THROUGH the TREES is fortunate to be at work on a timely musical project with singer-songwriter par excellence Ron Sowell (who doubles up his song-filled life as ‘Mountain Stage’ band leader). The Trees—Ray Garnett on viola and violin; Jim Probst on lap dulcimer; and Douglas John Imbrogno on vocals and guitar—are teaming up with Ron as a producer and guest musician on an updated version of Woody Guthrie’s powerful tune, “Deportee,” which we’re recording at Logan Gambill’s ‘Hear! Here! Studios in Saint Albans, W.Va.
‘Deportee’ first saw life in 1948 as ‘Plane Wreck at Los Gatos’ (it is known by both names), and which Guthrie first wrote as a poem he chanted to music. A song version by Pete Seeger popularized Guthrie’s creative and maybe seriously pissed off, yet deeply empathic, response to a news account of a terrible plane crash in Los Gatos Canyon in California. A Jan. 28, 1948, New York Times story where the performer apparently learned of the crash listed the names of four dead white Americans, yet as to the deaths, as well, of 28 immigrants on the plane being shipped back to Mexico the story lumped them together namelessly as ‘deportees.’
We will have more to say about this significant piece of impassionaed creativity once THROUGH the TREES has its own interpretation to share in music video form on this site. The Trees version includes a fresh set of timely new quatrains added at the end by Jim and Doug. FREE SUBSCRIBE for an email heads up to know when the music video goes live.
Suffice it to say that more than 75 years after Guthrie’s creative op-ed against the dehumanization of immigrant workers, things appear just as bad, if not far worse. ‘Deportee’ feels like headline news in the increasingly dystopian birthing of a wannabe empathy-free America sought by Donald Trump and his eager, morality-free minions. We feel glad and blessed—we Trees, friends, and fellow travelers—to be able to respond harmonically to the news of the day in 2025, channeling and augmenting the inspiring, fearless spirits of folks like Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger.
Keep listening.
THE TREES at THE DREAM BEAN
You can listen to THROUGH the TREES live when we perform from 6 to 9 p.m., Friday, July 11, in the fabulous listening room space at the back of The Dream Bean coffeeshop at 860 Mercer St, Princeton, WV, 24740. We are featured as part of an evening of art and live music dubbed ‘BLOOMING,’ brought to you by the RiffRaff Arts Collective and Dream Bean. Click the link for more details.
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