Locals Covering Locals: The Bean Picker’s Union Covers Sean Staples

For a long while I knew “of” The Bean Picker’s Union. A collective of musicians centered around the songs of one of my (now) favorite songwriters, Chuck Melchin. Chuck and I first met on craigslist…insert creepy comment here. I was looking to get back into mandolin and Chuck needed an archtop that wasn’t his vintage Gibson to bring to gigs at dives where beer would surely be spilled on it. We traded instruments, and we traded copies of our own records. I must have spun Potlatch until the disc wore all the way through. I was totally engulfed in his prose, in the way he annunciated and how friggin sad a song he could craft. Just in awe.

Chuck and I became quick friends and shared a few gigs, kept in touch. Upon setting up a table session gig, much in the same vein of the BPU, Chuck asked to bring his buddy Michael Spaly who was fresh back from living on the west coast and itching to play with some folks in town. I quickly obliged and said bring him and I was damn happy I did. The thing about these two guys I love and respect the most is how understated and modest they both are. Incredible players, wonderful singers, and insanely talented songwriters, but you would never know it based on their conduct. This is truly why I wanted folks like Mike and Chuck to be a part of this project. It’s never about egos, or who writes better songs, or how many people think my solo was the best, it’s ALWAYS about the music. And that’s what matters.

In true Bean Picker fashion, Chuck and Mike brought in Jess Fox on fiddle and Jef Charland on the upright. These are more of the types of people you want to surround yourself with. I met Jess when another mutual friend asked me to sit in on their Sunday Bluegrass Brunch and I immediately made a friend for life. Jef I had seen play with his incredible band, The Blue Ribbons, a ton of times at Toad but we had never officially met. Now, I can happily say I consider both of these folks musical cohorts and friends.

A caveat of only have “x” amount of dollars to record is that a) we cut everything (mostly) live to say time overdubbing and b) we only had a certain amount of time per act in studio, so folks needed to be ready to roll. All four of these musicians are top notch, professional, and showed up ready to make magic happen. Being the act with the most amount of people playing yet going just as smooth as one of the solo songwriters on the project speaks volumes about all of them.

The song they chose was a tough one to cover. A local legend of sorts, Sean Staples, and a song about a legendary venue, The Plough and Stars is not an easy song to take on for a “local community” recording project, but these guys absolutely nailed it. Blending bluegrass with hints of good old folk, gorgeous harmonies and top tier playing.

I am so pleased that the collective known as “The Bean Picker’s Union”, and more importantly, my friends Chuck, Mike, Jess, and Jef are a part of this recording project.