View source for California (Bluegrass version)

[[Category:Songs]]
[[Category:Danny O'Brien (cleveland)]]

[[Image:earlscruggs.jpg|thumb|Earl Scruggs]]
[[Media:california-bluegrass.mp3|California (Bluegrass version) - MP3]]

I told Gabe recently that I thought his excellent song "California" would work as a banjo tune, so now I am furnishing proof of this allegation.  Gabe's original is better, but this is kinda fun.

== Lyrics ==
See Gabe's: [[California]]

== Music ==
I tried to tune my banjo down a fourth, John Hartford-style, to preserve Gabe's original key of D.  But the instrument would have none of this--the slightest touches kept sending it wildly out of tune.  So after many botched attempts, I tuned back up to open G and did the song there.

The fiddle solo on this is by my bandmate Laura Simna.  I wrote the licks for her; she sight-read it and did it in one take.  She's awesome.

== Comments ==
Danny, this may be my favorite version of any of my songs, ever.  Man!  This is rad.  That's all I can say.  Thank you! 
[[User:Gabemcelwain|Gabemcelwain]] 08:25, 31 October 2007 (PDT)