= This is the final post on the Old Blue Bus. = A New Year is upon us. The fresh calendar on the wall holds promise for a better year. Here on the Bus, the new year brings a long awaited change. In the coming weeks we will be moving to our new homestead. Our new home and acreage is located on a hilltop, surrounded by hardwood forest and just a quarter mile off the paved road. Several acres are cleared and awaiting spring [...]
"We in America do not have government by the majority. We have government by the majority who participate." - Thomas Jefferson Woody Guthrie - This Land Is Your Land.mp3 Phil Ochs - Power And The Glory.mp3 John McCutcheon - Our Flag Was Still There.mp3
Young ghosts and ghouls will be making the rounds from door to door tonight seeking sweet rewards for their frightful efforts. Once again, it is time for telling ghost stories around a flickering campfire or visiting the local mega-plex to be scarred senseless by Hollywood's latest slasher movie sequel. When our children were young my wife would accompany the little goblins on their quest for sugary treasure on Halloween, while I remained at home to dole out the candy. I would keep the lights low while the eerie pipe organ of Bach's "Toccata and Fugue in D [...]
Because of the trouble caused by the recent trojan attack on the server here, I've really fallen behind in posting new releases that have arrived at the Bus. I will be trying to catch up over the next few weeks. Photo: Kate Chapple I got a note from Franc Cinelli of Goodtimes Goodtimes several weeks ago. He wants the riders on the Bus to know he is working on a new album and starting a new tour. He's sent along a couple of songs [...]
From the beginning, the bend in the mighty Mississippi river known as New Orleans has been a place of trade and inter-cultural exchange. The Zydepunks take this intermingling of cultures to an extreme. The Zydepunks are "New Orleans' favorite Cajun Irish Breton Klezmer Slavic Zydeco Punk band." Eve Venema and Juan Kuffner met while street-performing in the French Quarter with a clown on a unicycle and a white rapper supposedly on the run from the FBI. Originally from Ecuador, Juan Kuffner (accordion, accordion bass, fiddle, vocals) was able to speak four languages by the time he was 12 [...]
photo by Sandlin Gaither Ashville, North Carolina's Mad Tea Party is the out-of-the-ordinary combination of a fresh blend of musical styles and under-appreciated instruments. Ami Worthen (vocals, ukulele, guitar) and Jason Krekel (vocals, guitar, fiddle, foot drums) conspire to creat the upbeat music they describe as a blend of Uke-abilly, Retro-Pop, and Rock 'n' Roll. With less than one month to go before Election Day, Asheville's Mad Tea Party are making their 2004 tune "Baby, It's Time To Vote" available for free download. Mad Tea Party - Baby [...]
"Somewhere between Spicewood TX and Franklin TN lies the mythical state of Texasee " proclaims Luke Powers. Musically, Texasee lies somewhere between Austin and Nashville, down some dusty road. Once again Luke Powers has crafted a CD of story songs meant to provoke thought and wonder at alternative possibilities. Those alternative possibilities are central to the unique vision of our world as seen by Luke Powers. Of Luke's previous release, Picture Book , I wrote: "During the day, Luke Powers is an English Professor at Tennessee State University with [...]
Florida Banjo is the latest CD from one of our favorite old-time banjo players. Mary Z. Cox has introduced the art of pre-Scruggs style banjo to an entire generation. Through her workshops and classes she has unleashed a vibrant community of old-time banjo and dulcimer players on a musical world that had all but forgotten the beauty of clawhammer style banjo. As usual, Mary has also provided tabulature for the songs on Florida Banjo available as a book for aspiring banjo players. The fifteen songs on Florida Banjo not only showcase one [...]
I'm happy to report that the restoration of my infected hard drive was (nearly) a complete success. I haven't done a complete inventory yet, but it appears that only a small number of audio files were lost. Fortunately, the ones I have found so far that were unrecoverable were made from records in my personal collection and can be duplicated. All of my photographs and personal files were recovered as well. On the down side, all of the emails I have received in the past month are lost as well as my address book. Those can be recreated. [...]
While the Bus is in for service I've got some extra time for one of my favorite pastimes. This is a perfect opportunity to visit your local library and read a good book. From the American Library Association – "Banned Books Week: Celebrating the Freedom to Read is observed during the last week of September each year. Observed since 1982, this annual ALA event reminds Americans not to take this precious democratic freedom for granted. This year, 2008, marks BBW's 27th anniversary (September 27 through October 4). BBW celebrates the freedom to choose [...]
The server on the Bus has been infested with a tenacious virus leaving me unable to post. I have spent many hours trying to exterminate this bug with no success. The only option remaining is to wipe the drives and start fresh. Unfortunately, many files important to me have been lost, including a large collection of music, all photographs, and all email received in the past two weeks. Most of the music library on the Bus (over 500 GB) is stored on an external drive and backed up on the now tainted computer. I am [...]
Beer stained floorboards, trailer parks, prostitutes, and hard luck are the world of Grayson Capps. His hard driving blend of Southern soul, country blues, and back country stomp was dubbed "Rott 'N' Roll" by his fans in New Orleans and is the title of his fourth album. Grayson Capps is an articulate and insightful writer. A poet-laureate of the underclass. Born and raised in south Alabama, Capps was first introduced to music while his father and friends sat around drinking, telling stories, and playing and singing the classic songs of Hank Williams, Woody Guthrie, Tom T. [...]
Eight years ago, George W. Bush was nominated as the GOP's candidate for president of the United States. Here are some excerpts from his acceptance speech at the 2000 Republican National Convention. "This is a remarkable moment in the life of our nation. Never has the promise of prosperity been so vivid… America has a strong economy and a surplus. .. We will strengthen Social Security and Medicare for the greatest generation and for generations to come… We will set [Medicare] on firm financial ground and make prescription drugs available and affordable [...]
Rae Spoon is a transgender folk/indie singer/songwriter from Calgary, Alberta who describes his own brand of music as "cowboy-folk that's armed to the teeth with punk rock attitude." Rae Spoon made his entrance into the music world at the age of twenty as one of the world's only transgender (born female, now identifies as male) country singers. Spoon has toured Canada, Europe, Australia and the USA and performed with an impressive list of artists, including The Be Good Tanyas, Annabelle Chvostek (of the Wailin' Jennys), Melissa Ferrick, Natalie Merchant and Earl Scruggs. Spoon has also been featured [...]
Johnny Flynn is a Shakespearean actor turned modern troubadour. The music is a blending of American and English folk traditions with the polish of pop. YouTube Video: Johnny Flynn - "The Box" For more information and three streaming songs from A Larum , see his interview on NPR's "All things Considered" here . Johnny Flynn will be bringing his troubadour stylings to North American audiences for his first domestic tour which he'll be co-headlining with fellow Brit and Mercury Prize-nominated artist Laura Marling. To commemorate the tour, [...]
The music of Bob Dylan provided the soundtrack for an entire generation. Tell Tale Signs is the 8th installment in the best-selling and critically lauded Bootleg Series which launched 1991. This two CD boxed set will be released by Columbia Records on Tuesday, October 7 and will also be available as a limited edition four LP boxed set. Both box sets include a 60 page booklet with rare photos, essay, and original credits. Tell Tale Signs features 27 previously unreleased recordings and alternate versions of tracks from sessions which generated some of [...]
This third release from Jim Boggia may well be the consummate power-pop record I have ever heard. Granted, I do not normally listen to pop, much less feature it here on the Bus. But the proficiency with which Boggia presents his craft crosses the musical walls that many of us erect. To be sure Misadventures in Stereo is filled with the smooth harmonies and emotion-grabbing hooks that define the genre, and Jim Boggia uses these delineating characteristics in a smooth, coherent manner that is especially satisfying. Now, I am not a regular listener to pop [...]
This fall is shaping up to be a great festival season. Thanks to all who wrote to let me know of festivals that I had neglected to include in the Fall Festival List. Our friend and frequent rider, John, reminded us of the Fox Valley Festival. Although I missed the festival, John took some great photos, check them out (link is in the comments to the original post.) Looks like a great time. A very good friend from the Ozarks wrote to tell of a few festivals down his way. When I saw his note [...]
With Labor/Labour Day weekend just a few short days away, it's time to plan your visits to a few of the splendid Fall festivals. Labor Day may be the symbolic end of the summer vacation season, but it also ushers in the much awaited Fall festival season. The days will soon be cooler and just right for sprawling out on a blanket in the grass and enjoying some good food and drink and some great music. Mark your calendars, get out and hear some live music. As always, if I missed your favorite festival, leave a [...]
Old Blue Bus
Miike Snow – Paddling Out (Jacques Lu Cont Remix)
Beyonce Introduces Blue Ivy Carter On Tumblr (Photos)
