One of those guitarists is North Carolina's own Brad Rice who has played in the bands of several local artists including Whiskeytown, the Backsliders, Ryan Adams and most recently, Tift Merritt. He was also in the revised lineup of Son Volt for a short period. Can't say I'm a fan of either Sugarland or Keith Urban's brand of "country" but I am very glad for Brad.

Much love to your wife. I feel pretty fortunate to be able to feed my addiction. Thing is, living up here in the midst of it is like mainlining it. If I went to all of the shows I really wanted to I'd be broke and in jail. Thanks for the info on the Hot Tuna shows, I'll look into it though I'm sure I'd be more than pleased just to see 'em in any configuration.

Agreed on Patterson, especially musically. There's even a song or three on his new solo album that start out with the exact same chord pattern he's used dozens of times. It's that sort of thing that initially turned me off of Murdering Oscar but the more I listened, the more it grew on me. Even some of my favorite songwriters such as John Prine and Guy Clark have employed the same chord progressions time after time. I guess it's just something that goes along with anyone's "signature" sound. I'm also a huge Cooley fan, I never seem to tire of his approach to songwriting, for which he has a true gift. As for Patterson's new record, I imagine you could sample a few tunes at either his official site or his MySpace before forking over the bucks. Though I fully intend to purchase it, I've never gotten around to picking up Jason's newest album. It's obvious (especially with some of his contributions to A Blessing and A Curse) that he was going in a more pop direction stylistically, a form that doesn't always suit the Truckers. I haven't exactly been taken by the new Wilco either though I did enjoy Sky Blue Sky. Still, I like their Being There/Summerteeth era best, probably because of what Jay Bennett helped to bring to the band. While it's definitely no huge departure, I really like the new Son Volt album. So far it's gotten more spins than Wilco's latest if that means anything. As far as tastes, I have a friend that says she's now bored with how generic she finds most alt.country so she's all about the "rock" these days. I'm not sure if it's the case with her but I know of more than a few people that don't want to be pigeonholed as far as being into just one type of music so they make these big pronouncements about how they're no longer into "this" and they're into "that". Well, "that" can also pigeonhole you if that's what you're a-feared of. Me? I just roll with the punches and follow my own whims. Sure, I may get into a certain artist or sound for a while but I remain a fan of all kinds of music, just as I've always been. Today I may be into rediscovering an old Black Sabbath record or maybe something new from the Fiery Furnaces. Tomorrow it may be some old reggae, bluegrass or something entirely new. I never know and that is the beauty to me of trying to remain open about where my tastes in music may take me.

I think Live From Austin, TX is a very fine representation of DBT these days. While there's aspects of the Dirty South: Live at the 40 Watt DVD I enjoy, even the band doesn't seem all that happy with it in retrospect. My main gripe at the time was that it's so poorly lit (it is the 40 Watt after all) that you seem to be watching silhouettes during a great deal of the concert. Then there's Alabama Ass Whuppin', a great document of how raw DBT were at that time but they've grown tremendously (not to mention the multiple line up changes) since then. Not sure if you've heard Patterson's new solo record but you may find that you enjoy it more than the last DBT studio record. It took a little while to grow on me but now that it has it's easily shaping up to be one of my very favorites of 2009. Not that it doesn't have it's flaws (because it does) but I've grown to love it nevertheless. As for live DBT, I'll be taking in night two of their two night stand at Charlotte's Visulite Theatre this weekend. I haven't seen them since November of last year when they were co-headlining with the Hold Steady on the Rock n' Roll Means Well tour so I'm looking very forward to it. Especially the fact that there's no opener, it'll be "an evening with the DBT".

For those that can't wait until next Tuesday to hear The Fine Print you can listen to the album at the Blue Rose Records link below. Just click on the German flag underneath "News" in the upper left corner of the page then scroll down http://www.bluerose-records.de

Pete Townshend Writing New Musical, Songs Headed for Who LP Photo: Jelonek/WireImage Pete Townshend updated his page on the Who’s official Website yesterday to alert fans that he’s currently working on a new musical titled Floss, “an ambitious new project for me, in the style of Tommy and Quadrophenia.” Townshend wrote, “In this case the songs are interspersed with surround-sound ’soundscapes’ featuring complex sound-effects and musical montages. Several of the more conventional songs from Floss will be featured on a forthcoming Who recording for release in 2010.” According to Townshend, Floss tells the story of Walter, an aging rocker who retires after one of his songs becomes the anthem of a TV commercial. Walter becomes a house-husband to his wife, the title character Floss, who is devoted to riding stables. After a 15-year break from music, Walter decides to become a rocker again, and finds that the songs he writes “evoke the ecologically rooted, apocalyptic mindset of his generation.” That and personal difficulties lead to an estrangement from Floss, but the two are reunited after an event at an emergency hospital ward. The subject matter is light years away from being the deaf, dumb and blind pinball wizard of Tommy or the schizophrenia and Mods vs. Rockers conflict of Quadrophenia, but Floss reflects where Townshend is now as he approaches age 64. Floss “touches on the current issues faced by the Boomer generation. It also addresses their uneasy relationship with their parents, children and grandchildren,” Townshend writes. “As a 19 year old — with “My Generation” — I wrote the most explicitly ageist song in rock. At 64, I now want to take on aging and mortality, using the powerfully angry context of rock & roll.” Townshend adds that Floss will make its debut in concert in 2011. While the date and venue have not yet been determined, Townshend says he’s already talking with producers in New York. Townshend adds that his sole focus is on Floss while Roger Daltrey is on the road for his own solo tour.

For those that may be interested in hearing what the song sounds like:

I was referring to your references to "gay rights" and "getting theirs in the end".

Disc 1 The "buffalo" connection just now dawned on me. Really.

For the longest time I thought he was singing "Willie". It made complete sense to me, especially considering the Texas reference and all. I don't think it dawned on me that it was "Willis" until the advent of the innerwebz and all of the lyrics sites that sprang up (right and wrong, including the lyrics posted at Margaritaville.com). That also made complete sense considering Buffett has covered Willis Alan Ramsay before, not to mention the fact that he hails from Texas. Now, when is he ever going to release that long awaited follow up to his debut album?

As I recall, some people didn't use the "insert link" button because of a variety of issues whether it be their OS, the type of browser they were using or simply not understanding how to post links. I find that perfectly understandable. Now that we do have the ability to embed clips there's even some that have chosen to abuse that function, such as posting a string of totally non-music related clips in the Other Bands / Music section of the board. Then again, the person in question has always struck me as not being altogether there in the first place.

Personally I don't pay attention to my post count on this or any other board I belong to. Yet, I've had both that and my join date used as ammunition against me when I've dared comment on the proliferation of duplicate threads and similar subjects. On some boards there's even "chit-chat" type threads created solely for those that want to increase their post counts. People get their kicks in many different ways. Engaging in a competition to increase my post count has never been one of them.

Funny you should mention this in nearly the same breath as his stance on gay rights. I can't say I'm surprised, I just found it a bit odd is all. There's always been a divide in political beliefs in this country (as there should be) but it seems to have widened and grown even more divisive in recent years. At some point I fully expect it to result in acts of violence between supporters of the warring parties. Of course I surely hope it doesn't but that's the level of intolerance it appears to have reached. On the "speaking ill of the dead" tip I know it didn't stop members of my own family (including myself) and friends from talking shit about my oldest brother when he recently passed. Were we all sad? Most definitely but he could be an incredibly difficult person. While that certainly made an impression on nearly every person he encountered, it won't be the lasting one. The things we'll carry with us for the rest of our lives are the smiles he put on all of our faces and the fact that one doesn't have to "toe the line" to live a fulfilling existence in this world. He went against the grain from the moment he was born and went out like that too. Now back to the regularly scheduled Ted Kennedy bashing session.

I could really give a shit about Ted Kennedy one way or the other but I must say I find it a bit odd (not to even mention contradictory) how some of the same folks that got all up in arms over "speaking ill of the dead" in the wake of Michael Jackson's death haven't wasted a second of time in that regard in relation to Kennedy's passing.

How's it going (insert name here)? I hope all is well with you. ROCK ON! While I'm appreciative of ZFF's knowledge of music and his seemingly boundless enthusiasm, I can't help thinking each of his responses come from some sort of form letter he keeps handy just for such occasions. And, if I hear of his plans to buy all of the Beatles remasters and compare them to all of the previous bootleg releases just one more time I might just scream but it most certainly won't be "ROCK ON!".

My love for music is one of several reasons I moved to Raleigh last year. This past year has been a particularly rough one for me so taking in as much music as possible (live and otherwise) is but one means of feeding my soul and keeping my spirits up. With very few exceptions most of the artists I go to see are on a national touring level or else are musicians who play locally pretty frequently (sometimes with no cover). Hot Tuna is on my long list of folks I hope to see that I never have. I finally marked the New Riders of the Purple Sage off of that list earlier this month and am about to do the same with Alice Cooper and U2 in the months to come.

No disrespect intended towards either Michael Jackson or Ted Kennedy but the moment I learned of MJ's death (via the web), I didn't even bother turning on the TV for several days. That has more to do with the media than anything else. When I did decide to switch on the tube a few days later the CBS Evening News was devoted entirely to Jackson. That says more about the current state of television "news" than I could ever possibly put into words.

Years ago, I somehow managed to lose the booklet that came with original copies of One More For From the Road. Thankfully, I found a used copy a few years ago that still had one intact.

Here's one of the washer/dryer combos. No word on whether it'll open your beer for you or not. They do have these nowadays though:

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/08/26/obit.ted.kennedy/

These also come in pretty handy on occasion: Some folks have also been known to take this approach:

I actually ending up giving today's thrift store find to a friend of mine who's responsible for recently turning me onto the Vaselines. This particular CD is apparently no longer in print which makes it a true "find".

Can't say I'm familiar with the British one but I'm a huge fan of David Lindley, yet have never heard any of the work he did with Kaleidoscope.