T H E R E A L L Y B I G P R O D U C T I O N C O .

Megan Haas - Aural History
Megan asked me to "quickly" record a bunch of songs. So, we sat around and drank wine a few times, and this is what we did. I love Megan's unique, soothing voice, and since she knew just what she wanted it was really fun. For techno heads, the whole thing was recorded with two SM57s on a laptop--Mark Nichols

"This cd was originally intended as a present for my two nephews, Simon and Nate. I wanted them to hear me singing lullabies to them on a regular basis. With Mark's remarkable technical expertise and creativity I was able to expand upon the original concept and to choose songs that recreated the atmosphere of many simple, perfect moments in the company of wonderful friends and great musicians throughout my life, so far. This project was recorded in Mark's living room in four 5 hr. recording sessions from Nov 03 to Nov 04."--Megan Haas

Dear Someone - Gillian Welch-This is an amazing example of a modern lullabye that could have been written 100 years ago. The backup vocals are by Mark Nichols (Drunken Plastic Cactus Cowboy Chorus)

I've got a Father - American Trad. Jean Ritchi
My father was out of contact for ten years, and we had finally started to correspond again a few years ago, when he suddenly died. This song is originally titled 'I've got a Mother' but I changed it for this recording. The duet is a tribute to Bruce Green and Loy McWhirter's version of the same song.

Waltz Across Texas - Earnest Tubb-I learned this song when I was 17 years old, from Duff Dorough, an old Mississippi, minstrel. If someone hands me a guitar, this is what I usually end up singing.

Hungry Bird - Michael Ondaatje/Mark Nichols This song is from 'The Collected Works of Billy the Kid.' It was written by the novelist Michael Ondaatje, who then asked Mark to write the music for it. Just another gem that Mark pulled out of his past after dinner one night.

Skip To My Lou -Trad. I heard this old standard on an ancient radio in the middle of the woods, after an all-night conversation at the Oregon Country Fair. I was struck by the eerie quality of the young girl's voices, the adult implications of such a childish song, and I was reminded sharply of the freedom that comes from loss. I wanted to recreate the song on this cd, not the way I heard it but the way that I felt when I heard it.

Walk Right Back - The Everly Brothers. I learned this slow sweet version from Ian Moore, an amazing singer/songwriter who now lives in Seattle. I don't usually sing songs about lost love, but I made an exception in the case of 'Walk Right Back' because it is so defiant yet also so sweet. Recently I realized that this song could also be sung in the context of someone who is dead.

Fly Away Baby - Anon. A woman who was going through an old trunk in the attic found a piece of paper on which her mother had written one line about each of her nine children. The woman put it to music, and eventually taught the song she created to the woman I learned it from.

Settle Down -Trad I heard this song on a lazy, summer day at an outdoor jam session in a beautiful, Pine Forest in Cape Cod. It was sung by five women, each playing a banjo and singing softly and in the sweetest harmony. I was fortunate enough to get one of them to teach this song to me, and I have since taught it to many others. Being in my early teens, I was so struck by the independent theme.

Graveyard - I learned this from my friend, Loy McWhirter, illustrator of the Rise Up Singing Songbook, and wife of the fiddle player, Bruce Greene. Most of my favorite songs are about birth and death.

If you'd like a copy of this music on CD email megan @ meganhaas@mac.com and she'll more than likely burn you one for free.