Just for fun discussion idea….I recently watched a filmed performance of the musical “Hamilton.” Which got me thinking: What would “Adirondacks, the musical” look like? Who would the main actors be? What would they sing about?
Some song title ideas (using existing songs for inspiration):
“Climb every mountain”
“Ain’t No Mountain High Enough”
“Misty Mountain Hop”
Maybe we can take these ideas and start an Adirondack-themed playlist…
Photo: Shepard Park amphitheater by Fred Thatcher/Almanack archive
How about “Michael Rowed the Boat Ashore” and “Still Waters Run Deep”?
Here are a few:
Thank God I’m A Country Boy
Burning Ring of (Camp) Fire
Bridge Over Troubled Water
Have You Ever Seen the Rain?
North Country Wood (adaptation of Norwegian Wood)
Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow? (Two folks meet in an Adirondack Bar)
Okay – I’ll be that guy:
Now I know my A T V ‘s
Roll out the (burning) Barrel
He ain’t heavy he’s my brother
Don’t Ease(ment) me in
Fire on the Mountain!
The Adirondack Folk Opera tells a story of the history of the ADKs. Find it on MLPBS
https://mountainlake.org/watch/folkopera/
How ’bout originals?
Our skiters fly in squadrons
Some the size of bees
We’ve got swarms and swarms of blackflies
That’ll bring you to your knees
We’ve got lots of vegetation
Guaranteed to make you sneeze
And bears almost never eat hikers
Who get lost among the trees.
So you’d best stay away,
just stay away
Enjoy your warmth and sunshine
In Californ-I-A !!!
Love it!
About 10 years ago, Old Songs (a folk music organization in the Capital region) did a show called “The Visitors: The History, Music, and Songs of the Adirondacks.” The ensemble cast was all Adirondack or Adirondack-adjacent performers. The CD can be found at http://www.oldsongs.org/store – just scroll down. It was a great show.
Maybe John Brown’s story could be made into a Broadway musical. They could run it next door to “Hamilton”. One would be the story of a brave abolitionist, while the other would be the fictionalized account of a slave trader. They call thet irony in the business…
My guess is many of the local summer camps have something to donate to this great idea. For instance Camp Pok-o-moonshine has a play done every year by counselors that plays off local the protagonists. “Oh I’m the famous sleuth of Keeseville Town, I’m also its mayor, police and clown. My name is Homlock Sheers, I’ll drive away your tears, I’ll solve your mysteries for two bits down.”
You guys all do a great job with this publication !!!
These are all great! Thanks for the ideas and inspiration. I’m going to start an Adirondacks playlist….
Hey all! I started a playlist on Spotify with these song suggestions: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6YpgeH4SZ9vd0ToS9SCFS2?si=e35a54b094164304
Don’t forget about songs written by Roy Hurd who has written many songs about the Adirondacks. He is a very talented singer-songwriter.
Mountain People by Dan Berggren