Now Playing on Festival Radio
Wednesday, October 27, 2004
Multitasking
Manny Ramirez just got gunned down at the plate on a contact play, and the Israel-Palestinian negotiations are breaking down in predictable ways on The West Wing, and the SwiftVets For Truth (an oxymoron if I've ever heard one), are spouting off during commercial breaks. This election cannot be over soon enough.
Now 3-0 Sox on TV1, and Leo has just arrived at Camp David on TV2.
The new Eddie From Ohio CD, This is Me, is growing on me. On first listen, what struck me the most was how much more polished the production is on this record than on their more recent releases, clearly the result of working with Lloyd Maines. Now I'm past the production and listening to the songs, which are all new to me since I haven't seen them in ages.
**Does the world really need either a remake of Alfie with Jude Law or the Saturday Night Live edition of Trivial Pursuit?**
Sorry, back to EFO. There are some really strong songs on this CD. "Horse" cracks me up because it's extremely true and good advice - don't fall in love with a woman in love with a horse if you aren't willing to take second place. "Walk Humbly Son" is another in a long line of classic EFO vocal harmony pieces. "Fly" is a cute tune about a young child who compensates for physical problems with an overactive imagination. "Independence, Indiana" is a ballad about a small town adolescent tasting a little bit of freedom and watching her friends leave town. By turns, this group can be hilarious and poignant. They are the total package. I really hope this is the one that puts them over the top.
Holy crimony, Leo just resigned! And Bartlett accepted his resignation. This is just flat out wrong. Leo - dead? That's even more wrong if it's true. Leo deserves better. Bring back Aaron Sorkin, please, I beg you!
Diamond Cam is awful. Fox must be stopped before they broadcast baseball ever again. And somebody, please gag Tim McCarver.
The executors of Roy Orbison's estate should be ashamed of selling out to Target. If not them, then whoever sold Roy out to Target. It's a shame that we don't put people in stocks in the public square anymore.
Okay, back to new adds. I got a pre-release copy of the new Alison Krauss and Union Station;s newest, Lonely Runs Both Ways, and it's consistently strong, as one would expect from a great band at the top of their game. The album's closer, "A Living Prayer", written by band member Ron Block, is an exquisite gospel number. Alison Krauss gets better as a vocalist with each passing album, singing with more passion and vocal control - her vibrato on long notes isn't quite as wide as on her earlier works - or at least it sounds that way to me. Auxiliary vocalist Dan Tymanski gets to rip through songs by Del McCoury and Woody Guthrie with the full bluegrass treatment and the treat of Krauss on fiddle. The instrumental breakdown, "Unionhouse Branch" really shows off their tight ensemble playing, but particularly Krauss' fiddle. It's easy to hear her sing and get lost in that voice and forget what a truly outstanding fiddler she is.
Steve Blackwell and Friends is a folk group out of the Punta Gorda, Florida area. The best CDs I get from local folk groups or musicians are those that are rooted in their place, and their CD And So it Grows tells several local stories that ought to be told, including stories about local civil rights activists, folk musicians, plume hunters, folklorists, and a local Native American who was a Vietnam War veteran. This is an excellent collection of well-told stories about interesting people and places.
Somewhere between The Lonesome Jubilee and Big Daddy, I stopped buying John Mellencamp CDs. I suppose that was about the time I also stopped listening to rock and roll radio and started listening to other musical outlets. That was a shame, because I just picked up Words and Music: John Mellencamp's Greatist Hits, a 2-CD collection chock full of great songs, and I've been missing out on some great tunes for the last 15 years. Having not really heard much of his output from the 90s and beyond, I guess I was surprised by the quality of his recent work. I shouldn't have been, given the quality of his work from the 80s.
It's the 7th inning stretch and some twangy singer I've never heard of before is singing the substitute auxiliary national anthem, "God Bless America". Am I the only person who thinks that it would not be any less patriotic or disrespectful of the troops to sing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" instead? I'm just asking.
Where was this version of Derek Lowe when I drafted him in the Far Away Worlds fantasy baseball league? He and Bartolo Colon together wrecked my pitching staff like a '76 Ford Granada at a county fair demolition derby.
I guess I'd like to feel sorry for the Cardinals fans, but I can't. Sometimes the other guys are the Team O'Destiny and your team is not, and you just have to accept that and move on. You had the Rams a few years ago to be your Team O'Destiny. If you are a Cleveland fan, it is your unfortunate lot that the other team will always be the Team O'Destiny. At least a professional sports team from your city has won a championship within the last decade.
Pujols is truly underrated as a defensive player, as he saves another run in the eighth with his glove.
Canadian singer/songwriter Jory Nash's Spaz Loves Weezie is a pleasant if occasionally vague CD of acoustic blues flavored folk. When the songs work for me, like "When Summer Comes" and "The Conversion of Pearl Hart", this is truly outstanding work. However, some of the songs seem vague and stream of consciousness and are difficult to follow. They all sound good, though.
Nadine Goellner has a really outstanding voice and sings the heck out of everything on Sing It To Me Anyway, a collection of soul-inflected singer/songwriter tunes. By the end of the CD, I was kind of wishing she wasn't trying so hard to sing the heck out of everything, and that maybe she would have been better served if she had let her foot off the pedal a little bit and let some of the songs breathe a little bit more. Don't get me wrong - this is a really fine CD, with some really crisp ensemble playing, and Nadine Goellner's voice is an impressive instrument. There is not, however, much subtlety here at all. This is an artist with huge talent and potential, and I can't wait to hear what she can do when she's learned that she doesn't have to belt everything out.
And we go to the bottom of the 9th. It gives me great pleasure to watch Edgar Renteria ground out tamely to the pitcher to make the last out, considering that he was the guy who beat the Indians in Game 7 in the '97 World Series. Let the parties commence in Red Sox Nation.
E-S-R-U-C
Now 3-0 Sox on TV1, and Leo has just arrived at Camp David on TV2.
The new Eddie From Ohio CD, This is Me, is growing on me. On first listen, what struck me the most was how much more polished the production is on this record than on their more recent releases, clearly the result of working with Lloyd Maines. Now I'm past the production and listening to the songs, which are all new to me since I haven't seen them in ages.
**Does the world really need either a remake of Alfie with Jude Law or the Saturday Night Live edition of Trivial Pursuit?**
Sorry, back to EFO. There are some really strong songs on this CD. "Horse" cracks me up because it's extremely true and good advice - don't fall in love with a woman in love with a horse if you aren't willing to take second place. "Walk Humbly Son" is another in a long line of classic EFO vocal harmony pieces. "Fly" is a cute tune about a young child who compensates for physical problems with an overactive imagination. "Independence, Indiana" is a ballad about a small town adolescent tasting a little bit of freedom and watching her friends leave town. By turns, this group can be hilarious and poignant. They are the total package. I really hope this is the one that puts them over the top.
Holy crimony, Leo just resigned! And Bartlett accepted his resignation. This is just flat out wrong. Leo - dead? That's even more wrong if it's true. Leo deserves better. Bring back Aaron Sorkin, please, I beg you!
Diamond Cam is awful. Fox must be stopped before they broadcast baseball ever again. And somebody, please gag Tim McCarver.
The executors of Roy Orbison's estate should be ashamed of selling out to Target. If not them, then whoever sold Roy out to Target. It's a shame that we don't put people in stocks in the public square anymore.
Okay, back to new adds. I got a pre-release copy of the new Alison Krauss and Union Station;s newest, Lonely Runs Both Ways, and it's consistently strong, as one would expect from a great band at the top of their game. The album's closer, "A Living Prayer", written by band member Ron Block, is an exquisite gospel number. Alison Krauss gets better as a vocalist with each passing album, singing with more passion and vocal control - her vibrato on long notes isn't quite as wide as on her earlier works - or at least it sounds that way to me. Auxiliary vocalist Dan Tymanski gets to rip through songs by Del McCoury and Woody Guthrie with the full bluegrass treatment and the treat of Krauss on fiddle. The instrumental breakdown, "Unionhouse Branch" really shows off their tight ensemble playing, but particularly Krauss' fiddle. It's easy to hear her sing and get lost in that voice and forget what a truly outstanding fiddler she is.
Steve Blackwell and Friends is a folk group out of the Punta Gorda, Florida area. The best CDs I get from local folk groups or musicians are those that are rooted in their place, and their CD And So it Grows tells several local stories that ought to be told, including stories about local civil rights activists, folk musicians, plume hunters, folklorists, and a local Native American who was a Vietnam War veteran. This is an excellent collection of well-told stories about interesting people and places.
Somewhere between The Lonesome Jubilee and Big Daddy, I stopped buying John Mellencamp CDs. I suppose that was about the time I also stopped listening to rock and roll radio and started listening to other musical outlets. That was a shame, because I just picked up Words and Music: John Mellencamp's Greatist Hits, a 2-CD collection chock full of great songs, and I've been missing out on some great tunes for the last 15 years. Having not really heard much of his output from the 90s and beyond, I guess I was surprised by the quality of his recent work. I shouldn't have been, given the quality of his work from the 80s.
It's the 7th inning stretch and some twangy singer I've never heard of before is singing the substitute auxiliary national anthem, "God Bless America". Am I the only person who thinks that it would not be any less patriotic or disrespectful of the troops to sing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" instead? I'm just asking.
Where was this version of Derek Lowe when I drafted him in the Far Away Worlds fantasy baseball league? He and Bartolo Colon together wrecked my pitching staff like a '76 Ford Granada at a county fair demolition derby.
I guess I'd like to feel sorry for the Cardinals fans, but I can't. Sometimes the other guys are the Team O'Destiny and your team is not, and you just have to accept that and move on. You had the Rams a few years ago to be your Team O'Destiny. If you are a Cleveland fan, it is your unfortunate lot that the other team will always be the Team O'Destiny. At least a professional sports team from your city has won a championship within the last decade.
Pujols is truly underrated as a defensive player, as he saves another run in the eighth with his glove.
Canadian singer/songwriter Jory Nash's Spaz Loves Weezie is a pleasant if occasionally vague CD of acoustic blues flavored folk. When the songs work for me, like "When Summer Comes" and "The Conversion of Pearl Hart", this is truly outstanding work. However, some of the songs seem vague and stream of consciousness and are difficult to follow. They all sound good, though.
Nadine Goellner has a really outstanding voice and sings the heck out of everything on Sing It To Me Anyway, a collection of soul-inflected singer/songwriter tunes. By the end of the CD, I was kind of wishing she wasn't trying so hard to sing the heck out of everything, and that maybe she would have been better served if she had let her foot off the pedal a little bit and let some of the songs breathe a little bit more. Don't get me wrong - this is a really fine CD, with some really crisp ensemble playing, and Nadine Goellner's voice is an impressive instrument. There is not, however, much subtlety here at all. This is an artist with huge talent and potential, and I can't wait to hear what she can do when she's learned that she doesn't have to belt everything out.
And we go to the bottom of the 9th. It gives me great pleasure to watch Edgar Renteria ground out tamely to the pitcher to make the last out, considering that he was the guy who beat the Indians in Game 7 in the '97 World Series. Let the parties commence in Red Sox Nation.
E-S-R-U-C
Monday, October 18, 2004
It's the Middle of the 14th Inning...
..and the Sox keep hanging in there. I dislike Pedro Martinez, Headhunting Punk pitcher, but I hate the Yankees even more. I hate everything about their smug dynasty.
It was pledge week at WCBE, the best public radio station in the universe last week, so I was in Thursday, Friday and Saturday mornings to answer the phones. It is worth stating that I would not be doing what I do without the inspiration I've received from this plucky freeform station that dares to play music that nobody else will. Check out their music programming over the web from 9 am to 3 pm Eastern time weekdays (that's 1300 to 1900 UTC for those of you thinking internationally, at least until the time change).
It's Cowboy and Western Week here on the Online Folk Festival. Music by cowboys, about cowboys, and about the American West experience, including tracks from Tom Russell, Don Edwards, Tish Hinojosa, Sons of the San Joaquin and more.
Jack Hardy has a new CD out, Coin of the Realm, full of vitriolic protest. Most of it is a bit too vitriolic for me, and I'm plenty full of unflattering things to say about our current administration. There is a really excellent song, "Poor Man", dedicated to Jimmy Carter that you will hear on the OFF, and an excellent tribute song for Dave Van Ronk.
And the plucky Sox have just taken the Yankees to a 6th game on a bloop single by David Ortiz. Fortunately, the game will be in Yankee Stadium, where we won't be forced to endure crowd shots of Red Sox fans praying for their team.
Pauline Scanlon is a rising young star on the Irish folk scene, and her debut album, produced by Lunasa guitarist Donogh Hennessy, is a mixture of the traditional and the contemporary - ranging from technofolk looping drums on the first track, "Churchyard" to a compelling a capella rendition of "The Boys of Barr na Sraide." Throughout, Scanlon displays an impressive range of vocal color and technique for a young singer. This CD is an outstanding debut, and I look forward to hearing what she can do as she matures. I have one complaint - the production seems to swallow her voice at times, especially when she is singing at the high end of her range - she would have benefited from being brought forward in the mix a little more.
Peter Case has a new CD out on Vanguard, Who's Gonna Go Your Crooked Mile?, a compilation of tracks from the last ten years. It showcases some of Case's best work as a folk rocker from the last ten years, especially the story songs. Two new tracks, one political and one an anti-corporate screed, don't work quite as well.
Singer/songwriter Tim Grimm has taken a break from recording original tunes to record a concept album of sorts. Entitled Names, every song title is someone's name, including tunes from Robert Earl Keen ("Mariano"), Gillian Welch ("Annabelle"), John Prine ("Sam Stone"), Woody Guthrie ("Pretty Boy Floyd"), and Brooooooce Springsteen ("Johnny 99"). The standout track for me is a heartfelt acoustic reading of John Cougar Mellencamp's "Jackie Brown." Carrie Newcomer helps out trading verses with Tim on a pretty rendition of the traditional ballad "Barbara Allen."
It was pledge week at WCBE, the best public radio station in the universe last week, so I was in Thursday, Friday and Saturday mornings to answer the phones. It is worth stating that I would not be doing what I do without the inspiration I've received from this plucky freeform station that dares to play music that nobody else will. Check out their music programming over the web from 9 am to 3 pm Eastern time weekdays (that's 1300 to 1900 UTC for those of you thinking internationally, at least until the time change).
It's Cowboy and Western Week here on the Online Folk Festival. Music by cowboys, about cowboys, and about the American West experience, including tracks from Tom Russell, Don Edwards, Tish Hinojosa, Sons of the San Joaquin and more.
Jack Hardy has a new CD out, Coin of the Realm, full of vitriolic protest. Most of it is a bit too vitriolic for me, and I'm plenty full of unflattering things to say about our current administration. There is a really excellent song, "Poor Man", dedicated to Jimmy Carter that you will hear on the OFF, and an excellent tribute song for Dave Van Ronk.
And the plucky Sox have just taken the Yankees to a 6th game on a bloop single by David Ortiz. Fortunately, the game will be in Yankee Stadium, where we won't be forced to endure crowd shots of Red Sox fans praying for their team.
Pauline Scanlon is a rising young star on the Irish folk scene, and her debut album, produced by Lunasa guitarist Donogh Hennessy, is a mixture of the traditional and the contemporary - ranging from technofolk looping drums on the first track, "Churchyard" to a compelling a capella rendition of "The Boys of Barr na Sraide." Throughout, Scanlon displays an impressive range of vocal color and technique for a young singer. This CD is an outstanding debut, and I look forward to hearing what she can do as she matures. I have one complaint - the production seems to swallow her voice at times, especially when she is singing at the high end of her range - she would have benefited from being brought forward in the mix a little more.
Peter Case has a new CD out on Vanguard, Who's Gonna Go Your Crooked Mile?, a compilation of tracks from the last ten years. It showcases some of Case's best work as a folk rocker from the last ten years, especially the story songs. Two new tracks, one political and one an anti-corporate screed, don't work quite as well.
Singer/songwriter Tim Grimm has taken a break from recording original tunes to record a concept album of sorts. Entitled Names, every song title is someone's name, including tunes from Robert Earl Keen ("Mariano"), Gillian Welch ("Annabelle"), John Prine ("Sam Stone"), Woody Guthrie ("Pretty Boy Floyd"), and Brooooooce Springsteen ("Johnny 99"). The standout track for me is a heartfelt acoustic reading of John Cougar Mellencamp's "Jackie Brown." Carrie Newcomer helps out trading verses with Tim on a pretty rendition of the traditional ballad "Barbara Allen."
Sunday, October 10, 2004
John Wesley Harding, Hem, and Cowboy Music
Once again, I have failed to win either a Nobel Prize or a MacArthur "genius grant."
You have to admire the chutzpah of someone who, in his early 20s, performs under a stage name taken from a Bob Dylan album, proclaims himself the "bastard son" of Bob Dylan and Joan Baez, and then records his debut CD as a solo live album. Well, that's John Wesley Harding, and Appleseed Records has just re-released that solo live album (It Happened One Night) as a two-CD set with a second CD of unreleased studio tracks from around the same time period (It Never Happened At All) including many of the same songs. It's interesting to see several of the songs "in process," as a couple tunes eventually saw studio release on later albums. Overall, a must-have for any John Wesley Harding fan, and an early look at what JWH does best - one man with a guitar conquering a stage.
The new Hem CD, Eveningland, is simply gorgeous. I had to drive out to the suburbs for a church meeting the evening after it arrived in the mail, and I took it with me, and it blissed me out so much that it didn't stress me out too much when some moron in an SUV with a W04 sticker nearly ran me off the road. Anyway, Eveningland is filled with lushly arranged , country flavored slow- and mid-tempo tunes featuring the phenomenal voice of Sally Ellyson.
I received an excellent collection of Western music this last week, and have decided to pronounce next week as "Cowboy Week" on the Online Folk Festival.
Any time I get a CD where the bio proclaims the artist as a Kerrville New Folk Finalist, I sit up and pay attention. Not surprisingly, Eric Balkey's CD, While the Paint Dries, is a fine collection of acoustic folk. The standout track is a tribute to Dace Carter, "God's Poet Now."
I found the new gospel CD from Chanticleer at Used Kids on Saturday morning. Man, is that CD fine. The guys in Chanticleer, one of the premier classical vocal groups, throw down on a mess of spirituals with special guest Bishop Yvette Flunder. If you like gospel music driven by tight vocal harmonies, with creative arrangements, then track down How Sweet The Sound.
Nathaniel Maloney is a young singer/songwriter from Northeastern Ohio. While most of his album is indicative of his youth (cliched, often trite, with a significant amount of syllables forced unnaturally into the meter), there were a couple songs I found I could play.
Kathy Fleischmann is a singer/songwriter from New York. She has a pleasant voice, and her album Unresolved contains some excellent acoustic folk.
You have to admire the chutzpah of someone who, in his early 20s, performs under a stage name taken from a Bob Dylan album, proclaims himself the "bastard son" of Bob Dylan and Joan Baez, and then records his debut CD as a solo live album. Well, that's John Wesley Harding, and Appleseed Records has just re-released that solo live album (It Happened One Night) as a two-CD set with a second CD of unreleased studio tracks from around the same time period (It Never Happened At All) including many of the same songs. It's interesting to see several of the songs "in process," as a couple tunes eventually saw studio release on later albums. Overall, a must-have for any John Wesley Harding fan, and an early look at what JWH does best - one man with a guitar conquering a stage.
The new Hem CD, Eveningland, is simply gorgeous. I had to drive out to the suburbs for a church meeting the evening after it arrived in the mail, and I took it with me, and it blissed me out so much that it didn't stress me out too much when some moron in an SUV with a W04 sticker nearly ran me off the road. Anyway, Eveningland is filled with lushly arranged , country flavored slow- and mid-tempo tunes featuring the phenomenal voice of Sally Ellyson.
I received an excellent collection of Western music this last week, and have decided to pronounce next week as "Cowboy Week" on the Online Folk Festival.
Any time I get a CD where the bio proclaims the artist as a Kerrville New Folk Finalist, I sit up and pay attention. Not surprisingly, Eric Balkey's CD, While the Paint Dries, is a fine collection of acoustic folk. The standout track is a tribute to Dace Carter, "God's Poet Now."
I found the new gospel CD from Chanticleer at Used Kids on Saturday morning. Man, is that CD fine. The guys in Chanticleer, one of the premier classical vocal groups, throw down on a mess of spirituals with special guest Bishop Yvette Flunder. If you like gospel music driven by tight vocal harmonies, with creative arrangements, then track down How Sweet The Sound.
Nathaniel Maloney is a young singer/songwriter from Northeastern Ohio. While most of his album is indicative of his youth (cliched, often trite, with a significant amount of syllables forced unnaturally into the meter), there were a couple songs I found I could play.
Kathy Fleischmann is a singer/songwriter from New York. She has a pleasant voice, and her album Unresolved contains some excellent acoustic folk.
Thursday, October 07, 2004
What if...
A guest post by Andy Whitman. You may recognize the name if you're a reader of Paste Magazine. This was posted to an online music and faith discussion list.
“Do I not destroy my enemies when I make them my friends?” -- Abraham Lincon
What if ...What if we, as individuals, as a nation, took Jesus' command to love our enemies seriously? What if we actually believed it and did it?
Would it make a difference? Could it make a difference? Could it actually break the cycle of violence and permanently end the senseless killing? Or is that all just a naive, idealistic pipedream, the product of some sort of confused Christian/Woodstock ideology that has no basis in the real world?
Because, after all, we must be realists. There are people out there who hate us, and not very cordially at that, who fly airplanes into towers and who would do that, and much more, again if given the opportunity.
But what if, just for argument's sake, we chose to humble ourselves and address the grievances that cause the violence against us? What if we actually paid attention to stupid rock stars like Bono, who has campaigned tirelessly through organizations like DATA for debt cancellation, AIDS relief, and social justice for the impoverished continent of Africa? What if he's right that it makes sense to do so not only for altruistic reasons, but also for strategic reasons, and that by saving these decaying nations now before they become hotbeds of radical, violent extremism, we bring not just charity but true justice that will stop fires from ever starting? What if he's right?
It's ridiculous, but bear with me. What if we stopped looking out for our best interests and actually started acting like we cared about the rest of the world? What if we actually worked to bring peace and justice to the Palestinian/Israeli crisis, to remove our oppressive influence in the Middle East so the people can plot their own destiny, to lower our dependence on Middle Eastern oil so that our strategic decisions will be governed less by our need for fuel and more by our concern for the welfare of human beings?
What if we started acting like Christians?
"If my people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and will heal their land."
What if we really don't have a choice? What if it truly does come down to love or be killed? Would we do it? Would we even have the moral wherewithal, as a nation, to debate the issue from the standpoint of the Christian principles we claim to embody? We have the resources. We have the ability. But do we have the will? Unless we radically change and take on the true challenge, I fear, no, I know, that more towers will burn and more innocent lives will be lost. Build 'em up and knock 'em down, again and again, world without end until it ends, Amen.
But humble ourselves? That's a good one. Did you hear the one about the Christian fool who actually thought that humility in government was a virtue?
--Andy
“Do I not destroy my enemies when I make them my friends?” -- Abraham Lincon
What if ...What if we, as individuals, as a nation, took Jesus' command to love our enemies seriously? What if we actually believed it and did it?
Would it make a difference? Could it make a difference? Could it actually break the cycle of violence and permanently end the senseless killing? Or is that all just a naive, idealistic pipedream, the product of some sort of confused Christian/Woodstock ideology that has no basis in the real world?
Because, after all, we must be realists. There are people out there who hate us, and not very cordially at that, who fly airplanes into towers and who would do that, and much more, again if given the opportunity.
But what if, just for argument's sake, we chose to humble ourselves and address the grievances that cause the violence against us? What if we actually paid attention to stupid rock stars like Bono, who has campaigned tirelessly through organizations like DATA for debt cancellation, AIDS relief, and social justice for the impoverished continent of Africa? What if he's right that it makes sense to do so not only for altruistic reasons, but also for strategic reasons, and that by saving these decaying nations now before they become hotbeds of radical, violent extremism, we bring not just charity but true justice that will stop fires from ever starting? What if he's right?
It's ridiculous, but bear with me. What if we stopped looking out for our best interests and actually started acting like we cared about the rest of the world? What if we actually worked to bring peace and justice to the Palestinian/Israeli crisis, to remove our oppressive influence in the Middle East so the people can plot their own destiny, to lower our dependence on Middle Eastern oil so that our strategic decisions will be governed less by our need for fuel and more by our concern for the welfare of human beings?
What if we started acting like Christians?
"If my people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and will heal their land."
What if we really don't have a choice? What if it truly does come down to love or be killed? Would we do it? Would we even have the moral wherewithal, as a nation, to debate the issue from the standpoint of the Christian principles we claim to embody? We have the resources. We have the ability. But do we have the will? Unless we radically change and take on the true challenge, I fear, no, I know, that more towers will burn and more innocent lives will be lost. Build 'em up and knock 'em down, again and again, world without end until it ends, Amen.
But humble ourselves? That's a good one. Did you hear the one about the Christian fool who actually thought that humility in government was a virtue?
"I wanna have our baby
Some days I think that maybe
This ol' world's too fucked up
For any firstborn son
There is all this untouched beauty
The light the dark both running through me
Is there still redemption for anyone?
Jesus comeTurn the world around
Lay my burden down
Turn this world around
Bring the whole thing down
Bring it down
Bring it down"-- Over the Rhine, "Changes Come"
--Andy
Sunday, October 03, 2004
Al Petteway and Amy White, plus some others
Al Petteway and Amy White are this week's featured artists. Al is a phenomenal guitarist, who blends Celtic and traditional folk guitar influences in a masterful way, and wife Amy is a multi-instrumentalist who also sings. Their brand new CD, Acoustic Journey, celebrates their last ten years of making music with some new tracks, some tracks from their previous work, and some previously recorded tracks re-recorded in new arrangements.
Other New Adds
Irish accordionist extraordinaire Sharon Shannon has a new CD out, Libertango, with collaborations from Sinead O'Connor and some other notable guest artists. Some very nice instrumentals, and the tracks with Sinead O'Connor are also quite good.
I really like the new Flogging Molly disk, Within a Mile of Home. There's just something about high energy CeltPunk. "Factory Girls", with guest Lucinda Williams on vocals, is the highlight of the CD for me, primarily because I can play it and not feel like I'm going out on a limb - it fits my format perfectly, which you can't always say for Flogging Molly tunes.
Tracy Grammar has a solo CD out, The Verdant Mile, full of well-chosen cover songs and a couple originals, including a fiddle tune where Tracy gets to show off her fiddle prowess. The cover of Carole King's "I Wasn't Born to Follow" is particularly fine, as is the title track, an original.
Have I mentioned how great the new Mavis Staples and Buddy Miller disks are? I see that I have. Well, their greatness has not changed a whit over the last week. Go out and buy both of them.
Anais Mitchell is a really promising young singer/songwriter. Her CD, Hymns for the Exiled is well worth tracking down. I suspect that I will be playing the heck out of it for months to come. It's on Waterbug records.
Appleseed Records has re-issued John Wesley Harding's debut live CD, It Happened One Night, as part of a two-disk set with some unreleased studio recordings from about the same time, called in typical JWH tongue-in-cheek fashion, It Never Happened At All. Look in this space for John Wesley Harding to be the featured artist next week after I've had the chance to process these CDs. Any excuse to feature one of my favorite singer/songwriters is good enough for me.
Other New Adds
Irish accordionist extraordinaire Sharon Shannon has a new CD out, Libertango, with collaborations from Sinead O'Connor and some other notable guest artists. Some very nice instrumentals, and the tracks with Sinead O'Connor are also quite good.
I really like the new Flogging Molly disk, Within a Mile of Home. There's just something about high energy CeltPunk. "Factory Girls", with guest Lucinda Williams on vocals, is the highlight of the CD for me, primarily because I can play it and not feel like I'm going out on a limb - it fits my format perfectly, which you can't always say for Flogging Molly tunes.
Tracy Grammar has a solo CD out, The Verdant Mile, full of well-chosen cover songs and a couple originals, including a fiddle tune where Tracy gets to show off her fiddle prowess. The cover of Carole King's "I Wasn't Born to Follow" is particularly fine, as is the title track, an original.
Have I mentioned how great the new Mavis Staples and Buddy Miller disks are? I see that I have. Well, their greatness has not changed a whit over the last week. Go out and buy both of them.
Anais Mitchell is a really promising young singer/songwriter. Her CD, Hymns for the Exiled is well worth tracking down. I suspect that I will be playing the heck out of it for months to come. It's on Waterbug records.
Appleseed Records has re-issued John Wesley Harding's debut live CD, It Happened One Night, as part of a two-disk set with some unreleased studio recordings from about the same time, called in typical JWH tongue-in-cheek fashion, It Never Happened At All. Look in this space for John Wesley Harding to be the featured artist next week after I've had the chance to process these CDs. Any excuse to feature one of my favorite singer/songwriters is good enough for me.
