Folk City 100 Most Essential Folk Songs

Folk Alley has compiled a list of its 100 most essential folk songs as reported at today at NPR. I took a quick look, and would probably revise this some. Unless I missed something the Carter Family (or members there of) show only once at 61 with [Can??] the Circle Be Unbroken (always thought this was Will the Circle Be Unbroken). This is an extreme oversight. Woody Guthrie, Seeger and Weavers and Bill Monroe and a few others are there, but mostly Dylan and post Dylan. And, I believe these are performances of songs, as Goodnight Irene was not written by the Weavers, but by Leadbelly (Huddie Ledbetter). Suggest getting Shared Vision tribute to Guthrie/Ledbetter or any of the three Will the Circle Be Unbroken anthologies by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.

June 23, 2009

A reader commented off line:

I am pretty weak on folk (which is not to suggest I am strong in other areas), so my views would not be worth much.

Whether the Band and the Byrds qualify as folk singers, I would have some doubt; and Barry McGuire, “Eve of Destruction,” is not too folkish to me – but what do I know?

My response:

That was my reaction. Will have to check out Folk Alley, as I think they have strayed down other streets.

If you are interested, a great folk resource is Roger McGuinn's (of the Byrds) Folk Den at: http://www.ibiblio.org/jimmy/mcguinn/index.html

and his related podcast, through which he is trying to keep true folk music alive by recording and releasing by podcast versions of traditional folk songs. The podcast is free at iTunes as McGuinn's Folk Den. He releases one new song a month. At iTunes there are links to other folk podcasts, including a Folk Alley podcast that I was unaware of.

Rust Never Sleeps . . .

The "Better to Burn Out Than It Is To Rust" Club proposes the following 2009 summer/early fall I-95 Concerts/Events:

• Friday, July 10 - Wilco - Frawley Stadium, Wilmington, Delaware.

• Friday, July 24 - Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson & John Mellencamp - Ripken Stadium, Aberdeen, Maryland.
  

• Sunday, August 16 - Route 29 Revue - Old Crow Medicine Show, Levon Helm, Iron & Wine, Grace Potter and Nocturnals, The Ferlice Brothers and Justin Jones - Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, Maryland.
  

• Saturday, October 10 - Ira Glass - (This American Life) Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore, Maryland.

• Tuesday, October 13 - Richard Thompson & Loudon Wainright, III, Krauscher Auditorium, Goucher College, Towson, Maryland.

Tickets should still be available for all these events.

To Ocean Rose and Jimmy Owens

I went recently to see a reunion of a band from my college days, Ocean Rose, and they were fantastic (after 35 years), so I have to give a plug to the band's lead singer, Jimmy Owens, who you can check out through his blogger profile.

Rockin' in the Free World (Merriweather)

The Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland seems to have a future. Liz Farmer reports in the (Baltimore) Daily Record June 1, 2009:

For years, waiting in line at the restroom and potentially missing out on seeing your favorite song performed was just a part of the Merriweather Post Pavilion experience.

But on Monday, promoters of the Howard County outdoor concert facility said that’s all in the past as they unveiled more than $1 million in renovations — including three times as many restrooms — as part of what they hope will a multimillion dollar overhaul to cement the pavilion as one of the region’s premier concert venues.

“Just a few years ago, people were calling me and asking about the pavilion closing,” said County Executive Ken Ulman. “So today is not just about the new amenities, but it’s about rebuilding the Merriweather Post Pavilion.”

Ulman said that with a County Council vote on downtown Columbia’s master plan expected in the next five months, he and the pavilion’s promoters hope to pump “tens of millions” of dollars into the facility in the coming years with the goal of making the venue a seamless part of the new downtown.

This year’s new amenities include more restrooms (with a two-to-one women’s-to-men’s ratio); a concessions facility with new menu items like crab cakes, pita sandwiches and quesadillas; a pinball arcade; and new sculptures including a 7,500-pound, 15-foot chicken crafted from old farm equipment.

Read the rest of the article at: Merriweather Post Pavilion plans for future.

Rust Never Sleeps . . .

and neither do lawsuits for departed rock 'n rollers. As reported today by Gerry Beyer in his Will, Trusts & Estate Prof Blog and by the Associated Press in Dee Dee Ramone's estate executor sues over book the late, great Ramone still has posthumous legal difficulties. Dee Dee's first wife apparently has a book that violates an agreement with his executor with respect to any written material about him.

In other legal news, Paste magazine reports on the death of former Wilco band member Jay Bennett shortly after he filed suit against Jeff Tweedy over issues during his tenure in the band. Paste itself may soon follow to its demise (see Campaign to Save Paste).