I don’t believe there is anyone who would argue the fact that musical instruments are mentioned numerous times in the Bible nor would anyone deny the fact that David and others would dance on festive occasions.  I come across many people who may not like a particular style of Christian music and make the comment, “that’s not Christian.”  Whenever I hear this type of statement made the hairs on the back of my head begin to stand up and I must fight off the temptation to retort and even argue.  Saying that a particular Christian music style is not Christian is like saying that only those preachers who preach the “hell fire and brimstone message are the only true preachers.  I know that there are some people who would agree with that statement.  In 1 Corinthians 12 says that there are many different kinds of gifts but the same Spirit, many different kinds of service but the same Lord, many different kind of workings but the same God works in all of them in all men.  One part of the body to say that they just don’t belong to the body doesn’t mean it’s true, or to say that a particular part of the body doesn’t belong doesn’t make that true either.  All work together for the glory of God.

With the above in mind, the focus of this article is to examine the most popular Christian music of the day taking a look at the origin, the history, the current status and those who make up the music.

Today’s focus will look at Christian Bluegrass.  The earliest settlers of western North Carolina were of Scottish origin.  They brought with them a wealth of musical tradition.  The men would play and the women would sing the ballads that were handed down from their families.  Most of the early ballads centered on either death or murder with the women singing in a high shrill vocal.  The majority of these ballads originated in the British Isles.  These ballads eventually became know as Bluegrass.

As the women delivered the vocals and the men played, the fiddle became a favorite instrument.  The fiddle was an instrument brought to America by the Scot-Irish immigrants.  Soon after the men began playing the banjo, an instrument brought to our country from West Africa.  Shortly after the banjo, the guitar joined in along with the mandolin.  Bluegrass was promoted throughout the region simply by family and friends gathering on the porches and in the living rooms of their homes.  Bluegrass expanded to the schools, dances and other social gatherings.  Radio came to the western North Carolina region in 1927 and featured much of the local talent.

Bluegrass music lingered in the mountains of western North Carolina for many years until the Monroe Brothers (Bill and Charlie) showed up.  They came from Kentucky and brought with them there own style of Bluegrass.  Bill’s voice was similar in style to the women who sang the ballads in the high shrill sound.  In 1938 differences divided the Monroe Brothers and they went there separate way.  In 1945 Bill Monroe and the Bluegrass Boys (Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs, Chubby Wise, and Cedric Rainwater) appeared on the Grand Ole Opry and the rest is history.  Bluegrass quickly caught on and people from all over the country, all walks of life have embraced the sound.  The sound is now called Bluegrass Music.  Bill Monroe is considered the founder and grandfather of modern Bluegrass Music.

The origin of Bluegrass music lies right in the middle of the Bible belt.  The sound has evolved and today there are many great singers carrying on the sound.  Ralph Stanley is one such musician that many Christian Bluegrass singers emulate.  Jeff and Sheri Easter, the Lewis Family, the Chuck Wagon Gang are just a couple of the groups within the Bluegrass family.   If you’ve never listened to Christian Bluegrass music before and would like to test the waters, may I suggest 16 Great Bluegrass Classics #1 for only $6.28.   A sound bite of each song is available.  This and a complete line of Christian Bluegrass are available at Emmaus Road Christian Store at very good prices.

Kate Langenburg/A&E Groove 

All the boys of Railroad Earth minus Mike Carbone. Photo by Kate Langenburg.

The band opened with a stellar, upbeat ”Drag Him Down” but then backed off the high uppity bass and focused on some slower songs, particularly “For Love.” I can appreciate the vibe they were trying to set, but it kind of ruined the mood a little. People were psyched up to see the show. RRE started with an upbeat song, then played slow songs for almost the entire rest of set one. It was definitely a tease.However, at the end of set one, the band went into a bumpin’ version of “Head” which always gets a crowd going. As Todd Schaeffers vocals screeched out, the audience sang back to him and threw up their hands each time he repeated the call. Thank the bluegrass gods for making them play this song. I think it was the highlight of the concert.

bluegrass banjo tunes
speakers shake with soulful licks
share where my heart’s been

Last Monday (Nov 23) the Whalen girls took me to watch them record their new CD. Here are some pics that I took.

Setting up. The man on the left is the recording guy, Mr.Tod.

Susanna recording the mandolin parts.

Naomi, Levi, and Sarah waiting……..

…..and waiting. (Sorry. I have a thing for pictures of shoes on floors. )

Levi after he fell from the sky.

The Central Head Quarters room.

Sarah on the harp.

Levi was out by the time we left.

Thanks soooooooo much for letting me come with you all girls. I had a wonderful time.

Hooray!!! Hunting season opens on Monday. Can’t wait. I’ll let you all know if I get something.

My grandpa had a transistor. It was old and already on the way to becoming a piece of junk. This was in late 1980s and early 1990s when TV had already made an inroad into our lives in a big way. However, like a rare monster on the verge of extinction, this transistor tickled my interest. Soon, I would spend a lot of time fiddling with it.

It was then that I discovered BBC world service and VOA.
Soon I was a fervent listener.
I have since stopped listening to radio, but I remember there were many of those wonderful programmes as ‘Anything Goes’, ‘Jazzmatazz’ on BBC radio and country music on Fridays(if my memory serves me right) on VOA . I can still recall the lady presenter on VOA signing off with her signature phrase ‘…wishing you lots and lots of country sunshine…’

Toda radio has largely taken a back seat. BBC  has also grown in its other avatars. But  it remains as engaging as decades ago. I hope it remains a credible source of news and entertainment for years to come.

As for country music, I’ll remain indebted to VOA for initiating me into the melodious world of bluegrass and other sounds from Nashville.

My Dyslexic Blog Post #10

My Music, My Men

Carl Chambers is mostly known for his 1982 #1 hit, “Close Enough to Perfect” made famous by the band Alabama. Carl is one of those good ole boys with lots of talent and southern style. Luckily for me, I grew up two blocks away from Carl’s house & his “OutHouse Studios“. I use to be that annoying little girl that would hang out during his bands rehearsal and kept asking questions. He recorded my 1st all original album, as well as other recording projects throughout the years. Carl is like a 2nd father to me and holds a very special place in my heart! I’m so very thankful for all the kindness him and his family have shown me.

Visit: http://www.dizzyrambler.com
Carl Chambers on Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/dizram

Joe Spann, I met thru Carl Chambers. My 1st memory of him was when I was a child & use to sing down at Carl Allen’s Catfish Cafe in Auburndale, Florida. The place was filled with bluegrass and talented musicians. Every Thursday night Joe and Carl would play and jam and I’d be right there amazed by how incredible they both were. During my late adolescents, Joe acted as my musical psyciatrist and recorded my “wanna-be” alternative rock album. That album was full of emotions and expereinces that only my music could help me unleash. Later, we went on to record my 1st acoustic album, “You Don’t Know Jack.” Joe is not only an amazing musician, producer, & songwriter… he is a wonderful friend too.

Connect with Joe Spann
Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/joe.spann
Myspace:  http://www.myspace.com/joespann

My big brother Kevin Nowak is one of the biggest musicial influences in all my life. He tought me my 1st guitar chords and my very 1st lick – “On The Trail” from the movie The Three Amigos! Before I even knew anything about guitars I use to sneak into his room and I’d always put his tuner pegs face up in the same direction. I didn’t know till years later all I was doing was making the guitar extremely out of tune. That would explain why he’d get so freaking mad at me (giggles). We are one of the same or as I like to call it the ”Same Diffenence”. He currently is based out of Gainesville, Florida where his band “Liquid Limbs” just released “ORQUID” their debut album.  Even though he may not know it, he means the world to me in so many ways. Each time I see him perform it puts fire underneeth my skin and gives me more drive to do the best in music and life.

Connect with Kevin Nowak

Website: www.LiquidLimbs.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1254360473

Check out some of Kevin’s solo tunes:

Dreams ♫  Instrumental ♫ Your Sunshine ♫

The Dry Branch Fire Squad has performed bluegrass for over 25 years and the current lineup features some bluegrass veterans. Ron Thomason founded the band in 1976 and has been the bands spokesman and singer since the beginning. Ron’s bluegrass background comes naturally through his childhood start in the Clinch River area of VA. Ron has played with Ralph Stanley and  The Clinch Mountain Boys, The Wilson Brothers, Joe Isaacs, Ricky Skaggs and Keith Whitley. A big part of any Dry Branch show are the great stories of the origins of the songs and music told by Ron. Brian Aldridge handles much of the harmony singing and guitar playing. Brian learned his style of bluegrass while growing up in another one of the bluegrass hot beds, Central Ohio. Brian’s father was a Howard Aldridge and he helped expose Brian to the best musicians who played in the area-  Bill Monroe, Sid Campbell, Frank Wakefield, Jack Casey. Banjoist and Dobro player Tom Boyd has perfected his part in the band by  playing in bands with musicians like  Larry Sparks, The Allen Brothers, Mac Wiseman, Hylo Brown, Jack Casey, Chubby Wise. The bands bass player Dan Russell is another product of the Ohio bluegrass scene and has played not only bass but also banjo and has even toured with country musician John Anderson. This is a band which will entertain and educate you with great songs, harmonies and stories.   They will be at Wintergrass 2010 on Saturday and Sunday.

Herein is a narrow list of similarly sounding and themed Americana recordings released in 2009 which I’ve played often over the KBCS airwaves and the nodepression.com podcast. I like them. They are well written and well played albums worthy of hard earned money and multiple listens and for me that’s the trick. Further defense (of some) of my choices will follow. I know, I know, you can’t wait.

The Top 10

Artist / Album / Label or Website

Allen Toussaint / The Bright Mississippi / Nonesuch

Avett Brothers / I and Love and You / American

Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros / Up From Below / Fairfax

Eilen Jewell / Sea of Tears / Signature Sounds

The Gourds / Haymaker / Yep Roc

Loudon Wainwright III / High, Wide and Handsome / 2nd Story

Rita Hosking / Come Sunrise / www.ritahosking.com/

Songs from the Road Band / As the Crow Flies / Lucks Dumpy Toad

Wayne Hancock / Viper of Melody / Bloodshot

Zoe Muth and the Lost High Rollers / Zoe Muth and the Lost High Rollers /www.myspace.com/zoemuth

The Next 10

Bonnie “Prince” Billy / Beware / Drag City

Buddy and Julie Miller / Written in Challk / New West

Cave Singers / Welcome Joy /Matador

Coty Hogue / Going to the West / Cello Room

Dry Branch Fire Squad / Echoes of the Mountain / Rounder

Elvis Perkins in Dearland / Elvis Perkins in Dearland / XL

Honeycutters / Irene / /www.thehoneycutters.com/

Pete Molinari / Today, Tomorrow and Forever / Damaged Goods

Red Stick Ramblers / Keep Your Suitcase Packed / Sugar Hill

Shannon Stephens / The Breadwinner / Asthmatic Kitty

And finally the ones that didn’t make the cut for no good reason except they didn’t and are still really good and worthy of attention

Amanda Shires / West Cross Timbers /

Blue Giant / Target Heart / Amore! Phonics

Dave Rawlings Machine / A Friend of a Friend / Acony

Haints Old Time Stringband / Shout Monah / Hickory Jack

James Hand / Shadow on the Ground / Rounder

Justin Townes Earle / Midnight at the Movies / Bloodshot

The Low Anthem / Oh My God Charlie Darwin / Nonesuch

Neko Case / Middle Cyclone / Anti-

Shout Sister Shout / Hit That Jive / M.C.

Tallboys / Around the Bend / www.thetallboys.com/

Willie Nelson and Asleep at the Wheel / Willie and the Wheel / Bismeaux

Hace un tiempo les había presentado esta banda Inglesa, que esta afincada en Londres, y en esos momentos apenas tenían un par de singles, pero ya estaban en proceso de grabación de su álbum debut, el cual ya a salido a la venta el pasado 19 de octubre, y se a llamado simplemente “The Brute Chorus”, el álbum a recibido muy buenas criticas por parte de la prensa, a mi personalmente su sonido todavía no me convence, o sea, me gusta, pero se me hace que no aportan nada  y sus canciones están casi en el limite de lo aburrido, así que lo voy a seguir escuchando a ver que pasa, mientras, prueben ustedes a ver que les parece…

Tracklist:
1. Hercules
2. She Was Always Cool
3. Send Me A Message
4. Grow Fins
5. Nebuchadnezzar
6. Blind Ulysses
7. Love’s Chains
8. The Cuckoo And The Stolen Heart
9. All The Pilgrims
10. Chateau
11. The Ransom
12. I’m Gonna Shake Your Treehouse

THE BRUTE CHORUS – THE BRUTE CHORUS(2009)

COMENTAR NO CUESTA NADA MAS QUE TIEMPO!!!COMENTEN!!!

Two recent releases by Sam Bush and Ricky Skaggs – two superstars of Americana, roots, and bluegrass music – show both artists coming home in ways that bring them full circle with their own artistic travels.

Bush’s Circles Around Me is a return to the bluegrass and early progressive newgrass of his youth in Bowling Green, Kentucky.  The album opens with the title track, a tune that celebrates “being thankful that you’re here” according to Bush.  His terrific road band – Byron House on bass, Chris Brown on drums, the amazing Scott Vestal on banjo and Stephen Mougin on guitar – plays on the majority of the 14 tracks, stretching out their musical chops on tunes such as the instrumental Blue Mountain and the old New Grass Revival song Souvenir Bottles. This latter tune, along with Whisper My Name written by original NGR bassist Ebo Walker and featured on their very first album, brings Bush back to the band where he made his name and helped shape a whole new genre of music – Newgrass.

But there’s also a strong traditional bluegrass strain on the album, especially on the tunes where Del McCoury joins in on vocals.  Roll on Buddy, Roll On is a fine piece of straight-ahead grass.  Songwriter extraordinaire Guy Clark, Bush and Verlon Thompson co-wrote the haunting Ballad of Stringbean and Estelle about the real-life tragedy of the murder of old-time country music star David “Stringbean” Akeman and his wife Estelle.  Midnight on the Stormy Deep and Out on the Ocean are solid bluegrass tunes where Bush keeps his newgrass tendencies in check.  In addition to McCoury, guests artists include Dobro wizard Jerry Douglas, McArthur genius and bassist Edgar Meyer and his family, and (posthumously) original NGR banjoist Courtney Johnson on the sweet fiddle/banjo duet Apple Blossom.

Sam Bush has put together a thoughtful yet entertaining album that should keep his fans happy while finding some converts among the traditionalists who are not as attracted to his recent solo work.

Ricky Skaggs, photo by Erick Anderson

Ricky Skaggs has been moving in a more traditional direction for a good many years since his dip into mainstream country stardom in the 1980s and 90s.  His band Kentucky Thunder is arguably the best band in bluegrass, with Skaggs showcasing some of the music’s best young talent much as his mentor, Bill Monroe, did through the years with the Bluegrass Boys.

But on his most recent album, Songs My Dad Loved, Skaggs goes solo.  That doesn’t mean you’ll just hear Ricky and a guitar or mandolin, because he plays and overdubs a dizzying array of instruments:  acoustic guitars, resonator guitar, round hole and f hole mandolins, mandocello, octave mandolin, steel string banjo, gut string fretless banjo, fiddle, piano, bass, Danelectro electric baritone guitar and percussion.

Songs My Dad Loved is an obvious labor of love for Skaggs.  There are old-time fiddle/banjo duets (Colonel Prentiss), Roy Acuff and Fred Rose-penned old country tunes (Foggy River), gospel (City That Lies Foursquare) and mountain bluegrass (Little Maggie) among the selections.  Songs My Dad Loved is dialed back from the breakneck bluegrass that Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder are known for.  But it is a little gem of an album, reminding me – as one other reviewer noted – of the classic Skaggs and Rice duet album.

Two great Americana musicians, circling back to their roots.  When you reach your 50s and have been playing professionally since you could hold an instrument, this isn’t a bad place to be.

And to give you a taste of the music, there’s a nice video of Sam and his band recording Circles Around Me with commentary by Sam interspersed.  Enjoy.

More to come…

DJB

Del McCoury Band
Family Circle
McCoury Music
5 stars (out of 5)

It’s nicely fitting that Family Circle is the title of the Del McCoury Band’s best, most passionate effort since 1999’s The Family. The same year that classic was released, the band also collaborated with Steve Earle on the classic The Mountain, and was poised to lead the bluegrass popular renaissance spurred by the film and soundtrack, O Brother, Where Art Thou? Both before and since then, the DMB has represented themselves and their genre with class, especially on their legendary live shows, but their recorded output has occasionally suffered slightly from a lack of focus.

That’s certainly not a problem here, with Del’s peerless tenor lead showcased on each of 14 tracks over 45 exhilarating minutes of music, a bounty that makes up for the band’s enjoyable but ill-packaged boxed set release earlier this year.

The groove of “Sweet Appalachia” sets the tone with Rob McCoury’s banjo underpinning perfect harmonies on lyrics that remind everyone just where the spirit behind the DMB’s music comes from. A cover of the New Riders of the Purple Sage’s “Barbaric Splendor” comes next. It’s an effort that, among bluegrassers, only Del could pull off. References to “angel of the alleyways” and “leather and lace” from a tough and tender narrator would sound awkward or contrived from most, but the straight-laced Del somehow pulls it off.

“Revenuer’s Blues,” co-written by Ronnie Bowman and Ronnie McCoury (mandolin, harmony vocals), simmers throughout, with Del’s voice as smoky and smooth as the product he’s singing about. “Hello Lonely” is a new song that sounds like a classic bluegrass number, featuring precise interplay between Rob’s banjo and Jason Carter’s electrifying fiddle. It gives way to “Delma Blue,” a lonely waltz that’s right in Del’s wheelhouse.

“I’m Justified” is a joyous four-part harmony gospel celebration of salvation that ranks with anything done by Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver or Dailey & Vincent in recent years, proving that the DMB is as versatile as they are virtuosic. “Bad Day for Love” is back in more familiar DMB territory, a bluesy barnburner that’s sure to find wings on the live stage.

The Johnny Mercer-penned “I Remember You” is another curveball, one that has Del’s semi-yodel neatly matched to the sentimentality of a 1940s movie song. As gentle as Del is on that track, he’s positively menacing on Buddy & Julie MIller’s “Does My Ring Burn Your Finger,” complete with wicked laugh.

The Alaska ballad “White Pass Railroad” and Mark Knopfler’s “Prairie Wedding,” which is markedly better than the original, make for a nice Western interlude and make one wish that Del’s voice could have found its way onto the soundtrack for Deadwood.

“Honey Hurry Home,” “Mexico’s Daughter” and a cover of the Jerry Lee Lewis hit “Break Up” are three tasty lagniappes that leave you wanting more.

Repeated listenings of this disc, especially in the car, reveal new vocal and instrumental intricacies each time through and make one thankful to be around to hear such a band make such great music, both live and in the studio.

by Aaron Keith Harris

my friend adrianne introduced me to the music of pokey lafarge last week, and to say that i’ve been obsessed is a bit of an understatement.  i wanted to have his babies after hearing about 3 notes.  his music is a blend of down-on-the-bayou bluegrass, blues, and roots music.  and seriously, i can’t get enough.  you might have to stage an intervention.

check him out on myspace.  then download his session from daytrotter.

he is the musical savior i’ve been longing for.

(source)

Sam Bush
Circles Around Me
Sugar Hill Records
5 stars (out of 5)

The opening guitar chords in Sam Bush’s new CD Circles Around Me signal that this is a new turn in an old story. Sam Bush has produced a fine album of fourteen songs that return to an earlier era while forging into new territory. This is a neat trick, but Sam pulls it off with conviction and his customary high musicality. Sam uses his touring band of Scott Vestal, Byron House, Stephen Mougin, and Chris Brown to set and maintain the Bush sound while inviting a number of guests to share the microphone. Songs by Ebo Walker and an appearance Courtney Johnson reach back to his days in New Grass Revival. Four songs exceeding six minutes in length suggest the importance of the jam in a Bush performance or recording. Three traditional songs and a guest appearance by Del McCoury recall the importance of straight ahead bluegrass music in Bush’s music; the duo presents two Bill Monroe songs. All told, the CD communicates an elegiac tone in which Bush seems to be seeking to highlight and summarize his long, successful, and creative career.

It often seems that at a certain age — Bush is 57 — writers decide to look back at their careers and do some self assessment. These songs (or stories) are usually filled with regret, remembrance, joy, or some combination of these emotions common to people who have gained perspective and maturity. Circles Around Me introduces this CD and serves the purpose of opening the door of memory while leaving it open for still further growth and development. Albums often open with a bang, as if designed to grab and hold onto the listener. This song asks “how in the world did we get this far, holding tight to the tail of a shooting star?” Bush acknowledges the people and forces that have come into his life and suggests that those he’s influenced through the years are “running circles around me now.” There’s little if any regret to this refrain.

One of the most delightful elements of this album is the way Sam includes shades and shadows from his past in new and interesting ways. Songs from NGR days like “Souvenir Bottles” and “Diamond Joe” mix with the new murder song “The Ballad of Stringbean and Estelle,” a true story about the murder of Grand Old Opry star David “Stringbean” Akeman. He includes two older Bill Monroe songs sung with Del McCoury, who, along with his current acclaim, sang as a Bluegrass Boy early in his career. Then he writes a “Monroe-like” waltz tune and presents it with Edgar Meyer on bass, along with the rest of his family. The late Courtney Johnson, banjo player with NGR, and an Ebo Walker song help make the historical connection. The combinations and memories running through the disk circle back on themselves, reinforcing the title, “Circles Around Me.”

A highlight of Circles Around Me is Bush’s use of his road band at the center of the album. Scott Vestal on banjo, Byron House on bass, Stephen Mougin on guitar and harmony vocals, and Chris Brown’s percussion complement Bush and create the ensemble sound that grows when a band travels and performs together over a period of years. Guest appearances from Jerry Douglas on Dobro, Edgar Meyer on bass, along with his wife Cornelia Heard and son Nathan, and Del McCoury’s guest vocals are tastefully included and blend perfectly with the band.

With Circles Around Me Sam Bush has presented a brilliant collection of the old and the new, at once looking backward and forward. Still the consummate musician himself, he surrounded himself with others who share his vision and has produced a truly wonderful addition to the overall bluegrass catalog.

by Ted Lehmann

John Showman

CD Release Concert:

Hugh’s Room

Tuesday, November 24th @8pm

Featuring: The World’s First Violin and Music box Duet- The Fabulous Showman Orchestra

Tickets:$14/$16 Door- 2261 Dundas Street West, Toronto-(416)531-6604

With Special Guests-Julian Fauth, Creeking Tree String Quartet, Foggy Hogtown Boys.

Per Amazon’s website the pairing of Robert Plant and Alison Krauss was like  putting together “the duo of King Kong and Bambi”; and they are right. Plant and Krauss are the last two I would have thought would collaborate.  To my surprise and delight, after listening to this album I would agree that they are the perfect pairing. 

As one would realize, gone are the days of the wild Robert Plant who’s antics included trashing rooms and riding motorcycles down the hallways of the Chateau Marmont Hotel.  This album seems to take its rightful place and home to todays more mellow Plant.  After Zeppelin it can be seen how Plant decided pursue more mellow outlets than he originally had been identified with, this can be seen with his 80’s project The Honey Drippers.   It has been known that Plant has an insatiable appetite for world music and a drive to explore different avenues and styles for his future albums.  If this album was to be Plants last (which it is not I’m sure) it would be the perfect ending to a musical life well lived.  However, I do not think we have heard the last from him.

Alison Krauss is a household name in the bluegrass world, she is one of the most sought after musicians in Nashville and often is featured as a guest on many bluegrass and contemporary country albums.  Although I’m not the biggest fan of country, I do appreciate bluegrass (Ricky Skaggs, Bill Monroe among my favorites), I must admit that I am a big fan of Alison Krauss and her band Union Station.  I highly recommend her live 2-disc album if you get a chance to grab it, simply incredible.  I’ve converted several of my friends that were ”anti-country/ anti-bluegrass” with that album.

Raising Sand is for playing on rainy days, background music when you are having people over for dinner, long car rides out to Buffalo, or cutting your cats nails.  It’s not for getting in the car and cranking it up really loud to relive your Zeppelin glory days.  Raising Sand is a sincere, well produced, and personal album that reflects the gifts of two excellent vocalists, two who compliment each other on every song.

The majority of songs on this album are soft and smoky, cleary a reflection of what producer T Bone Burnett can create with right combination of artists.  Burnett has produced albums for bands such as Counting Crows, K.D. Lang, and The Wallflowers.

Highlights of this album are cleary the opening song Rich Woman (nice use of harmonies and reverb together),songs Killing The Blues & Please Read The Letter;  both created the most noteriety for  much of this album.  Lastly,  Fortune Teller is a fun romp (possibly the most upbeat song on the album) full of reverb, raw acoustic bass, and Plant’s strong, emotional vocals.  Let Your Loss be your Lesson is one my favorites

Raising Sand gets 4 out of 5 in my humble mellow music opinion.

The first recording I made that I was actually happy with (and excited about the outcome of) was when I recorded Green Mountain Grass at the Kerrville Folk Festival earlier this year. They played in the campground at a wedding reception, on a flatbed trailer.  I got right up beside the band and was in the middle of everything. As a result, to me the recording sounds like a party (in a good way). It’s a fun recording and if I close my eyes I am back at Kerrville watching a great band play about 30 feet from my tent. You never have to wander far to find something special at Kerrville.

My only complaint about this recording is that during one particular song (Doggymouth) the band started stomping their feet on the trailer and with my limited knowledge of recording I had no idea how to keep the sound from going bonkers. So there is a point in the recording when the band is stomping and the recorder’s limiter kicks in.

There’s another point in the recording that I still love after hearing it many, many times. Inbetween “Doggymouth” and another song I don’t know (I’ll call it “Every Dog Has His Day”) the band plays their instruments in such a way that sounds like the song is falling apart, the timing’s going out the window and maybe they’re too drunk. Right when your eyebrows raise they bring it back, change it, and roll into a wonderful fiddle part to transition into the new song. I saw Tom Waits do something similar last year when he was on tour, and he had absolute control over his band. I think it’s a statement about these guys’ musical abilities that they can pull something like that off. Granted, I don’t know anything about writing music so this might be some easy elementary stuff but it sure seems like you have to know your craft to pull that off right. These guys know their stuff.

So, the recording. The first three minutes or so are them warming up. About 20 minutes in they take a break and during the break you hear conversations within the audience while the musicians pick on their instruments killing time. I think these sort of things add to making you feel like you’re right there in the crowd. The recording sounds great. Hope you’ll enjoy it. You can download or stream it for free here: http://www.kaosradioaustin.org/node/13996

Bruce Hornsby, American accordionist, pianist, and singer with The Range

Photographer extraordinaire Jack Martin was on hand at The Sixth on Nov.14th to take some beautiful pictures of the event.

Check out some of Jack’s great work on his web sites

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sevres-babylone/

http://www.pbase.com/zuiko40/music

The Good Family (featuring members of The Good Bros. and The Sadies)

Kim Sedore (Makita Hack and the Log Rollers) more from this set can be found http://www.pbase.com/zuiko40/makitahack

Dallas and Travis Good

The Kitgut Stringband

Yours truly (Spencer Good) guesting with Badly Bent

by GaragePunk Podcast Network

It has been a glorious autumn here in Ontario. I wasn’t here in the summer, having been down in Costa Rica, but by all accounts it was literally a wash-out. Autumn’s warm sunny days, served up with a minimum of moisture, have helped to bring a bit of balance to 2009. In just over a month, we’ll be in 2010 and though I guess I shouldn’t be counting my chickens before they hatch, I can already hear a busy year crowing.

This is my last weekend here – Monday I’m on a plane bright and early and by mid-afternoon I should be sweet and deep in the arms of Roberto in San José. A few days to chill in the hammock in Cahuita, to check up on the state of the papayas I planted in July, to get my calypso mojo working. Then I’ll be up in Monteverde, working on the history of Bosqueeterno and waiting to hear the first CO-CO-RI-CO of the new year (no doubt supplied by Mr. Wolf.) 2010 is a World Cup year but unfortunately Costa Rica lost her chance to play soccer with the big boys in South Africa. She’s a bit of a deflated hen, her tail feathers dragging. There’ll be some serious consoling to do.

the divine Lori Yates

As I’ve been preparing to leave my Canadian home for about six months, I’ve gone out to hear as much local music as I could fit in, most of it within walking distance of my house. At The Saint’s Tuesday night singer/songwriter gathering last week, my good pal Lori Yates gave an impromptu thirty minutes of new and old songs with an inspired, hilarious monologue. It was perhaps the best half hour of performance that I’ve seen this year.

Carolyna Loveless, Rae Billings, Greg Briscoe, Paul Reimens, Lori Yates

The other singer/songwriters who were out that night – our affable host Paul Reimens, Rae Billings, Shelley Adams and Carolyna Loveless – also rose to the bar Lori set. It was my first time hearing Carolyna and she kicks it. After having a conversation with her over lunch a few days later, I realized that not only has she got big talent but she’s also got this outrageous energy and over-active mind -she could probably take over the world with if she was so diabolically-inclined. I’m ready to see more of her – maybe even in the 11^th hour Sunday night when she is performing again at The Saint. Trying to convince myself that I can go out and still get up at 4:30 Monday morning to get to the airport. I can always sleep on the plane. 

Another night I headed out with friends to see local blues guitarist Steve Strongman in a new venue outside of town known as The Barn. Music producer and drummer, Dave King, built this as a place for him and his friends to play and record music and now he has started a concert series. Steve was the first show and it was an beautifully intimate place to see a great performer. The backdrop for the stage is one of the phenomenal metal creations by local artist, Dave Hind.

Mike McCurley

We finished off that night with a trip back to our local pub, Fisher’s, who was celebrating their 16^th anniversary with the regular band, the Sugardaddies. It’s lucky to have such a friendly crowd and hot band guaranteed for dancing only two blocks from home.

Dallas Good

Andre Williams, Trevor Good

In 1999, the Sadies recorded an album, Red Dirt, with a cat from Alabama,  André Williams. Mr. Williams has been making music since the fifties, R & B, punk blues and something called sleaze rock. He’s in his 70s and still has a cool stage presence. His stylin’ shiny blue suit and shoes fit the Sadies’ metallic blues that accompanied him. They performed songs together from several decades, including some great raw numbers from the 40s. I doubt that a song called Jailbait, one of Williams, is politically correct these days, but the men in the crowd seemed to identify as Andrew growled out the lyric about the temptations of the forbidden underage fruit. It was a night to shake yer money-maker and I did.

I spent a couple of days down in the Kingston area. I took Walking with Wolf to the Kingston Field Naturalists and had a wonderful evening with them. Told Wolf’s story to an interested crowd, sold a few books, was treated to a beautiful dinner at Aroma’s Café (highly recommended) and visited some friends in the area.

It’s necessary for me to get out in the Canadian countryside, balancing out the gritty urban life of my home in the industrial wasteland.

James Isaac Hendricksen

Here in the Hammer, I ran into my friend, Isaac Hendricksen, a musician from the Caribbean island of Nevis who lives locally. We had coffee one afternoon with Larry Strung, the brilliant photographer behind the Hamilton 365 project that I have written about before – he shared with me this photo that he took of us. Isaac writes songs of peace and love, lullabies for the soul. It was wonderful to see him, and absorb some of his wisdom regarding the intricacies involved in balancing the cultural weights in my relationship with Roberto. It’s a challenge to put together two genders, two histories, two cultures, and make it stick, even with the soldering glue of love. But I gotta tell ya, I’m anxious to be taking up that challenge again soon.

The three months since I returned here have gone by quickly. What a beauty season too – the glorious fall, the finale of the year. The Hammer continues to amuse – the music scene expands, the James Street North art crawl explodes, a new creative energy has taken over from the dying steel pulse that has driven this city for a century. I have a lot planned for the coming months in Costa Rica, but hope to spend next summer here in my home, in the fiercely proud north end of Hamilton. I’ve got to get control of the jungle that has consumed my yard during the last two summers . While I’ve been hanging out with the monkeys and the Rasta and the Wolf in Costa Rica, the vines have taken over. Even though I hate leaving my Tico friends behind when I get in that northbound plane, thank goodness I don’t ever mind returning here. If the key to a good life is finding a happy balance, then smokestacks and strangler figs, black leather and brown skin, punk guitars and tribal drums – these are but a few of my favorite things, all taken in equal measure.

As has become tradition on trips to Asia, I try to get away from the city for a little to hug trees. Lately, I’ve been mountain biking in Japan.

We somehow were, um, unable to locate the car keys which resulted in twice the mountain biking as originally intended! It meant another trip up that darned hill.

The morning’s sunrise in Makuhari.

There was a restaurant near the town we rode, which for some reason had antlers in the sink. I have no idea….

And which also has become tradition, a night of enjoying live Bluegrass music in Ginza’s Rocky Top. The night even included an unruly drunk that was booted out! I love country music.

You have to love any band that has a banjo, an accordion and can cover Japanese pop songs along with Jerry Jeff Walker and Dolly Parton.

I’m not at Narita Intl waiting to go back to the land of apple pie, Starbucks and Bed Bath and Beyond. This lounge is great and and I love free beer, but what’s up with the blue fish cake??

Artist: Game (ft. Slyhook)

Song Title: The American Dream

Album: The R.E.D. Album

Expected Album Release Date: December 8th, 2009

Great use of “Genesis” by Justice. So excited for this album. Another song off his upcoming album is supposed to come out soon with Chris Brown… I’ll keep you posted.

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Artist: Tyga

Song Title: Tyga, Tyga

Album: Black Thoughts

Album Release Date: November, 2009