Jackson County-based folksinger and songwriter Joe Persinger has released a new 10-track album entitled “Old Sad Songs.”
Persinger hastened to explain that all the songs are not old or sad. “That’s just the name of one of my new original tunes, and it’s actually very light and bouncy; not sad at all. It focuses on the question of whether only a sad song can touch a listener emotionally, addressing both sides of that debate. Very tongue-in-cheek.”
There are sad songs, however, including “Give My Love to Marie,” the story of an East Tennessee coal miner struggling with black lung disease. It was written by an Oklahoma folksinger, James Talley, whose recording of it was released in 1976.
An unusual selection is called “Death of the Last Stripper” and was written by Texas musician Terry Allen.
“I heard him sing it on ‘Austin City Limits,’ and I thought, ‘Boy, that’s really dramatic — I need to learn that!’” Persinger said.
Another original song by Persinger is “When Midnight Comes Around,” a very traditional country ballad that features Grammy winning fiddler Michael Cleveland and multi-instrumentalist Brian Leaver.
Persinger and his longtime singing buddy Curt Kovener provide their version of a Bellamy Brothers tune, “No Country Music for Old Men,” lamenting the passing of many legendary country artists in recent years.
Other tracks are Persinger’s take on classic folk songs by some of his favorite artists, including Gordon Lightfoot, Bob Dylan, and Bruce Springsteen.
Physical CD’s are available at 13th Floor Music on Chestnut St. in downtown Seymour and at Family Drug in Brownstown. You can request a signed copy by mail by contacting Persinger directly at facebook.com/allthosesongs.
Digital downloads of the full album or individual tracks are available at josephfpersinger.bandcamp.com.