tears in yer beers

Been off work today and went for lunch at The Compass in Leith, Edinburgh. It's one of the few places that don't rip you off. If you get the chance check it out.
Here is a site worth adding to your favourites..it is one of the most comprehensive sites about americana uk and related stuff http://www.americana-uk.com/html/home.html loads of reviews and site is updated daily.

One of my favourite books ever has to be Vinyl Hayride Country Music Album Covers 1947-1989 by Paul Kingsbury.The covers are so wonderful you will want to frame them and have your very own tack bunkhouse. This is what country music was like before Garth went to business school and Dolly opened the themepark.There was a hell of a lot of albums with an alcoholic theme, check out Johnny Bonds Ten Little Bottles, Kay Adams Alcohol and Tears,Cal Smith Drinking Champagne,Del Reeves Down at Goodtime Charlie's,Portner Wagoner's The Bottom of the Bottle,and his Skid Row Joe Down in the Alley.
So, this staggering around blootered out of your box doesn't seem to be just a Scottish thing...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/4302859.stm

this report would give you the impression that we are well ahead of the game.Part of the problem of course is our natural reserve that evaporates when consuming a wee bevvy and we talk to absolutely anything animal vegetable or mineral.
Fave sound today has been Travis Tritts Circus Leaving Town

MP3s at last!

First up, Peter Rowan - Panama Red. In the 1970s this track was one of my favourites and I never knew for years who did it. Then I came across this guy ...Peter Rowan is known for his 'newgrass style' a more liberal style of bluegrass with psychedelic and rock influences.He played with Muleskinner who released just one fab album. This was the bluegrass supersession featuring David Grisman, Clarence White and others.This helped to bring bluegrass out of the backwoods and into the arena. It was music like this that got me inspired to play in bands and learn to play yeehaw fiddle.
Neko Case - If You Knew from the album The Tigers have spoken is where this awesome track comes from.I tend to listen to mostly male vocalists...sometimes find womens voices a bit bland read Norah Jones, Diana Krall and Martina McBride..but I guess you could say the same about Cliff Richard and Jamie Cullen. Anyway I think Neko Case has a fab voice and rate her alongside Natalie from the Dixies, Allison Moorer and Hazel and Alice. Today recovering after a house hooly with a few friends....had on CMT in the background through the PC...trying to brainwash them into loving roots and country music...

cooking on the tv

just came back from an event at the Scottish Parliament. well it was bonnie but was it worth all that dosh. Someone pointed out the ventilation system, its the map of scotland in reverse and all the holes are a lion or something. To be quite honest it was a bit lost on me, given we hot desk at work on occasion and if the toilets need cleaned well there is only us. I think the folk who work there probably think its wonderful but most of us dont really have that luxury. I have just come in the door and just switched on the telly. Jamie Oliver is on doing a programme on school dinners and how he can change the shit that kids eat . It seems worth watching and I think that is what I will be doing with Wed for a few weeks .I guess it will be syndicated as he is really popular in lots of places. I really like him and think he has done a power of good for getting young folk into cooking and making it a bit cool.

rock out

another day and the city has voted overwhelmingly against road tolls. I must say I am glad as it would have meant lots of dosh going out for me to get to work. I guess if there was more stuff in place I might have thought about a yes vote, but Edinburgh is a long way from paying £2.00 a dayan for the pleasure of crossing into the city to shop...I reckon I would have gone in by bus anyway, but folk from just outside the city who didnt have a say in the vote would be charged as well...anyway that is the top story here on the news. Music wise, I was 2 busy at work to listen to my MP3 player that I load up every few days. It's a 128mb that my sister won in a competition and having been a minidiscgrrl up to that moment I was converted on the spot. Sony is out of the game at the moment, seemingly they were worried about folk downloading music that belonged to them and missed out on the MP3 revolution....just shows that people power can occasionally speak louder than profit. I have just had a fab bottle of cremont from Alsace via Aldi....unbelievable and worth the trek to a local store...thanx again to fireoflove for info re posting and when I get a straight moment I will have a go,but for tonight its just a recommendation check out some of the other fab blogs...esp Bigrockcandymoutain and fireoflove.

eureka

http://s11.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=25F0LOQFH14PO2P742CYZF63KD
will this take you to Allison Moorer and Storms never last I wonder??? Thanks for the help bigrock and fireoflove. This is a fabby track from her and is of course only for evaluation purposes, please buy her albums. I saw her at the Queens Hall in Edinburgh and a fine and dandy night was had by all.
I guess I my next move is to see if I can get the artists name appearing as a link rather than fall out from the physics class....

sunday bliss out

http://http://anomalies-unlimited.com/Jackson.html check this out for a deeko at Michael J visog and how it has changed over the years...
thanx to fire of love for posting comments, yes I have moved..I had originally gone for Blueskies as the most open and all encompassing name I could come up with. Then thought wideblueskies and then hey it all got a bit heady so went back to original. Whew!!! still not clear how to post mp3's up on this site so if anyone out there can give me a quick explanation that would be fab.
Had a brief look at the newspapers, however the tabloids are all full of Charles and Camilla's fiasco at the Town Hall. Dearie me, the big question is of course ' WIll it last?'
Just read an article about Rufus Wainwright being the next big thing....I guess he has a lot to live up to, his Dad wrote a song about every move the family made...http://www.rufuswainwright.com/ check him out here. It is the official website but has some interesting stuff on it.
There was no Sunday Times at the local papershop, well there was but the whole front section has gone AWOL so didnt reckon it would help me with what was the main stories. Went for an Observer instead and I must say it had me possibly coming back for more next week. Had to go to IKEA this morning to return a warped door. Glad to see just a few punters with wonky lamps and no hoards ready to stab you for a futon...that was well crazy...Edmonton in England ???
Listened again to the new Rhonda Vincent live album..superb it's still on the listening post at CMT http://www.cmt.com/artists/az/vincent_rhonda/868566/album.jhtml

saturday it is!!!!

thanks to the bad daughter for her comments re Gillian Welch...thats the thing about this blog thingy, you assume that nobody is actually checking out this thing but it aint true!!! Yes, a lot of the country music seems to have originated with the Scots and Irish who settled in Appalachia and then integrated it into the melting pot. In fact Elvis has relatives in Scotland and there is a bar at Prestwick Airport in Scotland named after him. He only stepped on the tarmac for a short time whilst enroute to Germany. This was his only time in the UK. Today have been listening to Rhonda Vincents new album the live one and it is pretty funky...so check it out. I'ts on CMT at the moment...the whole album and if you have a mini disc you can load the whole thing onto a disc and the quality is 128 so its ok. I have quite a stash of stuff from this source. You can get 5 whole albums on one mini disc so this isfantastic....I am now off to don on my techie hat and try out this you send me amd see if I can get a track loaded up onto the net. I am giving Martyn Bennett another go. I got his album for my birthday and wasnt sure about it. However, he died recently, so am going back to it and will probably here it in a new light. Another fab thing to do is watch the Nitty Gritty Dirt Bands DVD it is out of this world. I love it and have watched it more than a few times. Anyway better scoot along and get down to the task in hand.be back soon.

friday friday friday

aaaaaaah friday night thank the lord...although it waan't a bad week work wise at all. Has a night with a coal fire and a bottle of rather fabby vino, a roasting tray of veggies and a listen to Brian Burnette on radio scotland with the brand new opry. Kevin Montgomery was his guest playing a couple of awesome tracks and finishing with a pre recorded version of Tenessee Girl...dancing round the kitchen and singing along. How anyone can say they dont relate to this kinda music is well beyond human knowhow.
I plan to spend some time sussing out this mp3 deal thing and seeing if I can attach one of the little buggers to my blog. It is supposed to be fairly easy...so feel even I should manage it.Thanx again to guanoboy for his input.
I was down at the beach today in North Berwick and thought how great it looked, just a big sucker for a view.
I see there is some real crap out there in some food that has to be recalled.It sounds pretty wild...pizzas and plastics seem to share the same dye....going to check out the michael J story and then probably go to bed. It is now past 11.00 here in bonnie scotland and a grrl has to have a few hours to regenerate.
Fave listen of the day has to be Ray LaMontagne Jolene

is this for real...faaab or what

wow here is a fab link for all you dylan and cash freaks outa there...a real nugger gem and diamond rolled into one enjoy...http://djmonstermo.blogspot.com/

mp3ing

I was interested in how you add an mp3 track to your blog, so I had a peruse of the various sites out there and struck upon a funky one called http://grapejuiceplus.blogspot.com/2005/02/shoplifting-is-safer-than-downloading.html and I enquired about said task. I got a great reply so thank you to guanoboy for the info and will give it a go this weekend when I have more time.
As the painters have almost finished decided to leave the paint fumes and having to watch your jeans everytime you go near a door facing. Went for a fab meal to a place just round the corner called The Compass in Leith opposite the police station. Had rabbit with french fries well done so they were delightfully crispy yeeeeha.
just turned on the telly and seen Faith Hill on Top of the Pops. Is this a good thing???? Has she gone total crossover .....maybe its just inevitable as chet atkins said 'the Nashville sound simply meant cash'. Maybe this is the lates incarnation. Anyway enough blogging for one day I'm off to check out for any tracks that I can download for evaluation purposes only . Plan to have an MP3 addition soon. Will also check out the Michael J situation and see if the guy has come out of hospital or what.

it's wednesday nearly the weekend

well the Brits came and went...shocking that Robbie W got best artist of the last 25 years..what next...anyway I guess it's all just fluff at the end of the day. Music that has been gracing my ears has been RAy LaMontagne this guy is out of this world and well worth a checkeroo. I have just read the evening paper and it seems that Michael Jackson has the flu and is in hospital...I wonder if this trial will ever get going..I must say I stopped listening to his stuff after Billie Jean and the campery of Thriller..I used to love dancing to that album in the discos in the 80's. At the time it was way ahead...then I discovered bluegrass and country and my road went to the ranch instead. Having a relaxing night in ..our renovations are nearly finnished and will get our place back soon. Tonight a quick visit to the supermarket, pasta and a salad and hope that bed doesnt come too soon as I have a big day at work tomorrow...try to be sensible and get to the sheets before 12.00.
Fave album of the moment...Gillian Welch Time the Revalator...wow to think she went to Crossroads..and not some tar covered shack in the mountains..Saw her in Edinburgh at the Queens Hall Outstanding gig with a fab audience that seemed to know all the words but thankfully keep them to themselves. Often its a bit karaoke, annoying if you've spent the dosh out to hear an artist not a wannabe.
Off to do the dishes and sign off

well its getting late and work beckons tomorrow....booh..why is it that the weekend always speeds up and especially when there is dishes to do. Sitting here ready to collect the dishes and mosey thru to the kitchen. Listening to the Ramones tonight faaaaaaaab. Know they are not even remotely country but some things are sacroscant is that the right spelling ? it doesnt look right...anyway have a good week y'all. I'm off to the Scottish Parliament sometime this week and will see if all the mad expenses has been worth it...not convinced...

get tangled up for a few days

http://ggth.typepad.com/tng/
this is an amazing conglomeration of info and music check it out

toby keith greatest hits 2

just ordered Toby Keith from www.play.com a fab site for fast delivery and free postage on all your fave cd's. The price in the shops is well out of order and I have used this site many times....paid £8.99 all in. I like his version of Mockingbird with his daughter on this, better than the Carole King and James Taylor one of old. I know his politics can be a bit shoot em up but hey, the devil often has the best tunes.
Have found a fab site with lots of goodies www.webjay.org
well worth a trawl. Listening to heap of slowcore country and americana.
Today is a day for staying by the fire and looking out at the snow..yes there was sleet on the ground this morning.Almost time for a cup of coffee and a read of UNCUT the mag of the century..find it at www.uncut.co.uk loads of reviews and in depth articles and a FREE CD!!!! what more could a grrl ask for?

fave raves of this morning

If you have a spare moment, check out Iris DeMents new platter Lifeline. Her first since 1996 and finds her in a reflective state of mind.
It's a collection of personal favourites that she remembers from her childhood,lots of gospel numbers and is surprisingly uplifting to this non believer. Best track the sublime Sweet Hour of Prayer, just her and a piano. This is the real deal folks it doesn't get any better .http://www.irisdement.com
Check out The Mavericks Live in Austin for a mega danceparty you would have to dead from the waist down not to enjoy this heady mix of faves...from Dance the Night Away to Raul Malo's powerful pipes giving a superlative performance on Here Comes the Rain. It checks in at a cool 70 min and if you can't see them live then get them into your living room, roll back the rug and party on.

wow it worked....fan*****tastic. I am amazed how easy this is and no need to learn html or any of that webby stuff, xcellent. I always thought that one day you could just press a few buttons and a post would appear and it seems indeed that day has arrived.
I have hardly read any books for ages as I tend to surf surf surf even in the sheets after lights are supposed to be out. I did a BBC quiz , are you addicted to the internet, and I'm afraid I almost came out as a BIG YES. so what I wonder, anyway I had a 4 year obsession with WW2 and all the angles and corners so this is no surprise really. Tonight Helen Mirran has just appeared on the telly looking rather swish...must be some Award cermony..she was fab in Calendar Girls...catch it if you can...I saw it in the cinema. A rare thing for me as I always get the guy with the B.O.. and the Cowboy hat in front, or its the guy who rocks and counts matches out of his pocket.This happened for real when I saw REM at Murrayfield in Edinburgh...a total freekin nightmare. That was the worst gig I have ever been at. The guys must have had no toys for Xmas and were in a BAD place. No stage props, no big screen and worst of all no stage clobber . All very boring. This from my fav band of the time. I can tell you I couldnt listen to anything by them for a whole year. I prefer small venues and saw a fab gig by the Indigo Girls at King Tuts Glasgow with Gail Anne Dorsey on Bass. This was to a few hundred fans and was the best way to see a band. Richard Gere has just been hauled up onto the stage and has said its his wife's birthday today...who she? the Aviator looks like it might get a few gongs....Leonardo is back ...I must make an effort to see this....will close now and head off to see about those MP3s and how it all works, Keep it country.

http://student.cs.ucc.ie/~nsm1/Kings%20Of%20Leon/Aha%20Shake%20Heartbreak/
this is a great link to the Kings of Leon Aha Shake
Heartbreak......wild shake your behuchie to the beat

fab site worth a checkeroo www.bluerose-records.de lots of info about americana bands and a few free downloads as well.

into the blog

tonight surfing on the sofa, having decided to join the bloggers ,the new revolution and share my fav sounds with the planet. I like stuff that is ithe country ,americana corner and also partial to the oldie guys and girls such as Rose Maddox and Tex Ritter. Saw Kevin Montgomery recently at the Playhouse in Edinburgh supporting the Mavericks. What a gig, check out both bands if you get a chance. Money well spent. Now I am going to try and post this. It is my third attempt, my last ramblings disappeared into the global gloop,so heres hoping.