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1.
Neptune's Garden I tried so hard to find you In the grove of olive trees Through the turrets of the castle But you hid yourself away. It’s a simple thing to think of And the hardest thing to do When you’re heart’s completely flustered And you know you cannot choose. And your beard is growing lichen And you give a stony stare But your eyes never leave me They follow everywhere. And I think, if I’m crafty I’ll turn, and see you move But though I try, I cannot And so, I guess I lose So leave you to your cool Green mossy pedestal Where heart sick girls toss coins While they sit and tell You all about their sorrows Brave knights that never came Abandoned by true love And forever curse it’s name And I have just enough wisdom To know I cannot stay But you, fain to follow Where time can melt away The minutes and the hours Like you have never seen A far different world Where you have never been Words carry on the water And are picked up by the wind For thousands of years On and on they spin So sleep now my sweet love Let the waters sing your song Long after my passing Long after I’m gone.
2.
Chimera 05:39
The Chimera She is a Chimera, a fantastic beast of dreams Foolish, or fabulous, with no place in reality She lives among the clouds where the air is rare and thin A lion’s head, sharp goat hooves, and the tail of a serpent. And when she gets riled she tends to breathe fire And burns everything that she sees That’s why she lives amongst eagles and marmots Such creatures that just let her be. They all danced in circles around, dance around Like a serpent chasing its tail Allemande with the left, promenade to the right Bow down, balance me, bow down. Long ago, before the sun had retreated to its cave And before the moon had lost any chance of being saved She lived in the world, just like anyone you see And no one saw her lion’s head, her tail or her cloven feet As they whispered their prayers to biscuits and wine And Madonnas in lovely white veils With a passion more frightening than anything else They were lost on the labyrinth trail They all danced in circles, around, dance around Like a serpent chasing its tail Allemande with the left, promenade with the right Bow down, balance me, bow down. Then in, a trying time, people did desperate things Blind with fear, they could not hear The message Peace would bring. And so the shields of prejudice were raised by many hands Only war, and nothing more, burned across the land. The Chimaera was frantic to turn back the tide But alas, there was little she could do So in bitter defeat she made her retreat And off to the mountain she flew, They all danced in circles, around, dance around, A serpent chasing its tail, Allemande with the left, promenade to the right, Bow down, balance me, bow down. She is a Chimera, a fantastic beast of dreams Foolish, or fabulous, with no place in reality Place in reality.
3.
Deer Parade 04:06
4.
Come Now Children How did this happen to you It's true, you’ve gone insane And yes, there's millions to blame But if we play that game, it's such a shame Melting ice caps, rising oceans, Do you all know how to swim? Don’t delay another moment Or you’ll take it on the chin Well, come, now, children You know what you must do Clean up the mess Do the best that you can possibly do. You’ll push me ‘round the bend Straight to the end, ‘til I’ve nothing left but to Send you all to your graves When you’ve still time to save Your sorry asses It’s not really hard to fathom Just how much this means to you You yourselves are now the hazard Look how much you have to lose Come, now, children, You know what you must do Clean up the mess Do the best that you can possibly do 'Tsk tsk, impossible task? Why would I ask? If it were so I give credit where due, now it’s up to you It’s time to be true Don’t try to fix someone else Your concern should be yourself You’ll be done before you know it Then there’s treats, just don't blow it Come, now, children, You know what you must do Clean up the mess Do the best that you can possibly do.
5.
Hero 04:25
Hero You raise your little boy as best as you can Next thing you know he’s a full grown man Maybe in body, if not in mind No direction but lots of time So he’s out on his own and times get tough Whatever he does it’s not enough Maybe lose a job, maybe fail in school Maybe some lover makes him feel a fool Then in steps good old Uncle Sam Telling you he’s got just the plan Gonna see the world, get your college too We’re gonna make a man out of you He wants to be a hero He wants to be a man He wants to be a hero He wants to be a hero He wants to be man He wants to be a hero The president says it’s all white or black And right around the corner’s a terrorist attack But as the lies and deceptions grow It’s ever apparent, we reap what we sow Our paranoia spreads like a fan Over all the lost boys in Neverland And here in the twenty-first century It’s getting harder to figure what to believe But somehow you must accept your son Body of steel, cold hard gun As he ships away to war Pray you’ll understand what it's for He wants to be a hero He wants to be a man He wants to be a hero He wants to be a hero He wants to be man He wants to be a hero God bless America Land that I love
6.
Travelers The mist moves in from Africa On a night we won’t sleep A silvery slick of moonlight Still stretches ‘cross the sea And we are just two travelers being who will be And no one knows our whereabouts As it should be The rain is moving from Spain On a night we won’t sleep The sun’s a golden molten river Stretching ‘cross the sea And we have come 10,000 miles To see who we can be We shall be travelers all of our lives Like migrating birds we will follow the seasons We’ll cross the wide oceans, deserts and prairies We’ll go where we want go for what ever reason The birds are singing midnight songs We’ve never heard before We’ve been cast upon this very Distant different shore Two fools, two wandering miscreants Happy to be free And no one knows our whereabouts We shall be travelers all of our lives Like migrating birds we will follow the seasons We’ll cross the wide oceans, deserts, and prairies We’ll go where we want go for what ever reason
7.
Tutto Va Bene I like my morning cappuccino While sitting in a sunny cafe I like my vino Italian rosso Della casa, per favore I like my sea warm and blue And the sand soft and smooth Give me good cheese, give me good bread I’ll be molto bene ‘til I’m dead It’s like they say, la dolce vita, In Italiano life is much sweeter Amore mio, voglio bere Un po 'di vino rosso con me. What could be better, than Italian sweaters When the evening starts to chill And watching women in stilettos On cobblestones is quite a thrill, The prosciutto and pecorino Are absoluto divine The ravioli con tartufi It’s molto bene all the time It’s like they say, la dolce vita In Italiano life is much sweeter Amore mio, voglio bere Un po 'di vino rosso con me.
8.
A Few Important Things I am alone now I have no mother I have no father They’ve passed on I find myself now To be an elder But I still remember being young Believing I could fly Not knowing I could ever die Thinking I had a few important things to say Shining like gold coins In the depths of the sea Like a pearl in an oyster Like a magic key To the treasures of our sweetest dreams Waiting to be found Try to remember every night when we lay down Sometimes I want the whole truth Give it to me straight I want to feel the passion Don’t make me wait And some days it’s too much Just getting out of bed Can’t stop trouble Talking in my head Do we ever really get it? Ever understand? Ever know the meaning? Unravel all these plans? From what I’ve got figured We never really do Just hope you find the kindness of friends around you. I am alone now I have no mother I have no father They’ve passed on I find myself now To be an elder But I still remember being young Now I know I can’t fly And someday I’ll surely die But I’ve still a few important things to say Shining like gold coins In the depths of the sea Like a pearl in an oyster Like a magic key To the treasures of our sweetest dreams Waiting to be found Try to remember every night when we lay down
9.
Mere Mortals 03:55
Mere Mortals When you’re a mere mortal you often complain Just how fast time can go by But can you imagine how it must be When you’re a lowly Mayfly You’re born in the morning, by noon you’re a teen By five you’re an adult you see what we mean You spend the night mating, then laying eggs Only to discover by morning you’re dead Twenty four hours, twenty four hours Mating and mating, and meeting and mating Meeting and mating and then laying eggs, Meeting and mating, meeting and mating Meeting and mating and then you are dead. We are mere mortals And we won’t live forever We are mere mortals Prawns in a bigger game We are mere mortals Trying to make our way Knowing that today might be our Last day. You might wake up one morning To find everything has changed What you thought was set in stone Has all been rearranged So you pray to Jesus, maybe Krishna Buddha is good too, And hope that somehow in the end it All makes sense to you. We are mere mortals And we won’t live forever We are mere mortals Prawns in a bigger game We are mere mortals Trying to make our way Knowing that today might be our Last day.
10.
Castles of Sand No other place was mine it was the closest to Wherever my deepest self was found I could be running blind, from the craziest escapade And always there was a sense of solid ground But that was the strangest thing, there was no solid ground For my place was built entirely of sand On an earthquake fault, sand as white as salt Sitting on the edge of the bay You know it’s not just black or white Or day and night, or dark and light Or what you give, or what you take Or how you move, or what you make They built her house, of redwood trees Ancient ones, 500 years or more And anchored it with ocean stones That held it through a thousand storms The winds had tried their very best To blow the thing right out into the waves, Yet wood and stone had stood their ground And time and time again she was saved You know it’s not just black or white Or day and night, or dark and light Or what you give, or what you take Or how you move, or what you make Dreams are shaped by shifting tides Hissing waves, the seagull’s cry The haunting mists, the lion’s call The brilliant sunrise through the fog And what comes must surely pass We like to think we’re constant as the moon And yet by nature ever changing And lonely as the calling of the loon You know it’s not just black or white Or day and night, or dark and light Or what you give, or what you take Or how you move, or what you make
11.
Get up and tango. Or whatever. Pour yourself a glass of wine or other favorite beverage, and enjoy. Ciao!

about

Maggie and Luke spent one October driving around Northern Italy. They were watched over by gods and goddesses, met a few heroes and mythical beasts, and wherever they went, encountered amazingly kind and generous Italians. Out of all that came mazurkas, tangos (even a jig), ballads of love, loss, longing, and magic. So many stories!


A bit of bio:

Storm Session was created by singer, songwriter, composer, accordionist, guitarist, and sometimes essayist and playwright Maggie McKaig. With a voice both rich and authentic ("The real thing!”), she’s recorded 6 CDs so far this century. She’s performed with the renowned jazz bassists Michael Zisman (all over this album) and Bill Douglass, as well as the great saxophonist George Brooks. As an accompanist she's worked with many singer-songwriters, including a year and a half on the road with two-time Grammy award winner Mary Youngblood.

Maggie has performed at numerous music festivals in North America—California WorldFest, the KVMR Celtic Festival, Strawberry Music Festival, Salem World Beat Festival, Calgary, Edmonton, Regina, and Saskatoon Folk Music Festivals, and has also performed concerts in the UK, Italy, Greece, and Spain.

Maggie’s prior bands include the Alberta, Canada based folk rock band Lost in the Colonies. In Northern California, she's led the Celtic Wonder Band and the contemporary music ensemble Storm Session. From 2009-present, her the world fusion quartet Beaucoup Chapeaux, with Luke Wilson, Murray Campbell, and Randy McKean, has made a lot of audiences very happy.

Multi-instrumentalist Luke P. Wilson—tenor guitar, plectrum banjo, 5-string banjo, dobro, lap steel, and vocals—was born in Oshawa, Ontario. Described by the legendary folk musician Utah Phillips as one of the best musicians ever, Luke has performed and recorded in Europe and North America, was a Capitol Records recording artist (with Ron Paul Morin), and worked with many of Canada's finest musicians including Valdy, Ian Tyson, Diamond Joe White, Ron Paul Morin, Ken Hamm, members of Prairie Oyster, Ron Casat, Peter Marley, and the Backline Orchestra. 

In California, Luke has enjoyed working with jazz bassists Michael Zisman and Bill Douglass, violinist Alasdair Fraser, and many singer/songwriters including Saul Rayo, Kimberly Bass, Sands Hall, and Utah Phillips. Major festival performances include California WorldFest, KVMR Celtic Festival, Strawberry Music Festival, Salem World Beat Festival, as well as the Calgary, Edmonton, Regina, and Saskatoon Folk Music Festival. Luke, who lives in Northern California with his wife, musician Maggie McKaig, is a second-generation luthier, and been working as such for nearly 50 years or so. But who's counting. He runs his shop, Wolf Note Studio, with his son Bryn Wilson.

The amazingly versatile Murray Campbell—violin, oboe, and cor anglais— was born in Scotland. Murray is as much in demand for his musical improvisation skills as he is for his abilities as a classical musician. As an oboist he performs regularly with numerous Northern California symphony orchestras including North State, InConcert Sierra, Music in the Mountains, and the Auburn Symphony, and more.  Campbell has recorded/and or performed with many singer-songwriters, including Paul Kamm and Eleanore MacDonald, Sands Hall, and Zoe Boekbinder. In the world of more adventurous music, Campbell performs with a number of new music ensembles, including Randy McKean's Bristle, the acoustic-electronics duo The Gargantius Effect, and many more.

For the last 28 years, bassist Michael Zisman has been performing with jazz stars such as Harold Mabern, Cecil Payne, George Coleman, David "Fathead" Newman, Ernestine Anderson, James Williams, Eric Alexander, Dena DeRose, and many others. Michael previously served as the Artistic and Education Director of the Stanford Jazz Workshop and Festival, and is the creator of “The Real Easy Book” as well as co-author of “Walking Bassics”, all published by Sher Music. Michael has been an adjunct faculty at SF State teaching jazz courses since 2007.

In 2006, Michael picked up a mandolin, and hasn’t been the same since. Michael’s band, Americano Social Club, is one of San Francisco’s most beloved event and party bands.

credits

released March 20, 2008

The Storm Session:
Maggie McKaig--guitar, accordion, lead and harmony vocals
Luke Wilson--lead and harmony vocals, 5-string banjo, tenor guitar
Murray Campbell--violin, oboe, cor anglais, harmony vocals
Michael Zisman--electric bass, mandolin

All the songs are written by Maggie McKaig, except:
"Deer Parade" and "Travelers" are by Maggie and Luke Wilson;
"Night in Viterbo" is by Maggie and Michael Zisman;
"La Napoletana Mazurka" is a traditional Italian dance tune.

Recorded 2008 at Flying Whale Studio, Grass Valley, CA
Engineered by Bruce Wheelock
Mixed and Mastered by Maggie McKaig, Luke Wilson, and Bruce Wheelock.
Graphic Design by John Rives at DiscWrite CD Promotions, and Maggie McKaig

Original art work by Liz Collins

Maggie and Luke wish to thank:
Our two fine sons Tennyson and Bryn Wilson for their support and understanding; Sue McKaig for being a very cool sister; Bruce Wheelock and Judy Patton for making Flying Whale a great place to record; Michael Z. and Murray C. for putting up with us so gracefully; Jon Wondergem for holding down the shop; John Rives for his creativity; Liz Collins for her visions wondrous; Lance McCollum for his beautiful guitars; Mimma and Franco Ferrando for their gracious Chianti hospitality; and for being splendid friends overall—Carma Berglund, Marylou Brigham, Amber Cone, Barb Dakin, Laura Duncan, Sands Hall, Craig and Laura Rohrsen, and Debra Swan. Grazie mille!

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Maggie McKaig Nevada City, California

I'm a singer-songwriter, guitarist, accordionist, composer, poet, essayist, playwright. Since 2009 I've led World music quartet Beaucoup Chapeaux. With my partner of 45 years Luke Wilson we raised two sons, made seven albums, and grown veggie gardens and fruit trees on five acres of never ceded land once occupied by the Nisenan Tribe near Nevada City, CA.
Photo by LeeAnn Brook.
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