Milwaukee Record is proud to present Public Domain. The monthly video series features musicians setting up at Colectivo Coffee to adapt some of the world’s best-known songs in ways they’ve never been heard before. Watch the entire series here.

Our first out-of-state Public Domain participant comes in the form of In Tall Buildings. The Chicago-based project took some time before its March 23 show in The Back Room @ Colectivo to reinterpret a celebrated standard that has uncertain roots, but holds and an undeniable place in the 19th century songwriting canon.

“Make Me A Pallet On The Floor” was written in the late 1800s. While the song’s exact release date and its original composer aren’t known, the bluesy folk mainstay first appeared on sheet music in 1908. Since then, the traditional number has survived lyrical changes, significant alterations to its score, and has been re-imagined by the likes of Mississippi John Hurt, Louis Armstrong And His All Stars, Bob Dylan, Doc Watson, Lucinda Williams, The Wood Brothers, Josh Ritter, and many more.

Now, In Tall Buildings extends the life of “Make Me A Pallet On The Floor” with a slow, deconstructed take on the aged classic that’s unlike any version you’ve heard to this point. You can see In Tall Buildings perform original material—and who knows, maybe this song as well—at Riverside Theater on April 23, when the band opens for Lord Huron.

The video was shot, directed, and edited by Cheston Van Huss (with additional camera support by Jason Hillman). Public Domain is sponsored by Colectivo Coffee Roasters, Milwaukee Pride, and Transfer Pizzeria Café.