Filed under: Listen | Tags: banjo, bluegrass, Doc Watson, Earl Scruggs, Foggy Mountain Boys, Lester Flatt
Earl Scruggs (right) with Lester Flatt
If you haven’t yet taken a moment today to honor the loss of the world’s premier banjo player I am providing that here. Take a moment and listen to just a bit of the musical genius that was Earl Scruggs. A pioneering banjo player, Scruggs transformed not just bluegrass but all of music.
Earl Scruggs and Lester Flatt with the Foggy Mountain Boys
Earl Scruggs with Doc Watson
This past week I had the opportunity to catch Futurebirds live. These young guns hail from Athens GA, and with their reverb drenched southern rock they are gaining a lot of attention. I know what you are thinking, “not another alt-country” group to but these guys put on an excellent show and make damn good music. Give em a listen, they do an excellent rendition of Stevie Nicks’ Wild Heart which you can hear below.
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For more check out their album Hampton’s Lullaby. Looking forward to more good things coming from these guys.
Filed under: Listen | Tags: acoustic, Anne Briggs, Bert Jansch, folk music, guitar, John Renbourn, Pentangle
Scottish folk musician Bert Jansch passed away yesterday, he was 67. An innovated guitar player, the singer songwriter was a leading voice in the British folk revival of the 60′s and collaborated extensively with John Renbourn and Anne Briggs while also being a member of the band Pentangle. His influence over folk/guitar music has and will continue to be far reaching.
Filed under: Listen | Tags: end of summer, Labor Day, Peter Seeger, Union Maid
Hope you had a good labor day, the ceremonial end of summer. However in the midst of beers and grilled meats maybe you thought a little about the contribution of laborers in this country…or just about how good your beer tastes.
Filed under: Listen | Tags: David Grisman, Doc and Dawg, Doc Watson, In The Pines
Doc Watson and David Grisman have been making music together for a long time. Doc first met Grisman when Grisman was only 17 when he went to New York for his first solo show there, that same night he invited Grisman to play with him on stage at Gerde’s Folk City. What seems like it would be a strange match is actually a pleasurable listen. Take one of the greatest song writers and put him with one of the great mandolin players and only good things happen.
Enjoy this version of In the Pines played by Watson and Grisman. The WildWood be heading into the pines for a week of R&R, see you when were back.
Filed under: Listen | Tags: Duane Allman, Leo Kotke, Little Martha, The Allman Brothers
Little Martha was the only Allman Brothers Band song solely written by Duane Allman, and while there are many great songs by the band Little Martha could be my favorite. The song which first appeared on Eat a Peach was recorded by Duane only a few weeks before the motorcycle accident which took his life. You can find many covers of this song out there, however I always prefer the original. If you are going to listen to another guitar players version of this song they I insist it be the version by Mr. Leo Kottke.
Filed under: Listen | Tags: Akron Family, Dead Oceans, S/T II: The Cosmic Birth and Journey of Shinju TNT
Been working a little to hard lately on things other than WildWood and wanted to apologize for the lack of posts as of late. In exchange for your forgiveness I wanted to offer a sonic gift in the form of a new single off of Akron/Family’s new album S/T II: The Cosmic Birth and Journey of Shinju TNT . Always a big fan of Akron/Family here, thought you might enjoy this in the mean time. More good things to come around here.
Filed under: Listen | Tags: bear, Grateful Dead, LSD, Owsley Stanley, Wall of Sound
Owsley Stanley pictured with Jerry Garcia
While this news is over a week old at this point I thought it was necessary to pay tribute to the creative force of Owsley “Bear” Stanely who died on March 13th. The man who provided massive quantities of LSD to the Dead and the rest of San Francisco in the 60′s, Stanley was also responsible for engineering the Wall of Sound and for designing many of the Dead’s logos including the skull and lighting bolt which appeared on the cover of Steal Your Face.
The Wall of Sound in all its glory.
Stanley was also responsible for some of the early live recordings of the Grateful Dead. As their sound engineer he recorded the shows in order to be able to listen back to them and make improvements on the next show’s sonic quality. However some of these recordings went on to be the first and best live shows the band released as records. However many more of Stanely’s recordings have yet to be released.
In Christ there is no East or West,
In Him no South or North;
But one great fellowship of love
Throughout the whole wide earth.
In Him shall true hearts everywhere
Their high communion find;
His service is the golden cord,
Close binding humankind.
Join hands, then, members of the faith,
Whatever your race may be!
Who serves my Father as His child
Is surely kin to me.
Filed under: Folk, Listen | Tags: Appalachian music, Bascom Lamar Lunsford, Folk, Minstrel of the Appalachians
A lawyer, folklorist, and performer of traditional bluegrass music from western North Carolina, Bascom Lamar Lunsford was a folk hero also known as the “Minstrel of the Appalachians.” Lunsford a prolific songwriter himself also spent time collecting the songs and dances of many performers of the Appalachian in order to bring dignity to “hillbilly music.”
I wish I was a mole in the ground
Yes I wish I was a mole in the ground
If I’s a mole in the ground I’d root that mountain down
And I wish I was a mole in the groundOh Tippy wants a nine dollar shawl
Yes Tippy wants a nine dollar shawl
When I come o’er the hill with a forty dollar bill
Baby where you been so longI been in the bend so long
Yes I been in the bend so long
I been in the bend with the rough and rowdy men
Baby where you been so long- “I wish I was a Mole in the Ground” first recorded by Lunsford in 1924
