Catch of the Day

I was happier than usual to see the UPS man yesterday. He brought to my door the brand new Dan Zanes and Friends CD, Catch That Train! which was released earlier this week. This musically adventurous album features old and new Friends, including Natalie Merchant on "Loch Lomond," Father Goose on the irresistible "Choo Choo Ch'Boogie" and "Pata Pata," and The Kronos Quartet on "Grey Goose." Another Friend I was especially glad to see was Dan's brother Warren, making an appearance on "Mariposa Ole."

The album opens with the title track, an easy-going Zanes original which invites listeners along on a train ride, presumably a metaphor for the musical adventure which lies ahead. But besides an eclectic assortment of musical styles and sounds, the rest of the album is sprinkled with some meaningful social commentary.

A few tracks in, we hear The Blind Boys of Alabama joining Zanes on the spritual "The Welcome Table." The lyrics - I'm going to sit at the welcome table one of these days - were adapted to the civil rights moment in the 1960's with lines like, I'm going to sit at the Woolworth's counter.... Although he remarks in the liner notes on the meaning these lyrics hold today, I can't imagine Zanes could have forseen how spectacularly appropriate this song would be at this very moment, given the events of the last few weeks surrounding immigration reform issues.

Another song that stands out is Zanes' rendition of the old Socialist workers anthem "I Don't Want Your Millions, Mister." Juxtaposed with other current events - the seemingly endless parade of white collar criminals such as Kenneth Lay and Tom Noe (a corrupt Ohio political hanger-on) having their days in court, and the enormous profits enjoyed by oil company executives while the rest of America forks over three bucks for a gallon of gas - this song made my heart ache.

Two Zanes originals, "Wander in the Summer Wind" and "Moonlit Town," are basically love songs to Brooklyn, and they will no doubt be on the set list for Zanes' June 3 benefit concert for Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn (DDDB).

"While the Music is Playing" gave me a strange sense of deja-vu, and when I looked at the liner notes, I quickly realized why. Zanes wrote this song about his trip last summer through Iowa - my home state - where he and The Friends traveled around performing at schools, senior centers, libraries, parades - packing as much music as possible into every day, and discovering "endless possibilities for small-town musical fun."

A trip to Iowa, and songs packed with social commentary and happy togetherness lead me to believe that Dan Zanes may be preparing to run for president in 2008. We can only hope. He could appoint some of the Friends from his albums to cabinet positions - Father Goose, Sandra Bernhard, oh, and Warren as Secretary of Coolness. But I digress....

Catch That Train is an amazing album. A couple of bonuses are included - the insightful liner notes (with guitar chords above the lyrics!), and the fabulous video of "Catch That Train!" Musically, this album is diverse and inspired. And thematically, it's packed with populist thought and community building. It's a socially-conscious album that we can all dance to.
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Updated 6/13: Welcome, Dan Zanes fans! If you linked here from the Dan Zanes e-newsletter, stop and take a look around. The main page is here, or, if you're asking yourself "what is this fabulous place?" you can find some answers here and here. Oh, and here is another post I wrote about Dan Zanes. Thanks for visiting!