local genious is "bound to serve"
It is a pretty safe bet that most roots rockers in Worcester 
have at least heard of Bob Jordan, but he remains an unknown beyond that realm. His new disc, Bound to Serve, could change that. Or perhaps should. On Bound, local legend Jordan serves up a collection of cover songs filtered by his strange ear.
Armed with an arsenal of instruments that includes ukulele, electric sitar, toy piano and some good old fashion electric guitar, Jordon tackles some lofty material by the likes of Lennon--McCartney (" I Don't Wanna Spoil the Party") Ray Davies ("This is Where I Belong") and Townes Van Zandt ("All Your Young Servants") with a stripped-down lo- fi elegance all his own, while still keeping the soul of the original.
"I mostly recorded them in the morning while my voice was still strong" said the mild mannered artist. "I'd wake up and bang one out before I went to work."
Highlights definitely include his rendition of Phil Ochs "Cross My Heart", which now has me tracking down the work of a songwriter who was merely an obscure They Might Be Giants reference. The only misfire on the disc is his take on Zappa's "Hungry Freaks, Daddy," whose only real crime is not straying far enough from the original
"GOOD. BAD. IM THE ONE WITH THE SHOT GUN "......
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Re: local genious is "bound to serve"
I was pleased to see this article here on Bob Jordan. I spoke to him about starting Worcester Tunes and he pointed me to a number of resources.
I really like Bob's music. I find myself playing Equipment, Don't Make Promise, and I Don't Want to Spoil the Party frequently.
I have this old Guild D50-12, 12 string acoustic that I took to Duffy's Music to have a saddle pickup put in it. I asked Bob, should I buy a preamp?. He said you won't need one, I said should I..? He said nope won't have to. In a nutshell he told me I would love the particular pickup without any additonal equipment and he was right. People comment on the sound quality.
Back to Bob's music, I have both Bob's "Bound to Serve" and "Four Corners" in rotation at Worcester Tunes If you have not heard his music you can hear it there.
JimmyMac - Now back to the tunes!
Re: local genious is "bound to serve"
ahh MacDuff's
I bought my first "real" drumset there back in 1992. I still have it, a burgundy maple '70's Tama Royalstar. I loved that store.
Re: local genious is "bound to serve"
Bob is one of my favorite musicians around. Great tunes, great ideas. He never repeats himself, either.
As for tech questions, he always has some great ideas. If you visit him at Union, he is never trying to sell you something that he feels won't help you; he is more likely to steer you away from a purchace that doesn't make sense.
Mike, as for Phil Ochs, check out the record There But For Fortune. I think it is from '67. He is a great performer and has some very good song of his own.