: Art Thieme
Date: 22 Feb 99 - 02:22 AM

Pete Stampfel was in the VILLAGE FUGS too I think. Maybe Webber also--along withg Tuli Kupferberg and Allan Ginzberg & others I think. There were 2 LPs of the Fugs on Folkways.

Art

Subject: RE: The Holy Modal Rounders
From: Lonesome EJ
Date: 22 Feb 99 - 02:37 AM

Thanks to Rick for steering me to the Pete Stampfel interview. HMR site includes history of the various mutations of Stampfel,Weber,Shepard et al, as well as discography.If you are familiar with the music,Rick,maybe you can recommend an album that captures the essence of these madmen?

Subject: RE: The Holy Modal Rounders
From: RWilhelm
Date: 22 Feb 99 - 09:13 AM

I think the world can be divided into two groups, those who love the Holy Modal Rounders and those who don't quite get it. Unfortunately very little of their music is available on CD. "Indian War Whoop" is available as an import. The only other one is the excellent "Have Moicy" album which include the Unholy Modal Rounders (Weber was not there) along with Michael Hurley and Jeffery Fredricks and the Clamtones.

As rick said their first album was the best with just Webber on guitar and Stampfel on fiddle and banjo. I don't think I would have ever discovered or appreciated Charlie Poole without that first Rounders album.

Stampfel is still recording and not too long ago released an album of strangely arranged old pop and country songs called "You Must Remember This." My favorite song was "The Theme From Goldfinger" done with clawhammer banjo, tuba, and steel drum.

Subject: RE: The Holy Modal Rounders
From: Mike Billo
Date: 22 Feb 99 - 09:56 AM

I'm pretty sure that the Fantasy Double LP "The Best of the Holy Modal Rounders" has been re-issued as a CD. If not, try and get a copy of the vinyl LP. It's worth the search. There is also a Holy Modal Rounder discussion group at http://www.olywa.net/hilliard/hmr/ that includes a lot about their partner on "Have Moicy", Michael Hurley. The HMR really served as an inspiration to me in my younger days. Just like Earl, I discovered Charlie Poole through the HMR. I think they are truly unsung heroes.

Subject: RE: The Holy Modal Rounders
From: rick fielding
Date: 22 Feb 99 - 11:17 AM

There are some interesting tangents that have sprouted off from the "Rounders" over the years. Ken Weaver, who was their buddy in the "Fugs" later shows up a lot in the work of Robert Crumb. (my favourite cartoonist of all time) He's portrayed as a troublesome nutbar..which kind of seems appropriate. Here in Toronto there lives a man named Fraser Mohawk who was a record producer in the states during the 60s and 70s who was part of the great "Rounders, Fugs" scene.

Upon hearing the "Rounders" first album, I decided to take up the fiddle, reasoning that even if I sounded lousy, I could still be as good as Pete Stampfel. Over the years I've come to realise, that to be as bad as he was on that first album took a lot of skill!

Subject: RE: The Holy Modal Rounders
From: Mike Billo
Date: 22 Feb 99 - 12:28 PM

It took me a while to figure out that Stampfel's fiddling was actually a very credible imitation of Posey Rorer,Charlie Poole's fiddler.

Subject: RE: The Holy Modal Rounders
From: rick fielding
Date: 22 Feb 99 - 05:50 PM

Now hold on there Mike....perhaps AFTER the first album. Posey was a pretty darn good fiddler.

Subject: RE: The Holy Modal Rounders
From:
Date: 22 Feb 99 - 09:03 PM

You're right Rick. Posey was a terrific fiddler, and I think that perhaps I was crediting Peter Stampfel with more than he deserved at the time.

Subject: RE: The Holy Modal Rounders
From: Mike Billo
Date: 22 Feb 99 - 09:05 PM

Forgot to sign the previous posting. That was me agreeing with you Rick.

Subject: RE: The Holy Modal Rounders
From: Sandy Paton
Date: 22 Feb 99 - 11:21 PM

Rick can answer this, I'm sure: Wasn't it the Rounders that gave us the definitive rendition of "Flop-Eared Mule?" You remember, the one with the classic, if elemental words:

Mule. mule, mule, mule,
Flop-eared, flop-eared, flop-eared mule;
Mule, mule, mule, mule,
Flop-eared, flop-eared mule.

(repeated until you run out of tune)

And when the tune was played again, didn't they sing:

Real world, real world,
Real, real, real world;
Real world, real world,
Real, real world.

Real, real, real, real,
Real, real, real world;
Real, real, real, real,
Real, real world.

(go back to square one)

Someone else can figure out where to put the missing question mark and whether or not to spell the above "reel."

Sandy

Subject: RE: The Holy Modal Rounders
From: RWilhelm
Date: 23 Feb 99 - 08:51 AM

Mike, I have not seen "The Best of the Holy Modal Rounders" on CD but I would love to get it if it exists. I believe it was actually thier first two albums in one package and included their immortal version of "Flop-eared Mule."

Subject: RE: The Holy Modal Rounders
From: Rick Fielding
Date: 23 Feb 99 - 11:09 AM

Sandy, Oh boy does that bring back memories (and smiles!) The ultimate "flop eared Mule." Actually the second part sounded to me like "reel (real) whirl" etc. stc. This may have been the first musical satire on trad material. Do you remember how they did "Blues in the Bottle?" ..."Goin' to Silly Putty, goin' to...." (believe the real lyric was "Goin' to Cincinnati")....."I can't abide no woman, who goes round sniffin' glue"! From the interview with Stampfel, I gather that they were sniffin' more than glue!

Subject: RE: The Holy Modal Rounders
From: Mike Billo
Date: 23 Feb 99 - 02:31 PM

Not to mention their embellishment of Hesitation Blues with, "Got my psychedelic socks in my psychedelic shoes believe to my soul I got the psychedelic blues, oh tell me how long....."

Subject: RE: The Holy Modal Rounders
From: Rick Fielding
Date: 23 Feb 99 - 02:34 PM

Mike, remind me (I lost the album several years ago) was it "D" for Dugie, D for destiny...and then something?? Wow, what great memories!

Subject: RE: The Holy Modal Rounders
From: Mike Billo
Date: 23 Feb 99 - 03:36 PM

"Well its D for dreadnought, D for destiny, D for dugie that made a fool of me.....".You're right Rick. These ARE great memories.

Subject: RE: The Holy Modal Rounders
From: Sandy Paton
Date: 23 Feb 99 - 06:20 PM

Whaddya expect from a furriner like Rick? Cincinatti? Nah. It has to be Chillicothe. But don't trust my rusty memory! Get the records and decide for yourself. By doggies, even an old purist like yours truly enjoyed such outrageous folk fun.

Sandy

Subject: RE: The Holy Modal Rounders
From: Rockaday Johnathon
Date: 24 Feb 99 - 01:38 AM

The two HMR Prestige (later fantasy double set) have been reissued with 2 previously unreleaased cuts on an import from ACE in England (actually some smaller label owned by ace ) It's Great!

Subject: RE: The Holy Modal Rounders
From: RWilhelm
Date: 24 Feb 99 - 01:06 PM

Rockaday, Is there an internet source for it? It's probably worth a trip to England but I don't want to wait that long.

Subject: RE: The Holy Modal Rounders
From: RWilhelm
Date: 24 Feb 99 - 01:08 PM

By the way, does anyone know who did the original version of "Blues in the Bottle"?

Subject: RE: The Holy Modal Rounders
From: RWilhelm
Date: 24 Feb 99 - 01:22 PM

Found it myself: HMR at Ace Records.

Subject: RE: The Holy Modal Rounders
From: Frank in the swamps
Date: 24 Feb 99 - 04:30 PM

The only thing I like to do, better than my doodlin' is..........

Frank i.t.s.

Subject: RE: The Holy Modal Rounders
From: Sarge in Toronto
Date: 24 Feb 99 - 07:11 PM

I cannot believe folks are talking about these guys. I learned Movin' Day from that album and I still find myself singing Flop-eared Mule.Remember "Better things for you, more than your friends can do. Got the Holy Ghost and the fire and the cross to pull you through" or something like that? That was one of our favourite albums.

Subject: RE: The Holy Modal Rounders
From: Barbara
Date: 25 Feb 99 - 12:27 AM

I always liked "Euphoria" m'self..
"...and we're in here, kickin' the gong for euphoria!
Euphoria, when your mind starts a-wheelin' and a walkin'
Inside voices start a-squealin' and a squawking,
Floatin' around on a belladonna cloud..
Blessings,
Barbara

Subject: RE: The Holy Modal Rounders
From: Frank in the Swamps.
Date: 25 Feb 99 - 12:35 AM

My daddy was a devil sittin' down in the valley goin'

boobm boobm boobm de boobm boobm de boobm boom.

Frank i.t.s.

Subject: RE: The Holy Modal Rounders
From: Rockaday Johnny
Date: 25 Feb 99 - 10:58 AM

"Blues in the Bottle" was originally done in the 20's or 30's by Prince Albert Hunt which has been reissued on "times Ain't like they used to Be: Vol 1 (Yazoo 2028) Though I Like Jim Kweskin's Jugband version better!

Subject: RE: The Holy Modal Rounders
From: Camille in Cahoots
Date: 28 Feb 99 - 06:42 PM

Wow! As I was going throught the notes these weird favorite lyrics would pop into my head and then there they were! Be still my heart! As I read on I realize so much of my adult life has been carried on with HMR tunes and songs and clever variations. As a clawhammer banjo player I love to throw them into the mix and watch the faces...recognition/nostalgia/confusion/pure fear!?

So...my parting words...you have to imagine the great nasal-ly voice) My mind grows weary and my body grows weak My lips aren't formin' the words I'm speakin' Floatin' around on a boatful of pain Hear my sad cry never see me again By now Camille

Subject: RE: The Holy Modal Rounders
From: finch
Date: 01 Mar 99 - 12:34 PM

I stumbled upon the 'Unholy M.R.' through a Michael Hurley interest. Am hoping that all of Hurley's are released on CD - 'Armchair Boogie' is hard to find. People may want to check out 'Wretched Refuse' as well.

Subject: RE: The Holy Modal Rounders
From: Lonesome EJ
Date: 17 Mar 99 - 02:04 AM

I had to refresh this thread. At some point in this thread, Fielding turns me on to the Holy Modal Rounders home page, which (naturally) I go to. I sign up for the Holy Modal Rounders Bulletin board, which is great, only now I am receiving up to 40 posts per day in my email! Unbelievably enough, I am reading all of them! Get this- I'm reading them tonight, and the HMR fans are discussing using rolled up dirty underwear to mute your banjo, when some guy posts "Folk Artist Art Theime uses a rubber chicken to mute his banjo"! Evidently, EVERYBODY is talking about Art Theime. So I invited all these acid-heads to come over to Mudcat. Sorry. I blame Fielding for this...LEJ

Subject: RE: The Holy Modal Rounders
From: AlistairUK
Date: 17 Mar 99 - 06:15 AM

Wasn't Mr Spaceman by the Byrds and not The Rounders?

Subject: RE: The Holy Modal Rounders
From: Mike Billo
Date: 17 Mar 99 - 10:24 AM

Hello Alistair UK; Two different songs with the same title.Lonesome EJ; What's the URL for the Rounders page?

Subject: RE: The Holy Modal Rounders
From: Bob Jovi
Date: 18 Mar 99 - 08:58 AM

Wow, an entire thread on the Rounders, without mentioning "The Unholy Modal Riders, AKA the Clamtones". I think that "Griselda" has to be the most often sung song from these boys, in any incarnation, if not neccesarily their best.

Subject: RE: The Holy Modal Rounders
From: Lonesome EJ
Date: 18 Mar 99 - 11:25 AM

Mike B...guess what, I forgot to bookmark the Rounders Home Page. Rick Fielding may have it, or you could do a search-I can almost guarantee some interesting results...LEJ

Subject: RE: The Holy Modal Rounders
From: Mike Billo
Date: 18 Mar 99 - 10:07 PM

Found the site Lonesome EJ. TERRIFIC stuff!! Plenty of Michael Hurley too. All sorts of folk weirdness.

Subject: RE: The Holy Modal Rounders
From: RWilhelm
Date: 19 Mar 99 - 12:26 PM

Bob Jovi, I think if you read it again you will see the Unholy Modal Rounders mentioned several times. Jeffery Fredricks and the Clamtones appear on that record but were also a seperate band. Their "Spiders in the Moonlight" album is a classic in its own right.

Subject: RE: The Holy Modal Rounders
From: messyjesse
Date: 22 Dec 99 - 08:17 PM

To all those who have responded to this thread, Holy Modal Rounders albums are for sale on the web! Have Moicy (their best and one of the great albums of all time) is at cdnow, amazon, and possibly at rounder records, where I recommend you purchase it. Their first two albums, 1&2, have been combined into one and are also for sale about anywhere, along with a brand new album, Too Much Fun - (an amazon.com best seller) Peter Stampfel and Steve Weber, along with Dave Reisch and Bingo are gonna be playing in Bethlehem PA on the 8th of January and at Tonic in New York City on the 11th. I know all this cause some film making friends and I are beginning a documentary project on the band starting in January.

Subject: RE: The Holy Modal Rounders
From: Lonesome EJ
Date: 22 Dec 99 - 09:49 PM

Far freakin out,messy! Thanks for bringing us up to date, and please keep us posted on the progress of the documentary. Should be,ummmm...interesting!

LEJ

Subject: RE: The Holy Modal Rounders
From: Amos
Date: 23 Dec 99 - 01:49 AM

Hits moovin day. hits moovin day Pick up your carpet offa the floor Pick up your bag an get out the door Hits moovin day, moovin day If you can't pay the rent ya gotta live under a tent Cuz it's moo--uhooo--uhoovin day!

Subject: RE: The Holy Modal Rounders
From: Easy Rider
Date: 23 Dec 99 - 09:40 AM

""Rip the Carpets up offa the floor. Get on your overcoat and out the door. If you can't pay the rent, you gotta live out in a tent. BeCuz it's moo--uhooo--uhoovin day!""

""Boobs a lot. Boobs a lot. They'r big and round. They're all around...""

This brings back a lot of old memories. I knew those guys, back in the very late 60's/early 70's. I was a member of an electric light show group that put on free form dances, with light show, in NYC, mostly at a small hotel on 43rd or 44th St. Well, the Holy Modal Rounders were our House Band. What a lot of fun!

later, Jake and the Family Jewels and Elephant's Memory (before John Lennon) played for us. Does anybody remember them?

Subject: RE: The Holy Modal Rounders
From: Jacob Bloom
Date: 23 Dec 99 - 10:20 AM

Jake and the Family Jewels? Of course! For years I thought Jake had written Tennessee Stud, since his version was the only version I knew. I have two of his albums, including The Big Moose Calls His Baby Sweet Lorraine.

And I feel sure that the Holy Modal Rounders lyrics mentioned above should be "I'm goin' to Chattanooga" and "When your mind starts reelin' and a-rockin."

Subject: RE: The Holy Modal Rounders
From: Fortunato
Date: 23 Dec 99 - 10:35 AM

The name "The Fugs" came from the Red Fox routine:

Red said, "I got two kinds of soap, Fug and Sug.
Fug is for when you're feelin' kind of dirty
and Sug is for when you're really dirty.
'Said if you can't Fug it, you can Sug it."

Merry Christmas, Fortunato

Subject: RE: The Holy Modal Rounders
From: Phil Hatton
Date: 23 Dec 99 - 01:34 PM

I've just sorted through my old vinyl & found an album released in 1969 on electra (polydor) called "The Morray Eels Eat The Holy Modal Rounders" was this an English release or is it what people here are just calling the second album? It's all pretty wierd psychedelic stuff including the "easy Rider" track. I loved it at the time but it was definitely minority taste in England then.

Subject: RE: The Holy Modal Rounders
From: Pete Peterson
Date: 09 Jan 00 - 05:50 PM

I'm refreshing this thread because I spent last night in the middle of a time warp listening to Stampfel and Weber, and two other people who never got introduced, play for about three hours. It was wonderful! Stampfel still can't fiddle but somehow manages to put across the feeling of the music without playing the notes! And I decided I HAD to learn Griselda, bought the CD (I believe Have Moicy) and just spent two hours copying down all the words and then found them in the DT! Now I need to learn Bad Boy, which is NOT in the DT, nor are their words to Baltimore Fire. Oh yes, it wasn't a complete time warp. They did (by request from a packed house) Flop Eared Mule, and in addition to the now canonical words, sang Y2K, Y2K, Y2 Y2 Y2K. . . Aside from that (and their appearances) Iit could have been 1965.

Subject: RE: The Holy Modal Rounders
From: Jacob Bloom
Date: 10 Jan 00 - 09:51 AM

"Flop-Eared Mule" has always absorbed current events. The one time I saw them was around 1972, and they sang "Nixon knows."

"Nose, nose, nose, nose, Nixon's Nixon's Nixon's nose"

Subject: RE: The Holy Modal Rounders
From: Barbara Shaw
Date: 18 Apr 00 - 05:03 PM

I've never heard the Holy Modal Rounders, but I'm going to be in L.A. next week, and heard about a place called McCabe's Guitar Shop in Santa Monica. It's supposed to be a great place for acoustic instruments of all kinds. They also have concerts there, and the Holy Modal Rounders will be performing on Sunday, 4/23/2000.

Check out:

www.mccabesguitar.com

Subject: RE: The Holy Modal Rounders
From: rangeroger
Date: 19 Apr 00 - 12:08 AM

On top of everything else, Rounder records was named after HMR.The April issue of Acoustic Guitar Magazine has a short piece on them.
rr