"I‘ve been a Tom Chapin fan ever since I heard him at a midwest folk festival years ago. His personable stage manner and impeccable songwriting chops impressed me then. He hasn’t slowed down and on this, an album celebrating his 70th birthday, he proves that cranking out great music is not reserved for the young. He has a way of presenting heavy topics in an informative yet listenable way… Pick up this album, it’s a great one." SingOut! June 9, 2015 by Jamie Anderson "Folk singer Tom Chapin celebrates his 70th birthday on his 24th album, further cementing his well-deserved legendary status. Far from a bland trip through nostalgia, 70 shows a songwriter full of vitality and brimming with excitement. Songs of social activism address fracking, the importance of art classes in school and ecological issues, resting perfectly beside heartfelt appreciations for family and friends, from his first granddaughter’s birth, to dearly departed dogs, even bringing his daughters, Abigail and Lily, aka The Chapin Sisters, in to sing on Pete Seeger’s “Quite Early Morning.” Throughout, Chapin remains true to the folk dynamic, keeping his instrumentation mostly acoustic with electric guitar cropping up now and then. It’s a solid statement from an artist who has lived life to its capacity and will continue to do so for as long as he is able. Where many older folk singers resort to overproduction in a desperate attempt to remain relevant, Tom Chapin confidently resides within folk’s organic simplicity. Join him for his birthday and stay for many more." Chuck Foster, The Big Take Over, 5/15/15 TOM CHAPIN “70” - Track Notes Track 1. Wreckage My son-in-law Mike Wodkowski used the phrase “dwelling in the wreckage of the past.” I said, wow, can I steal that line? He said sure. So I did. Though the lyric came quickly, not so the tune. I tried several over a month or two, and then one day when jamming on the banjo I found this modal tune that seemed to fit the tone, that all-too-human dilemma of worrying about stuff that’s out of our control. 6 string banjo, guitar, piano, bass fiddle, vocal Track 2. Put A Light In Your Window I found the start of this lyric in a 30 year-old spiral bound notebook of mine. Si Kahn helped craft the chorus and Jon Cobert helped with the rocking feel, the chords and the tune. Yes, it’s the great Guy Davis blowing that killer blues harp. Acoustic & electric guitars, bass, piano, harmonica, organ, tambourine, drums, vocals Track 3. The Riverkeeper There are two boats which have become symbols of the rebirth and reclamation of the mighty Hudson River. First, the Clearwater, with Pete Seeger as a founding member, has had dozens of songs written and sung about it. The other, the Riverkeeper, now has at least one. Skipper / Captain John Lipscomb is a longtime friend and I am such a fan of his and his organization’s work, doing “the good, hard, heavy job of keeping the river clean.” Guitar, mandolin, banjo, piano, bass, whistle, accordion, vocals Track 4. Down There Like many people, I have become more and more concerned about hydraulic fracturing, one of the hot-button topics of our time. The more we know about this violent technique for recovering natural gas the worse it seems for everyone, except perhaps those who are making big money. John Forster came up with this great “just ‘cause it’s down there” lyric idea. 6 & 12 string guitar, mandolin, banjo, bass, piano, organ, fiddle, drums, vocals Track 5. Guitar Child A solo ragtime guitar rumination on what I do, and a musical shout-out to some of those who inspired and taught me. John Guth added his lovely touch to the second guitar. 2 acoustic Guitars and vocal Track 6. Autumn Rain You can tell from this song that I’m from the Northeast, where the end of summer is always bittersweet. This is one of those songs which springs from the guitar part and whose lyrics seemed to write itself. Guitar, piano, bass, vocal Track 7. Ride Out Any Storm Si Kahn has been instrumental in alerting the music community about an ecological disaster about to happen in Alaska. Bristol Bay is the site of some of the last wild salmon runs in the world. The proposed Pebble Mine, a giant open pit copper and gold mine, threatens the salmon and the rivers in which they spawn. The fisheries, the fishermen and the native peoples whose lives and livelihood depend on the salmon are threatened as well. This song and Prayer For Bristol Bay were written about this beautiful area and the danger they face. Banjo, 12 string guitar, piano, bass, vocal Track 8. Old Dogs & Old Friends This is a remembrance and celebration of Holly and Otis, two wonderful dogs from the pound who grew from puppy-dom to old age in our house. Banjo, guitar, fiddle, piano, harmonica, bass, vocal Track 9. Myra Jean I wrote this the night my first granddaughter arrived. She is now 5 years old, brings joy to everyone she meets, and deserves to have her grandpa include her song on an album. Guitar, mandolin, piano, bass, whistle, accordion, vocals Track 10. Smart Without Art Michael Mark, Jon Cobert & I wrote this on a plane the day before I was scheduled to testify at a NY State hearing about Arts in Education. Thank goodness, because I then testified as one should but seldom does: guitar in hand, singing a song. Electric guitars, bass, piano, percussion, vocals Track 11. Prayer For Bristol Bay Autoharp, 12 string guitar, bass, piano, whistle, accordion, vocal Track 12. City Of New Orleans I have long loved and sung this, and in 2004 won a Grammy for narrating a children’s book based on it’s words. Steve Goodman’s classic train song somehow manages to both celebrate America’s railroads and articulate the sadness of their decline. Listen for Jon Cobert’s beautiful piano solo. Banjo, guitar, bass, piano, vocals Track 13. Muhheakunnuk John Forster and I wrote this in 1998 for my In My Hometown recording. I’ve been singing it a lot lately, with this rolling fingerpicking pattern on guitar, and decided to re-record it. I like how this poetic history of the Hudson River (that Pete Seeger loved so much) fits with the next tune. Guitar, fiddle, pan flute, piano, bass, shakers and tom tom, vocal Track 14. Quite Early Morning We lost Toshi & Pete Seeger within 6 months of each other. In the celebrations and memorials that followed, I learned this lovely song of Pete’s and sang it with my daughters, Abigail & Lily, The Chapin Sisters. We recorded this track live in the studio – a classic Pete Seeger lyric that manages to be both personal and universal, part warning and part message of hope, and a quiet, powerful call to action. Banjo, guitar, mandolin, guitar/mandolin, bass, vocals