Trout: A Musical Field Journal
Jonathan Woody, William Coulter and Ashley Hoyer
Original music and lyrics by
With original illustrations by Max Conway
Trout: A Musical Field Journal, the first of its kind, combines Earth Science, Ecology, Language Arts, and the Visual and Performing Arts in a multi-media experience. Our musical field guide, so to speak, will deepen the capacity for environmental stewardship via the arts.
Listen up!
Trout is a musical journey through the symbiotic relationship of trout, water, bears, and children, celebrating each for their indispensable place in this world. Songwriter, Jonathan Woody, draws inspiration from the melodies of the gold rush era in Northern California. Woody spent hours listening to folk songs in the Library of Congress that were recorded in the 1840s in the Sierra along the Yuba River. The intros, outros, jigs, and reels composed by William Coulter and Ashley Hoyer connect each song to the next through beautiful earworm melodies, giving the listener an authentic feel of folk music throughout the album. These musicians spent a week in the pristine headwaters of the Middle Fork of the Feather River, performing, educating, and inspiring the local youth to become stewards of the earth through the classical arts.Special Thanks to The FS Foundation Inc., The Sierra County Arts Council, and The Puffin Foundation for supporting this project and recording.
Lyrics
Water is Life
One hundred centuries ago,we came in from the cold...
we pulled ourselves together and we watched ourselves get old...
We gave birth to the riverlands, once inhospitable
the life we give, the love we live, is unconditional...The flowers nod their heads to us, the birds sing out hello...
the trout who share their time with us, sustain your works below...
Look after us if you would please, return our ancient love...even as the world you made is falling from above...
Where there is water, there is life!Child of the Sierras
When I was born, my mother put the river in my eyes,
my father built a mountain and he sent me forth to roam...
whenever I get lonely I can look up at the skies;
when the trout are in the river, then I know that I’ll be home.
Oh, I’m a child,
a child of the Sierras and I’m proud to make it known!
Oh, I’m a child,
and when I see the river, then I know I’ll make it home!
Adventure is a part of me, the land is in my blood,
the story of the little trout is kinda like my own,
from fry to parr to fingerling, through stones and sticks and mud,
when trout are in the river, then I know I’ll make it home!
Oh, I'm a child...
when trout are in the river, then I know I’ve made it home!
I learn about the river,
because it's up to me
to cherish what we're given,
to keep our valley free!
From morning when I see the mountains bathed in eastern glow,
to sunset when the ponderosas shimmer, capped in chrome;
fly-fishing during summer’s sun, or hot springs in the snow
the trout in Feather River's how I know that I'm at home!
Oh, I'm a child...
and when I see the river, then I know that I'm at home!
When I see Feather River, then I know that I'm at home!The Bear
My home is in the mountains,
my footsteps in the snow;
when winter comes a-callin’,
to hibernate I go;
when spring awakens blue-eyes,
again I greet the sky,
to roam across the footpaths,
the mighty bear am I...
My mother gives me shelter
and sends me on my way;
the river feeds my hunger,
by water’s edge I play;
my brother on his two legs
encroaches by and by,
but here I stand, as always,
the mighty bear am I...
The wisdom of the ancients,
the spirit of the land;
as bear I look upon them,
protector as I stand;
my spirit is the forest,
and even when I die,
i’ll keep my watch o’er valleys bloom,
the mighty bear am I!
Oh, I am the bear!
Oh, I am the bear!
I’ll keep my watch o’er valleys bloom...Lil’ Baby Trout Fry
Oh, you’re just a baby,
lil’ baby trout fry,
with stones all around you,
with water rushin’ by;
your momma has left you enough to get by,
just stay out of trouble, lil’ baby trout fry!
Ooh, lil’ baby trout fry,
ooh, lil’ baby trout fry!
Ooh, lil’ baby trout fry,
just stay out of trouble, lil’ baby trout fry!
You’re out on your own now, lil’ baby trout fry,
the world’s full of wonder, but also surprise!
Just stick to the plan, and you’ll come out alright,
your home is the river, lil’ baby trout fry!
Ooh, lil’ baby trout fry...
Almost twenty summers have passed flowing by...
someday up the river, you’ll swim your last try;
the same spot where you once blinked open your eyes,
you’ll pass on the future, lil’ baby trout fry!
The past and the future, little baby trout fry!
Ooh, lil’ baby trout fry...A note from the composer...
…The first thing I had to remember in writing songs about the rivers of the Sierra Valley is that I'm fundamentally an outsider to these beautiful and intimidating landscapes. East-coast born and bred, I've visited Northern California many times and have been lucky enough to enjoy the awe-inspiring vistas, but a visit can't capture the true essence of being a native son of such a place. That meant that my approach to these songs had to be humble and respectful. I love the spirit of the American West; the hunters, gatherers, pioneers, and speculators who made the place what it is today. That spirit is artfully captured in the folk tunes I used as the source material for each song. They were selected from the Library of Congress's extensive database of 19th-century California Gold Rush songs, sung by immigrants from all corners who traveled west, and I like the idea that the miners and wagoners were perhaps humming these tunes to themselves as they made their way across the mountains and the valleys. To create the lyrics, I wanted to embody and personify four key aspects of Sierra country: the rivers, the trout, the bears, and the people (in this case, an imagined child) who live here. I tried to sum up everything I have seen and experienced about the West: the wild flora and fauna, the power of the land and respect for its resources, and the deep commitment to protecting and maintaining these pristine spaces, which began with traditions of the peoples native to this region and continues, with no small effort, by its most conscientious inhabitants today. Each song has just a small nod to some of the changes human beings have brought to the unspoiled wilderness while hopefully capturing how the Sierras, the rivers, and the trout that provide both sustenance and recreation are truly something all Americans can be proud of.
Jonathan Woody, songs & lyrics
William Coulter, guitar & composer
Kara Dugan, mezzo soprano
Ashley Hoyer, mandolin & composer
Edwin Huizinga, violin
Dan Robbins, bass
Lindsay McIntosh, executive director of Musica Sierra
Produced and commissioned by Musica Sierra & New Vintage Baroque
Recorded at Inspired Amateur Productions, Reno, NV, by Mike Jenkins.
Bass recorded by Andy Zenczak at Gadgetbox Studio, Santa Cruz CA
Edited and mixed by William Coulter
Mastered by Rainer Gembalczyk at Sienna Digital.
Album artwork by Marjorie Voorhees created in stained glass
William Coulter plays a Custom Meridian Guitar by Mike Baranik and uses D'Addario strings exclusively.