"Chimes of Freedom: The Songs of Bob Dylan"

 As part of the 50th anniversary celebration for Amnesty International, a new 76 song, four disc set, Chimes Of Freedom: The Songs of Bob Dylan, is being released today. Lest you think this is just some hippy dippy outgrowth of the 60s, Amnesty International has been fighting for human rights all over the globe, working to protect people’s justice, freedom, truth, and dignity, for which they received the Nobel Peace Prize.

Bob Dylan’s music is the perfect choice for a tribute, with his literate portrayal of social mores, issues, and the body politic in song through the years. The list of artists participating is mind-blowing, among them: Adele, Joan Baez, Jackson Browne, Elvis Costello, Dave Matthews Band, Mark Knopfler, Lenny Kravitz, Kris Kristofferson, Tom Morello, Seal & Jeff Beck, Patti Smith, Sting, Pete Townshend, and Lucinda Williams.

All told, there are 80 artists spanning the genres who have contributed to this worthy album for a worthy cause. Bob Dylan himself does “Chimes Of Freedom” on the new album, and I couldn’t find a video for it. So here is a bit of a left curveball, as this version is not on the album, but here is one we found from Bruce Springsteen with Sting, Tracy Chapman, Peter Gabriel, and Youssou N´Dour back in 2007. 

- Jessie Scott

Jimmy LaFave "River Road"

Happy Chinese New Year! Today we usher in the Year of the Black Water Dragon, actually the only legendary animal among the signs in Chinese Astrology.   At Chinese New Year celebrations people wear red clothes, write poems on red paper, and give children "lucky money" in red envelopes. Red symbolizes fire, which according to legend can drive away bad luck. Just in case you needed a reason to celebrate today, there you have it.

I predict this is going to be a big year for Jimmy LaFave. It would have been the 100th birthday of Woody Guthrie, and as Jimmy is a premier interpreter of Woody, I know he will be especially busy. Coming up later this week on January 28th is Walking Woody’s Road, with Jimmy teaming up with Eliza Gilkyson, Slaid Cleaves, and Terri Hendrix. Look for this show to tour through the year. We dig into a Jimmy LaFave self-penned tune today from the Music Fog Spring Marathon during SXSW 2011 at Threadgill’s. Jimmy is accompanied by Jeff Plankenhorn, Glenn Schuetz, Chip Dolan, and Bobby Kallus in this song of love, “River Road.”

- Jessie Scott

The White Buffalo "Love Song #1"

Lately, I have been getting into conversations about the philosophy of mass communication. Heady stuff, I know, but there are so many people who come to me asking why their music can’t be ubiquitous, the way music was in the 60s, 70s, and 80s. I would posit that the media delivery system started breaking apart in the late 90s, and the last people to ride it to become ‘household names’ were the likes of Matchbox20, Sister Hazel, Sheryl Crow, all who saw first light of day in that era. Not to say that no one has broken through since then, but back then, there was a system which could be relied on, which has now disappeared from the media landscape.

Photo Credit: Cheyenne EllisToday, there are lots of alternative paths to finding your audience. Each artist is tasked with finding his own way. There are no rules. You do it however you can. And yes, it can lead to a satisfying decades-long career. I am heartened by the artists that ply the festival stages to become known. There are TV shows that feature new music in their soundtracks, from which the artists can ascend to carve out a place for themselves in the pantheon. The White Buffalo is one, having exposure on the TV show Sons of Anarchy. His EP The Lost & Found came out in December, and come February there will be a full length album out called Once Upon A Time In The West.

Here is a tasty morsel.

- Jessie Scott