the sauce

eddie spaghetti is the lead singer / bass player for the worlds greatest rock & roll band, 'the supersuckers'. the sauce was ed's first solo record and i must say, it's pretty damn good. he blends old country tunes w/new rock god energy and creates his signature mid-fi sound. so go on, check out the sauce.

eddie spaghetti (link to four songs)

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take five

the level of success dave brubeck attained with his album 'time out' was unprecedented in jazz at the time of its release in 1959. the song 'take five' is one of the most widely recognizable jazz tunes of all time. have a listen and you'll see why this piece of work was so hot back in the day of cool jazz.

dave brubeck (link to four songs)

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it's not my imagination

black flag was a punk band from hermosa beach california that formed in 1977. they are widely considered to be one of the first hardcore punk bands. throughout their ten-year career as a band, black flag’s concert experiences became legendary, especially in southern california. i was lucky enough to witness one of their shows when i was just a young punk kid and it changed me somehow.

black flag (link to four songs)

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dust me down

taj mahal has new album out entitled, 'maestro' and it's smokin'. he's got ben harper, ziggy marley, jack johnson, los lobos and all kinds of other special guests. as usual, taj brings the delta blues, juke joint boogie, african and hawaiian influences and the special sauce that makes taj mahal such a a true music maestro.

taj mahal (link to four songs)

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things i don't remember

let's get this straight, isac brock is, 'ugly casanova'. the band is a side project of the eclectic and slightly unnerving modest mouse singer. they only released one album in the late nineties entitled, 'sharpen your teeth' but the music is strong and worthy of a listen.

ugly casanova (link to five songs)

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dreader dread

johnny clarke never achieved the international acclaim of some of his jamaican compatriots like marley and tosh but the singer recorded a slew of crucial reggae cuts, as well as some seminal albums. check out the tunes below.

johnny clarke (link to five songs)

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viva la rasa

latin playboys were a side project of los lobos band mates, david hidalgo and louie pérez. the group released two albums, 'latin playboys', in 1994, and 'dose', in 1999. the music is twisted, raw and crunchy with haunting blues and latin-tinged border music. check out the tunes below.


latin playboys (link to four songs)

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i apologize

this just in . . . . you can now download jay bennett's new album, 'whatever happened i apologize'

don't wake the lion

since the mid-'70s, the itals have been working hard at keeping roots-reggae rhythms alive. the itals are a reggae harmony trio that are noted for their strong voices, sweet harmonies, and sharp rastafarian lyrics that stress cultural consciousness. check out some of their early crucial tracks below and give thanks and praises for jah itals.

the itals (link to four songs)

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underneath the mango tree

here are some groovy tunes from the king of laid back surf music, jack johnson. these are studio-quality outtakes and musical musings and they capture the true soul of johnson's unique musical style. enjoy the tunes and check out the live clip from the bbc.

jack johnson - mango tree sample

cold blue stars

josh rouse recently dropped his collection of gems from his time at rykodisc. it's really a fantastic collection and demonstrates his talents as one of the better singer/songwriters of generation x or y or whatever this generation is (at least best from nebraska?). that might seem like lofty praise so by all means, check out the songs below and see if you agree.

josh rouse (link to four songs)

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why wyoming

if you don't know tom freund, you really should. he's a multi-instramentalist, singer, songwriter from california and his new offering, 'collapsible plans' is stellar. with ben harper and jackson browne sitting in, how could you go wrong? check out some new and old tunes.

tom freund (link to four songs)

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desert blues

the late great ali farka touré was an amazing malian singer and guitarist, and one of the african continent’s most internationally renowned musicians. "he transposed the traditional music of his native north mali and singlehandedly brought the style known as desert blues to an international audience." check out the tunes below and show mr. touré some love.

ali farke toure (link to six songs)

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bring on blue skies

ahh, jason collett. canadian singer-songwriter extraordinaire and member of broken social scene. his latest, 'here’s to being here', was released in february of 2008 and continues his catchy indie-pop bliss. check out the collection below and see this man live with his band, 'the dark horse'.

jason collett (link to five songs)

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enjoy yourself

there have been some pretty strong releases this late summer early fall. thus far we've got jolie holland, calexico, taj mahal, brett dennen and ryan adams (in addition to lucinda williams posted below). here's a fall music sampler for y'all.

music sampler (link to eight songs)

don't worry about the government

here's some old school talking heads. i still think '77' is their best effort. hard to believe that it was produced over thirty years ago. everyone remembers 'burning down the house' and 'life during wartime' but this collection of songs represent the essence of the heads to me.

talking heads (link to four songs)

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honey bee

lucinda williams is back with another gem. what can you say about mrs. williams? she's got it and she defies categorization. she blends blues, folk, country and rock with ease. as always, her songwriting shines. where i feel that 'west' was a bit of a let down for me, 'little honey' returns lucinda to the deserved diva of the honkey tonk airwaves. check out some love below.

lucinda williams (link to three songs)

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wilco on colbert

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Exclusive - Wilco Song
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes 2010 Election Fox News

cherry bomb

spoon is an alt-rock type band from the americana music hub, austin, texas. they have a post-punk style with a blend of power-pop and catchy lyrics. the new offering (well, fairly new) is called, ga ga ga ga and bad title aside, it's a solid effort. below are some of their earlier tunes. check 'em out.

spoon (link to five songs)

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ketchy shuby

peter tosh became famous for being in the wailers but his solo work is arguably some of the best reggae music ever. legalize it and equal rights are two of my absolute favorite records. check out some of the demo's and rare recordings below and pay homage to a roots reggae all-star.

peter tosh (link to five songs)

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pacific coast rambler

the original harmony ridge creekdippers were formed by songwriter mark olsen and his wife victoria williams after olson left his previous band the jayhawks. the folksy wafting bluesy tunes were recorded mostly at the couple's desert home in joshua tree, california and were distributed by mail order with very little touring to support them. check out the following tunes and catch the new olsen / louris disk that will be out very soon.

creekdippers (link to four songs)

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hey chicken

loose fur is yet another side project of jeff tweedy. it's a drag city collaboration between tweedy, wilco drummer, glenn kotche and jim o'rourke. but don't expect golden smog! loose fur blends the familiar wilco-esque instrumentals with more avant-garde and down right quirky lyrics. 'born again in the usa' is the second release for loose fur and it continues the eclectic saga of this anti-super group.

loose fur (link to four songs)

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easy tiger

ryan adams is crazy, strange and genius. he's part alt-country, part rock star and all about stringing together song poetry. you love him or hate him but 'cold roses' was pretty impressive. check out magnolia mountain and you'll see the good in ryan adams.

ryan adams and the cardinals (link to four songs)

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crickets

birmingham, alabama-based 'wild sweet orange' has a new album 'we have cause to be uneasy' and it's sounding pretty damn good. it's got all the essential stuff; poignant songwriting, catchy hooks, acoustic strumming, thick electric chords, the works. check 'em out.

wild sweet orange (link to three songs)

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hotstepper

the now famous mother b tapes are private recordings made by bob marley in his bedroom at his mother's house in miami, between october 1977 and early 1980. after mrs. booker's home was looted by bob's "friends", the only thing mrs. b. discovered remaining were two ten-inch reels in unmarked boxes, kept in her bedroom. on these tapes, there were acoustic unknown songs of bob marley. listen and enjoy.

bob marley (link to four songs)

roll with the wind

pavement is indie rock nirvana. i think every album they produced was golden. each had gems and lumps of coal (sorry spiral) but make no mistake, the sounds were strong , the angst was real and the boredom, inescapable. check them out and keep the faith with sm on his solo works. very good mojo.

pavement (link to four songs)

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got my eyes open now

i wish i could say more positive things about jakob dylan's first solo offering. i really loved the wallflower's first two efforts and then it just got bad and pretty soon, they were playing the super bowl. there are a couple of good tunes on 'seeing things' but for the most part, i'm not impressed.

jakob dylan (link to three songs)

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ghost dance

before there was the cult there was the southern death cult and then simply the death cult (cheery name's, i know). vocalist and songwriter ian astbury and his band were at the forefront of a new emerging style of post-punk music. they released some edgy politically themed songs and achieved the critical acclaim that would eventually lead to the cult becoming an international success. check out the songs below and listen to the origins of the cult.

the southern death cult (link to six songs)

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funky kingston

toots & the maytals are a pioneering band in the ska and reggae genre. they were huge influences on future reggae stars as well as soul, punk and rock artists. frederick "toots" hibbert, the leader of the group, is one of the greatest singer/songwriters ever. check out funky kingston and you'll be instantly hooked.

toots & the maytals (link to three songs)

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made in china

i've always dug juliana hatfield. from her collaboration with evan dando to her rockin' chick band 'some girls', she knows how to kick out the jams. 'made in china' did not get a lot of airplay or marketing from the label but it had some sweet tunes that really demonstrate her songwriting and guitar playing prowess. check 'em out and buy the disk.

juliana hatfiled (link to three songs)

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a love supreme

in my humble opinion, this is quite simply the greatest jazz album ever! john coletrane's 'a love supreme' is nothing short of stunning. the album is a four-part suite, broken up into tracks: 'acknowledgement", 'resolution', 'pursuance', and 'psalm'. here it is. enjoy and seek more jazz grooves from j. coletrane.

john coletrane (link to four songs)

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the future looks bright

'the future looks bright' is a fantastic compilation of 1980's southern california punk rock. i remember buying the cassette version in 1982 when I was in middle school and it blew my mind. raw tunes from bands like black flag, social distortion (when they were good), the minutemen, shattered faith and t.s.o.l. man, there was a great music scene in orange county in the early 80's. can you believe it?

also check out 'beach blvd., 'posh hits' and the 'rodney on the roq' compilations via 'buy' link below.

future looks bright (link to five songs)

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the greatest rock band ever

temptation of egg

giant sand is an eclectic band from the desert country of tuscon, az. formed by multi-instrumentalist, howe gleb, giant sand is a constantly evolving group that consistently cranks out great music. if you like calexico or m. ward, check this stuff out.

giant sand (link to three songs)

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mellow my mind

what can you say about neil young that hasn't already been said. whether he's rocking electric with crazy horse or strumming his six string acoustic and alone, he's one of the true rock and roll gods still with us. i love his early stuff, especially 'tonight's the night' and 'on the beach'. here are a few gems for your listening pleasure.

neil young (link to four songs)

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king of the rodeo

southern rock outfit kings of leon have some new tunes brewing. i don't think they've ever matched the raw energy of their first lp, 'youth and young manhood', but 'only by the night' is sounding pretty dagum good and it drops september 23. check 'em out.

kings of leon (link to three songs)

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one wing

wilco at lollapalooza 2008! tweedy unveils a new one (wip), enjoy!

wilco (links to one song)