Raul Midón – World Within a World
Soul cannot be manufactured, produced or processed; sold, bought, or processed (you get the point). Real soul is something you feel and something that Raul Midón has in spades. On his new record World Within a World he displays it with such abandon that it’s damned near heartbreaking. Blending pop, soul, jazz and touches of latin roots, Raul paints with his syncopated, flamenco- and jazz-infused approach to the guitar. His voice gives the impression of a man three times his age. It got more than a couple of spins on my iPod during the flights to and from Hawaii. If you are looking for neo-soul with a pop feel, pick this record up today.
Raul Midón – Pick somebody up (Windows) (Quicktime) (Real)
Buy: World Within a World
Link: Official Site | MySpace
Jerry in the Big House – Oregon State Prison 1982
There I was, all inspired to hit you with a cool, newly found show (new to me) of Jerry Garcia performing acoustic at Oregon State Prison in 1982 – with John Kahn accompanying him on bass. It’s a soundboard, with killer versions of such tunes as “It Takes a Lot To Laugh (It Takes a Train to Cry)”, “I’ve Been All Around This World”, “Friend of the Devil”, and a bunch of others.
But on a Google image search, I stumpled upon a great site, Cuckoobird.net. Matt beat me by a few months. He posted the show back in February. And poke me with a stick and call me Frank, he still has the show up. Bless his soul.
So I’m posting my favorite of the show here: Bob Dylan’s Elizabeth Cotten’s “Oh Babe It Ain’t No Lie”, which, judging from Matt’s post, is his fave too.
been all around this ol’ round world
and i just got back today
work all the week, honey and i give it all to you
honey baby what more can i do?Jerry Garcia & John Kahn – Oh, Babe It Ain’t No Lie (mp3) – Live at the big house, Oregon State Prison, May 5th, 1982
Miscellany: for posterity’s sake, I give you a Photoshop doodle, courtesy of my 3 year old tonight.
Seela’s Coming Over
Holding down the bass lines for Matt the Electrician is Seela. Matt was kind enough to pass along one of her CD’s, Rock With Us, which she recorded live at Austin’s KUT studios with her band 4-Eyes. I’ve been enjoying it, particularly this track, in which she sings sweetly about the downfall of a friendship as they succumb to that irresistible urge: the late night booty call.
Seela with 4-Eyes –
I’m Coming Over(mp3)From Rock with Us (CDBaby)
Seela’s Official Site.
The Felice Brothers: Hey Hey Revolver
Talk about a dark and lurid tale. This one could have fit right in on Springsteen’s Nebraska or Ghost of Tom Joad. I can’t find a whole lot about the Felice Brothers online to give you a decent background. There’s no official site, and their MySpace page formatting is all jumbled up. I do know that they’re based out of NYC. And I think I can make out from their upcoming tour dates that they’re opening for Bright Eyes.
I got their new one, Tonight at the Arizona from eMusic. I put it on my iPod this morning and headed out for a run. It wasn’t long before I had to switch over to something else. This album made me want to slow down, hit the nearest tavern, shuffle up to the bar, and hang my head with a glass of whiskey. Up tempo running music it ain’t.
What it is: loose, dark, acoustic music in the Americana vibe, if I must categorize. The singer’s voice brings to mind a little Keith Richards / Al Stewart crossbreed.
Check out some of the lyrics to this one…
My teenage daughter’s knocked up
Jamie this time you really fucked up
You oughta be in the hospital
But I can’t afford to go [?] the billand
Blue Burger King billboard signs
remind me of her mother’s eyesThe chorus?
Hey hey revolver
Don’t lead me on
Your shiny barrel’s long and narrow
Hey hey revolver.Holy moley. Nothing good’s coming out of this scenario. Great song!
The Felice Brothers – Hey Hey Revolver
Pearl’s Favorite Great-Grandson
If you could find a picture of me in ’92 (though I doubt any exist) you’d see a young, scruffy, ‘musician-type’ wearing flannel shirts, drinking too much coffee and very likely listening to Pearl Jam. They were one of ‘my’ bands. You know the bands that you find long before everyone else does. I’ve had a long string of such bands in my lifetime but Pearl Jam is by far the one that started it all.
Somewhere between “No Code” and “Binaural” I lost touch with the group, and with last year’s self titled record they drew me back in. While I love the songwriting and band itself, the real draw was always Eddie Vedder and his voice, his passion, his vision. So I was giddy when I read over at I Am Fuel, You Are Friends that he was producing a soundtrack worth of solo material. I’ve had a week to listen to the record over and over and I have to say it far exceeded any unrealistic expectation I may have put on it. The tunes range from the dirge and strum of “Society” to the hope of the uplifting track “Hard Sun”, which is a cover of an obscure track by the group Indio and which I’ve provided below for everyone to sample. Have a listen and see how hard it is to not be singing along by the end of the tune.
Eddie Vedder –
Hard Sun(MP3)Buy Into The Wild: Amazon |
Into The Wild (Movie): Official Site
Citizen Cope – D’Artagnan’s Theme
I’ve been meaning to post this song for a while now. And it’s Michael’s great Alice Smith post that spurred me into action. Alice had been opening up for Citizen Cope on his recent tour.
Cope is the pseudonym of Clarence Greenwood, and I’ve been enjoying his last couple of albums – 2004’s The Clarence Greenwood Recordings and last year’s Every Waking Moment – for a while now. They truly surprise me, as they seem to get better and better the more I listen. It was one of those iTunes shuffle moments when this song came up, and made me stop what I was doing to enjoy the laid back, semi-sad vibe.
D’Artagnan refers to Charles de Batz-Castelmore, Comte d’Artagnan, one of the the fictionalized Three Musketeers. I can’t quite figure out who the protagonist is, but the lyrics evoke an outlaw type who has no time for the woman he’s singing to.
Well I don’t know how else to say it
In a different way
But why don’t you just fade away
‘Cause there’s a battle going on
Down south of Babylon
So why don’t you just fade awayThe tune is a breeze on the acoustic guitar. C-F-G. Impress your family and friends!
This one comes from The Clarence Greenwood Recordings….
Buy: The Clarence Greenwood Recordings | Every Waking Moment
Citizen Cope’s Official Site
Harvest Moonin’
I’m in a “Harvest Moon” sort of mood tonight, so I went searching on YouTube for the MTV Unplugged performance complete with the sweeping broom. But I couldn’t find it. But I did find the video below. And wow, are there a lot of homemade covers out there! Some good, some – ehh. Like this or this or this. Or this or this. Or this. Or this or this, or this one by the Neil Youngsters!
2020 Update – Well, it’s here now!
There is so much more
File this under the more I hear, the more me likey. I first heard this on Sirius a few weeks ago, and the DJ introduced it as a nice tune that sounds like it’s coming from the voice of an older woman. But the voice is coming from Brett Dennen, a young California singer songwriter fresh on the scene.
Brett may be young, but his music sounds mature and developed. See what you think…
Buy So Much More
Check Brett out on his Official Site.
New Steve Earle: Goodbye Guitar Town
Sunset in my mirror
Pedal on the floor
Bound for New York City
And I won’t back no moreAnd so begins Steve Earle‘s new tune, “Goodbye Guitar Town”. He dropped into Austin’s KUT radio station last week for a nice interview and a couple of acoustic tunes, including this new one. Steve is back to his acoustic Townes Van Zandt-like, finger-pickin’ form with this tune. He’s called New York City’s Greenwich Village home for a few years now, and as he sings about in this song, NYC is home.
Listening to the interview got me excited about the new album (his first release for New West Records). He’s working with John King, who makes up half of the Dust Brothers (Beck, Beastie Boys). Steve said he’s “tested positive for Pro Tools“, which is a departure for him, and he’s working exclusively with John, vs. a band.
So there’s a lot to look forward to as a Steve Earle fan. Check out the full 38 minute interview here on the KUT Site.
Steve Earle:
Goodbye Guitar Town(mp3) – live in studio, KUT AustinBuy Steve Earle music:
New Stuff: The West Was Burning
As a member of the Reeltime Travelers, Martha Scanlan’s voice helped catch the attention of T-Bone Burnett and Bob Neuwirth, who had the group record a song for the Cold Mountain soundtrack. A few years later, Martha has recorded and released her debut album, The West Was Burning. It was released last Tuesday, and features the Band’s Levon Helm on drums (among others).
Great voice, an earthy, acoustic vibe, and overall, a really nice album (Sugar Hill knows how to do it right). Check her out…
Martha Scanlan:
Get Right Church(mp3)
Martha Scanlin’s Official Site | MySpace
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