Music For My Friends 4 Pot Luck Edition
From the beginning I tried to format MFMF like it was a radio show playlist. Each edition would have a theme, and as much as possible, the order of the samples would make sense (at least to me).
While I am not out of ideas for themes, I thought I’d do an easier MFMF this week.
I have a pretty diverse (and often eclectic) taste in music and can honestly say there is almost no genre I don’t have some interest in. Composer Peter Schickele’s weekly radio show, Schickele Mix, was "Dedicated to the Proposition that All Musics are Created Equal," citing the Duke Ellington quote that, "if it sounds good, it is good." This is also my musical philosophy.
So here is a collection of
Pot Luck
Mojo Nixon and Skid Roper
Bo-Day-Shus!!! (1987) If you don’t know about Mojo Nixon, don’t buy another second of music until you rectify this heresy. Mojo Nixon and sideman (washboard player!) Skid Roper were wild, rebellious, brazen, irreverant, gonzo, rockabilly prophets. Like other comedic musicians, many songs could be dismissed as novelties if not for their honest skill. I could say more, but I’ll let their music speak for itself. Be sure and check out "Positively Bodies Parking Lot" and "Wide Open" for examples of great songs with less goofiness (sorry no YouTube samples for those two).
Check out "Elvis is Everywhere" and “Don’t Want No Foo-Foo Haircut On My Head” .
The Mountain Goats
The Sunset Tree (2005) and Get Lonely (2006)The Mountain Goats is actually John Darnielle and whomever is backing him. Darnielle started making lo-fi cassettes on his boom box and slowly built a reputation on his incredible songwriting. Like other singer-songwriters, his voice is an acquired taste. Give it a try and listen to his lyrics. One of my favorite lines is "I think I hear angels in my ears/ like marbles being thrown against a mirror."
Both of these albums are from the second part of his career, the recorded-in-a-studio-with-other-musicians part.
Check out "Wild Sage " "Broom People " "This Year" .
The Gourds
Shinebox (2001) The Gourds are honky-tonk bluegrass old-time ass-kickers.
Check out "Gin and Juice, pt. 1" "Gin and Juice, pt. 2" "Lower 48" .
Leo Kottke
6- And 12-String Guitar (1971) In all honesty I’ve got to admit that I only heard of Mr. Kottke very recently. A friend and fellow eMusic junkie introduced me. All I know about him is what I’ve heard: One heck of a guitar player.
Check out "From a live show" and "Vaseline Machine Gun".
Janine Jansen
Vivaldi: The Four Seasons (2005) Some classical pieces become so overplayed that it’s hard to enjoy them anymore. It takes a damn fine Pachabel’s Canon in D for me to listen up. And that’s exactly what happened when I heard Ms. Jansen’s recording of Vivaldi’s best known work. She has reduced the ensemble to it’s minimum: one player per part. The result is sparse and playful. The dynamics are much greater than the more familiar orchestral recording.
Check out "Winter" and "Summer".
Dan Zanes
Sea Music: A Gathering Of Sea Songs (2004) Since his days as the front man of Del Fuegos in the 1980s, Dan Zanes has made a name for himself creating great children’s music. No mean feat. I believe that like any other subgenre, children’s music must be good music first and for children second. Zanes and friends have done an admirable job. If you have watched any playhouse Disney the last few years you may have seen his mop-haired head singing about going to the beach. This album is not billed as a children’s album, but it is loaded with traditional and less traditional folk songs. My favorite is "All For me Grog" sung in Zanes kitchen with the neighborhood kids.
I found some video samples, but they are really poor. Please check out the samples from the album to get a better idea of the sound. Check out "Strike the Bell" and "All For Me Grog" (sorry for the bad video quality).
A Final Note.
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