Category Archives: Recommendations

Junky Star by Ryan Bingham and the Dead Horses

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Ryan Bingham and the Dead Horses

Anyone would forgive Ryan Bingham and the Dead Horses for a disappointing album at this point. Mescalito, their major label debut was exciting and intriguing, with its tales of wandering souls with guitars slung over their shoulder, truck-drivers and trains. Songs alternated between country flavored rock &roll and emotional folk ballads.

Then came Roadhouse Sun. This could well have been the dreaded “sophomore slump” album, but Bingham avoided that trap. While there as songs such as “Country Roads,” which are enjoyable enough, but somewhat cliche, there are also songs like “Dylan’s Hard Rain” and “Hey Hey Hurray” which are startlingly original with lyrics that are pointed social commentary.

So now comes Junky Star. It could have been a major disappointment and no one would have been surprised. But it’s not disappointing; It is unbridled brilliance. It’s the band’s best record to date!

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I’ll Never Understand Musical Genres

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Cory Branan

I thought maybe it was time to put together a new play list, so I went off searching for tracks on Rhapsody.  The genres of the songs that came up amused me.  I was surprised by the variety and by the nature of many of them.  Some were simple and frequently used, like Vocal Jazz, Folk, Pop…  Then there were other genres that I knew, but that it was hard to tell the difference between.  Like what is the difference between Americana, Folk Pop, Alt Country and plain old Folk?  And there were the bizarre ones that I had never heard of. What about Pop Punk, Post-modern Pop, Adult Alternative and Alt/Punk?  What are they and what is the difference between them? Anyway, here is the play list.  Enjoy!

Share 8-24

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“Depression” by Ryan Bingham

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The album, Junky Star, releases in three day on August 31st.  The first single, “Depression“, is available now.  I know this sounds like advertising, and it would be if I were getting paid.  I’m just excited!  I’ve heard most of the tracks on the record, and it’s going to meet expectation.  Here’s one.

Here’s a little clip in which Ryan talks about the disc.
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Faves: Sharon Jones, Avett Brothers, Swell Season, Tim Barry and Gaslight Anthem

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The Newport Folk Festival dates back to 1959, but has always adhered to a somewhat loose definition of “folk.” Among the people who played there in the early days of the festival and early in their careers were Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Johnny Cash and Howlin’ Wolf. More recently people as diverse as Jakob Dylan, The Decemberists, The Low Anthem, Jimmy Buffett, Nickel Creek, the Allman Brothers Band, Agenlique Kidjo, and Emmylou Harris have played the festival that now takes place annually at Fort Adams State Park.

This year’s festival was impressive, as usual. We got there just in time to see Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings. As usual they were brilliant. Sharon Jones interacts with her audience more than any other performer I have seen live, and if you get a chance to see her in a small club, do. She’ll bring folks on stage to sing to them, or even to have them sing and dance with her. She singles people in the audience out for recognition when they show affection, and she handles unruliness with particular dexterity. I wasn’t sure how that would play out in the noonday sun on the highly elevated stage in Fort Adams State Park.
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Whrrling around the deCordova Sculpture Garden

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Spent a couple of hours this this afternoon at the deCordova Museum in the Sculpture Garden. It’s awfully interesting that place.

The deCordova Sculpture Park encompasses 35 acres of beautiful rolling woodlands and lawns, and is the largest park of its kind in New England. The Sculpture Park is open to the public every day of the year from dawn ’til dusk, and contains approximately 75 artworks at any given time.

Here’s a few images from the day.

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Random July Playlist and Summer Songs

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I am so reluctant to admit, but July is coming to a close. I am not a winter person, so I spend all summer in denial that it will ever end. Sadly, it is foolish to do so. Today is the last day of July and there is no use in denying it. So I am posting a July playlist to mark the passing of this wonderful summer month. Alas, we hardly knew ye!

As usual, this playlist is composed of songs that are in current rotation on my iPhone. They are what comes up when I play it on shuffle. That doesn’t mean they are new songs. Many are quite the opposite. The only exceptions to the rule are that I only included the first song that popped up by each artist, and it had to be something that is available on Rhapsody. Otherwise it couldn’t be in the playlist. Click on the button and you can listen to the whole thing.

? Share Random 7-31

Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood – Bettye LaVette From a new album, Interpretations: the British Rock Songbook, this is a version of this classic by one of the most uncompromising and important pioneers of Detroit Soul.

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Praise and Blame. Well, Pretty Much All Praise.

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The video below is a recording of “Did Trouble Me,” a Gospel song by Susan Werner, as sung by Tom Jones on his new album Praise and Blame. To most people Tom Jones is probably best know for songs like “What’s New Pussycat?,” “Green, Green Grass of Home,” “It’s Not Unusual,” and his cover of Prince’s “Kiss.” Praise and Blame is his second release on Lost Highway Records, better known for releasing music that might be labeled “Roots Music” or “Americana.” It turns out the fit between Jones and the label is not at all a forced one.

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Help Support the Life is Good Foundation

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I’m in the midst of fundraising for the Life is Good Kids Foundation. I must admit that my reasons for embarking on this venture were selfish. I’m going to the Life is Good Festival down the road a bit in Canton, and you get some special privileges if you raise a certain amounts. But having started on the project, I did some research into the foundation, and I’ve realized what a good cause it is. My enthusiasm is great, independent of the concert.

The Life is good Kids Foundation is an action-oriented nonprofit, committed to helping young children overcome life-threatening challenges such as extreme poverty, violence, illness and natural disasters. Our Playmakers Initiative provides training, resources and support to the adults dedicated to caring for these children so that all involved lead healthier, more joyful lives.

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Thematic playlist: Whiskey and Moonshine

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A while back, I got a lot of peoples help to create lists of train songs that I posted in this blog. That was a fun project, and I’ve been eager to start another. I subsequently indicated that my next list would be Protest Songs and Corporate Greed. It seemed relevant given the crisis in the Gulf of Mexico, the banking crisis, and so many other current issues. I haven’t gotten far on that, but am still working on it. It’s just that it’s such a heavy topic.

So I’m going to lighten it up a bit and start another project at the same time, this one on one one of my favorite things: Whiskey. Just to keep it interesting, lets not limit ourselves to whiskey, but also moonshine or, the name I like, “White Lightening.”
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A Tale of Three Bands

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Over and over for about three decades folks have proclaimed the death of Rock and Roll, but I’m thoroughly convinced that good old-fashioned, guitar dominated rock and roll is in the midst of a golden age. I just watched the Bruce Springsteen, Live at Hyde Park DVD and it is amazing. I was at the actual concert in Hyde Park last year. At the age of 60 this man rocks! I’ve seen him play a few times over the decades and the show on that DVD is every bit as high energy, loud and exciting as those he did in the 90’s, 80’s and even the 70’s. You get wrapped up in a Springsteen concert like you might in a religious revival, and there are not at lot of artists who have been able to keep the intensity of a show at your favorite rock club, even as they began to play at bigger and bigger venues, right up stadiums and open air concerts in Hyde Park.

Not only are his live shows legendary, but each show is new and different. There is always a significant element of spontaneity and he never sticks to a preplanned setlist. He can keep it fresh because he’s constantly releasing new material. Indeed, in recent years he’s been releasing albums even more frequently, nearly every year since 2002. It’s surprising to notice the age range at his concerts, fans ranging from their 20s to their 60s! As long as Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band are playing three hour plus concerts and Bruce keeps that new material coming, we don’t need to worry about the death of Rock and Roll.
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