Face the Music - Neil Young - From Hank to Hendrix

Neil Young - From Hank to Hendrix

I can't believe I've made it this many weeks without posting something by Neil Young.  If I had to pick just one artist to listen to for the rest of my days, it would be Neil Young.  If I had to pick just one song, I wouldn't be able to.  I can't think of song of his I don't like.  I picked this one for today mostly because the title reflects my musical tastes.

Face the Music - Sally G - Paul McCartney

Happy Birthday to Sir Paul McCartney, who turned 70 on Monday of this week. 

Thanks to my older brothers, I've been a big fan of The Beatles nearly all my life.  The Beatles had split up by the time I bought my first 45 rpm record.  I was 10 years old and the record was "Band On The Run" by Paul McCartney and Wings.  Later that same year (1974), Sir Paul and Wings released "Junior's Farm", which I also bought as a 45.  Sally G was on the B side, and it's a full-fledged country song, recorded in Nashville and everything.  Originally released only as a single, it did quite well on the Billboard country charts.

For the record, while I like the music of all of the Beatles, both collectively and individually, it was John, not Paul, who was my favorite.  Kat, on the other hand, is crazy about Paul.

Face the Music - Mumford and Sons - Little Lion Man

Mumford and Sons - Little Lion Man

First, let me post a quick "parental warning" to those of you who don't know this song. They drop the F-bomb in every chorus.

I don't listen to much new music, it seems. This one is a couple of years old and I still consider it new!

Shane is trying to learn to play this on guitar.  I'm sure he'll be practicing it when we camp this weekend. It's pretty exemplary of his taste.  Mine, too; our taste in music is pretty darn similar.

Face the Music - Los Lonely Boys - Heaven

Kat and I were at the pool earlier this week when this came on their satellite radio. I had forgotten how much I liked this song when it came out a few years ago.

Face the Music - Billy Currington - People Are Crazy

Billy Currington - People Are Crazy

I like everything about this one. The melody, the story, the observation of the human condition, the irony. Oh yeah, don't forget the beer. Beer is good.

Heading out for a weekend of camping.  Everyone have a great weekend and stay safe!

Face the Music - Son Volt - Ten Second News

Stick around long enough and you'll find that I love music with minor tones, like this one.  Son Volt is one of very my favorite groups, and this is one of my favorite songs of all time. 

This song is, to me, hauntingly beautiful.  In it's lines "there's a beach there known for cancer waiting to happen" and "there's a cough in the water and it's running into town" it references Missouri's Time Beach hazardous waste disaster and subsequent evacuation of the 1980s.

If you don't know the band Son Volt, or the band it evolved from, Uncle Tupelo (which also spawned the band Wilco), check them out on you tube.  Wilco has a more pop sound now, but Uncle Tupelo and Son Volt are alternative-country at it's finest.  And I promise, their music isn't all gloom and doom...

Face The Music - Patti Griffin - Making Pies

I love a well-written ballad with vivid imagery.  This is one of my favorites.

Face the Music - Skid Row - I Remember You

Yeah, once upon a time, I was into hair bands.  Don't judge.

Face the Music - Railroad Earth - Bird in the House

If our garden were a child, the state would come and take it from us. I have to get outside and give it some loving attention today. While I'm out, take a listen to this.



Railroad Earth has been around for more than a decade, but I heard them for the first time just a week or so ago on the PBS show Sun Studio Sessions. I think I'm hooked.

The guy in the green ball cap is having a good time with them, too.

Face the Music - Levon Helm - The Mountain

I had a different song planned for today, but with Levon Helm's passing yesterday, I decided to post this one instead. It is my favorite by Helm, who was the drummer, and often the lead vocalist, for The Band.  He was also an actor,  most notably for his portrayal of Loretta Lynn's father in Coal Miner's Daughter.  He and his music will be missed.

Face the Music - Carolina Chocolate Drops - Cornbread and Butterbeans

I'm going to be away all day and into the evening, so I've decided to move my Friday music post into today's slot. I should have more time to write tomorrow and Friday. Enjoy!



Earlier this week, I asked my blogging friend Sheila at knitscooksandcrochets, who lives in North Carolina, to please post her butter beans recipe.  She posted it yesterday, and titled the post simply "Butter Beans...."  That reminded me of this song.  I had planned to share it later, anyway,  but it just got promoted to sooner.

Don't stop with just this video. Check out the Carolina Chocolate Drops' other videos on YouTube. Their musical style is rather diverse.

Face the Music - Eddie Vedder - Hard Sun

Time again for Face The Music where I showcase a song and show all of you my eclectic taste in music.   I'm not sure how well this is idea is going over, but it's either this or a blank box on Fridays, because Annie needs a 4-day blogging week right now.

In the 90s, the grunge sound was big and I was a big fan (still am).  I liked many of the bands at that time, but I think Pearl Jam was my favorite.  Eddie Vedder has since done some solo work that I think I like even more.  This one is from the soundtrack to the film "Into The Wild".  I liked the movie, too, but it may not be for you if you prefer movies with happy endings.

Face the Music - Drive-By Truckers - My Sweet Annette

I have a niece who laughs at inappropriate times.  She honestly can't help it, but if a bookshelf were to fall and hit you in the head, she'd laugh. 
 
My own inappropriate sense of humor isn't quite as obvious, but I do find poor Annette's story just the tiniest bit amusing.

Face the Music - Tracy Byrd - Keeper of the Stars

I don't talk about music much on my blog, but I love it. I'm indifferent toward the television, but I'd have music playing in the house 24 hours a day if I could. I don't understand why Shane turns the stereo off in the van sometimes. Who wants to hear road noise?

I also think you can tell a lot about someone from the music they like, so I'm thinking of posting a music video now and then. By the time I'm done, you'll be able to tell some things about me, too. For starters, you'll clearly see that I'm an oddball. You probably already know that, though.



Tracy Byrd - Keeper of the Stars

This could easily be the most mainstream song I'll post here. I've chosen it, though, because it was our wedding song. I thought it an appropriate choice for this week since our 12th anniversary is this Sunday.

Making Music

While Shane was working out of town for so many months last year, he decided to take up the guitar to combat the boredom of sitting in the motel room in evenings. 

We had picked up a cheap youth guitar at a garage sale last spring when Kat said she might want to learn.  She quickly found that the fantasy was better than reality, so Shane started out by taking that youth guitar with him.  Soon, though, he wanted one more his size, so he bought a good used one Eleca from a pawn shop in the town where he was working.  It's not a big name brand, but it sounds and looks nice.

6-string Eleca on the left.

While scouting for online lessons, some of which are on YouTube videos, he ran across something called a Diddley Bow (aka, primal slide guitar).  Of course, he had to make one, just to see if he could. He messed around with that for a little while, but was soon back at the "real" guitar.

That's when he found his nice little Martin Backpacker guitar at a really good price on craigslist.  Isn't it cute?  We actually have it hanging on the wall in our bedroom and it looks surprisingly attractive there.

Martin Backpacker.

 More recently, Shane and I both read the book Made By Hand: My Adventures in the World of Do-It-Yourself by Mark Frauenfelder.  One of the things he mentioned among his attempts to garden, keep chickens and bees, and supercharge his espresso maker was that he made a banjo from a piece of wood, some guitar strings and a tin can.  Of course, Shane had to try it, and actually ended up making two.  (By the way, we both recommend this book.)

That was Saturday, and on Sunday we visited my dad, who is a junker/reseller of the highest order.  He picked up this 1970s Ensenada 12-string guitar, sans the strings, for $3 at a garage sale.  It was priced at $5, but of course, he had to bargain a little for a better price.  My dad spent another $25 getting it strung and tuned at a music shop and had plans to sell it when he realized it has a physical flaw that could keep him from getting very much for it.  But it's still playable and sounds good, so he is letting Shane borrow it for as long as he wants it.

Old Ensenada 12-string.

Thus the story of Shane's instrument collection.  And now the good (or bad) news, depending on how you look at it.  I thought our camera only recorded video, but I learned it records audio, too.  It just doesn't have audio playback capability; I have to play the videos on the computer to hear them.  Why would I consider that bad news?  Because I usually can't be bothered to watch embedded videos and maybe you can't, either. 

If you do (want to be bothered, that is), just watch these.