Red Yarn Premiere: Barndance

Exciting news, music-loving Portlanders! Red Yarn is back with a new album, Old Barn. You can check out a review of it in the April edition of PDX Parent magazine, and get an exclusive sneak listen to the track, “Barndance,” by following the link below. 

“Barndance” is based on an anonymously-composed cowboy poem from the 1800s called “Harrington’s Barn Dance,” which I found in an old book of cowboy songs by John & Alan Lomax. I actually started working on it back in 2015 as a Kickstarter reward for my cousin. She challenged me to adapt a cowboy song and fit in the phrase “skunk in the barnyard, P U!” which we sang all the time as kids. I found this poem, came up with a tune, switched out all the old cowboy names for critter names and added the “yippy ti yi yay” part. The recording features several amazing Portland (parent) musicians – Dan Hunt on drums, Annalisa Tornfelt on fiddle, and Paul Brainard on dobro. This one has quickly become a staple at my regular shows around town, with all the kiddos dancing and making sounds like barnyard animal. It’s a hoot!