Jam Session
Mullen inspires other Songwriter Series musicians
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By Nancy Taylor
Staff Reporter
About five years ago, when Michael "Moon" Mullen was in his "restaurant" phase, he had a visitor at Over the Moon Pub and Pizza who made his day.
It was Jake Binegar of Waterford.
Mullen, who was out of his printshop phase and Mayor of Marietta phase, was still wholeheartedly doing the singer/songwriter/musician part of his life that he's led for many years. He recalls that Binegar came over to him and said, "I remember when you came to our fourth-grade class at Waterford Elementary. I remember you singing 'Eat More Possum.' That's when I decided I was going to play music and sing.
"Wow," Mullen recalled. "He is a very talented musician now. This all started from that Artsbridge program."
You take your dulcimer, banjo and guitar, and choose some definitely entertaining songs with simple tunes, like "Eat More Possum" and "My Mama Cooks Groundhog," Mullen said of his arts education strategy for K-6. He might include "Old MacDonald" for younger ones, or "Country Roads," which is a favorite. The younger kids sing along, learn about folk music and maybe see an instrument they would like to try to play.
Artsbridge's Arts and Education program was the connection all those years ago, and at 8 p.m. March 31 at the Lafayette Hotel's Gun Room Restaurant, it comes full circle again. Mullen will join Binegar and Evan Cunningham of Newport in a Songwriter Series where they take turns playing their original tunes, talk about the way the songs came about, and interact with each other and the audience. Mullen's tongue-in-cheek description of his own musical style is "troubadour banjo hillbilly folk singer."
The Gun Room is a nice venue for acoustic guitars and personal interactions in a small-audience setting, Mullen said. The Songwriter Series has been happening about once a month since last December. About 85 people attended the last one. Tickets for the upcoming performance are on sale for $10 at the hotel front desk in advance or at the door the night of the performance.
Mullen, who influenced Binegar at a young age, finds an interesting connection in Cunningham joining them in the upcoming performance. Cunningham is a 19-year-old student at Marietta College who is going to be playing with his own mentor, Binegar.
"Jake says he got the music bug from me playing an Arts in Education show at Waterford Elementary when he was in fourth grade, so kind of a circle unbroken, passing down the Appalachian folky music/songwriting for three generations," Mullen said. "And Artsbridge was the connection and they (and I) are still doing that 38 years later, and we are doing it together on March 31 at the Lafayette.
"Guess it's complicated but really simple. Roots music, I reckon."
Nancy Taylor can be reached at ntaylor@newsandsentinel.com