Buy CDs (The Future Of Music Depends On You)

I had a horrible nightmare. That basically everything my friends have been warning me about came true. That Scientologists completely took over the film industry and forced everyone to work on a series of Battlefield Earth sequels. That religious groups gained total control of the government and initiated wide-reaching censorship and compulsive prayer in schools and at baseball games. That Webster's officially recognized "text" as a verb. And worst of all, that they stopped making compact discs. Because people stopped caring about music. It was terrifying.

The end of CDs would mean the end of a lot of music. Because pop artists would then only release the singles. Because people will only download songs that they already know, which means only the songs that get played on the radio. So after a while, bands would stop recording songs that producers don't think of as singles.

Think about it. When you were a kid, you heard "Stairway To Heaven" on the radio, so you bought Led Zeppelin IV. Which then let you in on "Misty Mountain Hop" and "Going To California." You bought Toys In The Attic for "Walk This Way" and "Sweet Emotion," but man, what a thrill when you put the record on and heard "Uncle Salty" and "Adam's Apple" and "Big Ten Inch Record." You heard "Centerfold," bought Freeze-Frame, and then got to enjoy "Angel In Blue" and "Piss On The Wall." You bought American Fool for "Jack And Diane," but then were rewarded with "Thundering Hearts." Think about the Modern English album, After The Snow. Sure, you bought it for "I Melt With You," but that whole record is fantastic. And you'd never know otherwise, because none of those other tracks ever got airplay.

Think of all the great music we'd be missing if folks just extracted the one song they wanted from an album. Albums are art. The songs are in a particular order for a reason. It's the order in which the artist wished to present them, the order he or she or they wanted you to hear them. We need to respect that. Downloading one track is like telling these songwriters that you know more about their art than they do. And you don't. So buy the damn CD.

Besides, CDs have information. Liner notes. Lyrics. Songwriting credits. And album cover art. Sure, it's much smaller than when vinyl was king. But at least it's still there. And you also have the physical connection to the music - holding the CD (by the edges, please) and putting it into the CD player and pressing "play." That truly connects us to the music in a way that downloading can't. And yeah, it's not as great a thrill as putting that needle gently into the groove, but it's something.

As a society, we need to become more connected to creativity, to art, to music, not less so, if we're to survive in any meaningful way. Because let's face it - now that we have the technology that allows us to communicate with everyone we ever met, most people can't carry on a real conversation. We are totally losing our humanity, and no, I don't think I'm exaggerating here. When horrible sites like Twitter forbid us from writing in complete sentences, when folks speak only in abbreviated form (and then can't recall what the abbreviations even stand for), when our musical choices are lessened because technology has destroyed an art form, I say yes, we are losing our humanity.

So please, continue buying CDs. Don't let my nightmare come true. (And don't use the word "text" as a verb. It's a noun. Also, "waitress" is a noun.)

January 2012 Concert Calendar

Here is a list of concerts you might be interested in for the month of January. Most of these are bands that I've reviewed, though some are some bands that I haven't yet written about, but really like. If you can, try to check out at least a few of these shows. I will be adding listings throughout the month, so please check back again later.

January 1, 2012 (Sunday)
Ellis Paul - One Longfellow Square, Portland, ME

January 2, 2012 (Monday)

January 3, 2012 (Tuesday)

January 4, 2012 (Wednesday)

January 5, 2012 (Thursday)

January 6, 2012 (Friday)
David Bromberg with Hot Tuna - Lobero Theatre, Santa Barbara, CA - 8:00 p.m.
Patrolled By Radar - Rafters, 202 Old Mammoth Road, Mammoth Lakes, CA - 9:00 p.m.
Ellis Paul - Caffe Lena, Saratoga Springs, NY - 7:00 p.m.

January 7, 2012 (Saturday)
Antioquia - Ashkenaz, Berkeley, CA
David Bromberg Quartet with Hot Tuna - The Fillmore, San Francisco, CA
(Benefit show for the Bill Graham Foundation)
Entrain - Matterhorn, Sunday River, ME
Moonalice - George's Nightclub, San Rafael, CA
Patrolled By Radar - Rafters, 202 Old Mammoth Road, Mammoth Lakes, CA - 9:00 p.m.
Ellis Paul - Caffe Lena, Saratoga Springs, NY - 11:00 a.m.
Special Family Show
Ellis Paul - City Winery, New York, NY - 8:00 p.m.
Sons Of The Never Wrong - Uncommon Ground On Devon, Chicago, IL

January 8, 2012 (Sunday)
David Bromberg with Hot Tuna - Paradise Performing Arts Center, Paradise, CA

January 9, 2012 (Monday)

January 10, 2012 (Tuesday)

January 11, 2012 (Wednesday)
Marshall Chapman - The Station Inn, Nashville, TN - 9:00 p.m.

January 12, 2012 (Thursday)
Ellis Paul - Club Cafe, Pittsburgh, PA - 8:00 p.m.
(Ellis opens for Chris Smither)

January 13, 2012 (Friday)
Aimee Mann - Two River Theatre, Red Bank, NJ
Ellis Paul - Musikfest Cafe, Bethlehem, PA - 8:00 p.m.
(Ellis opens for Chris Smither)
Sons Of The Never Wrong - Davenport's Piano Bar & Cabaret, Chicago, IL

January 14, 2012 (Saturday)
Antioquia - The Crepe Place, Santa Cruz, CA
Ruthie Foster - Attucks Theater, Norfolk, VA
Aimee Mann - Landmark Theater, Port Washington, NY
Patrolled By Radar - Farmers Market, 6333 West 3rd St., Los Angeles, CA - 8:00 p.m.
Ellis Paul - World Cafe Live At The Queen, Wilmington, DE - 11:30 a.m.
Special Family Show
Ellis Paul - World Cafe Live At The Queen, Wilmington, DE - 8:00 p.m.
(Ellis opens for Chris Smither)

January 15, 2012 (Sunday)
Entrain - Snow Barn, Mt. Snow, ME
Ruthie Foster - Mountain Stage, Charleston, WV
Aimee Mann - Emelin Theater, Mamaroneck, NY
Ellis Paul - NightCat, Easton, MD

January 16, 2012 (Monday)

January 17, 2012 (Tuesday)
Aimee Mann - The Iron Horse Music Hall, Northampton, MA

January 18, 2012 (Wednesday)
Aimee Mann - Stone Mountain Arts Center, Brownfield, ME

January 19, 2012 (Thursday)
David Bromberg - Pioneer Place On 5th, St. Cloud, MN
Gaelic Storm - Plaza Theatre, Orlando, FL
Aimee Mann - Somerville Theatre, Somerville, MA
Martin Sexton - The Ark, Ann Arbor, MI

January 20, 2012 (Friday)
David Bromberg Quartet - Cedar Cultural Center, Minneapolis, MN
Judy Collins - Woodstock Opera House, Woodstock, IL
Dean Fields - Burlap And Bean, 204 S Newtown Street Rd., Newtown Square, PA
Gaelic Storm - Culture Room, Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Diana Jones - The Folkus Project, Syracuse, NY - 8:00 p.m.
Aimee Mann - Ridgefield Playhouse, Ridgefield, CT
Ellis Paul - Outpost In The Burbs, Montclair, NJ
Martin Sexton - Park West, Chicago, IL
Sons Of The Never Wrong - Davenport's Piano Bar & Cabaret, Chicago, IL

January 21, 2012 (Saturday)
David Bromberg Quartet - Shank Hall, 1434 N. Farwell Ave., Milwaukee, WI
Ruthie Foster - Crockett Civic Theater, Crockett, TX
Gaelic Storm - Pasco-Hernando Community College, New Port Richey, FL
David Hidalgo & Louie Perez - Downey Civic Theatre, 8435 Firestone Blvd., Downey, CA
I See Hawks In L.A. - Claremont Folk Music Center, 220 Yale Ave., Claremont, CA
Diana Jones - Will Rogers Theater, Saranac Lake, NY - 7:30 p.m.
Aimee Mann - Bearsville Theatre, Woodstock, NY
Ellis Paul - Common Fence Point Community Hall, Portsmouth, RI
Martin Sexton - Stoughton Opera House, Stoughton, WI
Sons Of The Never Wrong - Stained Glass Coffeehouse, Deerfield, IL

January 22, 2012 (Sunday)
Anita And The Yanks - Muldoons, Newport Beach, CA
David Bromberg Quartet - Old Town School Of Folk Music, Chicago, IL
Judy Collins - Wolf Trap, Vienna, VA
Diana Jones - Kathryn's Space, New York, NY
Ellis Paul - Watercolor Cafe, Larchmont, NY
Martin Sexton - Fitzgerald Theater, St. Paul, MN

January 23, 2012 (Monday)
Gaelic Storm - Lyric Theatre, Stuart, FL
Aimee Mann - Rams Head On Stage, Annapolis, MD

January 24, 2012 (Tuesday)

January 25, 2012 (Wednesday)
Judy Collins - The Seasons, Yakima, WA
Aimee Mann - The Birchmere, Alexandria, VA
Martin Sexton - Colonial Theater, Idaho Falls, ID
The Watson Twins - Triple Door, Seattle, WA

January 26, 2012 (Thursday)
Judy Collins - Craterian Ginger Rogers Theatre, Medford, OR
Gaelic Storm - Variety Playhouse, Atlanta, GA
Ellis Paul - Private show
Aimee Mann - World Cafe Live, Philadelphia, PA
The Watson Twins - Doug Fir Lounge, Portland, OR

January 27, 2012 (Friday)
Judy Collins - Admiral Theatre, Bremerton, WA
Gaelic Storm - Neighborhood Theatre, Charlotte, NC
James McMurtry - Cheatham Street Warehouse, San Marcos, TX
Patrolled By Radar - The Tap, 3499 Main St., Mammoth Lakes, CA
Ellis Paul - Soiled Dove Underground, Denver, CO - 7:00 p.m.
Aimee Mann - The Music Hall Of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY
Sons Of The Never Wrong - Davenport's Piano Bar & Cabaret, Chicago, IL
Lucinda Williams - Royce Hall, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA

January 28, 2012 (Saturday)
Judy Collins - Choctaw Events Centre, Durant, OK
Entrain - Martha's Vineyard Chili Fest, Martha's Vineyard, MA
Gaelic Storm - The Handlebar, Greenville, SC
Patrolled By Radar - Davidson's Distillery, 275 E. 4th St. Reno, NV
Ellis Paul - Avogadro's Number, Fort Collins, CO - 5:00 p.m.
Aimee Mann - Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall, New York, NY
They Might Be Giants - Royce Hall, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA - 3:00 p.m.
Special Family Show
They Might Be Giants - Royce Hall, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA - 8:00 p.m.
30th Anniversary Show

January 29, 2011 (Sunday)
Judy Collins - One World Theatre, Austin, TX
Ellis Paul - Vilar Performing Arts Center, Beaver Creek, CO - 7:30 p.m.
The Watson Twins - The Independent, San Francisco, CA

January 30, 2011 (Monday)

January 31, 2011 (Tuesday)
Ruthie Foster - Grammy Museum, Los Angeles, CA
The Watson Twins - Troubadour, Los Angeles, CA

January 2012 Update (With Links To All Reviews)

Howdy, everybody. Well, it's another year. Last year saw a lot of great CD releases, and I expect this year will be pretty amazing too. After all, we get a new Leonard Cohen album this month. That guarantees this year as a fantastic year for music.

At the beginning of each month, I'll include a link to the blog entry that lists all of my articles, arranged by subject, so that they're easy to find. That link is this:

List Of All My Music Articles

I add to that blog each time I post a new review.

It's been my intention with this blog to let people know about all the great music that's out there. So I tend to write about CDs and bands that I like. Sure, there might be an exception now and again. But I have no desire to tear apart some new band that's out there struggling to find a fan base. What I want to do is let people know about new bands they might not have heard of yet, and to remind them of some bands they might have forgotten. And to keep people up-to-date with all the great new releases, as well as concert listings. Basically, to share my love of music with anyone who cares to read this.

And for anyone who might be interested, I thought I'd let you know that my friend Jason and I started a greeting card company (yes, seriously), and a series of short films that are tied in with the characters from the greeting cards. And of course we have a blog. For anyone who'd like to check it out, the company is called Grandmother's Fanny Game. I actually sing in the newest episode, but please don't hold that against me, and don't think it has any bearing on my musical taste.

Leon Rosselson: "Harry's Gone Fishing" (2000) CD Review

Harry's Gone Fishing, Leon Rosselson's 2000 release, opens with the lines, "They ask me if I think that I can change things singing songs/Am I propagating messages, protesting against wrongs?"

Right away, this singer/songwriter is posing the question, Can music change things? Can it effect true change? And should it? Or is the song itself the goal as well as the process? And what is the purpose of the songwriter anyway? It may seem a bit of a heavy way to start an album. But this album is no trivial bit of fluff. It will get you thinking, and that's a good thing.

But of course any folk musician or writer who tackles social issues and such had better have a sense of humor. Because otherwise folk albums can be dreadfully dull and heavy-handed. Fortunately Leon Rosselson has a fantastic sense of humor, and it comes across in even the most serious of songs.

All but one song are originals.

"It's Just A Song"

The opening track, "It's Just A Song," is a strange mix of humor and gravity. It's funny and yet earnest, even beautiful. The keyboard and backing vocals add a beauty to it, greatly changing the tone during those sections. It's a self-aware song about writing songs, about what music can actually accomplish - a singer singing the purpose of singing. And yes, it could get self-indulgent, but manages to avoid that. And though it opens with the question about changing things through song, a few lines later he answers, "As for preaching and converting, that's not what songs should do."

"Harry's Gone Fishing"

"Harry's Gone Fishing," the album's title track, creates a great character and a strange longing. The setting of this song is a place that's gone wrong. And the folks there look to the past as a better place. And they look to Harry, a personified version of the can-do spirit, which is sadly in the past.

Leon sings, "And he said, Harry could have done it/Cos he could put right every wrong/He could turn sighs into silence/He could turn silence into song/He could turn frowns into laughter/He could turn lost into found." But it has a positive spin toward the end, at the line, "And the banners they were waving said Harry Lives On." And because Harry is of the past, and not adequately identified, the great character of this song is the present community rather than that person.

"Mercenaries"

In the short introduction to this song in the CD's liner notes, Leon Rosselson says, "I don't know why mercenaries so often get a bad press. After all, they're only doing what everybody else is doing - selling their skills in the market place."

This song features the following lines: "Now they say that it's fine if you fight for your country/For right against wrong - well that's shite/War's war and it's nasty, my aim's to survive/At the end of the day, if I come back alive/That's how I'll know that I'm in the right." This is a pretty amazing song. What I love is it's not a song about Them - you know, those bastards we can all hate. It's about Us - you know, the bastards we're actually responsible for.

"Money Matters"

I love the title "Money Matters," for is "matters" a verb or noun? Yes. For the song is about money matters, and shows how money matters.

Here is a bit from the song's third verse: "Artist, anarchist and joker Pierre Manzoni thought it smart/To lay his well-formed turds in cans to show his scorn for bourgeois art/Now his turds are in demand and each can sells for twenty grand." Those lines are funny, but they raise one of those eternal questions about an artistic statement. As soon as it becomes known and popular, which is the goal (because you want to reach people), the original message is then lost and becomes simply another part of pop culture, and (even worse) goes from the hands of the people to the vaults of the rich. How can that be avoided?

By the way, Piero Manzoni (I'm not sure why he's referred to as Pierre rather than Piero in the song) made ninety of those cans in 1961. And recently one sold for $80,000.

This song can be horrible and yet funny simultaneously. You feel a bit gross laughing at lines like, "Healthy organs fetch a packet when it is a sellers' market." It's great how Leon Rosselson can do that.

"Bad Driver"

This one is truly played for comedy. What I find odd is that a song called "Bad Driver" is about a man, not a woman. But maybe I'm just kidding myself, because I can see myself in a couple of these lines ("And he's cursing all the cars that are holding him up cos they shouldn't be allowed on the road"). You'll probably recognize yourself too. Enjoy.

"Child Killers"

"Child Killers" isn't about adults who kill children; it's about children who are killers. Think Columbine. It's sung from the perspective of one of these children. Here is a taste of the lyrics: "They teased and taunted so they had to pay for it/They didn't know there was this other me/I held the gun the way they'd always taught me to/I was this other boy, the one they couldn't see/And this was something he just had to do." I love that he distances himself from his own act, suddenly retreating to the third person.

"You Noble Diggers All"

"You Noble Diggers All" is the album's only cover, written by Gerrard Winstanley. This recording is from the 1979 record, If I Knew Who The Enemy Was, an album put out by Roy Bailey and Leon Rosselson. (On that recording, it was titled "The Diggers' Song.")

The Diggers were a reform group started by Gerrard Winstanley in the mid-1600s in England. This group was an influence on the San Francisco Diggers of the 1960s.

"Encore"

Harry's Gone Fishing concludes with a humorous song, which is again (at least partially) about being a songwriter. It ends with these lines: "I've been writing songs for over 35 years but I don't seem to have got very far/I've never been nominated for a Nobel Prize and I can't say I'm a superstar/But thanks all the same for listening to me and my guitar/I'd've sung you all upbeat feel-good songs but you know how things are/You know how things are." And wonderfully, he laughs just before the last line. This song features Leon on guitar and vocals, with no other musicians.

CD Track List

1. It's Just A Song
2. Harry's Gone Fishing
3. Mercenaries
4. She Came From Out Of Nowhere
5. Postcards From Cuba
6. Money Matters
7. Bad Driver
8. Child Killers
9. Sun
10. You Noble Diggers All
11. Encore
    

Musicians

Musicians appearing on this album include Leon Rosselson on vocals and guitar, Martin Carthy on guitar and backing vocals, Robb Johnson on guitar, Fiz Shapur on keyboards, Mark Bassey on trombone, Paul Jayasinha on trumpet, Clare Lintott on French horn, Ruth Rosselson on flute and backing vocals, Liz Mansfield on backing vocals, Roy Bailey on vocals and Sue Harris on vocals.

Harry's Gone Fishing was released on September 12, 2000 on Gadfly Records.

The Spongetones: "Odd Fellows" (2000) CD Review

The Spongetones are a pop band that formed in 1979 in North Carolina. They've been releasing power pop records since the early 1980s, and their music is clearly influenced by The Beatles. This band is best when doing a sort of 1960s pop thing, and weakest when straying slightly into harder rock (like on the album's last track). Odd Fellows followed five years after their previous studio release, Textural Drone Thing. Most of the songs on this release are originals, the one exception being "On The Wings Of A Nightingale," which was written by Paul McCartney and originally recorded by The Everly Brothers.

"You'll Come Runnin' Back"

Odd Fellows opens with "You'll Come Runnin' Back," which has something of a 1960s pop feel, but also with folk elements, most obviously the inclusion of harmonica. The best bit is that guitar part that follows the line, "You'll come running back." It's totally catchy, and breaks up the pop feel just long enough to be interesting without completely changing the tone of the song.

This is a good opening track. It was written by Jamie Hoover. Here is a taste of the lyrics: "A shiver crawls through me til I realize/This misery's part of an act/You've said it's over, but darlin' I know/You'll come runnin' back."

"Boy Meets Girl"

"Boy Meets Girl" also has a definite 1960s pop feel. It's fun, harmless music (and isn't that what pop does best). These lines caught me off guard, and made me chuckle: "Girl meets boy, happens all the time/Girl meets boy, I can make it rhyme." I love that it acknowledges the commonness of the song's theme, and yet simultaneously has a bit of silly boasting. I totally appreciate that levity.

Paul McCartney

As noted, "On The Wings Of A Nightingale," the album's sole cover song, was written by Paul McCartney. It's ridiculously positive and boppy. It features lines like, "And if you like, we'll fly together to the land of eternal sun/On the wings of a nightingale of love." This song was a minor hit for The Everly Brothers (it reached #50 on the U.S. chart, and #41 in the U.K.). It was included on their 1984 release, EB 84 (Paul McCartney recorded a demo of it, but did not officially release it.)

The following track, "Dark Brown Eyes," really sounds reminiscent of Paul McCartney, particularly in the vocal line. It sounds even more like McCartney than the song that Paul actually wrote. It has those pleasant, sweet tones that sound so innocent and young.

"March Of The Creaming Beezers"

"March Of The Creaming Beezers" is an instrumental track that begins with a march rhythm on the snare drum. The song fades in, and builds, with new parts being added to it (even a nice whistling). What's surprising is the track's beauty. Something in the repetition becomes soothing, even joyous. I found myself really loving this song; it might actually be my favorite track. That's Greg James on the snare drum. (By the way, "beezer" is British slang for "chap." It also means "nose.")

"Eyedoan Geddit"

"Eyedoan Geddit" is a weaker rock song that feels a bit messy at times. But what I dislike the most is its title. "Eyedoan Geddit" is not funny or clever.

"Home"

Someday I'm going to make a mix CD containing only songs titled "Home." There are some really good ones, like those by The Evangenitals and Ellis Paul. The Spongetones also have a tune titled "Home." While it doesn't quite stack up against the Ellis Paul song, for example, there is a verse I particularly like: "Each day's another page written in ink/Another footnote appears in the link to a/Place I can go to fill in the blank/Each line is written inside of a novel called home." But this song also has the line, "It's a cliche, but there's no place like home." If you acknowledge a line as a cliche, does that make it okay to use it? I'm not sure.

"Nightsong"

"Nightsong" is one of the album's best tracks. I really like its rhythm, and the way the vocal line works in conjunction with it. But it's the instrumental sections that really make the song a highlight for me. "Nightsong" was written by Steve Stoeckel.

"Love Song To Mrs. Parker"

Okay, I really like this line: "Wearing her heart just like a stain/On a velvet gown." The song is worth listening to for that line alone.

"Much Too Slow"

"Much Too Slow" starts like a hard rock song. This band is weakest when straying into that territory. They can't quite make it work. There is a certain charm in their 1960s pop melodies, but they lose that when attempting straight rock.

CD Track List

1. You'll Come Runnin' Back
2. Boy Meets Girl
3. On The Wings Of A Nightingale
4. Dark Brown Eyes
5. March Of The Creaming Beezers
6. Eyedoan Geddit
7. Too Much Talk
8. Black & White (First Thoughts...)
9. Home
10. Nightsong
11. Love Song To Mrs. Parker
12. Much Too Slow
    

Musicians

The Spongetones are Jamie Hoover on guitar, bass, vocals, drums and percussion; Steve Stoeckel on bass, guitars and vocals; Rob Thorne on drums and percussion; and Patrick Walters on guitar, keyboard and vocals.

Odd Fellows was released on June 20, 2000 through Gadfly Records.

Breakaway: "Hold With Hope" (2000) CD Review

Vermont-based bluegrass band Breakaway's 2000 release, Hold With Hope, is a good mix of covers and original tunes.

The album features excellent vocals. And these guys are damn good musicians who can draw you in with the slower songs and impress you with the obligatory displays of manic joy that are an inherent (and delicious) part of bluegrass music, mostly in the instrumentals.

"Pastures Of Plenty"

Breakaway opens this album with "Pastures Of Plenty," a Woody Guthrie tune. You can never go wrong opening with a Woody Guthrie cover. And yes, it's true that Woody Guthrie was a folk musician, not a bluegrass player, but there is nothing wrong with taking a song from another genre and playing the heck out of it bluegrass-style. (Think of the many songs that Yonder Mountain String Band has covered over the years, like Ozzy Osbourne's "Crazy Train.")

I really like Breakaway's rendition of this song. Scott Hopkins stands out on banjo. And Paul Miller does a good job on vocals (of course, you have to keep Woody Guthrie's unique voice out of mind while listening to it). All in all, it's a good, energetic start to the album.

"Water's So Cold"

"Water's So Cold," written by Harlan Howard, is sweet, slow, beautiful. The vocals blend perfectly. I love it when the voice sounds so pretty while the words themselves are sad or even harsh; after all, this is a song about drowning, and the implication is that it's also a suicide. The vocals are beautiful on the line, "The water's so cold, as cold as your heart." But my favorite lines are these: "I offered my hand and I offered my name/She said you're a child, she put me to shame/If she saw me now she'd have to agree/No child could swim this far out to sea." Pete Riley sings lead on this one, and I really like his voice.

"Snowshoe"

"Snowshoe" is an instrumental written by banjo player Scott Hopkins. And the banjo drives a good section of this song. But this is bluegrass, and no instrument is allowed to remain dominant for long, so the others get a chance at lead. This is definitely a tune to brighten one's spirits. It might not get you dancing, but it will certainly make you smile.

"Darkness, Darkness"

Breakaway does a beautiful instrumental rendition of The Youngbloods' "Darkness, Darkness." This song starts off nice and slow, to pull you in. Forget trying to accomplish some other task while this song is on. Just sit down and listen. When it has you, it picks up a bit in pace, and of course loses nothing of its beauty. Gene White, Jr.'s work on fiddle is wonderful, acting like an earnest human voice, toward the end sounding like a beautiful woman calling to you from a hilltop. This is one of my favorite tracks.

"Old, Old House"

"Old, Old House" is a wonderful, sad song written by George Jones and Hal Bynum. I love these lyrics: "They say he built the mansion because of a woman/And they planned to be married in the fall/But her love withered in the last days of summer/And the house stands empty after all."

"One Time, One Night"

Breakaway does a bluegrass version of "One Time, One Night," a Los Lobos song. And it totally works, not being too much of a stretch from the original version, which had a definite country feel. "One Time, One Night" was the opening track of their 1987 release, By The Light Of The Moon. Los Lobos are a phenomenal band, and Breakaway does a really good job with this song. Peter Riley, Paul Miller and Taylor Armerding take turns at lead vocals.

"Chenango County Blues"

"Chenango County Blues" is a fun instrumental written by Scott Hopkins. This is the kind of song that most people are thinking of when they think bluegrass. I love the fiddle section on this one.

"Hold With Hope"

Hold With Hope concludes with its title track, a song written by bass player Peter Riley. It's a positive song, marred for me only by its religious sentiment ("Trust in Him and you'll find the way").

CD Track List

1. Pastures Of Plenty
2. Water's So Cold
3. Snowshoe
4. Can't Stop A Train
5. Darkness, Darkness
6. Old, Old House
7. One Time, One Night
8. Chenango County Blues
9. Long, Long Dream
10. Faded Prints (Of Country Living)
11. Sophronie
12. Hold With Hope
    

Musicians

Breakaway is Scott Hopkins on banjo and harmony vocals, Paul Miller on guitar and vocals, Peter Riley on bass and vocals, and Gene White Jr. on fiddle and mandolin. Joining them on this recording are Taylor Armerding on mandolin and vocals, and Junior Barber on resophonic guitar.

Hold With Hope was released July 25, 2000 through Gadfly Records.

Best Concerts Of 2011

Okay, it's the end of the year, and time for everyone to make his or her lists. Lists of best films, best records, best this and that. If you know me, you know I love to make lists. I even have a list of every book I've read since 1988. So of course I'm going to write a few lists of my own for the year. So here is my list of the five best concerts I attended this year. And yes, there still are a couple of weeks left, and there's a chance I could see some amazing band on New Year's Eve (that is, if I get a free ticket, or suddenly come into a ton of cash). But as it stands now, these are the best shows I saw in 2011. I tried to put them in the order of how much I enjoyed them, but I could not settle on such an order. Each of these shows was wonderful. So instead I've put them in chronological order.

1. The Monkees at Lowell Memorial Auditorium, June 15, 2011

My first favorite band was of course The Monkees. I was four years old, and couldn't get enough of them. And now I'm much older, and still can't get enough of them. I've seen them in concert a few times - the first time being in 1986. And I can say in all honesty that this year's show was the best I'd ever seen them do. The sound was off at the beginning of the show, but that was fixed after several songs, long before they went into their Head set. If I were forced to pick a favorite Monkees song, it would be "As We Go Along," from their 1968 film, Head. I always wanted to see them perform it in concert, but never expected to see them do it. After all, it was never a hit and wasn't featured on the television program. Well, they played it at this show, and it completely blew me away.

2. The Greencards at The Mint, July 5, 2011

Holy shit, do these guys put on a great show! Incredible energy, great songs, good vibes. And hell, they covered Cheap Trick's "I Want You To Want Me." My friend that night told me he'd never seen anyone play mandolin like that. Check this band out whenever you get the chance. You will not be disappointed.

3. The Grownup Noise at Silverlake Lounge, August 15, 2011

Often I'm the only one dancing at a concert. I don't mind that one bit. It takes a lot to get folks dancing in Los Angeles. I'm not sure what it is about this town. But when The Grownup Noise played the Silverlake Lounge - not a venue known for dancing - I was certainly not the only one moved by the music. I love that people are catching on to how great this band is, but I'm also worried that soon they'll be playing large venues and I won't be able to afford to get in. They played some new material at this show, and it's as good as anything these guys have done. And remember, they have a cello. So there.

4. Wagons at The Hotel Cafe, September 21, 2011

Yeah, it's true they didn't play my request - "Moon Into Sun" - but who cares? Wagons put on a kick-ass show. I love The Hotel Cafe because it's a small room, and yet doesn't have a claustrophic feel. The only problem is that the shows there are rigidly timed. I hope the next time Wagons come to town, they play a much longer show. Henry has a great rapport with the crowd. These guys are great musicians, and are also seriously funny.

5. The Brian Kinler Band at M Bar, October 8, 2011

Okay, this is definitely in part because they played "On The Dark Side." I watched Eddie And The Cruisers at least 75 times when I was a teenager. And I saw John Cafferty & The Beaver Brown Band twice in concert - once when I was a teenager (they were on the same bill as Roy Orbison and The Beach Boys) and once in my twenties (they played a bar in Springfield, Oregon). Anyway, at this Brian Kinler show Kelly Zirbes (from Kelly's Lot) was the guest singer, along with Perry Robertson on guitar. And they did an extended version of the song that totally kicked ass. But beside that song, the band did a really wonderful version of "Open All Night." And it was the original lineup for this show - Jon Weiner flew down for this concert, borrowed a drum kit, and was excellent. Band members were adding new touches to songs. Dave Welch did some great stuff on horn. Even "The Devil Went Down To Georgia" felt fresh.

There were a lot of other great concerts this year. Limiting my list to these few seems wrong somehow, because the list doesn't include Patrolled By Radar or Fur Dixon & Steve Werner or Ellis Paul or Stone Darling or The Evangenitals or The Nields. I saw The Nields perform a special show at The Iron Horse Music Hall in Northampton, Massachusetts on June 11th, and it was a wonderful night. And I'm sure there are a lot of other concerts that I'm forgetting at the moment. But at any rate, these five shows were true stand-outs this year.