Keith Medley - Ancestors

And now, something you've never seen before.

Keith Medley, a Kentucky native and talented musician, created a 27-string guitar that he plays himself. The instrument is something like a combination of a bass guitar, autoharp, guitar, harp, maybe a dulcimer, or any number of lute-like instruments. It's really quite impressive to watch.

That was his song entitled "Ancestors" from the album Ride. He says that building the instrument was the easy part. Teaching himself to play this unique creation was the real challenge.

Want more? Watch him play Greig's "In The Hall of the Mountain King".

MP3

Clare Burson - Baby Boy

My musical tastes have changed quite a bit since I started this little project. Not that many years ago I was still in school, listening to Sirius on the way in each day, tuning in to some pretty lame music more frequently than I'd care to admit. More than a few CDs I bought during that period are hidden away in a drawer, safe from curious eyes. These days, I can barely stand listening to the garbage on FM radio, unless it's the classic stuff I was listening to a decade ago anyway.

I think I might be getting old. I don't even own a subwoofer anymore.

Not everything changes, though. I'm still a big fan of Van Morrison, and I still want the Yankees to win.

Shifting gears, it's time for another mellow acoustic selection: Clare Burson's "Baby Boy" from her Silver and Ash album. Exceptionally crisp vocals and a well-played acoustic guitar can be found here. I can't quite recall the circumstances, but I'm pretty sure I ran across her music on NPR. Or an NPR listener referred me.

What's most interesting about this song, and the album as a whole, is that it's an exploration of the artist's Jewish roots, as told through the eyes of her grandmother who fled Nazi Germany. I figured a remembrance of one's Jewish heritage would be appropriate for this week of High Holidays.

In case you were wondering, I did end up going to see The Weepies when they were in Boulder in late August, and I enjoyed every minute of it.

CD or MP3

The Weepies - World Spins Madly On

You know how sometimes you hear a bunch of songs you dig, and upon further research, they turn out to be from the same artist? That's what's happening with me and The Weepies lately. A husband-and-wife indie folk-pop duo, maybe they just have a good publicist, but listen and judge for yourself.

First, I heard their song "Can't Go Back Now" played over the final scene of the movie Adam, a film about a guy my age-ish that has Asperger's syndrome. Just a few days ago on Reddit (my 2010-present internet addiction), I ran across this gem of an animated video, set to the tune of their hit "World Spins Madly On", linked above.

And I just found out, thanks to a nifty link on YouTube, that they're playing in Boulder toward the end of the summer. I just might have to drop by. I haven't been to a show in years.

Marc Cohn - The Things We've Handed Down

You've probably heard of Marc Cohn before. He's famous for his hit single "Walking in Memphis." As you might expect, there's more to his music than that one.

The last track from 1993's The Rainy Season, this song, at the very least, should make you think fondly of your family. The lyrics can be summed as the thoughts of an expecting father, although this song was released about a decade before Marc and his wife had their first child. If you're expecting a baby, or know anyone who is, you MUST listen to this song.

Marc recently released his first new album in nearly ten years, Join the Parade.

Especially recommended if you like:

• Bruce Hornsby
• John Hiatt
  

Don Henley - Workin' It

Wow, I completely spaced this last night.

I'm back with another selection, though - this time with something from Don Henley's recent solo album Inside Job. Yes, that Don Henley, of The Eagles fame.

Remember my pick of "Seen Enough" by Crosby Stills and Nash a few weeks ago? This one fits in the same vein. A protest song for the new millennium, written by a man who has seen it all before. Drugs? Consumerism? Corrupt politicians? Ruthless corporations? Check, check, check, and check.

I can't really put myself in that position yet. I'm at the age now that most of these guys were in the '60s. Unfortunately, my generation doesn't seem to have the same guts that they did. We, apparently, prefer to withdraw into darkness than do anything about it.


See you on Christmas Day, my dear reader.

JJ Grey & Mofro- Mississippi

We'll still call it Friday night. I was out late.

This one's a bit different from my past recommendations. It's a good, Southern, bluesy track, off the Country Ghetto album. This band from Northern Florida has that great electric guitar sound that are perfect for the Blues.

Country Ghetto is one of those albums that doesn't require a bunch of skipping around. Other highlights are "Footsteps" and "The Sun is Shining Down," a song that reminds me of the Beatles' "Let It Be."

Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young - Seen Enough

These guys have been around for a while, yes. They played at Woodstock in 1969, and I saw them in concert in 2003.

"Seen Enough" is something of a protest song, something CSN(Y) has plenty of experience writing. From the 1999 album Looking Forward, it hits such modern controversial topics as online gaming and methamphetamines, as well as '60s hot-button issues that haven't really subsided, such as racism, police corruption, and lying politicians.

As long as the world is plagued by injustice, there will be folk singers. Two things haven't changed since the late '60s. Stephen Stills can still write protest songs, and the world continues to provide him plenty of material.