Bert Jansch Dies

With the news of Steve Jobs' death his passing will go mostly unnoticed but Bert Jansch died today also.  According to Wikipedia Mr. Jansch was:

Jansch was a leading figure in the British folk music revival of the 1960s, touring folk clubs and recording several solo albums, as well as collaborating with other musicians such as John Renbourn and Anne Briggs. In 1968, he joined the band Pentangle, touring and recording with them until their break-up in 1972. He then took a few years' break from music, returning in the late 1970s to work on a series of projects with other musicians. He joined a reformed Pentangle in the early 1980s and remained with them as they evolved through various changes of personnel until 1995.

New Wilco

Sept 27th is going to be a good day for music.  Will Hoge's newest comes out and so does the new Wilco.  The video is "I Love My Label" written by Nick Lowe and a bonus feature on the new album.  And I guess Wilco does love its label.  They started their own label which the new album will be released on.

I Hate Apple

Why do they have to make it so hard to transfer music from one computer to another.  I purchased a new computer and am trying to get my Itunes library from the old one to the new one.  I have it all saved on a back up and loaded that on the new computer, thinking I had solved the problem.  Nope, it looks like of 22,000 songs only about 4,000 have downloaded onto the new computer.  Everytime I've changed computers it's been such a hassle to get my music from one computer to the next.  It's late now and I have to get up early so I'm going to stop fighting it and try it tomorrow night.

Amazing

Happy Birthday to Fats Domino (A Day Late)

Yesterday Fats Domino turned 83.  About ten years ago I saw him perform at an outdoor concert.  Two guys helped him walk to the piano bench and he looked pretty frail and old.  But once he sat down at that bench and starting playing the years just vanished.  He outplayed everyone there.

New Lucinda Williams

March 1 sees the newest album from Lucinda Williams drop.  The album in Blessed.  For my money Lucinda is one of the best song writers we have currently working on there in the music world.

Grace Potter Concert

I should be posting a review of tonight's concert by Grace Potter and the Nocturnals right now.  She performed at the House of Blues tonight.  The trip over was an effort in patience.  Traffic was terrible.  When I finally made it into the city I get behind a house and carriage.  I follow his all the way up the street and he suddenly stops and wants to back up.  The only problem is that I'm right behind him.  Somehow I manage to get around him and we're finally parked and on our way to the HOB.  As we walk up to the box office I see a young woman standing on the side holding up a sign that reads "Need Two Tickets."  So I guess you can see where this is going.  The show was sold out.  I know, I know, I was stupid for not buying the tickets ahead of time.  This was a show I was really looking forward to.  I've been following Grace Potter for a few years now and she's fast becoming one of my favorite performers.  I think her album of last year was one of the best of the year.  And I missed her show.

Just to give everyone an example of how good she is, here's a clip of her in performance.

Mumford and Sons, Avett Brothers and Dylan

Just in case you missed this at the Grammys.  Some amazing music.

Remembering John Lennon

It was on this day back in 1980 that John Lennon was murdered.  I've written about this many times over the years, so thought I'd just add some links to the words I've already spoken about this man I admire so much.  

Last year I wrote about my personal heroes here.

Writing about the first music I listened to, which of course, was the Beatles here.

I Want To Hold Your Hand

I meant to post this awhle back, but never got around to it, but it's too good not to give notice to.  Last year I was a huge Glee fan.  I still am enjoying the show this year, but I'm not sure what it is, I'm just not enjoying it quite as much.  But this moment in the new season made me feel like last season, when the songs would just make me sit up and feel.  As regular readers know I am a huge Beatles fan and they took this song and re-made it like no other version I have ever heard.  Listen to it and not be moved, it's impossible.

Solomon Burke Dies

On October 10 the great soul singer Solomon Burke died.  He started singing in the sixties, but enjoyed a revival in 2002 with the release of his new album Don't Give Up On Me.   Burke was an undertaker and was trained early in life as a mortician.  Burke was a great singer that brought power and emotion to his singing.   This is one of my favorite songs of all time, the title track from his 2002 album.

The Darkness on the Edge of Town

Trailer

Songbird

I don't shop Sams Club that often, but every now and than I'll go check it out. I was in there the other day and I found this:

I was actually looking at this set online just the night before, so it was kind of weird.  But everywhere I've seen this set it's cost more than I wanted to spend.  Sams had it for $19.99.  At the price I couldn't afford to pass it up.  Four cds of great music, plus a DVD.  I was a happy person.

5 on Friday

Ok, I've missed the last couple of 5 on Fridays but I'm back.  Today I'm featuring Ryan Adams.  Mr. Adams is long overdue an album of new material.  He hasn't put anything out in awhile.  And this from a man that once put out three albums in one year and one of them was  a double album.  One of the biggest criticism of Ryan was that he put out too much material, but I found it a weak criticism.  His material was good and I loved the fact that he wasn't taking four or five years to put music out.  If you look back at some of the greatest the Beatles were coming out with an album just about every year, CCR put out their three best albums within a span of only a few years.  Today artists and labels are afraid to "flood" the market or put out too much material too quickly.  I'm not saying put out stuff you don't think is good, but if you think it's good get it out and let us hear it.  The last I heard Ryan was supposed to be putting out a five album set, but so far nothing....

(Oh, and I included one song from his days with Whiskeytown.)

And as always go to Trav's site and check out more 5 on Fridays.

5 on Friday

Ok, it's another Friday and another chance to play 5 on Friday.  Go over to Trav's site and see what it's all about.

For today I pick an old favorite of mine.  As youngsters he and his brother formed the group the Blasters.  They came of age during the punk revolution and while their music was far from punk they gained a following in such circles.  The Clash were such fans they had them open on tour for them.  While his brother, Phil, has pretty much opted out of the rock and roll lifestyle for that of a professor of math, Dave Alvin has continued to make some great music.  My Five on Friday today is from Dave Alvin.

Five on Friday: Neko Case

Another favorite of mine, Neko Case, is my 5 on Friday.  Ms. Case also sings with the group The New Porngraphers.  She has been compared to the country legend Patsy Cline many times in reviews of her work.  Regardless she has a voice that is unique in today's marketplace. The second song on the set "Christmas Card From A Hooker..." just sends chills down my spine everytime I listen to it.

As always go over to Trav's site to see more selections.

The ABCs of Music

As everyone knows I've been having problems with my Ipod and getting the music to it.  Well, I've hopefully solved that problem, or as much of it as I'm going to.  Anyways I had it hooked up in my car and have been driving around.  Now when I listen to my Ipod in the car I almost always listen to it on shuffle, so I can hear a wide range of different artists.  And it was doing that.  It started with AC/DC by Joan Jett.  I wasn't paying too much attentiion.  Later I hear Albeline by Dave Alvin.  It was only after I heard Absolutely Sweet Marie by Dylan and than by Jason and the Scorchers that I realized that it was playing all the songs in alphabetical order.  I've left it, it's interesting.  I'll hear different versions of the same song, sometimes by the same singer, sometimes by different artists.  So far Acuff-Rose by Jeff Tweedy has had the most versions.  I didn't realize how many live versions of it I had by him, and than a couple by Uncle Tupelo and I think even at least one by Wilco.  But I'm still in the A's.  Lots of songs with After as the first word in the title.

My Ipod is Back!

At least it seems to be.  It's been the worst time trying to get my music from my Ipod to my computer and back to my Ipod after I bought a new computer.  I cannot understand why Apple makes this so difficult.  Don't they think people will buy a new computer now and then?  I ended up buying and downloading Media Widget to transfer the music back and forth, but at first that didn't seem to work either.  (I tired the one you suggested Holly, but realized it was Mac only, I have a PC, but thanks for the suggestion.)

It took forever once it started working, but I seem to have my music back on the computer and the Ipod.  Except I have noticed at least one artist missing.  I had about ten albums of Aljerando Ecscovedo and for some reason they aren't on there.  I'm going to have to investigate more, but it said it downloaded 21,000 and change songs, so I know that was the majority of them.  Still it's a pain that I'm going to have to go back and download some things again.

But overall I'm happy.  This has been a major headache for the last week or two.

Amanda Shaw at Louisiana Music Factory

This was from back around Jazz Fest time.  I didn't make it to Jazz Fest this year, but Louisiana Music Factory had a show that consisted of Amanda Shaw, Shannon McNally, Lil Band of Gold and Theresa Andersson and I did manage to make it there.  This is from Amanda's set and she starts off with what I think is one of her best songs "Good Southern Girl."  And the guy in the black and white ball cap with the blue shirt in the front is me.

Bettye LaVette

This woman has an amazing voice.  I saw her at Jazz Fest a few years ago and she puts on a great show.  This is from her new album Interpretations; The British Rock Songbook.