Though our archives remain in limbo after our recent server troubles , new works and projects from artists previously celebrated here on Cover Lay Down continue to spring forth into the ether and into our ears. Today, we add to the growing canon of delights with news of ongoing and newly-released projects from several yesteryear favorites, starting with an exclusive label-approved stream from Tift Merritt and Simone Dinnerstein's classical-meets-folk collaboration Night. The lush, layered take on gospel tune Swing Low, Sweet Chariot from North Carolina-bred/NYC-based singer-songwriter [...]
As noted on our Donate page , here at Cover Lay Down we insist on remaining ad-free and non-profit - the better to focus our attention and your support on those artists we tout week in and week out, thus making it possible for them to keep their hands and voices in the game full-time, for the benefit of all. But making and reinforcing connections between musicians and the community they serve isn't free. The amount of bandwidth it takes to serve our growing readership runs well over a terabyte of data [...]
Musical visionary Bill Monroe, who got his start alongside brothers Charlie and Birch in the depths of the great depression, and subsequently performed as a solo act and bandleader for over sixty years until his death in 1996, was not just the father of the music we call bluegrass; he was its most prolific writer and disseminator. As composer and arranger, he created or recreated hundreds of songs; as progenitor, he found, groomed, and composed and performed alongside 161 Blue Grass Boys in a half century before sending them back out into the world to spread the gospel. [...]
Well-covered in popular culture and over at classic songs collaborative Star Maker Machine , John Hartford never made the splash he could and should have as a performer, in part because Glen Campbell's Grammy-winning cover of Gentle On My Mind sold so well, the cash flow gave Hartford license to chuck it all in and pursue his true passion - as a steamboat captain on his beloved Mississippi River. But the man I once heard referred to as "the clown prince of old-time" kept coming back to the music, [...]
Enough of the metaposts and navel gazing. As a triumphant return to normalcy here in our new home at Cover Lay Down, today we return to one of our favorite exploratory lenses: the covered songbook, as interpreted by a full set of artists from a wide swath of the folkworld who have been inspired by their contemporaries and musical forebears. Ladies and gentlemen: the songs of The Band. Being of a certain middle age means having first experienced The Band in my most [...]
Live from Down Home: King Wilkie and The Jones Street Boys Thursday, November 06, 2008 at 8:00pm EDT Live From Down Home brings you an evening of Americana music, with King Wilkie and The Jones Street Boys. Live From Home: Fran Healy of Travis Friday, November 07, 2008 at 7:30pm EDT A special benefit concert with Fran Healy of Travis & and The Bowmans! Live From Home with Drew Daniel of Matmos Saturday, November 15, [...]
above: pre-sunset view of the Gowanus Canal from The Yard. This past Friday night Brooklyn Based , Sweet Deliverance , and EAR FARM put together a show billed as the Big Brooklyn Pig Roast and Harvest Hoedown. It was also a celebration of EAR FARM's 3rd Anniversary and we booked three of our favorite Brooklyn roots rockers to ring in our fourth year with us and the sold out audience at The Yard in Brooklyn. First up was last week's [...]
Not everyone had as much fun as the kid pictured above did this past Friday night at the Big Brooklyn Pig Roast/EAR FARM 3rd Anniversary Party presented by Brooklyn Based , Sweet Deliverance , and EAR FARM. Let's face it, although the event sold out, it was more or less a disaster. I know it, you know it. Here is a countdown of the top ten things that went horribly wrong this past Friday night at The Yard . #10 - That Smell: the scent of [...]
Can you think of a better way to start off the Jewish New Year? Hosted by Brooklyn Based, Sweet Deliverance , EAR FARM , and The Yard , the first annual Big Brooklyn Pig Roast and Harvest Hoedown is a prelude to the following day’s Harvest Festival at The Yard, and a celebration of all the best the season has to offer. Snuggle up to someone special with a pint of Sixpoint and a plate of pork tacos, roast corn, fresh salsas, greens, [...]
On October 10th EAR FARM will be turning 3 years old! That's right, we've been harvesting music for your ears for three years now. Come celebrate with us and two of our favorite things... tasty barbecue and awesome music! Tickets are STILL AVAILABLE for the food/concert combo... as well, you'll be able to purchase $10 tickets at the door if you just want to come for the music! More details on the show below... - Nothing says harvest like the crackle of hot, crispy pig skin, [...]
On October 10th EAR FARM will be turning 3 years old! That's right, we've been harvesting music for your ears for three years now. Come celebrate with us and two of our favorite things... tasty barbecue and awesome music! But wait! What's this about a "ticket giveaway"?? Well... if the $32 ticket price is a bit steep for you, you're in luck. We're giving away TWO sets of TWO tickets each to TWO lucky people. All you have to do is send us an email (mail -at- earfarm -dot- [...]
On October 10th EAR FARM will be turning 3 years old! That's right, we've been harvesting music for your ears for three years now. Come celebrate with us and two of our favorite things... tasty barbecue and awesome music! - Nothing says harvest like the crackle of hot, crispy pig skin, especially when that skin is covering a 200-lb Berkshire hog, roasted whole over an open barbecue pit by Tom Mylan , Brooklyn's favorite butcher. Hosted by Brooklyn Based , Sweet Deliverance , EAR FARM, and The Yard , the [...]
DC is giving away all sorts of goodies on The Waiting Room this week. In fact, he's giving away all sorts of things that I would rather like to win myself, bar a couple of things which I have already. I was supposed to write this last week, but given it appears I have some sort of Black Belt in Fuckwittery, I managed to miss it by a week. Idiot. Anyhow, all you have to do is listen to last week's episode and email DC with the weight, pounds or kilos, [...]
I got a song off this album from another blog (S:I?) a few months ago and couldn’t stop playing it. That song, “Last Time,” showed the Jones Street Boys as a promising string band willing to incorporate accent instruments such as piano, harmonica, and traps drums. When they sent me their disc last month, I was not disappointed. But their record shows a greater stylistic range than I was
That is The Jones Street Boys. They are five guys from Ohio, Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, and New Jersey. They are also a fresh face on the Americana music scene, mixing elements of traditional country and bluegrass with rock and pop. These boys have it all, terrific harmonies backed by traditional country and bluegrass instruments with an edge. Check out their debut album, Overcome , out now on Smith Street Records . Last Time Tall Buildings Website [...]
I thought that I would change it up a bit and introduce you to a band called The Jones Street Boys. They are a bluegrass band from Brooklyn. Yes, you read that correctly. Bluegrass + Brooklyn = Come Again? Believe it or not, the band mixes bluegrass, folk, and some good old-fashioned southern rock. They will have you tapping your foot and singing their songs in no time. I can't get them out of my head. I had the opportunity to listen to their entire album and I find the album quite fascinating. [...]
Today in Music History: In 1967, The Monkees performed live for the very first time at The Cow Palace, San Francisco to a sell-out crowd. Although Good Rockin' Tonight likes to talk about the older lost gems of rock n roll, every once in a while homercat comes across some new stuff that tickles his ear bone. Most of you know that the cat likes his rock, but rocking out all the time makes homercat a dull boy. So slowing it down once [...]
Brooklyn-based folkgrass band The Jones Street Boys released their first album, Overcome , back in October of 2007; since then, they've raised a couple of eyebrows on the americana and alt-country blogs, but not nearly enough. I heard them for the first time last week, but I'm not afraid to be late for the party when I've got such a great housewarming gift for all those out there who appreciate the No Depression end of modern folk music. At heart, The Jones Street Boys are a bluegrass band; their members [...]
Photo: Brett Favre, NFL.com What a great weekend . Brett Favre and The Pack march on to the Conference Championships, we spend a great Saturday evening out with friends, and finish it up with a Cowboys loss and turkey dinner on Sunday. With Monday just around the corner, we thought we'd rehash some of the tracks that found their way into our inbox the past week. If a week's worth of new listening isn't enough to wet your palate, make sure you drop by [...]
NFL.com I'm currently pretty wrapped up in the Packers-Broncos Monday Night Football game right now, but I wanted to take a minute to pass along some great tracks I received via email from the Planetary Media Group. Check out a few of the tracks below and drop by the Planetary site if you want to know more about the artists. As for me, I'm getting back to the game...and now I've got some music to listen to as well... The Jones Street Boys - [...]
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EAR FARM
Song, by Toad
Postmodern Sounds in Country and Western Music
Visions and Revisions
Atoms 4 Peace
Good Rockin' Tonight
Veritas Lux Mea
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Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros - Better Days
