Song For Today

Okay so it's Valentine's Day today, but the song that came  to my mind has nothing to do with love or any of that mushy stuff... more like slushy stuff...The first line of this song kept going through my head as I spent the morning out shoveling snow.... I'm a snowplow...I must now plow on...

Midnight Oil - Antarctica

and just because, here it is again... Live

Snowed In Listening to Dr. John

Well, we 're snowed in here in PA., so I'm listening to some Dr. John to warm up. I just picked up the Dr. John Original Album Series, so I'm all set. This set contains five of the good Doctor's early albums: Gris -Gris, Babylon, The Sun Moon & Herbs, Dr. John's Gumbo, and In The Right Place. You can't beat some of that New Orleans funk to warm you up on a cold snowy day.

Such A Night

Right Place

Iko Iko

Tipitina

I walk on Gilded Splinters

John Hiatt and Lyle Lovett

I don't see as many concerts as I did when I was younger, but I do try to go to as many as I can... when I can afford them. When my wife and I heard that John Hiatt and Lyle Lovett where coming to town and performing together, well we just had to go. We had seen John Hiatt and Lyle Lovett a couple of times back in the 1990s, but hadn't had the chance to seem them since. The last album of Hiatt's that I had purchased was Crossing Muddy Water from way back in 2000, and the last Lovett album that I bought was Live In Texas from 1999. Since John had put out eight more albums, and Lyle five since then, I was a little concerned that I wouldn't know any of the songs. I shouldn't have worried, the show was great, consisting mostly of their best known songs. The show was just the two of them sitting on stage, trading songs. John would play one, and then Lyle would. In between there was some banter back and forth. My wife felt the banter was the best part of the show. Usually Lyle would start out by asking John about the song he had just played, or by saying "Oh, were doing love songs now? Is this a theme show?" or "Did you ever write a song off an idea that someone gave you?" Although most of their songs were played separately, they did collaborate on some, such as Church and Thing Called Love, mostly John adding vocals or guitar leads to Lyle's songs, although Lyle did add vocals to some of John's songs, at one point in the show Lyle said that John was working harder than he was by playing on more of Lyle's songs than vice versa. Unfortunately cameras weren't allowed in the hall, so I didn't get any footage, but here's some video from other shows.

If I Had A Boat

Thing Called Love

Although the show was fantastic, there were a couple of things that I think would have made it a better show, one is that I wish they had done more songs together, the other I didn't realize until I looked for videos on line and saw that Joe Ely had done some shows with them. Man I would have loved to have seen that. The only time I saw Joe Ely was with the Flatlanders , back in 2002.

Drive South - A nice little bit of information John gave is that for Drive South, he tunes his G string down to E for this song.

My Baby Don't Tolerate

Have a Little Faith 

And although Joe Ely wasn't at the show, I just have to add this.

Me and Billy the Kid

If you get a chance to see these guys together, I highly recommend that you go see them.