My favorite Scott Miller song...

Most you guys know I'm a huge Scott Miller fan....all the way back to his pre V-Roys days. This is perhaps my favorite song of his. It's called Red Ball Express, and it's about the real life Red Ball Express from WWII. Scott is somewhat of a history scholar, and supposedly this is one of the most accurate portrayals of WWII in song there is.



Here's a link to a book about the Red Ball Express

Jimbo Mathus and His Knockdown Society - Knockdown in Nashville Live 1998 (Out of Print)

Here is a sadly out of print album from James "Jimbo" Mathus. Fans of deep blues and country blues will want to check this out. This was recorded in support of his Songs For Rosetta album, the Rosetta in question being Rosetta Patton....Charlie Patton's daughter, and Jimbo's nanny as a child (hows that for blues cred). The band includes members of North Mississippi Allstars, so fans of them will also want to check this out.

Here are some release notes from Jimbo himself:

James "Jimbo" Mathus & His KnockDown Society, "KnockDown In Nashville". This CD was recorded in Nashville at Billy Blocks Western Beats Roots Revival in 1998 and was a benefit for Rosetta Patton who was Charlie Patton's daughter and Jimbo's nanny. The KnockDown Society consist of Stu Cole, who was also in Jimbo's Squirrel Nut Zippers, Cody & Luther Dickinson of the North Mississippi AllStars, Greg Humphries, of Hobex, Hawkeye Jordan and Greg Bell. The 8 songs on this CD run from country blues to juke joint boogie to gospel and country rock. All songs, on this CD are by Jimbo except The Christian Life and I Got Mine. This CD is distributed on Jimbo's, KnockDown South Records.com. God bless Mississippi and pass the ANTISEPTIC...jimbo

1 I Got Mine
2 Who'll Sop My Gravy
3 Don't Make Me Wait
4 Blues For Blind Mellon
5 No Monkey Business
6 The Christian Life
7 Don't Know Nothing
8 Memphis Bound

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http://www.myspace.com/jimbomathus

(funny tidbit...I read his influences as Hank Williams Jr. Kimbrough :), now that would make a cool concept album "Whiskey Bent and Burn in Hell" :P )

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MP3 @ 224

Jimbo Mathus - Knockdown in Nashville

Truesounds - Mar. '08

Another month, another comp. Got some good stuff here folks. Really liking this Dark Horses band. This one starts out a little rowdy and leans toward the rockin' side....I blame it on the nice weather :)

01-The Dark Horses-Llike I Do.mp3
*Off their 2005 album "The Dark Horses"....unbelievably, these guys hail from NYC....and I love em
02-Billy Joe Shaver-Moonshine and Indian Blood.mp3
*Off his recently released "Storyteller - Live from the Bluebird"...it's a damn good acoustic live album from 1992 featuring legendary Eddie Shaver on guitar
03-Dedringers-Sidemans Blues.mp3
*These guys finally put an album out....been hearing about them for a while now....off 2008's "Sweetheart of the Neighborhood"
04-Lucero-Sing Me No Hymns.mp3
*Pretty rockin' song here from their 2006 album "Rebel's, Rogues, and Sworn Brothers"...hopefully they will be putting something out this year
05-Eliza Gilkyson-Angel and Delilah.mp3
*WOW! good stuff here, off here 07 live album "Your Town Tonight"
06-Will Kimbrough-Moves me deeply.mp3
*Todd Snider's main man doing a Peter Case song off last years excellent Peter Case Tribute
07-Sam Baker-Change.mp3
*Off Sam's first album Mercy from 2004. This guy has such a way with words
08-The Gougers-oldcrow_Scarecrow.mp3
*More Gougers, these guys tour with Dedringers up above.....really love this album "Long Day For The Weathervane"....an 07 release
09-Jimbo Mathus-Loose Diamonds.mp3
*Who says ugly white boys can't have soul......off his 05 album Knockdown South
10-Magnolia Electric Co-The Dark Don't Hide It.mp3
*Off my favorit MECo album "Trials and Errors" from 2005
11-Chuck Prophet-High Time (You Quit Your Low Down Ways).mp3
*Off Chuck's latest "Dreaming Waylon's Dreams"....a re-imagining of Waylon's album "Dreaming My Dreams".....the WHOLE ALBUM....a very interesting listen. From 08
12-Eddie Spaghetti-Carry Me Home.mp3
*Off Supersucker's frontman's second album, 05's "Old No. 2"
13-Reckless Kelley-Lonely All The Time.mp3
*I just love the bassline in this one, off 2000 album "The Day"
14-The Avett Brothers-Will You Return.mp3
*How about something a little upbeat, off their 07 classic "Emotionalism"
15-Mark Jungers & the Whistling Mules-Silos & Smokestacks.mp3
*More Mark Jungers (thanks whoever turned me onto them), off their 07 album of the same name
16-David Childers and The Modern Don Juans-George Wallace.mp3
*What are the chances....TWO alt-country songs about the same thing....not a bad song, even if it has been done before. Off 06's "Jailhouse Religion"
17-Steve Earle-The Galway Girl.mp3
*Obligatory St. Patricks Day song.....also the 17th track heh heh
18-William Elliott Whitmore-Rest His Soul.mp3
*God I love this guy, off 2006's "song of the blackbird"
19-The Fox Hunt-Getting Drunk.mp3
*Gettin' Drunk is not much fun when your all by yourself, unless of course your George Thorogood. Off last years "Nowhere Bound"
20-The Dexateens-Own Thing.mp3
*Cool little faces-esque ditty off their 06 album "Hardwire Healing"
21-Two Cow Garage-Should've California.mp3
*Off last years "III", just a nice mellow song to end it all.

MP3 @ 128
Truesounds - Mar. '08

why do you need John Hartford?

John Hartford - Aero-plain (out of print)

A strangely out of print album, especially considering you can buy officialy released outtakes collection of the same album (if you like this, you should definitely check that out). This is considered a landmark bluegrass album....one of the best of the so called hippie-grass movement of the early 70s that included guys like New Grass Revival, Old and In The Way, David Grisman, Sam Bush, Tony Rice, etc...you know, the original jam bands (the ones that didn't suck). This album also has the distinction of having one of the coolest album covers ever. Released in 1971, it's a must have for any fan of bluegrass, folk, or just damned good music.

Turn Your Radio On
Streamboat Whistle Blues
Back in the Goodle Days
Up on the Hill Where They Do the Boogie
Boogie
First Girl I Loved
Presbyterian Guitar
With a Vamp in the Middle
Symphony Hall Rag
Because of You
Stream Powered Aereo Plane
Holding
Tear Down the Grand Ole Opry
Leather Britches
Station Break
Turn Your Radio On

MP3 @ 192

John Hartford - Aero-plain

Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Well Known Secret (Boston 11-22-76) + Bonus Disc

As promised some more Shakey, as I said before I just can't get enough of him lately. This one is killer.....great sound (though of course it can't rival his damn near perfect official live releases), and great set. Discs 1 and 3 are solo acoustic, and discs 2 and 4 are with Crazy Horse. Killer version of Cortez on disc 2 (contender for my favorite Neil Young song) followed by an extended Cinnamon Girl jam that is equally killer. Check out Roll Another Number on disc 3, and the whole shebang is wrapped up with a rollicking Southern Man. This is a killer boot folks.

BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE!

This thing came with a bonus disc entitled Electric Live in NYC that is a Neil Young and Crazy Horse show from 2 days before this show. A nice treat I gotta say. The sound is not as good but there is a sweet electric version of Helpless at the end that I can't stop listening to.

MP3 @ 192

Dead Link

Old Crow Medicine Show - Troubles Up and Down The Road EP

Might as well throw this in while I'm at it. This is a limited edition EP that was released in 2001, I'm guessing sometime after Eutaw. This is one of my favorite Old Crow discs.....it's just a young eagar band playing good old timey music. The first track Rub Alcohol Blues is killer. Alos features probably the earliest recorded version of Wagon Wheel (barring Bob Dylan's original) that has a nice steel guitar on it.

1. Rub Alcohol Blues
2. Big Sciota
3. Blue-Eyed Girl
4. Darlin' Corey
5. Little Sadie
6. Wagon Wheel

(excerpt from liner notes) The Old Crow Medicine Show was kicking around the foam house in Whites Creek the other day. All the boys were there and all their dogs too, hanging round the hoods of various junk cars, spitting and smoking, laughing and joking. Someone started talking about Prince's Hot Chicken Shack which is down the way from the old Crows nest on Dickerson Rd. Dill pickles and greasy chicken laid over two slices of Bunny Bread. Of course we immediately started thinking about our buddy Dub who kept Prince's in business through some of the lean years. Then someone remembered a recording we made for Dub back in September, the Dub dub as it was then known.

MP3 @ 128

Old Crow Medicine Show - Troubles Up And Down The Road

Old Crow Medicine Show - Live at the World Cafe EP

'kay, so I was gonna post their second album Eutaw which I thought was out of print. Well turns out they just re-released it a couple weeks ago....Check it out. If you enjoy Old Crow, you'll surely like that. What I can give you though is this live EP from iTunes they put out shortly after OCMS became a runaway success. It's a pretty good EP I have to say, good slow plucked banjo version of Wagon Wheel on here.

1. CC Rider
2. Wagon Wheel
3. Tell It Me
4. Wrecking Ball
5. Odd N Ends

MP3 @ 320

Old Crow Medicine Show - Live At The World Cafe

More Neil coming...right now, some fine mixes...

got some Neil Young boots coming up...mid 70s stuff mostly. Also further down the pipe I've got a few Truer Samplers lined up. These include Slobberbone, Chris Knight and A Truer Easter at the end of the month.

What I got for you right now though are a few mixes made by some friends over at altcountrytab.ca. They include Michael Hurley (Snock), Jim White, Butch Hancock, Peter Case, John Hartford, and one of all canadian artists. So thanks to all those guys over there for their hard work....these are some great mixes folks, I especially enjoyed the Snock and Jim White as they were both semi-new to me.

Been on kind of a Neil Young kick lately....

as if you couldn't tell....

Both songs from "Time Fades Away"....call it a preview if you will.

More classic Neil (last song is also from Time Fades Away....just to keep tying it together)