Richard Buckner: Daytrotter Session recorded Mar 22, 2010

this is very much worth downloading

Richard Buckner: Daytrotter Session recorded Mar 22, 2010

Timber Timbre on Breaking Bad

Breaking Bad's Season 3 is upon us and I, for one, am thrilled. It's hands down the best show on TV right now. It's both insanely dramatic, and excruciatingly sparse. The show features great acting by the likes of two-time Emmy winner Bryan Cranston, gorgeous cinematography and shot construction, and writing that sucks me in every time. Which brings us to music. Dave Porter's dusty and ominous score perfectly sets the tone for each episode of Breaking Bad, and the creators have shown great taste in selecting suitable, left-of-the-dial songs to subtley frame the unfolding drama. However, I was still taken aback to hear Timber Timbre's 'Magic Arrow' uninterrupted by dialogue, and almost in its entirety in last night's episode. Awesome.

Will Johnson's Baseball Paintings

The lovely ladies at IF+D brought a little slice of Americana into my life this thursday night and officially ushered in spring, as far as I'm concerned. The prolific, multi-talented, and part-time Austin resident, Will Johnson finally showed his baseball paintings IN Austin. You may know Mr. Johnson from one of his many Americana oriented music projects. Mr. Johnson fronts the feedback-friendly band Centro-matic, as well as the gentler South San Gabriel, in addition to recording and touring under his own name. Most recently Conor Oberst, Yim Yames, Mike Mogis, and M. Ward were wise enough to realize they better include Will to fully deliver on the promise of their collective name, and had Mr. Johnson play drums and do a bit of singing on their Monsters of Folk tour. But that's enough about music, Thursday was about art! and baseball. and hot dogs. and cold beer.... and maybe even furniture.

Mr. Johnson's paintings struck a chord with me on many levels. The paintings depict primarily Negro League players, and baseball personalities that endured other unfair challenges during their careers. Clearly informed by American folk-art, pop art, and the rich tradition of outsider art so prevalent in these southern states, Mr. Johnson's paintings visually depict these heroes and anti-heroes in broad, iconic strokes. Coupled with these portraits are painted texts that apply more specific information to the subjects, sometimes telling a story, other times including a short quote that's particularly revealing of the subjects story. Being a fan of baseball, under-dogs, and this style of art; I thoroughly enjoyed the show. It didn't hurt that in between gawking at the paintings and grabbing a fresh PBR out of the ice-stocked kiddie pool, IF+D supplied us with free hotdog's from Frank and beautiful and comfortable couches to sit on from Blu Dot. I left with this song in my head that I remember my dad singing over and over again in the springtimes of my childhood. I never knew where it came from until this event caused me to look it up.

Take Care You Throaty Fairies

His voice is a fucking train. It could totally demolish you. Be careful.

Joe Henry

Last night my two best friends in the world went to see Joe Henry at the legendary Blue Note in Manhattan. I was supposed to be at the show with them, and really wish I could've been. I hear the show was everything a person could expect out of the man i think has the most accomplished body of work in the music world of the whole last decade.

Beginning with the Craig Street produced, avante-garde meets tin-pan alley 'Scar' in 1990, Joe Henry has been creating unclassifiable but unmistakeably American masterpieces, all through the naughts. Mr. Henry is a student of the blues, jazz, folk, and pop that define this country musically. He's proven his credibility producing albums by the likes of Allen Toussaint, Bettye Lavette, Ani Difranco, Loudon Wainwright III, Solomon Burke, and the Blind Boys of Alabama; but Mr. Henry has really shown his chops on his own records these last ten years. His obtuse but highly lyrical songwriting, coupled with compositions running the gamut of American roots music, presented in challenging incarnations, performed by the most talented and respected studio musicians of our times, have resulted in a body of work with no comparison. I mean that literally. Try to compare any one of his last four albums to anything out there and you'll be stretching your imagination at the least. Scar, Tiny Voices, Civilians, Blood From Stars. These albums are what it means to be an American and a romantic.

Samamidon + Beth Orton!!!!

Mmmm. Mmmmm. Mmmmm. I love Beth Orton. I love Beth Orton so much that when i saw her play in 2002 i asked her for her autograph. Pretty awesome, huh? Maybe not quite as awesomely dorky as when i hugged Wayne Coyne, but still pretty good. If you're not familiar with the lovely lady, immediately go buy her first two albums, Trailer Park and Central Reservation. I'll admit, i've found her work since then to be pretty inconsitent and largely disappointing. That is until now. NPR's World Cafe is now streaming a second track, You Never Mind, from Samamidon's forthcoming release, and it's a duet with Beth Orton! With strong stamps of participation from Valgeir and Nico on the track, Mr. Amidon lifts Ms. Orton's voice back to the lofty place it held on those earlier records.

Sage wisdom aka bathroom graffiti

This little gem in the Longbranch Inn men's room seems very appropriate with SXSW and all of its excesses and debauchery fast-approaching.