A crewman's voice note arrived over the water — four seasons with the captain, the captain's own father, guitars in the off-season. He's been landing fish all day, every day, and the songs got mixed into the mix. So he wants to mix into the songs. Five performers gather in the studio and walk his idea around the room — six versions, five traditions, one last line that's a keeper.
"slow lander fish on bringit it in bring it in watch it spash whatch ot slish lead it qround like a pet on a leash he's reaching for his gaff and it only a pink we are akk wathcing and wqithing hes a slow lander cnt f=bring it in he'sw a two handwser put the fish ih ghbin oh it got away ow well other fish in the sea, too bad for me but for him he's free"
Slow lander, fish on. Bring it in, bring it in. Watch it splash, watch it slish. Lead it 'round like a pet on a leash. He's reaching for his gaff — and it's only a pink. We are all watching and waiting. He's a slow lander, can't bring it in — he's a two-hander. Put the fish in the bin. Oh, it got away. Oh well — other fish in the sea. Too bad for me, but for him he's free.
🎧 The Whole Show — Play All
one button, the whole broadcast, in order · the note lands → six versions → the song given back
Slow Lander, Fish OnVersion 1 · Elias, the Sea Shanty Singer
call-and-response work song · the haul, the rope, the whole room pulling · closest to the source
Four seasons on this boat. Hardworking crew, first on deck, last off. He's the captain's dad — but the son is definitely the captain. His first career was forestry, then teaching; the captain is first-generation full-time fisherman, but his dad taught him how to be an Alaskan and a man. In the off-season he makes guitars. He skis. He sails. He fishes for fun. He listens to the folk rock of the seventies to the nineties, the Australian songwriters of the eighties to the two-thousands, and the great singer-songwriters who let the silence do the work. A guitar maker who listens to songwriters: everything he touches gets built to resonate.