@john-crafton
Hi All !<br /><br />We are doing something that's pretty cool...we;re building a new mobile studio / land yacht. We're having a ball doing it but it's a ton a work...lol.<br /><br />Goto www.softwindproductions.com and you can watch us build it.<br />
I posted a song I hope you all enjoy. 'My Country' in keeping with the day, but with a Fable twist. Everyone have a safe and happy 4th Regards to all from the Soft Wind Crew.
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 7.5pt; font-family: Verdana;">The evening of 9, 11 I wrote Flight 93. I had the entire company there to listen and record it. It was getting very late and we were all still watching the TV as the evening wore on between tracks. Living in </span><span style="font-size: 7.5pt; font-family: Verdana;">New England</span><span style="font-size: 7.5pt; font-family: Verdana;"> at the time made it all the more intense as everyone there knew someone lost in the disaster. I had friends there and was trying to get in touch all day to no avail. We finished flight 93 around </span><span style="font-size: 7.5pt; font-family: Verdana;">10PM</span><span style="font-size: 7.5pt; font-family: Verdana;"> and started to play and sing my country almost like a prayer. We were all the emotional wreckage of the day and the music kept us from losing it altogether. The voices you hear are myself, my son John (the younger), Sean Galooli, and Sara Tallarico.<br />One of the company knew a very popular disk jockey in that market, Steve Valentine, and called him to let him know what was going on at the studio. He showed up around </span><span style="font-size: 7.5pt; font-family: Verdana;">11:30</span><span style="font-size: 7.5pt; font-family: Verdana;"> and we recorded this tune just as you hear it now. I mixed it and Flight 93 back to back, gave a copy to Steve around 12:30 and it was on the air in that market at 1AM 9, 12 where it remained in rotation for 2 weeks.<br />It helped to heal us all and I hope sincerely it has the same effect for you on this Independence Day.<br />Regards to all in this house. Have a safe and happy holiday<br />John</span></p>
I sent some of this as a reply to a review I got on the song The Journey.
I include it here as a way to give a complete background to the story of the song.
I've been an off-shore sailor since I was a young man and it never ceases to give me joy to be out there where the world has a pulse you can feel at the wheel of a sailboat. The sea is like a fickle woman. One minute she's making you as happy as you've ever been in your life, and the next, she's trying to kill you. But like the hopeless romantic you must be to cross the sea in the first place, you go back for more.
This was a challenging trip to say the least and after the first two days of perfect sailing, it turned and tried to retire anyone out there for good. I'm a fairly accomplished foul weather sailor, but that storm spanked me like a red headed step child...lol.
I took my lead guitar player Sean and my eldest son John, both in their early 20's, on the trip, neither of whom had ever been sailing or at sea. They both thought it was a little nuts to be out there in such weather, but they never questioned my judgment or the duties they performed to keep us safe and afloat. I watched them turn from boys to men right there in front of me.
Four days of relentless wind and high seas are a challenge for a seasoned sailor. I must admit it was one of the proudest times of my relationship with them. They acquitted themselves as well as any men I've sailed with. With good spirits and good humor they faced what turned out to be a very perilous time with grace. I will always remember them as the men they became that week.
The Coast Guard was pulling seasoned watermen from the brink of destruction, and my new shipmates were as good as the test. The story of the Pamela Ann is related exactly as is unfolded for two watermen and their stricken vessel two miles off the coast of Cape May New Jersey in a storm they soon won't forget.
The trip got progressively more difficult for us as we continued up the coast on our forty foot sloop 'The Journey', bound for the protected waters of Rhode Island's Narragansett Bay. Most of that time was spent heeled over with the port deck in the water and six to ten foot waves breaking over our starboard side much of it in the dark.
A five day trip took nearly 10 and their faith in me, my skills as a sailor, the things they learned so well, and in our good ship will remain with me long into my memory. It's not for everyone to test their mantle in this way and after so many miles at sea, I am always humbled by those that do.
Johnny and Sean didn't cower...they are good men.
They will always have my warmest regards
John
<font face="Times New Roman"><strong><em><span style="font-size: 14pt; color: #3366ff">John Crafton is from </span></em></strong><strong><em><span style="font-size: 14pt; color: #3366ff">Baltimore</span></em></strong><strong><em><span style="font-size: 14pt; color: #3366ff"> </span></em></strong><strong><em><span style="font-size: 14pt; color: #3366ff">Maryland</span></em></strong><strong><em><span style="font-size: 14pt; color: #3366ff"> and has lived in </span></em></strong><strong><em><span style="font-size: 14pt; color: #3366ff">New England</span></em></strong><strong><em><span style="font-size: 14pt; color: #3366ff"> for most of his adult life. Years spent in </span></em></strong><strong><em><span style="font-size: 14pt; color: #3366ff">Newport</span></em></strong><strong><em><span style="font-size: 14pt; color: #3366ff"> </span></em></strong><strong><em><span style="font-size: 14pt; color: #3366ff">Rhode Island</span></em></strong><strong><em><span style="font-size: 14pt; color: #3366ff">, </span></em></strong><strong><em><span style="font-size: 14pt; color: #3366ff">Stow</span></em></strong><strong><em><span style="font-size: 14pt; color: #3366ff"> </span></em></strong><strong><em><span style="font-size: 14pt; color: #3366ff">Vermont</span></em></strong><strong><em><span style="font-size: 14pt; color: #3366ff">, and the coastal towns of </span></em></strong><strong><em><span style="font-size: 14pt; color: #3366ff">Main</span></em></strong><strong><em><span style="font-size: 14pt; color: #3366ff">, </span></em></strong><strong><em><span style="font-size: 14pt; color: #3366ff">Nova Scotia</span></em></strong><strong><em><span style="font-size: 14pt; color: #3366ff">, and the mid-Atlantic have matured the music. </span></em></strong></font><font face="Times New Roman"><strong><em><span style="font-size: 14pt; color: #3366ff">John was a formally trained piano and horn player in the 60's and a member of numerous rock bands in the late 60's and 70's when he learned to play guitar. In the 70's, He worked as a single act, singer / songwriter in </span></em></strong><strong><em><span style="font-size: 14pt; color: #3366ff">New England</span></em></strong><strong><em><span style="font-size: 14pt; color: #3366ff"> and lived and played in </span></em></strong><strong><em><span style="font-size: 14pt; color: #3366ff">Europe</span></em></strong><strong><em><span style="font-size: 14pt; color: #3366ff"> for a year and a half. </span></em></strong></font><font face="Times New Roman"><strong><em><span style="font-size: 14pt; color: #3366ff">He formed the band Fable in 1977 in </span></em></strong><strong><em><span style="font-size: 14pt; color: #3366ff">Baltimore</span></em></strong><strong><em><span style="font-size: 14pt; color: #3366ff"> and toured the mid-Atlantic developing a rich vocal harmony sound for which they became popular. Life and several incarnations of the band have kept him moving around the country in pursuit of his personal goals as a musician, sailor, & gentleman explorer. </span></em></strong></font><font face="Times New Roman"><strong><em><span style="font-size: 14pt; color: #3366ff">He currently resides in </span></em></strong><strong><em><span style="font-size: 14pt; color: #3366ff">Akron</span></em></strong><strong><em><span style="font-size: 14pt; color: #3366ff"> </span></em></strong><strong><em><span style="font-size: 14pt; color: #3366ff">Ohio</span></em></strong><strong><em><span style="font-size: 14pt; color: #3366ff">, </span></em></strong><strong><em><span style="font-size: 14pt; color: #3366ff">Baltimore</span></em></strong><strong><em><span style="font-size: 14pt; color: #3366ff"> </span></em></strong><strong><em><span style="font-size: 14pt; color: #3366ff">Maryland</span></em></strong><strong><em><span style="font-size: 14pt; color: #3366ff">, and </span></em></strong><strong><em><span style="font-size: 14pt; color: #3366ff">Portland</span></em></strong><strong><em><span style="font-size: 14pt; color: #3366ff"> </span></em></strong><strong><em><span style="font-size: 14pt; color: #3366ff">Oregon</span></em></strong><strong><em><span style="font-size: 14pt; color: #3366ff"> working for Soft Wind Productions as a producer and recording engineer. Whenever possible he is off-shore sailing. Everything else and the music of John Crafton can be found at <a href="http://www.softwindproductions.com/">www.softwindproductions.com</a>.</span></em></strong></font> <p align="center"><span style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 19px"><strong><em><font face="Garamond" color="#0000ff">Our mission is to bring the listener a pleasant and sometimes emotional repast centered in the time and life experiences we all share. Acoustic instruments, beautiful harmonies, and the occasional keyboard or electric guitar bring the story like lyrics to life in a way that is Fable's alone.<br /><br />Fable continues to expand its audience and it is our hope to add you to our broadening family of listeners.<br />We welcome you.<br /><br />John Crafton & Keith Bachman</font></em></strong></span></p><p align="center"><span style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 19px"></span></p><p align="center"><span style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 19px"><span class="text"><strong><em><font face="Garamond" size="6" color="#0000ff"><span style="font-size: 30px; line-height: 34px">Forty Years of Fable<br /><br /></span></font></em></strong><strong><em><font face="Garamond" size="4" color="#0000ff"><span style="font-size: 20px; line-height: 24px">John Crafton (Founder), Richard Crafton, Scott Wilson, John Flanders, John Fisher, <br />Miriam Fisher, Tim, Mike Marzoulo, Mike Fox, David Jacobson, David Richardson, <br />Terry Battle, Lynn Travor, Mack McNichol, Phil Brecher, Jimmy Taylor, Paul Aurillio, <br />Kelly Smith, Pearley Evans, C.W. Johnson, John Crafton III, Nick Watson,<br />Mark Unruh, Douglass MacConnell, Greg Evans, Tony Gavoli, Chuck Smith, <br />J.P.Jones, Medrick Bellair, Sean Galooly, John Sprier, Josh Williams, Sarah Tallarico, <br />Bob Wood, Don Henson, Keith Bachman, Lisa Blayney, Samuel Salsbury, Leslie Wake, <br />Sashir Ali, Saam Cabot, Tom Schurr, & Richard Crafton (The Younger) </span></font></em></strong></span></span></p>
