Maria Muldaur – Garden Of Joy (CD)

The subtitle on this CD is "Good Time Music for Hard Times," and fits perfectly. Jug bands were popular during what is lovingly called by the history books as the ‘great’ depression. I imagine our current days will be known in the history books as the ‘marvelous’ or ‘sweet’ depression. Some rich people are getting very very rich from our future taxes, while members of each of our families lose their houses. At least we have some fun music to make life worthwhile & worth singing about even while we search for a method of being sure food stays on the table. In case you’re wondering, there’s not one turkey on the CD! Total value for your bucks. Maria Muldaur

Wynton Marsalis - Christmas Jazz Jam (CD)

Prepping my Turkey this morning was a great joy with the joyous New Orleans spices added by this great band. Many points of joyous laughter caused by the tremendous virtuosity creates the best holiday CD I’ve heard this year.

Wynton Marsalis - Christmas Jazz Jam

Songs Your Earbuds Will Love

Between the Woodstock parties and the Beatles celebrations, it is very difficult to listen to new music and find very much melodically or poetically interesting. What follows are the exceptions – songs you should be hearing:

Flight of the Conchords - Friends
Mason Jennings - Ain't No Friend Of Mine
Jamie T - Spider's Web
Grant Lee Phillips – Seal It With A Kiss
The Robert Cray Band - Forever Goodbye
John Mayall - That Good Old Rockin' Blues
Lord Newborn and The Magic Skulls – L.I.V.E.
Bon Jovi - We Weren’t Born To Follow
Reverend Horton Heat - Oh By Jingol
Phish – Kill Devil Falls

Neil Diamond: Hot August Night/NYC (DVD)

I’m intrigued by this for a lot of reasons. Sony mailed it so it would arrive here in September. So, it’s obvious they’re not out to exploit the title of the disk, even though it was recorded in August 2008. Plenty of time to prepare it for summer ’09 release. But, no sweat, we’re all about the music here. I learned a lot watching this DVD – it’s hard to even think about being a band member not allowed to explore or get involved in pushing the limits of the music – yet Neil has managed to hang onto his band members for 30 years! That’s saying something. The video was willing to show all the young fans, as well as the hundreds of 50+ aged fans – but my absolute favorite may have been something I dreamed – the little old lady 90+ with white hair boogying her butt off. The music was well performed, but predictable. I imagine that’s what Neil Diamond’s fans are looking for, so he gave it to them. I don’t regret watching the show – after all, once upon a time I was a huge fan. He still sounds good, and managed to put on a two hour show without breaking a sweat. That’s not bad for a hot august night beneath the hot lights where a mere mortal would be able to hear his sweat. Neil Diamond

John Lefebvre – Our Town

A very cool song about how the media warps our view of reality. The school I work at allows us to visualize that warp. Remember how we used to walk about ¼ mile to our neighborhood school? No longer true. Parents will drive as little as a block to drop off and pick up their kids from school for fear of the child stealer. No children have ever been stolen in our small community, but the fear is ever-present. Want more? Well, try walking around a neighborhood between 4 & 6 in the evening. Or try a Saturday morning or afternoon. Kids used to play outside for hours. No longer. Same fear – learned from the TV. The video for this song portrays it with great parodic skill. Shoutouts for Independence Day, Mr. Bully Boy, and Love Comes Around.

John has decided to give away his music. When you get to his site by clicking on his name below,,push on the round white button on the jukebox twice - once to grow the jukebox, and once to open the download screen.

John Lefebvre

Woodbrain - Port Chicago Highway

Rock and roll blues with guitars and harp playing swirling in loving circles wake this week up and end this month with a highway song that blasts the stage into another dimension. The party continues with full-bore power with another rocker called Northbound. These guys have got to be a blast to see live - it’s great that they managed to capture so much energy in the studio.
Woodbrain

Wild Roses On A Sunday Afternoon

Willie Nelson - Superman
Aswad – What Is Love b/w Calling
Cookin on 3 Burners - Push It Up b/w Four N Twenty
Mark Knopfler - You Can't Beat The House
Smokey Robinson - Please Don't Take Your Love b/w Whatcha Gonna Do?
Mi And L'au - Bingo
Magnolia Electric Company - Little Sad Eyes
Olivia Broadfield - Don't Cry
Jessie James – Blue Jeans b/w Psycho Girlfriend
The Black Crowes – What Is Home
Hope Sandoval – Wild Roses

Easy Contest - Sleepers Awake

The first two people to send me an email asking for Char Butler's new CD will recieve a code provided by Char to download her new CD, Sleepers Awake. The CD features harmony vocals with her daughter, Amber Whitworth. ***BOTH CDS WERE CLAIMED*** Thanks!