By Mark Ambrogi
Folk singer John McCutcheon has no problem poking fun at his reputation for being a prolific songwriter.
“I’ve been blessed with an overabundance of imagination, energy, and I guess a questionable amount of taste,” McCutcheon said.
McCutcheon recently finished his 38th album, “Trolling for Dreams.”
“It’s ridiculous, isn’t it?” McCutcheon said.
His first alburm was released in 1975 when McCutcheon, 64, said he “was a shiny-faced young boy.”
McCutcheon willl perform a cross-section of his music at 8 p.m. Sept. 18 at The Warehouse, 254 1st Ave. SW, Carmel. He plans to have some albums available when he arrives at The Warehouse.
“One of the advantages of being a soloist is you are not constricted by the bass player not knowing the song,” McCutcheon said. “If somebody wants to hear something from album No. 4, my only restriction is can I remember that song. You’re always excited to play your new songs because that’s the last step for me in songwriting. The last step for me is always to get the songs in front of human beings and have them take possession of them. I’ll be doing a lot of the new stuff and there will be things I know people expect to hear.”
McCutcheon said he asks for requests during intermission or a break.
“I don’t know what the local radio station has been playing and I don’t know what entrance point people have for my music, so I want to make sure people get their money’s worth,” McCutcheon said.
All but one of his songs on his 2015 album “Joe Hill’s Last Will” were written by songwriter and labor activist Hill, who was executed by a Utah firing squad in 1915 after being convicted of murder. The one exception was a poem McCutcheon turned into a melody.
McCutcheon’s wife is children’s author and storyteller Carmen Agra Deedy.
“She has a busier schedule than I do,” said McCutcheon, who also has written a few children’s books.
For more, visit liveforthemusic.com. For more on McCutcheon, visit folkmusic.com
