*Sniff*

On the Chitlin Circuit: Southern Soul Hits and The Tony Bennett and Bill Evans Album.

It Ain't a Juke Joint Without the Blues

YouTube disappoints with no Tony and Bill. Some good listening here.

Same same but different.

So way back last year it was announced Lucinda Williams would do a series of concerts in which, each night, she played one of her albums in its entirety. That was the first half of the show. The second half was a normal gig, bits and pieces of other stuff and songs from the new album, West. During this second half, the album songs would be whipped up digitally and on their way out audience members could pick up a CD of the show they had just enjoyed. A very cool idea, and one I'd like to see others pick up. Cooler still, it was later announced these shows would be sold from her website so everyone could enjoy them. I went straight to lucindawilliams.com store when they went on sale.

Since I was planning/saving for a long overseas trip at that stage I um'd and ah'd about getting the "box set" of all five before having one of my rare moments of thrift and responsibility and just ordered a single disc, the show that recreated her 1988 self-titled album.

I can see that far away look in your eyes ....

I have never been to Byron, but I have many times benefitted from the spill over. The annual fretting about money, annual leave, scheduling conflicts has begun.

This year I'm taking some of the pressure off by going to the "Blue Mountains Festival of Folk, Roots and Blues" -- like Byron but less surf and wankers and more ... fog? This crosses Loudon Wainwright III (note to bmffrb website, not "Louden") off the list, plus some others of interest like Elana James, Ruthie Foster and Ron Sexsmith.

I have tickets for John Hiatt (wooooo!) and Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings.

I have not organised Mavis Staples, but I must. I would like to see Jools Holland, Buddy Guy, John Hammond, Keb Mo', Jon Cleary (don't know if he's actually doing Byron but he's here at the same time) and Vusi Mahlasela. Oy vey.

Update: Props to Phineas for letting me know (really must get that album, Career Moves) Loudon actually has a song on this very issue:

They spelled my name wrong again
With an E between the D and the N
Some dope didn't know it should be an O
They spelled my name wrong again

See comments for a listen.

I also just notcied that Danny O'Keefe whom I mention recently on TOB (the old blog) will be in the Blue Mountains. Cool.

Does anyone not have the The Best of the Johnny Cash Show DVD? Fools, I say! Fools! But make sure you get the two-disc one because otherwise you would miss out on this:

I would like to see sometime a whole episode of The Johnny Cash Show, better to judge its charms. I know they say it was his principled refusal to compromise to myopic network demands that got it cancelled, but I'd like a fuller accounting. The musical performances couldn't have taken up the whole show, are they hiding from us the Hee Haw-ish "comedy" spots or something?