One of my favorite people in the world, Steve Martin , is putting out an album of his idiosyncratic banjo picking on January 27, 2009 as a three-month Amazon exclusive. Martin's been playing banjo since he was 17, and he's been on Letterman a few times strutting his stuff with Earl Scruggs and other bluegrass luminaries. The new record is called The Crow: New Songs For the Five-String Banjo and features: 15 original Martin compositions recorded with guests such as Dolly Parton, Vince Gill, Mary Black, Earl [...]
![Just How Wild And Crazy Is Steve Martin's Banjo Technique? [Celebrity Music Watch]](http://cdn.elbo.ws/posts/1449102_lg.jpg)
We can find out later this month, when the comic/author/banjo player/multiple Grammy winner releases an album of original banjo songs called The Crow: New Songs For The Five-String Banjo . Appearing on the record: Dolly Parton, Earl Scruggs (with whom Martin has previously collaborated ), and Eugene Levy (on piano!). What with Rick Moranis also dabbling in the genre , is the time right for a bluegrass tribute to Little Shop Of Horrors ? Or, hell, My Blue Heaven ? [ USA Today ]

The 2008 festival season isn't quite in the books yet, but you can start planning your '09 thanks to the folks at Goldenvoice. The California-based promoters behind Coachella have confirmed the world-renowned festie will return to the Empire Polo Club in Indio, CA from April 17 - 19. Goldenvoice also revealed that its country music [...] The 2008 festival season isn't quite in the books yet, but you can start planning your '09 thanks to the folks at Goldenvoice. The California-based promoters behind Coachella have confirmed the world-renowned festie will return to the Empire Polo Club [...]
MUSIC NEWS - Comedian, actor, writer, banjo player, Steve Martin has recently completed recording a serious banjo music album. It was produced by by fellow banjo man John McCuen ( Nitty Gritty Dirt Band ), with help from Tony Trischka and Pete Wernick. Also playing were Russ Barenberg on guitar, Matt Flinner on mandolin and Brittany Haas on fiddle, among others. The sessions included brand new Martin compositions, performed in both the three finger and clawhammer styles (you pickers understand !). No word on which label will release, or when it may be availalbe [...]

sometimes we forget just how funny steve martin is, was, can be. dead men don't wear plaid , a noir satire that integrates footage of some the genre's venerables, reminded us again recently, and that led us to dig up his first album, let's get small , winner of the best comedy album grammy in 1978 and recorded live at the boardinghouse here in san francisco. the set includes a couple of famous - and rather hilarious - bits (including the opening joke of the the jerk ) and a fair [...]
dewey cox & the hard walkers are playing a sold out show in town tonight, not sure if they'll bust out anything from it's a cox christmas! , but if that's the kind of music you want to hear, check out our third holiday mix which includes tracks by the staple singers, clarence carter, rotary connection ("don't forget chicago") & harry nilsson...hope you like it. download: the leather canary xmas mix #3.zip 01. jesse malin - xmas [...]

I'm not sure what to make of this announcement . As a studio album, it would have been the pinnacle of conceited folly, but as a radio special, it's a matter of fatuous inevitability. What has been revealed of the line up so far doesn't instill me with a lot of confidence, just the anticipation that the end results will be overly reverent takes garnished with a side of ego tripping. (Travis' major claim to fame, at least as far as I've seen referenced outside the rarified realm of the music press, was their mimeographed copy of "Getting Better" [...]
Back in my Athens days, while attending the University of Georgia, I worked at a little record store in the middle of downtown on Clayton street. Of the many artists/albums I was turned onto via the staff and customers, the one that stands out most in my mind is the classic 1978 Steve Martin [...]

Probably my most favorite actor/singer/novelist/playwrig ht/screenwriter/director of all time. Dentist Song King Tut Listen ~ The Hype Machine Learn ~ IMDb Buy Speaking of actors... if you want to know The Duke's real name and/or read something he wrote for the Philly City Paper head over here . Actors ~ Minnie Driver ~ William Shatner ~ TV ~ Peter [...]
This month is just flying by, isn't it? It seems like just yesterday that I had all my money in my bank account and my sanity intact. The holiday season seems to deplete those resources faster than my 6 year old nephew changes hobbies (making gift buying that much more of a nightmare. . . "Do you still like superheroes? Dinosaurs? Baseball?"). There's no question that Christmas is my favorite holiday, but there are still so many things that bother me. I'm not going to go into them here, because when it comes to [...]
Yes, they're ubiquitous on blogs these days, but there are so many Christmas songs out there that I can't help the urge to add a post myself. To be fair, I did my best to limit it to songs that haven't shown up elsewhere so at least you can get something a little bit different. The Christians and the Pagans - Dar Williams Sure Don't Feel Like Christmas - The Mighty Mighty Bosstones The Christmas Song - The Raveonettes Christmas at the Zoo [...]

Laughter - does anybody remember laughter? Enjoy these comedy bits/songs; they're some of my faves from eras gone by. You Went The Wrong Way Old King Louie - Allan Sherman 2000 Year Old Man - Carl Reiner & Mel Brooks Seven Words You Can Never Say On Television - George Carlin Grandmother's Song - Steve Martin [...]