Song A Week Social Group Poll

[Barbara Shultz]

This poll is for the Song A Week Social Group. If you are not already a member, and are interested, click here to take you there, so you can join.

Each member gets one vote. Please vote for the tune you'd like to see featured as the official Tune of the Week. We will use this poll for several weeks, so hopefully, your pick will eventually come around!

[Eddie Sheehy]

Hmmmm, Forked Deer have forked votes..... two Mike Romkeys?

[Barbara Shultz]

That's what I thought, but then I investigated further.... the NEW Romkey seems to be Mike's son, Matt!

[romkeymm]

There is no conspiracy! : ) Nor was I forked into choosing this song by him however, he did tell me that I should join the group so alas, here I am!

[Barbara Shultz]

Matt, we're glad to have you here! Looking forward to some of your video submissions! Your dad did put up one video where you were playing, at Telluride... looking forward to more!

[Eddie Sheehy]

Dang, I was hoping for a funny story...

[Mike Romkey]

Here's the deal, Eddie: Back in the Dark Ages, the Knights Templar decided they would rule all organized mandolin playing in the Western World. This led to the mandolin guilds of Renaissance, which, as everybody knows, controlled the election of the popes and selection of the Holy Roman emperors. But in the chaos of the late 19th century, with the rise of democracy and socialism and the overthrow of the ancient regime, the Knights Templar's grip on mandolin playing loosened. After the development of the Gibson F-5 mandolin, under the direction of Templar Grand Wazoo Lloyd Loar, their light was forever lost to the world. Only now, with the collapse of the western economy, can a new secret organization rise up to capture an iron-like grip on mandolin playing. I refer, of course, to the Knights of Phythias, which has stepped in to fill the vacuum left by the deposition of the Last Kings of the Ozarks during the Great Depression. And they shall be known by their mark -- the Forked Deer! (The Romkeys, via their attorney, deny any connection with the aforementioned organizations; nor is their villa near Florence used for secret annual Illuminati jam sessions.) Just kidding! ... Or am I?

[man dough nollij]

Here's the deal, Eddie: Back in the Dark Ages, the Knights Templar decided they would control all organized mandolin playing in the Western World.

And don't you think they aren't still around, either! Only now they are known as the Illumin-naughty...

[Mike Romkey]

Forked Deer pulls into a 6-5 lead. Go, Illumaniti!

[Joe Nobiling]

Now there's a tall tale in the making there Mike! (I bet Matt's already got Forked Deer down.)

[Eddie Sheehy]

Long, long ago...
In Gaelic Mythology there is a story about a king named Lowrey who had horse's ears. The story goes that he concealed his ears under a large crown and let his hair grow long. He had his hair cut once a year and then the barber, who now knew the king's secret - and it was a well-guarded secret, was executed so he couldn't spill the beans. Now one year the poor barber who was chosen begged for his life after the haircut. He plead his case so convincingly that Lowery agreed to spare his life on the condition that he should never reveal the secret to another person. The barber agreed and was spared. A year later the barber was on his death-bed. No doctor could cure him. A wise man examined him and said that his condition was because of a terrible secret that he concealed. His only hope was to tell the secret to someone. The barber said that he had promised never to tell the secret to another person. The wise man said that in that case he should tell the secret to a living plant and that would be as good. The barber went deep into the forest and told his secret to a beautiful tree - probably the only mesquite tree in Ireland - this is not in the original story but it makes more sense of the end I have, which is also not in the original story. He immediately recovered and got on with his coiffing. Later that year there was a huge banquet and the king ordered the most famous musician in the land - a mandolinist named Liam Munroe (also not in the story, it was a harpist) - to come and play for him. Liam decided to make a new type of mandolin - a Folk Loar. He went deep into the forest and saw the same tree. He cut it down and carted the wood back to his workshop...

[Eddie Sheehy]

.... His skilled hands fashioned a beautiful mandolin complete with an F scroll with a sine fada and a buailte on it. He took the mandolin to the kings banquet. The king called for silence for Liam. Liam strummed the strings of the mandolin. A hauntingly beautiful music came forth and filled the great hall. The sounds reverberated from the rafters and seemed to form words. The words became clearer and louder...LOUDER: "LOWERY THE KING HAS HORSE'S EARS..."
We know that the tree was Mesquite because of what happened to the mandolin which led to the first Irish barbecue.....

And Mandolins were banished forever from the Halls of the Kings.

Lowery was always a gloomy king but now we know why he had such a long face.
Sin a bhfuil.

[Mike Romkey]

Matt may be working on Forked Deer already, but if he plays it too good his pa may not be able to find the checkbook next time he needs financial assistance.

[romkeymm]

haha I take no association to this formidable organization! However, I am a stout participant of this Financial Assistance Program... Matt's college bail out, it should be nationally funded! Checks payable to...

And no, I do not have Forked Deer down, I am back on a Bach kick, but I will in due time!

[Joe Nobiling]

That's a funny story, Eddie!

I can only imagine but gotta know what is "sine fada" and "buailte" and can spell out the way they sound when spoken?

[Eddie Sheehy]

Joe, sheena fodda and boo-il-cha for síne fada and bualite - these are accents in Gaelic speech (síne fada is an acute accent and bualite is a dot over a consonant to either roughen or silence it) and as such simply refer to ornamentation on the instrument abalone purfling/ivory binding etc. Feel free to insert your own colloquialisms for them...