Blog: Setting The Woods On Fire

One of my happiest musical finds of this year has been the Austin, Texas indie-rock band Peel and their self-titled album. It's hooky pop/rock with a bit of a reckless edge. I hear some Pavement and Pixies influences in there. Anyway, it's good stuff well worth a listen. They don't hold anything back on these two tracks: Sliding Doors (mp3) Oxford (mp3) There isn't a whole lot to read about Peel on the Internet , which surprises me considering [...]

My kids are three and five years old and I've taught them a lesson that I think will serve them well for the rest of their lives. It goes like this: I ask: What's the best kind of music? They yell: COUNTRY MUSIC! Then I ask: What's the best kind of country music? They yell: TEXAS country music! And we live in Michigan.... So it's kind of hard to figure out how this happened, but who's complaining? Here are three proofs that I'm sending [...]

One night about sixty years ago, a young man rode his bicycle up to the back door of a theater in Los Angeles hoping to meet popular vocalist Nat King Cole. The man was turned away, but left behind an unaddressed envelope for Cole containing the following song: There was a boy, a very strange enchanted boy They say he wandered very far, very far, over land and sea A little shy and sad of eye, but very wise was he. And then one day, a magic day he [...]

One night about sixty years ago, a young man rode his bicycle up to the back door of a theater in Los Angeles hoping to meet popular vocalist Nat King Cole. The man was turned away, but left behind an unaddressed envelope for Cole containing the following song: There was a boy, a very strange enchanted boy They say he wandered very far, very far, over land and sea A little shy and sad of eye, but very wise was he. And then one day, a magic day he [...]

I'm a big fan of the Detroit Tigers. One of my favorite Tiger players from the past was an obscure utility infielder named Jim Walewander. Although he appeared in only 162 major league games over his four year major-league career (i.e., one season for Cal Ripken, Jr.), he had a fairly eventful rookie year in 1987. The back of his 1988 baseball card tells part of the story: "It was Jim's offbeat approach to life that endeared him to his teammates. He became an instant legend in Detroit for his devotion to an obscure punk-rock band [...]

This one's definitely a treat. My five-year-old's favorite song is either "Rocky Top" or " Ghost Town (mp3) " by The Specials, depending on his mood. ( buy album ). If he were old enough to type, I'd ask him to appear as a guest blogger to explain why. Maybe next year... Note: If you explore here (worth the trip), you'll discover that, statistically speaking, Ghost Town is considered by the critics to be the 95th best song of all-time.

Here's another country music post. I guess it's just that time of year. Up here in Michigan its hunting season. That means its almost time for my annual trip up to the north woods with the boys (high school friends, not sons) for a weekend of drinking Wild Turkey liquor, playing poker, eating steak, and telling jokes. (We don't actually hunt.) It's always great fun and it goes especially well with the kind of country music I like--old. This year's trip to the cabin pictured above is just around the bend. I can't wait. Here's a preview of some of [...]

"If it's so, well, let me know, If it's 'no,' well, I can go" - Thirteen The blog is off to a pretty good start, I think. Great comments and some fun interaction with other bloggers. But it's really been a lot of work! Anyway, my real job and family are calling me back to reality now (plus I have a malt wiskey tasting to attend this evening), so I've got to step back from the world of blogging for a few days. Before taking the weekend [...]

Its also legal and it gets you so high.... What I'm talking about, of course, is sangria. One of the best inventions of humankind. Today's assignment is to make yourself some delicious sangria. To get started you need to locate your copy of Jerry Jeff Walker's album "Viva Terlingua!" and spin track 3 repeatedly. In case you don't yet own the whole wonderful record, check this out: Sangria Wine (mp3) ( buy album ). An all-time great. Anyway, Jerry Jeff's recipe (taken from the lyrics of the song) requires mixing the following ingredients in [...]

Here is a blurb from one of my favorite books: "After I drank a little, I went over to the jukebox and put some money in to help pass the time and help take my mind off thoughts of Mildred. They had fourteen Tom T. Hall songs, and I played every one of them. It seemed to put everybody in a good mood. I noticed several people looking at me kindly, as if to say thanks for playing all that Tom T." Larry Brown, Big Bad Love , p 53. I'm in full agreement with [...]

• The Flatlanders - Settin' The Woods On Fire

Are you a fan of Harry Smith's Anthology of American Folk Music? How about the current garage rock scene? Well, if you like both of these styles--anybody?--then you should check out Holly Golightly & the Brokeoffs' new album "You Can't Buy A Gun When You're Crying." It's modern music that feels like it could have been performed a century ago. I like it. Read the AMG review here . Listen to You Can't Buy A Gun (mp3) . ( buy album ). Speaking of the six-disc Harry Smith [...]

Back when we were young, my buddies and I spent way too much time inventing bands for ourselves to join. We would think of a name (usually kind of funny), a lineup, and a highly detailed list of "influences." But we usually never got around to playing a show (or even practicing). Some of these included "Cheeno Vibes and the Blackouts" (beer-drenched post punk) and "Crawfish Pie" (funk/punk/honky-tonk fusion). In that spirit, and to amuse my friends, I plan to occasionally dedicate a post to one of our old bands, real or imagined. Today's edition is about The [...]

One of the best early Bob Dylan tracks is With God On Our Side (mp3) ( buy album ) from his third album, The Times They Are A-Changin' (1964). It's a powerful song. Read the All Music Guide review here . And if you want more early Dylan, there is a great 1962 radio interview (with many songs performed and a few lies told) here . Part of Bob Dylan's genius is knowing when to borrow a good melody or lyric for his own purpose. The musical and lyrical inspiration for With God On [...]

Here are two of my favorite albums from this year, so far: Check out Die Die Die (mp3) ; twangy pop from the North Carolina trio The Avett Brothers . On the album "Emotionalsim." ( buy album ) Check out the song "Heretics" here from Andrew Bird's new album "Armchair Apocrypha." ( buy album )

Well, it looks like the kinks are out and we are ready to go. Speaking of The Kinks, check out this great song: Village Green Preservation Society (mp3) . It's one of my favorites. It's also a good one for this blog because its about "preserving the old," which part of what I'm trying to do here by posting old songs. ( buy album ) UPDATE!: Listen to another superb Kinks song here .

O.K. This one's for the younger kids. Don't be the last person on your block to find out about New York City's The Virgins . It's just good, catchy indie rock. Their new EP will be out later this month. Until it arrives, enjoy the bass line in this track: Rich Girls (mp3) .

What's the purpose of this site? It's just a fun way for me to get the word out about music that I like. I want to help people discover good stuff and learn more about music. For starters, you should check out the song that inspired the name of this blog. From Hank Sr., himself: Settin' the Woods on Fire (mp3) . ( buy album )

ABOUT ME I am a music fan from Michigan. I was born in the mid-1960s. Some of my favorite artists are Hank Williams, Sr., Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday, Frank Sinatra, Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, Buddy Holly, Bob Dylan, The Beach Boys, The Who, The Kinks, Gram Parsons, Big Star, Elvis Costello, The Replacements, Pixies and Beck. I like a lot of modern stuff too, but its too soon to mention them. Ever since I turned 15, I have been searching for more good music to enjoy. Sometimes this search has taken a back seat [...]