Cincinnati's Heartless Bastards played at Spaceland last Friday night, and I am really bummed that we did not go. Unfortunately, both of us are really busy right now. However, Uncle T , a big fan who is responsible for introducing me to them in the first place, did see them at Austin City Limits in September. I am going to take a chance and post his review. Cross your fingers that the blo...
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Change is good. Marcy at Lost In Your Inbox threw herself into the Obama campaign, so it's no wonder that now the job is done she's experiencing withdrawals with a beautiful song by Nina Nastasia and Jim White. Music Is Art features a fundraiser for breast cancer awareness and prevention called Keep A Breast Foundation. To Die By Your Side features an impromptu composition by Ryan Adams tha...
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I am really into the ladies recently. Swedish songstress Frida Hyvönen , who has toured with Jose González and Jens Lekman, releases her second album, Silence Is Wild , this week. This song has grown on me ever since I found it while looking for songs for a mixed album for a friend. Beautiful voice, beautiful lyrics."Give us what we deserve As fearful creatures..." Frida Hyvönen : Enemy W
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"President Obama!" What an amazing day this is. Somewhere I picture John F. Kennedy and his brother Robert, Martin Luther King, and another ground-breaking President from Illinois, Abraham Lincoln, cheering because the ideals that they lived and died for have brought us to this incredible day. "America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to do." This is jus...
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Tracy Shedd comes on like a mix of Suzanne Vega, Liz Phair, and Laura Viers on her brand new second album Cigarettes & Smoke Machines , released in September. Like those other ladies, her songs have a tough spine underneath a glowing softness. These should make you want to look up the rest. This is her fourth album since 2001, and she has an EP with the One AM Radio as well. Today, as we wa...
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Tracy Shedd comes on like a mix of Suzanne Vega, Liz Phair, and Laura Viers on her brand new second album Cigarettes & Smoke Machines , released in September. Like those other ladies, her songs have a tough spine underneath a glowing softness. These should make you want to look up the rest. This is her fourth album since 2001, and she has an EP with the One AM Radio as well. Today, as we wa...
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This beautiful Cyndi Lauper cover by Stockholm's Ane Brun is exquisitely tender and touching, but there are other wonderful tracks on her new album Changing Of the Seasons as well. Her delicate voice, accompanied by either simple guitar or piano on tunes like "The Puzzle" and "Linger With Pleasure" will haunt you. And you must have "To Let Myself Go" from A Temporary Dive (2004). You just mu...
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This beautiful Cyndi Lauper cover by Stockholm's Ane Brun is excellent, but there are other wonderful tracks on her new album Changing Of the Seasons as well. Brun's delicate voice, accompanied by either simple guitar or piano on tunes like "The Puzzle" and "Linger With Pleasure" will haunt you. And you must have "To Let Myself Go" from A Temporary Dive (2004). You just must. Another knoc...
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The best man isn't going to win without your vote, and I'm not hiding who I think the best man is. And Californians: please vote NO on Prop 8. The purpose of the state constitution is not to tell people what they can't do with their personal lives. I know Frank Hoier is an Obama supporter too. He thanked me personally for putting "Jesus Don't Give Tax Breaks to the Rich" in my Time For Ch...
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Jack-o-lantern contest winners. I vote for Trogdor! Happy Halloween! Let's see check out some of our buddies: Music Under Fire has an incredible Halloween playlist today. I would have loved to have featured any of those here, but under the current search-and-destroy policies I have experienced lately, I don't dare. Check out new band The Danks at Lost In Your Inbox . Motel de Moka comm...
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Jack-o-lantern contest winners. I vote for TrogdorHappy Halloween! Let's see check out some of our buddies:Music Under Fire has an incredible Halloween playlist today. I would have loved to have featured any of those here, but under the current search-and-destroy policies I have experienced lately, I don't dare.Check out new band The Danks at Lost In Your Inbox.Motel de Moka commemorates what...
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Oh, this is timely. I was watching Jack Cafferty on CNN the other day when I was on the treadmill at my gym, which is the only time I watch TV. He said something like, "The Republicans keep saying Obama will spend too much money. What money? There IS no money. Bush spent it all." So true. You want more of the same? Vote for the "old guy," as Paris Hilton called him. I never thought I'...
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I'm going to level with you, readers: a monster has been eating my blog. I envision it a lot like the one above, kind of bored, mindlessly chomping away, and completely unresponsive to discussion. It's been devouring chunks when I'm not looking. While I'm trying to have a sense of humor about the situation, it really isn't very funny. In the past week, six of our posts have been deleted by Bl...
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We saw The Weather Underground at the Echo last May and were so impressed we bought all their EPs on the spot. As is common, bands sometimes have to change in order to move forward. Guitarist Shoichi Bagley decided to leave the band amicably for pursuits outside music and Calvin J. Love, a native of Edmonton, Canada, replaced him on lead guitar. The new line-up has resulted in a new name, Re...
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It may have been a quiet week in Lake Wobegon, but it's been an exciting week (and not in a good way) at Speed of Dark. The story is still in progress, and I am in the process of deciding a plan of action, so I am not ready to tell it all here yet. Maybe one day. But there are big hints in some of the archived posts and little hints in particular elements of today's post, so you might guess ...
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Fighting the Marek Fire, which burned 3700 acres this month The third week of October is often the worst of fire season in southern California. The largest fires that have produced the most damage and taken the most lives have occurred during this week. The saddest part is that many of them are set on purpose. Last year by this time there had been two fires within two miles of our house. ...
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Here are another two acts from Uncle T 's Day 3 at Austin City Limits 2008 . ~alt-gramma~ Abigail Washburn and the Sparrow Quartet with Bela Fleck Deciding this might be different I headed over to the AT&T stage to it check out, and stayed for the entire set because it was so good. This folk group led by vocalist Abigail Washburn included banjo virtuoso Bela Fleck and Grammy nominated...
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I don't usually use this space to express my political opinions. As much as I support Barack Obama for President, I'm not making annoying phone calls (I hate getting them), and I'm not knocking on doors waving a survey. I'm using my own blogspace to speak my views on the coming U.S. Presidential election. Excuse us, international readers, but for the rest of this piece, I'm going to assume yo...
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I'm taking a break today from Uncle T's adventures at Austin City Limits so I can talk about this wonderful album I have been listening to.Outside Our Gates, released in early September, is Liz Durrett's third full-length album. Her papery-dry whisper of a singing voice has been compared to Cat Power's, but there all resemblance ends because Durrett's style is very different, reflecting the El...
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Uncle T wound up Day 2 at Austin City Limits with this dynamite duo and the legendary T-Bone Burnett on guitar. "Battle of Evermore!" Wowza! That's one of my favorite Led Zep songs.~alt-gramma~Robert Plant and Alison KraussI caught the last 30 minutes of this amazing set. They sounded magnificent; much more powerful than I'd anticipated. These guys went into a musical trance and took the hug...
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