Schmoon – “Sadly County Fair”
Americana Highways brings you this video premiere of Schmoon’s song “Sadly County Fair” from his forthcoming album Pretty Darn Pretty, which due to be available on December 13. The album was produced and engineered by Brendon Thomas, and mastered by Dave Downham
“Sadly County Fair” is Matt Cascella on vocals, acoustic guitar, and percussion; Brendon Thomas on electric guitar, bass, harmonica, and background vocals; and Christy Thomas on background vocals.
As Matt recounts, “I went to a county fair with some friends, had some feelings. Got home and transcribed what I saw. Simple as that. I hadn’t been to a county fair since I was a teenager. So venturing into that setting in my late thirties was a totally different experience. You observe differently. You’re maybe more aware of the odd contrast a county fair can possess. On one hand, people are gleeful and having the time of their life. On the other hand, for me at least, there was a palpable sadness. On that particular day, I was also feeling sad. Coming home, I wanted to do something with those observations and feelings. And get some humor out of it.
“I’m still very confused about this country and my place in it. I don’t identify with a lot of the rabid patriotism here. The giant flags everywhere. The constant pissing contest with other nations. It’s baffling. And I certainly don’t address that in this tune, let’s be honest. “Sadly County Fair” is more of an observational approach. Maybe the sadness is a ripple effect of that blind nationalism. Okay, soapbox shit over.
“I like the playfulness in this passage, “I went to the piggy pens / Saw my Uncle Ben in the eyes of a sow / I screamed holy cow / That’s my Uncle Ben.” It’s having fun with language. And oftentimes you’ll see an animal that bears a striking resemblance to someone in your life. Lots of folks resemble owls to me. This one pig at the fair had an uncanny resemblance to my uncle. Just in the eyes!
And, about the lineup for the song, he adds, “Brendon [Thomas] was integral to this piece. He helped me get to a comfortable place in the studio, as he tracked me live playing the acoustic guitar and singing, one fell swoop. Half the battle in a studio is getting to a place of ease, forgetting that you’ve been tangled up in headphone wires and mic cords. Brendon was confident we captured something special on that first take. His presence and approach is ideal for a neurotic fella like myself. Christy is Brendon’s wife. She’s also a talented musician and actress. Tracking this record in their beautiful home in New Hampshire, it made sense to get Christy’s effortless pipes on the record.”
Schmoon makes folk songs with a rustic strumming style, lots of space with punctuations of other sounds and backing vocals that accentuate a sense of estrangement. Punctuation and estrangement that give you pause. In this song, the observations at the country fair are central – “I wanted to cry / You don’t need / American flag tees everywhere / At the county fair.” This is a brief commentary on the most mundane aspects of our society, and leaves you with something to think about.
Find Schmoon’s music on Bandcamp here: https://schmoon.bandcamp.com/album/pretty-darn-pretty
