I could always do with some more Cooley songs, I think the last album was a record for him. Cool to read Neff is going to be playing a larger role in the next album too, I do love the sound of his pedal steel.

No love here for Ringo? Who'd a thunk it...

Looks don't really matter to me, I've just always been baffled by her success. I guess that shouldn't be so surprising in the pop music world though.

From the The Guardian.

Two pages in and no one has mentioned Ringo? For shame... Other faves: Now I'm in my car Oh, I got the radio on Now I'm yellin' at the kids in the back seat 'cause they're bangin' like Charlie Watts - John Hiatt "Slow Turning" ..and who could forget the incomparable George Jetson.

Ryan on Black Cab Sessions. Story on Ryan's Black Cab Sessions appearance from Stereogum.

From Jambase.com.

I posted about it here before (probably before the changeover to this becoming the "official" Zep board) but there was zero interest. I believe the term comes from some record company weasel who said the music submitted to his label has to "sound good on the yacht".

What about the one? They all remind me of a cult like Heaven's Gate. Maybe that's why you never see their shoes.

The inauguration of NC governor Beverly Purdue on PBS so I can hear Caitlin Cary (Whiskeytown, Tres Chicas) sing America the Beautiful.

Actually, I am. I personally don't care for the majority of music I've heard by Sheryl Crow. I find it to be incredibly generic and without any real character. That's what makes we wonder why she's popular and seemed to be the "go to" female vocalist for so many tribute records several years ago when there's so many better singers out there.

While there a few hints of truth to the definition posted above I do have to take issue with it as it is full of stereotypical aspects that are continually perpetuated about fans of the Grateful Dead; like they all drove VW buses and never bathed. That's bullshit. We all know that many bathed in patchouli oil to cover up the smell of having not bathed for days. I always associated the twirlers with the Whirling Dervishes. Fans so caught up in the music that they went into some spiritual type rapture. My experience was that Grateful Dead fans came from all walks of life both young and old, rich and poor, some were diehard hippies, others were there just for the love of the music. Unfortunately once they started to become more famous (circa the success of In the Dark and their first number one single, Touch of Grey) a whole new breed of "fan" started to attend their shows. Sadly many of them were there just because of the party aspect of the parking lot scene and didn't have a clue about the music or the history surrounding the band. This led to gatecrashing and many other things not normally associated with Grateful Dead shows. In their latter years the scene surrounding the Grateful Dead (and the Grateful Dead themselves) started to unravel. Part of this had to do with a whole new breed of fans that had the wrong idea and problems within the band itself that had to do with Garcia's ever declining health and drug issues. It's pretty well documented that some bad shit started going down in their last few years of performing. In addition to the gatecrashing there were death threats made against Garcia, the still unsolved murder of longtime fan Adam Katz and the untimely death of some fans gathered for one of their shows up North when the makeshift plywood stand they were sitting on collapsed.

"What?" Exactly, there's not a single lyric in Tom Sawyer that says "mean, mean guy". I don't like labels either but when it comes to music (as well as other things) it's kind of a necessary evil when trying to explain how an artist sounds to someone who may have never heard them before. As for the "nerd band" thing, I can't say I've ever really thought of myself as a nerd but it definitely fits the description for some of their fans. I'm guessing it stems from the sci-fi angle of many of their lyrics. Back in the 70s some Rush fans also like to pattern their hairstyles after some of the members of the band, Neil Peart particularly.

I'm not sure when or how it started but I know it's been part of their show for a long, long time. It also plays into their send up of Southern stereotypes. Sometimes you get the fried chicken and banana puddin'. Sometimes you get all that plus the watermelon. Then there's the appearances by Mexican wrestler "Santo". I'm guessing the fried chicken thing began as a tie-in with their song 8 Piece Box. Same for the banana pudding and their song, well, Banana Pudding. When they used to play the now defunct Sleazefest, a 3 day extravaganza of b-grade movies, barbeque and beer at Chapel Hill's Local 506 you'd get things like a wading pool full of banana puddin' and "BBQ baptisms" where audience members were brought up on stage and baptized with Scott's BBQ sauce. I've posted some concert clips below as well as a link to a documentary about the first ever Sleazefest (back when it was just two days long). Sleazefest

I guess it hasn't always happened at every show but I thought at least the fried chicken thing did. It's in their contract rider that they must have a box of fried chicken or they won't perform which apparently posed a problem at one of their early gigs in Spain. Chicken wasn't available so a turkey was provided instead. SCOTS is definitely one of my very favorite bands to see live just be sure not to wear your Sunday best.

I wouldn't recommend this just on the strength of the Zeppelin stories alone (though there are plenty) but for all of the rock n' roll stories within. After reading it I figured it would be easier to name the artists Bill Graham didn't work with than the ones he did.

Like I've said, it'll never live up to everyone's expectations because there's no way they'll ever induct everyone we feel should be in there. Link Wray (a N.C. native) did have a guitar he gave Rick Miller (of Chapel Hill's Southern Culture on the Skids) on display last year at an exhibit devoted to N.C. roots music. It was still coated in chicken grease from all of the Southern Culture shows (where throwing fried chicken, banana puddin' and watermelon is the order of the day).

I just learned that Tift's previous live album, Home Is Loud is back in print in very limited quantities. If you're interested it's available here.

Ever been to a house concert? That's probably the best experience I've ever had as far as going strictly to enjoy the music. It's not a church like setting as people hoot, holler and are allowed to drink but they only do it inbetween songs. That's also how performers like John Prine usually conducts his concerts, you can't even get up from your seat to exit the venue unless it's inbetween tunes. It's not nearly as Naziesque as it sounds, it's mainly done that way out of respect for the performer so there's no distractions while they're playing. As far as standard concerts, as long as no one is slinging their beer all over me, standing on my toes or hollering in my ear I have no problem with dancing, singing, twirling, etc. Everyone has their own way of getting into music.

Carl Perkins' Cadillac Life ain't nothing but a blending up of all the ups and downs Dammit Elvis, don't you know You made your Mama so proud Before you ever made that record, before there ever was a Sun Before you ever lost that Cadillac that Carl Perkins won Mr. Phillips found old Johnny Cash and he was high High before he ever took those pills and he's still too proud to die Mr. Phillips never said anything behind nobody's back Like "Dammit Elvis, don't he know, he ain't no Johnny Cash" If Mr. Phillips was the only man that Jerry Lee still would call sir Then I guess Mr. Phillips did all of y'all about as good as you deserve He did just what he said he was gonna do and the money came in sacks New contracts and Carl Perkins' Cadillac I got friends in Nashville, or at least they're folks I know Nashville is where you go to see if what they said is so Carl drove his brand new Cadillac to Nashville and he went downtown This time they promised him a Grammy He turned his Cadillac around Mr. Phillips never blew enough hot air to need a little gold plated paperweight He promised him a Cadillac and put the wind in Carl's face He did just what he said he was gonna do and the money came in sacks New contracts and Carl Perkins' Cadillac Dammit Elvis, I swear son I think it's time you came around Making money you can't spend ain't what being dead's about You gave me all but one good reason not to do all the things you did Now Cadillacs are fiberglass, if you were me you'd call it quits Mike Cooley / Drive-By Truckers © Wayward Johnson's Music (BMI) 12 String Electric Hagstrom Guitar - Jason Isbell

I really do appreciate your help but that's all pretty much Greek to me. I think I'm just going to stick to my CDs as they are. I'm sure I'll be left no other alternative than to totally switch over to iPod technology soon enough though.

Can't say I was every bothered by twirlers at Grateful Dead concerts. I always considered them as much a part of the experience as the performers up on stage. And who's to say they were actually into the music? Perhaps they were just as into the music as everyone else if not more so. That's without even getting into the whole parking lot scene. Now, if you want to get into poseurs (aka Wookies) that's a whole subject entirely.

Thanks, I was recently gifted with an iPod Shuffle (which I have yet to use and probably never will use given my problems with tinnitus) so I started to burn my CD collection (which is well over 2000 CDs) using iTunes. I only got up to the Cs in my collection before saying fuck it, this is just going to take too much time. My question is this though, is iTunes compressing the songs into mp3s?