T-Bone Burnett said of Powell that he has "great subtlety, tremendous feel, and he’s very loose and very modern, in the best sense of the word.”
Powell has expanded on the deeply rooted sounds of his Appalachian heritage to become one of the preeminent traditional American musicians of his generation. In addition to acclaimed releases on Rounder Records, he’s recorded and performed with artists such as Loretta Lynn, playing several instruments on her Grammy-winning release “Van Lear Rose,” Sting, Jack White, Levon Helm, Jewel, T-Bone Burnett, Ralph Stanley, and Linda Ronstadt, among others. His ability to unite the essence of his culture with modern sensibilities has led to work with many of today's greatest film directors, including Anthony Minghella, Spike Lee, Ang Lee, Victor Nuñez, Steve James, and Edward Burns.
His live performances of powerful Appalachian music with The Dirk Powell Band have inspired audiences across the globe in a wide variety of venues, including such prestigious settings as the Eastman School of Music and the Interlochen Academy. Dirk selected and arranged traditional Appalachian material for Riverdance: The Show, in which he also performed on fiddle. For the past several years, he has also enjoyed a strong collaboration with Tim O’Brien, resulting in acclaimed recordings such as “Songs From The Mountain,” and performed with his Cajun group Balfa Toujours.
In his early teens, Powell formed a musical bond with his grandfather, James Clarence Hay of Sandy Hook, Kentucky, and discovered a personal resonance with traditions that stretch back to Scots-Irish ancestors who came to the mountains in the middle of the 18th century. Dirk learned banjo and fiddle firsthand in continuation of this line. He was featured as part of “The Great High Mountain Tour,” focusing on his multifaceted involvement with the Academy Award-winning film “Cold Mountain,” for which he acted on screen, arranged traditional material, and served as on-set musical advisor and consultant. Other dramatic films featuring his musical performances include Ang Lee’s “Ride With The Devil,” Spike Lee’s “Bamboozled,” and Edward Burns’ “The Brothers McMullen.”
Powell has scored several documentaries, including the award-winning films “Stranger With a Camera”, “The Unfinished Civil War,” and the upcoming release “Thoughts in the Presence of Fear.” He also appeared in the BBC/RTE documentary series “The Irish Empire” as an expert on the culture of early Scots-Irish immigrants to Appalachia. He recently collaborated on a fusion of Appalachian music and Hip Hop with Richmond producer/rapper Danja Mowf for the film “From the Holler to the Hood,” which looks at tension between guards and inmates in the new maximum-security prisons in Appalachia.
Powell is also a founding member of the Cajun group Balfa Toujours, which he formed with his wife Christine Balfa after her father Dewey passed away in 1992. This internationally touring band records for Rounder Records and has been called “the future of Cajun music” by scholar Barry Ancelet. This statement is more apt than ever, as Dirk and Christine are now raising two beautiful young daughters, Amelia Rose and Sophie Jo.
Powell Dirk has produced recordings for numerous artists around the country, he recently established his own studio in Louisiana, called the Cypress House. In the short history of the studio, Dirk has recorded and/or produced The Red Stick Ramblers, Ginny Hawker and Tracy Schwarz, Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys, The Wilders, Uncle Earl, April Verch, Richie Stearns, Polecat Creek, Tony Davoren, Corey Ledet, and Tit Salé.
In short, Dirk Powell displays a vibrant creative energy that crosses many boundaries while remaining grounded in the rural traditions of his heritage. His formal musical training, deep-running roots, and dedication to self-expression as a necessary part of life combine to make him one of the most important artists in America today.
Waterbound
Dirk Powell Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The moon and stars were shining bright
Storm come up and the trees come down
Tell you boys I was waterbound
Wayterbound on a stranger's shore
River rising to my door
Carried my home to the field below
Carved my name on an old barn wall
No one'd know I was there at all
Stables dry on a winter night
You turn your head you could see the light
Black cat crawling on an old box car
Rusty door and a falling star
Ain't Got a dime in my rations sack
Waterbound and I can't get back
Its i'm gone and I won't be back
Don't believe me count my tracks
River's long and the river's wide
I'll meet you boys on the other side
So say my name and don't forget
Water still ain't got me yet
Nothing but I'm bound to roam
Waterbound and I can't get home
Dirk Powell's song "Waterbound" depicts the story of a person who is stranded in a place due to a storm. The songwriter creates imagery of the storm, the flowing river, and the rising water levels. The person has no place to go because the storm washed everything away, including his home. He is waterbound, which means he is trapped in a land that is being consumed by water. The person describes his struggle to survive in this new place. He carves his name on a barn wall, trying to leave a mark behind, and he sees the stables on a winter night. The only thing that can give him hope is the light that he can see when he looks up.
The person is stuck in such a dire spot that he even lost all of his belongings. He describes a black cat crawling on an old box car, and he has nothing but a dime in his rations sack. The song reflects his despair, as he says he can't get back to where he once was. He has become waterbound, and he is left with nothing but wandering; he sings that he's gone and won't be back. However, he also says that the water hasn't got him yet, and he's still roaming around. The song ends with the hope that he'll meet "you boys" on the other side of the river.
Overall, the song "Waterbound" is a melancholic narrative that describes the tough reality of being stranded in a place that has been consumed by water. It portrays the difficult life of people who are affected by the flood and suggests that the only thing that can give them hope is the prospect of seeing their loved ones again.
Line by Line Meaning
I went late one night
One night, I ventured out late
The moon and stars were shining bright
The sky was illuminated by the bright glow of the moon and stars
Storm come up and the trees come down
Suddenly, a storm arrived and caused the trees to fall
Tell you boys I was waterbound
As a result, I found myself trapped in a flood and unable to move forward
Waterbound on a stranger's shore
I was stranded on an unfamiliar shore due to the flooding
River rising to my door
The water level of the river rose to my doorstep due to the flood
Carried my home to the field below
The flooding caused my home to be carried away to a field below
Waterbound nowhere to go
With no place to go due to the flood, I was stuck
Carved my name on an old barn wall
In an attempt to leave my mark on the world, I etched my name onto an aged barn wall
No one'd know I was there at all
No one would know of my existence, even with my name etched on the wall
Stables dry on a winter night
During a winter evening, the shelter where animals are kept was dry
You turn your head you could see the light
By simply turning their head, one could see the light emitting from the shelter
Black cat crawling on an old box car
A black feline was moving on an ancient box car
Rusty door and a falling star
The door of the vehicle was old and rusted while a shooting star stood out in the sky
Ain't got a dime in my rations sack
I didn't have a single dime in my bag of supplies
Waterbound and I can't get back
As I was waterbound, I wasn't able to reverse my course
Its I'm gone and I won't be back
Now, I leave and won't return
Don't believe me count my tracks
If I'm doubted, track my footsteps to know where I've been
River's long and the river's wide
The river I'm facing is vast and expansive
I'll meet you boys on the other side
However, one day, I'll see you again on the opposite bank
So say my name and don't forget
Remember my name and don't forget me
Water still ain't got me yet
I remain undaunted despite being waterbound
Nothing but I'm bound to roam
With nowhere to go, I'm left aimlessly wandering
Waterbound and I can't get home
And because of the flooding, I'm unable to make my way home
Contributed by Alexander O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.