
This what your redneck neighbor's back yard will look like on Thanksgiving Editor's Note: In the interest of preserving the environment this holiday season, we are recycling some old blog posts. Don't worry - most of the links work. Are you gonna deep fry a turkey this Thanksgiving? Put the fire department on speed dial - especially if you're gonna be hoisting a few. Actually I do have some experience with this, and I will attest that the first and most important step in deep frying [...]
MARY GAUTHIER AND LORA MCKENNA ON SATURDAY SEP. 17TH AT MCCABE'S GUITAR SHOP, 3101 PICO BOULEVARD, SANTA MONICA. 10:00PM/ $24.50/ ALL AGES

Dan Zanes: Wonderwheel [ purchase ] I went to a weekend fair met someone while I was there we put flowers in our hair and rode the wonderwheel... It sure sounds like a carnival, thanks to a rollicking accordion, a bouncy beat, and a subtle surfer's acoustic groove. And that's the point, for sure: after all, Dan Zanes is a master of the seemingly-casual kidsong, when in actuality, every note and tone is designed to add to the perfect festive mood, the [...]

So, five go camping. Well, not quite yet; we do need a tent first – or at least one that fits us all. The last time I went camping was with MM's predecessor. Two nights in the Black Mountains of Wales in torrential rain. We awoke in water. That cured any affection I had towards life under canvas, and to him. Still, life moves on. I'm quite looking forward to a different sort of camping with the sprats. All previous excursions were (quite rightly) centred around music, namely festivals. Speaking of which, I was returning from a day [...]
A collection of Alt Country stalwarts come together for a laid-back tribute to the Rolling Stones with 'Paint It Black.'

It's shaping up to be Tributes and Cover Compilations week here at Cover Lay Down, thanks to a wave of strong cover albums coming over the dam in the next few weeks. Today, we kick off our take on this delightful collection of new and impending coverage early with a look at the newest in Rolling Stones tributes - including two exclusive tracks never before heard outside the studio. Tribute producer Jim Sampas, whose stellar indie covers collection Subterranean Homesick [...]

Kelley McRae is a singer/songwriter who draws heavily from the same school of sound as Regina Spektor. She is from Mississippi and technically calls Brooklyn home these days although you're more likely to find her on the road in her VW van touring from town-to-town in support of her musical exploits – specifically her most recent album Highrises In Brooklyn . The album was more or less self-released and you grab it in exchange for an email address from her website. Her music sets the scene perfectly for any New York coffee shop or for a fireplace in [...]
Carrie Rodriguez, Mary Gauthier and Erin McKeown Tuesday, February 15, 2011 Knuckleheads The Acoustic Café Tour - a study in female singer-songwriters - stopped by Kansas City last night, and i... Continue reading "Carrie Rodriguez, Mary Gauthier and Erin McKeown sweeten the Valentine's Day hangover at Knuckleheads" >

News of a companion release to a favourite album of 2010, Mary Gauthier has released a ten-track album on CD or download , cut and paste from the promo email. A few years into writing the songs that were to become The Foundling album, I flew up to Toronto to play them for Michel Timmins from Cowboy Junkies, to see if he'd consider producing when the time came to make my next record. Great producers roll tape all the time to capture everything that happens in [...]

( Sad Songs & Waltzes is a recurring feature on Muzzle of Bees, where artists share their favorite sad songs. Previous contributors include Megafaun , Delta Spirit , Damien Jurado , Conrad Plymouth , Frontier Ruckus , Ben Weaver , and Roadside Graves .) I've spent the winter thus far with my ears wrapped around Dolorean's forthcoming Partisan Records release, The Unfazed . It's brought warmth courtesy of the heartbreaking vocals delivered by Al James. I firmly believe anyone [...]

#18 - Raucous Americanus by Tim Lee 3 The city of Knoxville produced some pretty astounding music this year. That's why I'm a little surprised that this two disc release from Tim Lee 3 is the only local album on this year's list (apologies are due to Sam Quinn , R.B. Morris , Mic Harrison , Greg Horne , and Karen Reynolds among others). Tim Lee is not a native Knoxvillian. His roots reach further south where [...]
Here we are! Finally! Day 12 of the 12 day of Christmas MP3's for 2010. I'm gonna take my daughters out this weekend to do some Christmas shopping for the Mrs. provided the weather cooperates. And at some point we'll start listening to Christmas music non-stop here in the house, I'm guessing next Wednesday (or so). We've got plenty to choose from. For now, you've got the songs below or to the songs from Day 1 , Day 2 , Day 3 , Day 4 , Day 5 , Day 6 , [...]

An artist who's appeared a few times this year on the blog is Mary Gauthier who made a big impression this year with her album The Foundling , it makes an appearance on Uncut's top twenty Americana albums of 2010 and is sure to feature on many more best of 2010 lists too. Here's a trio of tracks from a BBC appearance earlier this year featuring tracks from the album. Mama Here, Mama Gone Sweet Words The Foundling The [...]

This what your redneck neighbor's back yard will look like on Thanksgiving Are you gonna deep fry a turkey this Thanksgiving? Put the fire department on speed dial - especially if you're gonna be hoisting a few. Actually I do have some experience with this, and I will attest that the first and most important step in deep frying a turkey is getting oneself properly hydrated with your favorite beer. I can't really remember when I first saw my crazy Louisiana relatives frying a turkey. It may have been in the 1980s some time; [...]

Hey There, Merry Christmas. It's that time again, time to spread a little holiday cheer (I'm even getting requests for this mix). Here's my (anti) Christmas mix. A bunch of these songs are borderline sacrilegious and others are only just a little bitter (and who can blame them this time of year). There are some real gems in here though and I hope you enjoy them with your family sitting around the fire while decorating your tree. Cheers, Craig P.S. Here's the first new Christmas song from 2010 that is [...]

Mary Gauthier Premieres YouTube Concert Series Mary Gauthier celebrates National Adoption Month YouTube virtual concert series based on acclaimed new album The Foundling In celebration of National Adoption Month , acclaimed singer and adoptee Mary Gauthier will premiere a series of performance videos throughout the month of November on The Foundling YouTube Channel . Buy CDs, MP3s, more: [...]
Brilliant Elizabeth Cook interview and session @ American Songwriter including this Another from Elizabeth, any excuse to post it, live version of Sunday Morning. Elizabeth Cook - Sunday Morning Amelia Curran and Mary Gauthier from Music Fog Samantha Crain from hear ya Session <a

Here's a great video of Mary Gauthier with Tania Elizabeth performing the title track from her personal opus The Foundling released earlier this year - the video was shot at Joe's Pub New york where Mary performed the complete album recently. "the songs tell the story of a kid abandoned at birth who spent a year in an orphanage and was adopted, who ran way from the adopted home and ended up in show business, who searched for birth parents late in life and found one and was rejected, and who came through the [...]

b3sci MIXTAPES : the blahblahradar hit sensory overload this last week with so many great breaking, present and kinda/sorta/recent-past tracks that we decided a new mixtape was no doubt in order. and so we present this hand picked collection of choice cuts, ripe for a fine August listening. WE GO OFF! get blahblahmixtape here 01. Arcade Fire - Modern Man 02. Machine Drum - Carry The Weight 03. [...]

This is a sad story. But like all sad stories, this one turns into something great. Mary Gauthier is a New Orleans based singer songwriter whose newst album, The Foundling , is based on the struggles of her own life. "I was born to an unwed mother in 1962 and subsequently surrendered to St. Vincent's Women and Infants Asylum on Magazine Street in New Orleans, where I spent my first year. I was adopted shortly thereafter but left my adopted family at fifteen. I wandered for years looking for, but [...]