John Fahey’s Georgia Stomps, Atlanta Struts revisited
Atlanta music videographer Mike Koenig posted this video from John Fahey’s August 9, 1997 performance at Horizon Theatre in L5P
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Following last week’s CL’s cover story, Soul Searchers: Atlanta’s Dust-to-Digital Records unearths the origins of blues legend John Fahey, local music videographer Mike Koenig posted this video from Fahey’s August 9, 1997 performance at Horizon Theatre in L5P.
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In the info section Koenig explains:
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“Before the show I was informed by Table of the Elements (who put on the show) that I couldn’t film. So I asked John just before playing if it would be okay to film and he cordially said ‘sure’ when I indicated it was just for me personally. I presume he’d be okay with making this video available for anyone interested so I thought I’d share it. As a side note - it took me a while to get the hang of filming shows and as this was an earlier one I didn’t have the best steady hand, but the music is what’s more important anyway. This show was recorded by Table of the Elements and released as a live album, which I believe is long out of print.”
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Although Koenig breaks his promise to Fahey by posting this video on Youtube, it is a cool look at a performance that spans a broad chunk of his career — “Marilyn” reaches all the way back to Old Fashioned Love from 1975, and “Juana,” comes from his divisive ‘97 blend of bottleneck blues and the avant-garde, Womblife. There’s an interesting swath of traditionals woven into the set as well, giving rise to a dreamlike sense of timelessness that defines Fahey’s later years.
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The recording of this show that Table of the Elements released in ‘98 is titled Georgia Stomps, Atlanta Struts & Other Dance Favorites.” … And yes, it’s long out of print, but it’s never more than a mouse click or two away; legally and/or otherwise.
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However, it’s important to note that in 2007 Georgia Stomps ... was packaged together with Fahey’s Hard Time Empty Bottle Blues and Womblife, and sold as Sea Changes & Coelacanths: A Young Person’s Guide to John Fahey. While it’s not an easy point of entry into the wrold of Fahey, it’s a damn good one, and an intriguing look at the man’s later years when he married experimentation and drone with traditional fingerpicking, all with a renewed sense energy as he entered his twilight years.