Folk's Music

2012-01-09T20:21:00.002-05:00

Good Evening - this song was one of the songs that ended my day the other night on my way home from Target.........and it's a better way to start the day!! From The Hillbenders "Highway Gambler"

cross posted at Me, Myself, Music and Mysteries

Monday Read: 1/9/11 – Iraqi Struggles

2012-01-09T20:19:00.000-05:00

Monday Read: 1/9/11 – Iraqi Struggles

Free to Breathe - Lung Cancer Awareness 5k

2011-11-04T06:55:00.004-04:00

Ok so I haven't made a post here in a long time but I decided to make this cross-post here today to get the word out about Will and Sunday's 5K!

So yesterday was my last tune-up run before the Free to Breathe -for Lung Cancer Awareness 5k Sunday in Philadelphia. The race is special to our family because my son Peter's brother-in-law Will Marris was diagnosed in June of 2010 with Stage IV Lung Cancer. Will is 28 years old and was a classmate of my other son, Andrew. Will was diagnosed with the cancer about a month before Peter and Missy's wedding. When Will was diagnosed with the cancer there were tumors in both lungs but through chemotheropy and radiation treatments the tumors were destroyed and Will since then Will's cancer has been in remission. Recently though the cancer has returned and Will faces another round of treatments. Throught it all, Will and his wife Nicole have bravely fought the disease and Will has raised money for Lung Cancer research through his organization Willpower. You can read his story here.

Will is the second young person we know to be stricken with cancer. My son Andrew's best friend Jorge Veguilla was disgnosed about a year before Will with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. Thankfully, Jorge has been cancer free for more than two years now! Will and Jorge met at Peter's wedding and Jorge told Will that if he ever needed someone to talk to he would be there for him. I admired both of these young men for the courage they have displayed fighting this disease!

So if you'd care to make a donation to the Willpower Team here's the link. The Willpower Teams goal was $1,000 and right now we're at $920.00. Thanks for any support!

Oh, and last nights run was one of the fastest of the year averaging about 9:24 per mile over 4 miles. The soundtrack of the run was the new album Double-Wide Dream from a great young Texas Band The Casey Donahew Band. I like Casey's voice and he's a good songwriter, too.I'll try to write more later about the album.

Here's the title track "Double-Wide Dream"

Me, Myself, Music and Mysteries

2010-02-05T12:55:00.011-05:00

I have moved this blog to Wordpress and will be posting aboput books and music at that site.

The address is http:/www.memyselfmusicandmysteries.com

Rich O'Toole

2009-06-01T21:13:00.012-04:00

Ok so... i was looking over the Texas Music Charts the other day and I'll say that there are a lot of names that I don't know I guess I haven't been following that scene too much over the last few years I tried several out that were okay but nothing really caught my ear until I heard Rich O'Toole. I downloaded Seventeen and the first time through it was okay then the second time the lead guitar on "Kelly Comes to Town" hooked me and I was a fan!

Then came "Queen of the Misfits" and I can't get that chorus out of my head! and after "Alone" and "Just My Luck" came "Robert E. Lee" probably my favorite track on the CD! oh wait there's "Everything's Legal" and "Texas Blues" - oh the whole CD's just damn good!

So I downloaded his second CD In a Minute or 2 - still listening but already I like a bunch of the songs including the title track "In a Minute or 2" - I listened to the CD yesterday during a five mile run - and my favorite track a live version of "Marijuana and Jalapenos" came on and made mile number five my favorite mile of my run! My only problm now is I don't see NJ on the tour schedule!

Morglbl and Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers

2009-05-24T14:18:00.018-04:00

ok so.... in the last few weekends I've gone out of the acoustic folk genre and gone to some concerts with my son Andrew and have seen one Progressive Metal and one Rock/country act as we went to see Morglbl in Kendall Park, NJ and Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers at World Cafe Live in Philly. This was my first time at World Cafe Live and it certainly won't be my last a very nice venue!

First up was Morglbl on a Friday night at a little Bistro in a strip shopping center in Kendell Park, NJ. Morglbl is a trio of French musicians - including Christophe Godin (a fantastic guitarist) on guitar obviously, Ivan Rougny on bass and Aurélien Ouzoulias on drums. Andrew had seen them at Nearfest last year and said they were great and received a standing ovation and double encore at 11:00 in the morning on Sunday! Knowing that I like guitar, he knew I'd like them and he was right. I listened to their CD before we went so I was familiar with what the music sounded like but to see it live was totally different. Their music is jazz, funk, rock and just plain good! They played two sets that lasted slightly over two hours and included many tracks from their new CD Jazz for the Deaf, which andrew bought but i haven't listened to yet! So it was a great night with good music and ended with me shaking Christophe's hand and asking what jazz musicians he listened to. When we came home, Andrew told his mom I knew he was going to talk to him!

Next up was Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers, again Andrew said that because their music was Americana he thought I would like them and once again he was right. Again, I listened to several of the CDs prior to going to the show so I was familiar with some of the songs, unlike everyone else who was there who knew every word to every song and often took over singing! What a great show and half the fun was the audience response and participation which ended with many women and a few men on the stage during the encore! The youtube video below captures some of the energy that was there!

so I listened to the CD again today and I'll practice

Everybody knows that the world is full of stupid people
So meet me at the mission at midnight
Well divvy up there
Everybody knows that the world is full of stupid people
So I got the pistol
So I get the pesos

That seems fair

and maybe next time I'll be singing along who knows!

Opening for Roger Clyne was another Americana band from San Diego California, Dead Rock West lead by the vocals of Frank Lee Dressen and Cindy Wasserman they put on a high energy show again with many people singing along. After the show I went out in the hallway and Cindy was at the mech. table. When I came back I said to Andrew " I didn't say anything to her!" maybe next time.... so for now great show Cindy!

Andy Gullahorn

2009-05-21T12:48:00.004-04:00

Ok so a couple of weeks ago I was reading the blog of a singer-songwriter that I like Dave Potts and he was giving out his best’s of 2008 and his winner for CD was his friend Andy Gullahorn’s CD Reinventing the Wheel (even though it came out in 2007 Dave hadn’t gotten it until 2008).
So I went to Rhapsody and found it and have been listening to it and the other CDs Room to Breathe and Old Hat and I have found another favorite. If you enjoy simple acoustic guitar with great lyrics and a pleasing voice you’ll like Andy. Reminds me of Dave Potts and maybe a David Wilcox. The songs on Reinventing the Wheel talk about everything from the lack people trying to work at life “Nobody likes to Work” to getting ready and the changes children bring to your life “How Precious Life is” and “More of a Man” to yearning to be able to love like God to love all from suicide bombers to cheating husbands. Room to Breathe has some great songs too the best for me where “If I Were”, “Freedom” and “Hand it Down” and “Burning Bushes” and maybe more after a few more listens!! So check out his web page Andygullahorn.com and his myspace page. And enjoy!

Folk Storytellers

2009-05-14T08:50:00.010-04:00

ok so... the other day I grabbed a CD to listen to in the car, I grabbed David Olney's "High, Wide and Lonesome" which had been lost almost since I picked it up! Anyway I have been thinking lately about the best folksinger storytellers and Olney is one who came to mind especially when listening to this CD and the two songs back to back Another Place Another Time, and My Family Owns this Town which tells the same story from the point's of view of two of the characters in the song! So the question is which folk singers go on the Mount Rushmore of storytelling folksingers. Here are my top five!

Tom Russell - to me he may be the best from El Gallo de Ciello to The Man from God Knows Where the man can write great story songs that stay with you and make you think and feel for the characters.

Harry Chapin - a close second and maybe number one from Taxi and Sniper (which caused me to worry the first time I saw him sing this song live such intensity!) to Corey's Coming and Mr Tanner he people and places in Harry's songs will live forever in my mind!

Robert Earl Keen - I became a fan of Robert Earls after hearing The Front Porch Song here in Philly on Gene Shay's Folk Show a long time ago,the whole story about Robert Earl and Lyle Lovett talking about where they'd move when their parents got their grades and the Presbyterians just cracked me up. Soon after I bought West Textures and The Road Goes on Forever, Sonora's Death Row and Mariano made me a fan for life. and may the the stories go on forever and the music never end!!

Chris Knight - The people who populate Knight's stories are not the top of the social ladder but Chris brings passion and wit to their stories like no other. Whether it's the selling off of a farm or a shooting after a night of poker Knight's stories and people are real and I always see myself in the words of

David Olney -a great storyteller and my favorite is The Paris Incident and there are many others like the one's mentioned at the start of this ramble.

I apologize to all the others that I left out and they would be?

New Friends!

2009-05-08T09:12:00.023-04:00

ok so..... this week has been fun listening to artists that are new to me (and remember there are many) it started with the CD "You Don't Have to like them Both" by Eric Brace and Peter Cooper. I saw this CD listed both on the Americana Chart and the Folk DJ Charts for April 2009. So I downloaded it from emusic and was note disappointed. It's a great CD good vocals, nice instrumentals with some good covers like David Olney's Omar's Blues and Kristofferson's Just the Other Side of Nowhere mixed with some originals like Eric Brace's "I Know a Bird". While I didn't recognize Eric Brace's name I did know his band Last Train Home and have actually seen them in concert at The Point.

From their CD I went to Peter Cooper's solo CD Mission Door and this CD I love great vocals and great lyrics just a fun CD all the way around two tracks that stand out to me are "Sheboygan" and "Thin Wild Mercury" (any song with Phil Ochs in it is ok with me!)

Finally, I've been listening to Antje Duvekot after hearing her one morning on XM Radio first I checked out "The Near Demise of the High Wire Dancer", which I liked then I went back and listened to an earlier CD "Big Dream Boulevard" which I really liked first class vocals and great lyrics a stand out track for me is Dandelion but several tracks are just as good. She seems like a stand-out talent and look forward to listening to all her stuff!!

All in all a great week with three new CD and friends! Check them out!

2009-05-01T16:55:00.004-04:00

Ok so... sometimes there are songs with lyrics that just blow you away. One new song that does that for me is Jesse Winchester's song " I Turn to My Guitar" from his new CD Love Filling Station. The chorus I think is just great.

I turn to my guitar
And touch her silver strings
O the more I hurt
The prettier she sings
I live on the earth
And love is on a star
And if I can't have love
I turn to my guitar
To me sometines simple lyrics are the best!

As the Music Turns!

2009-04-30T13:15:00.014-04:00

Ok so.... I had the MP3 player on random the other day and on comes a vocal that I didn't recognize right away so I looked down and it's Brigitte DeMeyer from her new CD Red River Flower, so I click off the random and went back to her CD and listened again and enjoyed it, but what stood out for me was the dobro and pedal steel, so I went to her website to see who was playing with her and low and behold the dobro and steel guitar player was none other than the legendary Al Perkins,(who played with many of my favorites through the years including Steven Stills Manasas, which is one of my favorite albums) so I went to his website and found some interesting things! First, he had toured in the UK with Brigitte and Two Fingers of Firewater - so I went to Rhapsody and listened to them - pretty good stuff- then I went back to Al's site and saw first that he has a CD of his own music titled Triple Play, so I went and listened to that and really liked it. One of the players on this Cd is Chris Eddy (Duane Eddy's son) who is a member of the current version of Mason Proffit, now I can't say I was a big Mason Proffit fan, I only bought their first album, but I googled them and saw a website, went there and saw that the new version of the band is called Terry Talbot and the Mason Proffit Band and they have a new CD called Still Hangin', so back to Rhapsody I went and listened to that CD which was also pretty good. Well, the bottom line of this ramble is that I started with a new artist and ended listening to a band I first heard in the 70's!! and the music rolls on!

Five Most Influential Albums

2009-04-29T13:22:00.003-04:00

ok so ..... on Facebook the other week my wife did a quiz about the five albums that were most influential in setting your taste in music. Here are my folk one not in any order.

Mr. Bojangles - Jerry Jeff Walker - the songs on this album have been listened to over and over and over.....

The Circle Game - Tom Rush - there are songs on this album that are all-time favorites UrgEfor Going and The Circle Game are two.

6 - Tom Paxton - like the above the songs go on forever......Cindy's Cryin', Forest lawn, Jimmy Newman

Songs of Leonard Cohen - Leonard Cohen - the songs on this album have special meaning because of the use of them in McCabe and Mrs. Miller.. the movie my wife and I went to see on our first date.

John Prine - John Prine - this album led me to many other similiar artists

Any comments?

Rodrigo y Gabriela

2009-04-28T13:08:00.008-04:00

ok so....yesterday morning at work I was moving kinda slow needed some music to get me going but no lyrics to cloud an already cloudy mind, so I turn to one of my favorites Rodrigo y Gabriela. Turned on their CD Live in Japan and pretty soon is was zipping right along with some phenominal acoustic guitar. Rodrigo Sanchez and Gabriela Qunitero are Dublin based Mexican musicians who are great. Check out their website (Here) and see for yourself. You can also check them out on Youtube.

Latest Reads

2009-04-26T15:42:00.000-04:00

ok so .... I said this blog was about the books that I read but haven't mentioned any yet well here goes, after finishing Bob Morris's latest A Deadly Silver Sea the fourth in the Zack Chastyain series ( Bahamarama, Jamacia Me Dead and Bermuda Schwartz) which was an Ok read, I liked the other books better and missed some of the humor that was present in the earlier books. I went through three books quickly for me. First was The Lords of Corruption by Kyle Mills, I've read several of Mill's other books and have enjoyed his writing. The Lords of Corruption was a good read, Josh Haggarty with a new graduate degree and a past that makes future employers shy away is offered a great job by New Africa and soon leaves his sister in Kentucky to head for Africa. Once he is there his dream job turns into a nightmare and he must find a way to survive! This book seemed to start slow but moved along quickly in the second half and had a strong finish.

Next up was Barry Eisler's first stand alone Fault Line, Alex Treven is a lawyer handling a new encryption program Obsidian bound to make a ton of money for the inventor but soon the inventor is killed in what appears to be a drug deal gone bad and then the patent reviewer is found dead, soon someone is out to get Alex. Alex calls his estranged brother Ben, who is an assassin for the US, for help. Ben left home after an accident claimed the life of their sister and Alex never for gave Ben. So Alex and Ben set out to keep Alex alive and solve the mystery concerning the program. This was a good read the characters were well developed as the dealt with their personal problems and worked toward the conclusion.

The final book was C.J. Box's stand alone Three Weeks to Say Goodbye. I am a big fan of CJ Box's Joe Pickett series but wasn't sure I was going to like this Book. Jack and Melissa McGuane are shocked when the biologic father a young teenage son of a Federal judge says that he wants his daughter Angelina back from the McGuane's who adopted her eighteen months prior. The judge gives the McGuane's Three Weeks to Say Goodbye. The rest of the book revolves around their struggle to find a way to keep their daughter. I thought this was the best of the three books. I liked the characters and the moral decisions concerning how far they would go to save their daughter. Good twists and turns kept the pages turning.

Slaid at the Tin Angel

2009-04-24T23:27:00.000-04:00

Ok so..... last night was my first time going to the Tin Angel in Philadelphia. We went to see one of my favorite artists Slaid Cleaves. Slaid is a singer songwriter from Maine now living in Austin Texas. Slaid is on tour now in support of his new CD "Everything You Love Will Be Taken Away..." just released Tuesday April 21st so the show was billed as a CD Release party and it was a good party. We were treated to a great night of music. The night was started off with a great set by Slaid's friend Rod Picot, who according to Slaid wrote 90% of Slaid's first big song "Broke Down" while Slaid got all the credit, and Amanda Shires who played a 30 minute set including many songs from their CD Sew Your Heart with Wires. Rod played guitar and Amanda fiddle and they took turns with the vocals. All in all a good set and after the set I bought the CD and had both of them autograph it. Amanda was handling the merch. table when she wasn't on stage!

Slaid's set lasted almost two hours. Accompanied by Charles Arthur on mandolin and dobro, Slaid played a great mix of old favorites, including (not in any order and not a complete set list), Horseshoe Lounge, Wishbones, Lydia, Key Chain (encore), Horses and Divorces and many others.. along with almost all of the new CD Hard to Believe was the opening number and I think the only two he didn't play were Temporary and Twistin'. He also did some DonWalser yodeling after which Charles did "Hambone" which everyone enjoyed. The show ended after two encores and I think everyone went away happy campers!

I had listened to the CD several times before going to the show so I was familiar with the new songs but hearing them live for the first time and hearing the stories made the whole CD come alive and listening to the CD again today I love the songs even more!!

So all in all it was a great night of music at a great venue and I can't wait to return, don't know what took me so long to great there!!

Red Molly

2009-04-23T13:13:00.000-04:00

ok so.... for the longest while I'd hear a song on the XMradio the village look down and it would be Red Molly so finally a couple months ago I put their CD Love and Other Tragedies on my MP3 player and it has become on of my favorites. Red Molly is a trio from New York composed of Laurie MacAllister (vocals,guitar, and banjo) Abbie Gardner (vocals,dobro and guitar) and Coralann Solebello (vocals, guitar and bass) each great musicians and vocalists. The Cd is a great mix of traditional songs "Wayfaring Stranger", Keep your Lamp Trimmed and Burning" ,and a great cover of the Susan Werner's song "May I Suggest" and originals at least one by each member "Beaumont Truck Stop" by Laurie MacCallister,"Summertime" by Carolann Solebello (a favorite to me it has the flavor of a Tanya Savory song) and "The Mind of a Soldier" by Abby Gardner which is an entry in the John Lennon song writing contest o if after listening you want to vote for Abby Click here.

Each of the women had solo careers before forming the band so I went to Rhapsody and listened to both a solo CD by both Laurie's and Abby's and thought they were both really good. Tomorrow it's Carolann. So go find'em and enjoy!

Old Friends-New Music!

2009-04-22T12:49:00.000-04:00

Ok so..yesterday was the official release of Jesse Winchester's first studio CD since 1999's Gentleman of Leisure. The new CD's title is Love Filling Stationand is on Appleseed Records (Thank you very much Appleseed). So I went to emusic and downloaded it and was not disappointed! I have been a Jesse fan since the 70's when my wife introduced his music to me! Mississippi You're On My Mind is on my list of all time favorite songs. I don't think that many songs capture a sense of place any better than that song.Jesse's vocals on this Cd are great and I really like his version of Stand By Me. I'll write more after a couple of more listens.

Another old friend with a new Cd is Tom Rush and his new CD "What I Know" is his first studio recording in thirty years!!! and thanks again to Appleseed! Like Jesse Tom is in good vocal form and I love every track on this CD from the opener "Hot Tonight" with the line "things are rockin' in Conshehocken" (too many trips to Philly?) to his cover of Dobie Gray's "Drift Away" every song is a keeper. Highlights for me are "Too Many Memories", "What an Old Lover Knows" and "No One Else But You" but then there's........ oh just go listen and decide for yourself!

Finally, a couple of months ago, I heard on XM a recording of a live performance of Batdorf and Rodney and said LIVE? Then I found out yes they had reunited to do a live show for XM and then put out a new CD called Still Burnin' and that John Batdorf has a CD entitled Home Again. Both are regular listens for me. Like Tom and Jesse I have been a fan of Batdorf and Rodney since college in about 1972 or so when I heard two guys playing in my dorm area and found out that they were playing a Batdorf and Rodney song I went out and bought Off the Shelf and it has been a favorite since then!!!

So go out find these CD and enjoy!!

Otis Gibbs

2009-04-20T13:18:00.000-04:00

Ok so ... I am always on the lookout for artists that I don't know (and believe me there are plenty of them) and one place I always check is the Americana Music Chart. So last week I saw the name Otis Gibbs with a CD titled "Grandpa Walked the Picketline",(a title to make Pete Seeger and Woody proud) which sounded great to me, so I found the CD on Rhapsody and put it on my MP3 player and I was right it was great. While the gruff voice took more than one listen to get used to the words and music didn't! This CD is great from the beginning song "Caroline" to the last song "Bury Me on A Rainy Day".

Caroline which leads off the CD is a song about a young girl (who could well live in a Chris Knight song), married young with kids who has to deal with spousal abuse. The chorus "Caroline she lives her life inside a daydream, and she keeps it all inside, all the pain she has to hide, and all the boys just stand in line, Caroline" stands out as does the line "she read thatthe sins of the father well be visited upon the son, she lives in fear of things to come"The other songs of the trucker's life "Beto Junction", unionism "Everyday People", homelessness and hoboing "Sometimes Angels Lose Wings", and "Long Black Thunder" are just as well written with lots of memorable lines. Like from Preacher Steve (that Preacher Man we all know) " he has one hand over the bible, and the other's reaching in your purse" and "Preacher Steve could walk on water, while the whole world's dying of thirst" and from Damn Me "fanning the flames of discontent, it's what I like to call the Lord's work" All in all this is a CD that is growing on me with each listen, so go find it and listen. I don't think you'll be disappointed. Check out The Travels and Tribulations of Otis Gibbs at www. OtisGibbs.com

Paul Butterfied Blues Band

2009-04-15T10:36:00.001-04:00

ok so ......the other day I downloaded Robben Ford's tribute album to Paul Butterfield. I was never a big Butterfield Blues fan, but the album had a good review from emusic and I like Robben Ford, well, I thought the album was great and went back to look at Buttefield Blues Band and not remembering uh 40 years ago, I forgot that two of my favorites, Mike Bloomfield (I love the Live Adventures of Mike Bloomfield and Al Kooper and Super Sessions!) and Elvin Bishop (who's new cd The Blues Rolls On is really good) were founding members. Well, the bottom line is I've been listening to Butterfield Blues Band first two albums and enjoying them! I've always been a fan of blues harmonica and like Sonny Terry, Sonny Boy Williams, Carey Bell, and John Mayall (Room to Move),etc. I even liked country harmonica and have a Charlie McCoy album.....so now I'm gonna go back and listen to some others that I didn't listen to like the James Cotton Band!!!