My radio blog offering this time is, well, different. For many of you, this music might be an acquired taste. It’s Renaissance Rock. Well, what rock music would have sounded like had it existed in the Renaissance. Let me introduce The Lost Boys, who perform at the Georgia Renaissance Festival and also do lots of other things around Atlanta in various other incarnations. I happen to think they’re awesome and very clever at filking. Their lyrics are witty and intelligent. I wouldn’t hesitate to share them with students.

The Lost Boys are “Clarence” (Kelley Yearout), guitars and vocals; Johnny Ozbourne (Charles Holmes), bass, guitar, and vocals; Michael Starr (Michael Guss), drums, guitar, percussion, and vocals; and String (Matthew Trautwein), guitar, lute, violin, vocals, banjo, fretless bass, keyboards, mandolin, mouth harp, pennywhistle, percussion, viola, broadsword, machete, and wine bottle.

Before The Lost Boys formed a “group,” I had seen Matthew Trautwein perform several times at the Ren Fest. When I wrote my book, I based my character Dafydd on him. Dafydd was solemn and brown-eyed (in his original incarnation). He was the most serious musician in my group of minstrels. If anyone is interested in my book, I just wanted to say I’m trying to figure out how to share it with my readers. What would work better for you? Subscription to it via e-mail? Reading it over the web? Downloading it as an e-book? I can do any of those. I’m thinking I would probably want to charge about $5.00 for it. Let me know what you think…

Anyway, back to the set list. These tracks come from both Lost Boys albums, Rogues in a Nation and Bedlam, which can be purchased from CD Baby (a company that sells indepedent CDs). I was really happy with their service, so if you like The Lost Boys, I encourage you to order the CDs. They were $12 each. But I have to say that if you can come to the Georgia Renaissance Festival (and let me know, so I can go with you!), you need to check them out live. Their shows have a lot of energy and enthusiasm that doesn’t translate to the recordings.

Set List:

1. Art Thou Ready? (Bedlam) — I begin with this one, because it seems like a great opener. They opened the most recent show I saw with this one.
2. Rogues in a Nation (Rogues in a Nation)
3. Desdemona (Rogues in a Nation) — If I ever get to teach Othello, I will be sorely tempted to play this excellent plot synopsis for my students. Click here for lyrics.
4. Hamlet Blues (Bedlam) — Listen for filks of “Hey, Joe” and “I Used to Love Her (But I Had to Kill Her)”
5. The Horn (Bedlam) — from William Shakespeare’s As You Like It
6. The Sheriff’s Revels (Dance in Shadow) (Rogues in a Nation) — Rousing instrumental.
7. She Moved Through the Fair (Bedlam)
8. Henry and Anne (Bedlam) — Little ditty ’bout Henry and Anne…
9. Serf Music (Bedlam) — Do you love me, little serf-er girl? Couldn’t resist. Sorry.
10. Loch Lomond (Bedlam) — A tune what brings a tear to the eye of any Scotsman. This one included.
11. Ode to an Unfetter’d Fowl (Rogues in a Nation) — I have to end with this tune, which is quite literally and figuratively The Lost Boys’ “Freebird.” There’s a definite spark missing from the recording in comparison to the live version. The harmonizing vocals are more pronounced live, and I think there is less of a “lead” vocal. Still, the violin (or fiddle, if you like) solo is great.

The lyrics to “Desdemona” follow. If you want lyrics to the other tunes, let me know.

Desdemona

Oo my little pretty one, my pretty one,
When you gonna give me some,
Desdemona
From your daddy we did run,
Yeah, we did run, but now you’re under
Suspicion, Desdemona
O you dirty ho, Iago, he done told me
You doin’ Cassio, but not no mo,

O why did you have to lie,
Desdemona

I gave you a little gift, a handkerchief,
But now you got me seeing red,
Desdemona
Got it runnin’ through my head,
Got you in bed, ’cause of somethin’
Iago said, Desdemona
O you dirty ho, Iago, he done told me
You doin’ Cassio, but not no mo,

O come on, won’t you tell me why,
Desdemona

Oo I got a pillow here,
Gonna put the pillow on your
Head-demona!
Oo I’m gonna smother you, smother you,
Gonna smother you ’til you’re
Dead-demona,
O you dirty ho, Iago, he done told me
You doin’ Cassio, but not no mo,

‘Cause now you’re gonna die
Desdemona

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Back to set list.