Category Archives: Friday Music Day

Friday Music Day – Bluegrass and High Hopes

We had some exciting musical news in the family recently. For many years my big brother Boe has been writing songs as a hobby and he's made a lot of friends and connections along the way. Well, one thing led to another and a couple of weeks ago he went to Nashville and signed a contract with bluegrass publisher Billy Blue Records for a song he wrote called Widow's Bridge. They'll be recording a demo soon and then start shopping it around to bands. No guarantees in the music business, of course, but he's pretty excited about it and I'm real happy for my big brother. So drop your lists, and if you have a favorite bluegrass tune to share, holler it out. I'm real partial to John Hartford's take on this classic, myself.

FMD – Dylan at 80

Bob Dylan turns 80 on Monday and what can one write that hasn't already been written? (That's my Dylan library in photo.) At 80 means that Dylan has gone from rebel to icon to joke to respected elder. It probably wasn't until my late 20s that I really started to get into Dylan's music, mostly those classic albums up through Blonde on Blonde and then later some of the latter albums. I've always had a meh relationship with the some 6-7 concerts I attended with Bob putting up ok but not stellar shows (including the concert at Northrop the night Obama was elected.) However, I was literally dragged to a show at the X in 2017 that I had zero expectations for that blew me away.

Also I have few degrees of separation with Bob Dylan. He and my mother lived 3 blocks apart in Duluth from 1943-47. I always wondered if their parents brought them to the same park or saw each other at a local store...

So Dylan is 80. No need to celebrate if you don't care to but I will pull some of the books off the shelf and read passages here and there. I'll put on an album or two, or maybe check out something I haven't heard for a long long time. (Self Portrait?)

Any Dylan memories, thoughts, arrows, on his 80th Birthday?

FMD 4/23/21 – Ska is back, baby!

Or maybe it never went anywhere? Because apparently the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, who release a new album in May, have been putting out music for a long, long while.

That said, I happened across a few of their new tunes, and I'm seriously enjoying them.

I listened to a decent amount of 3rd wave Ska in highschool. Sometimes I'm just happy and angry at the same time, okay? Isn't that what ska is supposed to be? Like a happy version of punk? So yesterday when I walked home from work, in my lawyer clothes, with my briefcase, in my small white-picket-fence town, I had the new Bosstones pounding in my earbuds, and frankly, it felt damn good.

Anyway, the topic for today is ska. I have the feeling I'm going to be told I'm wrong to enjoy the 3rd wave stuff...

Friday Music Day – Whoops Guest DJ drops the Ball

I forgot to throw this up last night. It has been ... a week. Throw up your lists in the comments, but if you want to admit it what's your guilty pleasure song that you defend for no reason.

For me it's Ringo's Beatles songs because I find it hilarious, and Call Me Maybe because of DC memories playing Kickball.

My last video will be up later today when I find a video of it.

Happy Friday.

FMD 4/9/21: Disappointing Covers

I was perusing youtube for some new music last night and came across a cover of a song I like ("To Love Somebody") by an artist I enjoy (Jade Bird), and thought, "alright, this should be great!"

It was not.

Anyway, I don't recall us talking about disappointing covers before, and also we haven't had a FMD post for a bit, and so here's a thing for today.

Edited to add: apparently there's a "bad covers" tag and a "covers played so much worse" tag, so maybe we have done this before. I'll check it out later. I'm not undoing all this great writing I've done in this post so far, just because it might have been wrong. That would be way too fully baked.

FMD: Feeling Cold

In this deep freeze of winter, what music acts that work for lots of people just leave you feeling cold? Like, you don't necessarily hate them, but you really don't understand the appeal?

I realize this is a conversation that might get a bit heated, but that could be appreciated on a frigid day like today, right?

For me, especially on this site, it's gotta be Drive By Truckers. Sorry, gang. There are others too, but that one definitely comes to mind.

What's yours, and why am I wrong?