Baba Yaga
Mother and daughter, the witch and the crone
Ugly as winter with legs thin as bone
As my house turns on its four chicken feet
I hunger for young men to lure in and eat
Baba Yaga
Baba Yaga
They call me Baba Yaga
Baba Yaga
Mortar and pestle, a mop and a broom
Will I assist or send to your doom
I'll give you a riddle I'll give a rhyme
Answer it quickly before dinner time
Baba Yaga
Baba Yaga
They call me Baba Yaga
Baba Yaga
Death or the goddess, to aid or deceive
Many weird faces deep in the trees
Dare you to find me, I dare you to try
But lad if you trick me then yours is to die
Baba Yaga
Baba Yaga
They call me Baba Yaga
Baba Yaga
A bit of History:
Nathan: Several years ago we played a improvised set at an event in San Mateo, CA called The Maker Faire. The ensemble at the time was violin (me), voice (Mel), guitar (Jean Paul), and drum (Jes). We also had a trio of dancers that were performing with us. One of the tunes that we came up with was very much informed by how my friend Slava was dancing. She had a very light step and it felt like the music came as much from her dancing as her dancing was coming from the music.
After we went home we brought those musical ideas into the studio and turned them into a complete tune. I sent Slava the music and asked her if she would give it a name. Since it was her dancing that really made the music coalesce into my head it seemed like the right thing to do. She replied with the name Pesnya Tsiganki which she said translated into English as "Song of the Gypsy Woman."
I loved the name because it hinted at hidden narratives within the music. Since the tune had several different sections it suggested to me that the story was complex and interesting. Who is that singing? Why is she sometimes glorious and sometimes plaintive? Here's a link to that version of the song:
I had always wanted to come back to Pesnya Tsiganki and do a studio version but it never came together. There is an energy to this live performance that I just could not capture. There is such a good energy and it moves around in mood and texture. It's very much a product of the musicians on the stage.
I had mentioned to Alyssa that I was hoping to do something with it and that I wanted it to reflect a folklore from the mountains and forests of Eastern Europe. There is an incredibly rich history of tales from that part of the world, so much culture started there. I wanted to honor that history and so I went for the biggest, baddest legend ever: Baba Yaga.
She is the queen mother of all witch tales. She's the scary lady in the dark, the sometimes benefactor, sometimes villain, and the last hope of romantics. Do you think she'll help you? Will she bring your bones and make you into a stew? Love potions? Curses? Perhaps she'll turn your mother into a bear? Who knows?
What I do know is that Alyssa nailed it in one. There's a swagger in her voice. She's totally self-aware. And she's a compete badass.
Once I saw the words I knew how the music had to go. It wasn't going to be soft and plaintive. It had to be raucous, unapologetic, and there needed to be screaming. I'm really happy with how it came out.
Alyssa: Again, Nathan came up with the topic of Baba Yaga and had a gorgeous melody with Mel singing that he wanted to put it to. The long notes in the chorus match perfectly to crying out “Baba Yaga”. Baba Yaga doesn’t have a defined story but is instead a recurring character in a lot of Russian folklore. So therefore, instead of telling a story about Baba Yaga, I wanted Baba Yaga to tell you about herself, to warn you about her dangers, her complexities, her vagarities. It’s Baba Yaga's self aware of what she represents, daring you to come to her anyways. This one was all Mel’s vocals in my head, haunting, strong, and glorious.
