If you like folk music, then there’s a bridge in Glenville you ought to know about.
Or rather, for Simon Rieffel to sing about.
The Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake junior recently penned a parodic ode to the infamous Glenridge Road bridge. The bridge is known for its low height causing crashes oft likened to a sardine can for the way the tops of trucks peel off from scraping it. The effect is incessant enough to have inspired Rieffel’s song, “Can Opener Bridge,” a folksy diddy about the town’s efforts to curb crashes.
“I wrote the song as a public service announcement,” the teen said. “I hope that maybe it’ll prevent the next truck from hitting the bridge.”
He was inspired by the likes of Cheryl Wheeler and Loudon Wainwright III — two artists who frequently add a comedic flair to their songs — as well as folk greats such as Pete Seger, Woodie Guthrie and Bruce Springsteen.
“I think that using music as a vehicle for change and making the world a better place is something that I really like about folk music, and that was my goal with this song,” he said.
Rieffel also drew inspiration from “M.T.A” by The Kingston Trio, a song that chronicles a man named Charlie navigating Boston’s sprawling transit system.
“Also, the chorus of my song pays tribute to the Erie Canal song,” he said. “So that’s a little bit of local history there.”
The song starts with a scene-setting description of the bridge, not-so-subtly pointing out the amalgamation of signage directing drivers away. The song pokes fun at the bridge’s reputation but remains a ballad to the camaraderie it inspires.
Rieffel isn’t the first to come up with a creative solution to the phenomenon. In January, Glenvillian Kassondra Paull equipped a towering decorative skeleton with a sign warning drivers of the upcoming obstacle.
Currently, Rieffel is humbly basking in the attention the song has gotten, but he has more musical goals going forward.
“I plan on doing some recording and releasing some songs in the near future,” he said.
He’s performed the song locally at open mics hosted by venues such as Caffe Lena and regularly livestreams on his Youtube channel @simonelijahmusic.