New Girl Now by Belle Starr

A great look at the ladies of Belle Starr and their live acoustic sound... I like it.

Danny Schmidt McCreary's Pipes - Acoustic gem

As I get close to being a month away from hosting Danny Schmidt and his lovely fiance Carrie Elkin I've been clicking on a few more videos to hear the quality of performance to expect.  This one floored me not for the sound quality but for the talent... If you ever sat in a living room to watch a talent like this, I would just like to say.. YOU know what I mean.. this up coming concert will be AWESOME.

I was so enthralled with the playing, I first missed the story.. which is sad one; and an original by Danny.

The Human Cone of Shame

Just like Dug the Dog's Cone of Shame... we human's should really think about this one, and make sure we're interacting with the people around us.  I would gladly sponsor putting this device on a few friends of mine.

Hiker cabins- what if

Geez... this almost makes me want to take up the activity of hiking up in the middle of nowhere in the cold and snow... HA.. maybe I'll just walk up and sit on my duff and write songs and play music.  Now maybe if each came with a Robert Johnson Gibson hanging in the corner, and a case of good red wine in the closet.  I ran into it tonight on Google + ... just too cool not to share.

http://rollinghuts.com/

Free Me - Dax Lion

I ran into this video, and really liked it... fitting it is the day I'm going to finally start working on my taxes.  I typically only complain about the drudgery of doing them and not paying them.  I do feel a pride of living in a free state, yes even free to listen to radical music or own an Uzi.  Paying some taxes is much better if you are safe and free.  I think I might venture over to iTunes and see if this song is out, but I do hope he does more Acoustically!  Here's what his website said:

Dax Lion Goes Acoustic!

Kingston, Jamaica- February 27, 2013- 24 years old Dax Lion explores the variations of music recording, with his new acoustic track, “Free Me”.

Produced by Andrae Carter, whose craft is also featured on the track, “Free Me” is a freedom song most of us can relate to;”Take me to the promised land…” Dax and Carter are excited about the track and hope their audience will share their enthusiasm.

Grand Marais

Love this song.. love my north woods and Wisconsin friends who love to be local.

Here's the lyrics I may or may not have covered, but the folk process is such I heard it from Art who heard it from Craig, who heard it from Jay... enjoy and pass it along.

Free music from ME!

I have been talking up the benefits of Noisetrade.com to fellow artists, so I thought I would put my money or songs where my mouth has been.  Gypsy Soul was a digital released CD that I took down mainly because the revenues didn't balance the expense of keeping it up.  I'm not a touring artist but more of a tinkering songwriter; so why not take all but the best two songs that were sung by friends and put them on Noisetrade for everyone to enjoy.  If you are an artist who wants to cover it... live is free, and on cd recording you get paid for... licensing rules apply... but drop me a note, I'll cut you a deal to get covered a few times.

So here you go... http://www.noisetrade.com/luckydog  tip if you are so inspired, but it's not required.  My hope is that you enjoy it, and tell others.

I want Jesus to walk with me..

This song was our opener at church, and listening to an organ version really made me want to go back to the guitar version we do with ACTS.  So I did, and here's it is:

Though while listening how it uploaded I found this one interesting...

Then there is the choir version:

Then the absolute best... by Eric Bibb... I've got to hear more by this guy... incredible he was already in the blog once before and I forgot about him until now.

SHEL at SXSW

My favorite new band to tell everyone about is SHEL... and I'm not alone...

http://www.cmtedge.com/2013/03/15/south-by-southwest-10-music-highlights-so-far/

Congrats ladies.

Drew Nelson - Immigrant Son

There is something about this guy's voice and writing... he's class... someday I'll see him or get him to the house concert.

Instrumental - Borning Cry

Monday right before the funeral for a saintly mentor at church, my Pastor stopped me and said, "You know your video is a top ten google hit?"  Ha... I guess I did but I did play humble a little.  It's a great Christian song about the journey through life with the hope of resurrection at the end.  Like I said back in 2009 it's a tear jerker to some.  Well Pastor Matt was using the song for the basis of a great sermon for a great guy I knew.  Well he was a lot more humble than I am... this is the best instrumental video of the song, and that's why it has 17,000 views.  It could be better and some day a more professional classical guitarist will blow the video away; until then... Enjoy and Barry Rest in Peace you Saint!


Originally post April 25, 2009..

Here's one I play in church, and I've been known to use it as filler. "I was there to hear your borning cry" by John Ylvisaker. Some think of it as a tear jerker for Christians, but it is such a beautiful melody. I put this together to help a person trying to learn the song so she could hear just the guitar, and it's fast become my most played You Tube. Ok guys... so you don't want to hear me sing eh? HA, HA, HA...

Bob Dylan covers

Not sure who this Japanese performer artmnet0 is, or if it's a hobby like mine, but his page has over 1000 subscribers, and 2,000,000+ views.  I only visited him because of the Bob Dylan covers... pretty good.

Political World... from my favorite CD Oh Mercy.



Most of the Time... ALSO from my favorite CD Oh Mercy.



Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands... from Blonde on Blonde

Belle Starr

I learned this from a recording of Jim Craig (who runs Hog Eye Music in Evanston IL).. but I was inspired to learn and to record it for this talented Canadian trio of fiddle players... including Kendel Carson

oh these lines though that the legendary Woody Guthrie wrote... this woman was probably kick ass beautiful like that trio in Canada.

Eight men they say combed that black waving hair

Eight men knew the feel of your dark velvet waist

Eight men heard the sounds of your tan leather skirt

Eight men heard the bark of the guns that you wore.

Belle Starr, Belle Starr, tell me where have you gone

Since old Oklahoma's sand hills you did roam?

Is it Heaven's wide streets that you're tying your reins

Or singlefooting somewhere below?

Cold Dog Soup

This video came up in the suggestions ... hmm I said James McMurtry covering a song?  Guy Clark... I like Guy Clark.  When I heard the line, "There ain't no money in poetry..." I went to iTunes and bought it.  Cold Dog Soup is basically warm water..



William Butler Yeats in jeans 
Got up to play guitar and sing 
In some join in Mission Beach last night 
At the door sat Tom Waits 
In a pork pie hat and silver skates 
Jugglin' three collection plates Jesus Christ 

Townes Van Zandt standin' at the bar 
Skinnin' a Hollywood movie star 
Can't remember where he parked his car 
Or to whom he lost the keys 
Full of angst and hillbilly haiku 
What's a poor Ft. Worth boy to do 
Go on rhyme somethin' for em' man 
Show him how you really feel 

Chorus 

Ain't no money in poetry 
That's what sets the poet free 
I've had all the freedom I can stand 
Cold dog soup and rainbow pie 
Is all it takes to get me by 
Fool my belly till the day I die 
Cold dog soup and rainbow pie 

Ginsberg and Kerouac 
Shootin' dice and playin' Ramblin' Jack's guitar 
With the cowboy paintin' pickguard on it 
And they sat in the back and drank for free 
And rhymed orange with Rosalie 
Now there's a pride of lions to draw to 

Chorus 

Bringing in the Darling's

Josh Ritter stepped out created Six Song EP last year that I bought in January with a Xmas iTunes gift card... best purchase in 2013... though I never had dreams of dead animals... this video is surreal.

In spite of ourselves...

My lovely wife and I track our dating back to 1978, and it started when I put a rose in her locker at work for Valentines day.  We have a tradition of doing this song at campfires... and when friends asked for it at the last gig.. she had to tell me how it started.  This video is so great... we're somewhere in there.. but you have to imagine.  An absolutely fantastic song written by John Prine and Iris Dement sings with him.

Noisetrade - Best of Amy Speace

Amy Speace on NOISETRADE... http://noisetrade.com/amyspeace/best-of-so-far-noisetrade

I had to quickly check... this is the 12th time that I've tagged Amy Speace in this blog.  Suffice to say people, figure out she's good.  If you haven't heard hear before, here's a great free or TIP HER compilation of someone's thoughts of her top hits.  I'd argue where is "The Real Thing" or my two favorites:

Double Wide Trailer



It's too late to call it a night... (yes it's so easy to get lost in someone's eyes... mmm)  Still working on my band mate Paula to sing this.... her voice would fit it so.



I just might have to invite her to stop at my house concert... http://bluffviewconcerts.blogspot.com/

Gwyneth Paltrow?

I guess after the critics panned it, and my interests in modern country wanes; I let it go in one ear and out the other until I saw a video of Country Strong today.  Made me look up others from the movie; my goodness she could go on tour.  She's almost too much of a pretty slender frame, but she had fun shaking that thing.. HA.  You go girl.

This Must Be The Place

This must be the place to hear the official video for Belle Starr's This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody)  was released back in July, 2012.  It's from the EP "The Burning of Atlanta"  and is written by David Byrne, Chris Frantz, Jerry Harrison, Tina Weymouth.

Belle Starr has graced this blog before, and my followers will know that I've been a huge fan Kendel Carson during her days either with The Paperboys or touring with Chip Taylor.  Now take a beautiful fiddle player and add two more beautiful fiddle players and you end up with Belle Starr... and oh my they are good.  You can hear their fiddle influence with the dueling fiddle break in this song.  They find harmonies like fine singers.

Biggest complaint is that their music is only in Canada's iTunes and not the US at this time.

Twitter: http://twitter.com/bellestarrs
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BelleStarrMusic
Visit: http://www.bellestarr.ca/

Danny Blue - Dickey Betts

Well here's one darn obscure song that's begging me to learn it and cover it.  Danny Blue... YouTube does most of the work and tells me what I'll likely like base on my watching or liking other videos.. well they were right on this one.  Recently with passing away of Dan Toler I had watch a few, so I clicked on this one to find a song never recorded anywhere but this hotel.  I clicked on a bunch of other songs in iTunes to see if it was someone else's but to no avail.

Here's a link to the lyric's and more evidence and more that these are the only two videos you can hear the song.