Road listening report #2

Middle of nowhere
The Extra-Terrestrial Highway, southern Nevada

Van Morrison Astral Weeks Live at the Hollywood Bowl. Sublime performance! Rita saw the show live at the Greek Theater in Berkeley a few weeks ago.

Songs from the Road Band, As the Crow Flies. I know Mark Schimick from his work with Larry Keel. I guess this is a sort of all-star band made up of players whose main gigs are with other bands. All I know is, the songs are great! This collection walks the fault line between bluegrass and honky-tonk, where Emmylou Harris led thousands of players of my generation back in the day.

The Belleville Outfit, Time to Stand. You know what my number one criterion is: without good songs, the rest is beside the point. This record has good songs, good singing, and spirited performances.

Genevieve Little, Fire from the Sky. She sat in with Zac Matthews, Bear Kittay, and me at the Nomad Cafe last weekend. Bear met her in Australia, where she came from and where she’s returning next week because her visa has expired. I expect we’ll hear from her again. Powerful singer with a style that recalls Joni Mitchell and doubtless several other singers I have never heard. Truth is, the songs started to sound alike after a while, but she’s young yet and I think she’s got a lot of potential.

Sandy Greenfield, “Hole in the Sun.” I interviewed his father, Robert Greenfield, on Sirius XM the other day, and Bob mentioned that his son is a recording artist. I grabbed this free download from iTunes. I liked it, and I’ll buy the rest of the album asap.

Idaho PinesHot Buttered Rum, Well-Oiled Machine. My partner Zac’s former band. I’m looking forward to hearing them at Desert Rocks this weekend, and Aaron Redner has offered to sit in with my on my set, too. (This CD has an instrumental titled “Waterpocket Fold,” named for one of the zillions of amazing geological formations in Utah. We’re at Zion today; we will probably drive across the Waterpocket Fold tomorrow. Utah-12 is an astonishingly beautiful road, ending just outside Capitol Reef, where the Waterpocket Fold is located.

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