Feeling Grassfunkel Groovy

Today on my way out the door, for no particular reason I grabbed a CD my beloved pal Shannon made for my last birthday. Among the tracks on "31 for 41" are many old favorites, from Sesame Street outtakes to Sondheim to Styx (yes, even MandoMama had a thing for grandiose 80s rock at one time), not to mention a titillating rendition of Viva Las Vegas! by the one and only Waaaaayne NEWton.

One of the tracks is a studio version of one of my favorite ditties, the "59th Street Bridge Song," aka "Feelin' Groovy." As I wandered through this wonderful homemade compilation, I wondered what some of these tunes might sound like bluegrass style, and I knew there had to be something out there to tell me.

There are lots of fun bluegrass retreads of old favorites. I think it will be fun to toss a few out here and there for your amusement and bemusement.

I wasn't able to nail "Feelin' Groovy" so I present instead another favorite song by the same duo. This instrumental cut of the duo's America is taken from Simon & Grassfunkel, a collection of bluegrassed-out Simon and Garfunkel hits by Grassmasters, an assortment of musicians including Tommy White and Andrea Zonn. The series features grasstakes on a range of artists from Fleetwood Mac to Bob Marley. It's fun for a change of pace.

The stuff of wandering from place to place looking for what will make it all work, and realizing it isn't helping, makes this hit a great American ode. How many of us, myself included, really believe that if we could just get here or there, everything would work, people would be different, and we'd finally have the life we're supposed to have? I think we all do, at some point, and despite the truth I intend to follow that urge to plow along toward some unknown destination due South. Wherever it is you believe you are headed, take this song, and some other great old hits, with you. Can't hurt. Besides, you can't smoke on the bus anymore, so you'd better have an iPod.

Hope you're all feelin' groovy.

America

let us be lovers we'll marry our fortunes together

Ive got some real estate here in my bag

So we bought a pack of cigarettes and mrs. wagner pies

And we walked off to look for america

kathy, I said as we boarded a greyhound in pittsburgh

michigan seems like a dream to me now

It took me four days to hitchhike from saginaw

Ive gone to look for america

Laughing on the bus

Playing games with the faces

She said the man in the gabardine suit was a spy

I said be careful his bowtie is really a camera

toss me a cigarette, I think theres one in my raincoat

we smoked the last one an hour ago

So I looked at the scenery, she read her magazine

And the moon rose over an open field

kathy, Im lost, I said, though I knew she was sleeping

Im empty and aching and I dont know why

Counting the cars on the new jersey turnpike

Theyve all gone to look for america

All gone to look for america

All gone to look for america