Happy St. Patrick’s Day! I hope you’re all having a wonderful day full of good music, fun, friends, and plentiful helpings of food! As in previous years, I’ve put together a little mix to help make the day a little more festive. This time, I tried to concentrate on those songs that remind me of spending time with my family and friends… and some that remind me of specific places in Ireland. I hope you’ll find it entertaining!
In 2009, Dan Petrich released the excellent Sycamore Tales, and I really wish that I had gotten to know this deeply introspective album sooner. The sound is built on a foundation of folk and Americana, and ranges from hints of 70s radio (“Chance the Pearl” and “The Seeds are Wasted”) to beautiful folk ballads and instrumentals (“J.P. Special” and “Treasure Lake”). It’s a remarkable debut, which My Old Kentucky Blog called: “…a sparse and powerful record about real people dealing with real problems.”
I’ve written about the excellent music of Message to Bears before, and now I’ve got some good news for those of you who missed out on their debut LP: Departures. Dan from Message to Bears has just written to let me know that the original is being re-released on vinyl from Dead Pilot Records. It’s a limited pressing of an excellent record, and I definitely encourage you to check it out! You can hear some of Message to Bears’ music by visiting Bandcamp, or heading on over to MySpace. Or, you know, by following the link below… Whatever you choose, I definitely encourage you to consider picking up the vinyl reissue!
So, it’s going to be near 70F in Massachusetts on Friday. Spring is finally coming to New England! Never mind that it’s only going to hit 40F on Saturday! Spring is here! And since all of my thoughts are turning to Spring, I thought I’d share some of the tracks I’ve been listening to today. They’re not meant to be trendsetting, or cutting edge, by any means. So, please, no flak there. Rather, they’re just the songs that my mind drifted to when I thought of the seasons changing.
And since I’m showing you mine… what about you? What songs does your mind go to when you think of Spring (or seasons changing)?
Recent events in Wisconsin have prompted two members of the Mountain Goats – John Darnielle and Peter Hughes – to produce covers of pro-union songs. First up was John Darnielle’s cover of Billy Bragg’s “Power in an Union.” On the vimeo page, John writes:
Everybody knows I don’t generally do the acoustic guitar guy rocking political jams deal but as a former member of SEIU 660 & the California Association of Psychiatric Technicians & a kid who benefited from great teachers I wanted to spend tonight saying WE ARE ON YOUR SIDE xo jd
In response, Peter Hughes recorded a cover of “Themselves” by The Minutemen. In the blog post where the cover first appeared, Peter writes:
Not exactly a union song per se, but a call to arms and the song that’s been in my head on continuous repeat for about the last two years.
Great stuff, and hopefully motivational. Check them both out below:
Continue reading “Mountain Goats Cover Minutemen, Billy Bragg for Wisconsin Unions”