Don't let poverty keep you from enjoying good music. Here's a quick roundup of excellent freebies: A Truer Sound posted updated download links for the Todd Snider Tales from Moondawg's Tavern bootleg, a generous five-disc story and song collection that's about the finest companion for a long road trip I've ever found. Don't let the 'bootleg' description scare you off: Snider has an open taping policy at his shows and is aware of this compilation, so it's not like you're doing anything … [Read more...]
Donate to Help Our Friends in Tennessee
May 2, 2010 by Leave a Comment
You probably know by now that all hell has broken loose in Tennessee and northern Mississippi, with tornadoes, flash flooding (13+ inches of rainfall over two days), rooftop rescues, cars and buildings floating away, the whole deal. Loads of property damage everywhere, lots of people being displaced, and they've counted 15 fatalities so far. It's a bad situation in an area that's absolutely integral to the music we all love. Want to do some good? Here's the link to donate to the Middle … [Read more...]
Free Music from Drew Kennedy
March 11, 2010 by 2 Comments
There's so much music in this wide world that, try as you might, you'll never hear all of it. The prohibitive factors are generally time and money. Well, I'm going to knock out both excuses so you'll have no reason not to check out the new live album from Drew Kennedy. First, time. Since you're the sort of person who reads a blog like this, you probably do a fair amount of online reading each day. Here's a handy speed-reading method that will save you minutes per day, which will add up to … [Read more...]
Keeping Up with the Opry
January 28, 2010 by 4 Comments
Those who aren't subscribed to the Opry's channel on Youtube may have missed the fact that it recently became quite active, with 30+ videos posted in the past week. The performances, taken mostly from 2007 shows, feature a nice cross-section of performers, from Chuck Wicks to Ricky Skaggs to Loretta Lynn. I spent about an hour getting caught up last night. Some of the highlights for me: Gene Watson and Rhonda Vincent take on "Together Again" (link) Patty Loveless kills "Blame It On Your … [Read more...]
Amazon Deals on Merle Haggard, Steve Earle
May 11, 2009 by 1 Comment
Just so you know, Amazon MP3 is currently offering downloads of Merle Haggard's 1968 album Mama Tried (one of three Haggard albums released that year, if I'm not mistaken... now that's prolific) and Steve Earle's tribute to Townes Van Zandt - which isn't even officially released until tomorrow - for $0.99 and $2.99 respectively. That's a whole lot of good music for $3.98. I already have the Haggard album, but am taking advantage of the Earle deal. Thought I'd pass along the word to others who … [Read more...]
The Marty Stuart Show’s YouTube Channel
May 5, 2009 by 1 Comment
Forgive me if this is common knowledge and I somehow missed the memo, but The Marty Stuart Show has a Youtube channel. And while it hasn't been updated in about 2 months, it nevertheless features some 18 performances from the show, including Chris Scruggs and Chuck Mead teaming up for "Nashville Blues," John Rich covering Johnny Horton's "Battle of New Orleans," and rare television appearances by the likes of Connie Smith, Charlie Daniels, Charley Pride, Riders in the Sky, John Anderson, and Del … [Read more...]
In Southern California? Check out Sparkle and Twang at The Autry, April 16-August 23
April 14, 2009 by 1 Comment
The mention of California in my blog title makes my inbox a popular destination for press releases having anything to do with the state. Yanni performing an exclusive concert in Los Angeles? I know all about it. Cowtipping contest in Modesto? I'm on it. Dentistry convention in San Francisco? Yep, done it. But then every once in a while something actually pertinent comes through, like the news that an exhibit called Sparkle and Twang: Marty Stuart's American Musical Odyssey will be featured at … [Read more...]
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