Sandcastle Man' is based on a simple South African folk melody and adapted by our drummer, CJ Wolfe, after a trip to South Africa. The banjo and mbira play off each other, repeating in slightly different ways and, when I put lyrics to his melody, the song took on an even more lullaby-like quality. We recorded it at the Rock and Roll Hotel in Washington, DC, with the venue's sound engineer, Dennis Manuel, on a day that the club was dark. When I play this song live, I feel a sense of calm, and my banjo playing just falls into the repetitive and river-like quality of the tune. We like to end our sets with 'Sandcastle Man' when the mood is right, and leave the audience with the feeling that all is right with the world.
lyrics
Meet me by the rock said the beaver to the fox
I've got a secret only for your ears
Best plans may be made
Best plans may be laid
You've gotta know
You've gotta know
How to find your way back home
I once knew a fish swimming upstream on a wish
He would find his one and only love
Yes he was aware of the rapids and the Bears
he already knew what he had to do
Baby you ought to know
How to find your way back home
credits
from Sandcastle Man EP,
released November 17, 2015
Banjo, vocals: Shannon Carey
mbira, percussion: CJ Wolfe
bass: Brian Cruse
guitar: Scott Burton
Music by CJ Wolfe
Lyrics by Shannon Carey
Recorded by Dennis Manuel
Mixed and mastered by Gabe Churray
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