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This piece was originally published on Smile Politely.
Jay Rosenstein is best known for the documentaries he has created, but music is his first love. After more than three decades of not being able to release an album because of, well, life in general, Rosenstein is back on the scene as a Woke Mountain Boy.
Afraid of Leaving Home by the Woke Mountain Boys is an autobiographical EP that contains what Rosenstein said is a collection of his best songs, with themes of life transitions, moving forward, and thankfulness. Though Rosenstein no longer lives in Champaign-Urbana, his final song on the EP, “That’s You. Illinois,” conveys how dear the state – and the Midwest – is to him.
The title track of the album was inspired by the news that one of Rosenstein’s good friends was moving away from C-U, forcing him to come to terms with how nervous he was about leaving Illinois himself.
“That song just fell out,” said Rosenstein, a professor emeritus of media and cinema studies in the College of Media at Illinois. “It was done in about 10 minutes. It’s some of the best lyrics I have ever written. The first verse might be my favorite of everything I’ve written.”
Ultimately, it was marrying a lady from Brooklyn that led Rosenstein away from C-U, the town that “formed” him, he said.
The lyrics on the six-song EP were written by Rosenstein, who also played guitar and harmonica. John Tubbs contributed upright bass work, Jesse Brown played keyboards, and Sean Kutzko played drums and provided vocal harmony. Dyke Corson (pedal steel guitar), Ellery Marshall (banjo), and Karen Lee Larson (violin) also contributed to the album.
Though the Americana vibe and folkish vocals may sound as if Afraid of Leaving Home was recorded deep in a mountainous valley somewhere, the album was actually put together at ToneGood Studio in Urbana and Studio 702 in Brooklyn.
The song “Somewhere in North America” personifies the wandering spirit and road-trip feel of the EP, with Rosenstein singing, “Never felt so alive, never been so alone.” The laid-back album has a light touch and crisp-as-fall sound. Rosenstein’s lyrics are straightforward and conversational. Sometimes his words are hopeful and sometimes they’re plaintive, but they always come across as honest and heartfelt.
The former UI professor left the university in 2021 after teaching for two decades and is now striving for “new things to do.” The award-winning documentaries Rosenstein has written, directed, produced, and edited include The Amasong Chorus, The Lord is Not on Trial Here Today, and In Whose Honor?
Seeing The Vertebrats at Mabel’s on Green Street is what inspired Rosenstein’s interest in music more than forty years ago.
“To me, The Vertebrats are the greatest band ever to come out of Champaign-Urbana,” Rosenstein said. “I completely idolized those guys. Kenny Draznik, the lead singer and rhythm guitar player, is one of the greatest songwriters ever.”
Rosenstein dove into the C-U music scene in 1982, starting the band Otis and the Elevators with Jon Decatorsmith on drums and Mark “Toupee” Zehr on bass. Keyboard players in the group came and went. Rosenstein’s inaugural band, once named the second worst one in C-U by a Daily Illini writer, went on hiatus for a while and later reformed with a few new members. Otis and the Elevators went on to have a fruitful five-year run, opening for such acts as Stevie Ray Vaughan at Foellinger Auditorium, Hot Tuna in Chicago, and comedian David Brenner at the Assembly Hall.
Rosenstein also played in an acoustic three-man band called the Freak Brothers and a bluegrass group called Hickory Wind. He joined the Mighty Pranksters for a bit when that band first started, and contributed mandolin work for a few months with the band Last Straw.
“By 1995, I had started making my first feature documentary, In Whose Honor?, and quit music to dedicate all my time to filmmaking. At that point, I felt that music was forever behind me,” Rosenstein said.
That turned out to not be the case. In 2019 Rosenstein, Kutzko, and Jim Rowland started the band Silverweed, an endeavor with excellent timing since the Rose Bowl Tavern was under new ownership and seeking acts to play live music. Silverweed got a monthly Sunday night slot and played at the venue through 2023.
“It was perfect because there was no pressure,” said Rosenstein. “No one expects you to draw much of an audience on a Sunday night. Silverweed had a great five-year run with Rose Bowl as our home base.”
During the past year, Rosenstein has been learning how to play bluegrass on his five-string banjo, and his daughter has befriended the members of what he said is “an excellent young pop-rock band in New York named Wilmah.” Upon discovering Rosenstein plays the banjo, the members of Wilmah asked him to play the instrument on one of their songs for an album being produced by Alex Poeppel, who also co-produced Afraid of Leaving Home. Rosenstein said he doesn’t know if the song will ever be released, or if his banjo contribution will be included in the final mix if it does come out, but it’s still a thrill.
“I have to admit, I’m really excited about the possibility of my banjo playing being on a pop record. We’ll see,” he said.
View essays on Bandcamp from Rosenstein on his songs “I Owe Time” and “Soulless Times.”
Photo provided by Jay Rosenstein.