So this morning I had to go to the store and get some food, before my daughter started complaining again about lack of food in the house. So I put the iPod on the new Dave Potts’ album Live at Sundilla. According to his website, Dave was born and raised out west in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains and then one day he stumbled across Auburn, Alabama, well I’ll let him tell it:
[audio:http://www.memyselfmusicandmysteries.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Dave-Potts-One-Night-in-the-South-21.mp3|titles=Dave Potts – One Night in the South-2]
Anyway this sums up Dave Potts music pretty well – from his website – Dave is a:
Vivid story-teller, accomplished guitarist, and gripping entertainer with a smooth, flannel voice, Dave Potts is indeed many things. As his t-shirts wryly proclaim, Dave is “Always in style, breathtakingly handsome, He’s good folk.”read more
So for the last two weeks the pain in the upper left leg seems to be getting better and then I try to run and well “discretion is the better part of valor” and I decide not to run. Well this afternoon throughout the afternoon my leg seemed really good, so after work I decided to run. Well the pain was there, but it wasn’t really the same and it was bearable so I decided to take it slow and run for 30 minutes or so and I made it, I ran at a 10:40 mile pace but at least I did it! Now while my leg is a little sore it’s really no worse than before the run, so tomorrow should tell a lot!read more
The other day I wrote that Joni’s Mitchell’s music was influenced by the beauty and grandeur of her native Canada, We also heard Jack Williams sing about his southern home cooking.
Now it’s time to hear about my home state from New Jersey native John Gorka! And like John, when I lived in Florida and Georgia, I would always say NO! We don’t all talk like that, it’s JeRsey, there’s an R in the name!!
Jersey is a divided state the people from the northern part of the state identify with New York. They root for Yankees and Giants or the Jets and the Mets, The folks from the southern part of the state identify with the correct city Philadelphia. And love those Eagles and the Phillies!!read more
So when we went out tonight for a quick trip to Home Goods, I noticed that “Fingernail” moon and my thoughts immediately went to one of my favorite singer-songwriters Mark Erelli and his song “Compass and Companion” that goes like this: (that’s Kelly Willis helping with the vocals)
“[audio:http://www.memyselfmusicandmysteries.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Compass-Companion-Clip.mp3|titles=Compass & Companion Clip] Out here on this road just after midnight Silver sickle rising in the east I’m steady on the wheel But I know just how you feel So just lean back and try to catch some sleepread more
For the ride home yesterday, I switched genres and went to Folk and Americana and listened first, to Gene and Gayla Mills’s album If Stones Could Talk and then to a little Gurf Morlix. If Stones Could Talkis the first album billed as a duo, but is Gene’s second album. The album has received rave reviews for around the Folk and Americana world and has appeared on the following charts!
#5 album on the Roots Music Folk Chart (Dec 11-Jan 12)< #11 album on the Folk DJ chart (Aug 2011) #9 Song “Talking to a Stone” on the Folk DJ chart (Aug 2011 #18 Artists Gene and Gayla Mills on the Folk DJ chartread more
Here’s the title track from Carrie Newcomer’s new album Everything is Everywhere. I haven’t listened to this album a lot but I do like this song it speaks to the season “Peace on Earth, Goodwill to all Men…….Everywhere!
There were lentils, rice and hot-spiced tea,
The sunset on the Arabian Sea,
Women swayed in yellows, blues and greens,
The finest thing I’ve seen.
There’s rhythm to the rains they come and go,
I heard Bollywood and Dylan on the radio,
The driver’s quoting Sufi poetry,
There’s ribbons tied around the trees.
Would it be so wrong, could it be that bad,
To hope for a little more happy than sad?
This is more that I can hold or bare,
Cause everything is everywhere.
On Saturdays in Indiana,
There’s a farmer’s market in my town,
There’s always music, kids and corn and beans,
The finest thing that I’ve ever seen.
When I was troubled a good friend stopped by,
She brought some soup and then she sat awhile,
Love is love it’s here and there,
Everything is everywhere.
Would it be so wrong, could it be that bad,
To hope for a little more happy than sad?
This is more that I can hold or bare,
Cause everything is everywhere.
There is still so much work to do,
Armloads of sorrow yes, this is true,
But I take heart when I despair,
Miracles are everywhere
I like sweet salt, soda lime,
I love the patterns of flowers and vines,
From the train I watch the new moon rise,
The reflection of my grateful eyes. Would it be so wrong, could it be that bad,
To hope for a little more happy than sad?
This is more that I can hold or bare,
Cause everything is everywhere.read more
James Keelaghan is one of those artist whose music I love that often gets lost in the shuffle. His most recent album House of Cards was released way back in 2009 and for the longest time was not available on Rhapsody or Napster. Well the other day I found the album on Rhapsody and James has another winner!! Keelaghan is another of my many Canadian favorites. He was born in Calgery, but now calls Winnipeg home. He is a Juno Award winner and many of his songs have an historical base. “Kiri’s Piano” is about the internment of Japanese Canadians, while “October 70” is about the FLQ crisis, are inspired by events and figures in Canadian history. But some like, “Cold Missouri Waters”, have a US locale, which is about the Mann Gulch fire of 1949 in Montana. For me Keelaghan is an all round artist with a great baritone voice, a good guitarist, and most of all a great story-song writer. I love his soon “Number 37” a great song about a girl and her horse at a rodeo race.read more
Ok so I was going to write a nice long post about a new folk artist that I discovered about a week ago Caleb Stine, then came the NFL Draft and somehow my night has slipped by and the Eagles still haven’t picked! Anyway Stine’s album I Wasn’t Built for this Life has been playing a lot on the iPod and each time I listen “I like the album more! Stine from Baltimore is a great crafter of song spinning tales of life. From his website: Honest Tune Magazine says that Stine’s music lays,read more
So the other night I ordered my tickets to go to see Jesse Wnchester at The Tin Angel here in Philly. I’ve been a fan of Jesse’s music since my wife introduced his music to me in the early 70’s. “Yankee Lady” was the first song see loved. Through the years she hasn’t listened to Jesse as much as I have, but I think we’re both going to love the show! So to get ready tonight I’ve been listening to a block of Jesse’s music. Right now “Mississippi, You’re On My Mind” probably my all time favorite song of Jesse’s and one that I think captures a “sense of place” better than almost any song, is on!! In the block I listened to songs from: Gentleman of Leisure: “Club Manhatten”, and “Freewheeler”, and “No Pride at All”, Learn to Love It “Pharoah’s Army” and “Mississippi, You’re on My Mind” Humour Me: “They Just Can’t Help Themselves”, Sweet Loving Daddy” and from his latest album Love Filling Station Jesse’s great cover of Sam Cooke’s “Stand By Man”, “Wear Me Out”, and “Eulalie”. What I’ve discovered is that I’ve never met a Jesse song I didn’t like, I just like some songs more than others!read more
So one of the albums that I’ve been listening to over the last several days is johnsmith’s sixth album Gravity of Grace. Now johnsmith is another of those great artist unknown to me! I’ve seen his name over the last year on several charts and the album is currently number 42 on the Roots Music Report Folk Chart and once again shame on me! I really have enjoyed this album more on every listen. Great voice and great lyrics and the folks at Kerrville, Telluride, Rocky Mountain Folks, and Falcon Ridge folk festivals already know that because John has won numerous songwriting awards at those Festivals. The album was co-produced with Tom Prasada-Rao,(another artist who I’ve recently heard in the Village on XM Radio’s rotation) and was recorded in Dallas, TX, A bunch of my artists that I enjoy and have written about helped out on the album folks like: Tim O’Brien,Darrell Scott, Jonathan Byrd, and Jimmy LaFave. In addition Tom Prasada-Rao, Jagoda, Radoslav Lorkorvic, and Ray Bonneville (whose song “Run Juliene,Run” I know from Slaid Cleaves cover of the song) From his website:read more
So this morning I had to go to the store and get some food, before my daughter started complaining again about lack of food in the house. So I put the iPod on the new Dave Potts’ album Live at Sundilla. According to his website, Dave was born and raised out west in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains and then one day he stumbled across Auburn, Alabama, well I’ll let him tell it:
