Josh Okeefe, "Dirty Old Town," // GemsOnVHS™
Музыка
Another special one from our month in England. Josh Okeefe, who originally hails from Derby, played a string of shows in every corner of the nation that summer. I followed him around, taking in all the history that surrounded us and filming our adventures. Okeefe is one of the best modern folk songwriters i've heard, taking a the classics and seamlessly delivering them into the 21st century.
This time we're coming in live from Shrewsbury prison. You've heard of Johnny Cash coming live from Folsom, yeah? Well this prison had been around since 1793, about 20 years after the United States was founded, before electricity and indoor plumbing. Built atop Dana Gaol, a medieval prison, just to give you an idea of the history of this enchanted land. The prison closed in 2013, horribly outdated. Now they have haphazardly turned the prison into a venue, and we played this tune in one of the cells for some of the restless spirits lingering before Josh's show that night.
The prison is mentioned in "On Moonlit Heath and Lonesome Bank" which is part of the poem, "A Shropshire Lad" by A.E. Housman. The proximity of the prison to Shrewsbury railway station and junction is highlighted in the verse:
They hang us now in Shrewsbury jail:
The whistles blow forlorn,
And trains all night groan on the rail
To men that die at morn.
For more Josh Okeefe, check out his site. Music, shows, etc.
www.joshokeefe.com
Want to learn how to play this song? Check out these tabs: tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/tab/...
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GemsOnVHS is a long running series of intimate, off-stage performances by songwriters we love.
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I've been following your channel for a year or so now and all I have to say is please, please, please continue doing what you do. It really brings alot of inspiration and hope to the hopeless and jaded out there. I can say that from experience. Cheers.
Pogues in a cell...is there anything better. Pogues fan since 12. Thank you for doing this one!
@fergofns
4 жыл бұрын
Sentiment is shared.
@ManScoutsofAmerica
4 жыл бұрын
I loved them ever since I seen them perform on Saturday night live.
@Christian-my4dp
4 жыл бұрын
CHeck out Shanneygannock's cover of Dirty Old Town
@loafheader
4 жыл бұрын
@somaric1 ewan mccoll originally but luke kelly version is the best theres ever been
@drdag2223
3 жыл бұрын
pogues didnt write this
I love this! beautifully melancholy. Thank you Josh and GemsOnVHS!
Love Josh and love the cover. Hard to match the emotions that great Irish tunes conjure. Thanks Gems, you're doing The Lord's work.
You smoked this one Josh. Well done lad. I loved it.
This gave me the gosh dang piss shivers 🤘
When i get lonely,i get angry I'm a rebel kid,get ready for war I'll make this town choke on my cigratte smoke Days have passed,seasons too Friend have gone far,my love too Become a daydreamer,lost my rhythm divine Now it's just me and all my troubles In this dirty old town.
You've done a beautiful job on one of my favorite songs, Cheers!!
Beautiful! Please keep the project alive!
I live in Shrewsbury. Followed your channel for a while now! It's brilliant seeing such talent so close to home!
This is such a damn good cover. Never stop this stuff mate.
Wonderful. Thanks for the intro too.
You can’t beat the acoustics of a cold cell.
Great vibes! Yeah! It´s a dirty old town... ;)
Love it. fair play
Great version ✌️🇮🇪
@GemsOnVHS
5 жыл бұрын
Joey Hayes what's your favorite version?
@shedendhayzer
5 жыл бұрын
Shane McGowan
@shedendhayzer
5 жыл бұрын
Brings it right home this chap love this cover of a classic 🍺✌️🇮🇪
Must grab the old guitar and play this, my friend. Thanks for the heartfelt version.
God damn good music!
I want to hear more of this feller. Good cover
Love this man! Really digging the voice segment for the intro too. Fantastic performance of a brilliant song!
@GemsOnVHS
5 жыл бұрын
thanks, josh wouldn't talk on camera so i had to tell somehow. hoping to do some more stuff like that in the future perhaps.
@folklorewasessions4979
5 жыл бұрын
@@GemsOnVHS it works really well, definitely adds another layer to the video works perfectly with the song selection and the setting!
gives ya goosebumps
Holy canoli this is great
Brilliant.
Love it 🇨🇦
Awesome song
Thank you Anthony
Maybe it's his voice or the setting, but this is the best rendition I've heard.
@cbanko911
5 жыл бұрын
Listen to the Pogues version my friend
@TheBarroomHero321
3 жыл бұрын
@@cbanko911 And the Luke Kelly version
Fantastic hello from ireland,
really feeling this one, love the cover, voice, look, possibly an old guitar? place, its got the reality stench on it, cheers, thanks!
Hell Ya man. Come to Vermont!
Great location for a great song, thank you!
Hats off
Another Banger!!! Have a great Holiday weekend plenty of Turkey and beer!
Favorite version o' this song, f'sho!
Does anybody know what key that harmonicas in? With that capo on the first fret I’m sure it’s not in a standard G. Any information would be great. Love this cover so much.
big ups
Great song to play in a English prison a song for the Irish who were prisoners there for bein Irish their now back home breathing the fresh Eire
If he's from Derby, UK it's spelled Derby but said like Darby
Great version of the song! From an Irishman! Look up a song called night visiting song! It's about a one night stand!
Spending most of my teens and early 20’s being incarcerated, I believe a swift death is really more sympathetic than keeping someone caged in a pen for all of their lives. I’ll never get 16-21 back. Thanks mom ❤️
@delaneybell1978
5 жыл бұрын
On a side note though, I sure am fucking glad I didn’t have to withstand prison life in 1793.
@GemsOnVHS
5 жыл бұрын
i feel you, glad you made it to where you are now!
@motocross_cooper
4 жыл бұрын
I agree with you, These crazy 20, 30, 40 year long sentences are a Sinister practice & piss Poor attempt at Justice. Caging human beings is counter productive to both the Criminal & Society. Peoples timidity towards swift Justice & aversion to Death Penalty feeds them a false sense of Morality. A swift dignified Execution of a Heinous Criminal, Serves both Society and the Criminal honestly with compassion for both. A Criminals swift Death preserves & Set Free their Soul, While Unburdening & giving peace of mind to Society. Caging a Man for decades and decades or a Lifetime, Slowly & cruelly suffocates the inmates Soul & Utterly extinguishes every ounce of any type of a connection the inmate ever had with the rest of Humanity. Rendering them as nothing but empty vessels alien to everyone and everything. Meaning Society is burdened with a constant reminder of the pain caused by the inmate, As well as the burden of providing for the inmates welfare. This leaves neither party ever receiving Justice, Peace of mind or Closure, Therefor they never move on and remain in a constant state of unrest & resentment. And of course there should be a very high standard to prove a person guilty and Death penalty should be reserved for the Violent, Heinous & Most serious types Criminals.
What a tune
Ghosts exist my friend 😌
👍
@kennethwalsh3078
5 жыл бұрын
Shane is better tho,
As good as any cover of that song I've heard...
Even dirty old towns have thanksgiving
can someone please tell me what shoes he’s wearing
HEY EVERYONE,LISTEN TO THE POGUES.
@GemsOnVHS
5 жыл бұрын
Sascha Destroyer love Shane. do you know about Ewan MacColl, who wrote this song?
@saschadestroyer3906
5 жыл бұрын
@@GemsOnVHS I don't,but I am about to find out.
@mulleinroots
5 жыл бұрын
after a few drinks and even before em i love singing and listening to the pogues!
@elrossothematch
5 жыл бұрын
The rawness of the pogues will always have a special place in my heart but my all time favourite treatment of this song has to be Luke Kelly and the Dubliners. There's a live version of them doing it back in 1976 in Finland and they're on absolute fire.
@mulleinroots
5 жыл бұрын
@@elrossothematch i'll see if i can find that, i really like their song "rare old times"
Josh seems to be an awesome old soul and he did this old Pouges song a lot of justice 💚
Have a shot of whiskey and tie up those laces
@dip_krizzle
3 жыл бұрын
Had a few too many and forgot the old rabbit round the tree trick and said fuck it
lyrics?
🤔😤🤧😔👌💥🤩🥳🔥
Ronnie Drew is crying 😁
Best cover
One of the better covers I've heard. Well done lad! Cracking voice! Luke Kelly would be a fan I reckon. Here is a link to the original by Luke Kelly if anyone is wondering kzread.info/dash/bejne/fYd43LGEgNnLlMY.html.
@mischief.brewed
2 жыл бұрын
It was actually Ewan McColl who wrote the original! But Kelly and The Pogues are better known for it
I prefer this over the pogues
You can't plat dirty old town in Shrewsbury....come on. You had to come to Manchester where it makes sense. You may as well of played it on the moon. Great cover though
Great Version 👍, but why are you all calling this an Irish song ? Its an English song, Written about Salford, near Manchester 🤷
@GemsOnVHS
9 ай бұрын
where did we call it irish?
@Johno143
9 ай бұрын
@@GemsOnVHS No Sorry, I didn't mean you guys. I was addressing the comments Mob 🤘😎
Love the song but anyone else think the intro was a little much? Gems on VHS, loved your work since went down to georgia had 20,000 views, but let the music speak for itself, I wanna understand it in my own way
@GemsOnVHS
4 жыл бұрын
sorry buddy, things are changing. we're gonna be having more stories, more interviews, etc! i don't usually do spoken intros like this, but josh wouldn't say anything so i did. thank you for the feedback!
@jacobsingletary4608
4 жыл бұрын
Fuck that, love the stories behind the gems
Sorry but this songs owned by The Pogues now im affraid
@GemsOnVHS
5 жыл бұрын
no song is owned by anyone. Ewan MacColl wrote this song. nothing to be afraid of bud.
@johnjennings9693
Жыл бұрын
Or Luke kelly of the dubliners,