Four folks play folk for local folks

"It's got, let's see, poverty and incest and drug abuse and practically anything you can name. And hogs."

So said the Charlotte, N.C.-based singer-songwriter J.C. Honeycutt, who is probably the most outlandish of the four folk singers playing at local house concerts this weekend.

Honeycutt, 54, is also an insurance fraud investigator. She has written a ballad about her work, for which she said she encountered "not so much hogs, but quite a bit of the rest."

Even from her song titles, she shows a mocking reverence for country life and music. Among her song names: "You Sunk the Bass Boat of Our Love" and "When the Hogs Et Willie," for which the chorus goes:

We were all contented in our little cabin home,
In spite of our recessive traits and broken chromosomes.

Honeycutt only started writing and performing four years ago. Part of the reason was the "so-called Republican revolution" of 1994, which put her in "a pissed-off state."

But the recent elections just changed her repertoire. "I just had to retire a bunch of Newt Gingrich songs," she said.

Playing it straight

The other three performers coming to the area are more rooted in straightforward folk lyrics tinged with rock, blues and country influences.

The 39-year-old's first CD, "Leavin' This Town," came out to much acclaim in 1996. The title track and most of the other songs speak of desperation and the desire to make a fresh start.

The theme was not intentional, but just a natural extension of her existence, Binion said. Binion's father was a Marine, and the performer spent the better part of her first 20 years moving around.

At times, the stories are about people who leave the song's protagonist, as in "Long Cold Winter."

If my heart were a well,
He could simply see,
How deep love lies in me,
And maybe he'd have stayed.

Her style ranges but is heavily influenced by country music with a distinct Appalachian feel. "I think it's not a choice," she said of using country flavorings. "It just comes from my soul."

Her kinfolk, she said, come from "the mountains."

Two from the area

The two remaining singers come from this region. Jerry Bresee is based in Sterling, Va., and Bill Parsons lives in Washington, D.C.

A one-time jazz bassist, Bresee, 45, has a varied repertoire. His "Light in the Sky" delves into themes of internal elucidation. "Our lives get illuminated based on observations, and we don't always know where our light comes from," he said.

Bresee's music also has a nifty humorous strain, perhaps best shown in the song "Flying Home," describing an awful airplane trip.

Safe at any tempo

Parsons spent many years working as a political organizer for consumer advocate Ralph Nader.

Singing and songwriting now is his full-time career.

"To me, politics like music is one of the more consistent avenues to all that is great and all that is lacking in human nature," he said. "So I get a charge out of all that potential."

No, he is not running for elective office. And the 31-year-old is probably too direct for public life anyway.

"I'm not an obtuse writer," he said. "I'm not an especially moodscapie kind of guy."

His first release, "Unskilled Labor" (1995), features several styles, from the soft ballad "I Choose You," about the meaning of commitment, to the driving pop of the anthem against prejudging people, "Do You Really Know Who I Am."

Due in January is a new album, "Special Delivery," on which will be the song "The Road Less Traveled."

I took the road less traveled so I could bludgeon you with wisdom,
That I learned from all the time
I spent alone with my pain,
But on the road less traveled,
There was too much congestion,
So they put in a tollbooth and an HOV lane.

Besides his songwriting, Parsons pens a column about the music business for a music magazine and helps coordinate a twice-yearly songwriting retreat.

He's also a six-time Washington Area Music Association nominee. "I'm the Susan Lucci of the Wammies," he said proudly.

J.C. Honeycutt, Terri Binion and Jerry Bresee play in Rockville on Saturday for the Moore Music (in the House) concert series. The show starts at 8 p.m. The suggested donation per person is $10. Reservations required. Call 301-309-0983 or e-mail mooresp@erols.com.