Winter Wonderland: Snow

Jesse Winchester: Snow

[purchase]

My esteemed colleague Darius recently tackled a Jesse Winchester song (Just Like New) in these pages, asking to be guided through more of his work. So I - amongst others - told him to buy the self-titled debut from ´70 first. Here´s my chance to illustrate, as that great Robbie Robertson-produced and Todd Rundgren-engineered album has got a song called Snow on it.

Like Ali, Winchester had ´nothing against no Viet Cong´ and to dodge the draft the Memphis-bred musician crossed the border in ´67 to Montreal, where he found himself struggling with the fierce climate. As Winchester became a Canadian citizen in ´73, he must have gotten used to the winter wonderland up north pretty fast. But then again, maybe he simply bought heavy hip boots, a furry hat, long-john underwear and acquired a layer of protective fat...

"I was tuning in the six o'clock newscast, and the weather man mentioned snow
As soon as I heard that four-letter word, I was making my plans to go...
If I was a bird I would fly back South, a bear I would go to sleep
Anything rather than hang around here, when the snow starts getting deep..."

As a bonus, here´s an short and sweet acoustic early demo of the song.

Jesse Winchester: Snow

Winter Wonderland: Snow Day

Lisa Loeb: Snow Day

[Purchase]

When I think "snow day", I think of that feeling I got as a child when the weather was bleak outside and I sat on my parents bed watching the school closings across the bottom of the screen waiting to see my school's name and then bouncing with joy when it was canceled. But alas, that is not the feeling that Lisa Loeb is talking about in her song "Snow Day", in fact, it's quite the opposite.

This song is from Lisa's first (and best) album, Tails. It's an album known for its famous single "Stay (I Missed You)" that was featured in the 90's hit movie Reality Bites. This song speaks of the seasonal depression many of us feel. Lisa wrote this song before she made it big, living in the East Village in New York and dealing with the loneliness of the cold and bleak New York winters. The song, though it deals with depression, is also hopeful and imagines there being someone there to rescue us from our winter blahs. Perhaps it is someone to greet us with a steaming cup of cocoa after being out in the cold, or someone there to curl up with and watch a movie when the weather is too awful to go out. The song reminds us that even when we're sad and it looks like everything is stacked against us that things can and will get better.

Winter Wonderland: Phoebe Snow

Utah Phillips: Intro to Phoebe Snow

Utah Phillips: Phoebe Snow

[purchase]

I kind of cheated in posting this for this week’s theme; not a single flake of snow appears in this song, and it even seems likely that the action occurs in summer. But, before you totally panic, I did not use a song by an artist with snow in her name, and the word does appear in the song title. In fact both the song and the singer took their name from the same source; Phoebe Snow was a character created for an ad campaign by the Delaware Lackawanna Railroad in the early 1900s. Ads such as the one shown above were still found on railcars well into the second half of the twentieth century, and were known to both the singer Phoebe Snow, who took her stage name from them, and to Utah Phillips.

Back in Heaven week, I managed the trick of posting songs about hobos without mentioning Utah Phillips even once. Phillips had been a hobo and a union organizer at different times in his early life, and these influences informed his songwriting once he became a musician. Phillips championed the downtrodden and the workers in his work, and his political views informed many of his songs. His hobo songs, such as this one, tend to be less overtly political than the rest of his material.

Many people had their introduction to the work of Utah Phillips when Ani DiFranco released an album of remixes of his songs on her Righteous Babe label; the album was made with Phillips’ full consent and cooperation. But what you hear here is a better representation of his work. Phillips died earlier this year, and I offer this post as a small tribute to him.

Winter Wonderland: Snowin' On Raton

Townes Van Zandt: Intro to Snowin' on Raton
Townes Van Zandt: Snowin' on Raton

[live, 1995]

Robert Earl Keen: Snowin' On Raton

[purchase]

In the intro track to a 1995 bootleg I picked up somewhere along the way, just before he refers to himself as a “lonely schizophrenic,” we hear troubled singer-songwriter Townes Van Zandt says that his song Snowin' on Raton is “about” a mountain pass between Trinidad, Colorado and Raton, New Mexico, “depending on whichever way you're going”. And, on the surface, the song certainly presents as a story of a man on the wrong side of Raton Pass, a national landmark which is usually the best way to get between two lush valleys in the American West, but which is famous for turning treacherous in the occasional winter snowfall.

But perceive the power of metaphor in the hands of a genius: what Townes doesn't say is that in its layered, deceptively deep lyric, and in the lugubrious tone, the tune is, ultimately, a vividly perfect portrayal of restless depression and the drive to escape it. The urge to travel becomes a mechanism for avoidance and forgetfulness; the macrocosm of snow in the pass a clear representation of the fleeting wisps of family and obligation which drag against men trying to keep moving against the wind and weather.

Van Zandt had his demons; at the time of the 1995 recording in question, he was "withered" in the late ravages of alcoholism, and the message of Raton Pass was one he knew well: stand still too long, and your demons catch up with you; though the way holds danger, better to hit the welcoming road the moment the snow lets up. But the power here is in the song as much as it is in the performance. Fellow Texan singer-songwriter Robert Earl Keen proves the point by crooning the same sentiment, with perhaps a little less wistful and a little more weary; it's hard to imagine, but TvZ's original produced recording of this song had a hidden seed of hope in it, too.

Winter Wonderland: Snowblind

Black Sabbath - Snowblind [purchase]

Nothing says Christmas cheer quite like cocaine addiction. According to Wikipedia, the band originally wanted to name their fourth album, Snowblind, but the record company balked. Apparently, singing about Satan ("Black Sabbath"), marijuana ("Sweet Leaf"), the stupidity of war ("War Pigs"), and the perils of heroin ("Hand Of Doom") wasn't a problem, but album titles ... that's where Warner Brothers drew the line. "You cross this line, you die! OK, THIS line! Would you believe this line?" Regardless, Sabbath got the last laugh as you can clearly hear Ozzy whispering "cocaine" after the line, "Icicles within my brain." That's right. In your face, selective morality!

Winter Wonderland: Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow

Dean Martin: Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow

[purchase]


As far as themes go, what timing - the first snow of the holiday season has hit the New York metropolitan area. Though it was recorded in Hollywood during late summer, Dean Martin's smooth rendition of this classic hits the spot.

Leftovers (Days of the Week): Almost Saturday Night

John Fogerty: Almost Saturday Night

[purchase]


After hit maker machine Creedence Clearwater Revival disbanded in 1972, main songwriter and vocalist, John Fogerty began his much anticipated solo career. In an attempt to put some distance between himself and the Creedence legacy, he left his name off his first album and released it as The Blue Ridge Rangers, a collection of Country and Gospel songs that didn't live up to the expectation of CCR fans anticipating a Rock-based Pop record.

The disappointing sales led Fogerty's return to a straight ahead Rock sound in his second solo recording, 1975's aptly named John Fogerty. It yielded Rockin' All Over the World, a Top 40 hit in the US and the wonderful Almost Saturday Night, today's selection. Enjoy!

Leftovers: The Refrigerator Clean-Out Continues...

Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday – I love the non-commercial/no-agenda-ness of the intangible season that Hallmark has yet to find a way to hold us hostage with guilt and greeting cards. Grace abounds, as we are surrounded by ones we love who love us in return – in this spirit, despite economic woes, we count our blessings and realize we have much for which to be thankful.

I remain grateful to all the Starmakers for widening the circle, making me feel welcome and introducing me to so many wonderful artists and songs in my short time here – I also relish the opportunity to present a few more of my favorites before this week’s Tupperware is tossed (burp!).

Work: Papa Was a Rodeo

There used to be a very awesome image of a guy on a horse at a rodeo here. It has since been removed by request of the photographer. Click on this huge block of text to find it, and order a copy of it, from Lisa Cawte-Baker.

Kelly Hogan & the Pine Valley Cosmonauts: Papa Was a Rodeo

[purchase]

In my Jody Grind post a few days ago, I mentioned Kelly Hogan and the Pine Valley Cosmonauts… and thought to myself, “hmmm, if there’s ever a Career Theme, I have the perfect song” – going back through the archives once again, I discovered there had indeed been a Work Week!

I enjoy all 11 tracks on this CD, but I could listen to Papa Was a Rodeo (written by Magnetic Fields, I have since found out) eleven times in a row on repeat play and never tire of the way the narrator’s defense-mechanism bravada… segues to finding someone with similar circumstances… gives way to happily ever after… “tooooo”…

Civics Lessons: Buzzer

Dar Williams: Buzzer

[purchase]

No one here realizes what restraint it’s taken on my part not to submit a Dar Williams song each week, whose body of work (next to Joni's) is the litmus test by which I measure all others – when I first heard You’re Aging Well (which I still consider my personal anthem) over a decade ago on Joan Baez’s Ring Them Bells CD, it began the contemporary folk and acoustic music path upon which I peacefully embarked and joyfully continue. Dar has a lovely voice and better-than-average guitar skills… but it’s her lyrics that continue to captivate – from her relationship songs to her political tunes, smart layered thought-provoking turns of phrase invoke vivid images and issues of ephiphany.

Buzzer (which I would have submitted for Civics Lessons, featured the week before I came on board) is based on the Stanley Milgram experiment in the early-60’s, testing obedience to authority and individual responsibility – the robotic tempo of the song, coupled with the sensory-overloaded life of the woman who volunteered because she just needed some extra cash, helps one see “the big picture”, as the song extrapolates how just following orders can lead to questioning one’s ethics of stock purchase and clothes buying. Classic Dar – as she says on her Out There Live CD: “brilliant, brilliant”...

The Moon: The Moon and St. Christopher

Mary Chapin Carpenter: The Moon and St. Christopher

[purchase]

Danger… Warning… Caution – chick song alert!

And if you’re in touch with your inner SNAG (Sensitive New Age Guy), you may also have a visceral reaction to this tune I belatedly offer up for Moon Week – it’s about regrets and what-ifs and one-may-never-knows. I’ve always thought it was a shame Mary Chapin Carpenter was pigeonholed as country during her early career – however, her last 3 or 4 CDs have garnered a larger audience, more interested in insightful songwriting than genre…

Now I have run from the arms of lovers,
I've run from the eyes of friends,
I have run from the hands of kindness,
I've run just because I can…”

My father was given his St. Christopher (patron saint of travelers) medal before he went to Korea as a Marine in the early 50’s – the priceless talisman now resides on my keychain to remind me of my dad's presence and to protect me on my journeys (emotional, spiritual and geographical)…

Leftovers (Advice): Don't Marry Her

The Beautiful South: Don't Marry Her

[purchase]

Being that I'm one of the spanking new contributors here, there were several themes I missed out on. But the 'Advice' theme seemed to interest me the most.

The Beautiful South were always a band I was fond of. Formed by members of the Housemartins, they didn't take things themselves too seriously and perhaps because of this, they created some very witty, very original music.

"Don't Marry Her" was one of the band's bigger hits, released on their 1996 album, Blue Is The Colour. The song is delivered with a pleasant, sing-a-long delivery, but packs quite the wallop with its unexpected expletive.

The song is a straightforward take on a woman's insistence that his intended marriage to another woman will not be the idyllic life he aims for. And that instead, he should choose her.

And if the song doesn't illustrate just how dry these guys were, the band broke up last year, citing "musical similarities."

Leftovers: Leftover Edition

When I was growing up, we would, of course, have turkey for Thanksgiving. In the week that followed, much of the meat that remained on the bird would be stripped off and made into something else, usually in some kind of creamy sauce, and usually served over rice. The carcass, with a fair amount of meat still on it, would be frozen for later use. At about this point in the week following Thanksgiving, we would get the turkey carcass out of the freezer, and I would have one of my favorite tasks of the year: making turkey soup. So, in our house, even the leftovers from the feast had leftovers, and the soup making was a true labor of love. It is in that spirit that I present this post.


Clothes: A Summer Wind, A Cotton Dress

Richard Shindell: A Summer Wind, A Cotton Dress

[purchase]

Half way through Clothes week, we lost our internet service for what turned out to be two and a half weeks. I had two posts planned for the remainder of the week, which never saw the light of day until now.

I wanted to do a two-song post of Richard Shindell songs. The first song was “Che Guevara Tee Shirt”, which wound up be handled quite well by Boyhowdy, (thanks again). The second song was “A Summer Wind, A Cotton Dress”. This song comes from earlier in Shindell’s career, and is not as lyrical complex as “Che...”. But here, Shindell captures perfectly the curiosity we all sometimes feel: what would have happened if that one relationship so long ago had worked out?


Clothes: The Sweater

Meryn Caddell: The Sweater

[purchase]

I mentioned that there were two posts I planned for Clothes week; this was going to be the other one.

Meryn Caddell is a musician and performance artist based in Canada. Here, she captures perfectly, (so I’m told by my consultant on matters feminine), the “drama” of high school girls and dating. With a considerable wink.



The Music Biz: The Under Assistant West Coast Promo Man

The Rolling Stones: The Under Assistant West Coast Promo Man

[purchase]

During our internet outage, I completely missed the week devoted to The Music Biz. Once I found out about it, I looked through the posts to see if anyone thought of this one. Most of the essentials got covered, but this was nowhere to be seen.

The Rolling Stones had for their original inspiration the blues music of the American South. When they used this musical of the downtrodden to tell the tale of a low level music industry worker who seeks to advance his career by exploiting the musical talent of others, I’m sure the Stones were well aware of the irony.


The Moon: Kiko and the Lavender Moon

Los Lobos: Kiko and the Lavender Moon

[purchase]

Finally, I was around for our week of songs inspired by The Moon. This was just one more time when I had more material than time. That said, I can’t remember how I decided to leave out my favorite Los Lobos song.

Leftovers (Adjective Noun): Sweet Revenge

John Prine: Sweet Revenge

[purchase]

Just thought I’d add one more song to the theme I’ve enjoyed the most here at SMM. Adjective Noun leaves the door open for many choices, so instead of searching for songs to fit the theme, you can search some of your favorite artists and see which of their tunes follow the specified grammatical formula. Boyhowdy, if you’re reading… let’s do more.

The title track from John Prine’s third album in as many years since his introduction is simply terrific. And that is his greatest appeal. He can make a phrase that is clever is hell seem like second nature conversation. You always feel as if John is speaking directly to you. This personal flavor creates warm, sincere music that transcends genre and remains relevant in today’s music world.

Leftovers (History): Weak With Love

Susanna Hoffs: Weak With Love

[Purchase]

Appropriate for History Week, is Susanna Hoffs' "Weak With Love", as it both gives information and reaction to the tragic event of December 8th, 1980, the day John Lennon was killed. The song appeared on Susanna's second solo album, self-titled, that was released in 1996.

On that fateful day, Susanna would have been about 21 years old. She graduated from college the same year and was about to embark on her musical career with The Bangles in the coming months. But her childhood had been filled with the music of The Beatles and they always remained her main influence. As a young musician, it was devastating to hear that her hero had been murdered. This song contains both a recount of how she found out about it and also a short recount of the event in question. The title "Weak With Love" is both an homage to the man that was lost that day and his gentle nature, as well as the feeling that she was left with in that loss.

I think the song does a great job of being both factual as far as the event is concerned, as well as remaining mostly an emotional tale of how one feels because of something that happened. And most importantly, it is also a lovely song.

Leftovers (Footwear): Just Because You Wear Big Shoes

The Jody Grind: Just Because You Wear Big Shoes

[purchase]

The Jody Grind was an iconic Atlanta band in the early 90’s and I saw/heard them many times while living there – One Man’s Trash is Another Man’s Treasure was (and still is) a favorite CD, its style all over the musical map… from the jangly jazz of Death of Zorba… to the sultry torch of Blue and Far… to the powerhouse punch of Eight-Ball (and who knew the Peter Gunn theme had words?!?).

When I saw Footwear Week in the archives, this song from my past, whose country twang easily follows, without duplicating, Loretta Lynn/Tammy Wynette/Dolly Parton footprints, immediately stepped up and tapped to be included:

“He’s got more love in one finger than you have in both your hands…
Just because you wear big shoes, that don’t make you a man”

The Jody Grind’s career was tragically cut short when their drummer and bassist were killed in an automobile accident on the way back from a show in Pensacola, Florida in 1992, along with beloved Atlanta spoken word artist Deacon Lunchbox – Kelly Hogan, lead vocalist and cornerstone of the group, has since moved to Chicago and gone on to solo recognition and, more recently, an alt-country flavor with The Pine Valley Cosmonauts....

For more info: A fan-based website (last updated in 2003) can be found here... and a great post-Jody Grind interview here...

Leftovers (City Songs): Minneapolis

That Dog: Minneapolis

[Purchase]

I missed the awesome City Songs week, but I am glad I now get the chance to share what I consider my favorite of city songs, That Dog's "Minneapolis". I consider it one of the best, not because it paints a picture of a city, but because it captures two of my favorite aspects in music: telling a great story, and being catchy as hell. So catchy, in fact, that I cannot have someone mention Minneapolis without wanting to sing the infectious chorus of "Minneapolis" back at them. Any song that can forever implant itself in my head like that deserves some credit. Not only that, but it makes me think "if a city can inspire such a catchy song, it must be pretty great", but I've never been there so I couldn't tell you.

That Dog made three albums together, all in the late 1990s. They're a band with a number of musical pedigrees, including the Haden sisters, Rachel and Petra (who I now consider the modern queen of the cover song), the daughters of the legendary jazz bassist Charlie Haden, and are led by Anna Waronker, sister to indie drummer Joey Waronker, and who are both the children of industry bigwig Lenny Waronker. Their last album together, Retreat From The Sun, was less punk than their first two, and probably one of the catchiest albums I've ever heard. "Minneapolis" is a one of my favorites from that album, and in general. It tells the (perhaps true) tale of a girl who meets a boy at a concert in a darling and romantic way, but alas, they cannot be together because he lives in far away Minneapolis.

Leftovers (Cars): Elvis Presley’s Cadillac Edition

One of the things I love about being involved in SMM is discovering new music. Usually, this happens because my fellow Starmakers are a great resource for wonderful music I’ve never heard, (thank you all!), and I try to return the favor with my own posts. But sometimes one of my own posts indirectly leads me to something new. This is the greatest reward of all. This post will illustrate what I mean.

Jesse Winchester: Just Like New

[purchase]

During Cars week, I posted a set of songs about Cadillacs. One of the responses to that post was a comment from pilk00, who suggested that I would like “Just Like New” by Jesse Winchester. I’ve kept that suggestion in mind ever since, and now was the time to act on it. And pilk, you were right.

Jesse Winchester is an artist I had heard of, but never heard. He fled the United States to escape the draft during the Vietnam War, and as a result, he cannot tour in this country. This is why Winchester is not better known here. Now that I have heard him, I would love to be guided through more of his work by someone who is familiar with it. Comments, please.

John Hiatt: Tennessee Plates

[purchase]

This song was one I wanted to post during Cars week, but I ran out of time. It’s just as well, because it makes the perfect companion for “Just Like New”.

Jesse Winchester describes feelings about Elvis Presley’s Cadillac that border on worship. John Hiatt tells us what happens when these feelings are taken to extremes. If you’ve never heard this before, I hope I haven’t given too much away.


If you enjoy this post, save a big thank you for pilk00. And pilk, if you’re still out there, let me know you’re listening.

Leftovers (The Music Biz): Don't Download This Song

Weird Al Yankovic: Don't Download This Song

[purchase]

I was here for The Music Biz week back at the end of September, and I enjoyed the songs and hearing what various artists thought about various aspects of the music industry. The song I'm sharing today wasn't really relevant back then, but I think it is now.

Back in September, I felt that I was really starting to get the hang of this whole blogging thing. I was feeling a rush of creativity and tons of post ideas in my head and music I wanted to share. I even carried a notebook around with me at work so I could record any ideas as they came to me so I wouldn't lose them. I sat in restaurants with my notebook, writing entire posts on my lunch break. I had blog fever.

Then something happened.

Songs and posts started disappearing. Blogs were shut down or had to relocate. Regular contributors to this site either stopped contributing or greatly reduced their output... myself included. Even at my own site, I put up less than half as many posts in November as I had in any other month since I started writing in July. Suddenly blogging isn't as much fun. There's a cloud that hangs over the community now as more and more songs continue to disappear from my site (two more yesterday) and others.

On his 2006 release, Straight Outta Lynwood, Weird Al Yankovic addressed the issue of music piracy on the track "Don't Download This Song." It's a bit of a shot at those who used free peer to peer services such as Napster and the millionaire artists who fought against them such as Lars Ulrich. In the song, Al compares piracy to "selling crack and running over school kids with your car." I'm starting to think that certain record labels actually now view bloggers in the same way.

Al's song is obviously tongue in cheek and filled with the type of ridiculous over exaggerations that Al often uses in his music. However, I thought it might be appropriate to share here. I know none of us consider ourselves pirates or criminals... just music fans who want to share the music we love with others. I'm not sure what my point is. I guess I'm just frustrated, and Weird Al always makes me laugh.

Edit: Just after I posted this, I received a notice from blogger that I have had another post removed. I may just not do this anymore.

Leftovers (Horns): Latin Edition

During Horns week I didn’t have the problem of submitting material too late to get it posted; I simply had more material than I had time. This would have been my last post, if the week had been longer.

Latin America has a rich musical tradition. Here, musical ideas brought from Africa by slaves were allowed to remain more intact than in the United States, and also melded with the musical traditions of the Native Americans of the area. Add European instruments to the mix, and, eventually, you get Latin American music as we know it today. And you get some of the most exciting music for horns found anywhere in the world. It was only natural that musicians working in other genres would occasionally be drawn to Latin sounds, and would produce wonderful music of their own as a result. Here are three fine examples.

David Byrne: Make Believe Mambo

[purchase]

In my post on “Mr. Jones”, I mentioned that Talking Heads’ last album sounded quite a bit like the solo album that David Byrne was working on at the time, Rei Momo. Byrne was exploring Latin music, and he was able to assemble a band of the finest Latin musicians working in New York at the time. Each song on Rei Momo explores a different style of Latin music, with the song I have chosen obviously representing the mambo. Incidentally, Rei Momo is a Brazilian term that means “king of the carnival”.

Kirsty MacColl: Mambo de la Luna

[purchase]

Kirsty MacColl made a name for herself in left-of-center pop in the 1980’s. When she sought to broaden her sound, she made a trip to Cuba to learn about the music there. The result was her wonderful album Tropical Brainstorm. Sadly, this was to be her final work; she died in a boating accident not long after the album was released.

Raul Malo: Takes Two to Tango

[purchase]

When Raul Malo of the Mavericks began his solo career, he wanted to celebrate his heritage. Malo was originally from Cuba, and he wanted to bring this music to an English-speaking audience. This song features guest vocals by Shelby Lynne, whose music is also well worth seeking out.

Leftovers (School Days): Grade 9

Barenaked Ladies: Grade 9

[purchase]

A game of thematic spin the bottle -- to play, just close your eyes and click randomly on the archives to the left -- calls up our end-of-summer School Days theme; perusing the excellent selections, I remember running out of time to share this lesser-known Barenaked Ladies popnumber, one of my many favorite tracks on their 1992 debut Gordon. Better late than never being the name of the game this week, I'm happy to present the most startlingly accurate portrayal of my younger self I have yet encountered in popular song.

To be fair, the song would have slid just as easily into our more recent set of Silly Songs. And being just a few years younger than these canadian masters of quickwit and geekiness, this song actually speaks to my middle school years. But I was a precocious child: it all resonates, from the pop culture references (that Rush guitar quote!) to the generally "freaks and geeks" portrayal of freshman despair and desperation. I've never been so happy to cringe as here, in celebration of a time when we were all so dorky, yet afraid to be uncool. My, how times have changed.

Leftovers (Fifty States): Arizona, Florida, North Dakota, Utah

I would have loved to have been around for this theme – even in retrospect, I can read between the [state] lines of the mad scramble in being first to post, as all 50 finally were covered, albeit with some boundary-stretching. I have perused the entirety of submissions, as well as related comments, and feel fairly confident my picks below were not mentioned!

The Nudes: Arizona

[purchase]

The Nudes (a.k.a. Walter Parks and Stephanie Winters) were a musical- and romantic–duo, he on guitar and she on cello – their sound was jazzy, moody, sultry (BH cover alert: Norwegian Wood)… and quite captivating until they went their separate ways in 1999. The first time I saw Dar Williams in a tiny bar in Ft. Myers, Florida (January 1998) she was accompanied by Stephanie (and Ellis Paul was her opener!) – post-breakup, Walter became a touring sideman for Richie Havens… and now Stephanie has joined the two of them on the road, she and Walter reuniting as Winters & Parks.

Richard Julian: Florida

[purchase]

I first saw Richard Julian at the Cleveland Folk Alliance (2000), introduced by Buddy Mondlock, who I was already a fan of – we exchanged cards, I invited him down for a house concert and put together a mini-tour as enticement. He was only just beginning to open for Norah Jones, and has since formed The Little Willies (also with Norah), as well as continuing a solo career – love this dark side of the Parrothead pendulum swing (which was written and recorded *before* the visit with us!).

Kris Delmhorst: North Dakota

[purchase]

Ah, Kris – she would have been my first house concert (January 2000), had not her flight been delayed from Boston, due to snow – I had to call/e-mail all 35 invitees and tell them the show could not go on (as they re-routed her through Texas, arriving in Ft. Lauderdale the following morning for our South Florida Folk Festival). Appetite is in my Top Ten, her songwriting so wise for someone so young – love the spare instrumentation on this tune, her heart beating for the state in which he’s never stepped foot…

Brian Joseph: Utah

[purchase]

Brian Joseph too was a Folk Alliance discovery (San Diego 2003) and a house concert artist later that year – BH, I should send you his version (with Melanie Hersch) of Walk Like An Egyptian. Brian is tall, funny and quirky - Utah, the hidden track on We’re Gonna Laugh, cleverly describes a state of long-distance mind over matter…


P.S. This theme would of course not be complete without Fruvous’ The Lowest Highest Point!

Leftovers (Advice): Don't Stop Asking

Lucy Lee: Don't Stop Asking

[Purchase]

Advice week came and went long before I was a contributor here. But Lucy Lee has some advice she'd like to impart now that she has the chance: Don't stop asking. In her case, she wants to let a guy know that just because she said no this time doesn't mean she's not interested.

You learn pretty quickly if you try to Google Lucy Lee that it's also the name of a porn star. I assure you this is not the same person. Unfortunately, there's very little information about this Lucy Lee available. What I can tell you about her is that she released one album back in the late 90s (pictured above) and that she has a tongue-in-cheek classic country style. This song is a favorite of mine. I first heard it, and in return discovered her, when I received a free compilation at a 1998 Lilith Fair for being one of the first few hundred in the door. I was impressed right away and ordered her album. Unfortunately, she seems to have dropped off the face of the planet for the most part, which is doubly disappointing considering everyone I've shared this song, or other songs of hers, with has loved them.

Leftovers (Johns): Jilted John

Jilted John: Jilted John

urchase]

"Here we go - two three four..." Every once in a while, one needs a healthy dose of Jilted John. His classic, self-titled single from ´78 is the ballad of John and Julie (and Gordon the moron of course). Produced by Martin Hannett of Joy Division fame btw, although that´s not really obvious here. Originally released on the tiny Rabid records, it took the great John Peel´s endorsement to get it picked up by a major label, after which it climbed to number 4 in the British charts. 

"I was so upset that I cried all the way to the chip shop... when I came out there was Gordon, standing at the bus stop..."

Pure genius, mate.

"Oh she's a slag and he's a creep,
she's a tart, he's very cheap,
she is a slut, he thinks he's tough,
she is a bitch, he is a puff,
yeah yeah, it's not fair
yeah yeah, it's not fair..."

Leftovers (Tricky Beats): Kissi Penny

Shudder To Think: Kissi Penny

[purchase]

I'm decent, not excellent, but pretty decent with time signatures and "tricky beats." I've owned this album since it came out in 1994, and I've just never been able to totally follow this song. The brilliant thing about it, though, is that despite my inability to track exactly what patterns they are playing, I can still enjoy listening. If anyone out there is brilliant with sort of thing, I'd love some insight.

Guest posted by Riggity

Leftovers (Little Black Book): Amy

Ryan Adams: Amy

[purchase]

The Little Black Book theme is by far the one I regret missing out on the most. Not only is it an interesting topic that allows a wealth of tunes to be explored, but the title is just clever as hell.

If you’ve read my posts here or have EVER stopped by This Mornin’…, you’re well aware of my Ryan Adams obsession. And if you know anything about Ryan, it most likely stemmed from Heartbreaker. Amy had an impressive influence on Ryan, although I haven’t found much to substantiate any intel on the real Amy. This is the one and only tune to be adorned with her moniker, but it says it all, plain and simple - an attribute which gives Heartbreaker its everlasting elegance.

“I don’t know why I let go; I want to be your friend.”

“I go to the places we used to; I feel sad.”

“Oh, I love you Amy. Do you still love me?”

Leftovers (Clothes): You Make Me Wanna Wear Dresses

Lisa Germano: You Make Me Wanna Wear Dresses

[purchase]

When Boyhowdy asked me to write a guest post a few months ago, I was beyond flattered – after the New York Minute between his invitation and my submission (in case he changed his mind!), I spent quite a few hours perusing the archives to get a feel for the taste, tone and talent of the regular contributors (impressive being a major understatement)…

I couldn’t help but experience more than a twinge of wistfulness as I read previous themes and pondered the woulda/coulda/shoulda had I been around then – now that I’m “on staff” (pinch me!), many thanks to BH for allowing this time machine opportunity to revisit Clothes Week…

Not sure exactly how the music of Lisa Germano first drifted into my ears – all I know is that when I heard You Make Me Wanna Wear Dresses, it took me back to a time of innocence, shyness and vulnerability. I immediately thought of past crushes and blushes (pre-husband, -children, -mortgage) – it’s lovely to have a suburban roof over my head (and all it represents)… but sometimes one can’t help but long for a castle in all its swoon-worthy metaphor…

P.S. I found out later that Lisa Germano played violin on tour with John Mellencamp for years – for BH: she does a h*lla cover of These Boots Are Made for Walkin’…

Leftovers (Fifty States): Washington

Robyn Hitchcock: Viva! Sea-Tac

[Purchase]

Back when I was merely a lurker here, they had a Fifty States week. This was by far one of my favorite themes, because on my computer I have a Word document where I keep lists of songs for possible mix themes and one of the largest is songs about states. Of course, I am also a bit more anal about it and require that all the songs be titled simply the states name, and of course, that the song be one I like as well. This was all in hopes that one day I would create a fifty song mix containing one song for each state. But since then I've grown to just collecting all songs with state titles I can find and like.

Anyway, during the 50 States week here, the rule was that there was to be no repeating and they'd try to get a song for every state. By the end of the week the last two states to be done were Pennsylvania and Washington. They decided to do a free for all then and any songs about the state were to be posted, whether it be cities, areas, or pretty much anything regarding the state. I wasn't contributing at the time, but I think the essential song about Washington state is Robyn Hitchcock's "Viva! Sea-Tac", Sea-Tac being the abbreviation for the Seattle-Tacoma area, and also the name of the state's largest airport. Of course, this song could also probably work for the city songs theme too, but it was the Washington state free for all that made me wish this song was included. The song plays like an ode to someone's favorite place, or perhaps even something to be heard in a Washington state tourism commercial. Hitchcock seems to put the state and its residents on a pedestal for this one, but the sentiment is more of a good-natured ribbing of those that seemed to worship Seattle during the grunge era than anything else. It also is insanely fun to listen to.

Viva! Seattle-Tacoma
Viva, viva Sea-Tac!
They've got the best computers and coffee and smack!

Leftovers (The Sun): The Sky Is So Blue

When I first joined Starmaker, I was a guest poster for quite some time. The procedure at first was that I would send my text, along with the mp3, to Paul, Dean or Boyhowdy. They would add the coding, find the image, host the file, in short do a lot of work on my behalf that I knew nothing about. So I would like to thank these three fine gentlemen again, now that I can appreciate just how much you did for me. Double thanks to Paul, who handled this all by himself at first, and also to Boyhowdy, who finally, and with immense patience, showed me how to do it all myself.

One thing that sometimes happened in my days as a guest poster is I would submit a post late in the week, and hope that one of the guys would have time to get it in before the deadline. Some of those posts never made it. This happened at the end of Sun week. So here, at last, is that post.

Jane Siberry: The Sky is so Blue

[purchase]

Jane Siberry, who now goes by the name of Issa, is a Canadian artist who never became as well known in the United States as she deserved to. No Borders Here, her stateside debut, was released on the short-lived High Street label. High Street was an imprint created by the Windham Hill label when they attempted to branch out into singer-songwriter material, but the link to Windham Hill meant that every release had to overcome the new age label. Not all of them did. But the new age label certainly doesn’t do justice to the music of Jane Siberry. Her lyrics are often enigmatic, and she sings in a sweet soprano voice, but her arrangements are often more complex than they seem, and are emotionally rich.

“The Sky is so Blue” comes from Siberry’s self-titled debut album. Originally a Canadian only release, it was eventually released here as well. The song fits the sun theme perfectly, even though it does not have the word sun either in the title or anywhere in the lyrics. The song describes one of those beautiful sunny mornings that follow a night of thunderstorms, and Siberry’s vocal and arrangement here even sound like sunshine.

If you would like to further explore the music of Jane Siberry, I encourage you to visit the website of Sheeba Records. Here you can purchase mp3s of most of Siberry’s songs at the price of your choosing. Just keep in mind that Siberry does this because she receives a greater percentage of the revenue from each song when you buy it here, instead of a third-party vendor.

Leftovers (City Songs): Memphis

Faces: Memphis

[purchase]

I joined Star Maker Machine in its fourth week, just in time for the City Songs theme; somewhere in the vast wasteland that is a blogger and audiophile's iTunes playlists I still have a huge set of songs whose titles mention various cities from Tokyo to Timbuktu. The songs seem to cluster around cities from the American South, which probably says more about my musical tastes than anything else -- heck, I could do a whole week on Memphis alone. But I picked this song up for the first time a few months later, via "New Orleans based music thing" Captains Dead, and I've always wanted the opportunity to share it.

I don't know much about short-lived Ronnie Lane/Rod Stewart/Ron Wood side project Faces, or indeed about that whole 1969 - 1975 time frame, except what I read on the blogs, but this song really makes me appreciate both classic rock and Rod Stewart, and that's saying a whole lot. John Alroy, of Wilson and Alroy ("we listen to the lousy records so you won't have to"), has this to say about the Faces canon:

My ratings of all these records are low, and there are plenty of good reasons such as the Faces' lack of originality, instrumental virtuosity, lyrical substance, and quality songwriting (did I leave anything out?). However, Stewart and company have a way of getting under your skin, kind of like drunken, partying, good-for-nothing high school buddies you can't resist hanging out with. These are the records I reach for when I'm in the mood for sheer fun.

The Bountiful Feast: A Dessert Sampler

Townes Van Zandt and Blaze Foley: Girl Scout Cookies

[live and unpurchaseable]

Sarah McLachlan: Ice Cream (live)

[purchase]

Crowded House: Chocolate Cake

[purchase]

Nellie McKay: Cupcake

[purchase]

David Wilcox: Wildberry Pie

[purchase]

It's a tradition of sorts here at Star Maker Machine to end the week with a "clearinghouse" post, one which throws a few disparate songs up to give a sense of the range of possibility still sitting on our "also ran" lists as the clock runs out.

Fittingly, I managed to come up with a few rare and delicious dessert selections for us to fill in the corners a bit as we transition to our upcoming theme; just as fittingly, this coming week's theme will give us a chance to offer up second helpings for those favorite songs which, for one reason or another, never really made it into the themes where they best belonged. Small portions only, folks; you're liable to burst...

The Bountiful Feast: Bread and Butter

The Newbeats: Bread and Butter

[purchase]


I know what you're thinking - why would a bread and butter song be posted in a Bountiful Feast theme? Did you know the price of wheat has doubled or more in just a matter of months? The Newbeats sing about a fellow whose baby feeds him bread and butter, cause he's her loving man. That is, before he caught her eating chicken and dumplings with some other guy, which of course is totally out of bounds. Now, it's all for the best - with the cost of wheat going through the silo roof, I don't think she could afford Jilted John anymore. Soon enough, bread and butter will be the providence of kings and queens!

The Bountiful Feast: Peaches

Kristen Hall: Peaches

[purchase]

Due to a corporate transfer, my husband, two children and I moved to Puerto Rico in early-1985 (our third was born there) – when we returned to Atlanta in mid-1989, I had lots of musical catching-up to do!

Having always had a weakness for smart lyrics and tight harmonies, I was immediately drawn to the Indigo Girls, whose Closer to Fine was emerging as an underground “hit”, on the radio and MTV - we were lucky to see them in some small venues in their early days…

But I digress – through Amy and Emily, I also became aware of the plethora of female singer-songwriters in the Atlanta area: Michelle Malone, Dede Vogt and Kristen Hall. I bought Kristen’s Fact & Fiction (cassette tape at the time), fell in love with every song… and wondered if she would have gained more recognition if her sound was not so similar to the Indigo Girls.

I was enamored with Peaches, a bouncy tune whose melody belies the poignancy of a long-distance relationship (I especially love her little sigh at the end) – one of the reasons I will *always* buy albums/tapes/CDs is for the liner notes…and this one listed vocals on Peaches by Michael Lorant (who many of us know better as Michael L. Stipe… from R.E.M.)

Footnote: Decades later, I heard about the country/pop supergroup Sugarland, a trio with Jennifer Nettles, Kristian Bush and Kristen Hall (who founded the band) – my Kristen Hall?!? Yes, indeed – although now, it seems, Kristen has left and filed a lawsuit against the remaining members…

The Bountiful Feast: Hot Potatoes

Kinks - Hot Potatoes [purchase]

Most Kinks aficionados end the band's classic period at 1971's Muswell Hillbillies. I humbly submit that the golden age should properly end with the following record, 1972's Everybody's In Showbiz. I admit that the album is flawed and doesn't do itself any favors by starting with 3 clunkers. But, beginning with the fourth track, this bluesy Ray/Dave quasi-duet about, well, hot potatoes, Showbiz steps its game up and pretty much stays up. Just sayin, if you're a Kinks fan and you haven't heard this one ... which I consistently find to be the case ... it's well worth checking out.

The Bountiful Feast: A Christmas Feast

If it hadn’t happened to you before now, and if you went anywhere at all today, you experienced your first assault for this year of Christmas music. Now, some of the best music of any kind ever written was written for or about Christmas, but, for the most part, that’s not what you heard. You heard grotesquely overproduced versions of familiar carols. You heard original songs that were corny/ maudlin beyond belief. And you heard arrangements of familiar holiday fare that were beyond ill-advised. And, if you were lucky, amidst the dross, you heard a tune or two you actually liked.

Certainly, this is what happens to me every year. And I cope with it by resorting to counterprogramming. I collect holiday-themed songs that are the furthest thing from any of the abuses described above, and often have a cynical edge. And it happens that three of my favorites have a food theme.

Riders in the Sky: Sidemeat‘s Christmas Stew

[purchase]

Riders in the Sky have made a career out of keeping cowboy music alive. And they have done it with a wonderful sense of humor. Here, they tackle the question, how does a trail cook produce a Christmas feast with the limited resources available to him on a cattle drive?

Mick Moloney and Eugene O‘Donnell: Miss Fogarty‘s Christmas Cake

[purchase]

Mick Moloney and Eugene O’Donell are Irish musicians whose musical careers have developed entirely in the United States. O’Donell is a wonderful fiddler, while Moloney sings and plays guitar and bouzouki. I had the great pleasure of seeing them perform a few years ago, and I recommend it highly.

A short time ago, we were cleaning out a part of our house that had not been used in many years. To our great surprise, we discovered a fruitcake that must have tucked in the back of a drawer around 1965, still in what was left of its tin. The tale told in “Miss Fogarty’s Christmas Cake” is not nearly that drastic, but it captures the fruitcake phenomenon perfectly. If anyone knows of other fruitcake songs, I’d love to hear about them in the comments

The Chieftains with Elvis Costello: St Stephen‘s Day Murders

[purchase]

By now, the Chieftains are well known for their collaborations with seemingly most unlikely musical partners. The Bells of Dublin was the first album where the Chieftains did this. Of all the artists who participated, only Elvis Costello and Jackson Browne contributed original songs.

If you enjoy the arrival of swarms of relatives for the holidays, but wonder what you were thinking when they are all still there three days later, you may enjoy Elvis Costello’s unique, (I hope!), solution to the problem.

The Bountiful Feast: Know Your Chicken

Cibo Matto: Know Your Chicken

[purchase]


You are what you eat, so - what's up with your chicken? As Cibo Matto explains, it's very important to know your bird. Considering the band's name means "crazy food" in Italian, you best listen to them.

The Bountiful Feast: Leftovers

Johnny Flynn and the Sussex Wit: Leftovers

[purchase]

A taste, ironically, of what is to come...

Leftovers is what I want
Don't need no fine cuisine
Give me a dime for bacon rind
Or slip me some of that old sardine...

I was introduced to London-based Johnny Flynn via two geographically disparate music blogs: the ever-excellent UK-based Song, By Toad, which covers the best of the new and burgeoning britfolk movement, and the sadly-defunct To The Dogs...or Whatever, which was based out of Australia. I haven't seen him mentioned much elsewhere, but I'm happy to do my part to spread the word about this stellar artist with an eye to the past, especially because, as a coverblogger, I would do almost anything to be able to be in London this Monday to attend the upcoming tribute to long-gone Fairport Convention singer Sandy Denny, which will also feature Martin Carthy and other members of the UK neotrad scene.

Flynn's MySpace page claims Country/Blues/Folk in that order, which will probably make more sense to ears from that side of the pond more than it does to my own: his work with and without the Sussex Wit isn't what most Americans consider folk, but then, Americans tend to forget that they didn't invent the stuff. The fiddles and Pogues-gone-acoustic arrangement of Leftovers, which frames the image as metaphor for a self-depreciating girl on the rebound, are indeed a stellar example of what counts for folk in the rest of the English speaking world, and much of his other work calls back to various slices of the pubfolk and tradfolk traditions. Shades of the Kinks in there, too. Great stuff, and - lest we forget - as rooted in the British past as the Pilgrims themselves.

Our coming week's theme will be Leftovers; our intrepid contributors will be posting songs which fit previous themes here at Star Maker Machine. This song would have fit in several previous themes, including Johns and The Bountiful Feast.

The Bountiful Feast: Mac & Cheese

Mary Prankster: Mac & Cheese

[Purchase]

With a name like Mary Prankster, you can bet that the music is going to be fun. Mary Prankster makes rockin' music with a sense of humor. Those songs often also happen to be off color, like her song "Tits and Whiskey" which uses the F-word thirteen times despite clocking in at under two minutes.

This song, despite its name, isn't solely about macaroni and cheese. The song is about many foods, and more importantly, finding a guy who'll make them for you.

The Bountiful Feast: Chicken Cordon Bleus

Steve Goodman: Chicken Cordon Bleus

[purchase]

We’re doing Thanksgiving at my brother’s house tomorrow. He and his wife keep a kosher organic vegetarian household. But, out of deference to the family, they’re making chicken. So it won’t be nearly as bad as what Steve Goodman describes here.

(Actually, Bro and Mrs. Bro are great cooks. I’m looking forward to it.)

The Bountiful Feast: Uncle Dave’s Grace

Herdman-Hills-Mangsen: Uncle Dave’s Grace

[purchase]

Happy Thanksgiving to all – what better way to begin than with Grace… although not so amazing when it’s offered up by Uncle Dave!

This tune was written by Lou and Peter Berryman, a formerly-married, still-writing-and-performing-together duo who are the mistress/master of comedy in the folk/acoustic world – here is the version (a cover for BH) by Priscilla Herdman/Anne Hills/Cindy Mangsen from their At the Turning of the Year holiday recording…

The Bountiful Feast: Animal Crackers In My Soup

Shirley Temple: Animal Crackers In My Soup

[purchase]

When deciding which song to post for this week's theme, I found myself drawn to older songs of the 50's. Songs about food were plentiful back then for some reason. But as I rolled even further back, I realized that a certain curly-haired child-star had a few songs to choose from too.

In 1935, Shirley Temple performed one of her best known songs, "Animal Crackers In My Soup" for her 30th film appearance, Curly Top, a movie which featured the young actress as an orphan who charms her way into the heart of a wealthy bachelor.

The lyrics are sugary, of course, but befitting of both Temple and the time period. And it's Temple's precociousness and precision as an entertainer that made many of her films and songs so memorable.

For a video snippet of Temple's performance of "Animal Crackers In My Soup" in the film, click here.

The Bountiful Feast: Cornbread

Band of Heathens: Cornbread

[purchase]

Skavoovie and the Epitones: Cornbread

[purchase]

Tim O'Brien: Cornbread Nation

[purchase]

The house is starting to fill up with the smells of thanksgiving preparation: right now, there's butter and onions in the frypan, pecans and apples chopped fine beside 'em, and a bowlful of cornbread crumbled on the counter, all of them ready to be turned into the very best kind of stuffing. To honor my favorite part of the coming feast, here's a few great cornbread songs: bluesy americana from The Band of Heathens, fine slow-cooked ska from Skavoovie and the Epitones, and Tim O'Brien with some signature bluegrassy funk, all in tribute to this most earthy and old-school of southern soulfood staples.

PS: In the name of full disclosure, I should point out that my brother was the trumpet player for Skavoovie and the Epitones.

PPS: on a related note, head on over to Cover Lay Down for a second helping of Tim O'Brien, plus a few more coversongs on harvest, farming, and other elements of pre-table food production.

The Bountiful Feast: Boiled Potato

Blake Babies: Boiled Potato

[Purchase]

The Blake Babies were college music darlings in the early 90s. Their jangly rock style paired with the the girly and sweet vocals of Juliana Hatfield made them stand out from the grunge scene. As many will know, Juliana Hatfield went solo after a few albums with the Blake Babies and became another college music darling in her own right over the years.

This song is sung like a love song to a potato. If you replace all mentions of potato with a name it becomes a lot less odd, so it does seem like it could most certainly be a love song had they not chosen to use the words "boiled potato" instead of someone's name. But the content goes much deeper than that. Though the song is cute and jangly, you get this whole new view of it when you hear a re-worked version of it off a b-side single from Juliana's first solo record a few years later. The song, then called "Feed Me", shares the same tune and many of the same lyrics, except now instead of "boiled potato" she simply says "oh baby", and it's much more sad, and it is quite clearly about dealing with an eating disorder. I find it hard to ever hear "Boiled Potato" the same way after hearing "Feed Me".

Juliana herself has dealt with an eating disorder off and on for most of her adult life, and just recently finally went to a rehab program to try to get better. You can read about her experience on her blog where she talks about her song "Universal Heartbeat". And I have uploaded "Feed Me" here as well.

Juliana Hatfield: Feed Me

[Purchase]

The Bountiful Feast: One Meatball

Johnny Neel: One Meatball

[purchase]

I first heard the song “One Meatball” sung by my father as he shared a fond memory from his younger days. For this reason, I always assumed that the song originated in the Great Depression. As it turns out, that is not the case at all.

The original version of the song dates from 1850, and became variously known as “One Fishball” or “The Lone Fishball”. The melody was not the one we know now, and the metamorphosis into a meatball was still years away, but the story was essentially the same. The song was adapted into a comic opera in 1862, called Il Pesceballo. I found a review of the opera which tells how the song came to be written:

“Il Pesceballo is a nineteenth-century American pasticcio opera written by Francis James Child, a Harvard English professor and opera lover. The text was originally inspired by an incident which occurred to a colleague of his. One evening Martin Lane was trying to make his way to Cambridge, MA, from Boston. He discovered that he had only 25 cents, which was not enough for both supper and the fare need to get to Cambridge. As he was very tired and hungry, he stopped at a local diner and asked for half of a serving of macaroni. After he had recounted the story to his friends, he wrote a comic ballad, called the "Lay of the One Fishball." A fishball was a fried New England concoction made of potatoes and fish stock, and usually eaten for breakfast. The ballad became very popular with Harvard students, and inspired Child's opera.” *

From there, the song kicked around for many years, occasionally being collected in songbooks. The fact that the fishball was a regional dish, virtually unknown outside of New England, limited the song’s appeal. In 1944, Hy Zaret and Lou Singer created the version we are familiar with today, and the fishball became a meatball. Early recordings of “One Meatball” included one by Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters. The folksinger Josh White Jr. began performing the song, and became its greatest popularizer.

Nowadays, the song tends to be regarded as a kid’s song, which sometimes means that it is given a syrupy production. But version heard here avoids those pitfalls, even though it comes from an album of food songs that Disney crassly released as a tie-in with the movie Ratatouille.

* This text comes from a thread found on The Mudcat Cafe. This is a wonderful resource for researching folk and blues songs

The Bountiful Feast: Cheeseburger in Paradise

Jimmy Buffett - Cheeseburger in Paradise

[purchase]

I hear the collective groan coming from the readers. I hear it loud and clear and to you I say, "Fuck You". I am a native Floridian. I've heard Jimmy's songs since the day I was born and at 35 years old I am old enough to not need to look cool so I can say that yes....I do like Jimmy Buffett. I like him a lot and while this particular song isn't one of my favorites it's topical and probably one the flagship "food songs". So to all you groaners...eat me (pun intended).

Sadly, I've been allergic to dairy for so long I do not even remember what a cheeseburger tastes like. Nor a milkshake. I miss the hell out of real Ice Cream Sandwiches...I miss them so very much.

The Bountiful Feast: Pork N' Beans

Left Lane Cruiser - Pork N' Beans

[purchase]

Left Lane Cruiser self-describe their sound as "a shockwave through a big ol’ buttcheek". I describe it as "a blues-fueled, rock-driven sound on the verge of a whiskey rage". No matter how you describe it, "Fucking Awesome" is what it reduces down to.