Twenty Five Great Female Vocalists (Alto, Contre Alto) with Links

I have always particularly liked female vocalists with alto or contra alto voices. I don't know why really. Maybe it is because of the more melancholy nature of the alto voice. Anyway, I've put together a list of 20 favorite of these female vocalists (pop-rock-country - not "classical")) and offered a link to a corresponding You Tube video - preferably live performances when possible. I couldn't find a live performance for Joan Armatrading's The Weakness in Me," so it's just vocals and lyrics there. No doubt studio versions of some of these songs are better and purer, but I can't post them legally.

If you know of a better video of the same song send it my way. I know I've left out some great ones too. I want to make it a "Great 25" so please make some suggestions.

Many of my favorite female vocalists aren't on this list because their voices are higher - remember that.

When I was a kid I had a major crush on Marilyn McCoo, so I had to include her. I thought she was the most beautiful woman in the world.

These are VERY roughly in order of preference. KD Lang will knock your socks off.

25. The Cranberries - Linger

24. Fiona Apple - Criminal

23. Mama Cass - Dream a Little Dream of Me

22. Brandi Carlile - The Story

21. Adele - Rolling in the Deep

20. Marilyn McCoo (5th Dimension) – One Last Bell to Answer

19. Karen Carpenter – We’ve Only Just Begun

18. Odetta – Careless Love

17. Mary Chapin Carpenter – Passionate Kisses -

16. Annie Lennox (Eurythmics) – Sweet Dreams

15. Natalie Mains (The Dixie Chicks) – Top of the World

14. Stevie Nicks – Beautiful Child

13. Connie Francis – Who’s Sorry Now

12. Florence + The Machine - Shake it Out

11. Judy Garland – Over the Rainbow

10. Grace Slick (Jefferson Airplane) – White Rabbit

9. Carole King – Natural Woman

8. Etta James - At Last

7. Linda Ronstadt – I Will Always Love You

6. Gladys Knight – Midnight Train to Georgia

5. Natalie Merchant – Wonder

4. Tracy Chapman – Baby Can I Hold You

3. Patsy Cline – Walkin’ After Midnight

2. Joan Armatrading – The Weakness in Me

1. KD Lang – Crying - or maybe even better, Hallelujah

My 25 Favorite Albums

A while back I posted a list of my top ten favorite albums. I decided to revisit the list this week, and make it bigger.

I've been thinking for quite some time about what are my favorite records. I don't know why, maybe it’s a bit of a nostalgia thing, maybe a desire to consolidate thoughts in my head, maybe a way to identify with and know my own generation and culture.

I am thinking here only of studio albums too, otherwise Allman Brothers at Fillmore East, Alison Kraus and Union Station Live, Jackson Brown's Solo Live Acoustic, and Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison would be on the list. Also, no compilations, no “best of” records (bye bye Dionne Warwick – you would have made it otherwise), and no soundtracks (in the latter case Jeremiah Johnson would be on the list).

To get on the list 1) I had to own the record, 2) I had to be currently listening to the record, and 3) it had to be personal – no attempt at balance or coolness or anything.

Of the hundreds of records I love, how do I narrow a list down to 25? How do I choose between five different great Bob Dylan albums and five Beatles albums and so forth? I think in the end it has to with affection. I tend to have more affection for some records than others; who knows why. And as far as this list goes I prefer records that seem to hold together and have a sense of unity. It doesn't mean they have to be concept albums, but I tend to think of a record as a whole.That should exclude The White Album and LZ IV, so it's only one important factor.

There are albums I have and play a lot that have 5-6 really good songs, and the rest I tend to skip. There are better known records that would be on many people’s list, but for some reason there isn't the connection for me with the whole.

There are many great records I have just never had the chance to own or enjoy on a regular basis. Such is life. The list does not reflect any idea of what albums I think are the greatest, the most important, the most significant, or the most artistic, but the records that seem to speak to me (or which I simply enjoy) the most on an ongoing basis. Oh, and I have not included sacred music here. That will be a different list someday.

My 25 Favorite Albums

1. Dark Side of the Moon - Pink Floyd

2. Astral Weeks - Van Morrison

3. Abbey Road - The Beatles

4. Led Zeppelin (I) - Led Zeppelin

5. Late For the Sky - Jackson Browne

6. The Times They Are a Changin' - Bob Dylan

7. Joshua Tree - U2

8. The Beatles (White Album) - The Beatles

9. Hotel California - The Eagles

10. The Rising - Bruce Springsteen

11. Moondance - Van Morrison

12. Let It Be - The Beatles

13. Audible Sigh - The Vigilantes of Love

14. Led Zeppelin (IV) - Led Zeppelin

15. A Rush of Blood to the Head - Coldplay

16. My Life - Iris Dement

17. Tracy Chapman - Tracy Chapman

18. Pictures at An Exhibition - Emerson, Lake, and Palmer

19. Jackson Browne - Jackson Browne

20. Argus - Wishbone Ash

21. Modern Times - Bob Dylan

22. How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb - U2

23. Hard Candy - Counting Crows

24. Blue - Joni Mitchell

25. Continuum - John Mayer

Today's Lyric: Is There a Bustle in Your Hedgerow?

"If there's a bustle in your hedgerow

Don't be alarmed now
It's just a spring clean
For the May queen"

Led Zeppelin, Stairway to Heaven, Led Zeppelin IV

I've always loved this line ever since Mackie Tompkins and I spent hours on the phone in 9th grade trying to figure the song out, to no avail of course. The "bustle in your hedgerow" line is preceded by that great drum transition after the soft interlude. Although I realy don't have any idea what the lyrics above mean, I'll actually use the "Is there a bustle in your hedgerow?" question in the sense of "Is there something bugging you?" or "Are you freaking out about..." or "Why have you worked yourself into a lather?" I like asking people the question just to get the look on their faces, like, "huh?"

Joel's Top 10 Songs of All Time - Sort Of

He said: Sounds like a list you need to post - "Joel's Top 10 Songs of All Time......"

I said: Well, if I ever post a top ten songs list it would likely include 6-8 from among the following (since this is off the top of my head):

Gimme Shelter by the Rolling Stones
Early Morning Riser by Pure Prarie League
Have You Ever Seen the Rain by CCR
Resplendent by The Vigilantes of Love
Love, Reign O'er Me by The Who
The Abbey Road side B medley (or Hey Jude) by the Beatles
Since I've Been Loving You (or Stairway to Heaven) by Led Zeppelin
Fountain of Sorrow by Jackson Browne
The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face by Roberto Flack
The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carrol (or Precious Angel) by Bob Dylan
Have You Ever Loved a Woman by Derek and the Dominos
Where the Streets Have No Name (or New Years Day) by U2
Paranoid (or War Pigs) by Black Sabbath
Fly Me to the Moon by Tony Bennett
Gravity by John Mayer
Beside You (or Into the Mystic) by Van Morrison
I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry by Hank Williams
Always on My Mind by Willie Nelson
Statesboro Blues (Whipping Post or Melissa) by the Allman Brothers
Hotel California by The Eagles
Helplessly Hoping by CSN
Let's Stay Together by Al Green
Hallelujah by Rufus Wainwright
Blue by Lucinda Williams
Whammer Jammer by J Geils Band
Somewhere Over the Rainbow by Judy Garland (or Israel Kamakawiwoʻole)
Question 67 and 68 by Chicago Transit Authority
A Long December by Counting Crows
Roll Over Beethoven by ELO

And then I said: these are my personal favorite songs, not a list of what I think are the greatest or most historically significant songs...you can make your own list :-) and what's on your list does interest me...

Now, to whittle it down...

Those Worn Out Computer Blues

My laptop, it did fall and crack it's head
Oh yeah my laptop, it did fall and crack its head
So I better back up all the data
Because very soon it will be dead

My office desktop - you know the CD drive don't work
Oh yeah my office desktop - you know the CD drive don't work
So I can't load any new software
And it's about to make me go beserk

The one at home - it's so old it's leaking stuff
Oh yeah, the one at home - it's so old it's leaking stuff
It's past time to buy a new one
'Cause I've really had enough

And so I'm thinking, is it time to switch to Mac
Oh yeah I'm thinking, is it time to switch to Mac
But then the money it would cost me
Would have me living in a shack

And so I'm crying, those worn out computer blues
Oh yes I'm crying, those worn out computer blues
It seems that I'm heading for the poor house
No matter, no matter what I choose

I'm Pulling for Kris

Yes, Adam has a better voice and an incredible stage presence, but neither his voice nor his persona appeal to me particularly. And no, this has nothing to do with who is gay and who isn’t. If Kris were gay and Adam not and they sang exactly the same way I’d still pull for Kris. Adam has a world class voice. Unbelievable. But it doesn’t do anything for me. Mariah Carey has a world class voice, but it doesn’t do anything for me either. I prefer Iris Dement. Josh Groban has a world class voice, and I like him, but I’d rather listen to Jackson Browne. What I like about Kris is his talent for adapting songs and putting his particular stamp on them, from Bill Wither’s “Ain’t No Sunshine” to Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova’s “Falling Slowly” to Kanye West’s "Heartless.”

I expect Adam to win, and either way I wish them both the very best in their musical careers, but I’m pulling for Kris, and I look forward to buying his first record.

Josh Ritter at Cat's Cradle May 30

So, I went to the Cat's Cradle ticket sales site to get tickets to the David Cook show May 31 only to find that the show was sold out. Then to my utter delight I saw that Josh Ritter was playing the night before, on Saturday May 30. I'd way rather see Josh Ritter than David Cook, as much as I like David Cook. Josh Ritter is one of the most talented and unque artists around, and I can't wait to see the show. If you're not familiar with Josh Ritter check a couple of these You Tube clips, or go to his site. And go buy tickets before they are sold out!

Josh Ritter singing Good Man at the Stone Pony

Josh Ritter singing To the Dogs or Whoever on David Letterman

Josh Ritter singing Kathleen at Easy Street Records

Josh Ritter singing Monster Balads at the Stone Pony

And many thanks to my friend Bestin for turning me on to Josh Ritter!

Bill Mallonee Interview - Good Stuff

Found this very interesting interview with Bill Mallonee (of Vigilantes of Love fame). It's audio, and pretty free ranging, but provides insight into a great artist's mind and heart. Check it out. You can find Bill's stuff at www.billmallonee.net. Anyoen want to co host a house show with me? You provide the house I'll do most of the work?

The 25 Saddest Songs Ever

OK, so the other night I watched Pink Floyd performing Dark Side of the Moon on channel 76, and "Great Gig in the Sky" got me thinking - what are the 25 saddest songs - the songs that are saddest to me personally.

I don't know Country music very well so, sorry for the absence of much of that. And I know the content of many Blues songs is terribly sad, but The Blues makes me happy. I don't know Opera.

So, the criteria is that song has to have a saddening effect on me and it needs to be a sad song inherently (so not mere sadness by association with a memory).

Here is the list..I'll annotate it later...well, except to say that Bill Mallonee's "Locket Full of Moonlight: Casual Reprise" is the most brilliant and profound connection with the deep sadness that springs up from a fallen world that I have ever heard or could want to hear. The harmonica device produces an almost transcendent wail that reminds me of a whale actually, a sad whale cry coming up from the depths...This song is about his marriage dissolving as far as I can tell - I was worried about that at the time - and that made it sadder. But as an artist Bill has delved into the deepest grief of his own failure and alienation and unraveling in away that does not so much leave us there in his situation but takes us on a deep journey of our own soul. Out of his travail he gave us this saddest of brilliance - this song defines the artist's calling and craft to me.


25) Fast Car - Tracy Chapman

24) Walk on By - Dionne Warwick

23) My Life - Iris Dement

22) Honey - Bobby Goldsboro

21) The Circle Game - Joni Mitchell

20) Hallelujah - Rufus Wainwright

19) Somewhere Over the Rainbow - Eva Cassidy

18) Mr. Bojangles - The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band

17) Crying - Roy Orbison

16) Into the West - Annie Lennox

15) Time in a Bottle - Jim Croce

14) When You're Blinded By the Light - The Vigilantes of Love

13) Always On My Mind - Willie Nelson

12) These Days - Jackson Browne

11) So Far Away - Carole King

10) Wish You Were Here - Pink Floyd

9) Have You Ever Seen the Rain - CCR

8) Calling for You - Iris Dement

7) Blue - Lucinda Williams

6) I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry - Hank Williams

5) You're Missing - Bruce Springsteen

4) Hurt - Johnny Cash

3) Great Gig in the sky - Pink Floyd (featuring Clare Torry)

2) Adiago for Strings - Samuel Barber ("Leonard Bernstein" version)

1) Locket Full of Moonlight (Casual Reprise) - Bill Mallonee

Train Songs

So, Issac and I had lunch at Fin Castles today. They have this a new New Orleans menu along with the normal stuff - the red beans and sausage on rice - so good. Well, they also have a jukebox, and while we were there our waiter put on the song "Love Train." Then he started singing and dancing for everyone - well, mainly for a table of ladies next to us. The man could sing and he had the moves - the old time moves - smooth, classy, tasteful.

Well, that song got Isaac and I thinking about songs with trains, so we came up with a list there at the table - deal was I would not add more later. So here is our list - these are also almost all songs we like too. Oh, and the waiter...he's in a band that bears his name - plays next door to Fin Castles Saturday night, but I can't find where I wrote down his name. Will add that later.

Here's our train song list - what can you add? Has to have the word "train" in it or be about a train - not just a station!

Love Train - The O'Jays
Midnight Train to Georgia - Gladys Night
Folsome Prison Blues - Johnny Cash
I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry - Hank Williams
Long Train Runnin' - Doobie Brothers
Tuesday's Gone - Lynnyrd Skynyrd
Nothing Like a Train - Vigilantes of Love
House of the Rising Sun - The Animals
City of New Orleans - Arlo Guthrie
Slow Train Coming - Bob Dylan
Last Train to Clarkesville - the Monkies
One After 909 - The Beatles
Hear My Train a Comin' - Jimi Hendrix
White Room - Cream
Like the 309 - Johnny Cash
Slow Dark Train - Vigilantes of Love
Crazy Train - Ozzy Osborne
When Love Came to Town - U2 and BB King

My Ten Favorite Albums

I've been thinking for some time about what are my favorite records. I don't know why, maybe it is a little nostalgia thing, maybe a desire to know myself, I'm not sure. In some ways it may be a desire to step back and identify with and know my own generation and culture. Maybe it's the many great memories associated with each record. Seeing an artist perform the record live is also a big connector.

For some reason I would only allow one record per artist on the list - kind of arbitrary I know but I didn't want it to be dominated by the Beatles.

I am thinking here only of studio albums, too, otherwise Allman Brothers at Fillmore East would be number 2 or 3, and Jackson Brown's Solo Live Acoustic would have been in the list.

To get on the list 1) I had to own the record, 2) I had to be currently listening to the record, and 3) I had to take a kickback. These artists are all so interested in making my list :-).

Of the hundreds of records I love, how do I narrow it to a top ten? How do I choose between five different great Bob Dylan albums, five Beatles albums and so forth? I think in the end it has to with affection. I tend to have more affection for records that seem to hold together and have a sense of unity. It doesn't mean they have to be concept albums, but I tend to think of a record as a whole.

There may other albums with more great songs, but for some reason there isn't the connection for me with the whole. Obviously I have left out way more great albums than I have included.

The list does not reflect any idea of what albums I think are the greatest, the most important, or the most significant, but the records that seem to speak to me most now.

I bought Layla and Other assorted Love Songs when it was first released and have loved it ever sense. It got burned into my psyche I guess. It is a rough record, sounding more "live" than your average studio recording. It is 2-3 songs too long, those 2-3 being real lemons, but the rest of the record flows well. Thankfully the guys managed to get Duane Allman on board by the fourth song. The twin guitars on "Have You Ever Loved a Woman" send me to guitar heaven, and knowing the context makes the song interesting as well. This is the record that hooked me on the blues.

I was not ever that big a fan of Bruce Springsteen, well, except for his mellow music. I bought The rising right when it came out. It does not get the critical acclaim as other of his records. it holds together extremely well, and even songs he wrote before 9/11 work in this collection of songs written about and in honor of 9/11 and its impact on people. The Rising speaks to me very powerfully and intimately. I never tire of it. I like every song, and I saw the concert.

I more or less stopped listening to Led Zeppelin by the time I was 14 after a brief obsession with stairway to Heaven." But I have been listening to them a lot over the last 2-3 years, and I love talking Zep if you're ever interested. Zep fans love to debate which is their greatest album. I like all of them but their album I seem to listen to he most all the way through is their first. It's raw and muddled in parts, yet so full of energy. This is a great driving album and of all their records the one that seems to flow the best in my view.

Some of my choices would befuddle critics. I love so many Bob Dylan records, but I LOVE Modern Times, his most recent, a record on absolutely nobody's top twenty list of his greatest records. But it gives me joy; it makes me smile. I was tempted to put Slow Train Coming, The Times They are a Changing, or Highway 61 Revisited, but the smile won out :-)

Few people even know Iris Dement. What can I say, put on the record and pass the tissues. Tracy Chapman's debut record was close to making the list. "My Life" is her best flowing and most personal record, haunting in places. I have seen her now a couple of times which always adds to the experience of listening to a record.

I was pretty much a rocker-only when my oldest brother Mike gave me Jackson Browne's first record for my 17th birthday in August 1974. I think it is the gift I most treasure from my siblings and family over all these years.

I think the greatest bliss I know listening to modern music comes about 2/3's the way through Question 67 and 68. I think of early Chicago as the pinnacle of creative energy. if you ever see me walking down the road air conducting like a escape from the asylum, I'm probably listening to Chicago.

It is very hard to decide which Beatles record to include. For a very long time the Beatles record I would have called my favorite was the record almost universally considered the Beatles worst - Let it Be! It was the first Beatles album I bought. They broke up when I was 13 and I bought Let it Be when I was in eighth grade! I have a deep affection for it all the way through. But Abbey Road gets the nod now. it is from the first to the last note the one Beatles record I like the most and listen through the most.

I did not discover Astral Weeks until a couple of years ago. I'd have Moondance at #2 if not for Astral Weeks. Astral Weeks is so layered and brilliant, though put together in a hurry, and without great diversity within the album. I think of it as a symphony and the songs as movements. It pierces me.

There has really not been a competitor for number one for quite a long time. Not only do I have deep life long affection for Dark Side of the Moon (I bought it right when it came out in March 1973, about a month after the greatest snowstorm in the history of the universe (well, in the history of Columbia SC). I was in tenth grade. As a studio recording it is as close to perfect as I can imagine. Dark Side of the Moon is a record whose content speaks to me no matter how many times I listen to it, sort of like my favorite poems by GM Hopkins, or my favorite Psalms. Obviously the message of Dark Side of the Moon is ultimately darker and more forlorn, but in some way God uses it to point me to Himself as an answer to the questions raised. And I can't even put into words how Great Gig in the Sky connects with me. It's primordial. But over the primordial and confused bent world the Spirit broods....

Here’s the list…

10.Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs - Derek and the Dominos
9. The Rising - Bruce Springsteen
8. I - Led Zeppelin
7. Modern Times - Bob Dylan
6. My Life - Iris Dement
5. Jackson Browne --Jackson Browne
4. Chicago Transit Authority - Chicago Transit Authority
3. Abbey Road - The Beatles
2. Astral Weeks - Van Morrison
1. Dark Side of the Moon - Pink Floyd

My Top Ten Led Zeppelin Songs (this week)

Can you narrow it down to ten? I know, some of you could narrow it down to zero!

Unlike many groups lyrics are all but irrelevant in much of Led Zeppelin's best music. For me it is almost as if Robert Plant's voice is more of an instrument in itself. Their lyrics are completely forgettable and sometimes really dumb.

I tend toward favoring their blues and harder driving stuff the most, but that's just me. Well, not exclusively - I like D'Yer Maker. And I know, I don't have Kashmir in my top ten. Silly me.

Memories of playing pool in Greg Busdicker's awesome house on Sylvan Drive, Columbia. Phil Owens, Greg, and me shooting pool and jammin' to LZ for summer days on end. Where O where are Phil and Greg?

Here's the list...

1. Since I've Been Loving You (I can't stop listening to this song - anthemic)
2. When the Levee Breaks (Those harmonicas! Great adaptation)
3. Stairway to Heaven (Is there a bustle in YOUR hedgerow?)
4. Heartbreaker (Unbeatable air guitar song)
5. I Can't Quit You Baby (Oh man, those slow blues!)
6. How Many More Times (What an opening!)
7. Bring It On Home (A little Memphis blues, and then watch out!)
8. Rock and Roll (Still a top ten ever driving song)
9. D'Yer Mak'er (OK, a softee, but I like it)
10. You Shook Me (Totally groovin' simmering slow blues song)

Alice Cooper Rocks

I never used to listen to the radio at night, but Rock 92 changed that by jumping on the Nights with Alice Cooper bandwagon. I love the show - the music is eclectic and well, I'm old enough to like the earlier stuff he plays. His commentary is funny and informative, and he knows things about various groups that the average person like me would not know. I now quite enjoy getting out in the car at night since I listen to the radio there mostly. I'm thinking of getting a decent small radio I can play at night at home via ear buds without it bothering everyone else.

The guy is a trip. The juxtaposition of his persona, as exemplified by his web site, and his convictions (Wikipedia has a good article on him) is a really interesting to me.

Two Blessings in One Week - A Hanging Rock Sunset and a Bill Mallonee House Concert

I have been fortunate this week to have had two particularly blessed moments.

The first came Sunday as a group of us sat up at Hanging Rock watching the sun set over the Moore's Wall Ridge saddle. The day could not have been nicer, and the colors were the best I've seen in all these 19 years of goign to Hanging Rock. I said to my compadres, "No matter what else is going on in your life, or what your struggles are, this is a beautiful moment. We are sitting up here on an incredibly beautiful autumn day watching the sun set as friends who love one another, and nothing can take this away from us. Soak it in. We don't get to do this every day."

The second came Thursday evening at the apartment of Charlie and Ruth Jones on S Elm Street, where singer songwriter Bill Mallonee and his wife Muriah Rose did a house concert for 30-40 folks. One thing that made this event memorable was the manner in which Bill annotated his songs with stories and reflections on art. Several very familiar songs took on a new and deeper meaning for me. He sang all original songs except for the encore which was an early Neil Young song the name of which escapes me at the moment. I had for a moment a sense of being in a little hangout in Greenwich Village in 1963 or so listening to Bob Dylan. There were a few goose bump moments. I love good live music.

For Bill Mallonee fans - I can't remember the whole set list but off the top these songs come to mind:

Solar System
Nothing Like a Train
Cloth of Life
Skin
Flowers
Blister Soul
Resplendent
High and Lonesome

"Flowers" was the highlight for me, but it was all good.

Music Transcending Politics - Bill Mallonee Tonight on S Elm

Hey Friends (especially those of you in the Piedmont Triad),

This Wednesday night we are fortunate enough to have the talents of singer/songwriter Bill Mallonee come to S. Elm Street. His is a wonderful blend of folk/rock/soul, with a little jangly Brit pop thrown in for good measure. If you like Neil Young or Bob Dylan or Tom Petty or Bruce Pringsteen... you'll love Bill. His music is very personal and crosses many boundaries of genre. The Concert is in the outrageously huge apartment of Charlie and Ruth Jones, 614 S. Elm St., 27406, just a half a block north of Lee. Drinks and hors d'oeuvres will be served. Cover charge is $10 if you can, and we will pass the hat as well. For links to sample Bill's music see:

http://profile.myspace.com/billmallonee
or his web page:
http://www.billmallonee.net/index.htm

If you can come, drop Charlie a note - his info is below. Or you can e-mail me at jsgillespie@mindspring.com.

Charlie & Ruth Jones
614 S. Elm St.
Greensboro, NC 27406-1328

charlie@peculiarpeople.com

South Elm Music - Bill Mallonee

Greetings My Friends,

I hope this cold and windy day finds you well. Would love to chat…

…but this is a **News Alert** for a public “house concert” to be held downtown on S. Elm Street in the “flat” of Charlie and Ruth Jones. I put the word “flat” in parentheses because, well, it is not an ordinary apartment, but the third floor of an old hotel converted into an apartment.

I am teaming with Charlie & Ruth Jones (and I owe much of the wording of this news flash to Charlie) and other local friends to bring the talents of Bill Mallonee to Greensboro. Do you like Neil Young? Have you loved Bob Dylan? Does Tom Waites intrigue you? Does Woody Guthrie make you wish you had something to protest... all over this land?? Well, you will flip over Bill.

At 7:00pm on Wed. Nov. 5, at 614 S. Elm St. (the Jone's apartment) Bill Mallonee and his wife Muriah will be giving an intimate house concert for 50 or so friends and fans. We want you to be part of this. There will be a $10.00 cover charge, and we will "pass the hat" to help defray expenses. But this is an opportunity of a decade! We have "lucked out" on this deal. You gotta come join us for Bill's concert. This DEFINITELY is not a profit-making venture... Along with Charlie and Ruth I just want to be a part of bringing exceptional Art to S. Elm.

(no need for reservations but if you could email to let me know you're coming that would be great - if you don't remember too please come anyway)

Let me quote from Bill’s website:

"Being a son of the South, it's hard not to be surrounded by the beauty of things fractured and incongruous...that's the stuff of real songs...and that's what I learned on the road doing 180 shows a year from 1995 till about 2002... What came out was my own version of what I deeply loved in the work of those two." [Dylan and Neil Young] Mallonee's love for all things folk-rock and raw-boned acoustic won out over these early influences. The "4- guys-in-a-van-with-no-safety-net-beneath-us" dynamic of life on the road left a profound imprint on Mallonee's way of looking at his life...and is deeply woven in the sound and feel of his music. "The work of folks like Flannery O'Conner, Thomas Merton, Kerouac, and a fella named Frederick Buechner helped me make sense out of things out on the road. We made 24 records over 16 years. It all played out, very unglamorously, on the asphalt and in the clubs. I gravitated to the old soul of folk and country artists because it seemed like what we (Vigilantes Of Love) were doing and how we were doing it lent a measure of authenticity to the art." He says, "I tend to be a heart on the sleeve fella. I figure it'll resonate with someone somewhere...we're all made outta similar stuff, I think."

If you have never heard of Bill, I invite you check out some songs and lyrics on his MySpace page:

or his web page:

See you on Nov. 5 - just give me an idea if you can make it - jsgillespie@mindspring.com.

Joel

Bill Mallonee and Muriah Rose Coming to South Elm

Wednesday November 5th at 7:00 - Be there!

This is just an initial announcement, and I will probably mention this several more times, but longstanding and extremely gifted song writer and former front man of the band Vigilanaes of Love, Bill Mallonee, and his wife Muriah Rose, will be playing a "house" concert in a large flat on South Elm (I mean, LARGE flat), above Deal Printing. It will start at 7:00 and there will be a charge will be $10.00 (if you can) and a love offering will be taken as well.

Bill Mallonee is one the very top tier singer songwriters of the last twenty years, though he has taken the Indy music route and not known great commercial success.

You can read about VOL and Bill Mallonee on Wikipedia. Bill also has a MySpace site with lots of music to listen to. Rumor has it that VOL is comign back in a Spring release. That would be cool.

Bill has his own web site, billmallonee.net.

There is a great You Tube music video for his song Resplendent. It's a truly great song.

I'll be getting more info as time goes on, but do yourself a favor and plan on makign this show!

September Songs

Can you believe that September is here? I love September, so I am glad – fall in the air, lots of critters about (birds, butterflies, spiders, and other bugs mostly), late season flowers in bloom (especially the wildflowers), the pennant race in baseball, the beginning of football season, getting outside more, and a new year (since we tend to live by the school year, September first feels like New Year's day to me). It’s a great month all in all.

Hey, here's a question. If you can think of ANY song with the word September in the lyrics or title I'd like to know it. I have a short list but know there must be a LOT more of them out there. Send 'em on!

Iris Dement at Cat's Cradle June 28 - A Short Review and Set List

My daughter Heather and I enjoyed a Saturday evening Iris Dement concert at Cat’s Cradle in Chapel Hill/Carrboro NC. Cat’s Cradle is a good venue for Iris and her music – very intimate and good sound quality. It was jam packed.

Compared to when Heather and I saw her two years ago, Iris seemed more confident, more relaxed, and less fragile (though that fragility added something special to the show two years ago). She did not play as many of her older songs this time. During the show she said she was losing her voice but I thought her voice was better than two years ago, plus I thought it got better as the show went on. She seemed to really be putting herself into the singing, the phrasing and such. I'll go see her any time she is close.

Unlike last time, she did not play solo. Two gentlemen from John Prine’s band, Dave Jacques on bass, and Jason Wilbur on guitar, played with her. She seemed to enjoy the company on stage and it made her songs sound a bit more like they sound in the recordings. These guys are first class and Iris deemed to feed off their talent and energy. She talked less and laughed more compared to last time.

Dave Jaques opened the show with a set of about half a dozen songs, mostly original. I really liked him. The line was too long at the show to get a CD but I plan to soon.

I have two wishes: it seems that Iris has enough new original songs for another CD of her original music. Plus, since I got to hear her cover more songs this time including Merle Haggard (three songs), Tom T. Hall, Hank Williams, Doc Watson, and Greg Brown). I'd love her to do a record just covering other people's songs. It doesn't matter who wrote it, when she sings it it feels like an Iris Dement song!

Here is the set list, as best as I can put it together. I am a little uncertain of the titles of a couple of the songs. Iris Dement fans tend to just call her “Iris” so I’ll do the same – but it’s not like I know her!

Oh, I mention whether she played guitar or piano. Her piano playing was way stronger than last time. I love her unique honky-tonk/gospel “Iris” style. It makes me want to play more.

1. Jambalaya (On the Bayou) - (Hank Williams) - guitar
2. The Old Gospel Ship – guitar
3. I Washed My Face in The Morning Dew (Tom T Hall) - guitar
4. The Way I Should - guitar
5. Let the Mystery Be - guitar
6. He Reached Down - piano
7. Legle's Hill - piano
8. Going Away Party (Merle Haggard –Iris mentioned Cindy Walker) - piano
9. When My Morning Comes Around - piano
10. Living on the Inside - piano
11. Pray (Merle Haggard) - piano
12. Mama's Truth - piano
13. This Love's Gonna Last - guitar
14. Our Town - guitar
15. The Night I Learned How Not to Pray - guitar
16. Cheapest Kind (Greg Brown, her husband) – guitar
17. Whole Lot of Heaven - fantastic Iris song I had not heard before - guitar

18. Mama Tried (Merle Haggard) - guitar
19. Sunny Side of Life (Doc Watson) – guitar

If you are not familiar with Iris Dement there are some good clips of her on You Tube. Try these:

Sweet is the Melody
My Life
Our Town - with Emmylou Harris
In Spite of Ourselves - with John Prine
He Reached Down - with Joan Osborne (not You Tube)


You can listen to some Jason Wilbur songs on his MySpace site - I really liked Lazy Afternoon.

Iris Dement at Cat's Cradle June 28

Iris Dement, one of the very best singer songwriters of our day, will be paying at Cat's Cradle in Carrboro on June 28. I don't know if it's sold out. Last time she was there it was standing room only. I'm going with my daughter Heather, who went with me last time, two summers ago. I wrote a review of that concert on this blog, and would be most honored if you would read it.

For some Iris Dement is an acquired taste. I fell for her in an instant on the way home from church one day when I turned on Prairie Home Companion, and heard that voice. It's hard to know what genre to place her in - folk, alt-country, old-country. She has a high twangy singing voice for sure. Her songs are simple, but real, SO real, and she has a gift for turn of phrase and melody. She has a wry mischievous smile and a wonderful rhythmic southern speaking drawl. There is a melancholy streak in her music (as with mist good song writers). One just senses she has suffered more than her share in this life and knows of what she writes.

You can get a taste of her music at http://www.irisdement.com/mp3s.html. There are also several clips of her on You Tube.

Look, I'm a rocker, so if I like this twangy songwriter from the other side of the Ozarks, then she must be good! And for all you left leaning types out there, she has written one of the very best protest songs since the sixties - it's called Wasteland of the Free. It's not quite War Pigs, but it's good! I've pasted the lyrics below.

If you'd like to download ten songs from iTunes to get a feel for her music, and have a nice CD to boot, I might suggest the following:

Sweet Is the Melody - from My Life
Our Town - from Infamous Angel
When My Morning Comes Around - from The Way I Should (tissues needed)
Easy's Getting Harder Every Day - from My Life
He Reached Down - from Lifeline
I'll Take My Sorrow Straight - from The Way I Should
These Hills - from Infamous Angel (the first song of hers I heard - on PHC)
My Life - from My Life
Wasteland of the Free - from The Way I Should
No Time to Cry - from My Life

And if you have five more bucks to fill up a CD...

God Walks the Dark Hills - from Lifeline
You've Done Nothing Wrong - from My Life
Mama's Opry - from Infamous Angel
Calling for You - from My Life
Trouble - from The Way I Should (with Delbert McClinton)

Here are the lyrics to "Living In the Wasteland of the Free"

We got preachers dealing in politics and diamond mines
and their speech is growing increasingly unkind
They say they are Christ's disciples
but they don't look like Jesus to me
and it feels like I am living in the wasteland of the free

We got politicians running races on corporate cash
Now don't tell me they don't turn around and kiss them peoples' ass
You may call me old-fashioned
but that don't fit my picture of a true democracy
and it feels like I am living in the wasteland of the free

We got CEO's making two hundred times the workers' pay
but they'll fight like hell against raising the minimum wage
and If you don't like it, mister, they'll ship your job
to some third-world country 'cross the sea
and it feels like I am living in the wasteland of the free

Living in the wasteland of the free
where the poor have now become the enemy
Let's blame our troubles on the weak ones
Sounds like some kind of Hitler remedy
Living in the wasteland of the free

We got little kids with guns fighting inner city wars
So what do we do, we put these little kids behind prison doors
and we call ourselves the advanced civilization
that sounds like crap to me
and it feels like I am living in the wasteland of the free

We got high-school kids running 'round in Calvin Klein and Guess
who cannot pass a sixth-grade reading test
but if you ask them, they can tell you
the name of every crotch on MTV
and it feels like I am living in the wasteland of the free

We kill for oil, then we throw a party when we win
Some guy refuses to fight, and we call that the sin
but he's standing up for what he believes in
and that seems pretty damned American to me
and it feels like I am living in the wasteland of the free

Living in the wasteland of the free
where the poor have now become the enemy
Let's blame our troubles on the weak ones
Sounds like some kind of Hitler remedy
Living in the wasteland of the free

While we sit gloating in our greatness
justice is sinking to the bottom of the sea
Living in the wasteland of the free
Living in the wasteland of the free
Living in the wasteland of the free