I was just experimenting with a new arrangement for my cheap condenser mics to try to get better acoustic instrument sound. I think I got on to something I like better. Anyway, fooling around with it, and with this traditional sea shanty (and…

Just something I've been working on for an audio production course. Very early Stan, and as far as I know the only track to feature a banjo. It's the story of a tragic shipwreck that also says 'tis an ill wind as blow no one any good! Ability…

While wiring up a new FX processor in my studio I was messing around with this classic traditional sea shanty. Probably because at this time last week I was playing at the Harwich (UK) International Sea Shanty Festival. Anyway, while messing around…

It has long been the role of the troubadour to challenge and lampoon Authority through music. This is one such piece, written following a speech by the U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), in which he spoke of African slaves…

Ahoy, shipmates, it's that there time of year again, when yer ready to hang over the lee rail on account of all them insipid Christmas songs they've been blatting at you everywhere you turn ever since Halloween, if not before. Well, I've got…

I'm invited to play at Moscow's Banjofest next month. I decided to do a clawhammer banjo set, as nobody much is playing that style over here. I'm recording backing tracks so I can play the tunes with a virtual band, and this mix of this old traditional…

I earn my daily bread with a company that makes software than can help auto makers, and other companies rushing headlong to make internet connected products to do a better job on the software engineering side. There's more software in the average…

a.k.a. "The Ballad of Big Celine" What ever happened to ballads - stories told in song? The internet and TV have reduced attention spans, and long songs a la Don McLean, Harry Chapin, and Gordon Lightfoot have fallen by the wayside. If you…

Released via CD Baby this past week. The full version is available to stream on my site: www.robertpalomo.com/corporation_blues I'm embedding the video here below.

Went back and listened to Simon, discovered I disremembered the chords on the chorus. Aaaaarrrggghhhh. Back to the drawing board. Dumped the mandolin solo I had in v.1 in favor of guitar. I still can't play mandolin worth beans. Itty bitty…

Kock the manure off'n yer boots, pop open a Bud and git down git funky.

I uploaded this tune several years ago. The other day I found the track was truncated,and when I tried to replace it, that didn't work. Well, anyway, since then I've redone all the vocals and remixed & remastered the tune, so I just blew away…

Here's a clip from a new folk single I just released. You can hear the whole song in the video below, or on the song page on my website. This features 2 instruments people love to hate: banjo and accordion (in this case, melodeon). But both…

For Gene's challenge. Keeping always in mind the K.I.S.S. principle. (Keep It Simple, Stupid!)

It has been a salty year for me, performing with a great sea shanty group in Saint Petersburg. I've written a number of sea songs this year, and this one especially for the 2014 holiday season. Sorry, to post just a clip here, but I've released…

Here's the classic sea song you know. The sea shanty group I play with is planning to record it for a video production. Right now we sing it like 99.9% of all sea shanty groups on the planet: straight thru with all the voices in unison on the…

I had another version of this Stan Rogers tune up here before. But I recently decided to invest in some nice plugins for my recording setup (IZotope). I used this tune as a learning project and it came out so much better than what I had before…

Some time ago whilst YouTubing, I stumbled across several videos of old seafaring songs or sea "shanties". Unbelievably, that triggered some very ancient RAM of elementary school music classes wherein we were taught several of these songs. And…

Yeah, I know, it's early. But the Banjo Hangout is having a contest for banjo renditions of this tune, and I decided to toss my hat in the ring, so to speak. Might win the 6-string banjo first prize, which I can't imagine having any use for, or…

Another rendition of this great piano song recorded with some new virtual piano software that kicks serious butt. Compare this to the other version where I used the Grand Piano in GarageBand. It's OK for some things but it's not the piano you…