• Folk

    Boss Alert: New Bruce Tour Dates

    April 17, 2006 /

    A mere 2 days after my wife’s birthday, Bruce hits town with his Seeger Sessions Band. Happy Birthday honey!

    BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN WITH THE SEEGER SESSIONS BAND 2006 US TOUR DATES

    April 30 New Orleans, LA Jazz & Heritage Festival
    May 27 Boston, MA TD Bank North Garden
    May 28 Washington, DC Nissan Pavilion
    May 30 Columbus, OH Germain Amphitheatre
    May 31 Indianapolis, IN Verizon Amphitheatre
    June 3 Phoenix, AZ Glendale Arena
    June 5 Los Angeles, CA Greek Amphitheatre
    June 6 San Francisco, CA Concord Pavilion
    June 10 Des Moines, IA Wells Fargo Arena
    June 11 St. Paul, MN Xcel Arena
    June 13 Chicago, IL First MidWest Bank Amphitheater
    June 14 Milwaukee, WI Bradley Center
    June 16 Cleveland, OH Blossom Amphitheatre
    June 17 Detroit, MI DTE Energy Center
    June 20 Philadelphia, PA Camden Tweeter Waterfront Amphitheater
    June 21 Saratoga, NY Saratoga Performing Arts Center
    June 22 New York, NY Madison Square Garden
    June 24 Holmdel, NJ PNC Amphitheatre
    June 25 Holmdel, NJ PNC Amphitheatre

  • Folk

    Steve Forbert’s Strange

    March 26, 2006 /

    Just passing along another tune heard on Sirius Disorder… another singer-songwriter type that I’ve heard of, but never has gone much beyond that. But thanks to non-terrestrial, non-commercial radio, the good tunes just keep on coming. A lot of tunes that have been around a while, that never made a blip on my music radar.

    Forbert’s first album, ‘Alive on Arrival’, was released in 1978. Ten years later, he made a comeback of sorts with ‘Streets of this Town’, produced by E Street Band bassist Gary Tallent. This particular song comes from his 2000 release, ‘Evergreen Boy’. Take a listen.

    Steve Forbert: Strange (mp3) – from Evergreen Boy.

  • Folk

    On the Mellow Side with Garcia and Grisman

    March 20, 2006 /

    This is more of an end of the weekend mellow post, but it’s just gonna have to do as a beginning of the week-er. One of the tunes that Bruce and his Seeger Sessions Band performs on the new album is “Shenandoah”. I’ve been fond of the song since I was a kid. We used to sing it in music / choir class in 8th grade (shout out to Mrs. Wynstra at Jerstad Jr. High in Racine, WI!! – holla!).
    One of my favorite renditions of the song is done by Jerry Garcia and David Grisman on their ‘Not for Kids Only’ album, released in 1993. The mandolin shines on this song, especially during the ending lullaby melody.

    David Grisman & Jerry Garcia: A Shenandoah Lullaby (mp3) – buy Not for Kids Only

  • Folk

    Rev it up Boss!

    March 18, 2006 /

    In Bruce news, if you haven’t heard, Bruce is scheduled to release a whole album of folk tunes popularized by Pete Seeger. If there’s one thing we know, it’s Bruce loves his folk! The acoustic-oriented “quiet” albums like Nebraska, The Ghost of Tom Joad, and his last release, Devils & Dust. So two in a row! Rare for the man. I’m looking forward to it, though it’s been widely noted that I would buy an album comprised only of Bruce farts and belches.

    The new one will be called “The Seeger Sessions”, and features a whole bunch of folks joining in to play…. Sam Bardfeld, Jeremy Chatzky, Lisa Lowell, Frank Bruno, Soozie Tyrell, Mark Pender, Charles Giordano, Ed Manion, Larry Eagle, Mark Clifford, Patti Scialfa, and Richie “LaBamba” Rosenberg. Soozie is the violin player that’s been touring with Bruce & the E Street Band. I’ll have to do some serious Googlin’ to find out more about the rest.

    Find out more about the album on Bruce’s web site.

    Here’s a Woody Guthrie tune that Bruce performed at a W.G. Tribute, which made its way on to the album ‘Til We Outnumber ‘Em. If you have young kids, crank this up, they’ll love the “vroom boom chick boom”s….

    Bruce Springsteen: The Car Song (mp3) – from Til We Outnumber ‘Em.

  • Acoustic,  Folk,  Roots Rock

    More Bruce? Yes, More Bruce.

    November 26, 2005 /


    Here are a few selections from Bruce?s Nov. 21st show at the Sovereign Bank Arena in Trenton, New Jersey (his 2nd to last show of the tour). I go through ?all Bruce all the time? phases like this. You?re just going to have to work through it with me.

    Bruce Springsteen: Song for Orphans
    Bruce Springsteen: Dream Baby Dream (Suicide cover)
    Bruce Springsteen: Two for the Road

    All live from November 21st, 2005, Trenton, New Jersey

  • Acoustic,  Folk

    Mo’ Live Boss

    November 12, 2005 /


    Here’s a treat for the Boss fanatics. Bruce is still churning along on his solo acoustic tour supporting ‘Devils & Dust’. Wednesday night in Philly, Bruce debuted a couple of oldies that came out on Tracks several years back.

    Here they are:

    Bruce Springsteen:

    Santa Ana and Thundercrack (mp3)

    (live – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, November 9, 2005)

  • Acoustic,  Folk

    Mercy Mercy

    November 6, 2005 /

    Mary Gauthier (pronounced Go-Shay). If someone was cut out for a duet with Steve Earle on his next album, it’s her (it might be the Lucinda-esque drawl). She’s a Nashville singer songwriter, originally from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, who has led a hell of a life thus far: alcoholic father, suicidal mother, stole her parents car at age 15 (read her bio here).

    Well this song gets better and more profound each time I hear it. And after watching the video, I’m almost genuinely bummed… there you have it, the power of a great song. A great melancholy tune will drag you right down with it. This is definitely one of ’em. Shout out to Vin Scelsa’s Idiot’s Delight for turning me on to Ms. Gauthier.

    Mary Gauthier: Mercy Now (mp3) – title track from her latest CD, buy it on Amazon.

  • Acoustic,  Folk

    Channeling the Grievous Angel

    July 29, 2005 /

    I know it’s Friday night, and I know I should be kicking off the weekend with an upbeat, shit-kicking type number, but it ain’t gonna happen. Why? Because a few weeks ago on Vin Scelsa’s weekly radio show on Sirius, this bounced from his New Jersey studio up into space, and down to my humble abode in the Arizona desert. It’s a purty little tune, and it prompted me to buy this new CD, and it just might do the same to you.

    So it’s Caitlin Cary, who was once a member of Whiskeytown, who is joined by Thad Cockrell. Their album of duets, ‘Begonias’, was just released a month and a half ago by Yep Roc. It was recorded in Nashville with some seasoned session players backing them up.

    This is their take on a Percy Sledge classic. This is a nice one. Reeeal nice.

    Caitlin Cary & Thad Cockrell: Warm and Tender Love (mp3)

  • Folk,  Indie,  Old School

    Sunday Grab Bag

    July 17, 2005 /

    A trio of tunes that sum up my mood this Sunday in the 115 degree Arizona desert.

    Morning: A Tribe Called Quest – Mr. Muhammad A cup of coffee, the Sunday paper, and “Mr. Muhammad” piping through the household. Heads a bobbin’ courtesy of the Tribe, from their awesome debut album – deep breath – People’s Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm.

    Afternoon:Kaiser Chiefs – I Predict a Riot – This is hands down one of the best take-no-prisoners rock n roll song I’ve heard all year. If you’re not jumping up and down when the choruses kick in on this one, you have no soul. You should check out the video of the K. Chiefs performing this tune to open up Philly’s Live 8 concerts a couple weeks ago. I never thought I’d say this, but thank you AOL for showing VH-1 and MTV how it’s done. From Employment.

    Evening: Tom Waits – Kentucky Avenue – Well it’s evening time in Arizona… only 101 degrees, and it’s time to wind down with Tom Waits, smoothly croaking out this great ballad from 1978’s Blue Valentine.

  • Folk,  Indie

    Crazy Mother%# Named Nina

    July 3, 2005 /

    Oddity of the Day: Nina Gordon was one of the members of Veruca Salt. N.W.A were the pioneers of west coast gangsta rap. Nina Gordon straps on her acoustic, seats herself on a stool, and softly sings her take on an N.W.A. classic.

    Nina Gordon: Straight Outta Compton (mp3) – explicit lyrics