Song of the day: Buck Griffin

Song of the day (1/2/2011):
Buck Griffin

Heard this song when I downloaded the Swingin' Boogie comp from Uncle Gil the other day. Thought, Damn, I haven't put up a song of the day since October. That's a lot of days. Thought, too, It's a new year, kid, let's get our head on straight and start posting songs again. Then thought, This song's nice and catchy and you should share it.

So here we are with this post. Read more about Buck Griffin, and hey, enjoy the hell out of the tune.

Buck Griffin - Let's Elope Baby (Lin).mp3

Song of the day: Freakwater

Song of the day (10/5/2010):
Freakwater - My Old Drunk Friend

No mp3, but you get a video and these lyrics. You're faring well today, friend.

I should have moved to New York City, but I never was that cool
I just languished in the Midwest like some old romantic fool
And the streetlights shine down on the bottles we have broken
'Till the road is paved with diamonds from a thousand lost love tokens
And my logic just seems more clear with every bottle of beer

Song of the day: Hank Snow

Song of the day (10/4/2010):
Hank Snow - Maple Leaves

There's lots of sleeplessness and general restlessness around this place, what with the new baby and all that comes with it and all.

People say that animals get shoved to the side after babies arrive, but I'm actively fighting against that. I've committed an hour out of each of the last two days to taking the dogs for an hour long walk.

The best thing about our hospital stay (other, you know, than leaving with an awesome baby) is that fall finally really settled in.

So these walks have been great. I have the headphones on and just go. The dogs are beat when we get home.

This Hank Snow is a perfect fall song. Mainly because it's about fall, but also because it sounds like fall. Seasons have a sound, you know.

Even in Canada.

Hank Snow - Maple Leaves.mp3

Song of the day: Lenzie Moss

Song of the day (9/25/2010):
Lenzie Moss - Kelvin British Summertime

Brian told me about Lenzie Moss, pointed me to their bandcamp page, and told me to downloaded their ep. Which I did. All of those things.

Kelvin British Summertime is the better of the two songs. It about the golden age of indie pop (the 80s) in one of the golden cities of indiepop (Glasgow, Scotland).

All adds up to a pretty terrific song!

(Photo by flickr.com/mgallacher)

Lenzie Moss - Kelvin British Summertime.mp3

Song of the day: S.E. Rogie

Song of the day (9/25/2010):
S.E. Rogie - Toomus Meremereh Nor Good

A sleepy love song today by Sierra Leone's King of Palm Wine Guitar Music, S.E. Rogie.

Palm Wine Guitar Music. How can you not love that there's something called that?

Taken from the Africa Dances compilation. Download it at Tonal Bride.

S.E. Rogie - Toomus Meremereh Nor Good.mp3

Song of the day: Swimsuit

Song of the day (9/24/2010):
Swimsuit - Evaporation

I've liked this song since I first heard it a few months, but it really struck me silly (good silly) this afternoon when it came on during the last minutes of my workweek. Immediately, the ticks melted off the clock. It has just the right dose of crash-pop oh yeahness to make the back end of a Friday sufferable.

Swimsuit are fellow Midwesterners, from the funnily-spelled Ypsilanti, Michigan. Fred Thompson from Saturday Looks Good to Me is in the band, though from how I've always felt about that band, that fact would seem more like a bad thing than a good.

But this, I dunno. I really love Swimsuit. So-so band lineage and all.

Skatterbrain! has raved about these guys, and that's who I got this track from. Go to there to learn more about the band. Or just run over to Swimsuit's myspace.

Oh, and this song is from their demo cassette (yeah, I don't get that one either), which you can also download.

Swimsuit - Evaporation.mp3

Song(s) of the day: Piano Bill, Roy Harvey, Charlie Poole

Song(s) of the day (9/18/2010):
Piano Bill, Roy Harvey, Charlie Poole - Milwaukee Blues

For some people, Milwaukee is just one thing: home. For others, especially people from other places, it can be many things:

• A trap
• Utopia
• The worst decision they ever made
• The best decision they ever made
• A giant question mark on the US map
  
• A place they're just passing through
• Somewhere they've moved on from
• A town they miss crazily

These two songs kind of show the gamut.

The Piano Bill version (Piano was from Detroit) is about emigrating to this great place on a great lake for the love of a lady. It's more her he's lusting after than the city, but his heart may melt all over the city itself come stage two.

The other song (performed by both Roy Harvey & Charlie Poole—both are great and I couldn't decide which to post, so I posted both. Poole wrote the song) is about a hobo getting stuck in Milwaukee. And having a miserable time here. He just wants to jump back on the train and make it back out west. But it never happens. Then he dies.

So, Milwaukee: A place where love blooms and hobos die.

Piano Bill - Milwaukee Blues.mp3

Roy Harvey -Milwaukee Blues.mp3

Charlie Poole - Milwaukee Blues.mp3

Riverside Ramblers - Dissatisfied

Song of the day (9/17/2010):
The Riverside Ramblers - Dissatisfied

Nice high energy song with a soaring harmonica and fiddle by this Louisiana group from the 1930s. Nothing like a little bouncy, feel good negativity to kick off the weekend.

Taken from the Black & White Hillbilly Music compilation.

You can also learn more about The Riverside Ramblers (who later became Hackberry Ramblers) & download more over at Western Swing 78.

Riverside Ramblers - Dissatisfied.mp3

Song of the day: Ginny Arnell

Song of the day (9/14/2010):
Ginny Arnell - Look Who's Talkin'

Ginny did a version of Dumb Head back in the early 60s. It's a far inferior to the Sharades version, which I've posted in the past.

Look Who's Talkin' is a far superior effort on Ginny's part. Or anyone's part, really. Mighty fine all around.

Ginny Arnell - Look Whos Talkin.mp3

Song(s) of the day: Ruby Vass, Carter Family, Roscoe Holcomb

Song(s) of the day (9/12/2010):
Ruby Vass, Carter Family, Roscoe Holcomb

Two weeks till baby, baby.

Lots of songs and chore have been happening around here. It's the home stretch, with so many little things to do. It'll be fine. Just fine.

These songs in no way reflect anything that's happening here on the home front. I just wanted to put up Ruby Vass' song and then saw there was a trend about single girls in old time music and decided to put up some others so that one wasn't so lonely.

Ruby Vass - Single Girl.mp3

Carter Family - Single Girl, Married Girl.mp3

Roscoe Holcomb - I Wish I Were A Single Girl Again.mp3

Song of the day: Roy Campbell

Song of the day (9/7/2010):
Roy Campbell - Reel It & Roll It

Warning: This post has absolutely nothing to do with today's song of the day. If you just want the cut, jump down low, download that shit, and move on.

For the rest of you...

The snake of summer has finally loosened it's grip on the neck of us. You can finally hang out and cook something in the kitchen without feeling like you're getting beat to a pulp in a swamp by a swamp monster.

Uh, enough with the metaphors. I'm just thrilled to not sweat when concocting some wonky tangle of cultures for the taste buds.

This sort of thing, like. Which I came up with for dinner tonight.

The Deep South of the Middle East-wich
Get the following:

• 1/4 yellow onion
• 1 clove garlic (from your great uncle's garden, if possible)
• 8oz chicken flavored seitan
• BBQ sauce (I used Saz's because it's local and delish)

Saute the onion/garlic until it's good & sauteed. Add the seitan and a healthy amount of BBQ. Cook on medium heat until it all gets gooey and caramelized.

While that's going on, steam a few kale leaves.

Once all the hot stuff is ready, assemble:

• 1/4 - 1/2 avacado
• Small handful of cilantro, chopped
• A really massive handful of Diaya cheese
• Two pieces of Lavash bread

Then basically make a sandwich of all the ingredients and put it on the George Foreman grill until the Diaya is good and melty.

Messy but yum.

Don't tell the culinary police I told you to do any of this though. Not that I'm embarrassed by it. I just don't need to talk to any more people today.

(Photo taken from the gmtPlus9 (-15) blog, out of Appleton, WI. I accidentally found it while looking for images on Google, but it seems pretty great.)

Roy Campbell - Reel It And Roll It.mp3

Song of the day: Gospel Gossip

Song of the day (9/5/2010):
Gospel Gossip - Sippy Cup

These days, I don't like seeing concerts much. Months go by between seeing a single band on a single stage. In my teens/20s, most of my nights and weekends went into seeing live music.

Guess I just got burned out. Badly burned.

A lot of people love discovering new bands during a live show. I've always hated it. Not knowing a song while someone "interprets" it in front of you has always seemed awkward. Going home and plopping a record and yourself down and getting to know each other slowly over multiple listens...well, that's always made more sense.

Brian has raved about Northfield, MN's (huh?) Gospel Gossip for months. And so has Kevin, whose band has played with GG a bunch of times, including last night.

And last night's the one in question.

GG was in Milwaukee and I decided to finally leave the house to see a concert. Them in concert.

Oh my fuck. So, so good. Even though I didn't know the songs.

The singer looked like she was about to lose it any second. She was unhinged, her pigtails spinning, falling to her knees. Belting out the words, like her whole body was inhabiting them.

I've seen enough bands (thousands) to get the sense of that most of them more or less rehearse and choreograph their emotion. But Gospel Gossip is the realest deal.

(Hear more Gospel Gossip songs.)
(photo above by dotslinesandpolygons)

Gospel Gossip - Sippy Cup.mp3

Song of the day: Clarence Williams

Song of the day (9/4/2010):
Clarence Williams - Organ Grinder

This is a pervy song. I love it.

Clarence Williams is the piano tickler here. Wonder if he wrote the lyrics, too? Or if if they were written for him—if you know what I mean.

It sounds like the woman singer has it set up in her mind fall asleep as soon the last note's gone. After all, she's been workin' it man. Momma deserve a good bout of rest.

Clarence Williams -Organ Grinder Blues.mp3

Song of the day: Jimmy and Johnny

Song of the day (9/2/2010):
Jimmy & Johnny - Knock on Wood

It's Friday. If anything bad was going to happen this work week, it would have probably already happened. But you never know. Knock on wood.

(Jimmy & Johnny were Jimmy Lee Fautheree and Johnny "Country" Mathis. That's Fautheree in most of those pictures. Quite the dresser, eh? I mean: SNAPPY! Read more about the duo. I got this from the self-made comp Rockabilly Duos made by the Hillybilly Country blog. Lots of great songs on it, so go get it!)

Jimmy and Johnny - Knock on Wood.mp3

Song of the day: Ali Farka Touré

Song of the day (9/1/2010):
Ali Farka Touré - Bakoytereye

There's nothing I can really relate to in African music (and, I guess, Malian music in particular).

But there's something about the weird ferris wheel of sound—jittery and jangly, pure hopping stereophonics—that breaks down the need for something as lame as relating to it.

It's a mystery for sure.

Something I'll never get, but something that knees me into believing the truth of of it. Whatever that is, it's there. Somewhere and something. There, and so right.

(Read more about Toure)

Ali Farka Toure - Bakoytereye.mp3

Song of the day: Little Brother Montgomery

Song of the day (8/31/2010):
Little Brother Montgomery - Vicksburg Blues

Not much to say about this or about the day or any of the thoughts in my head. It's chokingly humid where I am, so here's something nice and cool and slow to help get you/me/us through it.

Fall will be here soon. Then we'll pick things up a bit.

(More on Little Brother Montgomery)

Little Brother Montgomery - Vicksburg Blues.mp3

Song(s) of the day: Pete Pike

Song(s) of the day (8/30/2010): Pete Pike

My musical crush in the early part of this new week is on Pete Pike (1929 - 2006).

These songs are really crisp and produced, but edged with nice amount of highish lonesomeness. If that makes any sense whatsoever.

Really, they're just a small batch of stand-up honky tonk songs by a stand-up performer who passed on without making making too huge of ripples in the world.

The ripples of the best things aren't usually too big though, are they?

Download the recordings.

Thanks for the fellows over at Lonesome Lefty's Scratchy Attic & Bopping for tipping me off to Pike (and originally posting these songs). Since we're talking stand-up things, make sure to check those guys out. They post extremely stand-up collections of very stand-up hillbilly music.

Aaaand enough with the stand-up garbage. It's just all good stuff. Check it out.

Song of the day: George Stavis

Song of the day (8/23/2010):
George Stavis - Finland Station

This song has the sonic qualities of a pair of rats battling it out in a galvanized trash can.

A— said it sounds like some of ivory tower-ish, overly produced new age pap she'd have going in the background at her acupuncture studio.

Can't agree with that. What I hear is something unwieldy, insuperable.

Funny discovering George Stavis and this record on Saturday morning and thinking, Ah! It's like John Fahey swapped up for banjo! And then later that night going over the Whitney's and talking a while—totally unrelated—about Fahey and his Revenant label.

And then the circle sealed shut this afternoon while researching Stavis for this post. I found this post at Grown So Ugly (hint: you can download the record there) dropping Fahey's name in the pile while making comparisons to Stavis.

Pretty neat, eh?

George Stavis - Finland Station.mp3

Song of the day: Hank Thompson

Song of the day (8/22/2010):
Hank Thompson - Let's Get Drunk and Be Somebody

Funny how you can walk your neighborhood a billion times, notice things and kind of put them on a tippy-toe shelf in your mind.

Yesterday, I took two separate wet-shirted walks with the dogs though the misery of late Wisconsin August and finally took some pictures of unusual garages/sheds I've noticed again and again over the last several years.

The danger of living someplace too long is that the holy shit, that's weird stuff eventually normalizes and shakes off its holy shit-ness. And that's a sad thing.

I guess there's a duty we have to capture it somehow. Preservation and all that.

Oh, and my dog Mateo? He'll never normalize. He's always shitting. Royally.

(Today's song is a nice slice of Western Swing by one of the masters. Yes, it has roughly the same title a Toby Keith song, but I assure you that this one won't have you yanking out the straight razor and cursing the Confederacy.)

Hank Thompson - Lets Get Drunk And Be Somebody.mp3

Song of the day: Bobby Roberts

Song of the day (8/21/2010):
Bobby Roberts - I'm Pulling Stakes & Leaving You

The weekends are draining out a bit. Time to hustle, slap on some paint, set things up and right.

Honkytonk's mighty fine for balancing on brass tacks! Dance, dance, brush in hand. Whoo!

Bobby Roberts - Im Pulling Stakes and Leaving You.mp3