Rock Minutes

It is just past the midway point of 2010 and I thought it would be a good time to take a look at some of my favorite albums of the year so far. I think it has been a good year for new music and the second half of the year has new albums coming from Jamey Johnson, John Mellencamp, The Black Crowes, and Ray Lamontagne to just name a few. A lot of people love to proclaim that music is dead but I think there is still very vital music being made by new and old artists alike. You just need to pay attention a little more than you used to. So in no particular order here are the albums that I have really liked so far this year.

Patty Griffin – Downtown Church

Patty Griffin is one of the best songwriters in the business. Just ask all of the different artists who have recorded her songs. She put down her pen for this album and recorded an album of all religious cover songs. The album was recorded in a church so it has a great sound to it and she brings in some of her talented friends such as Raul Malo from the Mavericks, Emmylou Harris, Jim Lauderdale and Buddy Miller. Another solid effort from Griffin.
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When I attend concerts it typically seems to be in bars, clubs and theaters. For whatever reason the bands I typically like seem to end up in these type of venues which is OK with me. I would prefer to have them play at my house if I could. I rarely attend arena or amphitheater concerts these days. It has to be someone I really like for me to put up with the bullshit and ticket prices that go with seeing a band in one of those venues. Well this past Saturday night one of those bands arrived in my hometown and I did not hesitate to check them out.
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When it comes to consuming music times are changing and changing fast. Think back to the year 2000 and how you found your music, how you bought it, and how you listened to it. It was nothing like how you probably do it these days.

I must admit that technology is great in a lot of ways. I love that I can carry around 11,000 songs in my pocket. I have access to all of those songs on my computer, in my bedroom, in my car, at my desk at work, when I cut the grass, and really just about anywhere I want to listen to my music thanks to my iPod. It is great scouring the internet looking for bands on MySpace, Facebook, YouTube, and the band’s websites as well. Finding music has never been easier. There is now satellite radio in most cars these days. You can target a specific genre you want to listen to and not have to deal with commercials. You are no longer a slave to your local radio stations and you can drive across the country and not worry about losing reception.
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This week I thought I would try to turn you on to some of the new music that is coming out in the next few months. I always like to know what is going on with some of my favorite artists. I think you are doing yourself a disservice if you are not paying attention to new music even if it is from an older band. Anyway here are some albums that have just been released or will be released in the next few months that I am looking forward to hearing.

Ray Lamontagne & The Pariah Dogs – God Willin’ & The Creek Don’t Rise

As you already know Ray is a favorite of myself and Dave. Earlier this year Ray recorded this album in his home in Massachusetts with his band the Pariah Dogs. The album was produced by Ray and was completed in 2 weeks(by the way that is the time frame most records should be recorded in). You can hear the first song “Beg Steal or Borrow” on his website right now. The song has a great feel with plenty of pedal steel guitar. As always I look forward to the day his album comes out.
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I had been to Nashville once before but that trip was a drunken blur. I went last year to see The Black Crowes at the Ryman Auditorium and then hit the bars on Broadway for a drunken bar crawl. It was a great time but when I left the town the next day I knew I had only scratched the surface of what that town had to offer.

Fast forward 9 months and I decide to head back to Nashville with a buddy of mine. We would be down there 3 days. We had made a some loose plans on what we would be doing but for the most part we were going to wing it and see what happened. We started the trip out by going to see Truth & Salvage Co. As you probably know this band is quickly becoming one of my favorite bands and not just because I did an interview with them. We checked the band out at a small club called 3rd & Lindsley on the outskirts of downtown Nashville. The band sounded great and the club was pretty cool. We were off to real nice start.
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