From the "CMO"s desk, is this the last hurrah?

Dear friends,

Not much happening around here, not because there's not much happening, but because we ran out of gas. Boat is sound, but we are out on the ocean without paddle or sail. 

When some one -say one of your kids- comes to you for help, you have to figure out what they really want. Maybe they just want encouragement: "You're not that far out, the tide will probably push you ashore." Maybe it's advice they want: "Use that cooler lid for a paddle...."  Or maybe (not often) criticism: "Next time, check the gas BEFORE you leave the dock!"

But sometimes it's a straight rescue that's called for, "I'll toss this rope to you..." and that is what this is about. Interested in helping support folk music? Have some internet skills? Like to volunteer? We are looking for someone to take the helm- is it you or someone you know?

We've got a storied history, from our first MP3-by-the-track sales in 1999, through the dot-com bust, web 2.0, and we've out-survived a lot of them. It is now time for this sailor to stay on terra firma and take care of "business", I'm volunteered-out. Sick of the nautical theme? But still interested? Please contact me, ASAP.

Boats rot at the docks, folks, we need to keep it moving. Take this website, please!!!

Sincerely,

Chris

PS Or a huge bequest would be nice.

Smithsonian Folkways has released Pete Seeger: The Complete Bowdoin College Concert, 1960, recorded when Seeger was blacklisted from TV, radio, and most concert venues. This pristine live recording, featuring rousing performances and insightful commentary, will be the first-ever complete release of one of his "community concerts" which were often unannounced and frequently protested.  Let's make this go viral, get on the charts! Video:

Paul Rishell has been playing the pre-war blues for over 45 years, initially learning from his hero Son House and also sitting in with Howlin' Wolf and Junior Wells. Now, he's releasing 'Talking Guitar' May 8, featuring some of the material that inspired him in the first place. Paul is at the top of a short list of performers who are interpreting pre-war rural blues. He's long received notice as a stellar guitarist, but he's a singer of great power as well. Check out this video, Paul doing Charlie Patton's Down the Dirt Road Blues:

'Talking Guitar' comes out May 8 on Mojo Rodeo Records

Reviewed by Joe Ross

Janie Fricke has had success with various country styles, whether slower numbers, snappy hard-driving songs, or duet hits with the likes of Johnny Duncan, Charlie Rich, Merle Haggard and Moe Bandy. Like so many other country artists who have released bluegrass music projects, it only seems logical that she add that genre to her catalogue. She started her professional career as a Nashville backup vocalist in 1975. She sang on over 1,200 albums before producer Billy Sherrill launched her career as a solo artist. The two-time CMA Female Vocalist of the Year (1982-83) has a professional and precise vocal style, and she doesn’t try to deliver either backwoods rusticity or intense vocals that more often characterize bluegrass music of the hard-driving variety. Rather, it’s polished, smooth, and best described as pop-oriented radio-friendly bluegrass, hence the album’s title.

From Oahu, Hawaii, lay back and catch an island vibe with Shane and Cheryl Bernoy: "Life is often a battle. But no matter what you must face, never lay down. Warrior on!"

Download Roll With The Punches (right-click or option-click to download...)

Shane Bermoy Artist Page

Just released!! All true, and you can have one! Get one of these CD/MP3s delivered 1st class snail-mail when you make a $30 or greater donation - 100 songs from 70 different artists, over SIX HOURS of music.

This is our 'editor's pick' from the exceptional music we promote every day of the year, a great way to sample a unique collection of under-heard songs and artists, plus rare tracks from some of your better known folks. Here's a complete list of the songs.

Make a $30 or larger contribution and get Volume Seven AND the satisfaction of knowing you are helping musicians and this nonprofit organization "pick it up and carry it on..." (or maybe it's "continue pushing it uphill")

Click here for more information...or click on the donate button on your left. Thanks in advance!

Jazz icon Louis Armstrong, always the consummate entertainer, turned a 1971 award ceremony at the National Press Club in Washington DC into an impromptu performance despite recent poor health. It was one of his last concerts before he passed away 5 months later. Joined by longtime band-mates Tyree Glenn and Tommy Gwaltney, Armstrong shows no signs of frailty while singing, and to everyone’s surprise, playing trumpet on classics including "Mack the Knife" and "Hello Dolly.The recording, originally a limited vinyl release by the National Press Club in 1972, will be available widely for the first time via Smithsonian Folkways Recordings on April 24th as part of the Smithsonian’s celebration of the 11th annual Jazz Appreciation Month. Armstrong often signed letters "Red Beans and Rice-ly Yours," which makes for an apt title for the recording especially since his favorite recipes — everything from Louisiana Caviar to the Sazerac — are included in the liner notes, as they were in the original pressing. Listen to Hello Dolly

Mize's thoughtful compositions explore negative space and meticulously layer sounds in ways that impress for both their creativity and fearlessness. These tracks are exceptional.” - Slant

“[We Don’t Need] is a world where layered Radiohead-esque digital beats and blips find a place next to the hypnotic rhythms Mize learned from modal fiddling.” - American Songwriter

“A driven artist whose strong melodies, mellifluous defiant voice, and edgy lyrics make her music jump out of the speakers.” - Allmusic

You'll be able to see for yourself what a few folks have already discovered, as she hits the road in March in April..

Very nice modern instrumental composition, listen!! Sweetness-n-Light from One Alternative is an instrumental with oboe, 2 acoustic guitars, bass, and drums. The style is best described as an "acoustic fusion".

Download Sweetness-n-Light (right-click or option-click to download...)

One Alternative Artist Page