Summer Beer on a Dog Day (MP3 Mix)

The heat came back with a vengeance today in that little swampy old town of Washington DC where I once again have chosen to live. But there's some good things about being around here. Jim and Jennie and The Pinetops played a free show over at the Kennedy Center tonight (stream it here) and although they are a bit traditional for my tastes - their idea of going outside the boundaries is an electric banjo (which I might add was cool in itself) bit they made me think of some other songs that have been going through my head recently so I'd thought I throw them down (see bottom of post). Oh and I loved their version of "Red Rocking Chair" - brought a tear to my eye. Or was that the humidity?

I walked back (crawled back) and had a Sierra Nevada Summerfest. The first one tastes like heaven and goes great with a roasted chicken - the kind you lazily buy from the supermarket these days already made so you don't have to heat up your own kitchen -- the second Summerfest tasted like soda water. Oh well. There's always tomorrow.

Buy Jim and Jennie's new CD if you like that new bluegrass - there's a little bit of the Dead feel to their songs or at least the Dead records were Jerry went bluegrass if that gives you a sense of how old-timey THEY are. But, hey, they played back-up for Neko Case if that helps their coolness factor and they're playing Newport next week (I'm sorry, the Dunkin Donuts tm Newport Festival).

Alas, given my druthers, I'd rather be at Palimpest, a one day freak folk festival in an old Cambridge UK Church the following weekend. One of the acts, Mi and L'au, are Michael "The Master" Gira's latest find. I'm looking forward to hearing more from them but in the meantime go to the festival website to download another song of theirs. Josephine Foster is everything Cocorosie promised me they would be. I love walking around Rock Creek Park (in cooler days) with her CD playing.

Anyone wanna hook me up with a ticket to England for Palimpest? Nah... didn't think so. Maybe I'll be spontaneous and try to score a plane ticket at the last minute. You can get deals right? Huh? Eh, I'll probably stay home and clean records.

And doesn't that new Deerhoof record slay? Well, now that I've bought all the Majikick music I can find, it is the next best thing round. Here's an older cut but hey, free and legal... and there's lots more at that page I linked.

"Mt. St. Helens" - Jim and Jennie & The Pinetops
"They Marry" - Mi and L'au (MP3 hosted at Palimpest Festival Page)
"Stone's Throw From Heaven" - Josephine Foster (also via Palimpest)
"Sunny Side" - Deerhoof

Bonus download: Go to Amazon and download "Red Rocking Chair" by Doc and Merle Watson

(picture at top by me)