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Fair Mitten (New Songs of the Historic Great Lakes Basin)

by Gifts or Creatures

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1.
When I awoke to Pontiac's Rebellion, Our homeland was broken, Creased maps, Red back dreams, Split at the seams, This territory lonesome. When tribes came to be, The mighty Mississippi, The mitten ceased the call, On that dark and bloody day, The fort was meant to stay, My heart was so silent. Parent's Creek did run red, A sign of the dead, Rogers made a showing, A bounty on the head, The mighty white man said, Amherst the flame of ruin. When I awoke to Pontiac's Rebellion, Our homeland was broken, Creased maps red back dreams, Split at the seams, This territory lonesome.
2.
Two Hearts (Two Peninsulas) Two hearts, two peninsulas, Two hands, bound together, Two hearts, two peninsulas, Two hands, bound together, Bound together. The Boardman to the Boyne, Forest and field, Forest and stream, A flower to the nose, Greater than you, Grander than me. Two hearts, two peninsulas, Two hands, bound together, Two hearts, two peninsulas, Two hands, bound together, Bound together. Au Sable to the Pine, Forest and field, Forest and stream, Did you feed on gold? Grander than you, Greater than me. Two hearts, two peninsulas, Two hands, bound together, Two hearts, two peninsulas, Two hands, bound together, Bound together, bound together, Bound together.
3.
Army of the Northwest, Fort Dearborn Massacre, Torched in quarter hour, The loop, the loop. Cold windy city, Michigan shore be still, Mackinac the fallen, The loop, the loop. Bears and bison overhauled, We forged a kingdom to fall, Palisades built tall. Southward we ride, Michigan shore be still, Wells your heart your valor, The loop, the loop. May the four winds bless your namesake, Fort Dearborn Massacre, Forlorn frontiersman, The loop, the loop. Bears and bison overhauled, We forged a kingdom to fall, Palisades built tall. Bears and bison overhauled, We forged a kingdom to fall, Palisades built tall. Army of the Northwest, Fort Dearborn Massacre, Torched in quarter hour, The loop, the loop.
4.
Did you feed on gold, Trout of the pines? Was the caravan load, So reckless so fine? A coming year, Of doting cheer, Logjams the silty bloom, Woolen warmth kingdom come, The woodsman his fallen axe. Windy City, Nosh for days, A quarter Washington a pound, Float about get your fill, Crawford is Grayling now. White Pine wield, Michigan wood smoke warmth within, Mitten land, The grayling swam, Slipped the white man’s fin. Did you feed on gold, Trout of the pines? Was the caravan load, So reckless so fine? Did you feed on gold, Trout of the pines? Was the caravan load, So reckless so blind?
5.
Canadian Shield, Michigan Basin, Juniper, Hemlock tea. Canadian Shield, Northwest Passage, Voyagers, Riches for a king. Unsalty sea, Petticoat lamps, We'll share old travel shoes, In the cold, Through the damp. Canadian Shield, Westward calling, Native drives, Bleak dark lies, Canadian Shield, Massasauga terror, Winged-passengers, Twice a year. Unsalty Sea, Fired white pine, We'll share wood smoke watch, In the cold, Through the damp. Canadian Shield, Michigan Basin, Juniper, Hemlock tea. Canadian Shield, Northwest Passage, Voyagers, Riches for a king.
6.
7.
Was I your brakeman, Was I your voice? Was I your brakeman, Or your lonesome choice? Grand Rapids brakeman, Long forlorn, Grand Rapids brakeman, Far from your western home. Was I your brakeman, Was I your charm? Was I your brakeman, Or your lonesome harm? Grand Rapids brakeman, Dark as night, Grand Rapids brakeman, Gone like the grayling's might. Was I your brakeman, Your righteous ghost? Was I your brakeman, Whom you loved the most? Grand Rapids brakeman, Long forlorn, Grand Rapids brakeman, Far from your western home.
8.
Green Gold 04:51
Green gold, Covered lake states, Bathed in white light, Gone in the name of progress, The Upper Midwest. Lit through, spirit memories, Cedars and lichen, Hudson Bay Company, The Empire outpost. Grand land, Tall pines, Petosega, Paper birch canoe, Dreamy cold guns. Loon song, Black bear, Hooked mighty sturgeon, Soldier of the land, The axe man is coming. Forest fever, Pelts for booze, Pelts or war, Hemlock, White pine, Fell the land, Felled the man. Green gold, Covered lake states, Bathed in white light, Gone in the name of progress, The Upper Midwest.
9.
Red backs on the sea, Yankees dry land, Dry land. Her Majesty Detroit, Belts of wampum, Wampum. Trapping or trading, Into the Old Northwest, I have gone, Hull was a lost cause, The scalps upon display, I do not know. Iron or stone, Blankets of warmth, Found warmth. To Saginaw with smoke, Cloth and guns, Cold guns. Trapping or trading, Into the Old Northwest, I have gone, Whiskey and spiked rum, The booze upon my breath, It has won. The cession of Old Northwest, The cession of Old Northwest.
10.
All hell or guns breaking loose, Nature was here, Night shades, Carbon ports, Fleeced everyone. Fair mitten, As it used to be, Nature was here, Smoking guns, Half-man, Half-animal. Caught the corner, Of my fleeting eye, Nature was here, Forever burned, In my basking brain. Burning blazes, And a smoking gun, Nature was here, Conquest of the Old Northwest. All hell or guns breaking loose, Nature was here, Night shades, Carbon ports, Fleeced everyone.

about

Ever since I was a child, I have been enamored by the boundless blue water and thick north woods of Michigan. The striking combination of wooded land and freshwater seascapes has a rich history that is often overshadowed by the coastal cities and towns of North America. I have traveled around the country and always miss the north woods when away. The Great Lakes region has always felt like a secret undiscovered jewel.

Recorded intermittently over an eighteen-month period, this collection of songs explores the last four centuries in the Great Lakes Basin. The album digs into the history of the area; it celebrates it, and at times laments the historical stress within the region.

"... gorgeous indie folk."
-MAGNET Magazine

"Their evocative music blends folk, pop, and Americana elements with a deep historical bent that is at times both hauntingly dark and wistfully poetic. The interplay between Brandon's warm, electric guitar and Bethany's Wurlitzer electric piano is as much a signature sound as are their delicate vocal harmonies."
-AllMusic

credits

released September 22, 2017

Produced by Brandon John Foote & Seth Bernard
Recorded at La Luna Recording in Kalamazoo, Michigan
Engineered by Ian Gorman
Mixed by Ian Gorman & Brandon John Foote
Mastered by Saff Mastering in Chicago, Illinois
Voice sample and Great Lakes map: Courtesy Archives of Michigan

Brandon John Foote - vocals, electric guitars, samples
Bethany Foote - vocals, Wurlitzer electric piano, string synth
Max Lockwood – bass guitar
Dan Rickabus – drums, percussion
Seth Bernard - acoustic, electric & baritone guitars

Special Thanks to: Ian Gorman, Seth Bernard, Max Lockwood, Dan Rickabus, Josh Michels, Brad Kik, Carl Saff, Devin Foote, Jamie Krapohl, Mark Harvey & Jessica Harden at the Archives of Michigan, Khalid Ibrahim, John Hanson, T-Rex Roth & Joyce Walker, Jason Whalen of Big Foot Media, The Foote Family, The Turner Family, Drew Howard, Bill Chesney, Alison Cole, Beth Keller, Rachel Gorman, Pat Hudson, Jason Lantrip, Ryan Freitas, Ty & Rose Forquer, D.L. Rossi, Alex Ruff, Steven Holmes & Marie Orttenburger at Mostly Midwest, Steve Olson for the Supro, Stumptown Printers, Earthwork Music, Crosshatch Center for Art & Ecology.

This album is dedicated to Simon Muir Foote.

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Gifts or Creatures Kalamazoo, Michigan

Gifts or Creatures is the musical pursuit of husband-wife Brandon and Bethany Foote. The couple fuses a blend of Midwestern folklore, old-world history and cinematic soundscapes to create a trove of antique Americana.

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