SONG: ‘”Champagne in a Mason Jar”
It’s not often I write songs in the voice of a gender other than my one. Like, um, never. But here’s one called “Champagne in a Mason Jar.” Listen to it here. As often happens in the birth of a song, I noted a nice turn of phrase in a notebook, then promptly forgot about it. Performer Ann Magnuson was host of the debut ceremony of the West Virginia Hall of Fame in Charleston, W.Va., in Fall 2007. (Here’s an audio web slideshow I concocted on the event for the Charleston Gazette). As it drew to a close, she flounced her poofy dress, planted her fists on her hips and exclaimed to the crowd: “Let’s go drink champagne out of Mason jars!” Nice line. Then, along comes this year’s Mountain Stage NewSong Contest finals, held earlier this month on the same stage, in the state Cultural Center theater. I happened to have the same notebook with me and scanned the line while looking for something else.
