#(no acoustic guitars. we do have a banjo)

[conshirtoe]

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

[thislovintime]

Artwork by Nick Thorkelson.

"I think it was about, it might have been ’90, ’91 or something, and I said, ‘Peter, why haven’t you made a record? All these guys have made solo records, and you haven’t.’ And he was so humble, he just said, ‘Well, you know, no one has asked me.’ And I said, ‘Jesus, Peter, I have a studio, I have a record label, I have distribution.’ I said, ‘Why don’t we, at some point, make you a solo record, and we’ll shop it, you know. And the worst case scenario, if literally nobody likes it but us, we can put it out on my label, which is distributed by Capitol. So we can’t lose, you know.’ And, you know, I just, I just said, ‘Let’s just do that.’ And I, I must admit that my vision of the first album, because I had seen him perform this organic acoustic music, I wanted to present him doing those, those banjo things. I wanted to make, essentially, an acoustic record, so that I could demonstrate that there was no… no phony stuff behind him, that he was the guy doing this stuff. I wanted to present that so it would shift peoples’ conception of him. Yes, he’s a Monkee, and he was famous and he was a teen idol. He was also always this musician, he played the acoustic guitar — he really played the guitar, he really played the banjo, he really played the piano. And I wanted to do that. But he said, ‘James, you know, I’m not that guy anymore. I want to do a rock ’n’ roll — I’m a rocker, I want to do a rock ’n’ roll record. And I wanna do, I like all these synths and stuff.’ So I said, ‘Okay, well, I mean, let us… let me see what I can do to help further your vision.’" - James Lee Stanley, The Monkees Pad Show “It’s not alternative, thrash, hip-hop, acid jazz or any of that, but there’s some funky stuff and moderately heavy guitar.” - Peter Tork, The San Francisco Examiner, February 5, 1995

[starscelly]

here is a question: if you had to assign every player on the stars (minus the gross ones or those who you do not know Like That) a musical

instrument for them to play who would get what? can be completely realistic or just what you want in your heart of hearts and also double ups are fine not everyone has to get a different one

i am inclined to give all the flying stars their instruments… so they may keep those (miro - bass, roope - guitar/vocals, otter - drums, robo - guitar)

actually i wanna give robo a keyboard. so he can have that as well i’ve decided. a stupid electronic one that he can make meow or whatever. also otter ur hands are so big and u are so dramatic . pipe organ for you as well my boy… is pipe organ the name idek. the big ones they have in church

i’ve also given wyatt a cheesy acoustic guitar before and he will ALSO be keeping that. he’s serenading delly over facetime like idk he’s a loser he’s playing wonderwall

tsegs can have a series of a variety of guitars that he keeps buying because he’s Gonna Learn For Sure but never does. he also makes really bad beats on like garage band

i want tharls on a BANJO. NOW. will not be explaining further.

can i give stank a goofy wind instrument. give this man the clarinet or something. he needs to feel embarrassed about something he picked in 6th grade

dutchy is just cringe and sincere enough for a UKULELE!! take him down to the riptide or whatever

mush… he loves to destroy so much i need him on the MOST classical instruments for the dichotomy. first instinct is violin because it’d be silly but cello feels better in my soul?

esa gets a viola because he’d be beautiful playing it. i think i also made him a bassist in my Deeper Flying Stars Lore but we can’t discuss this right now

nils can have a kazoo because i think he’d have fun and annoy everyone with it <3 and i think i’ll leave that all there <3

[gratefulfrog]

ON THIS DATE (53 YEARS AGO)

June 14, 1970 – Grateful Dead: Workingman's Dead is released.

Workingman's Dead is the fourth studio album by the Grateful Dead, released on June 14, 1970. It reached #27 on the Billboard 200 Top LP's & Tapes chart. In 2003, the album was ranked number 262 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

The title of the album comes from a comment from Jerry Garcia to lyricist Robert Hunter about how "this album was turning into the Workingman's Dead version of the band."

Garcia has said that much of the sound of the album comes both from his pairing with Hunter as well as the band's friendship with Crosby, Stills and Nash. "Hearing those guys sing and how nice they sounded together, we thought, 'We can try that. Let's work on it a little,'" commented Garcia.

Songs such as "Uncle John's Band," "High Time" and "Cumberland Blues" were brought to life with soaring harmonies and layered vocal textures that had not been a part of the band's sound until then. According to the 1992 Dead oral history, Aces Back To Back, in the summer of 1968, Stephen Stills vacationed at Mickey Hart's ranch in Novato. "Stills lived with me for three months around the time of [CSN's] first record," recalls Hart, "and he and David Crosby really turned Jerry and Bobby onto the voice as the holy instrument. You know, 'Hey, is this what a voice can do?' That turned us away from pure improvisation and more toward songs."

The Grateful Dead's first four albums reinforced their stature as a performing group, with a loose improvisational feel rooted in the blues, rock & roll, and modern jazz. But with the 1970 release of Workingman's Dead, Garcia, Weir, Lesh, McKernan, Kreutzmann, and Hart reined in their many spatial musical elements and found their true stylistic niche in the studio with an engaging blend of country, blues, and folk. Where earlier studio releases strove to recreate the kind of freeform group improvisations that won the Dead a fanatical cult following in the Bay area, Workingman's Dead drew upon a rural American vernacular that was in many ways analogous to that of the Band.

The resulting music has a rootsy, timeless quality, with tight instrumental arrangements, concise solo breaks, and a carefully wrought style of vocal harmonizing. The Dead won extensive airplay with tuneful songs like "Uncle John's Band" and "Casey Jones," while expanding their following well beyond San Francisco. Garcia's slithering pedal steel counterpoint and twangy banjo rolls make for a charismatic new style of bluegrass on "Dire Wolf" and "Cumberland Blues," while "New Speedway Boogie," featuring some of Robert Hunter's best lyrics, is a pointed personal metaphor for the tragic chaos at Altamont the summer before. This remains one of the legendary band's most concise and beautifully executed records.

__________

ORIGINAL ROLLING STONES REVIEW

It's so nice to receive a present from good friends.

Workingman's Dead is an excellent album. It's a warming album. And most importantly, the Dead have finally produced a complete studio album. The songs stand up quite nicely right on their own merits, which are considerable.

"Uncle John's Band," which opens the album, is, without question, the best recorded track done by this band. Staunch Dead freaks probably will hate this song. It's done acoustically for a starter. No Garcia leads. No smasho drumming. In fact, it's got a mariachi /calypso type feeling. Finely, warmly-lush tuned guitar work starts it off, with a statement of the beat and feeling. When Garcia comes in with the vocal, joined by a lot of tracks of everyone else's voices, possibly including his, it's really very pretty. The lyrics blend in nicely with the music. "All I want to know/How does the song go?" "Come hear Uncle John's band/playing to the tide/Come with me, or come alone/He's come to take his children home." Near the end of the song there is an a cappella section done by everyone, sounds like about 62 tracks, maybe 63. Just listen to it, and try not to smile.

The years of playing together have shown handsome dividends. "Dire Wolf" points this out. It's a country song, Garcia's steel guitar work is just right, and everyone sings along to the "Don't murder me" chorus.

The country feeling of this album just adds to the warmth of it. "Cumberland Blues" starts off as a straight electric cut, telling the story of trying to make ends meet in bad times. Slowly, imperceptibly at first, a banjo enters the song. By the end, I was back at the old Gold Rush along with everyone else. The banjo brought me there.

Even the cuts that are not directly influenced by country stylings have a country feel to them. I suspect that this is due to, the band's vocals. Living out on their ranch seems to have mellowed them all, or at least given a country tinge to their voices. "Casey Jones" is not the theme song you might remember from television. "Driving that train/High on cocaine/Casey Jones you better watch your speed." Listen closely, especially to the cymbal work. Then listen to Phil Lesh's bass mixing with Weir's guitar. Now listen to the cymbal again. Yep. They did it. I don't know who's train is better, Casey's or the Dead's. Living sound effects. Just fine.

~ Andy Zwerling (July 23, 1970)

[daintyduck99]

“I’m never doing that again.” for Alex/anyone because I can hear him say it

Either Alex’s friends have no idea how kissing works, or it’s exactly as gross as they made it sound. He furiously wipes Luke’s spit off of his face, ignoring the way he squawks in offense. 

“Okay, I’m never doing that again. Why do adults like it so much?” 

Reggie rolls over, crowding half on top of Alex because there’s nowhere else to go. Luke’s bed is barely big enough for the three of them, anymore. His arm drapes over Alex’s chest as he grins, flashing his braces, and his mouth’s still all red and raw from Luke’s sloppy demonstration. He’d made this noise like he hadn’t minded, had enjoyed it, even, which was the only reason Alex had let Luke anywhere near his lips, after. 

Alex hadn’t liked how wet it was, how messy, but—he likes the mess it made of Reggie’s mouth. 

Ugh, it doesn’t make any sense. Still—he can’t stop looking at Reggie’s lips as he speaks. 

“I dunno, I mostly figured it would hurt, with the metal and all. It wasn’t that bad, though—”

Luke makes another offended noise, burying his face in Alex’s shoulder. 

“Thanks for the vote of confidence, guys. Rock stars are supposed to be good at this stuff!” 

“‘S’alright, Lu.” Reggie rubs Luke’s back. “Even rock stars have to start somewhere. I’m sure if we keep trying we can reach rock star levels! We couldn’t play well right away, either.” 

“You basically could,” Luke whines, which is true. 

Reggie picked up bass guitar fast, then banjo from his grandpa, and he’s been fiddling with Luke’s acoustic, lately. He’s sort of insanely talented like that. He blushes at Luke’s words. 

“Okay, maybe, but I wasn’t perfect right away. And I don’t have your—intensity. You played under your fingers bled and basically put your soul into that guitar! You put it into everything.”

Luke lifts his head with a grin. “Really?” 

“Yeah,” Reggie squeaks. He clears his throat. “I mean—I could tell you really wanted to kiss me. And you’re always really warm. So—some of it was nice. I’d let you kiss me again.” 

Luke smirks, but at least he doesn’t wiggle his eyebrows.

“You haven’t kissed Alex yet, though.” 

Wait a frickin’ second. He feels his own cheeks flood with heat. 

“Didn’t I just say—” 

“Come on Alex, it was my first kiss,” Luke says exasperatedly. “Kisses, whatever. In theory it’s super easy! Just—try a few more times before you decide that you don’t like it. Maybe we’ll get the hang of it, and then you will! Plus, Reggie’s lips are really soft.”

Reggie squeaks again, a cute little eep, and his gaze skitters away as he rolls his lip between his teeth, as if he needs to test Luke’s claim for himself. 

Alex has to admit that it’s tempting. If Reggie wasn’t laying on his arm, he’d touch his face. 

“Okay. We can kiss if you want to, Reggie.” 

His eyes snap back to Alex’s, round with disbelief and something like joy. His face is still pink, though his lips aren’t quite so red this time when he smiles. 

“Of course I want to kiss you, Lexi.” 

Alex is the one to brush their lips together to hide the way he melts, but it doesn’t really work. 

This—is better. Luke was right—Reggie’s lips are soft, and he’s still smiling. Alex tries not to press too hard on account of Reggie’s braces, because—you’re supposed to do something with your mouth, right? But this light amount of pressure, the sweet skim of his mouth on Reggie’s—it’s sort of nice. He’d dare to call it good, even. 

It’s safe to say that Reggie picks up kissing first too, even with the handicap of his braces. Alex never lets Luke live it down—someone needs to keep him humble amidst all the fame.

[askmadcomcrew]

for everyone: do you play any instruments?

Hank: I sometimes shoot guns to the beat of music. Only sometimes.

Sanford: Drums! I've gotten really good at 'em recently! I can do some pretty sick sounding breakdowns.

Deimos: Acoustic guitar or electric guitar for me. You should listen to me an San's jam sessions, we make some rocking tunes when we get the chance.

Doc: Not an instrument, but I do hum and sing to myself often. Usually while working. Helps keep you sane.

Jeb: I was always quite fond of the piano and the works of one Ludwig Van Beethoven. I got quite decent at Für Elise back then, but I haven't played in years.

Tricky: BACK WHEN I STILL WENT BY THE NAME DR. HOFFNAR, I PLAYED A LOT OF THOSE RHYTHM GAMES YOU COULD FIND ON THE INTERNET. NOWADAYS I JUST HIT PEOPLE OVER THE HEAD WITH MY STOP SIGN IF I'M FEELING MORE MUSICALLY INCLINED!! HAHA!!

Crackpot: The tambourine is really fun because you don't have to be good at it. Just make noise! Heh heh!

Sheriff: It's gonna sound stereotypical but, acoustic guitar or the banjo. Go on, yuck it up, but 'ya won't be laughing when I play the Devil Went Down to Georgia. I also got a pretty fine singin' voice, just rarely get the chance t' use it.

Phobos: I have other people play my music for me. I had a private band in my office for a while, but I eventually got so sick of them I had them put to death. Just for fun, really.

Auditor: I quite like the flute. One of the few creations that Nevadeans have made that is worth anything.

[sinceileftyoublog]

This Is The Kit & Gruff Rhys Live Show Review: 10/19, Lincoln Hall, Chicago

This Is The Kit's Kate Stables

BY JORDAN MAINZER

On This Is The Kit's latest album Careful Of Your Keepers (Rough Trade), Kate Stables asks many questions without expecting answers to all of them. "When are we gonna get there, when are they?" "If we're holding hands, will we walk at the same speed?" "Boy, I'm talking to you, are you listening?" Okay, maybe that last one is easy (he's definitely not listening), but for the most part, Stables' philosophical quandaries and mantra-like repetitions are metaphors for the uneasy and paradoxical nature of relationships and time. "This is a how shit is this measuring stick," she sings, tongue twisted, on album opener "Goodbye Bite", having difficulty pinpointing exact beginning and ending points of certain eras in her life. If vagaries are the name of the game for This Is The Kit, the band's live performance last Thursday at Lincoln Hall brought to life, via instrumentation, Stables' gently agitated state.

This Is The Kit's Stables and Rozi Plain

Take "Goodbye Bite", and its concoction of sinewy guitars, bass, synth, and woodwinds: When you're listening to it, it feels like it's encircling your brain, threatening to wedge its way in. Stables, bassist Rozi Plain, guitarist Neil Smith, and drummer Lucien Chatin made sure it finally did when presented live, with a looser structure. Holding it all together, though, was Stables' voice, smoky in contrast to the wiry guitars of "Slider", seeming like it wanted to leap off the page on "Stuck in a Room", a song about wanting to leave where you are but having to stay. Stables' deft delivery sported the stamina of an MC, but over the band's taut music, it sounded like it was bursting at the seams. The elastic-rigid dynamic made its way to even old songs, like on the interplay between Stables' spritely banjo and Chatin's controlled toms on "Bullet Proof".

This Is The Kit

I should emphasize one more time: Just because Stables--and really, almost all people--has trouble quantifying abstractions like time, doesn't mean the band can't show off their tightness. On the Nick Drake lilt of "This Is When The Sky Gets Big", Stables and Plain staggered their harmonies to stunning effect. "Inside Outside" captivated with a jazzy groove. Really, the main image on "Scabby Head and Legs", that of a pigeon who holds eggs too tight and breaks them, seems like a warning signal for the band itself, who instead follow Stables' repeated advice of "cutting once, measuring twice." Yet, they break the rules when they want to, as long as they know that they're breaking the rules. Or, as Stables sings on "Dibs", "Let's pretend to not know that we're out of time."

Gruff Rhys

Though This Is The Kit's growth is certainly organic, enlisting Gruff Rhys of Super Furry Animals as producer on Careful Of Your Keepers is as natural a match as I can remember in recent memory, his experimental whimsy bringing out just enough circular strangeness to the band's sound. Lucky for us, Rhys gave an opening set on Thursday, which meant that he did come out to do backing vocals on a couple TITK songs like on the record. It also meant we got to hear some unreleased songs from his upcoming album Sadness Sets Me Free, the title track, "Bad Friend", and the already released "Celestial Candyfloss" among them. That Rhys played mostly an acoustic set meant he didn't give away what the new songs sound like on record. For one, he admitted to not knowing them very well. The finger-picked guitars on "Celestial Candyfloss" are totally overshadowed by the orchestral chamber pop of the studio version. Sure, some back catalog highlights, like "Lonesome Words" and the metronome-laden "If We Were Words (We Would Rhyme)", were not far cries from their respective studio versions. But Rhys was able to play with volume and his ever-changing distance from the microphone to create a sonic spaciousness on "Pang!" and the melancholy hum of "Shark Ridden Waters". Best, these versions may eventually see the light of day, as Rhys claimed he was recording for a live album, as he held up title cards to a surprisingly sparse crowd that said things like, "Generic audience reaction" so we knew when to cheer. He didn't have to, though. Those of us who were there knew it wouldn't be every day we'd be able to witness two forcefully creative entities on the same night: Our cheers were constant.

[graphitesnorter]

Obligatory "I need to feed my followers before I'm swamped by college" post

Anyways! I have more ghouls and two brothers of blasphemy that I haven't shared so time to re-introduce yall

Lucian he/him about 26-28: era 3 Fire ghoul. Pyrotechnics and set design. Plays electric violin. Scottish. 6 foot 6. Roughly 7'7" with his horns. Became a ghoul after an OD

Fun facts: he will fuck up any cheese you give him. Goes through at least a pack and a half of cigs a day.

Rust- He/it about 19-22: era 5 Earth ghoul. Decomp ghoul (essentially gets rid of dead/dying things around the ministry). Plays kajon, bassoon, and banjo. German-American. Roughly 5'7" nearly 6'6" with antlers. Became a ghoul after a bear attack.

Fun fact: he does taxidermy and other macabre forms of art.

Dustdevil she/they about 36-44: era Zero earth and air multighoul. Secretary and record keeper. Plays organ, piano, harpsichord and kahen. American. Roughly 5'6. Became a ghoul after her husband shot her while pregnant. This affected her physical ghoul form permanently

Fun facts: had a small fling with Secondo for maybe a year or so, she can't recall. They have a third eye and residual third horn

Riptide he/any about 22-26: late era 5 water and quintessence ghoul. Lifeguard. Plays electric and standing bass as well as 12 string acoustic guitar. Australian-American. Roughly 6'3". Became a ghoul after a motorcycle accident. This also permanently affected his ghoul form.

Fun facts: he's a wheelchair and crutch user. Was great friends with Rust on the surface, even had a small crush on him at one point.

Soot (my Sona!!) he/it/they 20: it's hard to say exactly what era Soot is as he's a product of sibling on ghoul infidelity. They just popped up one day in the infirmary. We do know that it is a fire and earth multighoul. Semi-feral. About 5'5". Plays electric guitar when he can actually cooperate.

Brothers of Blasphemy

Ryshand 26 he/him: French. About 5'3.Began working for the clergy around the age of 20. Was a baker at first until he was given the role of caretaker for ghouls in need. Has a profound hate/love relationship with Rust due to how many times he's been bitten upon wakeup call.

Fun facts: He's a werewolf! He's a bit too close to Brother Alabaster

Alabaster 32 he/they: British. About 6'2. Began working for the clergy at about 16. His horticultural knowledge and apothecary work landed him a spot within. He now records his findings on ghouls and their elemental abilities although not in the most ethical of ways.

Fun facts: he was originally a Strange Horticulture OC. I decided to keep the monocle from the game in his design cause I thought it was adorable.

[snails-n-shrooms]

Thanks a lot for the invite to DM. I always default to anon cause I get less nervous. That was a great answer though! My interest in it began when I was younger cause’ve The Matrix. Haha. Then V for Vendetta, to be as cliched as possible. But I too am disabled and queer, and on benefits actually, so a lot of similarities when it comes to my real world influences. It’s really the only thing that makes sense to me. We all get raised being told democracy works because we all get a say, but then you realise we don’t all get the same say and even if you do the choices aren’t real choices most of the time.

I’ll try and keep the questions rolling though and add 🌳, 🌅, and 📗?

omg IM SO SORRY! i def replied to this, but tumblr mobile obviously didnt agree, maybe i have, i think im going insane! anyway!! Aye, yeah getting raised we have a massive say in how our country works is a maaasive lie, honestly, if votes like right now in scotland can just be overruled, then whats the point in the people having a say? also the questions! 🌳 : what’s your favorite hairstyles to wear yourself? and what are ones you find gorgeous but can’t wear/haven’t worn on yourself before?

I have mostly had my hair long, cuz TrangirlTM, but i once had one/both my sides shaved for a death hawk, that was fun. I really like alt hairstyles, goth etc. I do plan on making my hair green this year tho. 🌅 : what’s your favorite instrument? do you play it yourself?

Big fan of acoustic instuments, i would love to learn how to play some, guitar, ukelele and like the banjo. I sadly dont play any yet. 📗 : what kind of colors do you like in clothes?

Blacks, whites, green. Mostly i like black clothes mixed with brighter colours. Usually how my look goes.

Thank you for the ask! im so sorry i didnt reply sooner!!

The questions

[thislovintime]

Peter Tork, 1966. Photos by Ken Whitmore, © 1978 Ken Whitmore, MPTV Images.

“He is 24, the oldest Monkee, but he wears that responsibility lightly. ‘The emotional age of all of us is 13. That’s part of the entertainer’s mentality.’ [...] After a period as a folk singer in a Greenwich Village ‘pass the basket’ coffeehouse, he became the guitar and banjo accompanist for the Phoenix Singers, working his way West. Something bright and gentle in him reminded producer Rafelson of Harpo Marx. But, unlike Harpo, Peter has a lot to say. ‘There’s a social revolution going on and the young ones are into it,’ he said. ‘The young more automatically agree to change. When they grow up, they’ll be just as antirevolutionary as their parents, but about different things. If you want something really visionary and mystic’ — he grinned and the dimples deepened into amiable furrows — ‘telepathy is the coming phenomenon. Nonverbal, extrasensory communication is at hand.’ What does he want to communicate? ‘Love. I don’t mean it to sound corny,’ he said pleadingly. ‘Dogmatism is leaving the scene. Youth is examining all the old-time premises that used to be taken totally for granted — sexual mores, artistic mores. And in Russia, the revolutionary clichés. I think there’s a genuinely democratic society just over the horizon. I hope so. I hope it achieves freedom and peace.’ Asked about his draft status, he hesitated. ‘1-Y, Unacceptable. I don’t like the army, and the army and I came to an agreement. To put it bluntly, they thought I was crazy... and maybe I am.’ He added defensively, ‘I don’t think I’m less patriotic than anyone else, maybe I’m even more. I think you should stand for what you believe in. I stand for love and peace. To my way of thinking, they’re the same thing. But the man who said ‘My country, right or wrong’ made a slight error of judgement. My country wrong needs my help. Well, I guess I’ve got myself in enough hot water.’” - interview conducted by Judy Stone for The New York Times, October 2, 1966 Peter Tork: “Well, they wouldn’t let us criticize the war in Vietnam.” Q: “Really?” PT: “Really.” TG: “Did you want to?” PT: “Yup. I actually did, to a New York Times reporter, and they made me, asked me very seriously, very strenuously, to call her and ask her to withhold that section of the interview. And I did, and she did, she was very kind about it. But it was… I look back on it and it seems kind of silly, but I think that the whole point of the project was: don’t make waves. Look like revolutionary, look like something new, but don’t make waves. On the other hand, in the experience of an awful lot of our audience, we were something new. So I can’t knock that.” - NPR, June 1983 “‘When I was a kid, before the Monkees, I was not primarily a rock and roller,’ said Tork during a 1998 interview. ‘I was primarily an acoustic folkie. For us, as acoustic folkies, the politics were very clear. We were strongly liberal, in the Pete Seeger mold. We certainly had a strong sense of right and wrong, and we certainly believed a lot that was wrong with society was the fault of the moneyed class. I think all of us to some extent believed ourselves to be socialists.’ […] It could not have been easy for someone who grew up listening to the Weavers and folk music to remain on the sidelines during such a fertile period in American politics as the late 1960s. Had Tork not strayed a second time from folk, perhaps he would have written a memorable protest song himself. But doing something like that was out of question while a member of the Monkees. Still, Tork tried at one point to break free from his ‘captors.’ ‘I thought that we had no business being in Vietnam, and I said so to the New York Times,’ Tork recalled. ‘I was asked (by Monkees’ management) to retract the statement. I called the Times and did that.’ It was, said Tork, a question of honor; he had signed a contract, and he would abide by its terms.” - We all want to change the world: Rock and politics from Elvis to Eminem (2003) (x)

[eldritch-queern-magicat]

I love getting to meet people from different places in the world. I always feel that my own world has grown bigger each time. I was at a membership assembly this weekend, and it ended up being a multilingual event, with English, Spanish, and Portuguese all being spoken during the sessions. We learned about mística in social movements from a couple people from Brazil and Cuba during one of them Saturday. It's something I'd really enjoy an entire workshop on. It's such a beautiful practice, and there's so much to it that can't be said in an hour.

I also was able to get help re-stringing my guitar (did I ever talk about it on here?; hell if I remember, I'm tired 😹). I still don't even know a single chord properly, but it sure is fun. I took it down to the bonfire and played around, and got a lot of encouragement from people. I also had easy access to a piano to have some fun with. Someone did a walk by the hall, then backtracked because he saw me already with my guitar. But I often forget that Nanny had a piano I liked to play around on, it just needed work done on it.

Though I actually have the goal of being a multi-instrumentalist. I think I always have, actually. I have music in me, I come from a musical family. Mom played the violin when she was young, and Dad played the coronet and harmonica. Grandma played the tuba, but I don't remember what anyone else might have played. I think my grandmama played the flute, but I'm going based on what I was told. In my elementary school band (well I tried, anyway, I was just insecure as hell), I played the xylophone and drum pad. It was fun, and I do long for a drum again.

A couple people brought a drum, ukelele, and a four string banjo. Another guy brought two banjos. Someone else had a bass guitar, and then someone else brought his acoustic guitar. The music was fun, and there was a lot of good poetry shared, too. I loved the time I got to share with others this weekend. It all made Mom's birthday (Saturday) end on a highly positive note.

-Cameron 🥩😺

[allthemusic]

Week ending: 11th December

And that's it for 1958, it seems, no new chart entries after the 11th December. Which leaves me wondering, will we end the year with a ballad, a bang, or a whimper? (The answer, of course, is simply "yes").

Tom Dooley - The Kingston Trio (peaked at Number 5)

It's the same song as last week, but my goodness does this version feel different - compared to Lonnie's insane hillbilly chaos, this is a laid-back chill-out song. Which is just as inappropriate for the grim subject material, but still. It's nice. Even from the get-go, you've got this gentle, quiet picked guitar, and a calm, low voice explaining in a brief spoken-word intro the history of it all, the eternal triangle between the titular Tom Dooley, Laura Foster and one Mr. Grayson (who was almost certainly not actually involved, but he's in the intro nonetheless).

And then the song starts in earnest, and it's lovely. The Kingston Trio are these folksy crooners, early key players in the folk revival going on in the US, and I can honestly really see the appeal. They've got this acoustic backing from what sounds like a guitar, a ukulele and perhaps a banjo, combined with these beautiful soft harmonies, and a delivery that's intense where it needs to be, but dies down again afterwards, fading away to nothing at the end. There's something very simple and appealing about it, and a warmth that's kind of soothing. I like it a lot.

Interestingly, for a cover of an Appalachian folk ballad, it's not a super country-souding song, and there's maybe a reason for that. Because it turns out that the Kingston Trio were named after Kingston in Jamaica, a name picked because they were a calypso band. Add to that the fact that two of the trio members grew up together in Hawaii, where they learnt to play ukulele and admired Hawaiian "slack-key" guitar players like Gabby Pahinui, and you've got a track that's got a whole lot of influences from outside the continental US, despite its hypothetical North Carolina origins. And honestly, when you know that, you can absolutely hear it! It's a different folk vibe to what we've heard before, in a good way.

Not that we've heard a whole tonne of folk music. This is credited as a song that paved the way for folk music to see real chart success, though, so I'm looking forward to seeing a bit more as the 1960s approach. Especially if this is the sort of quality we've got to look forward to!

High Class Baby - Cliff Richard and the Drifters (7)

And just when we were relaxing, here comes Cliff, ready to party! Fresh off the energy and verve of Move It, he's not slowed down for a minute, hitting us with this song about a girl who's simply too snobbish for Cliff: This pink champagne and caviar are all very grand / But I prefer just rockin' to a rock 'n' roll band.

In some ways this is very typical rock and roll, the complete rejection of the established order in favour of just going out and having a party. The pace and the attitude is right. And you honestly don't get more rock and roll than the line about how you find a join that's hoppin' and a cat that's a boppin'. But at the same time, there's also something a bit more to it - something distinctly British, perhaps? Certainly, Cliff sounds less like he's trying to do an Elvis impression here. And there's the whisper of social commentary here, too, a sort of satirical look at the way that "high class" society snubs and spurns folks like Cliff, and the superficiality of Cliff's girl, a sarky suggestion to go and find a rich man, put your arms around him / Tell him that you love him then go out and drown him / Maybe with your riches, you'll find true happiness. She's got furs and a Cadillac (a reference that got the song banned from BBC airplay for breaching advertising rules!) but she's not going to find love or happiness that way. It's not the first song ever to take this up as a theme, and it certainly won't be the last, but it's interesting to see it from a British artist. We're still a very class-obsessed country, and so the connotations of her being a "high-class baby" feel different, at least to me, to what you'd have if this were Elvis singing, in the notionally more egalitarian United States.

Lyrically, then, I like the song. And musically, there's a lot to like here, too, from the start, as the song suddenly and dramatically ups the pace, to the stabby guitar backing, to the machine-gun, speeding-train precision of the drumming, which just doesn't let up, setting a punishing pace that Cliff sounds like he can barely keep up with, but in a good way. He's been given some real tongue twisters, and he does well with them, throwing himself at them with a slightly manic energy, before fading away at the end into these little don't be mean baby improvisations that are also good fun.

And throughout you also get that sense of a sort of nonchalant, slightly mean-spirited swagger from Cliff. He might have been snubbed by his girl, but he's almost rubbing it in her face how much fun he's having without her. Certainly, by the time you get the repeated bye, bye, my baby line, you get the sense that he's not even really angry. She was no fun anyway, Cliff's done with her. If I were the lady this song were written about - and there is a documented real-life lady who it was apparently inspired by - I'd feel properly called-out.

I have very little else to say about the song, except to note that while researching it, I also learnt that Cliff was born Harry Webb, and he chose the name Cliff for the hilariously straightforward reason that he played "rock" music, and a "cliff" is, in fact, made of "rock". Which is so dumb it almost circles round to being genius again, a sort of marketing masterstroke.

Someday - Ricky Nelson (9)

This is a very forgettable song. It's not a bad song, but there's not much making it memorable, at least for me. It's an old country number, dating back to 1944, when a recording was made by the rather obscure Elton Britt, followed five years later by a Vaughn Monroe version and a Mills Brothers version. So this was well on its way to becoming a standard at this point, and it would definitely have been a song people knew - it's just kind of bland?

I don't think it helps that the sentiment expressed in it is petulant at best, and incel-ish at worst, with Ricky spending the whole song singing about how I know that someday you'll want me to want you / When I'm in love with somebody new / Although you don't want me now / I'll get along somehow / And then I won't want you. Blech. Gross. Red flags all over the place. Have you considered, Ricky, that the reason she doesn't want you is because you're going around singing songs like this? There's just a real egotism to the assumption that the girl in the song cares at all whether or not Ricky wants her, that she's just bound to come to her senses and realise she wants him. When she might just not be interested. That's a thing that can, in fact, happen, I've heard. Except instead of accepting it and moving on, Ricky's throwing a tantrum in song form, singing about how much she's going to regret it.

It's annoying, because with a few tweaks to the phrasing, we could be looking at a ballad in the same league as Who's Crying Now, which is a song I actually really like. This, despite being written a full decade earlier and originally interpreted by "proper" adult country singers, fits really well into the vein of "teenage drama" songs that Connie Francis and the Everlys and the Chordettes have been putting out. Unfortunately, with its "told you so" smugness, this encapsulates some of the worst elements of teenage drama. Not a fan.

Additionally, it's also just kind of boring. Not terminally tedious, but it's not a tune that really goes anywhere, and combined with lyrics that also don't really develop beyond "you're gonna want me someday", and a solo that just repeats the tune of the verse, you've got a recipe for something pretty lame. Heck, the more I listen, the more I'm convinced that both Ricky and his backing singers are bored with the song, too. Certainly, there's not much emotional heft to it - by the end, I was mostly just surprised that it had only been three minutes of my life, the song felt much longer.

I went into this week knowing one of the songs - the Kingston Trio's version of Tom Dooley's had a place in my liked songs for several years. As such, I really thought I knew what my favourite song would be. But it's Christmas, and something about that put me in a party mood that the Kingston Trio, with all their pretty, Hawaiian guitar work, didn't quite fit. So Cliff's my final favourite of 1958. Something about the social commentary of it, the speed, the way he almost tripped over his lyrics - more of that, please!

Favourite song of the bunch: High Class Baby

[concerthopperblog]

The Infamous Stringdusters & Leftover Salmon w/ The Kitchen Dwellers Live at The Eastern

On December 5th, 2023, Leftover Salmon announced via their social media channels that they would join their good pals The Infamous Stringdusters with special guests The Kitchen Dwellers during two very special shows: April 25th, 2024 at The Eastern in Atlanta, GA. and April 26th, 2024 at The Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, TN. Lucky for this Concerthopper, Atlanta made the cut on this special two-date throw-down with Leftover Salmon, The Infamous Stringdusters, and The Kitchen Dwellers. I know that I may cover a lot of metal bands for Concerthopper because that is what I grew up listening to. But bluegrass/Americana was also mixed in there for good measure as I was growing up.

Staring the night off, The Kitchen Dwellers made a statement with a phenomenal set chock full of some of the best hits from their discography. The Kitchen Dwellers are a progressive bluegrass/jam grass/Galaxy Grass band based out of Bozeman, MT. that has been active since 2010. Currently, The Kitchen Dwellers consists of Torrin Daniels (banjo), Shawn Swain (mandolin), Joe Funk (upright bass), and Max Davies (acoustic guitar). They have released five (5) LPs with Seven Devils being the most current release. I first saw The Kitchen Dwellers last year at Hulaween and fell in love with their sound.

Their style of Galaxy Grass is psychedelic bluegrass mixed with a progressive bluegrass style that always equals a great time. And this evening at The Eastern was no exception as I saw everyone dancing and singing along to The Kitchen Dwellers’ epic performance. If you are a bluegrass/Americana music fan, I recommend you check out The Kitchen Dwellers and listen to them as soon as possible.

Check out The Kitchen Dwellers’ setlist from The Eastern (04/25/2024) below:

·         “Smokestack”>

·         “Pendulum”

·         “June Apple”

·         “Wind Bitten”

·         “Drop Tine”>

·         “Drowning (…Again)”

·         “New Horizons”

Check out their latest album plus more at The Kitchen Dweller’s Official Bandcamp page today! You can also catch The Kitchen Dwellers on tour in 2024 by following this link to their tour page.

I.C.Y.M.I. You can also check out Chris Griffy’s review of The Kitchen Dwellers' latest LP, Seven Devils, exclusively published by Concerthopper.com.

Leftover Salmon is a progressive bluegrass/jam band/Zydeco/country band from Boulder, CO. formed in 1989. Leftover Salmon consists of Vince Herman (vocals/guitar/washboard), Drew Emmitt (vocals/mandolin/fiddle/electric guitar), Greg Garrison (vocals/bass), Andy Thorn (banjo/electric banjo/vocals), Alwyn Robinson (drums/vocals), and Jay Sterling (keyboard/dobro). Herman and Emmitt are founding members of Leftover Salmon and have also played together in another band named Left Hand String Band. Leftover Salmon has released ten (10) LPs, one (1) Live album, and one (1) compilation with their latest release entitled Grass Roots (released May 19, 2023).

The crowd let Leftover Salmon know how excited they were as soon as the band took the stage with a ferocious cheer. I put Leftover Salmon up there with the likes of The String Cheese Incident and Greensky Bluegrass regarding how well they jam during their performances. They have been on my rotation for ages now and I do not see them getting removed anytime soon. Especially after getting to witness Leftover Salmon cover not one but two of my favorite artists: George Michael and The Allman Brothers Band.

The crowd was eager to join in as Leftover Salmon performed a flawless cover of “Freedom ’90” by the late George Michael. I am not going to lie, I was also part of the eager crowd ready to join in on the fun being had by the band. Also, Leftover Salmon performed a tribute for the late Dickey Betts by performing “Sweet Melissa”. Seeing Leftover Salmon smile and laugh while they performed their set makes my heart happy because I know that they are just as jovial as we are standing in the crowd. Artists who care about the music and show it while on stage are something that you do not see every day. And when you do, those are the artists that stick with you as you continue this journey, we call life.

 Check out this amazing setlist from Leftover Salmon at The Eastern (04/25/2024) in Atlanta, GA.

·         “Boogie Grass Band”

·         “Liza”

·         “Doin’ My Time”

·         “Brand New God”

·         “Something Higher”

·         “Freedom ‘90” (George Michael cover)

·         “Georgie Lou”

·         “Bird Call”

·         “Sweet Melissa” (Allman Brothers Band cover)

·         “Hobo Song”

·         “Dance on Yer Head”

·         “Two Highways”

·         “Better”

Head over to Leftover Salmon’s Official Bandcamp page today and show them some support! Leftover Salmon has plenty of tour dates scheduled in 2024 so you still have a chance to catch them playing near you.

The Infamous Stringdusters is a Grammy award-winning progressive bluegrass/folk/country/jam band from Nashville, TN that first appeared back in 2006. The Infamous Stringdusters consists of Andy Hall (dobro), Andy Falco (guitar), Chris Pandolfi (banjo), Jeremy Garrett (fiddle), and Travis Book (double bass). They have released thirteen (13) LPs, four (4) EPs, one (1) Live album, and several singles over the years. Their latest release is entitled A Tribute to Flatt & Scruggs and is a fitting tribute to the kings of bluegrass music Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs. 

Closing out the evening, The Infamous Stringdusters came on stage to the crowd's roar at The Eastern this Thursday evening. After being warmed up by both The Kitchen Dwellers and Leftover Salmon, you could see the pure joy in the crowd’s faces as The Infamous Stringdusters began their set. Their electrifying setlist covered songs from their nearly two-decade storied career and even a few exciting covers to close the night. I can only imagine the fun and excitement the good folks attending the following night’s event at The Ryman felt seeing this incredible display of musicianship by all three bands.

You can see The Infamous Stringdusters’ setlist from The Eastern (04/25/2024) below:

·         “Long Lonesome Day”

·         “Hillbillies”

·         “I Didn’t Know”

·         “Wings Upon Our Feet”

·         “Colorado”

·         “Will You Be Lonesome Too?”

·         “Night on the River”

·         “Well, Well”

·         “He’s Gone”

·         “Polka on a Banjo” (Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs & The Foggy Mountain Boys cover)

·         “2001”

·         “Blockygrass”

·         “I Think I’ll Just Stay Here and Drink” (Merle Haggard cover)

Encore:

·         “9 Pound Hammer” (w/ Drew Emmitt, Andy Thorn, and Max Davies) (Traditional Americana cover)

Follow this link to The Infamous Stringduster’s Official Bandcamp page today and check them out! You still have an opportunity to catch The Infamous Stringdusters on tour in 2024 so check out their scheduled tour dates today! I.C.Y.M.I. - You can also see previously published reviews exclusively on Concerthopper featuring both Leftover Salmon and The Infamous Stringdusters: Papa Joe’s Banjo-B-Que (2019) & Papa Joe’s Banjo-B-Que (2022).

Curious about Concerthopper? You can find more music-related articles, interviews, various photo galleries, indie music reviews, our ‘Bars & Bites’ section, our exclusive “She Said, She Said” column, or become a Concerthopper at www.concerthopper.com. Sign up for our monthly newsletter by following this link: The Setlist! Please ‘Like’ our page on Facebook and follow us on Instagram to stay up to date in 2023, on all music-related events/festivals such as Tour of the Valedores: John Garcia Live at The Masquerade, High on Fire: Live at The Senate (Columbia), Shoot For The Moon Tour: Sierra Ferrell Live at The Eastern, Seasons World Tour 2024: Thirty Seconds to Mars & AFI Live at MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre, Mr. Bungle: Live at The Tabernacle, Ashes of Leviathan Tour: Mastodon & Lamb of God @ Ameris Bank Amphitheatre, An Evening with Goose (Night 3) @ The Fox Theatre (Atlanta), Least Anticipated Album Tour: A Day To Remember @ Outer Harbor Live at Terminal B, S.E.R.P.E.N.T. Festival w/ SLASH, Larkin Poe, ZZ Ward, and Robert Randolph – Live @ The Orion Amphitheater (Huntsville), Doyle & Otep Live at The Ranch (Ft. Myers), Weedeater w/ Telekinetic Yeti & Restless Spirit: Live @ Grantski Records, Blackout Tour Pt. 2: From Ashes to New Live @ Water Street Music Hall (Rochester), Is For Lovers Tour (Fox Summer Stage), We Legalized It 2024: Cypress Hill, The Pharcyde, & Souls of Mischief: Live at Tabernacle, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard: Live at The Fox Theatre (Atlanta), The Godmode Tour: In This Moment Live @ Landmark Theatre (Syracuse), Hawthrone Heights: 20 Years of Tears Tour (Sound @ Coachman Park), Catalyst 20 Years Later - New Found Glory: Live at Buffalo Riverworks, Underoath “They’re Only Chasing Safety” 20th Anniversary Tour: Live at Buffalo Riverworks, and Pallbearer w/ Rwake & The Keening @ The Masquerade (Atlanta) by following us on all social media formats: Concerthopper on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.  You can also follow my concert hopping on Facebook and Instagram.

[agate-rambles]

hello! agate(the protagonist/hatchling) from outer wilds here.

1: what about you is most similar to your source?

well, i don't have much of a canon personality in source, so it's hard to say, but i'd say that my clothing and general appearance is(mostly) like my source

2: what about you is most different from your source?

i'm a lot less sassy. again, canon me doesn't have many lines so it's hard to gauge much about me, but it seems i'm kind of sassy in source and i'm much more timid now.

3: what's your favorite hobby/activity?

i really like swinging! it's the easiest way for us all to communicate, actually. we'll swing for hours and just talk! it's really awesome.

4: what hobby/activity reminds you of your source?

i've, er, not existed for very long so i haven't witnessed much of this world but i really want to try roasting a marshmallow! i used to eat a lot of them so i want to see what it's like here ::]

5: what's your favorite song?

it's perhaps a bit uncreative, but i really really adore the soundtracks to my source, especially echoes of the eye(though it does remind me of being there and that can be... unsettling to say the least). other than that, probably never meant by american football. i think it resonates with me both in the lyrics relating to my dilemma in source, but it also feels vaguely familiar and comforting, like home. i think it's because it's on andrew prahlow, the composer to the soundtrack to my game's, playlist of music that inspired outer wilds' music. another good one from that playlist is the birth of the death of the day by explosions in the sky.

6: what music reminds you of your source?

anything folk-y, but especially if it's got a banjo or whistling. acoustic guitar also feels familiar. is it cheating to say it's soundtrack and all the music on andrew prahlow's playlists?

7: how do you feel about your source's fandom?

they're so lovely! i've still... never really directly interacted with anyone but they're all very kind it seems. and a lot of them are talented artists! it's so wonderful to see everyone's different interpretations of my friends, and it's even better to see them drawn out. all the ocs are lovely too!

8: what's your favorite food?

marshmallows, except i don't think those count as food. other than that i like seafood and stews and such!

9: do you look the same as your source? if not, what's different?

i have slightly different face patterning and slightly differently colored eyes. also my helmet looks a bit different, and i have googles!

10: what's something your source's fandom gets wrong about you all the time?

well, wrong is a bit unfair. they're not wrong in my mind, because everyone interprets things differently. i am a tulpa, so i'm mostly just a manifestion of sawyer(host)'s headcanons, and i added some stuff along the way as well. in fact, we're still building me a bit, piece by piece. i think it'd be unfair for me to say that they're wrong when i'm a created being myself. but, that aside, most of what i see that isn't true for my timeline is ships and such. most of them don't bother me, they're just a bit weird to see, like gosslate or solanum and me, etc.. but there are a couple that bug me more than others. that's for another post though.

11: how do you feel about engaging with your source? (watching/listening/reading)

i love it! it's the type of game you really only play once, but getting up in my ship and flying around, feels wonderful. even if it's not me doing it and i'm just watching from headspace. it's great.

12: is your gender/sexuality the same as your source or different?

well, we hearthians don't really have a gender, and i don't have a gender, so yeah for that! as for sexuality, we're still figuring that out. there's no real canon sexualities in source due to it just never being relevant? but i'd wager i'm a little more on the asexual spectrum than my canon self would be.

13: what's your favorite animal?

well, out of the animal options from my source it's either jellyfish, regular fish or, uh... anglerfish. so i think i'm gonna go with the jellyfish, lol. on earth though, cats really fascinate me!

introject (mostly fictive centered, but open to all) ask game bc it sounded fun to make one!

1: what about you is most similar to your source?

2: what about you is most different from your source?

3: what's your favorite hobby/activity?

4: what hobby/activity reminds you of your source?

5: what's your favorite song?

6: what music reminds you of your source?

7: how do you feel about your source's fandom?

8: what's your favorite food?

9: do you look the same as your source? if not, what's different?

10: what's something your source's fandom gets wrong about you all the time?

11: how do you feel about engaging with your source? (watching/listening/reading)

12: is your gender/sexuality the same as your source or different?

13: what's your favorite animal?

[daggerzine]

(photo: Carla Mundy)

Victoria Liedtke and Jason Ringenberg- More Than Words Can Tell (Judee Bop Records)

No one can overlook the great Dolly Parton/Porter Wagoner duo from years ago. Victoria Liedtke thought it was time to give them their due, but with a spin of her own. She contacted Jason Ringenberg to see if he was interested, and he jumped at the chance. The album is produced by Victoria, co-produced by Elliot Vaughan, and mixed by both. She and Jason recorded the album at Vale Studios in Worcester, UK, in the summer of 2022 with an amazing UK-based band featuring: CJ Hillman on electric and slide guitar, John Parker on double bass, Lewis ‘Burner’ Pugh on acoustic guitar, and Tim Prottey-Jones on drums. Many other guests are on the album, also. The opening track is also the 1st single, “Life Rides The Train.” This Porter-penned track gets a lengthened (twice as long as the original with rockin’ guitar solos) revamp with alternating vocals from Jason and Victoria. Watch the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUj-j-_0XJM Next is the title track, “More Than Words Can Tell,” another Porter-penned song that speeds up a bit from the original with its harmonies and chorus. “We've seen happiness that could match heaven's beauty. And felt sadness like the flaming pits of hell. But each thing we share just makes our love grow stronger. And I love you more than words could ever tell.” Up next, “Sounds Of Nature,” is the first co-written (Parton/Wagoner) song on the album. It’s a bit slower than the original, but that’s what Victoria and Jason do, they make these songs their own. Gorgeous strings, acoustic guitars, and angelic choral vocals fill this gem. Track 4, “Carolina Moonshiner,” is a Dolly-penned toe-tapper. Jason begins, Victoria enters, and then they finally blend their voices together like the original. Again, extra amazing guitar work adds to their version. Here’s the video:

Next, “The Fire That Keeps You Warm,” is another song written by Dolly. Steel guitars and piano emphasize this slowed-down version of this one. There is great interplay with the vocals again. “Let me walk in the sunshine of your smile. Let me hide in the shadows of your eyes. Let me lie in the safety of your arms. And let me be the fire that keeps you warm. I'll keep you warm.” Track 6 is the 2nd single off of the album. It’s also written by Dolly Parton. “Come To Me” adds musicians Sean O'Hagan and Bryan Scary, so you know there’s major orchestration here. It’s a softer, slower track that really takes the listener to another almost fairytale-like world. However; the video does not. See why here:

Next up is “The Pain of Loving You.” This Wagoner/Parton track begins like Steely Dan’s “Do It Again” complete with whammy bar-laden guitar, but then Victoria’s singing brings it back to the country vibe. Great harmonies and incredible guitar work again on this one. Track 7, “The Last Thing On My Mind,” is the only non-Parton/Wagoner-penned track. Greenwich Village folkie Tom Paxton wrote it, but Dolly and Porter did make it a top ten hit. Beautiful strings highlight this one along with guitar picking and soaring harmonies. This version is a bit slower than the original. The next three tracks are all written by Dolly. “Beneath The Sweet Magnolia Tree” is another toe-tapper, but also slower than the original. Nice interplay between the vocals, organ, slide guitar, and fingerpickin’ banjo(?) make this another highlight of the album. Track 10 is “You.” It’s a beautiful piano-driven ballad with stunning slide guitar. More great harmonies in a song that must have been played at weddings or at least anniversary parties with its romantic lyrics. “The garden of Eden couldn't have been any sweeter than this paradise I share with you. Our love outshines the eastern star the brightest in the heavens. Surely heaven must have sent me you. You my love, it's you that makes me always feel like singing... You, you make me complete, and I love you.” The album closes with “Tomorrow Is Forever.” It’s a waltzing melody that truly blends Victoria’s and Jason’s voices. “No more crying, tears leave tracks, and mem'ries find their way back. Tomorrow's waiting, let's journey there together. Yesterday is gone, gone, but tomorrow is forever.” It’s filled with twanging guitar, plunking piano, and then soaring angelic choral backup singers. Many songs on this album are written solely by Dolly Parton. Since the project was put together by Victoria Liedtke, maybe that’s why she picked the Dolly songs she loved. One thing is certain, Victoria does an excellent job of making all of these songs her own. And what a terrific addition to invite Jason Ringenberg as “Porter.” I wonder if the two will perform any of these songs live. Here’s hoping they do. ERIC EGGLESON

(photo: Carla Mundy)

www.victoriaandjason.net

[sinceileftyoublog]

Willi Carlisle Live Preview: 2/9, Schubas, Chicago

BY JORDAN MAINZER

The critters in Willi Carlisle's Critterland (Signature Sounds) aren't just varmints like the one that graces the album's absurd cover, nor the two-headed lamb "too strange to survive." They're anybody--human or otherwise--considered an outcast by the unrealistic standards set forth by society. On his Darrell Scott-produced third album, Carlisle digs into his own personal history and local mythology to paint a picture of an American south that pits the freaks against each other, and where those who dare to be different nonetheless find kinship in one another. With a pared-down instrumental arsenal (most songs contain just acoustic guitar, banjo, steel guitar, and/or harmonica), Carlisle's ramshackle delivery and utmost longing stand tall and beckon you to sing along.

On Critterland, Carlisle gives you anthems right from the start. The album's title track, based on an attempt at living in an intentional community in Arkansas, celebrates those "makin' wagers on the critters that we see crossing the road;" led by propulsive banjo, the song soars in the chorus with celebratory harmonica and expansive steel guitar. Purportedly, Carlisle wanted to let loose on the record, inspired by the ragged rambunctiousness of his live show, and you can see "Critterland" becoming a set highlight for the rest of his career. Critterland is far from a fists-in-the-air record, though. Many songs tackle substance abuse, addiction, and suicide with a mix of earnestness, dark humor, and self-awareness. On the gorgeously finger-picked "The Arrangements", the narrator can't take too much joy in the fact that his horrible father has met his maker, as he's beginning to see himself in his dad, ultimately leading himself to think, "It's still sad when bad men die." "Higher Lonesome", the album's only completely true story, sees a drug-addled Carlisle at first "dreamin' of a country I saw at the rodeo," mistaken in his quest for non-existent perfection. As the song progresses, he toys with his own mortality: "See, I don't want to hit rock bottom, just to see how deep it goes / Shine a light on six feet under so I ain't afraid to go." Eventually, he joins AL-Anon and realizes the pain he's inflicted on himself and others, and his penchant for soul-crushing wordplay shines brightest: "With every coin the joiners get, they're farther from the pain of it / All the hurting that we did, it's a shame no coin'll pay for it."

Carlisle certainly knows how to start a song and hook you. He'll pay tribute to a friend who committed suicide and whose body was never found because his note used words too complex for the cops to understand. His immediate vocal harmonies with Jude Brothers on "I Want No Children" catalyze a fiddle-and-banjo instant folk classic. And as soon as 7-minute spoken word closer "The Money Grows on Trees" begins, you know you're in for Carlisle at his troubadour best, showcasing the lyrical dexterity of your favorite rapper. It's "When the Pills Wear Off", though, that devastates all the way through. "Father forgive me for what I have done / Drove 200 miles for six inches of love," he sings, placing you in a world of neon-lit bars and dingy motels. But the song's big reveal, from both an emotional, plot, and instrumental standpoint breaks you. "It's selfish to fall for yourself in someone," Carlisle opines, the other side of the coin of the mourning narrator of "The Arrangements", before continuing, "I know that I want him and always will / I don't think he could have known that it was fentanyl." At the moment he names the deadly drug, the song's plaintive piano and cinematic strings squeak and warble to a clumsy stop, as if to emulate a life cut short. When the "The Money Grows on Trees" ends--it's a song based on David Mac's When Money Grew on Trees, firsthand accounts of a weed moonshiner and the corrupt sheriff that allowed him to do it--it's clear that Carlisle's use of regional history is far from mere aesthetic cosplay like it is for so many of his contemporaries. He can change endings all he wants, in the stories of his lives and those of others, through his songs, but it's the act of analyzing contemporary ills through bonafide folklore that emphasizes the absurdity of the here and now.

Carlisle headlines Schubas tonight. Nashville folk duo Golden Shoals opens. Doors at 7:30 PM, show at 8. The show is sold out.