Banned in Sparta

Photo by Brook Batteau

Hey Gang!

Now! Totally Simonized! I've been working on this project since the full Covid summer of 2021, a suite of songs based on Ancient Greek Lyric Poets.  They were singer/songwriters, they played the lyre (hence "Lyric") and danced around the stage like Tom Paxton.  All we have left of almost all of them is fragments and myth, so I've mosaic-ed songs to reflect their expressions and intentions- who they were and are, to me.  I've roped Tom and other singers I first heard in the 1960's, our own Golden Age of singer/songwriting, to voice them.  Eric Andersen, Robin Lane, Kate Taylor, Carolyn Hester and more, like David's Brown teammate, 2-time Tony Best Actor James Naughton, and up-and-comer Matt Nakoa.  It's my term paper for my last semester returning to Harvard to get my degree.  Mark Dann and Neale Eckstein and Chuck Morse helped me whip this together for posting (on the Buskin and Batteau website) just before midnight 12/31/22.

On 1/19/23 we updated the MP3 files and added WAV files for all of the songs!

On 11/19/24 we added an MP3 file of new, "Full Band" arrangements of the songs!

On 5/15/26 I was interviewed for an episode of the Sustaining Creativity Podcast titled "Creative Calling with Robin Batteau."  I had the opportunity to share my thoughts on the creative process in songwriting with examples from my very early career to my latest project, the Banned in Sparta album.  I had fun doing it and I hope you will take a listen by clicking here:

Here's to the Ancient Greek Lyric Poets who have seen the page for thousands of years but were waiting for their microphone.  Here you go!  It's free for now!