Music of the Day, 19 September 2023
Harr harrr harrrrrrrr, eh
Today is International Talk Like a Pirate Day. It’s okay if you didn’t know that or forgot it; it doesn’t seem to be as widely noticed and celebrated as it used to be. The main reason I remember is that Ravelry1 used to go all in on it. The other reason I try to keep it in mind is so that I can replay an amusing song ad nauseam without my kids yelling at me to stop.
Captain Tractor is a Canadian folk-punk band that is harder to describe than those words might convey. They’ve done a fair few covers (including today’s featured song) but also have a lot of excellent original music. Their songs also range from silly to deeply moving. Even though some of that emotional content derives from their Canadian prairie roots, this rural Midwesterner is still able to empathize, even if I don’t get all the allusions.
The Arrogant Worms released “The Last Saskatchewan Pirate” on their eponymous first album in 1992. (I’ve not heard it.) Captain Tractor’s cover appeared on their 1995 album, East of Edson. It enchanted me at first listen.
Ever the fans of in jokes, a hidden track on the East of Edson CD provides some backstory on Mabel2 (which is original to Captain Tractor, as far as I know).
For covers and more lighthearted music, Captain Tractor’s first two albums—Land (1994) and East of Edson (1995)—will set one up quite nicely. For those who’d prefer to focus on the band’s more serious side, 1997’s Bought the Farm will provide plenty of that, as well as a fun tune that focuses on Canada’s national sport. I have all of these and enjoy them.
I’d mostly forgotten about Captain Tractor until today’s holiday came up because their albums are on my external storage device. I’ll be copying them over so that I can reacquaint myself with the mighty Captain’s music.
Not knowing Canadian arcana shouldn’t be much of an impediment to you enjoying Captain Tractor’s music, if you’re inclined to explore. A decent sampling is available on YouTube.
A fiber arts and crafts social media site
This was also my first exposure to Captain Tractor’s music, although I didn’t know it at the time. It’s a goofy song that a Dayton rock radio station’s morning “zoo crew”-type DJs used as intro and outro music to their hijinks bits. If they ever credited the song, I didn’t hear it; it wasn’t until I heard the hidden track for the first time that the mystery resolved itself.
I am still chuckling...