The best muxtape I have found randomly is this one of African and African diaspora music from the group blog Houstoned Rocks. The rest of that blog is worth reading too (including this report from the frontline of Broooce. Sigh. Come back, Broooce!) He has also annotated his selections with comments and some YouTube. Over the past year I've really been digging into various forms of music from the African continent, and I've already tracked down to buy some of songs here. The opening one "Osain" starts off a bit pan-pipey for me but once the singing starts after the minute and a half mark I fall in love. The piano on that one was a terrific surprise. Vusi Mahlasela was advertised to be at the Blue Mountains Music Fest but wasn't there, he still made Byron. I also love the Bookor Band and their harmonica, the Franco and Super Jazz Des Juenes tracks. I love it all.

No way to tell how long he'll keep it up but I hope a bit longer so you can all enjoy it. I might have to do an "international" muxtape next myself.

Seeing Loudon Wainwright III was the first reason I thought of going to the Blue Mountains Music Fetsival and I'm glad I did. Long and photo heavy so going over the fold.

I first came across the name Danny O'Keefe not so long ago when I was grabbed by the Chris Smither song, "So Long, Harry Truman." Googled, saw he wrote it, googled him, saw he also wrote "Good Time Charlie's Got the Blues." Thought, hmmmmm and made a mental note. (I blogged this at The Old Place.) And then I saw his name on the Blue Mountains Music Festival line-up after I'd already bought the ticket, so it was a pure bonus. He was performing at the fest with Kristina Olsen and Sandgroper Peter Grayling. I saw two and a half of their shows and enjoyed them without discovering another song which lingers like those two. Two is more than most have to their name, though. He also has an amusing story about how he came to be co-writer with Dylan on "Well, Well, Well." Bob supplied some grunting and a bit of strumming and Danny supplied .... the words. Ha.

The original version of Good Time Charlie's ... I noticed he was singing "this time I believe they're going to stay" as the second line rather than the thing about LA which is in every other version I've heard. It's in the Waylon Jennings version from 1973 but I can't locate the earlier covers to trace the change.

I bailed him up at the rissole one night and requested Harry Truman but he couldn't do that night but would the next day, but I only saw half that show and didn't hear it. Lucky I had the Smither on my iPod.
14 So Long, Harry Truman.mp3

The Brewster bit is the blokes from The Angels, and the others are Jim Conway and rhythm section Paul Robert Burton. In the way of old rockers they play tasteful rootish rock for adults. I could be convinced but it was a bit languid, I wondered if it would translate to my life outside of a sunny Sunday morning chilling at a folk fest in the Blue Mountains. Some music and vids from the website. It did make me feel a bit ashamed I could only name on Angels song though (no prizes for guessing ... ) Oh, also nice cover of Just Like a Woman.

The next performer on the schedule, Irish singer Eleanor McEvoy (Eleanor has a blog!) came out for a song with them, and they came back for a song with her.

I'd never heard of her but apparently she's a Bit of A Name. She played guitar, fiddle and that Oirish drum thing and sang some nice folk/pop songs.

Eleanor on YouTube.

I didn't know anything about Eddi Reader before I saw here except she was on in the big marquee before Ruthie Foster and Loudon Wainwright III and I wanted a good seat for them so I early. I quickly learnt she's the chick in Fairground Attraction bopping about on the barge singing "Perfect." HA! Took me right back to being 13 and drunken karaoke a time or two since. She had a hilarious Glasweigan sense of humour and turn of phrase and I liked her a lot. I might even have to buy a record she did of Robbie Burns songs -- like Ae Fond Kiss.

I've liked Ron Sexsmith for years but never seen him live. I sort of imagined him to be a shuffling otherwordly savant type, a Leon Kompowsky character. He's not!

"Gold in Them Hills" on YouTube.

The Fumes played the first Saturday morning slot in the big car park marquee where they had the headliners. They're a guitar and drum blues rock outfit and were LOUD. I was sitting way up the back, picking at my $5 plate of "breakfast" from the Asian buffet van and didn't hear much of the "groove and swagger" the programme promised so I drifted off but I was reliably infotmed that down the front they sounded great and indeed later that night I saw them in the sweaty little RSL room and they were pretty cool/ It's all about context I guess.

Where I drifted was to the "Guinness Stage" in the school quad. Katoomba primary makes a heap of money out this event -- Flop Eared Mule, proudly supporting public education. Karl Broadie has the entire skills set in the impressive singer-songwriter area except any songs that make my prick up my ears. I've seen him a few different places and times and I wouldn't rule out such killer songs existing, or being in the near future, but he never plays them when I'm here. He's quite listenable though.

I drifted again, to The Chipolatas. I usually do not seek out circus skills with my music but they were genuinely very funny and especially a hit with the ankle-biters and thier long suffering care-givers. I imagine a Chipolatas DVD would make a nice break from the endless loop oif Hi-5.

Hans Theessink was a nice shot of pure blues amongst all the "blue-ish." On YouTube.

I have some box sets in the genre and some Hot Club of Cowtown discs but I must confess I like my western swing is smallish doses. I like country and I like jazz but western swing mostly manages to combine all the most uninteresting (to me) things about country and jazz. But I enjoy it at the right time and place and the big top on the Katoomba primary school oval last Friday night was one such place: Elana James and her sidemen were a lot of fun Additional interest is that she toured with Bob and played on a couple of Tom Russell records. Also, I expect if I really dug chicks I would have made sure to catch all her Blue Mountains fest shows because, goodness, she is quite attractive. By the end of the weekend I was thoroughly sick of being surrounded by uber-attractive and/or uber-talented people (the "and" ones are the worst) and was pleased to get back to my day job to bathe in soothing mediocrity again.

Elana James on YouTube.

Genticorum is not want you need to convene a meeting of old people (although it was a folk festival so we well and truly had the numbers.) It is three totally edible men playing traditional Québécois music.

They were really fantastic, exciting and fresh and joyous in the way that born musos ripping it up on stage for the sake of it can be. Lots of variety in styles -- including that close harmony a cappella which always gives me the chills, very funny stage patter, and totally sweet accents. At the after party latish on Sunday night Alex the flute guy and Pascal the fiddle and foot stomping guy were just sitting round the pub jamming with some locals. Got some video of it which I might upload. The joint was probably too loud for it to come out but it was awesome.

Also? CUTE.

They playing a few other festivals in Australia, plus single gigs like at the Harp next week. They plugged that gig on stage and the way they pronounced "Tempe" in the French way was lovely. And they are playing Bathurst, I hope Bathurst is grateful.

This is a good YouTube of one of my favourite songs they played : Le tic-Tac du Moulin.

Back from the Blue Mountains Music Festival and wrecked. Sleep high on the agenda. Lots of pics and stories and great new music. For now, I will just share my first ever YouTube video -- of Dan Sultan who is without word of a lie the sexiest man on the planet.

A slow one, the Chuck Willis song "The Door Is Still Open (To My Heart)" From last night. I sort of turned on the video on my camera by accident but thought I'd keep going and see if it turned out OK. The sound and video is much poorer quality than in the uncompressed version, but this version's about 300MB smaller. It's wobbly, tinny and people kept getting in my way but at the end Dan Sultan in a white singlet so WHATEVER.

The press was calling him the "Aboriginal Elvis" but that's stupid because Dan is a much better guitarist.

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.