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CD Monday

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Woodie Guthrie

Baby YHT has been sleeping much better lately. We’d fallen into the trap of going for walks and drives to get her to go down at night, and once those drives passed the hour mark, it became clear we’d have to go back to letting her cry it out. She was a trouper though — after one very angry night she got back in a groove and hasn’t had problems going to sleep since.

As frustrating as those drives were, it was comforting (for me, and for Baby YHT too, I’m sure) having a backup plan that worked 100% of the time. And she was so sweet and docile when we’d get back.

Woodie Guthrie — “(Take Me) Riding In My Car” [YouTube/Discogs]

Friday News and Notes: Record Store Day Edition

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RSD16

These aren’t your usual Friday News and Notes — tomorrow is Record Store Day, so let’s get some special edition, limited pressing, hand-numbered (OK, so they’re not actually numbered) bullets going…

  • As per usual, I’ll be starting the day where so many of my RSD wishes have been granted: BK Music. I have a gig at McCook’s tonight, so waking up early and getting close to the front of the line tomorrow will involve an extra degree of difficulty, but Bandmate 4eva Doug is giving me a ride, and a 7-inch copy of the Matthew E. White/Natalie Prass/DJ Harrison collaboration “Cool Out” is on the line, so there’s plenty of motivation for getting out of bed when my phone’s alarm tells me to. Also I’ll be having bad FOMO dreams all night, so that should help.
  • That “Cool Out” single is the only item I’m dead set on, but there are a few others I’m interested in taking a closer look at: There’s the Etta James At Last reissue, the Allen Toussaint Live in Philadelphia 1975 album (with “Southern Nights” on it), J Dilla’s lost vocal album, Charlie Parr’s releasing an EP (got into him thanks to Phil Cook), the Hamilton Leithauser/Paul-Maroon EP… I love Hoist, but I just want Phish to release twenty-something dollar reissues of some of these albums. I’d still be up for, like, holding it for a few minutes, maybe?
  • Lots of fun stuff happening around town in addition to BK’s celebration: Steady Sounds has DJs and an attractive mention of pizza on the FB event page, Plan 9 is hosting performances by Ohbliv, Lady God, and Zgomot, Deep Grove will have Sugar Shack donuts and a raffle for a Music Hall Turntable, Vinyl Conflict will be continuing their self-styled oppositional Customer Appreciation Day, featuring a Parking Lot Party and a Simpsons arcade game tournament… so many options, so many ways to support stores that bring you closer to the music that you love, past and present.

Hope you find your ideal spot to cool out tomorrow.

Matthew E. White — “Cool Out” (feat. Natalie Prass) [Spotify/iTunes]

Seen/Eaten/Heard

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Sloop John B

This multi-talented gent was playing “Sloop John B” when I walked by on my way out of Can Can last Friday afternoon. Quite the fancy lunch, Mrs. YHT and I had. Tasty onion soup, salads, and bread that tasted exactly like Goldfish. So fancy!

The Beach Boys — “Sloop John B” [Spotify/iTunes]

CD Monday

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Johnny Cash

Found a copy of the San Quentin live album last week at Goodwill. It’s a little on the dirty side, but I got a thing of Titebond II and I’m gonna try the wood glue trick on it.

Did you hear the thing about how Merle Haggard was in the audience for one of Johnny Cash’s San Quentin shows? Apparently it was more than a decade earlier than the one they recorded there, but still — pretty wild.

I’ve never actually heard that album, I don’t think, but this one’s a favorite.

Johnny Cash — “Folsom Prison Blues” [Spotify/iTunes]

Friday News and Notes

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Bob Dylan

  • CD Monday update: Hush is a really interesting study in limitations and boundaries. For so much of it, it sounds like Bobby McFerrin is keeping up — compensating for the fact that, especially in the classical pieces, the human voice isn’t made to cleanly switch between tones quickly. But then comes “Hoedown!” and Yo-Yo Ma is the one having to keep up and compensate. That willingness for both to push up against their limits — and push hard, in sometimes less than flattering ways — shows a generosity of spirit that makes this album really special, I think.
  • Sturgill First Listen, if’n you hadn’t yet.
  • I’d recommend the First Listen of this Sam Beam/Jesca Hoop album. I’d also recommend watching this video during the chorus of “Soft Place To Land.” I did coincidentally, and it was pure joy.
  • Two other albums I spent time with this week: Robbie Fulks’ new one, Upland Stories, and Glenn Jones’ Fleeting. I really like “Fare Thee Well, Carolina Gals” from the former and “Mother’s Day” from the latter. Also really like the cover of Fleeting. Gonna be hard to resist if I see it in a record store.
  • No show updates for this week — I’m on full-time daddy duty with Mrs. YHT out of town. Might use this opportunity to engage in some Bob Dylan indoctrination. The adults in the household are split 1 for and 1 against, so Baby YHT has the swing vote…

I vote that everyone has a great weekend!

Seen/Eaten/Heard

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Battles

Two very exciting things happened last Friday.

  1. Battles reissued their killer Mirrored album, and…
  2. A thoughtful neighbor brought by a generous chunk of fresh challah she’d gotten at the Weinstein JCC.

I got to enjoy both on Saturday morning, as Mrs. YHT and I (with Baby YHT’s help, of course) made challah french toast and bacon with the sounds of “Atlas” and the rest of Mirrored drifting in from the living room.

Challah

Given how long I’ve been hoping to get my hands on this album, and how tasty challah french toast is, the net effect scraped the happiness ceiling for me. It really doesn’t get much better.

Battles — “Atlas” [Spotify/iTunes]

CD Monday

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Hush

Gifted by my mom, picked this week by Baby YHT. Fitting, given that this is the time of year when I get to reunite with my paralyzing fear of bees…

Yo-Yo Ma and Bobby McFerrin — “Flight of the Bumblebee” [Spotify/iTunes]

 

Seen/Eaten/Heard

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SeenEatenHeard

Seen while running today. Turntable set up to serenade Patterson and Belmont while the mural was being worked on. Didn’t recognize what was playing when I took the picture, but I passed by again on the way back and “Southern Man” was blasting. Great song, great mural. This is why I love public art so much.

[Update: I’ve since learned that the artist’s name is Nils Westergard, and he posted a request in association with this mural — that people fill out a survey that asks about public art in Richmond. Click here to complete the survey.]

Neil Young — “Southern Man” [YouTube/iTunes]

Friday News and Notes

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Broad City

Happy Friday! A few news and notes items before you hit the club:

  • Congrats to Clair Morgan on the USA Today/FTW song premiere! Very exciting to see this record off to a great start, because it’s damn good and lots and lots of people need to hear it. Can’t wait to spin my vinyl copy. Be sure to check them out tonight at Hardywood!
  • THIS IS NOT A DRILL… BATTLES IS REISSUING MIRRORED. This has been on my holy grail list for a while — one of the albums I’m most jealous that my sister and brother-in-law have and I don’t. I seriously check the “B” section of every record store I go into, just in case. Very excited about this development.
  • I found a used copy of Godspeed You! Black Emperor’s Yanqui U.X.O. this week. Such an interesting album. I actually hadn’t heard it, but recognized the cover and gave it a listen in the store. Really tense and beautiful, but one of the most compelling things about it is when it was released. Post 9/11 but pre-Iraq invasion. What an eerie time to look back on.
  • Gorgeous new song from Moses Sumney. Feels like he’s pushing into more realized territory with each song he releases. (Here’s a thing I wrote after seeing him open for Sufjan.)
  • I have a gig Saturday night at Capital Ale House opening for the SteppinStone reunion, but another great Saturday shindig will be happening over at the Broadberry with Southern Belles. Either way, you can’t lose.

Three of the last four teams in the tournament will lose between now and Monday… hope yours wins!

CD Monday

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Orchestra Baobab

All Styles is right — did you see about the new Grateful Dead tribute album that The National organized? Guess who has a couple tracks on there! These guys! I haven’t heard them yet, but Courtney Barnett’s version of “New Speedway Boogie” is excellent.

Rolling around with this in the meantime.

Orchestra Baobab — “Bul Ma Miin” [Spotify/iTunes]