Mourning the Payphone

Just posted 4 or 5 songs by Scotland Yard Gospel Choir. Not exactly alt-country perhaps, but it so obvious they are having fun – and their lyrics are so funny and down to earth at the same time, I had to pick up a few tunes. Odds are there will be more seeing I did not get the song in the video below and it is pretty obvious I should have. There is something almost ‘twee’ about them for those old enough to remember bands like Tullycraft and Bunnygrunt, but these guys have more going on musically. Should be noted that these guys were in a pretty serious car accident recently. Bloodshot Records has a page with updates on their health and various benefits set up to help them pay the bills. Check it out here.

Driving home from work last week, I heard a small piece of a song mentioning “November Skies” on WRIU’s Boudin Barndance, the local college radio station’s folk and roots show. Only a piece mind you and no idea who the artist was. Almost forgot about it – but the nice weather this weekend got me thinking about November again and the third link down for a search on Google of “November skies song” got me where I wanted to go. Slaid Cleaves seems to have been around quite a while but he just showed up in my world and I added a few songs by him including “November Skies” to the stream. Or I will tomorrow the way things are going ….

Also dropped some Yesterday’s Ring into the stream from their new album. Yeah more stuff from Suburban Homes. I will branch out to Bloodshot Records some day …

Adding Two Cow Garage “Please Turn the Gas Back On”, Drag The River “Hobo Demo’s”, Jon Snodgrass “Visitor’s Band”, and The Takers “Taker Easy” to the stream. Haven’t even listened to the new stuff myself yet … but at 5 bucks each, I am pretty sure I got a bargain. Thanks Suburban Home

Pulling the BoDeans and some of the Bruce Coburn to keep things manageable.

Been a long time since I spent a dime on a CD, but last night I spent close to fifty bucks. Picked up:

• Drag the River – Hobo’s Demo
• Jon Snodgrass – Visitor’s Band
• The Takers – Taker Easy
• Two Cow Garage – Please Turn the Gas Back On

from the folks over at Suburban Home Records. For five bucks a CD how could I go wrong – and there was enough free mp3’s on the site of the bands there was no way to go wrong anyway. Suburban’s latest post notes they have had a tough year, like a lot of small businesses, so if you have five extra dollars and are looking for something new, click on the link and head over.

Also picked up both Fox Hunt CD’s, one from CD Baby and the other from Big House Records.

Not sure what changed exactly. A little more time for listening and a little more time for digging into the dark corners of the alt country community on the ‘Net maybe. Either that or the stream is getting boring ;-)

Anyway, I threw in some Jeff Buckley on the stream till the new CD’s show up.

I have not heard a lot of songs talking about what the recession has done to folks. From foreclosures to unemployment lines, it seems like there was dead silence. Then I discovered I had just been listening to wrong stuff. Ok, maybe nothing that bad… but I did find some interesting stuff on the No Depression podcast. Doop and the Inside Outlaws MFNJob alone makes it worth the listen and a little snooping will get you to an older album by them called Blood River. The title track on that one makes it worth the listen – hard when a man turns on himself just trying to make it all work.

Nine Bullets also checks in with a review of Fox Hunt’s latest. Listening to Bigger Man gives you a different framework for thinking about heroes in hard times. Also makes you want to go out and buy everything they have out.

You can download the entire album here. Just started listening to it and I really wish I could have seen these guys live up in Boston the last time they were here this summer. Not sure I will get another chance any time soon.

I added some punk to the stream. Youth Brigade’s “Where are all the Old Man Bars” and “Let Them Know” along with the SwinginUtters’ “Angels Pissing on Your Head”. I have to think “Where are all the Old Man Bars” is one of best rants about the loss of the local watering hole I have ever heard (The Bosstones do the other one – “I Want My City Back”). Band is on tour again though I have no idea if they still do the song live. Willing to bet they do “Let Them Know” though. Check out the tour dates here.