It's Done. And other random updates.

Well...we have a mastered version of The Early Year that is going to be the one that everyone gets in their mailboxes, email boxes, on their computer speakers, and on their turntables. Ok, no turntables. We're not doing a vinyl release...yet, hehheh. I am proud of it. With a capital P! And there's the cover...woot! What is holding me up right now is that I am a little slow to comprehend the embedding of ISRC codes on the tracks, still...so I did not realize I needed to register with the RIAA before this could occur. So I am registering, and then we'll get the codes, which get embedded in the master, which gets shipped to Oasis for duplication. I hope this goes fast. Today is busywork day so I can get my PO box set up (as much as taking orders from my home address via the internet is appealing, haha) and file our paperwork for Bourn Records. And send a fax to the RIAA. Who has a fax machine these days? Oh, that's right...business people. (And Kinko's! Woot!) I am still all happy from last weekend at Threadgill's. Jamming on stage with Terri and Lloyd and Glenn was pretty much a highlight of my...forever. It's neat to think about the things I've been fortunate enough to do in my two years of living here. A lot of the above paperwork and business stuff is thanks to Terri and Lloyd and their never-ending sharing of smarts and experience. From the Life's A Song workshop last October to Terri letting me harass her and pick her brain all the time throughout this past year...it's good to have people who have your back. Dan and Suz and Terri and Lloyd are all really insanely integral parts of me as an artist and of this record...I hope it does them all proud. Thanks for the chance, kids.

To the Top of the World

This is one of the most gorgeous versions of this tune... (If you squint you'll see Lloyd in the background behind Emily!) I'm driving to New Mexico, y'all...see you on the flip side in the Mountain Time Zone.

Girl Crush on Imogen Heap

I'll admit it...I have a girl crush on Imogen (don't worry, the NYT says it's cool). I watched her latest video blog just now and my mouth kept dropping at each new bit of sound-making genius. From the swirly tube thing that we all had as kids and never quite knew what to do with except annoy the crap out of our parents...to using the Gameboy start up sound on her song...sheer genius. SHE PLAYS THE GAMEBOY. ON HER RECORD. And I thought I was all cool playing the banjo. Imogen, if you need someone to play the Diet Coke bottle, or flip flop around the studio loudly, or perhaps type with 3 fingers on a keyboard really fast...I'm your girl.

Friday Randomization of Text

Greetings from my mechanic's waiting room, where they are cool enough to have wifi. No problems, just new belts for the car before I go to New Mexico in a week or so. No breaking down in the middle of somewhere! I think I'm dehydrated as I feel my face shriveling up while I type. That's interesting. To me, anyway. We're busy getting mastering of the EP all set up and ready to do, the artwork is coming along nicely, and I need to get some paperwork in line today. Filling out forms is ok if it's for something fun, I have decided. I am currently enthralled with Sugarland's new CD, "Love on the Inside." As I have mentioned before, they are one of my guilty Nashville pleasures, and they did a great job with this new record (please do not judge by the first single...it's summer fun but the rest goes a lot deeper). Jennifer Nettles' voice is fantastic. It's also neat that they released a version with bonus material FIRST, and will release the "normal" album in a few weeks. Usually artists release a record and then a year later you can buy the "Bonus Track" version which just makes the diehard fans buy things twice. This is the way forward, methinks. Don't mess with your fans.

Sesame Street Goals

My friend Mary pointed this out to me, and it is awesome: Feist put out a lovely record last year, and "1 2 3 4" was in one of the iPod commercials...but as a kid raised on Sesame Street, there's no cooler remake than something that involves Muppets and counting. I don't know what song I'd re-do. Maybe "paper beats rock and rock beats scissors" could turn into an order of operations math song about "parentheses beats exponents beats multiply and divide beats add and subtract." Hmm, not quite the ring. Oh well.

Good times and fire ants.

Terri Hendrix and her band played in San Marcos last night, so of course I made the drive down for a great show. I spent the first set sitting in the grass with some good friends, and even though I have been through this "concert on the lawn" thing countless times, I still forgot a blanket or a chair. My buddies kindly offered my some blanket space, but I thought...what the heck? It's just grass. Grass with a bunch of ants in it. Fire ants, too, apparently. I got a nice stingy bite in my hand and by the drive home my finger was swollen. I'd show you which finger it was but I don't feel like flipping off the internet, haha. The good news is my buddy Richard had a spare chair and I got to sit above the wildlife instead of in it for the 2nd set. Thanks, Richard! Terri and the band sounded great and based on the new songs we have been hearing lately, I am super psyched for the next record. I think she must be superhuman, based on all the traveling she's been doing, hanging out with the Bhutanese and such in Washington, D.C., and still putting on a great hometown show at the end of it all. Props! Also, a lesson: just because you're all comfy and ant-free in your lawn chair does not mean you will not called up to do a little singing sometimes. So much fun! Thanks, Terri.

Day 3: At the Crossroads!

Thank goodness. After surviving the night at the haunted hotel no worse for the wear and very well rested, I got up, explored the streets a little bit, and found breakfast at a Czech bakery. We picked up Susan's guitarist and made our way to Winnsboro. As of midnight I had shifted my official title to "Opening Act/Merch Girl," so it's good I didn't make a name tag or anything, cuz I just would have had to make another one. Right. Job One: MERCH TABLE! I am getting dangerously efficient, haha. Pleased. Crossroads Music Co. in Winnsboro hosts a plethora of shows in their awesome venue, and I felt really honored to be able to play there and be in such good company. My good buddy Kate met us there and I handed her the camera...she did an excellent documentation job! Kate also rocked my set by agreeing to sit in on "New Mexico Boy," so there were tasty leads and good times for sure. Kate rocks. Unfortunately, both of us were onstage during that song so neither of us took a photo, haha. Shifty. We stayed up late hanging out by a lake outside of Kate's house...I want a lake. I bet you have to get lake insurance or something. And a boat. Maybe I'll get a lake later, after I get a cat and a puppy. Order of operations.

Day 2: Long Roads and Haunted Rooms

Well, as you can tell by now...no internet access for the past couple of days. Luckily I kept taking photos over the weekend and I'll just post in some time warp continuum. So...welcome to Friday, July 4th. Happy Independence Day! The view when cruising. After a great time in Davis, (and a lovely sleep in the swanky hotel followed by breakfast with some great new friends from OKC), we trucked out of town to Freyburg Hall, located outside of Schulenburg (somewhere between Austin and Houston...see kickbutt map below for exact routage, haha). The Ginn Sisters opened for Susan, and it was my first time seeing them live. Very cool, amazing harmonies, great people. The SG band was rockin' and I did my thang with the merch table all evening... See the evolution? See it? Also, there was the biggest bowl of cole slaw I have ever seen present at this hall. I apologize for not taking a photo of it. Think of a big bowl of cole slaw, and then think of something BIGGER. That night due to some miracle of generosity on the part of Susan and perks of her being a rock star, I got my own hotel room in Schulenburg. Susan was going to camp with her family, so she just dropped us band peeps off at the Von Minden Hotel. Discussion prior: Someone at Freyburg Hall: "It's haunted, you know. The hotel." All of us staying there: "WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?" Susan: "Have fun! See you in the morning! Hahahahaha! Boo!" Thanks, Suz. But it was pretty dang cool. The Von Minden Hotel was built in 1927, and is supposedly haunted by a woman who roams around asking guests for directions. She wears a polkadot dress. The lobby...you can check in and dear Lord please let us check out... Down the hall to our rooms. No ghosts yet. Awesome staircase. My room...number 7. I ain't afraid of no ghosts! Repeat. Sleep well. I'll admit I was too tired and passed out so completely that if a ghost poked me in my sleep to ask where the bathroom was, I never knew it. But we took some cool photos when we got there, and the next morning I got some more shots before we got picked up. Very neat place. Less creepy in the morning. Still creepy. So this crazy musical life has lead me down many interesting paths, but a haunted hotel was not even on my radar of possibilities. So much fun! And it was onward to Winnsboro...

I'm not gonna lie...

...I'm kind of an awesome Merch Girl. We drove ourselves up to Davis, Oklahoma (well, Susan drove and I made snarky comments about dumb signs the whole way...sorry, Susan) and made it with a few hours to spare. Susan went and did a set for a group of Veterans because she's cool like that, and I stayed behind at our gorgeous hotel and concert venue, the La Ville Inn in downtown Davis, and sorted the goods. And sorted. Because Suz just put out a record. she's got all kinds of good merch to go with it. It was in tubs, so I started out by scattering it everywhere. My mind works better that way somehow. T-shirt? Koozie? Sticker? Frisbee for your dog? I got ya. Then I got to work. Jana's Work Smirk (TM) By the time the show started, the Merch table looked like this: Sell! Sell! Sell! The show was amazing. Susan played banjo (the first time I had ever seen that live) and did "Wayside," an old Groobees tune. Loves it. Banjo! Then she lead us all in a sing-along of "America the Beautiful." Indeed. We get to see some more of our beautiful America today as it's down to Freyburg (between Austin and Houston) for a show tonight, where hopefully the merch juju will be just as good. Did I mention our hotel is awesome? We walked into the bathroom, which I swear has separate halls and wings unto itself, and looking in the ginormous shower stall Susan says, "Janapo, this shower is bigger than your last apartment!" This morning when I was taking advantage of the dual showerheads, I had to pretty much agree. See you all at Freyburg Hall!

Winnsboro Gig+Merch Girl Duty

Well...I am hopefully all situated and ready to hit the road with Susan Gibson for the next few days. Can I say, I LOVE traveling with Susan? Adventures abound, and good music is the soundtrack. And her sweet dogs are usually along for the ride. Woot! I'll be acting as Merch Girl (that's an official title, mind you) and then move into Opening Act designation when we reach our final gig in Winnsboro, home of Crossroads Music Company, who are some of my favorite people ever. Can't wait! We'll be heading up to Davis, OK for a show tomorrow, and then it's to the Houston area for a July 4th show at Freyburg Hall, and then back up to Winnsboro, outside of Dallas for our gig on the 5th...and home to Austin. It kind of looks like this: In fact, it looks exactly like that. This is the finest piece of graphic illustration I have ever done. Thank you. Of course, a proper Merch Girl needs to wear the merchandise. Spiffy, it is. dork. I'll do my best to update from the road, and if you're in Davis/Freyburg/Winnsboro...come say hi!

I love this song.

Stones in the Road - Mary Chapin Carpenter.

Mixology

Dan and I spent a good chunk of Tuesday mixing a tune with George, who is a most excellent dude and a really cool mixer. He took "Blonde on Blue" and brought out some neat aspects of our recording (what I like to call "hairy piano" now) while we watched and soaked in the mixing process. Mixers get the fun job of getting the picture of what the artist and producer want/aim for while giving their own touch to the project. I suspect we could give "Blonde on Blue" to 5 mixers and come up with some pretty different sounding tunes, even though it's all the exact same set of tracks I played on. Cool. "New Mexico Boy" is mixed to the point that I smile like a dork when I hear it, so I call that a good finished product. Yay for growly, sweaty guitars! That night we saw Girlyman play at the Cactus, who pretty much rocked the room and were a joy. Dan produced Girlyman Nate's solo record so it was neat to see Nate play. Go see them. Actually, they're in Albuquerque tonight, for you Albuquirks. P.S. Here's Mixer George playing bass on Letterman a couple weeks ago with Jakob Dylan. Cool.

EP 1 Check-In

Well. We've got one tune mixed and 4 more to go! What a process. One I will discuss more after we have a few more mixes under our belt and I know what I'm saying. It's a cool thing, to see a baby song grow up and sound like something that fits in with your iTunes playlist full of other artists. Neato. On that note, things I have been listening to lately: Mescalito: Ryan Bingham (I saw Ryan open for Patty Griffin and he caught my attention. For someone opening for Patty Griffin to catch my attention and not just leave me thinking, "Man, I wish Patty was playing now" is a triumph. The record is great). Trouble In Mind: Hayes Carll (Anyone who writes a song called "She Left Me for Jesus" wins. Same for "Bad Liver and a Broken Heart"). All I Intended To Be: Emmylou Harris (How cool is she? She makes great records, period, end of story). Here's "Red Dirt Girl", my one of my favorite Emmylou tunes.

What the Cool Kids Buy

Um, the new Susan Gibson album is out. Let's just pause for a minute to allow you to go purchase it from her website, or perhaps download it from iTunes. "New Dog, Old Tricks." Clickity click click. Got it? Good. We all know I can wax poetic about the songwriting skills of Ms. Gibson all day. This record has some new tunes and a bunch of Suz tunes that she recorded with her former band, The Groobees. Those are great records but not readily found these days...and since Susan performs these tunes at her shows, it makes sense to let the people take them home. Give the people what they want, I say. (Unless the people want chocolate covered cauliflower. Then the people are wrong. But usually they are right. Usually). So you can get to know Susan a little better, I present one of my favorite videos of our New Mexico tour from last year. Spontaneous song creation is the name of the game. I wonder why this one didn't make it on "New Dog, Old Tricks"? Strange, haha. Oh yeah...to make things even sweeter, some of the proceeds from sales of this album go to Blue Dog Rescue. An awesome cause AND new music. I like. Here's some linkage to keep you busy: SusanGibson.com (buy it here, too!) Susan's Myspace Download "New Dog, Old Tricks" from iTunes

Run-ins with the law and other sight-seeing in Texas

Hey kids! I've been MIA because my good friend and college roommate, Beth, braved the Austin heat to come visit and hang out. We packed a lot into a few days before she jetted back west to be a med student. Here's Beth carrying around her loot...er...bag of ice. Hey, I said it's been warm here. I think I fulfilled my mission of showing Beth the Live Music Capital of the World in style. When she flew in Friday night, we headed over to the legendary Continental Club and caught part of Guitar Shorty's set. He's one of those blues legend types, and he puts on an entertaining show to say the least. He plays guitar with his teeth, feet, and even his butt. (I know. I'll find a video soon.) On Saturday Beth was kind and carried my gear for me when I played at the Art Walk in downtown Elgin, about 25 miles outside of Austin. Cute town and very nice people! I played in the Bremond House Gallery, a fabulous old building with wood floors and a pressed tin ceiling. That evening we saw my good friends Blue J play some jazz and then headed over to the Green Mesquite to see my buddy Geno play. That's a lot of music in one day, but all of it was delish. On Sunday we headed down to Gruene Hall to see Nathan Hamilton play, where we met a cool couple from New Jersey and chatted for a while. The randomness of these things is the fun part! After that we headed up to San Marcos and rented some tubes to float down the river. Now, I've floated before and Beth hasn't at all, but I had never floated with beer along for the ride. It seemed like the Texan thing to do and since it was so blazing hot, we bought some (hence the bag of ice above). And we were floating along lazily when a cop on an ATV on the bank beeps his ATV horn and Beth says, "Haha, what's he going to do? Pull someone over in a tube?" And then we realized he was pointing at us. Oops. So we paddled over to shore and apparently, glass bottles are a no-no. Only cans on the river. Since we were obviously clueless to this fact and all-around harmless looking kids (I'd like to think so, anyway), he just took our beer and let us float away. In our defense, Beth's from Colorado where the rivers are such that you're probably wearing helmets and praying for your life when you're rafting down them so there's no time for beer rules, and I am from New Mexico where you don't float down the river because you'd just be scooting through mud. We are new at this. I'm pretty proud that my first run-in with the law involved me in a bright yellow plastic tube. So we floated to the end and happened to land outside the San Marcos River Pub, where Terri Hendrix and Lloyd Maines were playing that night. More live music from my favorite people! That show managed to make Beth have a giggle fit and tear up all in one evening. I call that a good show (though, as those who know her well can attest, giggle fits are frequent. We like that about her). So that's what's up...I made it through without a criminal record and a tan. I call that a successful weekend.

Tori II: Bouncing Off Clouds

I know, this is the second Tori post in a week. But the benefits of having a really devoted fanbase mean there are really great quality Youtube videos of you around. This is my favorite track off Tori's latest, American Doll Posse. Note how she plays TWO pianos at the same TIME. One behind her back. I know it's probably easy for her but it looks dang impressive.

A Sorta Fairytale

Tori Amos is brilliant. I love this live version of "A Sorta Fairytale." Talk about commanding a stage. Presence, dress, voice, musicianship, confidence, all of it. I won a front row seat at one of her shows when I was in college, and it changed my perception of live music. I will admit I was not familiar with much of her music before the show, but I was instantly converted. This is probably my top Tori song, and not just because it mentions New Mexico, haha. In fact, the "Scarlet's Walk" record is one of my favorite records period. It creates amazing soundscapes and is beautifully written.

Wowsers for Mary Chapin Carpenter

You've all heard me gush poetic about Mary Chapin Carpenter, one of the main reasons I picked up a guitar in the first place. Some argue that her rise of fame in the country music market was a weird abberation. All I know is that if I had looked to other popular people as mentors in the mid-90's when I was just starting to be curious about music, I might have picked up a karaoke mic and be hitting the American Idol auditions now. (Not that there's anything wrong with that). But anyway...over on Country Universe, one of the blogs I read to keep up on all things Nashville, there's a series being posted about the 100 Greatest Women in Country Music. While entirely subjective (the joys of blogging), the list is great so far and it's been a joy to read. I knew MCC would probably rank pretty high...and she came in at No. 29 today. While reading the article, none of the information was very new to me...except to see it all spelled out at once made me realize what a formindable career MCC has had. Check it out: - 10 albums over 20 years - The tune Down at the Twist and Shout in 1991..."earned her the first of five Grammys...beginning a historically unprecedented domination of the Best Female Country Vocal Performance category, which she would win four years in a row." - In 1992 the album Come On Come On "would bring Carpenter to the peak of her popularity. It spawned a stunning seven hit singles, practically unheard of at that time." - He Thinks He'll Keep Her (my gateway drug song to MCC's music) brought about Chapin being the "first country artist nominated for Grammy’s Record of the Year for a non-crossover hit." - In 1995 , "the Best Country Album category was reestablished after a thirty-year absence, and Stones in the Road was the winner." It was double platinum by then and Chapin's first that was entirely self-penned...no co-writers. Wow. Wow! Now, we all know a career is not summed up in Grammy awards (although I have cleared a place on my cherry-colored particle-board bookcase should the moment ever arise), but Mary Chapin was breaking down barriers left and right as a woman and a songwriter in this genre. And she made a huge difference for a lot of people...when I was but a wee wannabe chordist...I heard intelligent, smart tunes and you had better believe I was paying attention to the fact that Chapin was writing them herself and playing them herself. Makes a big difference. There's my Sunday warm fuzzy. Thanks, Mary Chapin. If you squint, you will note MCC in the middle and me to the immediate left backstage at a concert in Atlanta in 2005. Surrounded by a bunch of fun people decked out in flamingo garb. This is probably a long story for another time, but it was dang amazing.

I want a banjo.

This song makes me want to buy a banjo. I almost snagged one off Craigslist but it didn't work out. If you have a banjo in your attic let me know! Also, Abigail Washburn is awesome. She has lived in China and is also steeped in Appalachian folk music...and somehow the two combine into...Appalachinese? Something like that. Go read her bio, it's impressive.

Moving Tracks o' the Week

Last Saturday afternoon I was busy making a couple of mix CDs for packing, to get my box mojo going. Some people might view this as counterproductive, but who wants to pack in silence? I dug around on my hard drive with all my mp3s from college, and mixed a few new things. A partial list of the singles of the week, all recommended if you need new tunes. - The Weepies - Antarctica. Off their new CD Hideaway...I don't know what it's about but who else has a song with the hook, "Antarctica - my only living relative"? Who? (Bonus: it's streaming down at the bottom of the page on their player! Sweet!) - John Mayer - Clarity. Everyone cringes a little when they admit they like Mayer, then they move on with their lives and enjoy. - Jail Burned Down - The Great Divide. For the gospel portion/"hail Mary I found a box that fits" moments. - American Baby - Dave Matthews. This track is just hip. If I produced a record I'd want to have something on it sound like this. - Lights of Santa Fe - Eliza Gilkyson. One of the few New Mexico songs I've heard that references specific things but doesn't sound too..."local" if that makes sense. - Right Hand Man - Joan Osborne. Rock. And. Roll. - Fifth of July - Eddie From Ohio. I have a gig on July 5th. :)

Hanging out with a Simpsons Character

Lloyd Maines, as I hope you all know by now, is a Texas music legend. Lloyd's produced and/or played on so many records that he doesn't even count them anymore. I asked. He doesn't. His steady gig for the past ten years or so has been touring with Terri Hendrix, and it's a lovely combination. He's also a swell guy to talk to, especially if you are into playing guitar and making records, which is pretty much all I'm interested in, haha. So last weekend at their show, Lloyd announced he had just appeared on The Simpsons...which really, means you are "It" in regards to American culture. There is no better finger on the pulse of the mish-mash of America than The Simpsons, and I will stand by that argument any day. The episode "Papa Don't Leech" features a song sung by the Dixie Chicks (in which Lloyd's daughter, Natalie, is the lead singer, of course)...and who do we see doing the best version of a cartoon jam ever but Lloyd himself. Actually, I just noticed he's playing keyboard and not pedal steel. Is it too hard to animate pedal steel, people?! (Look hard, it goes fast...telltale mustache). Check out the full episode here on Hulu.com. That photo up there is copyright 2008 Machelle Dunlop all rights. Word.

Blue Dog Rescue Benefit

Jana Sandwich! Susan and Terri share the love. Whoa. My head did almost explode at the amount of coolness at this show, except it was all nice coolness so really...it was what they call "chill." (Yeah, I'm a nerd. Whatevs.) I stole Dan's sunglasses. I think I look creepy. Blue Dog Rescue...check them out. They foster dogs and find them homes when otherwise...these guys would not find homes and then sad things happen. Blue Dog packs the Gingerman Pub a couple of times a year with good music, beer, and LOTS of puppies to raise awareness and funds. Insane amounts of puppies all over. So fun! Graham Wilkinson was playing when I got there...great tunes and I am positive Business Partner Josh is eyeing Graham's dreads with much respect right now. (Keep 'em growing, J!) Sally Allen played next and had great songs and great tone coming out of her guitar. Very glad to be introduced to her music. Lloyd = Simpsons character. Really. Read on. Then it was Terri and Lloyd time. What can I say? Always so much joy. And Terri has an awesome new Gibson guitar; it made me drool a little bit. Luckily, this was a dog benefit and half the attendees were drooling...I fit right in. (By the way...Lloyd has been immortalized as a character in a Simpsons episode. That's how cool he is. More on that soon). Geetar! Susan was on next and I dogsat her kids for her while she played, so this is pretty much the only decent shot I got of her set. And that's ok. Both of these sweeties are former Blue Dogs. Dan jamz. Simon and his harp skillz. porterdavis finished off the night with a great set and I think everyone went home with tails happily wagging. No fleas, either. Good day. Like I said earlier, I couldn't have designed a better line up myself. Bring on the next one, and talk me out of wanting a puppy!

A little blues harp break

Here's a video of Lisa Mills and Simon Wallace (aka Simon from porterdavis and also the harmonica teacher at Red Leaf)...it's pretty cool stuff. One day I will hit Simon up for a harp lesson or several hundred.

Katie and Jana take on Gruene Hall

Oh Katie. One might call her a partner in crime, or maybe an enabler. However you word it, Katie agreed to roadtrip down to Gruene Hall with me to see one suSANG! play. I love seeing shows at Gruene because the town itself is all cute and German, and the Hall has a great historic, gritty vibe. Plus Katie made sandwiches. Wot? It starts as all good blog posts do, with an inside joke. These curry chips were on stage all night. That is all. The crowd was kickin'. I saw Suz make a Sharpie tattoo on someone's hand. Rockstar! Jana: Too bad her last name isn't "Miller." Katie: Yeah...then it would always be HER TIME! I brought in a contraband Diet Coke. Because it was in my bag, dangit. So Katie took a dark photo of my drinking the contraband. Recycled the evidence. I took this photo of the artist and the tip jar to reiterate to all you kind folks: LOVE THE TIP JAR. That is all. There's "Johnny (Hearts) Jessica" and such written/scratched all over the ancient Gruene Hall tables. I suppose we are not to take photos of evidence yet again, but...well, we had to. I hope to go back to Gruene Hall in 2028 and see this note. Did we mention there's a new CD coming? Head to the Myspace to hear a track or dos. How does live music make me feel? Like THIS.

More Hearts and Stars for Sugarland + New Music

I know, I know. Commercial country Nashville yadda yadda. As I have said before, I will defend the gloriousness of Sugarland, and here is more proof. Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush lead their tourmates (Little Big Town and Jake Owen) in a really cool cover of "Life in a Northern Town." This song is an ode to Nick Drake and was recorded originally by Brit folk-rockers The Dream Academy. So not typical Nashville. So cool. This song combines a bunch of my favorite things: big guitar sounds, good harmonies, nonsense word choruses, and Jennifer Nettles' voice. Yep. Dig. There's your musical break for the week. Also, Kris Delmhorst's new one is available, it's called "Shotgun Singer" and from my first listen through, it rocks. Kris always delivers quality stuff. Susan has a couple of her new tracks up on her Myspace page -- totally stoked for the new record. Kevin and I have jumped into a big pool of soul guitar at my lessons, so my assignment for the week has been to listen to The Staples Singers and various other soul legends, and watch the documentaries Wattstax and Standing in the Shadows of Motown. Tough life. (Mavis Staples is SO GOOD! I know I'm slow).