i have been building up a lot of things i want to bring to your attention, and have been postponing this so i can do most of them proper justice. but the reality is i have failed to do that for a while now, so i am going to do a blast with more or less short introductions and comments and you can do your own exploring if any of these sound remotely interesting to you.

again, these are in no particular order.

buddy miller – self titled

this is buddy’s first solo album in something like fifteen years, and it stayed in my rotation for quite some time. he is a legend in the americana scene and has his fingerprints on a lot of artists’ work. the ‘buddy and jim show’ (with jim lauderdale) on the sirius outlaw country station is must listening.

elizabeth cook – ‘great television’

continuing in the vein of outlaw country references, elizabeth is likely best known for her dj spot on this station, but she is a very competent artist in her own right, and this is her new release, and it is rock solid. great songwriter, and catchy melodies.

the jayhawks – ‘sanctuary park’

their first release in forever. if you are a jayhawks fan (and if you are not, you should be), then this will sound great to you – their vocal harmonies have all aged well, and this one also stayed in my rotation for a good run.

i saw three live shows in the last 2 months or so:

rush played here on their fifty something tour, and they did not disappoint. i had not seen them since the early eighties, so i had to refresh my memories. they also had a new drummer, annika nilles, and she absolutely crushed it.

mrs redeyegin is a fan of st. paul and the broken bones, and we caught them at a local club. i have to say i do like their studio stuff, but i found them lacking in a live setting, at least this time.

john hiatt played an acoustic solo set at one of my favorite local venues. obviously his voice has lost a bit with the progress of time, but i thought he nailed it and had a nice mix of oldies and new stuff, and sprinkled in some great stories. go see him if you can.

‘learning to live together’

a documentary and concert put together by the tedeschi trucks band to honor the legendary mad dogs and englishmen tour.

more soon!