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Yellow Bike
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Contemporary folk, a childhood portrait about a year spent poor but happy at Kure Beach, North Carolina.
north carolina madison singer songwriter acoustic piano music musician folk singersongwriter cello indierock folk rock wisconsin folk music folkpop tracy comer tracy jane comer contemporary acoustic quietly there second wind
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Award-winning singer/songwriter and accomplished multi-instrumentalist Tracy Jane Comer writes and performs dynamic acoustic music, subtly influenced by many st
"This singer/songwriter is key to moving the whole darn genre forward. Her sound is mature and soaked with talent throughout" - Smother.Net Ezine -------------------------- Tracy Jane Comer is one to watch in contemporary acoustic music. Hailed as "a versatile vocalist who writes compelling, visual songs" (Kweevak’s Tracks), Tracy is also a standout guitarist, pianist, and cellist with a rare blend of talent and personality that has gained her sustained media attention as an intelligent and loveable entertainer. Her music is often lauded for its depth and variety, stemming from an extensive musical background that includes undergraduate and graduate study in classical piano, cello and musicology, plus involvement with folk, pop/rock, choral and theater music and many things in betweeneven a touch of blues and jazz. "Although her music is acoustic based, the arrangements go much deeper, culling from classical, folk, jazz, pop and rock...Comer's work is diverse and dynamic. Upon each listen more subtle sounds and styles unfold...Tracy Jane Comer is a musical force..." (Kweevak’s Tracks, 2004) Tracy’s music includes both vocal and instrumental works. Her lyrics cover a variety of topics ranging from personal to universal, often poignant, with memorable melodies and well-crafted accompaniments. She has been likened to guitar mavens Patty Larkin, Emily Saliers, and Alex DeGrassi, folk legends Joni Mitchell, Judy Collins and Joan Baez, pop artists Shawn Colvin and Sarah MacLachlan, as well as modern troubadours Dar Williams and Patty Griffin. From her current base in Madison, WI, Tracy tours in the Midwest and is beginning to tour nationally with emphasis around her home state of NC. She has opened several tour shows for Willy Porter and has also appeared with national acts including Peter Mulvey, The Wailin' Jennys, LJ Booth, among others. She has appeared as cellist with Warner Brothers artist Holly Brook and others. Tracy also records and performs on cello, vocals, guitar, fiddle, and hammered dulcimer as part of local Madison-based folk trio Sticky Fingers and as a freelance musician. Tracy has earned four nominations by the Madison Area Music Awards (MAMAs), two each for BEST ACOUSTIC ALBUM and BEST ACOUSTIC ARTIST (2004, 2005), and she performed at the 2006 MAMAs. She has been honored several times by VH1’s Song of the Year International Songwriting Contest and by the Peacedriven Songwriting Contest, and is a two-time recipient of the ASCAP Plus Award. Her latest release, Quietly There, continues to receive rave reviews in the U.S. and abroad. Tracy’s music has been heard on MTV's reality show MADE and is being heard on all forms of radio on four continents. A frequent invited guest on local media, she has performed several full television concerts (solo and with band) in addition to making numerous guest appearances on both radio and television. She has released three CDs and two live concert DVDs, plus a CD with side project Sticky Fingers. Her music was also selected for inclusion on two compilations published by Spiritone Records. See Tracy Jane Comer's official Web site for more information. "Comparisons to other adult contemporary artists such as Mary Chapin Carpenter, Shawn Colvin, and Dar Williams are inevitable, though she displays more range of style than any of them...." - Rick’s Café, Madison, WI "...Tracy Jane Comer has more than a beautiful voice; she’s also a great instrumentalist. She plays the guitar, cello and piano with great skill..." - B-Section, Newsletter of the Madison Songwriters Group
Song Info
Charts
Peak #296
Peak in subgenre #42
Author
Tracy Jane Comer
Rights
2003 Tracy Jane Comer
Uploaded
March 03, 2005
Track Files
MP3
MP3 4.0 MB 128 kbps 0:00
Story behind the song
I've always had strong memories and recurring dreams about this year of my life, when I was 10-11 years old. It was a very difficult year, when I look back on it, but somehow I managed to hold onto an innocent bliss at the time.
Lyrics
Ten years old in ’74 in a run down shack with a bathroom on the porch Free school lunch and hand-me-downs and a two-hour ride on the school bus into town But a view of the ocean from my window I loved to watch the tide just come and go, there alone Bought a fishing pole at the five-and-dime...Never caught a fish, but I loved to throw that line Sittin’ on the pier in the salty air, spinning daydreams to pass the time And I rode my yellow bike on that beach road Never thought about where I might go...I just rode Riding, flying, on that road Laughing, smiling, all alone Living poor, but living free Happy on that yellow bike on that road beside the sea Hibernating in my room with my forty-fives and AM radio Leaving all the world behind, never wanting more than just that time alone The nighttime brought its dark and bitter haze But oh, how I loved those daydream days by the sea I wonder why I just can’t understand why I’m sad that I was happy then Do I have such a better life today that I’ll never have that bliss of yesterday? Twenty-six cats, and two hamsters, the air thick with ten thousand fleas Waiting for that monthly check to buy one week’s worth of groceries But I don’t think that occurred to me life wasn’t all that it should be...we just lived Riding, flying, on that road Laughing, smiling, all alone Living poor, but living free Happy on that yellow bike on that road beside the sea
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