Ravenwood is the new album by folksinger Michael Johnathon ... songwriter, author of the Walden play and host of the weekly syndicated broadcast of the WoodSongs Old-Time Radio Hour. Sample the 12-song acoustic album by Michael Johnathon with special guests Sam Bush, John McEuen, Rob Ickes, Guy Davis and JP Pennington, featuring the Hippy Chick String Quartet, pan flutes and more.

PRE-ORDERS AVAILABLE NOW Just $12.00 (includes shipping) Call 859-255-5700 (10-5PM EST) or mail to: POETMAN RECORDS PO BOX 200, LEXINGTON KY 40588 Click here to see the RAVENWOOD ORDER FORM

Click here to visit MICHAEL’s WEBSITE
Click here to see the RAVENWOOD CD BOOKLET
Click here to see the RAVENWOOD CD DISC
Click here to see the RAVENWOOD CD TRAYCARD

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MEDIA & RADIO email: radio@woodsongs.com
CONCERT & BOOKING email: JohnLaird

Some thoughts about the Ravenwood album:

I wanted to make an album of songs I would play if I lived in a little cabin, deep in the woods. Flowers was written after a very pretty blonde girl told me no man had ever sent her flowers her entire life.

The Money Song is actually a traditional tune called Times Are Gettin’ Hard, first introduced by Lee Hayes of the Weavers. Pete Seeger included a version on his wonderful Goofing-Off Suite LP, my second favorite Pete record. I’ve updated the lyrics of the final verse to fit our times. Guy Davis gives the song a rough, hobo, down-on-your-luck emotion that works well in the song.

The Ballad of Bojangles is my tribute to the legendary tune by Jerry Jeff Walker. I wanted to write the story from another point-of-view and hesitated to record it until John McEuen, a founding member of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, offered to help out. Since they had the big hit with the original song, I figgered it would be OK.

Cars was written after listening to my friend Seth Rogers and his buddy talk about the “old days” when cars were fun and had personality. The song was mildly amusing at best ... until JP Pennington added his monster guitar lick, then I added the horns and a banjo and, well, here it is.

East Virginia Blues is a classic folk song, usually performed uptempo by roots and bluegrass bands. Isn’t it pretty as a ballad? Darlin’ Corey is another traditional song, played in open “A” all the way down the neck of my long-neck banjo. We added a George Martin-eque tempo to the string arrangement, Rob Ickes added some cosmic dobro, and Maggie’s voice on the track is haunting.

I included concert versions of Winter Song and September Eve because the live event felt so much better than the studio ones. That happens sometimes. There’s a lot of banjo on this record, I know. The most fun was recording the Apology Song ... the opportunity to play banjo-to-banjo with John McEuen was too good to pass up. Ravenwood, of course, is the centerpiece of this album ... a very personal song about love and fleeting embrace, of home and tenderness.