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20060916 Saturday September 16, 2006

Don Williams Farewell Tour

Tiffany and I went to see Don Williams on his Farewell Tour at the Grizzly Rose - recognized by the Country Music Association as one of the best live country music clubs in the nation - in Denver last night. He certainly did not disappoint, playing for about an hour and a half. He started with Good Ole Boys Like Me and finished with You're My Best Friend, playing Louisiana Saturday Night as an encore.

There is something about Don William's straightforward music and lyrics, particularly the songs written by Bob McDill, that really resonates with me. His well known penchant for singing about the simple things in life and the importance of our relationships with one another is endearing. ( Sep 16 2006, 04:00:00 PM PDT ) Permalink

20060909 Saturday September 09, 2006

Random Shuffle

What a riff and what a solo! There are two things the Motor City Madman does very well - play guitar and hunt. Ted's clean living and his policy to only eat meat that he harvests himself (e.g. through hunting and fishing) probably has something to do with the fact the he is still rockin' hard at the age of almost 58. Wonderfully touching musical parable about the power of faith and redemption. Listen to this one twice to get the full effect (the end might be surprising to some when they first hear the song). "I guess it's not what you take when you leave this world behind you, It's what you leave behind you when you go."
  • "Orange Blossom Special" - Ralph Stanley
One of the all-time classic banjo songs played by one of the all-time classic bluegrass banjo pickers. What more need I say? I fondly remember blowing my first set of car stereo speakers with this song. The song still makes we want to stand up and scream with Jon Oliva when he belts out (after a dramatic pause): "In the Hall of the Mountain King!!!" btw...you can hear an arrangement of Grieg's "In the Hall of the Mountain King" in the previous track: "Prelude to Madness". A sobering - pun intended - and touching song about the awesome responsibility of being a parent and the effect our actions have on our children. Our children look to us as role models and stumbling around with a beer constantly in hand sets a poor example. ( Sep 09 2006, 10:52:00 PM PDT ) Permalink
20060810 Thursday August 10, 2006

Random Shuffle

I love the Chieftain's' interpretations of Irish folk music. "North Americay" was the song that inspired Ron Howard to make the movie "Far and Away".

It is always interesting to see what pops up as a result of shuffle. This is one of the tracks that made me an unashamed fan of the Veggie Tales and a purchaser of their wares. Up until Caleb was nine months old, it took little more than a few bars of "God is Good" to calm him down (Bach's Brandenburg Concertos worked well also).

Having played with Ralph Stanley and Ricky Skaggs, Whitley had quite the bluegrass pedigree. God only knows what music he could have created had he not let the bottle get the better of him.

One of my all time favorite songs of any genre. I fondly remember raisin' hell to this tune with my buddies back in Missouri. The chorus to "Country Boy" is currently the MP3 Ringtone on my Blackberry (at full volume, no less). Finally, "Country Boy Can Survive" is one of the few songs I have performed at Karaoke Night more than once. YEEEEEEEEEEEEEHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAW!

James Taylor's talent as a singer-songwriter is well established. Now if he could just avoid consorting with the likes of MoveOn.org :-) ( Aug 10 2006, 12:59:09 AM PDT ) Permalink