1)  When the Deal Goes Down (5:00)
2)  Arrow Of Time (5:00)
3)  It Wasn't Me (3:16)
4)  Tell Your Story Walkin' (4:25)
5)  Guitar Man (4:07)
6)  Aren't You Dead Yet? (3:16)
7)  Much Too Young (4:25)
8)  Goin' Down Slow (4:31)
9)  Single Again (4:28)
10) Cold Sober (2:33)
11) Everybody Knows But Me (4:34)
12) King Kong (2:51)
13) Rode Hard And Put Away Wet (3:17)
14) Low In the Water (5:45)
15) Flatland live on WVBR-FM (4:10)
Click underlined titles to hear sample songs
All songs written, arranged, and produced
by Bill Ring
© 2013 William G. Ring

The players:
Bill Ring - vocal, acoustic guitars
Joe Crum - bass
Don Fenton - harmonica
Stacy Farina - vocal
Sue Spencer - drums and percussion
Dave Redmond - lead guitar

guest artists:
Larry Real - dobro
Joe Hodes - lead guitar (Flatland only)
          

  

    Someone once said that there is really only one band in Ithaca, but what it's called depends on who shows up. When this particular ensemble gets together, the result is Ironwood. Performing original songs by veteran NYC songwriter Bill Ring, they range from country and folk to hard driving electric blues.
    "When I first moved to this area, I was thrilled to find so many talented instrumentalists happy to support a singer/songwriter. I started forming the upstate edition of Ironwood in 2009 by the simple expedient of swiveling around in my chair and saying, 'Hey Joe, you want to play a gig?' At the time bassist Joe Crum and I both had day jobs at the same engineering company."
    From that casual beginning Ironwood has expanded to a six piece group adept at a wide variety of styles, according to the demands of the songs. Their most common instrumental setup is acoustic rhythm guitar (Bill Ring on 6- and 12-string) and harmonica (blues man Don Fenton) with electric bass (Joe Crum) and lead guitar (Dave Redmond). Sue Spencer alternates between full drum kit and a percussion setup featuring djembe and hi-hat. Bill and Stacy Farina handle the vocals, with plenty of two-part harmonies. Also featured on the CD are dobro wiz Larry Real and lead guitarist "Skinny" Joe Hodes, who was with Ironwood briefly before moving to New Orleans.
    "It took three years to get to this point, and I think this recording shows it was worth the effort. Most of the songs were written up here while working with Ironwood. A few were written in New Paltz, where I lived for a few years before moving to Ithaca, and one, King Kong, is an oldie that I never got around to recording before. This is my sixth CD, and it's been a blast making it. We are all doing exactly what we want to do, and the pieces fit together beautifully, whether we are playing acoustic or electric or somewhere in between."
     
 



     
 
Notes:
When the Deal Goes Down - A mostly unplugged tune with a Sunday afternoon backporch feel.
Arrow Of Time - If there were still such a thing as a single, this would be it.
It Wasn't Me - Dedicated to anyone who has pleaded "not guilty" in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary.
Tell Your Story Walkin' - Can't do country without a divorce song. Stacy sings lead.
Guitar Man - A backhanded salute to Billy Joel's Piano Man, featuring Larry Real on dobro.
Aren't You Dead Yet? - Sixties one hit wonder meets annoying "fan".
Much Too Young - Seriously Chicago style, inspired by Don Fenton's former band, 505 Blues.
Goin' Down Slow - Back to basics, showcasing Don's other side and Stacy's harmonies.
Single Again - Got folk if you want it. He said/she said with Stacy and Bill splitting the lead.
Cold Sober - Happens to the best of us. More dobro.
Everybody Knows But Me - Folk blues. We all feel this way sometimes.
King Kong - Acoustic rock. Believe it or not, Carolyn Hester covers this one. Go figure.
Rode Hard And Put Away Wet - Electric country, nice back and forth between harp and lead guitar.
Low In the Water - Bill and Stacy share the lead on this dreamy, contemplative tune.
Flatland - Recorded live on WVBR-FM "Tuesdays with the Band" hosted by Dan Cole. "Skinny" Joe Hodes on lead guitar.
[Vocals by Bill Ring and Stacy Farina. Joe Crum plays electric bass, and Don Fenton plays harmonica on every song. Sue Spencer plays drums on all but Single Again and Flatland, where she plays percussion. All electric guitar leads by Dave Redmond except for Joe Hodes on Flatland. Bill Ring plays acoustic lead guitar on King Kong, percussion on Arrow of Time and Single Again.]