The Banks of the Ohio

Singing about a murder and the graphic description of it is not what I am generally used to. I grew up with ballads of a crazy love, or an old wine. They would sometime bring tears, but the tears of joy, tears of sympathy.
Banks of the Ohio was an earthquake to my solid heartland. The way the ballad starts to explore the fantasy of marriage is fascinating, but the murder ballad is far away from my known society.
I started looking at the other songs of Appalachia, more ballads and I realized what a great culture and history is behind this type of expression. I have learned that New World ballads were typically written to reflect news events of the day. Now this start to make more sense, but still way from my realm of music.

The way I started to paint this week is directly related to that, partly the emotions I've received, partly the realistic factors involved.  The spiral, and the musicians are the two sides of extreme for me in one painting.

Swing low sweet chariot

Oh Marry don't you weep

You are my sunshine

S-P-1 Some songs are not only sounds that are floating words, not only the instruments creating musical waves, there are songs that are narratives, stories of love, lost and nostalgia. Regardless of the language, there are songs that convey the burdens of life on their lean shoulders. There are songs that carry someones life, or its message along without any intention. Without the musician being aware of it, or the singer knowing the message. Sari Galin, or the "Golden Girl" carries my story, as far back as I remember this songs was the murmur in my mind, long before I hear it, and the first time the words of this song touched my ear I could sing along. I knew the rhyme, I felt I could understand Armenian. The golden girl, or as I like to translate it "Daughter of Sun" is love song of a lost. Its the story of a wine butler that is leaving her partner with coquetry. In fact its the partner who is telling us this lost.