| George McConkey =
Breathes Life=20
Into the Harmonica |
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| December=20
11, 2008 |
![3D""=20](3D"http://www.whatsupyukon.com/images/stories/mini_masts/discourse.pn=)
George=20
McConkey has a new album out that displays his song writing =
ability=20
and features some great classic tunes. More on that later, =
first, a=20
digression.
I'm a humble little bit of tin and =
horn/I'm a=20
byword, I'm a plaything, I'm a jest;
The virtuoso looks =
on me=20
with scorn/But there's times when I am better than the=20
best.
~Robert W. Service, The Song of =
the Mouth=20
Organ
Powerful words, written by a man =
who knew=20
a thing or two about putting them together. The title of the =
McConkey=E2=80=99s album comes from this Service poem and =
creates a thesis=20
that forms the foundation of his CD, Tin and Bone.
The =
harmonica,=20
the harp, the mouth organ, the harpoon ... all are words =
that=20
essentially describe the one nondescript instrument that you =
can=20
equally tuck in a pocket or dirty red bandanna.![3D"George](3D"http://www.whatsupyukon.com/images/stories/2008/dec_11_2008/discou= "3D\"George")
In the mouth of a novice or child, treated =
as a toy,=20
it can sound a racket, but in the hands and with the breath =
of a=20
true acolyte it can equally express pain and joy with =
seemingly=20
breathless abandon.
St. Anne=E2=80=99s Reel and Mystery =
Train both=20
provide a clear example of this energy. My favourite on the =
album is=20
Lost John: just a voice, a harmonica and a driving =
stomp.
Check=20
out the song Mariposa to see how a harmonica can sing. =
McConkey=20
exposes us to an openness of tone and nuance from this =
instrument=20
that take on the character and expressiveness of a butterfly =
itself.=20
It has a halting bittersweet tone, but allows enough =
sunlight and=20
warmth through to remind you of a summer -- in the middle of =
a=20
winter -- afternoon.
McConkey is a natural singer and =
songwriter.=20
Up On The Dempster and Summer People expose his perspectives =
on=20
living and working in the Yukon. These songs both have an=20
unmistakable down-to-earth feel.
More than just a country =
singer,=20
McConkey moves easily in the genres of folk and blues.
On =
the=20
track Trouble No More, a Muddy Waters cover, he employs a =
miking=20
technique that is immediately recognizable as a Chicago =
blues sound=20
... Chicago by way of Dawson City that is.
There is a =
bounce to=20
many of these songs: his compositions and the ones he =
chooses to=20
cover. I would take the song Sitting On Top Of The World and =
go as=20
far as to say one could easily cakewalk to it. Sometimes a =
blues=20
song moves you in an opposite direction. Sometimes you need =
a little=20
cakewalk in your life to realize this.
=E2=80=9C... and =
now she=E2=80=99s gone,=20
but I don=E2=80=99t worry 'cause I=E2=80=99m sittin=E2=80=99 =
on top of the world=E2=80=9D.
Tin=20
and Bone closes with an interpretation of Robert =
Services=E2=80=99, The Song=20
Of The Mouth Organ. Not only is it a rare treat to hear =
Service=20
spoken aloud, but with McConkey=E2=80=99s harmonica =
soundtrack the magic to=20
the listener is doubled.
Check out George McConkey on the =
web at=20
www.myspace.com/georgemcconkey. Tin and Bone can be found at =
all=20
fine local CD purveyors.
Bill Polonsky is a music =
programmer=20
at CJUC 92.5 FM in Whitehorse and can be contacted for music =
reviews=20
or larger universal questions at
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You =
need=20
JavaScript enabled to view it
.
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