Dave Saunders

Uncle Johns Tree Dave Saunders

Uncle John lived by a crooked old tree, high on a ridge where the wind blew free. And somewhere nearby there's a cave hidden behind a waterfall, where Caleb Johnson had a secret gold mine, at least until Jesse Howard found out about it, and Caleb was found in the ashes of his burned-out cabin. Jesse didn't know about the hole inside the cave, though, and he hasn't been heard from in quite a while. It was over near Roger's Farm, where you can watch The Trains Go Rollin' By on their way to Sussex County, where The Righteous Reverend Hooker had been preaching until Sadie Brown's place burned down, and the congregation didn't think he should have been there at the time. It was the main topic of conversation at Big Time Charlie's Good Times Cafe for quite a while. If you're wondering just where this mystical place is located, it's on this CD. Dave Saunders is a storyteller, and this is a collection of tales about people and events; some real, some fictional, and some halfway in-between, that come from another time and place. There's nostalgia, humor, tragedy and pathos, but not one bit of boredom. This totally acoustic set will probably fit best into the 'Americana' genre, although Dave himself is as solidly 'Country' as it's possible to be, and despite an abundance of fiddle, dobro, mandolin and on two cuts, 5-string banjo, it doesn't pretend to be Bluegrass. Dave's roots are planted in the fertile ground of the recitations and talking-blues traditions of the 1940's and 50's. He talks his songs as much as he sings them, and it works just fine. His easy conversational style will make this a great listening experience.