Twang Tuesday – Part 2

Ok so near the end of work today, I was listening to Rhapsody and I saw a band whose name sounded interesting Greensky Bluegrass labeled as progressive bluegrass so I put on their current release Five Interstates. As I was working I was noticing that the music that was playing was REALLY GOOD – loved the dobro and mandolin and the vocals sounded great!!  So I listened to several of the songs and was really impressed so of course I said I’ll try another of the CDs! So I downloaded the album Live at Bells listened to the first track “Bonts Breakdown” and had an Allison Krauss  “new favorite” bluegrass band! Read More

Twang Tuesday – Part 1

So today has been a good Twang Tuesday full of lots of good music! The day started with one of the albums I picked up the other night Lou Reid and Carolina’s current release My Own Set of Rules. You know it’s going to be a good day when you just love the first song that you hear and that’s what happened when I started this album up and heard the first track “Amanda Lynn”. I just thought that the voice sounded right and the pickin’ was great, too. Since then I’ve gone to their website and discovered that “Amanda Lynn” is currently No 1 on the Bluegrass Unlimited Top 30 and the Bluegrass Music Profiles chart for April and was voted Song of the Year by the SPBMA (Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music),  not a bad way to start the day at all!  And the rest of the album was pretty damn good, too.  The album has a lot of standard bluegrass tracks like “She’s More to Be Pitied” , “In Despair” and “Lefthanded Dreamer” a great instrumental “Beat the Train” and several gospel tunes including “It’s Hard to Stumble, when you’re on your knees” and “Over in the Promised Land”  the last track ” A Tall Cornstalk” with some great mandolin pickin’ by Lou is probably my favorite track on the CD. Read More

Folk Monday – Ernie Hendrickson

So a while back I came across Ernie Hendrikson’s name on the Roots Music Report Folk Chart and downloaded his first album Down the Road. I listened to it a couple of times and then it became part of the random shuffle on my mp3 player.  I soon found that whenever I heard a song I didn’t quite recognize but liked,  I’d check to see who it was and sure enough it would be Ernie and soon songs liked “Seasons Change” and “Bad Mixed Up Woman” were recognizable as favorites! So the other day, I downloaded his latest album Walking with Angels and I won’t have trouble remembering his songs again because I am a fan! This album works all the way around for me good vocals, great lyrics and good picking. Henrickson a native of Cuba City  Wisconsin grew up in Rockford, Illinois and now calls Chicago home. He self produced his first CD but for this CD he brought in the legendary producer and guitarist Bo Ramsey (Lucinda Williams, Greg Brown) and for me that move paid off,  as I like the production on this a little bit better than the first album.  He also but in a great lineup of musicians, including Bo, Jon Penner on bass (Junior Brown), Steve Hayes on drums (Greg Brown), Brian Wilkie on pedal steel and guitar (Alison Krauss), and Bob Black on banjo (Bill Monroe) and like I said the playing is great. Read More

Fear the Worst – Linwood Barclay

Fear the Worst – Linwood Barclay (Book 15 for 2010)

So there was no time to start another book during the time I was reading Book 15 for 2010 Fear the Worst by Linwood Barclay because I couldn’t put this book down! I guess I’ll forgive Mr Barclay for not writing any more Zack Walker books if he keeps writing books as good as this one. The story starts one day when a divorced father Tim Blake questions his daughter, who is staying with him for the summer  about some Versace sunglasses that she has. He questions her because he fears she may have stolen them. The result of his questioning  is that she storms out of the house leaving the receipt on the kitchen table. Well, that night his daughter doesn’t come home and after receiving no phone calls or informationas to where she is! Tim sets out to find her and starts at her job a  motel in town. When he asks about his daughter he is told that his daughter has never worked there!  Soon the police locate her car abandoned in a mall parking lot in a neighboring town!  The rest of the book revolves around Tim and his ex-wife’s frantic search to find their daughter! Read More

Good Vibes from Gary Burton!

So last night I mentioned that I love the vibraphone and the three musicians that I’ve listen to the most are Gary Burton, Milt Jackson and Cal Tjader. I love all three  and probably in the order I listed. I’ve also listened to Bobby Hutcherson and Walt Dickinson and like them also. Here is a video of Gary Burton and Makoto Ozone (see Thursday Mix Part 2) – doing a Cal Tjader song “Afro Blue”  A version of that song can be found on my favorite Gary Burton CD For Hamp, Red, Bags, and Cal

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Thursday Mix Part 2

so the during the  rest of the day I listened to some early Greenwich Village scene music Fred Neil’s first solo album Bleecker and MacDougal and an earlier album  Fred Neil  released with Vince Martin entitled Tear Down the Walls. Now most of Fred’s music was released a little before I started listening to folk music in 1968-69 so while I knew of his music and especially loved “Dolphins”. I don’t have any of his albums. But I enjoyed both of these CDs and will probably listen to them both a few more times over the next few weeks. The one song on the album that has been covered several times by several folks including Jefferson Airplane was “The Other Side of this Life”. The other track that I remember when I heard it was “Little Bit of Rain” Read More

Thursday Musical – Part 1 – Sarah and Ernie

So today was one of those days when I listened to several different albums. The musical day started as I drove out to the Vincentown Diner. On the way listened to an album that I downloaded a while ago, I Won’t Go Home Till Morning by Sarah McQuaid. I know I saw the album on one of the charts I regularly scan but I can’t remember which one! Anyway the album is very good from her website: Read More

Blues Wednesday – Eugene Hideaway Bridges

So tonight I am listening to an album that I downloaded a while back but I like the tracks more each time I hear them. The album is Live in San Antonio Special Edition by Eugene Hideaway Bridges. Right now the track ” I Know You Love Me” just finished and that was a great one, one that features the whole band and that would include: Bass Eric King,  Drums Bobby Baranowski, Keyboards & Organ David Webb, (who stands out on several tracks), Tenor Sax Seth Kibel and Trumpet Justine Miller. Read More

Grassy Hill – Kerrville New Folk Concerts

Congratulations to John Batdorf, Chris O’Brien and Andy Gullahorn and the other 29 finalists in this year’s Kerrville Folk Festivals Grassy Hill Concerts for emerging songwriters. The artist that I listed are ones that I listen to,  but since all 32 artist who will be performing must be damn good to be chosen out of the 800 artist who submitted songs.  I have some looking up and listening to do!! Read More