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    Produced by Eric "Roscoe" Ambel, this CD is a four panel, eco wallet, with liner notes and credits for each song. Photography by John "Chico" Finn. Package design by Chris Bryson @Waxedpaperpress.

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about

Having heard many songs written about from various regions, I decided that since I am from Upstate New York, I wanted to write about something that was unique to Upstate New York. The area where I live is extremely rocky, so much so that there is an old saying that in Delaware County, there are “two stones for every dirt”. While that is an exaggeration, it also isn’t too far from the truth. If you were to drive through the Catskill Mountains of NY, you would find an uncommon amount of stone walls stacked with field stones. Field stones are just what it sounds like. They are stones that have been cleared from fields (usually flat) that were cleared by tenant farmers as far back as the 1700’s. The stone walls were and are still used as boundary lines for property owners. Some are still used for fencing in animals. While stone walls exist in other parts of the country, these stone walls in Upstate NY are unique with the flat field stones that are used to construct them, rather than the boulder type walls you might see in Connecticut, Pennsylvania or Virginia, for that matter. I enjoy this song because it seems like folk lore that is being passed down to the next generation for people who might wonder, “who/why/how” in the hell did they make stone walls?

lyrics

Two Stones, for every dirt
Rise each Spring from the earth
Three foot high stacked up off the ground

Dry laid walls stand hard and fast
Scars from the hard work past
Boundary lines for the property

Chorus:
Two Stones for Every Dirt
Rise each Spring from the earth
3 foot high stacked up off the ground

Tenant Farmers cleared the land
3-foot-high walls built by hand
walls to keep in the cows and the sheep

Fallow Fields are laid with scars
Deep in the hills and hollers
Remind us now of times gone by

Chorus

Solo – 2X

Today it is a paid craft
Reminds us of times gone past
Miles and miles and miles

Chorus – out 2X

credits

from A Sign From God, released June 25, 2021
Two Stones
Written by: John "Chico" Finn
Drums: Mike Ricciardi
Bass: Keith Christopher
Acoustic Guitar: Eric “Roscoe” Ambel
Mandolin: Matt Woodin
Electric Guitars: Brian Shafer & Eric “Roscoe” Ambel
Guitar Theme: Brian Shafer
Electric Slide Guitar & Slide Guitar Solo: Eric “Roscoe” Ambel
Handclaps: Matt Woodin & Eric “Roscoe” Ambel
Lead Vocal: John “Chico” Finn
Harmony Vocal: Eric “Roscoe” Ambel

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Esquela Bovina Center, New York

Esquela was formed in 2008 by John "Chico" Finn and Keith Christopher. Together they wrote songs for their debut album, "The Owl Has Landed". Over the course of the next decade, Esquela has recorded five studio albums. Over the course of the next few months, Esquela will be releasing its back catalog on Bandcamp, building up to a June 25th release of their latest album, "A Sign From God". ... more

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