Alexander

I had a turntable and a cassette player in my room during high school, but I honestly didn't buy much music back then. I didn't work during the school year, so I never had any money (and my allowance always went towards comic books). What music I did have was all copied from a friend of mine onto 90 minute cassettes. Then my stereo died and my parents bought me a little boombox, which (along with my walkman) was my only means of listening to music until my senior year of college. That year, I got a stereo with an unbelievably cheap top-loading CD player for my birthday. I did already own a few CDs, however. There were some albums (like "Into the Music" and "Common One" by Van Morrison) that were very hard to find on cassette, so I would get them on CD and tape them on a friend's machine. The first four CDs I got when I owned the CD player were in the James Brown "Star Time" box set (which I still have). Then I went on a deliberate mission to upgrade all of my cassettes (that I wanted to upgrade, anyway) onto CD. I would take a bunch of cassettes to Nuggets (a used record store in Boston) and trade them in for store credit. With the credit, I would buy a handful of used CDs. Then I would go home and put the cassettes I had upgraded in a box until I had a big enough pile to trade in and start the cycle anew. So I think I started getting CDs around 1992 or 93.

Today's update features country pioneers Ernest and Hattie Stoneman performing "The Mountaineer's Courtship."

Today's update features Bascom Lamar Lunsford performing "I Wish I Was A Mole In The Ground."

Today's update features Virginia coal miner Dock Boggs performing "Sugar Baby."

I got the remaster and quite enjoyed it. Honestly, the murky sound of the original album always kept it at arm's length for me. I might keep the old disc just to have the "original" sound, though. I'll have to compare them...

Today's update features New Orleans songster Richard "Rabbit" Brown performing "James Alley Blues."

The sixth episode of what appears to be the monthly "Where Dead Voices Gather: The Podcast" rears its ugly head today. This episode features fiddle music from the United States, as well as a few selections from the Middle East! Featured performers are G.B. Grayson, Son Sims, Mohamed Effendi El-Achek, The Stripling Brothers, the Weems String Band, and the Memphis Jug Band! Here are the links for the last two episodes, which I guess I forgot to post here... Episode 5 Episode 4 - Happy Blue Year

Today's update features blind Cajun guitarist Didier Hébert on his sole recording, "I Woke Up One Morning In May."

A great talent and a tremendous voice. I like to think that (even though I don't really believe it) Ronnie is jamming with Randy Rhodes and gossiping about Ozzy even as we speak...

Today's update features Cannon's Jug Stompers, a jug band consisting of Gus Cannon, Noah Lewis, and Ashley Thompson. They perform "Minglewood Blues," a song later covered by The Grateful Dead in a slightly different form.

Wow. I'm surprised to find that Moran is still on Blue Note (what with Osby and Harris both having moved on to the idies). I'm looking forward to hearing this. I would like to ask all musicians to please hold off on releasing new product until I can afford to buy it again. Thank you.

Today's update features Buell Kazee (last heard on the "Ballads" set) singing "East Virginia," a song of lost love.

I think this is another one of those deals where you need to know the comic better to get the movie. I had no problem with Scarlett's character because I know who The Black Widow is.

Well, you've been missing out, then. I know a few people who are offended by Cohen's "gotcha" style, and in the case of pretty much anyone else, I would agree with them. I've always HATED shows like Punk'd and Candid Camera. I'm not one for practical jokes at all, and I find videos where people do stupid things just to baffle regular folks to be juvenile in the extreme. What sets Borat apart is that Cohen exposes people who actually deserve to be exposed, such as racists, sexists, homophobes, and Republicans. One of the most brilliant of his bits was when he got a Holocaust denying redneck to admit that, not only did he really believe the Holocaust took place, but that he regretted that Hitler failed. Cohen then got the guy to admit that he would like to hunt Jews on his ranch ("People would shoot deer, then Jew." "That's right").

My personal favorite Righteous Brothers song. This is my favorite bit, right near the end... Bill - That old pot of gold Ain't so easy to find Bobby - But if you'll stand by me Girl, I'll keep peace of mind Bill - I can't give you the world But I will work hard for you, girl Yes, I'll work hard... Bobby - Everyday! Bill - ...All my life... Bobby - You will see! Bill - ...If you won't leave me... Bobby - Baby, don't leave! Bill - Please don't leave me! Bobby - Oh no, don't leave! Both - Just do this for me, baby!

Just make sure they remember to tip their waitresses before I come on...

"Songs," the third volume of the "Anthology," begins with today's update. Today, we feature Clarence Ashley (making his third appearence on the "Anthology") performing his signature song, "The Coo Coo Bird."

The first time I recall hearing the phrase "not so much" was in the film "Borat." Borat is at a dinner party where there are two women present. One is very attractive, the other is a little less so. Borat is commenting on the very attractive woman: "The men in my country, they go crazy for this one!" Then he dismissively gestures at the other woman. "...Not so much..." But according to my research, Sascha Baron Cohen did not originate the phrase (however well it works in Borat's broken English). Anyway, when I hear the phrase, I personally associate it with Borat, and I think that's a big part of its popularity.

She is. She's also my aunt! But like I say on the show, we won't hold that against her...

As of Sunday, May 9th, I will be hosting a weekly jazz show on KRML in Carmel, California. If you're on the West Coast, please tune in at 1410 AM and 94.7 FM. You can also listen to the live stream of the broadcast at http://www.krmlradio.com/ The show airs each Sunday night at 8 PM Pacific Time, 11 PM Eastern Time. I've put together the first month's worth of episodes, and I'm quite excited about the shows that will be airing in the weeks ahead. This week's episode features Greg Osby, Cassandra Wilson, Miles Davis, Andrew Hill, Suzi Stern, Brian Patneaude, Pomplamoose, and others. Please tune in and let me know what you think!

I think I see where you're coming from. However, I don't think that there's a single album in my collection of 3,000+ discs that I would characterize as "bad." Some things are certainly better than others. Some things are downright poor in comparison to some of the masterpieces out there. But if I own it, then there must be SOMETHING that I like about it. It could be the presence of one musician or one particular song that stands out. But if I like it, for whatever reason, it's not "bad." At least, not to me.

Today's update is the last track on the "Social Music" volume of the "Anthology." It features Rev. D.C. Rice and his Sanctifed Congregation performing "I'm In The Battle Field For My Lord."

Today's update features Rev. F.W. McGee and his singers performing "Fifty Miles of Elbow Room."

Great album!!! This is their best album since "Naturally." Some really great songs here. I'm particularly loving "Better Things," written by Homer Steinweiss, their drummer. Great song!

Today's update features Ernest Phipps and His Holiness Singers performing "Shine On Me."