I am officially not in the holiday mood. Don’t get me wrong, any holiday devoted to chocolate can’t be all bad, but I just can’t stand the syrupy, touchy-feelyness that settles around the modern Christmas celebration like fake snow. So in honor of those of you, like me, who go all Grinch-y this time of year, I have prepared the following holiday playlist.

First, a little safety message from Johnny Cash. Stick to whiskey, boys, and let that cocaine be.

Next, Jerry Garcia talks about the importance of hobbies in this American version of an Irish song. The Irish version is entitled in “Whiskey in the Jar”. The American version is known as “Gilgarry Mountain” or “Gilgarra Mountain”.

“Some take delight in fishing and the bowling/Others take delight in carriage a-rolling/I take delight in the juice of the barley/Courting pretty women in the morning so early.”

At this point, you should be ready for “Whiskey River” to take your mind. And who better than Willie Nelson to do that?

By now, it’s time to get down on your knees and pray.

Of course, you should definitely take this bad boy down to the river so he can “Testify.”

I keep flashing on the outlaw character Russell played in “3:10 to Yuma” when I hear this song.

But the river can be a serious metaphor, too, as Billy Joel tells us.

This is the official music video for “River of Dreams” and I think it is quite simply one of the most beautiful music videos I’ve ever seen.

“That Old Man River, he must know something, but he don’t say nothing, he just keeps traveling on.”

This song is so strongly associated with Paul Robeson’s performance in “Steamboat” that it’s a surprise to hear a woman sing it. I think Judy Garland does a great job.

Finally, a song for the New Year that isn’t “Auld Lang Syne”. Russell Crowe started off as a singer/musician before he became an actor and he has a surprisingly good voice.  I like the sentiment he and his band, The Ordinary Fear of God, express here in “One Good Year”. The New Year is traditionally a time to evaluate how we’ve done in the past one and usually we find we’ve fallen short.

“I’ve been looking for grace, but grace ain’t so easily found.” True dat. Incidentally, that’s Alan Doyle from the Newfoundland folk/rock band, “Great Big Sea”, sharing the vocals in the vid.

WILLIE NELSON &ASLEEP AT THE WHEEL CD UP FOR GRAMMY
THE MAN THE LEGEND WILLIE NELSON
WOW STILL GETTING GRAMMY NODS..
WILLIE NELSON DESERVES BEST AMERICANA ALBUM AWARD THIS YEAR
TELL ME HOW YOU FEEL ON WILLIE NELSON STILL GETTING GRAMMY NODS??

Steve Watson – Senior Engineer

One of West West Side Music’s original engineers, Steve helped forge the original groundwork for “Deko Music”, West West Side Music’s original indie label. Alan met Steve as he was taking over responsibilities as chief engineer and co-producer for “Noise” New Jersey (the relocated home of indie guru “Kramer” and his original Noise New York Studio). There he honed his indie production skills working with “King Missile”, “Jad Fair”, and “Galaxie 500″ to name but a few. While working on a live concert movie with King Missile, Steve got the bug to bring high quality audio to the film and video industries. As Noise New Jersey ran into community “Zoning Issues” he made a quick transition to becoming an in-demand “music” engineer in the TV and Film world.
After making significant headway increasing the quality of music and audio in the New York City TV world (Emeril Live, Rachel Ray, Will & Grace, Spin City, Sesame Street, Montel Williams and ABC and CBS News to name a few) Steve is back with West West Side Music, helping expand the Live Recording and Surround Sound Mixing areas. His years of experience mixing live music for TV is a passion he shares with a love for indie music. Some of Steve’s live recording credits include Mariah Carey, Tom Petty, the B52’s, Korn, Lauren Hill and Silverchair, and has mixed live for Broadcast for Michael McDonald, Charlie Daniels, Willie Nelson, Al Jarreau, Chick Corea, Sammy Hagar and Trace Atkins.

A fantastic musician as well, he has toured and played internationally with Kramer (Bongwater), Hugh Hopper (Soft Machine), Damon and Naomi (Galaxy 500), and indie artist “Dogbowl” and brings a wealth of musical experience to every project he is involved with. A rare individual, he is just as much at ease working with a Digi 02, analog two inch, or an SSL 9000.

Presently, Steve is helping re-design WWSM’s Surround Room to handle new broadcast equipment and formats that will become part of the new emerging Multi-format future that bands, artists and labels will need, as digital distribution becomes the norm for both audio and video.

On the 1st Sunday of every month I host and program a show on KOOP Community Radio called “Up on the Download”. I play roots/blues/gospel/country, anything that can be described as Americana from the KOOP music library or, as the show title suggests, was downloaded from the web.

Here’s the set list for my first show on December 6, 2009 and a recording of the show to listen to. Happy listening!

1. Shake For Me – Howlin’ Wolf
2. Gambling Man Blues – Jack Dupree
3. Low Rising – The Swell Season
4. Sugarfoot – Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears
5. Heavy Heart – Joanne Shaw Hart
6. Garlic Blues – Helen Humes
7. Me & My Chaffeur Blues – Memphis Minnie
8. Bad Luck Got My Man – Big Mama Thornton
9. Scratch my Back – Taj Mahal
10. Houston Bound – Lightnin’ Hopkin
11. The Rose Hotel – Robert Earl Keen
12. John Hardy – Leadbelly
13. Down in Mississippi – Pinetop Perkins
14. Delta Blues – Big Joe Williams
15. Pantry – Lyle Lovett
16. John Henry – Mississippi Fred McDowell & Johnny Woods
17. Fear No Evil – Coco Montoya
18. I’m Gonna Cross The River Of Jordan – Some O’ These Days – Jaybird Coleman
19. Glory Glory Hallelujah – Reverend Robert Wilkins
20. Lost Highway – Willie Nelson
21. Chitler Rag Blues – Sylvester Weaver
22. Lucinda / Ain’t Goin’ Down To The Well [Live] – Tom Waits

Ancient kings with synthesizers.

Forgiving you was easy but forgetting seems to take the longest time
I just keep thinking and your memory is forever on my mind
You know I’ll always love you and I can’t forget the days when you were mine
Forgiving you is easy but forgetting seems to take the longest time
The bitter fruit of anger growing from the seeds of jealousy
Oh what a heartache but I forgive the things you said to me
Cause I believe forgiving is the only way that I’ll find peace of mind
And forgiving you is easy but forgetting seems to take the longest time

The years have passed so quickly as once again fate steals a young man’s dreams
Of all the golden years and growing old together you and me
You asked me to forgive you you said there was another on your mind
Forgiving you is easy but forgetting seems to take the longest time
Forgiving you is easy but forgetting seems to take the longest time

A dirty, little village in the middle of nowhere.  The town drunk is locked up behind bars.  A town fit for living going to get dirtied up.

Soundstage, the critically acclaimed PBS series, will make its eighth season premiere on January 21st with a concert from Tim McGraw.  Faith Hill (February 18th) and Willie Nelson (February 25th) are among the other performers who will appear during the new season.

Barack Obama

Condoleezza Rice

Willie Nelson

Dalai Lama

Johnny Cash

June Carter Cash

Robert Johnson

Oprah Winfrey

Ron Paul

Walt Disney

Abraham Lincoln

Babe Ruth

Hank Williams

St. Cobain

Eva Peron

The Songs Of John Hiatt

Charlie Haden – Rambling Boy

Ho Chi Mihn

Carlos Santana

Nelson Mandela

Sonia Gandhi

The 52nd annual Grammy nominations came out last night with one glaring omission. Green Day’s excellent 21st Century Breakdown was not nominated for Album of the Year. How is that possible? While I like the new Dave Matthews Band Big Whiskey and the Groogrux King album, it’s not better than Green Day. The Black Eyed Peas The E.N.D. sure as hell isn’t. While I’m sure Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift and Beyonce have their moments, song for song, there is no way they compare with Green Day.

Bruce Springsteen showed up as a courtesy in a few of categories. Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance and Best Rock Song for “Working On A Dream” and for his “Sea of Heartbreak” duet with Rosanne Cash, but his Working On A Dream album was a no-show. Producer Brendan O’Brien, however, is up for Producer of the Year. U2’s weak No Line On The Horizon LP also appeared in couple of categories, but was shut out of the major ones. Steve Earle’s excellent Townes showed up in the Best Comtemporary Folk Album along with Neko Case’s Middle Cyclone and Elvis Costello’s  Secret, Profane and Sugar Cane (I love Costello, but this is a joke). Wilco, Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan, Lucinda Williams and Levon Helm were also nominated for “Best Americana Album.”

Some pleasant surprises (besides the Americana category) include Adele’s nomination for Best Pop Female Vocal Performance for “Hometown Glory,” Willie Nelson’s American Classic nominated for Best Traditional Vocal Performance, AC/DC’s Black Ice up for Best Rock Album and Megadeth’s Head Crusher being recognized in the “Best Metal Performance.”

The show airs on CBS Sunday, Jan. 31. Maybe Kanye West will steal someone’s thunder again. Maybe Lady Gaga will poor blood on herself again, or maybe, just maybe, we’ll get to see Wilco, Steve Earle, Springsteen/Cash or AC/DC play live. We can only hope.

2009 Grammy Nominations

The nominations for the 52nd Grammy award ceremony were announced by The Recording Academy yesterday during The Grammy Nominations Concert Live! – Countdown to Music’s Biggest Night. Beyonce has scored 10 nominations while Taylor Swift has ended up with eight including Song of the Year and Record of the Year.  The concert was at Club Nokia LA LIVE.  The ceremony will take place at Staples Center in Los Angeles January 31, 2010 and will be broadcasted live on CBS from 8:00 to 11:30 p.m.

Here is the full list of Grammy Nominees:
Record Of The Year
Beyoncé – Halo
The Black Eyed Peas – I Gotta Feeling
Kings Of Leon – Use Somebody
Lady Gaga – Poker Face
Taylor Swift – You Belong With Me

Album Of The Year
Beyoncé – I Am… Sasha Fierce
The Black Eyed Peas – The E.N.D.
Lady Gaga – The Fame
Dave Matthews Band – Big Whiskey And The Groogrux King
Taylor Swift – Fearless

Song Of The Year
Lady Gaga – Poker Face
Maxwell – Pretty Wings
Beyoncé – Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)
Kings of Leon – Use Somebody
Taylor Swift – You Belong With Me

Best New Artist
Zac Brown Band
Keri Hilson
MGMT
Silversun Pickups
The Ting Tings

Best Female R&B Vocal Performance
*Beyoncé – Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)
*Melanie Fiona – It Kills Me
*Lalah Hathaway – That Was Then
*Ledisi – Goin’ Thru Changes
*Jazmine Sullivan – Lions, Tigers & Bears

Best Male R&B Vocal Performance
*Anthony Hamilton – The Point Of It All
*Maxwell – Pretty Wings
*Musiq Soulchild – Sobeautiful
*Pleasure P – Under
*Charlie Wilson – There Goes My Baby

Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals
*Jamie Foxx & T-Pain – Blame It
*India.Arie & Musiq Soulchild – Chocolate High
*Musiq Soulchild & Mary J. Blige – Ifuleave
*Robert Randolph & The Clark Sisters – Higher Ground
*Calvin Richardson & Ann Nesby – Love Has Finally Come At Last

Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance
*Beyoncé – At Last
*Anthony Hamilton – Soul Music
*Boney James & Quinn – Don’t Let Me Be Lonely Tonight
*Ann Nesby – Sow Love
*Calvin Richardson – Woman Gotta Have It

Best Urban/Alternative Performance
*The Foreign Exchange – Daykeeper
*Robert Glasper & Bilal – All Matter
*India.Arie & Dobet Gnahore – Pearls
*Eric Roberson, Ben O’Neill & Michelle Thompson – A Tale Of Two
*Tonex – Blend

Best R&B Song
*Jamie Foxx & T-Pain – Blame It
*Jazmine Sullivan – Lions, Tigers & Bears
*Maxwell – Pretty Wings
*Beyoncé – Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)
*Pleasure P – Under

Best R&B Album
*Anthony Hamilton – The Point Of It All
*India.Arie – Testimony: Vol. 2, Love & Politics
*Ledisi – Turn Me Loose
*Maxwell – Blacksummers’ Night
*Charlie Wilson – Uncle Charlie

Best Contemporary R&B Album
*Beyoncé – I Am… Sasha Fierce
*Jamie Foxx – Intuition
*Pleasure P – The Introduction Of Marcus Cooper
*Trey Songz – Ready
*T-Pain – Thr33 Ringz

Best Female Pop Vocal Performance
Adele – Hometown Glory
Beyoncé – Halo
Katy Perry – Hot N Cold
Pink – Sober
Taylor Swift – You Belong With Me

Best Male Pop Vocal Performance
John Legend – This Time
Maxwell – Love You
Jason Mraz – Make It Mine
Seal – If You Don’t Know Me By Now
Stevie Wonder – All About The Love Again

Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals
The Black Eyed Peas – I Gotta Feeling
Bon Jovi – We Weren’t Born To Follow
The Fray – Never Say Never
Daryl Hall & John Oates – Sara Smile
MGMT – Kids

Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals
Rosanne Cash & Bruce Springsteen – Sea Of Heartbreak
Ciara & Justin Timberlake – Love Sex Magic
Jason Mraz & Colbie Caillat – Lucky
Willie Nelson & Norah Jones – Baby, It’s Cold Outside
Taylor Swift & Colbie Caillat – Breathe

Best Pop Instrumental Performance
Herb Alpert – Besame Mucho
Béla Fleck – Throw Down Your Heart
Imogen Heap – The Fire
Maxwell – Phoenix Rise
Marcus Miller – Funk Joint

Best Pop Instrumental Album
Chris Botti – In Boston
Hiroshima – Legacy
Booker T. Jones – Potato Hole
The Rippingtons Featuring Russ Freeman – Modern Art
Spyro Gyra – Down The Wire

Best Pop Vocal Album
*The Black Eyed Peas – The E.N.D.
*Colbie Caillat – Breakthrough
*Kelly Clarkson – All I Ever Wanted
*The Fray – The Fray
*Pink – Funhouse

Best Dance Recording
*The Black Eyed Peas – Boom Boom Pow
*David Guetta & Kelly Rowland – When Love Takes Over
*Lady Gaga – Poker Face
*Madonna – Celebration
*Britney Spears – Womanizer

Best Electronic/Dance Album
*The Crystal Method – Divided By Night
*David Guetta – One Love
*Lady Gaga – The Fame
*LMFAO – Party Rock
*Pet Shop Boys – Yes

Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance
*Bob Dylan – Beyond Here Lies Nothin’
*John Fogerty – Change In The Weather
*Prince – Dreamer
*Bruce Springsteen – Working On A Dream
*Neil Young – Fork In The Road

Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals
*Eric Clapton & Steve Winwood – Can’t Find My Way Home
*Coldplay – Life In Technicolor II
*Green Day – 21 Guns
*Kings Of Leon – Use Somebody
*U2 – I’ll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight

Best Hard Rock Performance
*AC/DC – War Machine
*Alice In Chains – Check My Brain
*Linkin Park – What I’ve Done
*Metallica – The Unforgiven III
*Nickelback – Burn It To The Ground

Best Reggae Album
*Buju Banton – Rasta Got Soul
*Gregory Isaacs – Brand New Me
*Julian Marley – Awake
*Stephen Marley – Mind Control — Acoustic
*Sean Paul – Imperial Blaze

Best Compilation Soundtrack Album For Motion Picture, Television Or Other Visual Media
* Cadillac Records
* Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds
* Slumdog Millionaire
* True Blood
* Twilight

Best Rap Solo Performance
*Drake – Best I Ever Had
*Eminem – Beautiful
*Jay-Z – D.O.A. (Death Of Auto-Tune)
*Kid Cudi – Day ‘N’ Nite
*Mos Def – Casa Bey

Best Rap Performance By A Duo Or Group
*Beastie Boys & Nas – Too Many Rappers
*Eminem, Dr. Dre & 50 Cent – Crack A Bottle
*Fabolous & Jay-Z – Money Goes, Honey Stay
*Kid Cudi, Kanye West & Common – Make Her Say
*Kanye West & Young Jeezy – Amazing

Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
*Beyoncé & Kanye West – Ego
*Keri Hilson, Kanye West & Ne-Yo – Knock You Down
*Jay-Z, Rihanna & Kanye West – Run This Town
*The Lonely Island & T-Pain – I’m On A Boat
*T.I. & Justin Timberlake – Dead And Gone

Best Rap Song
*Drake – Best I Ever Had
*Kid Cudi – Day ‘N’ Nite
*T.I. & Justin Timberlake – Dead And Gone
*Jay-Z – D.O.A. (Death Of Auto-Tune)
*Jay-Z, Rihanna & Kanye West – Run This Town

Best Rap Album
*Common – Universal Mind Control
*Eminem – Relapse
*Flo Rida – R.O.O.T.S.
*Mos Def – The Ecstatic
*Q-Tip – The Renaissance

The nominees have been announced for the 52nd annual Grammy Awards. The award ceremony will be held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on January 31, 2010. The ceremony will air on CBS that evening from 8-11:30 p.m.

Below is a list of nominees for some of the categories.

Record of the Year
Beyonce – “Halo”
The Black Eyed Peas – “I Gotta Feeling”
Kings Of Leon – “Use Somebody”
Lady Gaga – “Poker Face”
Taylor Swift – “You Belong With Me”

Album of the Year
Beyonce – I Am…Sasha Fierce
The Black Eyed Peas – The E.N.D.
Lady Gaga – The Fame
Dave Matthews Band – Big Whiskey and the Groogrux King
Taylor Swift – Fearless

Song of the Year
Lady Gaga – “Poker Face”
Maxwell – “Pretty Wings”
Beyonce – “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)”
Kings Of Leon – “Use Somebody”
Taylor Swift – “You Belong With Me”

Best New Artist
Zac Brown Band
Keri Hilson
MGMT
Silversun Pickups
The Ting Tings

Best Female Pop Vocal Performance
Adele – “Hometown Glory”
Beyonce – “Halo”
Katy Perry – “Hot N Cold”
Pink – “Sober”
Taylor Swift – “You Belong With Me”

Best Male Pop Vocal Performance
John Legend – “This Time”
Maxwell – “Love You”
Jason Mraz – “Make It Mine”
Seal – “If You Don’t Know Me By Now”
Stevie Wonder – “All About the Love Again”

Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals
The Black Eyed Peas – “I Gotta Feeling”
Bon Jovi – “We Weren’t Born to Follow”
The Fray – “Never Say Never”
Daryl Hall & John Oates – “Sara Smile”
MGMT – “Kids”

Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals
Rosanne Cash & Bruce Springsteen – “Sea Of Heartbreak”
Ciara & Justin Timberlake – “Love Sex Magic”
Jason Mraz & Colbie Caillat – “Lucky”
Willie Nelson & Norah Jones – “Baby, It’s Cold Outside”
Taylor Swift & Colbie Caillat – “Breathe”

Best Pop Instrumental Performance
Herb Alpert – “Besame Mucho”
Bela Fleck – “Throw Down Your Heart”
Imogen Heap – “The Fire”
Maxwell – “Phoenix Rise”
Marcus Miller – “Funk Joint”

Best Pop Instrumental Album
Chris Botti – In Boston
Hiroshima – Legacy
Booker T. Jones – Potato Hole
The Rippingtons featuring Russ Freeman – Modern Art
Spyro Gyra – Down The Wire

Bets Pop Vocal Album
The Black Eyed Peas – The E.N.D.
Colbie Caillat – Breakthrough
Kelly Clarkson – All I Ever Wanted
The Fray – The Fray
Pink – Funhouse

Best Dance Recording
The Black Eyed Peas – “Boom Boom Pow”
David Guetta & Kelly Rowland – “When Love Takes Over”
Lady Gaga – “Poker Face”
Madonna – “Celebration”
Britney Spears – “Womanizer”

Best Electronic/Dance Album
The Crystal Method – Divided By Night
David Guetta – One Love
Lady Gaga – The Fame
LMFAO – Party Rock
Pet Shop Boys – Yes

Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album
Tony Bennett – A Swingin’ Christmas
Michael Buble – Michael Buble Meets Madison Square Garden
Harry Connick, Jr. – Your Songs
Liza Minnelli – Liza’s At the Palace
Willie Nelson – American Classic

Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance
Bob Dylan – “Beyond Here Lies Nothin’”
John Fogerty – “Change in the Weather”
Prince – “Dreamer”
Bruce Springsteen – “Working on a Dream”
Neil Young – “Fork in the Road”

Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals
Eric Clapton & Steve Winwood – “Can’t Find My Way Home”
Coldplay – “Life in Technicolor II”
Green Day – “21 Guns”
Kings Of Leon – “Use Somebody”
U2 – “I’ll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight”

Best Hard Rock Performance
AC/DC – “War Machine”
Alice In Chains – “Check My Brain”
Linkin Park – “What I’ve Done”
Metallica – “The Unforgiven III”
Nickelback – “Burn It to the Ground”

Best Metal Performance
Judas Priest – “Dissident Aggressor”
Lamb Of God – “Set To Fail”
Megadeth – “Head Crusher”
Ministry – “Senor Peligro”
Slayer – “Hate Worldwide”

Best Rock Instrumental Performance
Jeff Beck – “A Day in the Life”
Booker T. Jones – “Warped Sister”
Brad Paisley – “Playing With Fire”
Brian Setzer Orchestra – “Mr. Surfer Goes Jazzin’”
Steve Vai – “Now We Run”

Best Rock Song
Pearl Jam – “The Fixer”
U2 – “I’ll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight”
Green Day – “21 Guns”
Kings Of Leon – “Use Somebody”
Bruce Springsteen – “Working on a Dream”

Best Rock Album
AC/DC – Black Ice
Eric Clapton & Steve Winwood – Live From Madison Square Garden
Green Day – 21st Century Breakdown
Dave Matthews Band – Big Whiskey and the Groogrux King
U2 – No Line on the Horizon

Best Alternative Music Album
David Byrne & Brian Eno – Everything That Happens Will Happen Today
Death Cab for Cutie – The Open Door
Depeche Mode – Sounds of the Universe
Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
Yeah Yeah Yeahs – It’s Blitz!

Best Female R&B Vocal Performance
Beyonce – “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)”
Melanie Fiona – “It Kills Me”
Lalah Hathaway – “That Was Then”
Ledisi – “Goin’ Thru Changes”
Jazmine Sullivan – “Lions, Tigers & Bears”

Best Male R&B Vocal Performance
Anthony Hamilton – “The Point of it All”
Maxwell – “Pretty Wings”
Musiq Soulchild – “Sobeautiful”
Pleasure P – “Under”
Charlie Wilson – “There Goes My Baby”

Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals
Jamie Foxx & T-Pain – “Blame It”
India.Arie & Musiq Soulchild – “Chocolate High”
Musiq Soulchild & Mary J. Blige – “Ifuleave”
Robert Randolph & The Clark Sisters – “Higher Ground”
Calvin Richardson & Ann Nesby – “Love Has Finally Come at Last”

Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance
Beyonce – “At Last”
Anthony Hamilton – “Soul Music”
Boney James & Quinn – “Don’t Let Me Be Lonely Tonight”
Ann Nesby – “Sow Love”
Calvin Richardson – “Woman Gotta Have It”

Best Urban/Alternative Performance
The Foreign Exchange – “Daykeeper”
Robert Glasper & Bilal – “All Matter”
India.Arie & Dobet Gnahore – “Pearls”
Eric Roberson, Ben O’Neill & Michelle Thompson – “A Tale of Two”

Best R&B Song
Jamie Foxx & T-Pain – “Blame It”
Jazmine Sullivan – “Lions, Tigers & Bears”
Maxwell – “Pretty Wings”
Beyonce – “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)”
Pleasure P – “Under”

Best R&B Album
Anthony Hamilton – The Point of it All
India.Arie – Testimony: Vol. 2, Love & Politics
Ledisi – Turn Me Loose
Maxwell – Blacksummers’ Night
Charlie Wilson – Uncle Charlie

Best Contemporary R&B Album
Beyonce – I Am…Sasha Fierce
Jamie Foxx – Intuition
Pleasure P – The Introduction of Marcus Cooper
Trey Songz – Ready
T-Pain – Thr33 Ringz

Best Rap Solo Performance
Drake – “Best I Ever Had”
Eminem – “Beautiful”
Jay-Z – “D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)”
Kid Cudi – “Day ‘N’ Nite”
Mos Def – “Casa Bey”

Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group
Beastie Boys & Nas – “Too Many Rappers”
Eminem, Dr. Dre & 50 Cent – “Crack A Bottle”
Fabolous & Jay-Z – “Money Goes, Honey Stay”
Kid Cudi, Kanye West & Common – “Make Her Say”
Kanye West & Young Jeezy – “Amazing”

Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
Beyonce & Kanye West – “Ego”
Keri Hilson, Kanye West & Ne-Yo – “Knock You Down”
Jay-Z, Rihanna & Kanye West – “Run This Town”
The Lonely Island & T-Pain – “I’m On a Boat”
T.I. & Justin Timberlake – “Dead And Gone”

Best Rap Song
Drake – “Best I Ever Had”
Kid Cudi – “Day ‘N’ Nite”
T.I. & Justin Timberlake – “Dead And Gone”
Jay-Z – “D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)”
Jay-Z, Rihanna & Kanye West – “Run This Town”

Best Rap Album
Common – Universal Mind Control
Eminem – Relapse
Flo Rida – R.O.O.T.S.
Mos Def – The Ecstatic
Q-Tip – The Renaissance

Best Female Country Vocal Performance
Miranda Lambert – “Dead Flowers”
Martina McBride – “I Just Call You Mine”
Taylor Swift – “White Horse”
Carrie Underwood – “Just A Dream”
Lee Ann Womack – “Solitary Thinkin’”

Best Male Country Vocal Performance
Trace Adkins – “All I Ask For Anymore”
Billy Currington – “People Are Crazy”
Jamey Johnson – “High Cost of Living”
George Strait – “Living For the Night”
Keith Urban – “Sweet Thing”

Best Country Performance By a Duo or Group With Vocals
Brooks & Dunn – “Cowgirls Don’t Cry”
Zac Brown Band – “Chicken Fried”
Lady Antebellum – “I Run to You”
Rascal Flatts – “Here Comes Goodbye”
Sugarland – “It Happens”

Best Country Collaboration With Vocals
Dierks Bentley & Patty Griffin – “Beautiful World”
Kenny Chesney & Mac McAnally – “Down The Road”
Brad Paisley & Keith Urban – “Start A Band”
Carrie Underwood & Randy Travis – “I Told You So”
Lee Ann Womack & George Strait – “Everything But Quits”

Best Country Instrumental Performance
Alison Brown – “Under the (Five) Wire”
The Greencards – “The Crystal Merchant”
Sarah Jarosz – “Mansinneedof”
Steve Wariner – “Producer’s Medley”

Best Country Song
Trace Adkins – “All I Ask For Anymore”
Jamey Johnson – “High Cost of Living”
Lady Antebellum – “I Run to You”
Billy Currington – “People Are Crazy”
Taylor Swift – “White Horse”

Best Country Album
Zac Brown Band – The Foundation
George Strait – Twang
Taylor Swift – Fearless
Keith Urban – Defying Gravity
Lee Ann Womack – Call Me Crazy

Whoa. A surreal moment. Never thought I’d stumble onto a GlobalGiving project and see Lyle Lovett and Willie Nelson among the top donors. I guess it deconstructs the algorithm here – largest donors appear at the front.

This project is:

1000 Voices for Hope – Building Mahiga Hope High

posted by Turk Pipkin, who I think was an actor on the Sopranos. He also visited the Africa Conservation Trust in Kenya in 2009 and did a documentary about the wonderful reforestation / reef preservation work they are doing.

But the biggest news of the day is that I won my NaNoWriMo for 2009!

This was inspired by the episode of Monk where Willie Nelson is a supect, and Monk gets to play clarinet with him at the end. There’s no clarinet in this arrangement, but there is a satisfying bit of mouth trumpet at the end.

I know you wouldn’t piss on me

I know you wouldn’t spit on me
If I was on fire
But I know
Nothing can hurt me
As much as your lies did

Give me a jellyfish sting
Or gangrene
Or blindness
But I know
Nothing can hurt me
Like your lies did

I know you wouldn’t piss on me
If I was on fire
But you did it
All over my pride
With your lies

G B7 Cmaj7 A7 D7
Dm7 D7 Dm7…

Copyright 2008 by Iain Barnett

Mitt lilla upprop om att tillsammans skapa en Spotifylista med alternativa julsånger för att slippa den obligatoriska Carola-smeten fick fint resultat. Många har fyllt på listan med fina låtar. Allt från Willy Nelson till Perishers. Och, hörrni, det är bara att fortsätta att lägga låtar till listan. Så kan julen bli riktigt fridefull i år.

Glad advent!

Spellista: Alternative X-mas Songs

Now that the Thanksgiving eatin’ is done, you may want to turn your attention to making some chili – particularly if it’s cold in your part of the country.  Legend has it that the spicy meat concoction was created by the chili queens of 1880s-era San Antonio who came up with the recipe we still use and enhance to this day.   A righteous pot of chili ought to contain some sort of beef, chiles (or chili powder) and tomato sauce if you roll that way.

The big argument is whether or not to add beans to chili.  Now most enlightened thinkers say no, beans take up space that more meat could better occupy.  My in-laws, who live up in New York state, swear up and down that true chili has beans in it but what do they know – they consider grilled weenies real barbecue.  I suppose you can put anything you want in chili – including turkey, pork, duck, even beans – but don’t put any of that stuff in mine.

Years ago I got this book, A Bowl of Red, by Texas writer Frank X. Tolbert and that’s supposed to be the bible of chili heads nationwide.   I kind of think this guy was full of bull (or Lone Star beer) when he wrote this book, because he even sings the praises of chili made at Chasen’s restaurant in Beverly Hills for movie stars, and he talks about how great some brands of canned chili are.  Well, I am partial to Wolf Brand in a can – but with no beans!

Anyway, the followers of this Tolbert fellow (he died a while back) still operate some kind of International Chili Appreciation Society and stage cookoffs in a place called Terlingua, along the Texas-Mexico border in the middle of freakin’ nowhere.  I never was a follower of organized religion, so I really don’t know what these chili heads stand for but like those beans, you are quite welcome to explore on your own.

My favorite recipe is the one I found on a postcard at the Lone Star Beer brewery some years back – it’s at the top of this post and if you click on it you can get to a large, readable version.

Chili is of course the national dish of Texas, and when you are in Austin there is one great place to get some chili.  It’s called the Texas Chili Parlor, and it’s located on Lavaca Street near the Capitol.  They have all kinds of chili and other stuff (their enchiladas are pretty tasty) and they’ll even put beans in your bowl for you while looking the other way.  If you order their super-hot XXXX chili, before they serve it you have to sign a release saying you won’t hold them responsible for a heart attack or any catastrophes in your underwear.

I like the chili over at Shady Grove too, that’s a pretty nice place.  San Antonio has a bunch of great places to get chili (try La Paloma on the Riverwalk) and in Houston, well, the best chili I’ve had here is at my house.  Check out the recipe above and play some of these tunes.  Enjoy your chili, with or without beans (remember to open a window), and here’s hoping it keeps you warm this winter!

MP3: “National Chili Anthem” by Isaac Payton Sweat

MP3: “The Chili Song” (live) by Gary P. Nunn

MP3: “Dublin Blues” (live) by Guy Clark

MP3: “What I Like About Texas” by Jerry Jeff Walker

MP3: “Endless Ways” by Ryan Bingham

MP3: “Well All Right” by Los Lonely Boys

MP3: “Truckstop In La Grange” by Grady

MP3: “Austin Night” by the Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash

MP3: “The Rose Hotel” by Robert Earl Keen

MP3: “Cowboys Are Frequently Secretly Fond Of Each Other” by Willie Nelson

Terlingua International Chili Cookoff official website

Recipe for Frank X. Tolbert’s original Bowl of Red

On this day in 1964, Willie Nelson made his debut at the Grand Ole Opry.

Before becoming a successful performer in his own right, Willie was a songwriter and penned a number of songs for Nashville musicians in the early 1960s including the Patsy Cline hit song “Crazy.”  But Willie didn’t fit in well with the Nashville Sound that ruled the charts at the time.  His languid, behind the beat, sprechgesang style did not generate him any individual chart hits.  He relocated to Austin, Texas where he found a home in the burgeoning hippie community of the most liberal city in Texas. There he developed his own unique style combining spare arrangements with folk, rock, and western swing influences.

Willie also was a founding force in the Outlaw Country movement of the early 1970s.  In 1975, Willie released the concept album Red Headed Stranger to great critical acclaim and cross-over commercial success.  The story of a man on the run after murdering his wife, it was ranked as #1 on CMT’s list of the greatest country albums of all time.

Perhaps the most famous song from the album is Willie’s cover of “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain.”

Written by Fred Rose and first performed by Roy Acuff in 1945, Willie’s “Crying” hit #1 on the Billboard Country Charts and an impressive #21 on the Billboard Hot 100.  In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked “Crying” as the 302nd greatest song of all-time.

Here’s the original Acuff version.

Here’s Hank William Sr. doing “Crying” in 1951 on the Mother’s Best Flour Show.

“Crying” is the last song known to have been sung by Elvis before his death in 1977.   Obviously no recording of the event exists, but he had recorded his own version in 1976.

And wrapping it up is Sheryl Crow explaining her love of “Crying.”

Last night while Norm Peterson my husband was upstairs working on our bedroom renovation/redecoration, I got sucked into several hours of the Biography Channel.  I’m pretty confident that I can now tell you just about anything you need to know about Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Sheryl Crow, or the upcoming special about celebrity encounters with ghosts.  Critical information.

One of the segments I really enjoyed was a program called “Johnny Cash America” and included all sorts of amazing video footage of his life.  In it, certain portions had voice-overs by Johnny himself, lending a rather eerie quality to the old film.  His unmistakable voice and larger-than-life persona made me hunger to know more about someone I had previously only encountered via Joaquin Phoenix in Hollywood’s Walk the Line.

One of the things Johnny said about faith got my attention, making me stop to grab a pen.  I rewound the DVR to get the words just right.  Maybe you’ll find them to be profound, as well:

“What is man if he doesn’t have a spirit, and what is man’s spirit if it cannot connect with the Master of Life?”

~

Later, in the Willie Nelson biography, Kris Kristofferson praised his friend as the kindest, funniest individual he’s ever known.  He lauded Willie’s “outlaw” style of blazing his own trail and not falling into the easy traps of sounding like someone else, dressing like other Nashville stars, or wearing his hair like most country stars of the 50’s & 60’s did.  But it was, again, one sentence that struck me as especially meaningful.  Kris said this about Willie:

“[Willie] wears the world like a loose garment.”

~

Both of these quotes have stuck with me today.  In particular, I’ve been thinking about the last one and about whether the same will ever be said about me.  That I was in the world, but not of the world.  That I engaged fully in this place, but was not tossed about aimlessly by the quickly-shifting winds of culture and expectations.  That I wore the world like a loose garment: draping myself in it, but not constrained by it.  Not confined or limited.  Not bound by the seams, stitches, whims of another.

To me, that’s a beautiful thought.

Hier soir, Arte a diffusé C.R.A.Z.Y de Jean-Marc Vallée (Victoria : les jeunes années d’une reine), un film québécois sorti en 2005 sur nos écrans. L’occasion pour ShowtimeFolks de reparler de ce film.

Le film raconte la vie de Zachary, le quatrième garçon d’une famille classique des années 60. Une mère chaleureuse et attentionnée, un père aimant mais moins démonstratif. Le film parle d’amour, de la famille, des relations père-fils. Zachary adore son père et l’admire, mais ce dernier regrette de ne pas avoir un fils plus masculin et moins à part.

Sur fond de Patsy cline (et sa chanson crazy) et de Charles Aznavour dont le père est fan, mais aussi de David Bowie et des Stones, les années passent : dîner de familles, rires, drames. Zach se cherche, père et  fils s’observent et ne se comprennent pas.

La réalisation originale associe musique, rêves et magie pour faire de cette histoire, une chronique familiale vivante et émouvante.

On se quitte avec ce classique écrit par Willie Nelson et chanté par Patsy Cline …

Music biographies mesmerized me when I was a kid. Whether it was Glenn Miller or Elvis Presley, it was always the same fascinating formula: talent and tenacity leading to the precipice of success, with the artist always searching for that one elusive element to define his signature sound, to breakthrough. With Miller it was the addition of trombones. The proceedings always put me on the edge of my seat and the breakthroughs set me reeling. I guess it was in my blood.

It persists. The other night I watched two great documentary-style biopics on TV, one on Johnny Cash, another on Willie Nelson. Willie, as many of his fans may not realize, was actually a Nashville songwriter penning such classics as “Crazy,” which Patsy Cline etched into the music lexicon. Despite his preeminent status as a writer, Willie couldn’t get arrested as an artist in Music City. His quirky phrasing was way too off-beat for the 60s sound, which was infused with sweet strings and pop arrangements.

At the age of 40, Willie returned home to Texas. Such a move would have meant a life sentence selling insurance had history not intervened. As fate would have it, Woodstock Nation had opened the doors to multiple music movements by the early 70s, and Willie realized that such hippie hangouts as Austin’s Armadillo World Headquarters were ready for a new kind of country artist. He enlisted his buddy Waylon Jennings, among others, and set about launching a novel sound to a new audience. His ultimate success turned country music, and the music establishment at large, on its head. Ultimately, he was responsible for redefining music, establishing its “outlaw” class and creating the Austin revolution as well as worldwide social activism that persists to this day.

Despite his huge outsider success, Nashville rejected this giant yet again. By the 1980s, you couldn’t find a Willie song on mainstream country radio, and forget about a major label deal.

Okay, let’s get right down to the hard part. Cash was just another music god to be tumbled unceremoniously from Olympus. By the 80s, he, too, was cast out like so much trash. His popularity was dwindling, and he was struggling to find an audience and make a living.

So these outlaw outcasts banded together, literally, forming the country supergroup The Highwaymen, along with Waylon and Kris Kristofferson. Talk about a Mount Rushmore of talent. They had taken fate into their own hands and, once again, set out to redefine the music scene, outside the establishment, all on their own.

A Bronx boy, I was still getting my country legs under me, when I hit Nashville in the late 80s. At the time, I couldn’t understand why the likes of Willie and Johnny weren’t getting mainstream air play, why I could eat lunch with Emmylou Harris but couldn’t hear her songs on country radio, why Nanci Griffith was considered a darling in all the clubs, to all the execs, but couldn’t get the chart toppers and eventually carped about it in interviews.

I was just getting introduced to the hard truth of the music industry: bitterness. Griffith was bitter, my friend Artie Traum (from back home in Woodstock) — one of the sweetest guys to ever grace the business — was expressing a degree of bitterness, too, in interviews of the day. I was just learning.

The songwriting trade in Nashville was rough. By year two, I was saying you had to learn to live on a diet of stones. Rejection was the blue-plate special everyday. It took me two years to get my first major song contract and more to get my first staff writing job and my first cut. Everyone who stuck with it had war stories: the song on hold that never happened, the artist cut that got dropped by the label or never got released as a single or didn’t make it above 20 on the charts. But, despite eventual successes and even industry support, I left after a decade to pursue a career as an artist, packing scars and wisdom, love and hate.

But back to Johnny Cash. One of the greatest artists to “walk the line,” he faced the pure pain of artistry more deeply, more movingly than anyone before him. Late in his career, with the help of producer Rick Rubin, Johnny faced his inner darkness, his demons, his truth, his soul. With such albums as “American Recordings” and “Unchained,” he found a vast and vital new audience, just years before his death. His new material was so raw that family members had a tough time listening. They told him it sounded like he was saying goodbye. He told them he was.

Pure Johnny Cash

In the Cash bio, artists such as Sheryl Crow, John Mellencamp and Vince Gill expressed the true painful tumble that all artists must face. Mellencamp himself recently penned a telling if rambling article on the biz in HuffPost, a blog post that established a wellspring of conversation in the social media sector.

So, this little Bronx boy, who reeled from the Glenn Miller story and cut and broke his teeth on Music Row, finally came to understand bitterness and the role it plays in any music career. No one is exempt. It may be (excuse me) a bitter pill to swallow, but I recommend downing it to develop a good artist-immune system. Another words, one has to learn to deal with it, embrace it, pain and all, and find a way to move on. Carry it on your back, in your suitcase, in your heart, on your skin — the rose tattoo of the music artist.

Norah Jones e uma galera se juntaram uns anos atrás e fizeram essa banda que até hoje só tem um cd. The Little Willies (nome em homenagem a Willie Nelson) tem um som que me leva pra uma época que eu não vivi, num país que eu mal conheci: não sei porque diabos, mas me sinto em Nova York em 1920 e não sei porque diabos [2] essa sensação é bastante animadora.

Carrie Underwood, Kellie Pickler e Gloriana estão entre os artistas da nova compilação natalina A Very Especial Christmas 7, lançado essa semana.

Underwood cantou a faixa “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing”, Pickler cantou “Santa Baby”, que aparece em outras coletânias também, e Gloriana performou “Silent Night.”
O cd inclui também  Miley Cyrus, Colbie Caillat, The Carter Twins, Charice, Kristinia DeBarge, Vanessa Hudgens, Sean Kingston, Leighton Meester, Mitchel Musso e Ashley Tisdale.

Faixas:

A série Very Special Christmas já vendeu cerca de 55 milhões de cds, com artistas como Madonna, U2, Willie Nelson, Reba McEntire e Alan Jackson.

Fonte: CMT News