These guys podcast some great music!
Bandana Blues with Beardo & Spinner
(no, you don’t have to have an iPod to listen)

My on-the-road project team Christmas party last Wednesday began with wrapping presents and decorating tress at People Serving People and ended at Glueks (both in downtown Minneapolis). Fantastic band named Root City. Check ‘em out, kind of a funky soulful stoner rappy/raggae vibe, great live presence - no sitting still listening to these guys, they’re original real-deal, bona fide! And the guitarist/singer reminds me of our son Kevin.

Got the pod on, remembering a concert long ago… wish that old Elecktra “Butterfield Blues Band LIVE” album was available digitally. Might have to dig out the old LP and do it myself. THAT was a concert. Detroit. Grande Ballroom. Years and years ago…
Blues Access: Paul Butterfield

UPDATE!
Guess what I found while Christmas shopping at Tower Records? Re-released in 2005 by Wounded Bird Records. Recorded March 21-22 1970 at The Troubadour in Los Angeles. Same lineup and set as the concert at the Grande (except I remember the guitarist being Matt Murphy). Early present to myself, yep!

I cannot believe that I’ve been living without music for so long..
Being the 50 yr old fart that I am, I had strayed away from being plugged into music constantly in one way or another. Used to play guitar - for years. Used to keep tabs on who was doing what. Used to browse the racks hoping to discover something new and wonderful.

And then a number of years ago I stopped. Maybe 8 or so? Silence became so refreshing. Music all seemed to suck. I bought maybe 3 CDs per year, a concert DVD once in a while, and was content to periodically search the internet for musical nuggets remembered. Picked up a guitar maybe once a quarter. I even quit listening to music in my car except for longer road trips, preferring the grumble rumble pop of my MINI’s Magnaflow exhaust system.

Last night after having dinner out - I bought an iPod.
I’d been resistant. Didn’t imagine myself using one much.
But… been traveling a lot, might be nice on the plane (could use the headphones for the in-flight movie?), and it does tickle the primal subconsious craving for gadgets that real men get. And then my sweetie enabled me by saying “I can’t believe you don’t have one of those yet”.

So I grabbed a 20 gb iPod (a compromise of silly reasoning, for a hundred more I could triple the space).
The thing was charged right out of the box. Loaded the software (iTunes), plugged it in and within what seemed like an incredibly short time all of my mp3s were on the iPod with a handful of CDs.
I can’t believe it.
It’s too cool.
Valerie wanted to kick me out of bed because I couldn’t stop listening and she could hear it a bit - so I wandered around the dark house dancing like those iPod commercials where all you can see is the headphone wires.

After she fell asleep I laid in bed and the iPod played the following at random.

John Lee Hooker - Boogie Man - entire album never sounded so good
Mott the hoople - One of the Boys
The Count Five - Psychotic Reaction
Jeff Beck - Becks Boogie
The Rockets - Taking it Back
Jeff Beck - Beck’s Bolero
Enya - Orinoco Flow
Delbert McClinton -Day Drinkin
John Hiatt - Until his Penis Came Between Us

Now I would never have thought to select those songs in that order… never.
It was fantastic. You might look at that list and think I’m smoking crack, but the point is that having so much of ones own music available to shuffle is wonderful.

Now to load a boatload of those old CDs. Mondays flight should be great! I’m totally sold. myPod has become a must-have.
The music is back!

Stumbled accross BILLY HARVEY MUSIC and really liked it.

Skip forward for a pretty stoned looking Jagger and Waters performing “champange and reefer”… go figure. Includes one song with Buddy Guy! Muddy Waters and Mick Jagger at Checkerboard Lounge