Album Notes

BLACKBIRDS IN THE PIE is a collection of seventeen songs recorded over the summer of 2008. I made up nine (four are instrumentals), seven are songs by others including Tom Paxton's "Central Square" and Malvina Reynolds' "God Bless the Grass" plus one I adapted and arranged from a recording by Lightnin' Hopkins with some lyrics taken from an earlier recording by Ma Rainey plus some I made up and added. Is that confusing enuff? "The Song of Imaginary Gifts", a playful birthday song, is also available as a gift item single.

The overall tone of the CD is bluesy and there are more humorous bits... and more surprises... than on earlier recordings. Productions are generally sparse and are
layered under my acoustic guitar parts played fingerstyle, with a slide and flatpicked. Players include me; acoustic, resonator, high-string, electric & electric bass guitars,
drum machine, harmonica, kalimba, ocarina, cymbal and "vocals", reed master Billy Novick; clarinet on "Send Me to the 'Lectric Chair" and roots blues singer & guitarist Paul Rishell; pedal steel guitar on "I Fall Up". ~ Geoff

"Geoff, I've been listening to your new CD "Blackbirds in the Pie" and loving it. I am floored by your fingerstyle playing. Your lyrics are brilliant, especially The Song of
Imaginary Gifts. It's the warmest expression of goodwill I've ever heard in song." ~ Michael Bean (www.myspace.com/michaelwbean) Boston-area acoustic and electric multi-instrumentalist who has performed and recorded rock, funk, jazz, blues and bluegrass with local, national and international industry players

“Geoff, as always it was great seeing you at the open mic and watching you play... someone asked me to describe your playing and I came up with: Norman Blake with the restraint and musicality of Mark Knopfler. Man, your originals were fantastic! I love the line about the blackbirds in the pie.” ~ songwriter Steven Bacon, from the email bag June 2008