I beg to differ. I'm completely satisfied with the unique sound that porterdavis continues to blast out! For what appears to be a stripped down three piece, they always deliver a mountain of healthy tone. If you like any of their tunes that you've caught here in the Fog, you'll LOVE their self-titled album from this past summer...produced by Gurf Morlix. Crank it. Dig it. Repeat.
Let's head back to Threadgill's World Headquarters in Austin during SXSW week 2009. This time around you get to groove on some nice slide work from Dan. I also like how he tries to run Simon out of breath at the end, but the mad harp man just shakes it off! Nice.
Hope your Christmas was warm, wonderful, and everything you wanted it to be! Next stop, New Years' and then we get ready to head up the mountain for MusicFest at Steamboat Springs.
We love us some Ragweed anytime, as we revisit a song that is on the unofficially titled CD Purple, AKA the self titled Cross Canadian Ragweed album from 2002. My how time flies when you are making great music! Now if you got some green under the tree, you could visit the Rag Schwag store! This here is an up close and personal soundcheck performance from the Recher Theatre near Baltimore a few weeks ago! Thanks again to CCR engineer Brian Kinzie for the audio mix.
We are primed and ready for our "Texas comes to The Rockies" trip as it is just a week away for Steamboat. The lineup is smoking, as always, with lots of old friends and some new ones too! Of course Cross Canadian Ragweed is there, plus Robert Earl Keen, Randy Rogers Band, Band of Heathens, Reckless Kelly, Charlie Robison, Kevin Welch, Lee Ann Womack, Jamie Wilson, Todd Snider, Jason Eady and The Wayward Apostles, Billy Joe Shaver, Jack Ingram, Chris Knight, Walt Wilkins, Midnight River Choir, Jonathan Tyler and The Northern Lights, Kevin Fowler, Modern Day Drifters, Hayes Carll, Ben Smith, Jason Boland and The Stragglers, Josh Abbott, Cory Morrow, Ray Wylie Hubbard, The Trishas, Wade Bowen, The Doug Moreland Show, Stoney LaRue, Tina Wilkins, Roger Creager, Lucas Hubbard, Sean McConnell, Johnny and The Footlights. Plus, NEW ARTISTS ADDED to this year's lineup: George Devore, Kyle Park, Lee Brice, Seth James, Bobby Duncan, Granger Smith, Bart Crow, Bruce Robison, Brandon Rhyder, Sons of Bill, Great American Taxi, Dustin Welch, Brandon Jenkins, and Rich O'Toole!
Christmas is always a strange mix of sober observance and carefree merrymaking. Whether you're cheering for the baby Jesus or for the Heat Miser, Christmas has the best characters, the best stories, and of course the best songs.
So this year, when Bob Dylan released a Christmas album, critics rushed to determine whether it was a joke, a marketing ploy, or some meta-commentary on contemporary society. While in fact, much like his radio show, it's about the songs. And like the holiday, it runs the gamut from the sacred to the profane. It has tender moments ("I'll Be Home for Christmas"), esoteric moments ("Christmas Island"), and classic moments ("Little Drummer Boy"). What makes them work is that Christmas music is not for listening...it's for singing.
All great Christmas albums inspire and encourage you to sing along. You don't have to be a good singer, you just have to sing. Hell, if Bob Dylan is willing to try to sing "Adestes Fideles" then I will too. By far the most popular at our house has been "Must Be Santa," Dylan's take on the Brave Combo polka version of a Mitch Miller classic. It's a fun song, with a great video (Yes, that's him dancing in the Santa hat). Watch it, sing along with it, and read all about how it was made. Also check out this great interview about the album. And don't forget to have yourself a raucous, merry little Christmas.
